Favorite Things

Well, it's that time of year again. It's not quite the Christmas season, per se, but it certainly is holiday season! It's almost Thanksgiving, and then after that, before you know it Christmas will be here! Christmas is quite stressful for many people, but for me personally, I just love the feeling of Christmas. I don't know if I can exactly describe the "Christmasy feeling," but it's a happy warm feeling that goes along with Winter Wonderland songs, freshly baked gingerbread, eating apple pie with friends around a warm fireplace while it's cold outside, hot chocolate, and the smell of pumpkin pie in the oven. So good. It all feel cozy, and happy, and safe, and makes the world seem like not such a bad place after all!

On Thanksgiving, I like to take some time to write down a list of things I am grateful for: things that especially apply to that year in particular. On Christmas, I'm just in the mood to enjoy everything more for no good reason. So anyway, today I've decided to take some time and just make a random list of everything that I really like. Not just things, but also ideas, or activities, or people. I find that I enjoy everything more if I keep track of what I'm enjoying, and I enjoy a lot of things! I tell you, I probably enjoy more things than most people do! But perhaps I don't. You could make a longer list and disprove me. I'd like to read that list, actually. ;)

Cozy

Things I like:

Skipping

Cute necklaces

Disneyland

Dancing

Boots

Playing paintball

Winning games

Making Gingerbread houses

Surprising people

Really smart cars (like go-carts)

Warm coats on cold nights

Sliding on ice

Pithy sayings

Creamy, rich hot chocolate

Awesome hats

Good come-backs

The intelligence, skill, style, and wit of spies

Arch rivals

Russian Coffee Chocolate

Being outside while it's snowing

Getting into a snowball fight

Roasting marshmallows over a fire

The smell of cookies baking in the oven

River rafting

Carmel apples

The sound of rain as it hits the roof

Splashing in puddles

Making music

Snowglobes

Beaches

The Jungle Cruise

Popping Bubble wrap

Getting a package in the mail

A gorgeous sunset

Hitting the "Snooze" button a whole bunch of times

Comfy chairs, especially rocking chairs

Mood rings

Dressing up

Deep sparkly blue

Cute and cuddly stuffed animals

Pets

Reading a good book

Listening to a favorite song on repeat 'til I get tired of it

Whacking weeds with a golf club

Painting of underwater scenes

Getting up early to go somewhere special

Thinking of the perfect analogy

Funny mistakes

Driving fast late at night

Almost tripping, but catching myself before I fall

Biking down a hill

Making a new world record

Providing comic relief

Poking people

Writing letters

Picking fresh berries and eating them

Secrets

Naming places

Buying new clothes

Looking at a window, when it's dark outside, and seeing a reflection

Symbol (like the Black Butterfly!)

Brownies

Annoying a good-natured person

Getting lost

Throwing mud

Wind-up music boxes

Remembering that you remembered

Making up "Old chinese proverb"s

Singing favorite hymns

Getting out of a cold pool and into a hot tub

Reading the end of a mystery

Confrontation (A Poem)

Sometimes you'll feel hurt
And perhaps angry too -
But before you confront them
Here's what you should do -

First check your own heart once
Or better yet, twice -
Make sure there's no malice
Mixed with your advice -

You need to forgive
Yes, before you go talk -
Or your heart will be hateful
And hard as a rock -

Then try to be humble
Before you condemn -
You could be the problem
It might not be them -

Don't go by opinion
But go by what's true -
You think that you're right
That's what they think too!

So go read the Bible
Which is Wisdom's book -
Do you know what it says?
Let's go take a look -

If the Scriptures say they are wrong
You know it's right -
But then hold your horses
And don't start a fight -

You are not enemies, though that's
How it may seem -
You're together in Christ
And that makes you a team -
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Now it will be hard,
And it won't be much fun -
But pull them aside and
Talk one on one -

Be firm when you tell them
The truth that you see -
Also be quick to listen to
Their humble plea -

Perhaps things were not
All that they seemed to be -
The other perspective
Might just be the key -

Never say "Silence!
I Kill You!" no no -
Hold love in your heart
They're your friend, not your foe -

Now if they read the Bible
Quite different than you -
Respect their belief
It's the kind thing to do -

They are not rebelling
Against the Most High -
Their thoughts are sincere,
And they don't mean to lie -

Don't call them stupid
Stubborn or dumb -
Why not just be nice?
And give them some gum?

Bless your opponent
Yes, bless and don't curse -
See, odds are in favor
Of you being worse!
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But if they won't listen,
And show you the door -
Go out and bring witnesses,
Two or three more -

At this point, if they still
Refuse to agree -
Then bring the church elders
For them to go see -

However, if they start to see
All their wrongs -
Do not dance a jig
Singing victory songs -

No, do not just blame them
And harp on their flaws -
But show them the way
To obey all God's laws -

If you look for virtue,
Then virtue you'll find -
Train them in righteousness
Gently and kind -

Show patience and tough love
For all their mistakes -
You might be surprised
At the difference it makes -
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Your sins are paid for
Your eternity set -
But loving each other
Is still our good debt -

Forgive those who sin
And forgiveness you'll get -
And always remember
Or else you'll forget!

Hitting on the person you like: Sweet VS Stalker

There are many ways to hit on people, some are sweet, and some are just creepy. Me and my sister sat down for a while and made a list. It's rather amusing, and gives good tips to newer stalkers... Are the people you love not creeped out by you? We can remedy that!

Stalker!

Sweet: Buy them a christmas gift
STALKERISH: Buy them 364 gifts for christmas (as goes along with the 12 days of christmas song)

Hug them
Squeeze them until they can't breathe, while remarking that you never want to let go

Share your jelly beans
Send a 20 pd box of jelly beans to their house

Post a picture of you with them on facebook
Make a fansite dedicated to them (complete with hundreds of pictures of them, as well as public lists of all their favorite music)

Drive them home
Watch them while their sleeping in their home

Ask for their number politely
Repeatedly ask "Can I have your number? Can I have it? Can I? Can I have it?" while following them around

Say "You're cute"
Engrave "I WANT TO BE WITH YOU FOREVER" on their doorstep

Sneak up behind them, put your hands over their eyes, and say "guess who"
Kidnap them, tie them up, blindfold them, and then say "guess who!"

Helping them with their homework
Breaking into their house at night to do their homework so that they'll be pleasantly surprised when they awake

Dedicate a song to them
Dedicate "One way or another" to them

Have a picture of them
Make a life-size statue of them

Buy them a cute shirt
Buy them a closet full of designer clothes

Watch a romance with them
Watch Twilight with them

Give them a cute licence plate frame
Install a GPS tracker on their car without their knowledge

Buy them an extra ticket so they can join you at a ball game
Buy tickets to all the ball games they are already planning on going to (that they don't know you know about)

Be friendly to their family
Bribe their younger siblings for secret information about them

Offer to do them a favor
Do the favor without telling them (example: doing their laundry... "I didn't know you wore a size 10!!!")

Give them a camera
Set up security cameras around their house

Text them about your day
Email them all your deepest, darkest secrets and stories

Be there for them when they need you
Be there for them ALL the time. Literally. All the time.


Any questions?

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Anatomy of an Apology

We've all done wrong, and we've made mistakes. In short, we've all hurt one another and need to apologize on occasion. Because of this, it's a good thing to know how to apologize. Now, as we all know and have experienced, there are good apologies, and there are bad apologies. In fact, the bad apologies, when recognized, are generally not considered true apologies at all. There are many benefits to offering a bad apology. For example, you can get rid of guilt without actually repenting. You can spike the guns of your opponent by claiming that you've already apologized, and therefore it would be unreasonable of them to keep complaining about it! And all of this without any damage to your pride. So, if you wanted to apologize sincerely, how would you go about it? On the other hand, what if you want to apologize in such as way as to not admit any guilt, what are the best techniques to use? I will tell you!
















I have narrowed down the subject to seven key parts of an apology, and I'll go over them point by point, starting with the good way to apologize.
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Step One:
Be sincere
This is pretty simple. Just actually be sorry!

Step One, the bad way:
Be grudging about it, annoyed, or even sarcastic.
That way, no matter what words you use, they will know know that you aren't genuinely sorry.
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Step Two:
Take personal responsible for your actions
It may not always be good to be ego-centric, but in this context it's important. Start the sentence with "I" and not "you." Say "I was unloving" rather than "you made me mad." Taking personal responsibility implies that you could have acted otherwise, but didn't. You are responsible for the action.

Step Two, the bad way:
Blame external forces. Or better yet, blame the person you are apologizing to!
Make it obvious that you really had no choice. You could not possibly have acted other than the way you did. It was all because you were stressed from work, which you couldn't possibly control. It was all because they pushed your buttons.
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Step Three:
Acknowledge that what you did was wrong
Yes, admit that it was actually and objectively wrong. It was actually a sin.

Step Three, the bad way:
Do not acknowledge that there was anything really wrong about it
Maybe it was wrong, and maybe it wasn't. And if it was wrong, it was only a little bit wrong: not a big deal. It probably wasn't really wrong, and if it was, it didn't really count cus it was only barely wrong. More like a grey area. Or something.
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Step Four:
Acknowledge the other person's pain
Say something like "I know that what I did really hurt you."

Step Four, the bad way:
Make them seem over-sensitive
Imply or suggest that what you did or said wasn't really hurtful, and if they felt hurt by it, it's only because they are irrational, easily hurt, or just overly sensitive to things. In other words, if you must admit that they felt pain, blame it on them.
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Step Five: (Optional)
Explain the situation
Once again, this is optional, it's sometimes not the best thing to do, but sometimes clarity does help.

Step Five, the bad way:
Justify extensively
Go on and on about what you choose and why, why it made sense, why there really wasn't any other good options, how you felt badly about what they did to start the situation, etc. Oh, and if they complain, excuse yourself by saying that you are "just trying to explain."
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Step Six:
Say that you are sorry
That's right, use the word "sorry." Say something like "I'm sorry," "I'm truly sorry," or "I'm sorry and I will do my best, by God's grace, not to ever do that again."

Step Six, the bad way:
Don't use the "sorry" word. But if you absolutely have to, add an "if" or "but" clause at the end.
You know what I mean... "I'm sorry if what I did was somehow offensive to you in some way." "I'm sorry for saying what I did, but you really shouldn't do awful stuff like that which makes anyone feel like reacting that way." Just make something else to fit the situation! As long as you use the words "if" or "but," the sorry part will count as being said, but won't count toward meaning anything.
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Step Seven:
Ask for forgiveness, with the attitude that you don't deserve it
Asking for something is a request, not a demand. Ask for forgiveness and reconciliation in a humble attitude of contrition.

Step Seven, the bad way:
Act like they should have gotten over it already
They should have forgiven you already. It's their moral duty. It was overreacting to hurt about it to begin with, and so it would be just simply ridiculous if they were still holding on to some sort of grudge about the issue which, for the record, you've already apologized about. Make it an implied demand.
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