My Fascination with Sharks

I can’t really explain why, but I always have had this intense love and curiousity about sharks. Enough to the point where I have a favorite breed and know a lot of really random things about different breeds of sharks.
So.. quite naturally I love Shark Week on Discovery Channel like some people love the Super Bowl or some other big TV event. Today Animal Planet played a lot of shark specials.. mostly about attacks which was actually slightly annoying but still, fed my desire to hear about sharks and see them. Truth be told I’m still watching Animal Planet.. Shark Rebellion is on.
Anyway, I have random thoughts on sharks..
*Shark finning is probably the one ‘activist’ cause I get really fired up about. It’s freaking terrible. They hunt sharks, cut of thier fins for soup and let them die. My favorite breed, the Black Tip Reef, is declining in numbers rapidly because of this trend. It needs to be stopped before they are wiped out.
*JAWS is probably the dumbest film ever. Everytime I watch it I get annoyed.. it’s based on a true account.. but a.) that was a bull shark, not a great white, b.) sharks dont hunt people, they mistake them for other things so this out for human blood thing is stupid. c.) its entirely exagerated and created a really really bad negative image for sharks.

enough on the negativity though.. the other things I think of are how badly I one day want to go hang out all day in a shallow reef area with some Blact Tip Reefs. They are such amazing animals and I would LOVE to spend some time observing them and being in the water with them. It’s a dream of mine.

And, how lucky I am to be in Florida.. I don’t really care about the sharks off our coast, we have bull sharks, tiger sharks, and whites, and they are considered some of the most dangerous in the ocean. But also some less dangrous ones like the nurse shark, sandbar (really common), and lemon shark. There are plenty more off our coats that I dont really want to list out.
But.. my favorite the Blacktip Reef is only found in Indo-Pacific regions, so I won’t encounter one in the wild unless I travel.. which I’m totally going to do one day. However, until then, I’m extremely lucky to have a few of those beautiful sharks hanging out at the Cocoa Beach Surf Company. They have them in thier shark tank, why they chose the Blacktip reef? I am not 100% sure since it’s not local, BUT it would make sense given thier nature. Odds of them attacking someone feeding them? slim to none, hence me LOVING them.

I really wanna go sit by that tank for a while.. maybe I will do that tuesday. I have the day off. Im blessed to have some locally just chillin where I can see them whenever.. but one day I will go to new zealand and swim with them for real

Drowning Out Negativity

My friend Sara posted a blog last night, and it was right up my alley. So I wanted to go ahead and write my own thoughts on the subject.

Being single can be a struggle sometimes, at least that’s true for me. Usually it’s not a big thought on my brain, hasn’t been since high school, the pressure of having to be with someone just isn’t there and as a result I don’t typically care that much. Yeah, I want to get married and have a family one day, but that’s on God’s timing so I don’t worry about it. However, the Devil will take whatever he can get to try to get you to forget what God has already said is true. In Saras case, and in my case, he uses that single thing a lot. Doesn’t get to me like it used to, but it still has some power. The lies he loves to come whisper in my ear sound like this: “You just aren’t likable..” “See that girl, she is what you should be if you ever want to be happy.” But that is all complete crap. God has already told me otherwise, so why waste anytime even thinking those things could be true. Gods love, his agape love, is so much bigger than anything that could pull me down.

I remember a night a few years back when I was in high school. I don’t remember what was upsetting me, I’m sure it was some guy, but all these negative thoughts about my self just started flooding my mind, it was SO thick in that room, the negativity, and it was so ridiculous that I realized very suddenly that those thoughts were not from God.. so I basically flipped out, I’m pretty sure I literally yelled out loud for the evil freakin demons to go away because I wasnt gonna hear their crap, and I started praying, that God will be the one to fill my thoughts. Ever since that day, this hasn’t been as much of a struggle. It still is a struggle, but nothing like it was. Because I have the knowledge that God is bigger.

And on top of that, this is God’s plan. Right now, being single is where he wants me, so it’s where I want to be. I get to use this time to grow in my relationship with God. I get to figure out who I am, and what I want in life, without someone else to worry about. Honestly, it’s kind of nice. I see my friends that are in relationships and they are covered in drama constantly, it’s because they keep wasting time with guys that are NOT meant to be with them. So they get a lot of drama, because that isn’t who God has set up for them. And they are missing out on some sweet “me time”.

It’s just funny, because I realized on Sunday how good my current situation really is. I got to go to my amazing church. My morning starts with run throughs of Powerhouse where I laugh my butt off because of the people I get to work with. I get to go to a great worship service where I can worship my amazing God and hear some wisdom from my pastor. I get to act for some amazing kids, and teach my small group. I get big hugs from some amazing kids (Nate Bledsoe almost broke my ribs this week I think.. ).  And when all is said and done I go in the lobby and have gobs of friends I get to talk to. And this is all before lunch time.. ha. That particular Sunday I went to a Disney resort and hung out with another group of friends I have that I adore from work and Aloma Baptist. Hung out by the pool, played volleyball, hung out in the hot tub, played pool, checkers, and just had a lot of fun with my friends.

Why would having a guy in my life had made that any more fun?

Maybe it would have, maybe it wouldn’t have. I don’t really need to think about it because it was a great day exactly the way it was.

Sara is one of my great friends. And I see her struggle with this the way I used to. I work with students that I see struggle with this. I know that feeling, and it sucks, but it doesn’t have to be there. That’s what i want to communicate SO badly to people. The majority of people reading this (because I know my blog reader demographic haha) won’t entirely benefit from this because they are married or in relationships. But I know they may know someone that isn’t.

So, to those girls that are hearing that lie day in and day out, shut it out.
Stop belieivng that you aren’t worth something unless a guy says so. That is such a dangerous lie. And I know it is loud, and in your face, and sometimes life throws big fat reminders in your face. But screw that, drown all that out with the truth: God loves you, he has a PERFECT plan for you, and the person he has for you is worth the waiting.

A Perfect Pick Me Up

Okay, so, this week has been intensely stressful for me, and on top of that getting sun poisoning and having a crazy work load all week has been soooo redic. So, I need to laugh.. and THIS was the perfect thing. So, if you havent already seen this gem, check it out, probably the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Love it.

David After Dentist

Sun Poisoned..

That’s actually a lyric from Soco Amaretto Lime by Brand New, but its also a pretty acurate descripion of me right now. I can’t really do much.. if I do too much I get really sick, my skin isn’t even the problem it’s the gross pukey feeling. I have a really high pain tolerance, so the burn isn’t that big of a deal, it hurts yes, but I would rather have that than the nausea. Pkus for some reason it’s making me cry about everything. Not getting what thats about. Amber has it too and she said she cried for no reason this morning. I left work sobbing.. I couldn’t really tell you why. Just now I’m watching Ellen and she gives some girl a car and I lose it.. what the crap? weirdest side effect of sun poisoning EVER. so, if you see me today or tomorrow and I just start crying.. don’t worry too much, I have no control over it. haha

the end.

 

oh, moral of the story, wear sunscreen

Song lyrics.

Sometimes music can say things that words alone can’t. The lyrics are words, but the music behind it, the melody and the musicality of each word can change it entirely. It can speak to our souls more than anything else. I love music, for so many different reasons, the art of it, the freedom of it, the structure of it, the creation of it, and countless other things.. but, one of those reasons is because of the way it can speak to you. How a song can say exactly what you are feeling. When you wonder if the person that wrote it was watching your life when they penned it. So, with that said..

A girl I am friends with posted a facebook bulletin, one of those ‘tag all your friends’ kind of things.. usually they are pretty dumb surveys.. great for passing the time but never something I would put on my actual blog. But this one struck me as something that could be real blogging material. It asks you to write 20 song lyrics that you relate to. It says to have your friends try and guess the song and why you can relate.. but I’m just interested in writing some lyrics that have spoken to me in that way. So I’m going to do it. If you want to play the game part of it, by all means go ahead, but I’m just posting the lyrics because it’s something I feel will be kind of interesting and maybe expose some more of me.

1. I’m waiting on you Lord, but I am peaceful, I’m waiting on you Lord. Though it’s not easy, but faithfully I will wait. I will move ahead bold and confident, taking every step in obidience, while I’m waiting. I will serve you while I’m waiting. I will worship while I’m waiting. I will not fade, I’ll be running the race even while I wait.
2. You’re closer than our troubles, more present than any danger, more grand than gold and silver. You are God.
3. Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city.
4. I woke up this morning and found that I had a smile on my face, I asked myself  ‘what’s this for?’. Then I remembered you, and I thought of you. Reality. You barely know me, I want to know you, I want to sit beside you, and talk about anything. I wanna be with you, every day with you. But that, that won’t happen, that probably won’t happen. No way.
5. You keep telling me baby, there will come a time, when you will leave her arms and forever be in mine. But I don’t think that’s the truth. And I don’t like being used and I’m tired of waiting. It’s too much pain to have to bare, to love a man you have to share. Why don’t you stay? I’m down on my knees, I’m so tired of being lonely, don’t I give you what you need? When she calls you to go, there is one thing you should know, we don’t have to live this way. Why don’t you stay?
6. I’ve given you my best, why does she get the best of you?
7. I’m letting go of the life I planned for me, and my dreams. Losing control of my destiny, feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe, so I’m letting go.
8. I watch as lovers pass me by walking stories, whos and hows and whys. Musing lazily on love. Pondering you. I’ll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell, when it’s time to walk that way we wanna walk it well. I’ll be waiting for you baby, I’ll be holding back the darkest night. Love is waiting til we’re ready, til it’s right. Love is waiting.
9. All alone the way she feels, Left alone to deal with all the pain-drenched sorrow relief. Bite the lip, just forget the bleeding. Then she closed her eyes and found relief in a knife, the blood flows out she cries
10. If I should be so bold, I’d ask you to hold my heart in your hand.
11. You can have all my hands can hold, my heart mind, strength and soul, be my all-consuming fire.
12. Say now you loved me all along, what made you hesitate to tell me with words what you really feel? I can see it in your eyes you mean all of what you say,  I remember so long ago, see I felt that same way
13. I’m gonna stay 18 forever, so we can stay like this forever, and we’ll never miss a party ‘cuz we keep them going constantly. And we’ll never have to listen to anyone about anything, ‘cuz it’s all been done and it’s all been said, we’re the coolest kids and we take what we can get.
14. Well the thing I find most amazing in amazing grace is the chance to give it out. Maybe that’s what love is all about
15. Christ, be the center of our lives, be the place we fix our eyes.
16. Oh God please don’t tell me this has been in vain. I need answers for what all the waiting I’ve done means.
17. I believe that my life’s gonna see, the love I give return to me.
18. Take my life and let it be all for you and for your glory, take my life and let it be yours. Glory to God forever.
19. When I suddenly realize that you could never find a place for me in your eyes and I don’t know why I keep thinking, one day I’ll turn around and see your hand reach out I’m only fooling myself. But maybe when you smile that means you’d stay a while, just maybe you’d save me now. I’m only fooling myself.
20. One tear in the dropping rain, one voice in a sea of pain. Could the maker of the stars hear the sound of my breaking heart? One life, that’s all I am, right now I can barely stand. If you’re everything you say you are, won’t you come close and hold my heart?

Took a while to compile 20. But there they are.