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keep praying for missouri

Dog hair sweaters — for PEOPLE?

Every Bird Should Fly

I love this ad!

Coming Home

Sweet, heartbreaking story about another 4-legged tornado victim.

SMASH!

This will be airing on NBC in the fall! It premieres mid-season and I can't wait! I predict it will be a mix of Glee + A Chorus Line + Center Stage + Broadway drama

The BEST Cubs fan EVER

This girl has had too much to drink... but she's hilarious!


Opening Day: The Cubs biggest fan from WBEZ on Vimeo.

Wild dolphins have a "culture"

This "fun behavior is being passed down through generations" among wild dolphins. Pretty neat!

The funniest Texan

He seriously looks and sounds like a movie character. Absolutely priceless.

 

Amazing Hamburger Packaging

All Kindergarteners getting iPads at a school

 At first, I thought this was an interesting idea with a lot of bonuses for the kids. But after watching the video, I'm not so sure. I don't like the school district's view on using the iPad for teaching purposes, specifically because they believe it will help teach the kids all they need to know.

So much of life needs to be experienced hands-on, not digitally–especially at that young age. It sounds like they're depending on App developers to teach their kids now. They'll probably expect them to aslo finger paint using an iPad app!

What is the world coming to??

Girl trains cow

This is a hilarious story and I just had to share! A girl in Germany pleaded for her father to get her a horse. When he said no, she decided to adopt a newborn cow on their farm and learn how to ride it like a horse. She was successful and has even taught the cow to jump obstacles! Click here for the full story.

(AP Photo / Kerstin Joensson)

"Tsunami Dog" Reunited

I loved hearing about this story last week. The Japanese Coast Guard was searching for survivors in the debris fields floating in the open ocean. To their amazement, they found a dog drifting in the debris, standing on the roof of a washed-away house. They rescued him but had no idea who his owner was. The news story circulated around Japan and a relative of the owner recognized the pup. Yesterday, the dog, named 'Ban', was reunited with its owner.

You can't deny the healing and warm affect animals have on humans. Their intelligence, compassion and love are undeniable. I love witnessing the bond that this dog has with its owner. Too bad we can't understand what the owner is saying in the video! I'll post a translation when some other newscaster undoubtedly covers this story tomorrow.

Another tsunami hero

Incredible story about a fisherman who decided to board his boat and drive into the tsunami instead of heading for higher ground. A bold, dangerous act of selflessness.

How it happened.

I'm a member of a co-ed softball team in Atlanta called "Glove 'Em & Leave 'Em." My teammates are great guys and girls that have played together for 10+ years. I was recruited to replace a teammate who became pregnant (and who we really miss!). (She's a Baylor alumna and I met her at a Baylor watch-party).

I've played about 1.5 seasons with them, and the "fateful" game was only #2 of this new season! I really enjoy playing softball every week, even though my skills aren't stunning. In fact, my goal for every game is to not be the worst player! My teammates are awesome athletes who take the game seriously and have great skills, but are always having fun and keeping the mood light. It really is the perfect combination, when we can get our juices flowing.

Anyway, back to the story. I was was walked to first base. A runner was ahead of me on second base. The batter hit the ball to the outfield and I ran to second base. The runner ahead of me decided to touch third base and head to home plate. As the outfielder threw the ball to home plate, I decided to continue on to third base. I was pretty sure I could make it because the catcher at home plate hadn't caught many balls during the game. I figured he would miss the ball, giving me ample time to make it to third.

I was about half-way to third base when the catcher caught the ball and threw it to the third baseman. I stopped in my tracks and turned around to head back to second base. I almost made it there when I felt myself lose my balance and start to fall. As I fell towards second base, I felt my right ankle turn and heard a loud "pop."

Immediately, I knew something was wrong. I felt no pain but sat stunned and in shock at what I'd heard. The play ended and I sat motionless, waiting for the official to notice that something wasn't right. Players from both teams came over to help. I was actually waiting for someone else to say that they heard a "pop" from my foot area, but no one mentioned anything, so I guess I was the only one. I kept saying to the people around me that, "I heard something pop". Someone asked if I could move my foot, which I could, and then said that was a good sign because it meant that my foot wasn't broken (which, by the way, isn't true. You can break a bone(s) in your foot and probably still be able to move it without a ton of pain).

The guys helped me up. I tried to put weight on my foot and winced when it touched the ground. So I was carried off the field and sat in the dugout until the end of the game. Sitting and waiting for the end of the game was probably one of the more painful moments of this injury. I wasn't able to go anywhere and couldn't ice my foot or elevate it without getting completely covered in dirt. I only had to wait about 10-15 minutes, but it felt like forever. One of the guys then carried me to my car, piggy-back style, and I was confident that I was in good enough condition to drive home (haha).

I could move my right foot (the injured one) to point and flex without pain, but couldn't move it from side to side. So I used my right foot to accelerate and my left foot for the break. Taking it slowly, I made it home safely without incident. In hindsight, however, it wasn't a great plan. Once I got home, getting up a flight of stairs to my apartment was a long, painful process. I literally crawled on my hands and feet, or inch wormed on my rear, the whole way. I was able to make an ice pack from my freezer and crawl into bed to begin icing and elevating my foot.

I took off my right shoe for the first time and started to freak out when I saw the size of my ankle. It had swollen to about a baseball-sized bulge, and I started to cry and feel a little nauseous. I also felt like my foot or ankle was partially dislocated--not in a painful sense, but I just knew that something wasn't right. Anxious to tell someone, I decided to call my brother Thomas in NYC. I told him what happened and he told me to immediately call my parents. I didn't want to call them initially because I wanted to make sure my situation was worth worrying them. But after Thomas threatened to call them for me, I decided to do it myself. My parents and I agreed that I needed to get x-rays of my foot the in the morning. A friend delivered me crutches from the pastor's wife, so I became a little more mobile that night.

The next day, my sweet friend drove me to an nearby urgent care center (North Atlanta Urgent Care). I was seen within 20 minutes of walking in the door and told Dr. Ferrara what happened. The "pop" I had heard concerned him as well, and he ordered 5 x-rays of my ankle and foot. Minutes later, I was getting x-rays done. The doctor examined them and confirmed that I had broken something–my right ankle. The lower part of my fibula was broken, but fortunately, it was a clean break. He referred me to a specialist (orthopedic surgeon) but said that, most likely, I would not need surgery. They put my foot in a splint and sent me crutching out the door. (By the way, North Atlanta Urgent Care is a great place to go if you have a minor emergency. My entire trip there, from entry to exit, was less than 1.5 hrs, and the doctors were great)

Well, that's a long update. I'll finish up the rest tomorrow. But that's the gist of the it.

Time-Lapse of Atlanta

Neat production of many Atlanta locations. If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, skip to 1:22 sec for the Aquarium shots. It's a busy underwater world!

(Note: It may have to buffer for bit to be able to skip to 1:22)

Laughing the pain away

As most of you probably know, I broke my right ankle a week ago (March 24th, 2011) playing softball. I'll tell the story in an upcoming post. It's been an interesting experience and my spirits have been high during most of it–at least so far!

This is the first significant injury of my life. I broke a toe when I was around five years old and I remember that hurting a LOT more than this! But, I was also five years old. Adult pain tolerance < child pain tolerance.

I think it would be helpful for me to chronicle my journey back to health because it will:
1. Keep me entertained
2. Keep you entertained
3. Inform those who, like myself 8 days ago, had never broken a bone, and what it feels like throughout the healing process.

So, here we go!

I was searching online for forums about breaking your ankle and trying to find helpful hints. So far I haven't found anything significant. But this website was pretty funny to me! The contributers are all women who have broken their ankles (and more). Many of their injuries occurred playing softball or slipping on ice, so I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in my softball-injury-fiasco!

I'll be back soon with interesting posts about this process.

An amazing "Drunk Dial" voicemail

I laughed so hard at this! Enjoy.

Tilikum returns to shows

It's been over a year since the tragic incident at SW Orlando that claimed Dawn Brancheau's life. Today, SWO announced that Tilikum, the killer whale involved in the incident, is returning to show performances. It's hard to put to words all of the emotions that are behind this decision, but overall, I believe that most animal trainers will agree and support SWO's decision. It's definitely in Tili's best interest to return him to the show performances. Also, from those that knew Dawn, I hear that this is what she would have wanted as well.

I'm not wanting to get into the nitty gritty of this discussion at the moment, so here's a CNN video about the decision. Even though the interviewed trainer doesn't work for SWO, everything he says is true, and I whole-heartedly agree with him.

If you still have questions about this, let me know and I'll try to address them as best as I possibly can. Remember that I'm writing this blog for friends and family, so I'm mainly opening myself up to answering questions from them, not the whole blogging community.

 

Baby Hummingbird Rescued

This is a cute video about a baby hummingbird and the guy that rescued it. While I like the video, I'm concerned that the bird won't be releasable to the wild. So, I'm not sure that his decision to keep the bird was in the best interest of the animal. But still, I'm glad it was saved and treated well.

Enjoy!

Run in Thongs for Animals?

I found this cute and quirky article on the Baylor Lariat's website (my college's newspaper). For non-Baylor alumns, the joke is that the university hosts a yearly marathon called the Bear-A-Thon. The university also gives Baylor students a spring holiday every year called Diadeloso, or "Day of the bear." (It's often shortened to the name, "Dia")

I love these girls' sense of humor and dedication to help their local animal shelter. I hope they host the event again this year!

Thong race event for animals to take place on Dia

April 21, 2010
By Tori Liggett
Reporter

As the Baylor campus gets ready for Diadeloso, a group of students is gearing up for the Bear-A-Thong.

Like most students on Dia, the residents of "The Big Green" house will host a party - only theirs is for a cause.

"There are so many stray dogs around my house across LaSalle, and walking around campus, especially by Collins, you see so many stray cats," said Austin senior Ashley Anderson, founder of Bear-A-Thong. "The Waco Humane Society is trying to help with this problem; they do so much. We would just like to help give back."

With their mutual love of animals and uncanny sense of humor, the girls decided to host a mile and a half run down 10th Street to benefit the Waco Humane Society (www.wacohumanesociety.com).

"Animals just seem to find their way to our house," Lufkin senior Alyssa Massingill said. "My roommate Miranda has a soft spot for animals. She feeds several stray cats and a lost puppy who found their home on our porch."

While brainstorming for a name for their charity run, someone comically suggested Bear-A-Thong and it stuck.

Instead of making T-shirts for the event, everyone receives a thong, which will be worn on the run, outside of clothing.

The run will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday. The race begins and ends at 1624 S. 10th Street.

The students have extended the invitation for the charity run to anyone who wants to participate. To be included in the run, you have to join the Facebook group Bear-A-Thong, bring $10 to donate to the Waco Humane Society, and grab a thong.

"Do not worry if you are shy or a wallflower: you can always put the thong on your bike or your head," Anderson said.

Since the run is to benefit the Waco Humane Society, participants are encouraged to bring their dogs to run with them in the race.

Although the students of "The Big Green" do not officially own their own dogs - Bruce, a Chinchilla, Ernie, a McCaw Pirate; and Sky, a Siberian Husky - will be out on the porch cheering their owners on.

"I am really excited about the Bear-A-Thong. Every year Diadeloso is a huge celebration for college students. Now we can still have fun but help donate and save lives," Canyon senior Lauren Smith said.

"We are giving the donation to the Waco Humane Society the day after the run; we hope to raise around $500. Do it for the Thong, do it for the animals."  

(Click Here for the link to the original article)

More Tsunami tales

A very hard, touching story about the tsunami survivors and those that they couldn't save.

Push-up bikini for 2nd grade girls??

Abercrombie & Fitch has made another awful decision. Shocking, right? They're now selling push-up, padded bikinis to girls, ages 7 - 12 years old. How ridiculous and wrong is this??! Is it done for the shock factor or as a real, marketable concept?

This is nothing but psychologically destructive to little girls. It also is so evil and wrong for adults to even be considering these little girls as "sexual" beings. Consumers have to voice their opinions and values, and the only way a company like A&F will change is by not shopping there.

Hand-raising a baby Cheetah

I would love to do this one day! Though, I know it's a lot of work and time. But how cool would this be?!!

Fat Ho Burgers?

The newest gem on I-35! Keep it classy, Waco. Click Here for the full story.

Pole Dancing for Jesus?

This sounds pretty ridiculous to me... Does pole dancing to Christian music really help these women "feel closer to God"? What do you think?

Al Qaeda's magazine for Women?? TRUE!

Al Qaeda apparently has a marketing department and they've produced two magazines. The newest addition? "Jihad Janes" are their target market, with articles like "How to marry a terrorist." This is ridiculous!

Video of the actual tsunami wave

This is incredible and shocking. How do you recover from this?

The most ridiculous commercial

I love pets, but this commercial by Fancy Feast is just too ridiculous. Watch, and I think you'll agree. This is why dogs eat cats.

Child gives school her savings

Well, it seems like this blog is becoming a place for me to post videos. I hope all four of my readers don't mind!

The arts were very influential in my development as a child and adult, and my heart breaks thinking that this little girl could see her favorite class dissolve because of budget restraints. So many leaders in our country forget that there are many jobs and careers for artistic people. Not everyone (myself included) has strengths in the general sciences and studies. Don't take away a child's opportunity for growth, exploration and personal expression.

This video was really touching, and hopefully the local and state officials get the chance to see it. One person really can make an difference, no matter their age.

Pray for Japan

I can't imagine experiencing anything like this. Japan's 8.9 earthquake is the 7th most powerful on record. And scientists are saying it was about 100x more powerful than the one that struck Haiti (that one was a 7+ earthquake). Apparently, when you move up a point in the scale, it doesn't mean that the earthquake was a few or even ten times stronger. Instead, it means it was over 100 times stronger. Also, NASA is saying that the earthquake moved the island of Japan 8 ft, and it shifted the earth's axis by 4 inches. It's absolutely incredible.

Not only have people lost their lives, homes, lifestyles, loved ones, etc, but think of everything else that has now changed. Farmers near the sea probably won't be able to plant their crops because their fields will be tainted by debris, dead sea life, chemicals, etc. Museums and libraries probably have lost or damaged artifacts. Shop owners have lost everything--their stores and inventory are destroyed, and they'll probably go bankrupt.

How do you even begin rebuild towns that were completely swept away? One city had a population of 18,000. As of right now, 9000 of the residents are missing. Rescue and recovery crews can't do anything until the water recedes. For some areas, scientists aren't sure that the water will ever recede, and instead, the area will remain a lake or inlet. What happens to the life you once lived?

And as an animal lover, I know that many pets, sea life and other animals died in this disaster.

Keep praying for Japan.

Video: Ground Leaks Water in Japan

I've honestly never seen anything like this. You have to watch the entire video. I'm completely speechless! This videographer must have been crazy to stay and film it.

Dating Video

One of my friends (Andrew) posted this on Facebook and it's hilarious! If you're single (like me), don't freak out about it.

Dolphins Save Dog

SMILE video

Too funny!

Walking Creativity

This is indescribable and will blow your mind. Watch!



(sorry it's so small, but I wanted you to have the option to expand to "full screen" mode. I'm using a new beautiful background as a template and can't adjust the widths right now.)

Catching up: San Antonio trip

I'm trying to catch you up on what's going on in my pursuit of a career in marine mammal training. Here's an oldie! (Oh – and if some haters comment on this blog, just ignore them)

I went home to San Antonio for Christmas with my family and had a great time. There's something about being back in the house you grew up in that really helps to recharge you. Though, not everything is easy or simple when you're living under your parents' roof again! But we had a lot of fun as a family.

My sister Jennifer and I bought discounted tickets to SeaWorld San Antonio (SWSA) through Groupon and went there together. Okay, I lied–I bought both tickets and convinced her to join me! Though I think she had a really good time. Of course, I was in heaven!

We first went to see Azul, which is in the Beluga Stadium (formally called the White Whale and Dolphin Stadium, for all of you SeaWorld nerds... like me). This is an old show but was still amazing to see. It's full of high diving acts, aerial performers, synchronized swimmers and of course, Beluga Whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins. I wanted to see the show and meet one of the trainers, Chuck Cureau, who I follow on Twitter and met back in 2005. Tracking him down was difficult but I finally go to stop by and say hello after their final evening show. He was really encouraging and spoke very highly of the Georgia Aquarium (where I volunteer and hope to work).

A beluga whale giving one of the divers a 'kiss'

Next, we headed to the Shamu stadium to see the Killer Whale's Christmas show, "Miracles". Things are still different in this stadium because the trainers aren't allowed to be in the water with the whales. But seeing the animals is still breathtaking! I always forget how huge they are. The show was pretty corny, but still enjoyable.

 

I got the opportunity to speak with one of the Shamu trainers, who gave me the advice of "Squeaky wheel gets the grease." One part of job hunting that I hate -- well, scratch that -- everything stinks when you're job hunting! Anyway, I didn't know how often I should contact people to check-in with them and keep in touch without being annoying. I mean, what's the rule on that? This trainer said I should call SeaWorld's HR dept every 2-3 weeks whenever I'm looking for a job there. So that's the suggestion for this particular business, and I really appreciated her advice.

Speaking with a Shamu trainer

We then headed over to Sea Lion and Otter stadium for their Christmas show, "Deck the Halls with Clyde & Seamore". These shows are always entertaining and engaging! They always have a good time and you can tell the animals enjoy it too. The walrus is always the showstopper!

 Next, we fed the Lories (tropical birds from southeast Asia & Indo-Pacific islands). They're beautiful birds and drink sweet nectar. We bought a little cup of nectar and the parrots began landing on us in the exhibit. The San Antonio Zoo also has a Lorikeet exhibit that is honestly better than SeaWorld's, but any animal interaction is fun.

 

Our next stop was the Penguin exhibit--and they had baby chicks! Check out this really cute video to see the newbies for yourself.

Next, we headed to the Dolphin feeding area. We bought 4-5 fish trays and really enjoyed interacting with the dolphins.

Jennifer left "early", after seeing the shows once and feeding the Bottlenose dolphins and Lories. I stayed until closing time though so I could see every show twice! I never go to SeaWorld for the rides or arcade games; the animals are what make it a special place.

Jennifer missing her "special someone"

So, I went to the evening Azul show again (Dolphins & Belugas) and met with Chuck Cureau afterwards. He was very kind and gave me his information for me to follow up with him later. I then went to the final performance of the night at Shamu Stadium. The show was great, as always, and we got a glimpse of their precious baby orca! The best part, however, was meeting and speaking with one of the trainers, Greg, after the show. He stayed and spoke with me for a long time and gave me great advice and names of people to contact at the aquarium back in Atlanta. It was a big answer to prayer.

Greg with one of the killer whales

Mommy and baby orca!

Greg again and one of the fantastic Orcas at SWSA

 So, all in all, it was a great day and very rewarding, both personally and professionally. SeaWorld is a fantastic place to visit, for both the young and old! Make sure to go often and bring your friends.

A Glimpse of My Future

I just joined IMATA, which is the professional organization for marine mammal trainers (International Marine Animal Trainers Association). It's already been so rewarding and opened many doors. The members gather every year for a week-long conference and submit videos from their facilities for a welcoming video montage.

I can't wait to land a job and continue on in this amazing profession! Doesn't it look like a blast?!

ATTENTION COMMENTERS:

Thank you for your feedback. As one commenter suggested, I am following my own "moral compass" and believe my goals and career choice are the best for me and the animals I'll be serving. There are at least two sides to this matter, but at the end of the day, three things stick out to me:

1. It's important and vital to take care of the animals that are already in human care, and to give them the best life possible (through enrichment, excellent vet care, allowing them to bond with others of their kind and their caretakers, when appropriate)

2. Giving people, young and old, the opportunity to intereact face-to-face with these animals and learn how to best conserve these species and their habitats. (Allowing the animals to be ambassadors for their cousins in the wild)

3. Dedication to further researching these animals so they (and their lands/waters) can be preserved for future generations. This is done through studying them in their natural habitat, when available, or studying their behaviors in captivity. And raising funds to do enable your institution to accomplish these goals.

To answer some of your questions--Yes, I have seen "The Cove" and read dozens of articles about these matters, and I don't approve of many of the practices that are still occurring in our oceans. But as I said before, there are at least two sides to this story, and I have chosen mine after lots of research and consideration.

I didn't create this blog to initiate controversy. Rather, it's a way to keep my friends and family informed on my life and things I find interesting. Feel free to hang around, but I don't encourage or condone a lot of this criticism, as this blog is directed towards people that actually know me. Thanks!

Freediving Video

There's still a lot to report but I don't know where to start! So for now, watch this neat video showcasing freedivers at their best. It almost looks like underwater parkour! I'm practicing breath control and swimming at deeper depths. You'll be updated shortly!

(PS - the video is only 2 min 30 seconds long. The rest of the video is credits)

In an ideal world...

... I would love my job as much as this guy!

I do know what job will make me as happy as that guy, which is working with marine mammals. AND, guess what?? There's an opening for that dream job (an entry-level animal training position) at the aquarium, and I applied for it a few weeks ago! I haven't heard anything yet, but I hope I get the opportunity to interview for it!

Later this week, I'll update you of where I am on my "steps" to achieving my ultimate dream job (there have been developments!). Until then, please pray that:

1. I have a peace of mind throughout this waiting process
2. If it's God's will, I would get this position! please Lord, please!

Pushy People

Thanks to Mary Lou R. for finding this sweet video. What kind of a job is this?!? Or way to live your life? What if this was your "normal" everyday commute?

Skiing down Park Ave

I would totally do this, but not anywhere near Atlanta drivers. They're nutzo.

Usher steals from Homer Simpson?

This video is quickly spreading around, and it does make you wonder if Usher really did steal his tune from Homer Simpson! Here's what one article said:

"Radio DJs in Mississippi have merged a clip of Homer Simpson from 2003 with Usher’s 2010 hit 'OMG' and found them sounding rather similar."

What do you think?

Sistine Chapel as you've never seen it

Between high school and starting school at Baylor University, I took a year off and studied abroad in France. In the spring, I got the opportunity to travel to Italy for three weeks and see many cities. Visiting the Vatican was amazing, but I made the mistake of visiting on their once-a-month "Free Admission Sunday." Whew, talk about crowded lines!

My visit to the Sistine Chapel, crowds included (2004)

A friend just e-mailed me this great link of the Sistine Chapel's interior, and it is amazing to see. It's a virtual tour of the chapel when it is completely empty—something you'll never experience in person. Michelangelo created scenes with so much detail! Click Here to view it.

(note that you cannot turn off the choir music)