Suicide and Social Media: What do we do now?

  Tovanna Holton, was a beautiful girl who lived in Florida. When you looked at her eyes, she was so full of life and aspirations until she fatally shot herself at her home in Tampa.

One might ask, why such a beautiful young girl with so much life to live would do such a thing. Two words, unauthorized pictures. There are so many new and upcoming apps to share pictures and videos, but how safe are they? Everyone has heard that "once it's on the internet, it's there forever". To Tovanna, that statement had an entirely new meaning. Apparently, a few of her "friends" filmed her nude on a picture and video sharing app called Snapchat. She was horrified, which later led to her tragic suicide.
  Cyber bullying has been on the rise due to the ever evolving types of social media. It used to be that bullying was classified as stealing lunch money or pushing another child down. We are on an entirely new level, stealing privacy. This is not the first time that this has happened, and unfortunately it won't be the last.
  A similar incident happened a few months ago involving former playmate, Dani Mathers. She was in a gym locker room and decided that a woman who was changing in the locker room had a "disgusting" body and if she had to "suffer" through it, then the rest of the world does too.

 What on Earth makes people think that this is okay?! It's disgusting! It's appalling and I am ashamed to be a part of this human race because of things like this. Luckily, this particular incident did not end in death, even though it very well could have.
  A person's body is their own and no one has the right to share that with anyone else. Social media seems to be the gateway to make it happen. Something must be done before another life is lost. There needs to be harsh legal punishment for things like this, maybe then, it would deter someone from making that decision. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and many others enable people with sinister purposes to carry out their evil intentions with simplicity and ease. At the click of a button, thousands of people can view what is posted. Of course people have used text messaging and email to do this, but that takes more effort and it doesn't spread like wildfire like it does on social media. Something has to be done before someone else makes the choice to end their life because they feel like it's the only way out of the humiliation.
To read more about Tovanna Holton http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/florida-teen-commits-suicide-nude-snapchat-video-article-1.2667938
To read more about the Dani Mathers incident https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/18/a-playboy-playmate-found-this-normal-womans-naked-body-gross-so-she-posted-it-online/

Animals & Gratitude

Have you ever been driving down the road and see a turtle attempting to cross to the other side? Do you take that extra step to pull over and help it to the other side of the road? I know I have. Well they are more appreciative than you may realize. On a beach in Brazil, a penguin more than proves his gratitude to the man who saved his life, by a visit each year.

This is Joao, a resident of Brazil. He came across this little penguin, covered in oil, unable to move, and pretty much at death's door. Being the humble and kind person that he is, Joao took the penguin in and cleaned and nurtured him back to health and then set him free. The magic of the story is the fact that the penguin, who has been named Dindim, returns to the beach where Joao resides each and every year. This is the 4th year in a row that Dindim has made his appearance. Dindim is not Joao's pet, in fact, it is a mystery where Dindim goes in the off season, but the amazing aspect is the fact that he makes sure to visit the one man responsible for saving his life. The bond between these two is undeniable.

I had a similar experience with a bird. It flew into my sliding glass door and laid on my deck. I went out to check on him and he was stunned but still alive. So I stood him up on his feet and stroked his back and talked to him. I sat with him until he opened his eyes, and then he managed to fly off. Later that day, he came back to my sliding glass door and sat there waiting. I truly believe that kindness is never taken for granted by an animal. They may not be able to thank you verbally, but they are grateful.
*Photos courtesy of CNN September 2016

You are never too old..... Ever.

   Every person on the planet has heard the phrase "it's never too late". I am actually a living example of that phrase. When I was a very small child, I loved to watch figure skating on television. I thought it was a beautiful and elegant sport and I had always wanted to do it, but unfortunately the nearest rink was a very long drive from where I lived. I started taking ballet classes when I was around second grade, so that kept me occupied for the time being.
   Even later in life, the urge to learn to figure skate never really went away. I actually got the chance to get on ice at the age of 23. I had high anxiety; I was about to do something that I had been captivated by since I was a toddler. So I laced up my hideous brown and dull rental skates and walked, kind of walked, stumbled, towards the ice. I put one foot on it. It felt so insanely slippery, who knew ice was slippery?! I held on to the wall and finally got both feet on the ice. I could barely even stand upright. I held on tight to the wall the entire hour and a half. I was so frustrated by the time I left. So after that, I had the mentality that it just wasn't meant to be and I left it at that.
   Some years went by and I moved to northern Virginia. I had only been there a week or so and I was on the internet searching for activities in my local area, and what should pop up? That's right, an ice arena. So I got on eBay and I found a pair of figure skates for $15, boom, sold! I looked at the public ice schedule, and luckily it was during school hours, so that meant it would be pretty empty. I went and sure enough, it was empty. I started out with less of a death grip on the wall this time. I let go and did very small marches, and gradually built up to a very slow and terrified two foot glide. Something caught my eye, and I looked over and there was a older gentleman doing the most amazing double salchows and toe loops, so of course I had to stop and admire his skill. He came over and we talked for a while. As it turns out, he was an Olympic silver medalist in the 70's. He was 62 years old, and he was in better shape than most 30 year olds. He gave me some tips and told me that I could do anything if I wanted to bad enough. After I left, I went straight home and got on YouTube. I looked up basic elements of figure skating. I studied them closely, then went to the rink to put it in motion. With the help of visual aid and advice from veteran skaters, I was able to teach myself a lot of basic elements like edges and crossovers. I was very pleased and I enjoyed every second of it, but did I want to take it further still? Absolutely.
   I found out that my husband was being stationed in Minot, North Dakota, and what do people do for fun there? Skate and play hockey! I was enrolled with a figure skating coach before I even arrived to the town. I was so excited to meet with her, she was super sweet and was very shocked that I had learned what I knew from YouTube. I ended up skipping several levels. I started out in basic 5, and was soon beginning jumps and spins. It still actually blows my mind, that at 23 years old I was hanging on to the wall and could barely stand up and now at 33 year old I am doing things like this.

I definitely have room for improvement, and honestly, I always will. I don't ever want to stop learning. I even got to participate in an ice show. Never in a million years did I ever picture that would happen. This is just one of the coaches that has helped me along the way, I am telling you, these coaches are a patient bunch of wonderful folks and I love them all. I have some crazy habits when I jump, but they all have been wonderful in helping me break the bad ones and continue to improve. I am now a firm believer that "it's never too late". You are never too old to start something new, and don't ever let anyone tell you that you are. Living proof, right here.

The Fashion Show

Everyone knows that toddlers just love to pick out their own clothes, it's how they gain some independence, right? Well, sometimes they don't quite realize that when it's -6 outside, you have to add a little more clothing in order to make it work. Now I can't say that this doesn't look fabulous, but we live in North Dakota.

Accessorizing is super important, it gives your outfit just the right amount of pizzazz. These girls can take a boring pair of feetie jammies and make them fabulous in mere minutes. In stead of being ready for bed, they are ready for a night out in New York City!

 

 "Give a girl the right shoes an she can conquer the world" - Marilyn Monroe

And lastly, sometimes you just need to flash it on back to the 80's when big hair and side pony tails were the IT thing! Throw on your AC/DC concert tee's and your boots with the fur and make it happen!

Terrible 2's? No! It's terrible 3's

Everyone in the known world hears the words "twin toddlers" and they automatically comment "wow, you must have your hands full". Now most mom's would reply back with a "yes, but my heart is overflowing with love", or something else rather cheesy. I am more of a realist mom. Of course having twins is wonderful, rewarding, a blessing and just plain amazing, BUT it's not always sunshine and unicorns pooping rainbows. I am starting this blog to show the messy, insane and not so pretty side of twin toddlers!