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“I Hate Cops!”

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I hate cops. Normally, when I hear this phrase I brush it off as ignorance and forget about it. However, this week, especially today, this phrase struck a nerve. Particularly, it hurt as I mourned and cried over the tragedy of the Boston Bombing, knowing full well that cops were the first responders running towards flames, shrapnel, and wounded, innocent people.

When I was young, yes I admit I said, “I hate cops!” Honestly, I did not really mean it; more or less they made me nervous. Why? Because usually I was getting into mischief and in my naive, youthful ways it was of course the cops trying to ruin my fun. Did I really hate cops? No. I was feeding into the nonsense that my peers puked up daily about cops.  As I matured, and later as I became a cop, I realized that what I really hated, or “disliked” was the laws, not those that upheld the laws. Or I disliked getting caught for breaking a law. For years, I prided myself for the fact that I had never gotten caught speeding. Well it wasn’t long after that I got three speeding tickets in about a year’s time. There was the briefest of moments with each of those cops that I wanted to be mad at them. I blatantly, knowingly, and almost pridefully sped, and yet I had the inclination to be mad at the officer. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? And yet this occurs daily time after time.

If you’ve ever said the phrase, “I hate cops!” I want you take a moment to consider why. Granted, there are “dirty” cops out there. They are cops for all the wrong reasons and have wronged people tremendously. But I am going to go out on a limb here and say most cops are in it to do good, protect and serve their peers, and because they have a strong moral and ethical desire to uphold the law. Most cops work horrible hours, get paid very little, have poor benefits and contribute extra hours outside of work for training, staying fit, and going over case law. On average, I probably contribute two extra days a month for training outside of work, not to mention going to trainings where I have to travel and spend numerous days away from home.

They continually put themselves in dangerous situations and not just while on the clock but also while they are off duty. Off duty cops, especially the good ones, are never “off-duty” and are ready to react however need be in any given situation. Most cops are compassionate, genuinely love people, and want the best for the human race.  They continue to serve knowing full well their spouses pray for safety every time they exit the front door for work.  Not only am I a cop but I am a wife to a cop and every day he leaves there’s a part of me that knows that may be the last time I see him.

Words have power. And I believe that every time a cop hear’s that phrase a piece of him/her breaks just a little. Some officer’s may question why they are making such sacrifices for an unappreciative public. Other’s ask, “Am I doing any good at all?”  These kinds of phrases lead to destructive thoughts and in this line of work cops need all the positive encouragement they can get. Being a cop is mentally exhausting in more ways than one and a positive atmosphere or voicing appreciation can be just enough to press on the good fight.

The next time you may want to bash a cop take a moment and consider the repercussions.  Take some accountability for your actions and your mistakes with some humility. You will actually be thought of better for it and in time everyone will forget what you did and move on. If you truly feel like you have been wronged take your complaint through the proper channels. Get to know the laws so that you know your rights, your privileges (know the difference), and be aware of what you can and can’t do. If you have a problem with a law then it is within your power to do something about it.  The next time you get pulled over for a traffic violation put away your pride and thank the officer for doing his job. He/she may have just saved your life. If you have a problem with the stop and believe it was unlawful then court is a perfect and responsible place to voice your concerns. The next time you encounter a cop, I want you to thank him/her for their service, you may need them someday and I can guarantee they will be running towards the danger while you are trying to get away.  If you have a few extra bucks pay for their coffee, it might be just the edge they need to get through a long shift or you may just set a good tone for the shift.

Cops are fallible and do not pretend otherwise. We make mistakes just like anyone else. Have some grace when it comes to those who’ve messed up, especially to those who’ve apologetically taken accountability for their mistakes. Just like you and me, officers too have to suffer the consequences of their mistakes.  If you didn’t already know, cops are under a lot of stress, bound by many legalities, and are constantly in the thick of thorns. Think of the most stressful times of your life. Did you make mistakes during that time that you normally wouldn’t do? Think of times when you were sleep deprived. Did you make more mistakes than usual? And during those times were you irritable? Joyful? Confused easily?  Smiley? Stress, sleep deprivation, and intense situations are daily occurrences in the life of a cop. Be mindful of that with your encounter.  Even in a sleepy little town there are stressors, intense situations, violent vagrants, and crimes you may not even be aware of.

Cops generally are viewed with dislike and we know it. But remember we are also here when you need someone to search your house for an invader, perform CPR on your loved one with cardiac arrest, rescue you from danger, from fire, from a car accident, and perhaps deliver a baby to a mother who didn’t make it to the hospital.  They run towards danger, towards the enemy, and may even kill another in order to protect you and other innocent people.

As for myself, I am thankful to the cops who have given me tickets and warnings for traffic violations. Because of you I learned to change burned up bulbs on my car, consciously update registration and demonstrate it so on my license plate. Because of you I drive slower, use blinkers and drive safer. I am thankful to the cop who cleared my house when someone was in my basement. Thank you for directing traffic safely through scenes of car accidents or unruly road conditions. Thank you for putting my horses or mom’s chickens back in their pens when they got out of their corrals and onto road ways.  Thank you fellow co-workers for being amazing friends and awesome people to work with.

Remember, officer’s don’t just carry guns. We carry first aid kits, oxygen, resuscitation masks, and many other tools to help citizens in whatever situations they may find themselves in.

JEN

 

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What are you doing again?

I have been getting a lot of questions concerning my April fitness challenge therefore, I am going to take a little time and explain more.  During the month of April, I will complete every other day 300 ab reps, 100 lunges, 100 squats, and  100 push-ups. I use weights (light 8-12 lbs) either a barbell, or ball for the Russian twist and about half of the squats and lunges. I may increase the weight towards the end of the challenge but for now I have been getting pretty sore without it. I do them all at once except for the push-ups as I would have muscle failure if I didn’t take a break in between sets.

Here’s the breakdown:

100 lunges:

20 walking lunges

20 lunges with incline (10 on each leg)

20 Bulgarian Split Squat (10 each leg)

20 walking lunges

20 curtsy lunges (10 each side)

Or:

20 Reverse Lunge from step/box/stairs (10 each leg, sometimes these are called one leg squats)

100 Squats:

20 plie squats with one foot on platform right side

20 plie squats with one foot on platform left side

20 regular squats

20 plie squats

20 squats with a leg lift (10 each side)

100 push-ups:

15 wide arms

15 tricep

15 regular

15 wide arms

15 tricep

15 regular

10 tricep

300 abs:

30 butterfly crunches

20 bicycle

20 reverse crunches

30 toe touches

15 side plank hip lifts right

30 crunches

40 Russian twist (with weights)

15 side plank hip lifts left

30 bicycle

15 side plank hip lifts left

20 reverse crunches

15 oblique v-ups right

10 leg lifts

15 oblique v-ups left

How are you challenging yourself? What are your personal fitness and health goals? Share them with us with accountability and inspiration. Write them out and put them where you can see them!

I will be posting before and after photos and also measurements! Stay connected and see my results in May!

JEN

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No Regrets

One of my previous posts had me scouring my yearbook, looking for something appropriate to scan in for some artistic reprieve, and all the while I just kept looking at certain events and thinking, “Where was I? Booster Club? Lagoon? Business Appreciation Lunch? We had vending machines? I had classmates?” Now, my graduating class was somewhere near 60 students, so it’s not like I was drowning in a sea of faces or anything…

I went to Homecoming once, never attended a Prom, skipped class on more than one occasion, and said no to almost every boy who asked me out (yep, all two of you, you know who you are). What was so much more important that I decided to forfeit my high school memories for? Honestly, I don’t remember. I was probably writing, but that is not a guarantee. I could have been IMing my friend, reading, video games were probably a huge thing, or maybe even watching LOTR extended DVD’s for the fiftieth time.

If I had attended those auspicious, crucial high school “things” I know I would have remembered them. They would be branded into my consciousness forever. I would have gained the typical high school memories and experiences. And yet, I did not participate, and I do not remember what I was doing instead. Looking back at my yearbook and seeing my face in only a few areas’s made me a little sad. It made me feel as though I hadn’t gotten the genuine high school experience with my time there.

And yet, that is just bogus, because everyone’s experience will be different. There is no cut and dry way to live life. There are billions of options out there for us. I was just making the choices that led away from high school events, instead of towards them. I wasn’t involved, but it doesn’t mean that I wasn’t living.

I was doing my own thing, that’s what matters. I was doing what I wanted in that moment, in that space and time. I could have been there, but I wasn’t, and I just want to send a message to everyone: If you are going to pass up an opportunity to do something, just make sure that the event you miss, the memories that you are sacrificing, will be something you don’t regret.

It can be a little difficult to look into the future as a high schooler and say, “Oh, I will easily not regret this.” (As high schoolers aren’t typically known for rational thought and wisdom.) But you can look back as an adult and tell yourself, “Yep, I choose not to regret that.”

So that is what I’ve done. I know that my high school life was the way I wanted it to be in that moment. I could ask, what if this happened, or that didn’t. I could imagine thousands of scenarios, or I can be happy with the one I’ve dealt myself. My past choices don’t dictate my dreams; my past failures don’t rule my future. My life is wide open, and instead of regret missing out on things, I will smile and know that I was happy then and I am happy now.

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Don’t get struck down!

In my opinion one of the most annoying symptoms of being sick is a sore throat. I was recently struck with a cold. Notice I didn’t say it “struck me DOWN” because honestly, I let that cold know it wasn’t welcome before it even had the chance to get comfortable. What did I do?  

I woke up one morning at about 3 AM to an all too familiar feeling of dryness on the upper palate. I just knew that it was the earliest sign of doom to come. I got up despite my reservations to just go back to sleep, and I poured five drops of DoTERRA’s Clove essential oil into a big glass of water. I swished, and gargled, and then drank it down. The clove not only offered a numbing relief but it is also an anti-viral and most cases of sore throats tend to be viral. I refilled the glass with water added five more drops of Clove essential oil and set it on my nightstand.

 I filled my essential oil diffuser with DoTERRA’s protective essential oil blend, called OnGaurd and let it diffuse next to my face, allowing the oils and humidity from the water to keep my airways open and fight off airborne pathogens.

Before finally heading back to bed I grabbed a DoTERRA throat drop and began sucking on it. I laid in bed and said a simple prayer for healing and rest and at the last suck of the drop I was fast asleep again.

I awoke that morning around 9 and the sore throat was gone but it was apparent that this battle was not over. Though, my symptoms were minimal, I could tell that I was still not in optimal health. Occasionally, I would get a mild fever or an itchy dryness in my throat. I could also start to feel the onset of some congestion.

Over the course of the next two days I used veggie capsules and filled them with Clove, Oregano, Melaleuca, and OnGuard essential oils and swallowed them down about two to three times a day. I used Breathe Essential oil to keep my airways clear and also in my diffuser to ward off the dryness and congestion that gets worse at night.

Every morning I enjoyed my wake-up tonic. Approximately, 1 tablespoon of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon of local honey, the juices of half a squeezed lemon and about 8 ounces of warm water. Not HOT but warm as to not disrupt the enzymes from the vinegar or honey.  This tonic has an array of health benefits including detoxifying the body. It is also great for activating bile within the digestive system and to prepare your body for its meal of the day. Although, this tonic is generally apart of my regimen I made sure to adamantly drink this during my bout with a cold.

After my shower I would apply anti-viral essential oils to the bottoms of my feet such as Clove, Cinnamon, Oregano, Melalueca, Onguard and Breathe, all DoTERRA of course. The feet have the largest pores and absorb faster and better than any other part of the body. Doing this directly after a warm shower is also fantastic as shower’s open the pores as well.

Rest. I didn’t feel too particularly bad for being lazy.

On that note, I did however soak up any sun rays I could for an extra dose of Vitamin D. which is rare to get in the winter months of Wyoming. Low vitamin D levels decrease your immunity and therefore sun exposure is important to your health as just twenty minutes of it can give you the dose you need.

I can honestly attribute my quick recovery with very mild symptoms to my use of essential oils topically, orally, and aromatically. Generally, I am a pretty healthy and health conscientious person though my knowledge and vigilant use of the oils has increased this year. I was able to work, work-out and take care of my family despite fighting off a cold.

It has been said that “Knowing is half the battle.” So here are some facts you should know about the enemy, the dreaded sore throat, and with that knowledge you can better plan your attack.

Is it viral or bacterial? Sore throats that are viral are often gradual and occur over a period of a few days. They begin with a vague, tingling sensation on the soft palate. This becomes evident when swallowing and after a day or two the sore throat is usually accompanied by fluid from the nose that is clear and watery, mild fever, coughing and the glands in the neck are swollen.  

Bacterial sore throats are often caused by the streptococcal bacteria which is referred to as “strep.” If you suspect strep throat, look for the “classic triad” of symptoms. Pus on the tonsils and throat, swollen glands, and a temperature over 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The tonsils will be a notable fiery red with cottage cheese, yellow, and white puss.  Strep throat will usually resolve on it is own within a week as antibiotics are produced within the blood stream of the body. If however, symptoms persist beyond a week you should seek medical care.

According to Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, take caution when proceeding with a sore throat because antibiotics are overly prescribed which can cause resistant strains of bacteria and in the future antibiotics won’t work when they are truly needed to save a life. Use of penicillin may shorten the time of symptoms, however it may cause re-occurrences  Antibiotics prevent the body from creating its own antibodies (body’s natural defense against disease.) He also states that throat cultures are a waste of money and does not prove beyond doubt that you have strep. An Average of 20% of healthy children carry the strep bacteria in their throats.

Other causes to sore throats: dry air, a response to taking antihistamines, chemical pollution, too much screaming or yelling which can irritate vocal cords.

Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, author of, Raising a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor and Dr. Sheri Tenpenny, author of Saying No To Vaccines, states that taking over the counter drugs to help minimize symptoms actually disrupts your body’s natural means to fight it off. Yes, they may make you feel better for the time being, but you can actually cause illness to linger longer by taking drugs.

Listen to your body, learn from your body, and give your body a little faith to naturally allow it to resolve illness on its own. Doing so will only help your body become more resistant to illness and more efficient at fighting back.

What are ways you prevent illness? What are some home remedies you use to boost the immune system and help the body’s natural defenses?

 JENImage

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45 things video games taught me about life

  1. Death is not the end.
  2. Pausing to look at your inventory is perfectly acceptable, at any time, in any place, even when falling off a cliff, or you are about to get a battleaxe to the face.
  3. You can pretty much run/sprint forever
  4. As long as you are spinning, bricks and walls are nuthin!
  5. You can eat a sack of flour for +1 health, and continue to live as if nothing happened.
  6. Health potions save you from debilitating wounds and diseases, but you and only you.
  7. Porcupines are inherently evil and do not want you to rule the Pridelands
  8. People will die if you take them to a room, replace the doors and windows with walls, have no appliances for them to use, no place to sleep and no food to eat, it just takes a long time, they will also automatically turn into an urn.
  9. People tend to trust you with their lives if you can get a copy of a book for them

    Even if you look like this. flawlith.org

    Even if you look like this.
    flawlith.org

  10. People like you more when your weapons are sheathed
  11. You will find everything you need to succeed on your journey, but you have to find the master key first.
  12. More pockets means more places to put things, regardless of weight and size.
  13. A satchel can contain at least three elven shields, 200 arrows, thirty-seven bear pelts, and five black soul gems
  14. No one wants to jungle without a leash.
  15. Sometimes the most unsuspecting things, like tires, sewer pipes, or rolling barrels, are the best mode of transportation.
  16. Swimming in armor is just as easy as swimming naked
  17. Eating crunchy chicks is immoral, being immoral makes me ugly and fat=do not eat crunchy chicks
  18. Dogs are useful, but they bark A LOT
  19. Health potions and healing spells hurt the undead
  20. Things will frown and slouch when they are about to die
  21. If you find yourself on a cliffside against seven angry red chocobo’s, and three dragons, it is time to slowly back away and leave them to their own territory.

    Seriously should have listened to me.

    Seriously should have listened to me.

  22. There is nothing maniacal about healing and hurting a wounded creature over and over until you’ve gained another few levels
  23. Guards are terrible at murder investigations
  24. You are amazing at murder investigations
  25. Your wife and child may die, and be the ultimate cause of your suffering, but it’s alright to sleep around until you get your revenge
  26. Singing and dancing are severely under-appreciated warrior skills
  27. When the laning phase is over, you will know it
  28. Persuasion gets you rich, but money is almost useless
  29. You never actually have to eat or sleep
  30. Sometimes it is always daytime
  31. Riding horseback is more difficult than repeatedly hopping up a rocky cliff to make it to the other side
  32. Minions are nice, but super minions take nexus’
  33. Don’t rush in to fight your first dragon
  34. As long as you say it aloud, then everyone will believe that you killed the Bandit Chief that lived a hundred miles away in a remote cave
  35. Crime does pay, just not very well
  36. Some games were not meant to be won, nor played, but just meant to sit there and mock your inability to get past the first level. i.e. Super Empire Strikes Back.
  37. Wearing mismatched pajama’s and having a crunchy chick gut opens doorways to great things
  38. People will marry you if you high five and kiss them enough
  39. If you aren’t shown a nearby bathroom, and you’ve had three espresso’s, it is perfectly acceptable to wet your pants in the kitchen, as long as you cry about it
  40. Maids don’t mind mopping up your urine for ten Simoleons an hour.
  41. There will always be three jobs available for you specifically in the morning paper
  42. You can buy friends and name them whatever you want
  43. Creatures will lay eggs, and then guilt trip you when you want to get rid of them
  44. Always install a security system so you can collect a reward
  45. ALWAYS answer the phone
Drinking and naked mace wrestling are a bad combination.

Drinking and naked mace wrestling are a bad combination.

Rach

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Life’s About Choices

At Academy I had an instructor whose famous words were, “Life’s about choices!” The more he said it the more I began to analyze my life’s choices and it become more transparent to me, that yes every good or bad decision I made was my choice. Time after time I began to see how I had blamed others, the situation, or made the decision based upon emotions or feelings.

For instance, I lost a perfectly good cell phone on highway 189  because I was so mad at the person I was talking to that I threw it out the window. This was a bad decision based upon emotion. I quickly knew that it was a mistake the moment it swept out of my fingers. I tried to find it spending a good thirty minutes or so scouring the highway to no avail. The whole time I searched, I thought, “how could I let anger drive me to do such a stupid thing?”

Countless times I blamed others for my actions or I made an excuse that the decision was situational. Countless times I have blamed alcohol or even, sadly, blamed it on the devil.  

My college years, though I don’t want to rehash those days, I constantly blamed others, blamed alcohol or said, “the devil made me do it!”

What am I trying to get at here? It’s simple really. Stop. Take a moment. Make informed decisions before you act your life depends on it and the quality of your life depends on it.

When you’re pondering about a life choice here are some questions to ask before following through:

Would I be proud of this decision later?

Would my family be proud of this decision?

Would I want my children to see this decision or would I want my children to make this decision for themselves?

Is this something I want my friends to talk about for years to come?

Would God be angry with me? Disappointed in me? Will He guide me through this choice?

If God were standing next to me in human form would I still follow through with this decision? Knowing full well God would be right there watching my every move.

If my thoughts were plastered on a power point above my head would I want the people around me to see them?

Will this choice tempt me to lie or feel guilty later? Do I feel the need to hide this choice from others? Especially, loved ones?

I certainly have made some bad decisions in my life and it is not worth it to live life in wonder. Constantly asking things like, “If I had chose differently would my life be better today?” These are toxic thoughts to the mind, body, and spirit!

Make decisions based upon thought, based upon God, and based upon morals. Avoid making decisions from emotion or while intoxicated.

And if you make a bad decision own up to it, take some accountability, apologize and carry on. There is no shame in being humble you will be glad for it later.

Remember, you have to live with your choices and you only get one shot. You’re children are watching, learning, and using you as the foundation for how to live life. Breaking trust is devastating and it is difficult to earn back with even the most forgiving heart.

My hope for you is that you be a better example to your children than your parents were to you. My hope for you is that you be a better friend than your friends are to you. My hope for you is that you be a reliable, faithful, humble, servant to your family and your friends and you do it better than you did yesterday. Stop letting in excuses, stop letting others steer you wrong, use the head the Good Lord provided for you and make good decisions.

If you have this in the forefront of all your decisions you will never live in regret:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 

You’re thoughts become actions. Fill and surround your mind, body and spirit with noble things, pure things and prayerfully ask for a renewed mind. Watch as your good thoughts become good actions and with that becomes a life with no regrets.

I have come to adopt this phrase for myself too, “Life’s about choices!”

Get to choosing well!  

JENImage

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Fact or Fiction?

My lifestyle as a writer and having a blog make me susceptible to prolonged procrastination on the internet. I sweep through Facebook, aimlessly scrounge up blog posts (like this little ditty), watch Youtube videos, and peruse my favorite websites. Occasionally though, I do get some work done.

However, I always fall victim to the complaints and concerns of my peers. I am forcefully inundated with internet arguments, reading each persons sentence of fact filled info, or I am awash with fears that “what if what I am reading actually isn’t true?” or the more pressing question, “what if it is?”

So, after doing a bit of research of my inner self by taking the “What old school song are you?” quiz on Quizilla, reading my horoscope, and generally just sponging through the daily bevy of information, I came to a conclusion. I must help my fellow man determine what is and what is not factual online. I must figure out a way that my friends, followers, and most importantly, my family, can safely enjoy the facts and farces of the internet.

With only time enough for one experiment, without a control, and very little experience with titration, I finally found the factual answer. Most everything online is true (and lacks the ability to actually be titrated). It really is. But since I said “most everything”, then some things must NOT be true right? Wrong! Now, here’s how to spot them!

TRUE:

  1.  If it has a picture of Einstein, any president from anywhere in any time frame, a black woman, an old woman, a little boy hugging a puppy, a little girl hugging a kitten, a sloth, Bill Gates, a gun, any mountain in any part of the world at any time, a picture of someone with a disease (but particularly true if it is a child).Abraham-Lincoln-1865-400
  2. If the words on the meme have these “” mysterious markings on them. These markings have been researched by scientists for decades, and the only thing they can decipher about them is that they are magical little sperm, cursed to death if what they are wrapped around is false, thus whatever they are wrapped around is inherently true.pitbull
  3. Anyone or anything asking for money. Especially true if it tells the story of an orphan, a baby bear, or an orphan baby bear. ht_orphaned_bear_dm_120621_wblog copy
  4. If there is included someone’s name, the name of a corporation, or a website. Meme’s like these are stamped with the guarantee of truth, because it is backed up by either a real, living, breathing human, big business, or a URL purchased by a real, living, breathing human.blackwoman
  5. Anyone or anything promising money/happiness/good luck/larger penis/soul mate/easier way to clean/information you never knew was true. Especially true if they are asking for retweet’s, share’s, like’s or +’s. use this one gall
  6. Anything that includes a conglomeration of all of those things. “”, #, puppies, someone’s name, (even more truthful if over ten people give it a thumbs up.)puppy copy
  7. If you have a moment of doubt about its truthfulness.
  8. Any video

FALSE:

  1. If further research means you have to read boring scientific journals, encyclopedia’s, or step one foot into a library. Wow, don’t even bother, just writing that made me exhausted.
  2. If you have to research it in the first place.
  3. If it takes over five seconds to understand.

I really hope this post helps you. I know it helped me.  I think I’ve proven just how easy it is to spot the imposters. Now you know that officially, most everything you read, watch, listen to, or even taste on the internet is well researched, not a troll, tried and tested, and most assuredly factual. So now you can rest assured that you do not have to put any extra work into enlightening yourself. The internet does it for you. All it takes is one click of a mouse.