Press Release Tips

Press releases are obviously a huge part of public relations. However, when journalists see press releases as more of a pain in the ass than a saving grace for their media, there is a problem. I was looking around and I found some interesting links to help make your press releases better and hopefully readable.

http://www.pressreleasegrader.com/

http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/04/six_telltale_signs_that_a_pres.html
**(Make sure you read the comments after this article. There are more tips there that are very useful too.)**

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Hungry Girl

Since I will be living in an apartment off-campus this upcoming school year, I decided to buy a cookbook to give me different ideas of what to cook for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. I got a taste of having to cook for myself this summer because I lived away from home and I found that it wasn't too bad. I don't mind having to cook, but the food that I actually can cook and have time to cook can get boring. I get sick of it pretty fast and I have to come up with meals for 9 months out of the year. And, with being an athlete, I want to have healthy meals. I can't be ordering pizza and making mac n' cheese and spaghettios every night.

No worries though! I found the perfect cookbook! It's called "Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World" by Lisa Lillien. The author is not a nutritionist or a doctor and she is not trying to get you to go on a diet. She is just a woman who loves food and has done a lot of research and has a lot of experience with low fat foods. Most of the recipes make one serving and that is all I need since I'll be cooking for me, myself, and I. The best part that I am SO excited about though is that she gives lots of CHOCOLATE recipes! That's right, you can still have chocolate and not have to pack on the pounds. Her other recipes include breakfast, salads, soups, lunches, healthy junk food (there's an oxymoron if I ever saw one), "manly" meals, party foods, fruity dishes, foods you bake in the oven, and coffee and alcoholic drinks. The second best part about this book is that most of the recipes are simple. They don't call for outrageous ingredients and they don't take long to make. However, there are fancier recipes if I decide to wow my roommates and cook a big fancy meal for all of them.

If you are interested and want to find out more, check out the HG website. Lillien even has a free daily e-mail with tips, tricks, and suggestions for making your cooking low fat. You can even order her book online. Or, if you want it now, I've seen the book at Sam's Club and Barnes and Noble. So, if you're a college girl who has to cook for herself and isn't a whiz with a spatula, I would highly suggest this book. I don't get excited about cooking, but when it comes to this book, I am like a kid in a candy store!

Here's some examples of food from her book and how many calories they are...

• Eggs Benedict - 183 calories
• Breakfast Pizza - 127 calories
• Chili Cheese Nachos - 216 calories
• Cheeseburger - 202 calories
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge - 65 calories
• Onion Rings - 153 calories
• Tuna Melt - 212 calories
• 7-Layer Burrito - 277 calories
• Sweet Potato Pie - 113 calories
• Cookies and Cream Freeze - 160 calories

Now that's some food to get excited over!

SONG OF THE DAY: Jordin Sparks - One Step At a Time

Today's Scripture: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)

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Daddy's Girl

I don't think guys will understand this post so if you are a guy and you don't want to read about the mushy relationship between a girl and her mom, then I would advise you not to read on.

For you girls who have a mom that you are close to and you tell her everything, I envy you. I hear my friends talking about how they never keep anything from their mom and how they talk and laugh and do things together. I mean, it's not always sunshine and rainbows with these mothers and daughters, but with my mom and I, it's more like rain clouds and crushed dandelions.

My mom was raised in an atmosphere where hugging and kissing each other was inappropriate. Her two sisters turned out to be failures and my mom's mom was abused as a child. So, ever since the beginning, my mom has never had that special touchy/feely relationship with me. I can never remember a time when she's playfully kissed me on the cheek a bunch of times, tried tickling me to make me laugh, she's never given me a huge bear hug or even something remotely close to a tight hug, and we've never done anything just the two of us. I mean we've went shopping together, but that's only when she needs to buy me something or is grocery shopping.

I look at other mothers with their daughters and I get jealous. No matter how much my mom yells at me, no matter how much she favors my brother, no matter how much she makes me mad and keeps denying me the chance to spend some time with just her, I still love her to death and I always go to her first. It's a really twisted kind of relationship and to me it seems very one-sided on my part. Yet, I always go back. I want so desperately to tell her everything, to have her hug and kiss me naturally and have fun with me. But, after this long, after all this time in my life not doing it, I highly doubt it will ever happen.

Sometimes you can't change people. I can't change my mom and I can't tell her all the things I haven't told her. It's too late now. She's not a bad mom though. I know she does her best and she has sacrificed for me and she provides for me and I know she loves me. I just don't know it all the time...

SONG OF THE DAY: Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved
Today's Scripture: "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust" (Psalm 4:8)

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Not So Ying and Yang

Everyone wants to believe that we have gotten to the point where racial discrimination is no longer a problem. Viewers watch TV shows like Rob and Big, with a little white guy and a big black guy being 'best buddies forever,' and they watch awe-inspiring movies like Remember the Titans that bring the Caucasians and African Americans so much closer together. These types of media make it seem like everything is a-okay. However, not everyone sees in black and white.

From my experiences going to a mixed high school, being in college, and having a police officer for a father, I have found that racial discrimination is still a problem today. Yes, it has come a long way from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., but it is still lingering. And, I believe that this problem is 50/50, fueled by both sides evenly.

I learned in one of my college classes that there is no such thing as reverse discrimination. First, let me give you a definition of reverse discrimination- "discrimination directed against members of certain social or racial groups, as white males, thought of as being dominant or having benefited from past discrimination against minority groups who are now favored, often as a result of affirmative action." Now, I believe my teacher was wrong. I believe there IS such a thing as reverse discrimination and it happens quite often.

My dad comes home and tells us about some of the things he has to deal with at work. Not only is it his job to pull people over, arrest people, etc., he has to deal with people and listen to their crap. A lot of that crap he has to listen to is African Americans trying to tell him that they're only being arrested or pulled over because they're black. One hundred percent of the time that is untrue. There are rumors about police raping "unsuspecting black women," which is also almost always untrue. And yeah, white people have jokes about black people, but black people have jokes about white people too. White people can get bullied and be the victims of violence by black people just as much as the opposite can happen.

According to Darnell Hunt, professor of sociology and director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, "African Americans have always had to think racially. They're very conscious of race, of dealing with it on a daily basis" (qtd. in Dolliver, "Double Vision: The Race Issue Revisited, Adweek). But why? I highly doubt that they have someone discriminating against them every day of their life. We are all homosapiens: blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos. And if they do get discriminated against, why can't they be the bigger person and let it go. Slavery happened a long time ago and this country will never revert to that huge mistake. Why don't they let the dumb hick run his or her mouth and just walk away? Why do black people have to be so vocal and upset about it? This generation had absolutely nothing to do with what happened in those horrible times.

I don't know what can be done about this problem. A lot of smart and powerful people have tried to do something about it, but it just seems to keep reminding everyone that there is a problem. Has anyone ever thought of maybe ignoring it? I mean what is up with having BET (Black Entertainment) and the NAACP (National Association of Advancement for Colored People)? There is no WET (White Entertainment) and the last time there was an association for white people, it was something like the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). Now I'm not saying the NAACP goes around discriminating against white people by burning down homes and carrying out violent acts against white people. However, why have an association at all? I would be a little offended if I were African American. Are people saying that black people can't succeed on their own? They have to have an association all to themselves?

I know I'm treading a very fine line right now, but I can assure you that I am not racist. And I know I am a hypocrite for writing about this when I said people should try ignoring that there is a problem. But, it is a topic that makes me frustrated and I wanted to vent. I don't mean to offend anyone in any way and I apologize if I have. However, I'm American and I have a right to my opinions.

SONG OF THE DAY: Chris Daughtry-Home

Today's Scripture: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

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"In the Woods"

For the past week, I've literally been 'in the woods' camping with my family while reading a book called "In the Woods" by Tana French. I finished the 429 page book in four days, meaning it was one of those books that you couldn't put down because you HAD to know what happens next. It is a murder mystery book about a man named Adam whose friends mysteriously disappear when he was 12 years old while they were all playing in the woods. The police find Adam facing a tree with his fingernails broken off and dug into the tree with his shoes filled with blood and he cannot remember what happened. This man grows up to be a detective and at the peak of his career, a little girl is murdered in the same woods his friends disappeared in. He goes about trying to solve the murder while dealing with his own past. The beginning and middle were amazing, and like I said I couldn't put it down. However, the end was, to my surprise, very disappointing and unsatisfying.

**WARNING: IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK, DO NOT CONTINUE READING OR IT WILL SPOIL THE ENDING**

The only thing I found semi-satisfy was that the murder case of the little girl was solved. Adam pulled through and figured it out after a few weeks. It is always subconsciously satisfying to know justice was served. However, in this case, good did not prevail over evil. The murderer of the little girl was as harmless as you or I; he was brainwashed by a psychopath. The psychopath, named Rosalind, was jealous and thought her sister was getting too much attention. So she found a frail, incompetent man to prey upon. He fell in love with her while she fed off this attention like an animal, and convinced him to kill her unsuspecting, gullible sister. And to boot, Rosalind got away with it. In the end, she was nothing more than a prim, pretty girl. I guess it is an original ending that wasn't suspected and it is just fiction. But there is that nagging, uncomfortable, angry feeling in the back of my mind that I can't shake. Things like that more than likely happen in real life and it's terrible.

That was only the beginning of what I found disappointing. The other part had nothing to do with the murder case. It had to do with the detective's love life. Before the girl was murdered, a woman named Cassie joined the murder squad and the two became best friends. I can't begin to explain how close they were because only French does their relationship justice. He spends a lot of time developing their relationship through little details and intricate feelings. But, with all those little details, unraveled a complicated relationship. They were perfectly content being just good friends through most of the book until the murder case got to Adam. He ended up kissing Cassie and that was the breaking point. He made things weird between them and their relationship was completely ruined. He avoided her, didn't talk to her, wouldn't tease her or touch her like before. He ended up confused and lonely, still in love with Cassie, while she felt dejected and turned to another detective and fell in love with him. All he could do was stand aside and let her go. He made one final drunken, pitiful try by calling her and saying 'I love you. Are you really gonna marry this boring guy?' and all she did was say 'I think you have the wrong number.'

It's sad how this works in life too. Something gets in the way and messes everything up. The guy is too afraid to commit and let something good come into his life. The girl gets hurt and has to start over, each time a little wearier and broken. I hear it all the time, "All the good guys are taken already." Yeah, that's because those guys aren't the scared (excuse my language) pussies that float around from girl to girl living unsatisfying, but don't care because they don't have the balls to be with that one girl. It's sad how many relationships get ruined because of the miscommunication and misunderstandings between the sexes. However, I guess it's like in nature, only the strong survive. So, if there is true love between two people, nothing can ruin it and only the strong relationships will survive and last forever. It's all part of the plan. However, it doesn't make it any less disappointing to see what seems like a perfect relationship break down and go to pieces.

The last part I found disappointing was that Adam never solved his own childhood mystery. He tried throughout the book and French gave broken, weird hints as to what happened, but it was never concluded. It left they mystery to the imagination, yet, French didn't give enough to let your imagination run with it. He made it seem like the disappearances weren't caused by a human and that contradicts the whole theme of his story. It seemed like French thought he would figure out what would happen as he was writing the book and kept adding bits, but in the end, he couldn't figure out what happened either. He left it a tangled mess that made me drop my jaw in frustration.

However, it really was a page turner and well-written. French described the relationships of all the characters better than I think I could describe my own relationships in life. They were real and I felt like the characters jumped off the pages. I actually had dreams about the characters and I found myself very attached to them. Maybe that's why I wanted Adam to be happy and let himself fall in love with Cassie. I know what it's like to have a relationship like that and I wanted that for him too. Overall though, it was a great book and if I had to go back in time, I would choose to read it all over again.

SONG OF THE DAY: Gordon Lightfoot-Cotton Jenny
Today's Scripture: “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24)

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Love, Life, and Computers

Imagine if our world suddenly had no computers, no Internet. What would we do? So many things would be affected. Communication would become much slower, news would travel at snail pace, newspapers would start to dominate again; we would be unable to access the ominous information library, no blogging, no emails, no Twitter or Facebook; people would actually have to pick up a phone and talk to each other, or heaven forbid, talk to one another in person; everything would have to be handwritten, designs would have to be drawn out, taxes would have to be done the old-fashioned way, no hearts or solitary or Second Life; kids would actually have to start finding other things to do, like maybe play outside for once. PR would become a whole new game. We would have to rethink a lot. But, it would come down to our world drastically changing in an instant. It's scary that we rely on computers for so much.

That's why I haven't been able to post for 2 weeks. My laptop unfortunately crashed and I was unable to fix it until now. I had to wait until I came home so my computer genious mother could get her hands on it. Luckily, she was able to fix it period. So I am back up and running!

More posts later! Hope you continue to read my blog and enjoy it!

SONG OF THE DAY: Akon ft. Luda - Buck in Here
Today's Scripture: "My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness." Isaiah 26:9

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More PR in NC

Like I said, I would do some more research on internships available in the great state of North Carolina. I came across a few that sound pretty interesting. They are smaller internships that would be great building blocks to a successful start in PR. Like I said, everyone has to start somewhere and I will take whatever I can get my hands on. It makes me excited, but at the same time so frusterated because I still have school left to finish in Michigan. Blah! But I can't just drop what I'm doing and frolic off to NC. Here's what I found....

1. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences: "Public Relations/Communications Interns may gain experience in writing, media relations, marketing and publication design. Interns may participate in grant-writing projects; Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program and have completed four semesters of coursework. Graduate students may also apply. Experience and/or knowledge of field of internship. Grade point average of at least B. Enthusiasm/strong interest in learning about science education, environmental science, museum studies, research, etc."

2. North Carolina Special Olympics: "As a communications intern, you will gain experience in the following: Building relationships with the media, Writing, editing, proofing, Reporting/interviewing, Desktop publishing, Analytical thinking, Working with various computer software packages (Microsoft Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, Access), Operating in a business environment,
Nonprofit management Duties/Responsibilities: Keep current and accurate media database, Maintain photo files, Maintain statewide news clippings, Write press releases as assigned, Assemble press kits, Attend state-level events and interact with the media as assigned, Write articles for monthly and quarterly newsletters as assigned, Write athlete and volunteer profiles/ Web spotlights, Assist in implementation of national public education campaign as assigned,
Other duties as assigned by the vice president of communications
Qualifications: Good oral and written communication skills, Good organizational and analytical skills; attention to detail, Strong interpersonal skills, Good editing skills and knowledge of language, grammar, punctuation and style

3. North Carolina Aquariums: "Special Events, Public Relations and Visitor Services provide opportunities for qualified interns to gain valuable experience in the unique aquarium setting. Supervisors with extensive experience in their respective fields oversee each of these departments. Interns in these areas are expected to be meticulous and professional. Creativity is a must. A four-month commitment is required, Qualified individuals are assigned to specific projects working along side experienced aquarium staff"

4. North Carolina MADD: "General Office Intern: General Description: This position will assist the State Office with various programming and fundraising efforts, as well as special event planning. Duties may include contacting volunteers and sponsors, as well as dissemination of program materials.
Marketing/Public Relations Intern: General Description : This position will assist the state offfice in coordinating our marketing and public relations programs. It will assist us in implementing our PR efforts through working with local and statewide media, schools, law enforcement and community partners. This position will also assist us in marketing our programs, core events, assisting with newsletter writing and production."

I really think the Special Olympics one sounds the most interesting and I would love to do something like that. I should really look into my school's Special Olympics program and see if I can land myself an internship there before heading out to my dream state.

SONG OF THE DAY: Relient K-Gibberish
Today's Scripture: "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land" (Isaiah 1:19).
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PR in NC

It's ALWAYS been my dream to live in NORTH CAROLINA some day. I've been to Caro, NC before and I went in December and it was beautiful there. It was still in the 50s and 60s and there was blue sky and sun! I'm sick of the long winters and unpredictable, crappy weather in Michigan. I also heard that NC was the top state to find jobs in. That was a few years ago so I don't know if that's still true, but I don't really care. The economy there has to be better than Michigan's anyway. Michigan is going down the tubes.

Anyway, I started doing some research on some firms in North Carolina and I came across many!

• carolinapr - "one of the oldest, most established public relations and marketing communications firms operating in the Carolinas; a mid-sized agency; employees contribute their time and energy to further the success of more than 50 local, regional and national civic, and professional organizations"
• fama pr - "only PR firm named to the Boston Business Journal's "Best Places to Work" in 2007 and 2008; partners with technology companies to provide excellence in corporate communications and public relations; Our client base is broad, from stealth startups to publicly-traded companies"
• HiTechPR - "extensive expertise in business to business marketing communications for the electronics, telecommunications and computer industries has set us apart from other companies; multidimensional approach to marketing communications; wins five international public relations awards for the successful launch of Herzlia-Based Genoa Color"
• Hill & Knowlton Inc. - "leading international communications consultancy, providing services to local, multinational and global clients; part of WPP, one of the world's largest communications services groups
• Weber Shandwick Worldwide - "PRSA awarded Weber Shandwick three Silver Anvil Awards, two Silver Anvil Awards of Excellence, three Bronze Anvil Awards and six Bronze Anvil Awards of Commendation at the recent North American awards ceremony; a global public relations and communications leader; a unit of The Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), which is one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies"

These are just some of the big time firms and agencies. These are the serious ones that you need lots of experience in PR to get a job there. However, everyone has to start somewhere and I believe I will make it there some day! I will move to North Carolina and happily work and live there. I don't know if it will be at one of those places, but I am going to do some more research and see if I can find internships there. I will keep updating on what I find.

In the mean time, if anyone has any suggestions or input or has anything to say about North Carolina in general, please do so! I appreciate any and all comments! I'm sure anything will help me out right now. :) Thanks!

SONG OF THE DAY: Britney Spears-Toxic

Today's Scripture: "Great peace have those who love Your law and nothing shall make them stumble" (Psalm 119:65).

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How ironic...

After I wrote my last entry, I checked my email and I received the PRSA Issues and Trends daily e-mail and the very first link was a story about Twitter from PR Tactics and The Strategist Online. Go here and read more about it. It's a better article than my blog post and tells you a lot more about it.

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Absolutely Twitterific!

Twittering, twitterers, twitrelease, twitterstream. No, I am not crazy and these are not words I just made up. They actually have a lot to do with public relations. The online social network moves fast, but public relations pros need to move faster.

If you haven't joined Twitter or even heard of it, you are not moving fast enough. Twitter is a service that lets you see updates online from friends, family, and co-workers. Updates have to be made in 140 words or less. However, Twitter is so much more than this. It's also a marketing/public relations tool that many public relations professionals use. You can get a product or service out to the masses quickly, it's simple, and most important, FREE. For example, Verizon Wireless used Twitter to market their new service, Verizon FiOS Internet. They did this by creating "Twittering Teddy", an animatronic bear that uses text-to-speech software to read your friends', family's, and co-workers' Twitter updates aloud to you. It was auctioned off yesterday for $212.50 and the money is going to the Homeless Children's Education Fund. But you don't have to manufacture a talking teddy bear to use Twitter. Just come up with a username, sign up, and start twittering!

But not only is it a marketing tool, it is a networking service as well. Twitter lets you see what other people in your profession are doing to succeed. It may give you a good idea if your stuck on something and if not, you can always ask for advice and people will respond. It's a free help service. Plus, a lot of people will put their blog web address or websites on Twitter and let you know when it's updated. You don't even need to subscribe to their RSS. Just follow them on Twitter!

Todd Defren, in his blog "PR-Squared," even goes so far as to say that a "PR person MUST become an active Twitter user if they want to have a meaningful career." He says that Twitter helps with personal branding, knowledge, and relationships. All three of those things are important in the public relations field.

"All the world's a-twitter", are you? If you decide to join, my username is IheartPR_5. Follow me and you can see my updates on your Twitter page or you can see them right here on my blog (see below on the right). I want to be successful when I begin my public relations career and hopefully, this will help me get a leg up on my competition when I start applying for internships and jobs.

SONG OF THE DAY: Simple Plan-When I'm With You
Today's Scripture: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).
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PR Masters Program?

Ok here's the deal...I will graduate with a major in public relations in four years. However, I red-shirted in soccer my freshman year so I have a fifth year of eligibility. So, I want to start my masters program my fifth year. That way the NCAA will pay for my ENTIRE first year of my masters since I'll be playing soccer. The only problem is I looked at my school's masters programs and we don't have one specifically for public relations. We do have an interpersonal communications program though, which is basically the same thing.

However, I just wanted to ask and see if anyone had any suggestions on what I should do for my masters. If anyone has any advice on that I would be most appreciative! I know FOR SURE that I want to start my masters program that fifth year though and I am not going back on my word. I just don't know what I want to go into or what would be the best to go into.

SONG OF THE DAY: Lil' Wayne-Got Money
Today's Scripture: "If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light." (Luke 11:36)

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Sagging Pants = Jail

Sag your pants and bag yourself a spot in jail. Apparently, people think it is immoral and indecent and it has now become against the law in some states to wear your pants below your butt.

In Flint, MI, this clothing style is disgusting and disgraceful, says Gwendolyn R. Allen on http://www.ajc.com/. But has anyone ever chewed on this thought? There are MANY more clothing styles that are "disgusting and disgraceful." If it is going to be against the law to sag your pants, it should be against the law for overweight people to wear shirts that don't cover their muffin tops; it should be against the law for women with huge breasts to wear shirts that show too much cleavage; it should be against the law for girls to let their thongs and ass cracks hang out of their jeans. I think these clothing styles are much more "disgusting and disgraceful" than sagging your pants. I mean most guys that sag are wearing boxers under their pants. People don't even have to look at exposed skin, unlike too much ass crack and cleavage.

Another thing: shouldn't police be concentrating on the more important criminals, like shop lifters, murderers, arsonists, bad drivers, etc? Now this is just another thing police have to add to their list and it's the smallest, most insignificant crime. I don't think it detracts from society at all. If you don't like saggy pants, don't look at it. It's as simple as that. If someone wants to sag their pants, let them do it and move on with your life. Don't sweat the small stuff. It's a book; maybe the people that made this law and are in favor of this law should read that book. Look it up. Plus, our jails are already full enough. We don't need to throw more people in there.

I've just never heard of a more insignificant law before and I can't believe different cities in states like Michigan and Louisiana are actually enforcing it. I think it shows stupidity, lack of a good economy (because of the hundreds of dollars fines), and lack of good leaders.

SONG OF THE DAY: Mayday Parade-Black Cat
Today's Scripture: "After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up." (Acts 15:16)
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I Have a Problem

I walk into a store and my eyes get big. I get a kind of mischievous giddy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I start wildly looking through racks for my size. I start grabbing everything I think looks cute thinking "What the heck? I might as well try it on just to see how it looks on me." Before I know it, there are fifty pounds on each arm and my dressing room looks like a mini version of the store. Hello, I am a shopaholic and I have a problem with spending too much money.

I don't get it. I get paid and the money flies out of my hand like it's a bird that's been trapped in a cage. I spend money like I have a stockroom in the basement of my house and have truckloads of money coming in everyday. It is actually a serious problem and I can't stop it. No one will want to marry me. My current boyfriend knows I spend money, but I don't know if he knows the true extent of this problem.

I think it is a sort of therapy for me. I know it is a cliche for shopping to be therapeutic for women, but it really is. If I am feeling sad, a new shirt or pair of sandals will make my day. Even a new cooking utensil or box of Teddy Grahams will make my day when I'm down in the dumps. It makes me feel like I have something to look forward to. Just knowing that I have a BRAND NEW something waiting for me at home makes me excited.

But, today, when I spend around $150 at the mall, it was a weird feeling. I didn't get excited or have a mischievous giddy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was more of a guilty, I-just-want-to-spend-money-for-the-hell-of-it feeling. And now I regret spending that much. I almost want to take everything back, but I already ripped the tags off and threw away the receipts. I think I would feel even worse if I took everything.

But the damage is done. The whole in my wallet can't be patched. What's done is done. It's in the past; finished, finale, over, gone, get it out of my mind. I've come to conclude that I'm weird and I may need some kind psychologist to help me.

SONG OF THE DAY: Keith Anderson-Picking Wildflowers
Today's Scriptures: "I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, while I abide in him, produces much fruit..." (John 15:5).
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PR Open Mic

SONG OF THE DAY: Boys Like Girls-Thunder
Today's Scripture: "How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity...for there the Lord has commanded the blessing..." (Psalm 133:1-3).

I've been away from a computer and I am dieing! I HATE feeling like I have no connection to the world. Plus, I wanted to practice posting every day and I already ruined it. But it's only one time and it might be close to impossible to post every single day.

But for all you PR fans (including me!), I've found some good blogs for you to check out. If you're a student, faculty member, or practitioner, check out PR Open Mic. It is an awesome website that lets you interact with other PR people from all over the world! It's like Facebook meets blog meets PR news website. It's everything a PR person could want! It's a lot of fun too. You can customize your own page and there are so many discussions you can join in! In the forum, the topics include any aspect of PR you can come up with! I really advise you to check it out and join. I hope to see you there! Also, be sure to check out my feed on Twitter. My s/n is iheartPR_5. I'd love to have you follow me and I'll be happy to follow your feeds as well. :)
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Premarital Sex: Is it Love or Sin?

Sex is not limited to sharing a special moment with that special someone anymore. Sex has expanded to a lot of different aspects in our lives. Everyone says "sex sells" and it does. There are provocative girls dancing in music videos, seductive lyrics in music, racy commercials for the most random products that have nothing to do with sex, and sex is shown as casual in television and movies. But for those who care, and see sex as something more, is premarital sex OK in God's eyes when you're in love or is it still a sin?

There are A LOT more passages in the Bible that say all
premarital sex is a sin. (For example, "But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood." (Acts 15:20), "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whispers," (Romans 1:29), "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife." (1 Corinthians 5:1), "Meats for the belly, and he belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body." (1 Corinthians 6:13), "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18), "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." (1 Corinthians 7:2), "Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and full in one day three and twenty thousand." (1 Corinthians 10:8), "And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repeated of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed." (2 Corinthians 12:21), "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness," (Galatians 5:19), "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints;" (Ephesians 5:3), "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5), "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." (1 Thessalonians 4:3), "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the veneance of eternal fire." (Jude 7).)

So obviously, there are a lot of passages that say fornication, or voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to each other, no matter what, is wrong and is a sin. I don't need to elaborate more. These passages speak for themselves. However, they are not the direct words of God. These passages come from people giving their opinions or "advice" to people. God gave us the Ten Commandments to live by and the only thing that comes close to fornication is adultery, but that is when a married person is unfaithful to their other half; it has nothing to do with premarital sex.

There are passages that speak of love and seem in favor of having sex if you're in love with your partner. (For example, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13:8-10), "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid." (1 Corinthians 6:15), "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." (Proverbs 10:12), "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8), "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18).)

Thus, all of these scriptures reveal that sex is in fact not a sin. Sex makes two people become one in God's sight and that is not a bad thing. Adam and Eve did not get married before they had sex and God meant for it to happen that way. If "love covers over a multitude of sins," and if you love your partner, love will smother the sin of having premarital sex (if it is in fact even a sin). As quoted in the last scripture from John, if you love someone there is no fear. There should be no fear that you are going to hell for having sex with the person you love. If you love someone and have deep mutual feelings, how can God see that as wrong?

Now I may be making excuses and trying to dig deep and find "loopholes" in the Bible to make myself feel better about having premarital sex. However, the more I research, the more I know it's not a sin. I've never regretted having sex with the man I love, even though we're not married. Even if we never get married, I still won't regret it because he is my first true love and I cannot deny my feelings.

But hopefully, for those of you out there who feel the way I do - that when love is right, sex is right no matter if you're married or not - I have made you feel a little better as well. There should be no shame or guilt in having sex when you love someone. You do not need a piece of paper and this worldly law to make it true and pure. God's law says to love and you should never deny that.

SONG OF THE DAY: Leona Lewis-I Will Be
*imastar*

Lonely

SONG OF THE DAY: Phil Collins-One More Night
Today's Scripture: "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, becasue thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

Lonely...it makes me think. So since I am so lonely, I am thinking about a lot and after some research, I will write out my thoughts more clearly than I could right now. I'm too emotional to do it tonight.

I need to keep God close tonight.
*imastar*

Smiles

SONG OF THE DAY: Danity Kane-Showstopper
Today's Scripture: "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Matthew 4:10)

Random question, can people you don't know tell if your smile is fake? Because people that know you and are around you all the time know what your real smile looks like because they've seen you laugh and they know what makes you happy. But if someone doesn't know you, can they tell?

I think people that don't know you CAN tell the difference. I believe you radiate more when you're truly smiling. They may not think about it consciously, but it registers with their subconscious and if affects how they smile back at you. I know this seems dumb and very random, but I was working today and I was a people greeter at the front door of the store. I just noticed that if I was smiling and laughing about something and then that smile stayed on my face for the next few customers, I got a better reaction from them. Even if they weren't smiling, it seemed like my smile made them a little happier.

So be happy and SMILE at everyone you pass! And don't do it just for the sake of working your cheek muscles. Do it to do your part at making the world a better place!
*imastar*

Step it up

SONG OF THE DAY: John Mayer-Say
Today's Scripture: “So let’s not get tired of what doing good what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9).

I really need to write on here when I have thoughts because I had so many thoughts earlier today and now I can't think of them.

But today was a gorgeous day! Blue sky, warm, went to a beautiful beach and got some sun, dove off the end of pier into cold lake water. Amazing. I LOVE LIFE.
*imastar*

Don't Give Up Love Because It Stings

SONG OF THE DAY: Natasha Bedingfield-Say It Again (Album: Pocketful of Sunshine)

I was emailed this story today and I find it very inspiring. If more people acted the way the person acts in this story, I truly believe the world would be a better place. It's sad to say, but I've witnessed a lot of people just give up on something in their life and it's sad. I love my life and I can't imagine ever giving up on any part of it, no matter how tough it gets. Here's the story...

"There was this man who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, But the scorpion stung him again. Another man nearby told him to stop saving the scorpion that kept stinging him. But the man said: "It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion is to sting?" LESSON: Don't give up loving. Don't give up your goodness... Even if the people around you sting. "The greatness comes not when things always go good for you. But the greatness comes when you're really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes. Because only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."

Isn't that a great story? I'm glad this person emailed it to me and I want to pass it on. I hope someone else can find it just as beautiful and inspiring as I.

But besides the song of the day, I decided to do a quote of the day from the Bible. The quote really comes from an email I get daily from Joel Osteen. I really like him. He is one of those people that you can look in the eye and tell they are pure and sincere about what they are saying. And Joel preaches the Word of God and that is rare to find such purity and sincerity in people these days. You can't even find that in priests in Catholic churches these days and I find it so sad. I think that if they just let priests get married there wouldn't be so many child molestors. God intended for a man and a woman to have sex and be together and get married. Why shouldn't a priest be allowed to join in that celebration and joy? And I know Jesus never did anything with a woman or got married, but Jesus was on this earth for one reason and that was to save us. God did not put him on earth to be like all regular human beings. And priests are homosapiens, no different from me or you.

But anyway, to get back on topic, Joel Osteen is rare and I like to listen to him. Visit Joel's website or watch him on TV. You can go to the website and under "Broadcast" you can find listings of channels and times he is on. You can also sign up for his daily e-mails at the website. On the home page, in the bottom left corner, you type in your e-mail address, first name, and last name and you will start receiving them right away. Joel also has free podcasts that you can download and watch if you can't watch him on TV. He also has a book called "Become a Better You" that I haven't read personally, but I've heard from my dad and other family members and friends that it is an amazing book and isn't like any other self-help book out there. Back to my point again, here is today's scripture...

“Set your minds and keep them set on what is above, the higher things, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2)

But I have a soccer game tonight that I have to get ready for so I've got to get going.
*imastar*

Gotta get this in before midnight!

i am VERY hyper tonight and my thoughts are just bouncing around and I can't seem to think of anything of substance to write. But I am lonely and missing love. My boyfriend is 2 hours away and we're both poor and can't afford gas to drive and see each other. My family is 3 hours away and they are busy with work and they can't afford the gas to come see me much either. So I have been feeling lonely and sad lately.

MY BABY IS CALLING ME! yay <3

I did decide that I would start doing a song of the day though. The song for today is The Ataris-Unopenned Letter to the World. I will have a song of the day everyday. I may even incorporate a quote of the day, but that's a lot of quotes and I dunno if I can find that many. But we'll see because I love quotes. Good night!
*imastar*