Tuesday: Happy Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I know this is going up after midnight but oh well, I just got home. Since today was crazy busy and I spent the night with my boyfriend, I'm excusing myself from the regular Tuesday post. I will post tomorrow's regular post and a catch up post for Tuesday later on today (Wednesday). So I hope you all had a good Valentine's day! ^ Those are the flowers Shaun gave me tonight :) 

Today I saw a lot of mixed feelings about Valentine's day. At work, the kids were incredibly excited and revved up. On Facebook, half the people were happy and the other half cursed the holiday. I personally, enjoy this holiday. Sure it sucks if you don't have a significant other, but you know what? That isn't what it is all about. You get to stop and think about all the different love in your life. I get to reflect on the love I have from my brother and my parents. Honestly, I have the best and most supportive parents in the world, and I get to really remember how much they love me today. 

I get to think about my friends, even though most of them are out of state at the moment, I know that if I need them they are there for me. I get to see little kids at work get excited because they got a bunch of Valentines, and maybe that one special little boy or girl gave them candy and that made the entire day better. I honestly wish people would celebrate the love they have in their lives like this everyday. Today is not the only day someone can make a grand gesture. Go buy your mom or girlfriend flowers just for the hell of it. I promise you, you will see a smile so big it'll make your own heart grow a little. (Yes, I know how corny that sounds...give me a break) Why wait til Valentine's day to buy a little gift for someone, or take them out on a nice date? 

We are all so preoccupied by life, stress, and whatever else that sometimes we forget to show appreciation for the little things we have. I know I can do that myself. I've had some rough months with the surgery and being sick, but I had parents who did everything in their power to make sure I was okay, a boyfriend who would come see me and hold me even with a big stupid brace on, and a puppy who would make me smile. Not everyone is so lucky, and those who are should always take the time to remember that. 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone, I love you all :) 

Wednesday: Catch Up

So yes, I did not get to write my post for yesterday, but today I'm going to play catch up. There are a couple things in politics that I wanted to talk about. First up, I am giving kudos to the state of Washington, because they just legalized same-sex marriage! This is just an awesome thing to hear, especially months after New York did the same. Like I've said before, it is a step in the right direction. The bill passed with a 55-43 vote in the House and that made Washington the seventh state to legalize gay marriage. I am really looking forward to seeing who else will take this step in 2012.

On a similar note, in California a federal appeals panel has voted that the ban on same-sex marriage is a violation of the constitutional right to equal protection. So right now, the next step is that opponents can try to appeal this decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals, or take it to the Supreme Court. I am really hoping that if it does get taken to appeals again, that this doesn't get put back into action. Proposition 8 has no place in our government. It would be amazing to see the state of California legalize same-sex marriage eventually, and this is how it will happen. As long as the opponents don't get their way again, and it would be interesting to see how the Supreme Court rules it, seeing as they've never ruled on this topic in the past. My prediction though: the Supreme Court would rule Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

I wanted to speak a little about the Susan G. Komen foundation. Obviously now the big news is that the Vice President has resigned. I just still cannot wrap my head around the whole thing. A foundation dedicated to breast cancer, stops giving funds to Planned Parenthood to give breast exams, because they're being "investigated"? It was an utterly stupid move on their part. Planned Parenthood is often the only place people can go for health care. Women's health is a huge area that needs all the support it can get. To see the internet and people come together and have this decision reversed in only a few days, was incredible. It makes me really optimistic that people really can make the difference.

I was also really happy to hear about Obama's new regulation about birth control. Of course, the religious groups and Republicans are up in arms, but I say screw 'em. The regulation requires almost all employers to cover birth control, which means no co-pay for women we get it. So many women are using birth control, and the reasons why are endless. Some are using it for family planning yes, but others use it for other purposes. Here's a graphic with information that is on President Obama's website:

Click graphic to enlarge :)