fri-yay!!!

a little flashback friday action from the last time my sisters and i went to a missions game last season.

i am so grateful to my parents for raising me to be kind and openminded and compassionate.  over the last few years i have been appalled by the kinds of responses and incivility displayed by complete strangers when something terrible happens.  this past week we cried for manchester, and the loss of so many lives at the hands of a insane coward.  and as the city of manchester, the survivors, and the families of the victims mourn, the scum of our species are sitting behind their computer screens making this terrorist attack about politics, and religion, and they are using hate speech, and racism, and prejudice to do it.  i've never been able to wrap my brain around what makes people think they are better than other people because of the color of their skin, or where they went to university, or what they choose to believe in.  my parents taught us to be respectful of others opinions, to appreciate life, and to understand that we don't have all the answers, that we can't possibly know what other people are going through, and to be generous when we can.  so it breaks my heart that the world we live in now is rampant with hatred, and bullying, and just plain ugliness.  i hope that one day, when i have kids, i'm able to guide them with love and respect, as my parents did, because i really worry sometimes about what their life experiences will be.

i know that usually i don't talk about these things, and i toe the line of my life is either super awesome and i'm doing so many cool, new things, or i write about my heartbreak.  but the truth is that i think about racism, prejudice, bullying, and hate often, because i encounter it every day online.  this is where we spend most of our time.  this is where we have started to live our lives.  and the internet makes it so easy to be whoever we want to be, whenever we want to be, wherever we want to be.  i just wish we used it more for good, like when we do the "big give" in our communities, or when we learn about cultures across the world and completely different from our own, and we appreciate them.

in other news, i am going to spend this long weekend paying my respects in celebration of memorial day, and getting more rest, working on some projects (hopefully), and maybe getting in a little fun-in-the-sun.

peak of the week:  the missions game last night with my sisters and some friends was everything i needed this week and didn't even realize it until this morning when i woke exhausted, but in the best mood.

it's the pits:  see above.

if you are in the san antonio area, feel free to join us at heroes stadium tomorrow morning for the 16th annual 5k in memory of our community's fallen police officers and firefighters.  the proceeds from the run benefit the 100 club, which provides assistance to the families of the fallen officers, including education assistance for their children.  my family and i run the 5k every year, and this year i'll be volunteering with my dad at the registration table.  it's truly an honor to be a part of this event, and i really hope i see a bunch of familiar faces there (hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, friends).

have a lovely holiday weekend, babes.

• super-proud of my alma mater and fellow yellowjackets making tampons accessible on campus in men's and women's restrooms.  and so behind this becoming a trend on all university campuses.  sexual health, y'all.
• y'all know how much i love new orleans (i literally talk to EVERYONE about it any chance i get).  i'm so proud of my "second home" for taking this step forward towards a better future for everyone in the city.
• jane austen was a secret radical.  i need this book in my life.
• melissa and i plan on making mermaid lemonade this weekend, and sipping it poolside (while we study, no doubt).
• have you heard selena gomez's new song, bad liar?  i'm obsessed.