Flint Hill Cemetery

This photo was taken at the Flint Hill Cemetery behind a small church. The cemetery is surrounded by the stone wall you see in the photo, and there is an iron gate at the entrance that no longer closes shut due to how much the cemetery has settled over the years. Along the side of the wall there are a lot of old graves, some that have visible stones, others you can no longer see. In this picture you can see the small stone covered in leaves at the base of the wall, almost hidden from sight. Closer you can see the larger stone with all the names of a single family written on it. You cannot see due to the leaves, but there are many small stones lined up against the wall, covered up. The church paid to have a single, larger stone built to honor the life of the family buried under the leaves. I love this photo because I do not see people fixing/replacing stones very often and it makes me happy to know that this family can be better remembered.

 

This photo above, however, is an example of a life that has been forgotten. The stone reads 11 years, 10 months, and 29 days; the stone is half buried under the ground and there is no telling for how long it has been there. There are many more stones like this on the property, and many of them you can no longer see. The cemetery itself looks half empty, but it is very full.

Doggies

These are pictures I took of my friend's dog and his roommate's dog, Cosmo (left) and Watson (right). These two do not get along very well, but tolerate each other in the same room. Cosmo is more of a guard dog, even though he is small. He loves to play with his dad and his toys, and loves to meet other dogs, even if it might be just for a second. Watson loves to play with Cosmo's toys when he goes over, and gets very jealous of Cosmo. Watson is what you would call an attention whore, always needing some kind of attention, and will lay on top of you just so that he is noticed. You can tell that Watson is very spoiled, and knows it. I am personally not a fan of Watson, just because he bullies Cosmo and is kind of a dick, but he is cute and you cannot deny that it is adorable when he lays on top of you. Cosmo will wait until you are sleeping and then will curl up next to you.

Sixth Street Cemetery

     These are some pictures I took at the cemetery on sixth street in Saint Charles, MO early one morning right after the sun started coming up. I have always loved walking to this cemetery late at night while I went to Lindenwood because it was always so quiet and peaceful. Also, some of the stones are incredibly old and I always found it interesting too see how much stones have changed over the years. What makes me sad is when I find stones that have fallen and became one with the ground due to not being picked up. Part of me wishes that they could be restored, but then I think about how much money and effort must have been put into them in the first place, and I think that leaving them where they are might be better then replacing what someone put so much effort into. What do you think?

Update on K9

Hello! Work has been terrible so it has been a while since my last post. So tonight I decided that I would let K9 try some different treats other then his meal worms. First, I gave him a little bit of my banana to taste. At first, it looked like he enjoyed it. However, he very quickly spit it right back out at me. It was hilarious to watch and I wish I had a picture to show you just how funny it was. I then got some plain apple sauce on a spoon for him to lick off. He REFUSED to have anything to do with it. He sniffed it, and licked the tinfoil wrapping, but that was it. He turned his butt at it and walked away to go explore the rest of my couch. I am planning to try some more fruits such as cherries, pears, peaches, and pumpkin before I go find some baby food for him to try. I do not cook a lot of vegetables so I am not sure if he will ever try those. I will keep you updated on the hunt to find my baby new foods he will enjoy. If you have any suggestions please comment and let me know. :)

More about me...

     So, tonight I decided that I would tell you guys a little bit more about me. I feel like if you are going to be reading these posts, you might as well know who is behind the screen. If you read my last post, you already know that I was born in St. Johns Newfoundland, Canada. I moved to the United States when I was two, so my only memories of the small island is the annual visits we take to visit family. I grew up in Latham, New York, which is a few hours from the city. It was in New York that I learned how to swim competitively and got my Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. I had a lot of good friends and I have a lot of awesome memories, so I will call my childhood a win.
     When we moved here to Missouri, I had a slight hiccup. When I was thirteen, I started eighth grade here thinking it was going to be an adventure and a lot of fun. Nope. Lots of bullies, grades dropping, the whole works. It pretty much went down hill for me all the way up through high school. After high school graduation, I was in hospital with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder on watch for self harm and suicidal ideations.
         Now, you might be thinking: Why is this crazy girl telling us all of this? Isn't this too personal? Well, I am telling you because it is an important part of my life I do not like to hide. I want people to know that it is ok to talk about things. That normal, healthy conversation about mental illness is not scary, but helpful. I am a huge advocate for mental health, so I will never be afraid to bring up my own history and encourage others to not be afraid. I started college right after high school graduation, so on top of getting used to Lindenwood I was dealing with medications, therapy, and my own demons. It was hard for a while. But one day a friend of mine sent me a link about how one of the counselors on Campus wanted to start a chapter of Active Minds. Active Minds is a wonderful organization that I have dedicated many years to. It is a non profit organization that works to decreasing stigma of mental health on college campuses and in the surrounding communities. I am proud to say I am one of the founders of the Lindenwood Chapter, along with being the President of the organization, and the chapter is still going strong today after my graduation.
     So. Yes, I am on mediation still. No, I am not ashamed. And nobody else should either. If you ever wanna talk, shoot me a text or email! Unless I am asleep I am always available. :) Stay Awesome!

Today in the world....

    Hello! So as many of you are aware, Donald Trump, or as I like to call him, Fuhrer Cheese Puff, has banned people from seven different Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. These pictures that I have included are people protesting the ban of immigrants from the United States at the JFK airport in New York four days ago. People who were coming into the United States at the time of the ban were held at the airport, unable to go anywhere. Many people were sent back on a plane home after arriving. Normally, I do not go into politics. However, this ban has struck home with me. I am not a Citizen of the United States, I am a Canadian citizen born in Saint Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. It is nerve wracking seeing people from other countries being deported back to their country of citizenship, knowing that I myself am not American. I understand that right now the ban is on Muslim-majority countries, however I can't help but wonder where this ban is going to lead us. Are all people from different countries who are not citizens, visa or not, going to be deported in the future? Is it going to become impossible for anyone to apply for citizenship? What is going to happen next? Due to this, I will start working on getting my citizenship in the next few weeks. 
     I am ashamed to be living in the United States right now, where people are telling me it is ok to keep refugees who are seeking help and safety out of the United States, and that people living in the middle east are our enemies. I am hoping this madness ends, for the sake of America and the world.