Day 17: August 7, 2011

Hello, my name is Dorian... and I am addicted to YouTube Vlogers.

What is a vloger you ask? Well it's the exact same thing as having a blog, except in video form. Not to sound like a creepy stalker, but I, along with thousands of other people watch these vlogs almost every day. These people are so inspiring! Not only do they make funny videos each and every day but a lot of them do charitable work, write books, act, have CDs, you name it. This group of people are so talented and it's inspiring to watch, and is a big part of what made me want to do this blog. So I thought I'd share them on here so if anyone wanted to look into them they could! Enjoy!

VLOGERS:

VLOGBROTHERS- Hank and John Green, two brothers who use their humor and wit to help decrease Worldsuck and make the world a better place one video at a time. Probably some of the most interesting videos you'll ever watch. John Green is the author of quite a few books such as Looking for Alaska, and Paper towns. I HIGHLY suggest looking into some of their videos, you will walk away always learning something new from these two. They have definitely been a big inspiration for me. DFTBA. Video to start with: How to be a Nerdfighter: A Vlogbrothers FAQ

SHAYTARDS- You definitely have to like kids to watch this vlog, these people are hilariously crazy! But their family is so full of love that it's so inspirational to watch their family learn and grow each and every day. Shay, Katilette, Princesstard, Sontard, Babytard, and Rocktard (they use fake names of course:) will definitely put a smile on your face and make you feel like part of the family, and give you a taste of that crazy LA lifestyle!

CTFXC- Charles Trippy and Alli Speed are two very down to earth people who have been vlogging for almost three years and do it simply because they love it. My favorite part about their vlogs is that they are really into music, and they have a lot of connections with bands like We the Kings and a few others, so they make appearances every now and then. Plus, they have a wedding coming up in a few months so that's always funnn! Every day is a new adventure, these two are really young and know how to live life to the fullest!

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (because if I went through and talked about all of them this blog would go on forever! But if you go on YouTube and search these people I promise hundreds of videos will pop up and you just have to watch a few and you'll get sucked in!)

WHEEZY WAITER

PHILLIP DEFRANCO/SXEPHIL

MRARTUROTREJO

IMPROV EVERYWHERE

RHETT AND LINK

LIVELAVALIVE

KYLESNEXUSONE

TOBUSCUS

IJUSTINE

MYSTERYGUITARMAN

COURTNEYPANTS

JULIANSMITH

ILAJIL

RAYWILLIAMJOHNSON

WHATTHEBUCK

KASSEMG

These people are the perfect example that if you are doing something that you love, then you should share it with the world.

LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE WASTEFULLY.

Day 16: August 6, 2011

"A sense of humor... is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life." -Hugh Sidney

Sometimes I think we all get too caught up in the seriousness of life. And we all just need to grab our smart phones, or grab a friend who has one.. and download the "Geico bro-stache" app for FREE and take a few goofy pictures. Because I know for me at least, it really helped relieve some tension. It was nice to just sit at a random sonic and take a ton of weird pictures with these too. To watch other people drive up next to us and just stare! It was awesome!

It's nights like this that make you sit back and feel silly for being so stressed out in the first place. But sometimes, we don't even realize how much stress we are taking on until it's over, you know?

I don't have much to say, but in short, tonight was good. I laughed, a lot. I was surrounded by two wonderful friends whom I haven't seen in a while, and I'm hoping to change that. I'm extremely thankful for the sense of humor we all have, and for the grasp on life it has allowed for us all to achieve.

Now, I dare you..go find someone with a smart phone and download the "Geico Bro-stache" app and have some fun! I promise you'll get a good laugh!

LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE WASTEFULLY.

Day 15: August 5, 2011

Anyone who has ever had any kind of long-term health issues knows what I mean when I say it is literally the most limiting, frustrating, and exhausting thing you will ever experience. Especially when no doctor can seem to give you any answers. Well maybe not ever, but at least in my 18 years of living it has been.
I started getting sick in late August of last year... and now, as it's already August again it's hard to believe that so much time has gone by. The good thing about all of this is that a year later I am in such a better place than I was, however, I'm still not at my 100%. I'm still taking a bunch of medication, I'm still limited by sickness almost every day, and it's quite possibly the most frustrating thing ever. None of my doctors were ever able to give me a reason for any of this.(except for my heart problem,which "just happens to people sometimes" ha..ha..)
But as hard as it is for me sometimes, I've learned that it doesn't do any good to sit there and just be frustrated. I'm going to feel like crap that day no matter what, so why not try to make something good out of it? Today was uber frustrating because we got a call from our insurance company saying they weren't going to cover the cost of the heart monitor I'm supposed to wear for the next two weeks. No big deal right? WRONG. This tiny machine costs around $800, and mind you.. I've been spending money like no one's business on school for my classes, parking, and dorm room.. So we kindly (well, sort of kindly) told the woman on the phone that we would talk to my doctor about finding an alternative test. So yeah, awesome.
But I am confident that something good will come of this... it will all somehow work out in the end. And until then, I'm not going to worry about it. For anyone who has ever been through anything like this, or has known someone who has been through this I'm so sorry. I can't lie and say that I'm not a little worried about next year, living on my own with all of this. But that's why I choose UNT. It's close to home, close to my doctors. But thankfully, I am blessed with some of the most understanding and amazing friends EVER who have held my hand and my hair (too much? haha) through it all. I seriously couldn't have gotten through this year without my friends and family. Thank you all so much. And I know this may sound silly, but please, appreciate your good health. I know I never used to think anything of it until I forgot what it was like, but I'm starting to remember again. :)

Today while riding in the car I heard the song "The Heart of Life" by John Mayer, and the lyrics to this song really struck me. So instead of a quote I thought I would put them here at the end. If you haven't heard this song go look it up on YouTube or something!

The Heart of Life- John Mayer

"I hate to see you cry, lying there in that position.

There's things you need to hear, so turn off your tears and listen.

Pain throws your heart to the ground. Love turns the whole thing around.

No, it won't all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good.

You know it's nothing new, bad news never had good timing.

But the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining.

Pain throws your heart to the ground. Love turns the whole thing around.

No, it won't all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good.

Pain throws your heart to the ground. Love turns the whole thing around.

Fear is a friend who's misunderstood.

But I know the heart of Life is good.

I know it's good."



LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE WASTEFULLY.

Day 14: August 4, 2011

"There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout:

This is me damn it!

I look the way I look, think the way I think,

feel the way I feel, love the way I love!

I am a whole complex package.

Take me... or leave me.

Accept me- or walk away!

DO NOT try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mold.

If I need to change, I alone will make that decision.

When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad- you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you."

-Stacey Charter

I was looking through some of my old pictures today and came across this one and thought up a good topic to go along with it. I remember the day I took this picture, it was the 4th of July last year. My youth group was doing an event on the Square where we would walk around and give out "Free Compliments". It was a really cool experience because it forced people out of their comfort zones, it made you interact with a complete stranger and reach out to them with genuine kindness and only hope that they respond in a positive way, and most did.

But I don't think of that day when I see this picture. When I look at this picture it makes me think about how much we change ourselves to make others happy. Whether it's something small like the clothes we wear, or something bigger like our actions. And we all do it! Even after we realize that it isn't right, we continue to do it.. maybe because we're afraid of being the outsider. Who knows, it's different for everyone because we're all in different situations. But I can almost guarantee that everyone who reads this can think of at least on situation/relationship they have been in that they have had to change themselves in order to make another person happy. But the fact of the matter is, that just isn't right.

If you are friends with someone, or in a relationship with someone who is wanting you to be someone that you're not... then you shouldn't have ever been with them in the first place.

I hope that you don't have to read my blog to be told that. But if you do, then let me tell you that there are people who love you for YOU. All of your flaws and imperfections make you beautiful, and if others can't see that, then quite frankly they aren't worth your time.

See the beauty in imperfection.

Love yourself 100%, learn from your mistakes.

Have no regrets.

LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE WASTEFULLY.

Day 13: August 3, 2011

I got this quote from the movie The Chaos Theory, staring Ryan Reynolds. (If anyone has Netflix, it's on there fo free so I definitely recommend it!) It was a good movie and I liked the story of it, but this quote came at the very end, I must admit that I did take a few sentences out because unless you've seen the movie then they won't make sense. But I absolute love it, and it's stuck with me for the past couple of weeks.

"The most important thing about love

is that we choose to give it,

and we choose to receive it.

Making it the least random act in the entire Universe.

IT MAKES US HUMAN."

A life without love is not a life worth living, just like a day without laughter is a day wasted. It all sounds like the biggest cliche, but in the end it's the truest thing I've heard all day. It's always strange to sit back at the end of the day and think back to all of the people whom you've interacted with, and think of how they are going to remember you because of today. Would you be remembered for some random act of kindness at the store? Would you be remembered for cutting them off on the highway? Is it possible to make yourself be remembered for your love even if you only met the person for a moment?

Lets see, today I woke up, played with my dogs for a while... so I hope they know I love them.

I cleaned my room for a while, I don't think my room has feelings... :)

Then I went to Old Navy, tried on some clothes... left the ones I didn't want in the dressing room, probably annoying someone who works there.

So hopefully, I did okay today on the whole idea of spreading my love. But I hope you understand what idea I'm trying to get across. I don't want anyone to be in the mentality that "live as if this were your last moment" because that's always sort of weirded me out to think that I could die at any moment and whatever. But just be conscious that anytime you meet someone, even if it's only for a moment, that could be how they remember you forever. So make it count!

"IN THIS LIFE WE CANNOT ALWAYS DO GREAT THINGS,

BUT WE CAN ALWAYS DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE."

             -Mother Teresa

"KIND WORDS CAN BE SHORT AND EASY TO SPEAK,

BUT THEIR ECHOS ARE TRULY ENDLESS."

          -Unknown

"Drifting off to sleep, I thought about how nobody is perfect. How you just have to close your eyes and breathe out, and let the puzzle of the human heart be what it is."

                                                               LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE WASTEFULLY.

Day 12: August 2, 2011

Welcome to my day.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible,

but not simpler."

 -Albert Einstein

Ah, and so my first dog picture has apeared. When I took this picture earlier today I knew that it had to be shared!

I don't really have much to say today. I've been in a weird funk for the past couple of days, I don't know if its from the trip or from being sick or what. I spent most of today working on cleaning out my room. And it's been pretty weird going through it and finding things that I haven't seen in ten years.  And thinking that in just 19 days I'm going to be moving out. But spending the day cooped up in my room let me have time to just think...and it was kind of nice not to have any real distractions. (Obviously Zoey wasn't one!!)

I got to thinking about why we get so stressed out about things. I made a list of things that I was stressed out about in my head, and it took me only moments to think of at least ten things. Friends, my health, school, church, family, my car, ect. And I thought about the real reasons of why those things were bothering me, the thing they all had in common? None of them were really in my control.

So I figure that I have two ways to go about these stresses. I can dwell in them, lay awake at night and wonder why things don't happen the way I want them to. Or I can pick up my head, realize that no matter what THINGS WILL BE OKAY, and keep on keeping on. Personally, I choose the later. Sure sometimes the stress is unavoidable, but you just have to find a way to deal and move on.

Or we can all take after Zoey, apparently she's got all the answers.

LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE WASTEFULLY.

Day 11: August 1, 2011

-Jesse Smith-

Picture taken just after he learned to write his name in cursive for the first time.

This picture, without a doubt captures my favorite moment from mission trip. Which is only a bit ironic because this was also the worst day for me on the trip. As I said in yesterday's post, I have a fear of old people. So when my work group was sent to help in a nursing home I was anything but excited. But I put on my brave face, and I got through it. The first day we went my friend Katy and I played the Wii with a woman named Marge, and let me tell you she owned at The Price is Right! However, the second day we went back I didn't hold up as well.

It was a Wednesday which meant that they were going to have a worship service. So the 11 people in my work group went to all five floors and gathered up all of the residents who wanted to attend the service. We ended up getting about 45 people for the service to gather in a room that was not large enough. (Keep in mind, they were all in wheelchairs/hospital beds.) This nursing home only had two elevators and could only fit three wheelchairs in each, so the whole process of getting all of the people into the service took about 35 minutes. So while the rest of our work group finished up getting the people, Sara and I and one more youth stayed in the room with the patients and started singing hymns with them. Which was an emotional task to begin with. Well, just our luck.. the preacher was running late. So the nurses were scrambling around trying to keep everyone as comfortable as they could. Meanwhile, Sara and I got moved up to the very front of the room into these two chairs that were facing the entire room, looking at all of these people. To say that I was out of my comfort zone would be an understatement.

Sara doesn't have a problem with the elderly, but you couldn't help but get emotional when you looked at this group. You could see the pain and tiredness in there faces. And for the whole hour and a half we had to sit at the front of that room, and smile. Because that's what we were there to do, to spread our love. But as soon as that service was over and we got everyone back into their rooms, I lost it. I wasn't able to hold it together. And it wasn't exactly because I was scared, but I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with the sadness that was looming over this place. Well, then things got even better... The next work place we were supposed to go to cancelled on us, and they asked us to go to yet another nursing home.

BUT, this is where everything turns around.

The leaders in our group wanted to take Sara and I back to the church where we were staying because they knew we had a rough day and they didn't want us to push ourselves. But they must not know her and I very well. We had our moment to be sad and to cry, but then we moved on and were ready to go and help out where we were needed. So we headed out for the next nursing home. And let me tell you it was a COMPLETE 180. The residents in this place were mobile, and happy! They wanted their nails done, and they wanted them to be done now!! haha

But Katy and I were given the task of teaching a few of the residents how to read and write.

I was SO nervous when they told us that! I want to go into the teaching profession, but I'm used to working with 3-4 year olds, not 79 year-olds. I didn't want to offend them, or make them feel bad about themselves. But it turned out to be the best experience I had all week.

I worked with a woman named Wanda, who has been working on her reading and writing for a few months and is doing wonderful! Then there was Jesse Smith, oh what to say about this wonderful, crazy man. He walked into the room and was telling jokes, and then pulled me aside and confessed that he didn't know how to write his name but told me that he didn't want to burden me. Let me tell you, Jesse Smith was anything but a burden. And after about an hour he did learn to write his first name all by himself. And I am expecting a letter to come in the mail with a full page of his name sometime in the next month.

I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job of explaining how extremely difficult and yet amazing this day was. I think it was just something that you had to experience for yourself. But if there is anything I hope that you can take away from my ramblings, it is that I hope that in times when we are scared that we just have to find a way to look past that fear. Because when we do, amazing things can happen. Beautiful people like Jesse Smith can come into our lives, for one day only.. and yet, change it forever.

Don't let your fears limit you.

"It takes a lot of courage to release

the familiar and seemingly secure,

to embrace the new.

But there is no real security in what

is no longer meaningful. There is more

security in adventurous and exciting,

for in movement there is life,

and in change there is power."

-Alan Cohen

LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE WASTEFULLY.