If You Vote. . . . .

I'm sure that some of you are registered voters right? Well if you are a voter please think about what I'm writing about today.

If you vote PLEASE MAKE AN INFORMED VOTE!!!!!

How many times have you voted for someone just because you saw a campaign commercial that you liked about that candidate? How many times have you voted simply for a party?

I encourage you to do a little bit of research. If you plan on voting don't go to the polls uniformed. Take the time to research the candidates. Don't just look at their websites but look at things like blogs about the candidate both for and against. Look at their websites of course. Do a search and find out what kinds of bills this candidate has voted to support or not support in Congress. A candidates votes in Congress tells you where he or she really stands. If they are wishy washy in their votes then chances are they will be wishy washy in their campaign. Look for a candidate that CONSISTENTLY supports the issues that you believe in most. This is a democracy and it's all about what the majority wants. People think their vote doesn't matter but it does. People getting out and voting gives you a voice. However your voice doesn't have much of an effect if you don't vote in an informed manner!

Ok that's my lil soap box for the day.

Have great day!

FINALS AGHHH!!!!

Well it is 8:30 am and I have not yet went to bed. . . .thats right folks it's finals week here at UAM. One final down and 4 more to go. I need all the prayers, and coffee that you can give me! lol. I have no more finals today so I am going to go take a nap before work and more studying. If it's finals week for you I wish you all the best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!


A very stressed college girl

FAITH. FAMILY. FREEDOM

Faith, Family, Freedom. This is Mike Huckabee's campaign slogan and I for one think it is very fitting. I know we can't always put a lot of stock in a politicians campaign slogan. . .but I think this slogan really states what the Huckabee campaign stands for. Mike is very adament about his views on all three issues and I think that you can lump all policy stances into one of the three categories. I think it would be a great idea to look at some of those policy stances that former governor Huckabee has taken and why I'm voting for him.



FAITH:



"My faith is my life - it defines me. I don't separate my faith from my personal and professional lives. "



The above is a quote from Mike Huckabee and I love it. He gives his faith a very important part of his life just like I do. However Huckabee realizes that while faith is important you can't expect the government to always endorse "faith backed" policies. He realizes that

"The First Amendment requires that expressions of faith be neither prohibited nor preferred. "



The folowing are three points that Huckabee makes about faith.



"Real faith makes us more humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. It makes us less judgmental, as we see others with the same frailties we have.
Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for "the least of us."
Our nation was birthed in a spirit of faith - not a prescriptive faith telling us how or whether to believe, but acknowledging a providence that pervades our world."



Huckabee's views on faith make me feel very strongly that he has what it takes to lead our country.



FAMILY:

Mike says "Our true strength comes from our families"

There are two issues that Mike Huckabee focuses on that really focus on family. One is the sanctity of life. To put it in a nutshell Huckabee supports the sanctity of life and believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Mike applauds the U.S. Supreme courts decision to ban partial birth abortions. Abortion is where he got his political start by helping to pass Arkansas' unborn Child Ammendment. As governor he did a lot to pass pro-life laws and ammendments as well as other things that improve the quality of life for our children. He is also opposed to embryonic stem cell research.

The second issue that deals with family is the issue of marriage. For several years now there has been a debate going on about the definition of marriage and whether or not we should constitutionally define marriage. Mike says this about the subject. "I support and have consistently supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. " I suggest going to the following link to read more about Mikes views on marriage http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=10

FREEDOM:

Freedom is a word that is often hard to define. What issues might show Mike Huckabee's commitment to America's freedom? Here are some that I think you should pay attention to.


Mike's "Secure America Plan" This is a 9-Point Strategy for Immigration Enforcement and Border Security. Illegal Immigration can and will be a threat to our freedoms if we do not do something about it. Mike is prepared to work on this area.

Mike supports your second ammendment rights and will protect that right which is a freedom laid out in our constitution.

Mikes views on foreign policy especially dealing with the War on Terror and Iraq prove that he is dedicated ot keeping terrorism out of America and insuring our freedom at home. To go into everything that he supports and doesn't support would take a while to type out so I suggest going to the following links to find out more about these very important issues.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=2

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=20


Mike Huckabee is in my opinion the ideal candidate for president as he values what America values most. . . . .FATIH FAMILY FREEDOM.

I HEART HUCKABEE!

Windshields for Huckabee!

Just doing my part to help the Huckabee campaign! On Saturday December 15th the Huckabee campaign is having a Windshields for Huckabee day. Please visit the link below and do your part to spread the word!

www.windshields4Huckabee.blogspot.com

I Like Mike!

Ok folks you know I love politics and you know I'm big on voting so here's my little who I'm voting for blog. I plan on posting a lot about the presidential candidates I hope you dont mind.

As we all know in the next few weeks we will figure out who the final candidates for president will be. My support goes to the Republicans (naturally). My favorite candidate?




I'll tell ya a little more about why tomorrow.

One of my many Soap Boxes lol.

If you've ever listened to me talk or read some of my previous blogs you will understand why I got such a kick out of this e-mail that I just got from a friend in California. Thanks Sis. Frost!!!!

For those of you who are sick of getting emails that tell you to forward it to at least X number of people in the next 15 minutes so that wonderful things and miracles will happen if you do, or there will be serious consequences if you don't, watch this video.

http://info.org.il/irrelevant/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf (click here)

Hope y'all enjoy it!!!!!

Yvonne

Thanksgiving Thoughts

It's the day after thanksgiving and I've just finished a breakfast of Thanksgiving leftovers. . . .Pineapple upsidedown cake, hot pineapple salad, and turkey. . .yum! I was going to try and write this blog earlier but I had a very busy Thanksgving. I hope that everyones was as good as mine was!

I got to spend the day with the most wonderful guy in the world. He came to the house at about 8:00 am and we went to his moms house. It was so nice to get to meet some of his family. After we ate at his moms house we came back to my sisters place where 15 other family members awaited us. It was loud but it was fun! Jerald didn't leave until after midnight so it was nice to be able to spend the entire day with him! It could be a while before we get to spend time together like that because finals are coming up in a couple weeks and I have lots of homework and projects to work on.

Anyway on to the point of this blog. I have so much to be Thankful for and I just wanted to share some of the things I am thankful for with you all.

• The Holy Ghost. (I'm so glad that I know the truth and that I can share it with others)
• My Family. (My family lifts me up and encourages me when they aren't teasing me mercilessly lol)
• My church family. (I can always count on an encouraging word from someone in the church.)
• Jerald. (Yes sweetheart I'm thankful for you. You are the most wonderful thing that has happened to me besides Jesus.)
• The Chance for an Education. (At the beginning of the summer I wasn't so sure if I would be able to finish school because of financial aid problems.)
• Chocolate. (No explanation needed).
• The Coffee Bean. (Formerly known as Dad's place and now known as my second home).
• A Car! (I went a whole year without one so it's great to have wheels!).
• The ministry God has called me too. (Being able to do something for God is so awesome!).
• The wreck I had a few years ago. (Odd I know but that wreck turned out to be a good thing and because of it I'm living for God today)
• Music (I think I would die if I couldn't listen to music!)
• Gods healing power. (He healed me of asthma a few years ago and I can't be thankful enough)

A very small list of things I am thankful for. I could honestly go on and on and on and on about all the awesome things God has done for me. I have so much to be thankful for. My pastor used a quote in service the other night that I liked. I don't know if I have it exactly right. I think I may be paraphrasing just a bit but it goes something like this.

If we are only thankful one day a year then we are in trouble.

I want to give thanks every single day for the little things that God has done for me! I hope that you all will remember to be thankful on more than just Thanksgiving.

I love y'all and hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Yvonne

Just in Case. . . .I apologize

Apparently my last post came across just a little harsher than I intended it to. As my mom says I am boldly honest and I can't help it. I'm not sorry for anything I said however if I offended anyone I do apologize for that perhaps I should have found a different way to say it. The blog was not directed at anyone person but at the general public. I had gotten the e-mail I used as an example from several people not just one person and yes it irritated me soooo I wrote a blog about it. Anyway I'm suppose to be studying right now and umm yeah I'm blogging so I'm going to attempt to return to the wonderful world of Criminal Justice and the Legal Aspects of Policing. . .sounds exciting doesnt it?

Love y'all!!!

Yvonne

Try some research. . . .

I recently recieved the following e-mail in my inbox and I thought it was quite comical. . . .however upon doing some research I found that the majority of the information in the e-mail was untrue and therefore it was not quite as funny anymore. Before I continue on the tirade I intend to go on in this blog let me first share with you the e-mail.

Astonishing THIS IS TRULY FREAKY................BUT MAKES SENSE NOW Many of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, almost exactly 60 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and cattle ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico. This is a well-known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies and organizations. However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of March 1948, nine months after that historic day, the following people were born:

Albert A. Gore, Jr. Hillary Rodham John F. Kerry William J. Clinton Howard Dean Nancy Pelosi Dianne Feinstein Charles E. Schumer Barbara Boxer

See what happens when aliens breed ? Certainly hope this piece of information clears up a lot of things for you.

Now the instant I read this I died laughing. Everyone who knows much about me knows that I am a politics girl and they also know that I am slightly anti-democrat. Therefore I loved this e-mail and I was going to have a little fun with it in a note on facebook. However I decided to do just a little bit of research. Here is what I found out.

The only person on this list born in March of 48 was Al Gore. I have a feeling the e-mail originally started out with just him on the list and someone got the bright idea to "improve" the e-mail by adding a few names to it. Personally I think it would have been just as funny if not funnier with just Al Gore on the list as I am pretty much Anti-Gore more than I am anti democrat lol.

Anyway I just thought I would share with you this one quote. . . "You get more exercise digging for facts than you do jumping to conclusions"

Some people actually believe half of the stuff that comes through their e-mail accounts. As much as I would like to believe every bad or derogatory thing I hear about Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi I'm afraid I can't. . .*sigh* (lol just kidding).

Just a little tip if you get an e-mail and it sounds just a little far fetched chances are it probably is and if you really want to know if something is true or not go to www.snopes.com It's a great site that researches these e-mails that get circulated. Just type in the subject of your e-mail into the search box and let snopes do the work. I have found that probably 98% of the forwards I get warning me that licking stamps can kill me and that Senator Obama refuses to quote the pledge of allegiance simply are not true.

If everyone would take two minutes and check the validity of an e-mail before forwarding it, it would cut down on a lot of the junk.

Well that's all for my little tirade hope you all enjoyed it!

And remember to share this blog with at least ten of your friends or you will have 7 years of bad luck LOL I'm just kidding. . .I love you guys!

God Bless

Yvonne

Lord Prepare Me!

Last night I had the opportunity for the second time in the past week to really witness to someone. She was a young woman who at one time had the Holy Ghost but has now fallen away from God. I was told that I was the answer to her prayers. Really she was the answer to mine. I've been praying that God would allow me to run into people that I can truly be a light to. I want to be the witness that he has called me to be. I was talking to my mom about this on the phone and I was telling her about the different opportunities that I have had to share God with different ones. She told me that she felt like God was just preparing me for the work that he has for me to do. Well all I have to say is this. . ."Lord Prepare Me!" I want to be all that you want me to be.

I just felt like sharing with you all what God is doing in my life. He has been so good to me lately and I cannot thank Him enough. Each day I find another small way that he has blessed me. Sometimes it's just a reminder of his grace and how it saved me. Sometimes it's a little note from that special someone he has put in my life. Sometimes it's when he wraps me up in his presence when I'm in prayer and I can just feel his love and mercy all over me.

I hope that you all are having blessed day in the Lord. Continue to keep me in your prayers as I follow the path that God has set for me.

Yvonne

Wow I'm sorry it's been so long guys!

Hey everybody I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. My life has been very busy as of late but it's been very good. Let me take a few minutes to tell you about it.

God has been good to me these past few months and He is drawing me closer to him everyday. Lately he has been opening the doors for me to witness to people on my campus and it's so awesome! I have been trying to start up a campus ministry and so far I haven't gotten that going yet but I have started a girls Bible study on Tuesday nights and it's been going really good. I'm excited about what God is doing.

Lately I've been driving home to Conway almost every weekend because I have met someone very special that goes to school up there. God is also working in that situation. Niether of us were really searching for anyone and it's like God just brought us together. I'm very exctied about what God is doing in our lives together and I can't wait to see where this road will lead us!

On top all this wonderful stuff I am taking 15 hours of classes and I'm working two on campus jobs so pretty much all my time has been consumed and I haven't had much internet time. . . .although I still have somehow managed to find time to check my e-mail and my facebook at least twice a day lol!

Anyway I just wanted to tell you all a little about my wonderful life. Things are going really good right now and I give all the credit to Jesus! I love you Jesus!

I hope that you all are doing well leave a comment and let me know!

Love you guys


Yvonne

Yeah, yeah I know I just posted. . .

I was just sitting here reading some news articles and I ran across this one that I thought y'all may enjoy.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,302496,00.html


Some people think that everyone in our country wants to "get rid of" God but this article proves them wrong.

Yay Coffee!

You guessed it! I'm back at the coffee bean! I think I'm just going to move in up here! Anyway short post but I just thought I would let y'all know I have a second home now! LOL

Love you guys

Yvonne

Coffee, Coffee, I need Coffee!!

Actually I probably don't need coffee and in fact it may be best to hide all caffinated drinks from me! I'm so excited! My home away from home is back! This summer when Dad's Place closed I was so sad I could have cried. . . ok so I did cry. I was absolutely ecstatic when I heard that a new family had bought the place and were opening it back up. Today when I came to work I saw a wonderful flyer that made me want to shout! The Coffee Bean is opening TODAY! Yes I've already been there today and I'm going again tonight! Don't tell anyone but I skipped my 10:00 A.M class just to go get a mudslide. While it wasn't quite the same without Dad(Jim) there I can see making a lot more memories in that old place. I'm so glad it's back up and running I just had to share my joyful news with you guys! If you're in the Monticello area be sure to stop by and say hi to the friendly folks at the coffee bean! They'll thank ya for it and you'll love the tasty treats you'll find there!

The most powerful word in the world.

I was recently talking to a good friend of mine about one of the classes he is taking this semester. He told me about a particular lecture about a word that according to the professor is the most powerful word in the world. What is this word you ask? It is the infamous f-bomb. That's right the f word according to a college psychology professor is one of the most powerful words in the world. I have to say that actually made my blood boil. Had my friend been able to hear my voice instead of just seeing me type there may have been just a little bit of anger in it. How is it that a word so obscene could possibly be the most powerful word in the world? Does saying the f word make you a bigger badder person? NO it makes you look like an ignorant person who needs to work on their vocabulary. While I find the word offensive that's not what made my blood boil. What upset me most is that people actually think that this word is more powerful than another word that I can prove is more powerful. That word is simply this. . . .Jesus.

Ladies and gentlemen when I say the name of Jesus guess what? Things are going to happen. It is a guaranteed thing. The only thing that happens when someone says the f word is it makes a lot of people uncomfortable and mad. The f word my friend never healed anyone of cancer or asthma. However I am living proof that saying the name of Jesus can do that. I once suffered from asthma I was on 6 medications and had to go to the hospital occasionally but you know what all it took to get rid of that asthma was the name of Jesus. That's right someone prayed for me and simply said something along the lines of "in the name of JESUS I command this asthma to leave" The name of Jesus strikes fear in the devil the f word can't do that. The f word doesn't save a soul from a sin sick world. . .my bible says that there is no salvation in any other name but the name of JESUS (Acts 4:12).

The Bible also says. . . In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

I would like to see someone saying the f word do any of this.

When Peter was headed to the church to pray he met a lame man sitting by the gate instead of giving him silver and gold what did he do? He took him by the hand and said "In the name of JESUS" rise up and walk.

Forgive me if this comes across as rude or harsh or offensive, but if the f word is the most powerful word in the world why didn't Peter look at the man and say get the f up and walk?

Ok. . .ok I know that word wasn't around back in those days but do you see my point?

Jesus has always been and will forever continue to be the most powerful word/name/person in the world and I'm so glad he is in my life. I know that anytime I'm in trouble all I have to do is speak the name of Jesus and he comes running to my rescue.

Ok I'm done ranting now

I love you guys
have a blessed day!

Yvonne

Criminals of the Week. . .sad. . really it is.

The following links are to some news articles from the past few days about some interesting crimes in Arkansas. The first is about a dumb criminal from the Little Rock area who thought it would be smart to steal a 10 ft. long bike right in front of a surveillance camera. The second is about a criminal getting a start at an early age. . .10 to be exact. . .his crime? Stealing a school bus. . .I guess he thought by stealing the bus he would save children in his town from having to go to school the next day. The third is the story of a woman who is accused of beating her husband. . .not only that she kidnapped him. . .why? He wouldn't die fast enough I guess. . .the husband was in his 90's. . .the suspects age? late 40's! The elderly man had promised her $2,ooo,ooo if she would marry him and take care of him until he died. . .she was just trying to speed the process up I guess.


Criminal of the week #1: http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1007/461148.html

Criminal of the week #2: http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1007/461646.html

Criminal of the week #3 http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1007/461650.html


Just thought y'all may enjoy some of the humorous news for the week. . . .enjoy!

Yvonne

Prayer request

Hey everybody I'm writing this to ask you all to pray for something with me. I am attempting to launch an on campus Student Ministry called Apostolic Student Union. I am working with a limited amount of people and a limited amount of resources. We want to become a recognized organization of the University because that will allow us to reach more people on this campus. Please pray with me that if it is God's will for me to get this organization going he will open all the right doors. I have a burning desire to reach my campus and be a shining light for all of them to see.



If any of you have any experience in campus ministry feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me as I am open to all the advice and ideas I can get my hands on.



Thanks so much for your prayers and support.





Yvonne

YOUR TESTIMONY ISN"T OUT THERE!!!!!!!

Tonight I am writing this when I should be studying but I just got out of prayer meeting a little while ago and I have a lot on my mind and writing is the best way to express myself. A while back I had a little run in with the flesh and the devil. He did everything he could to knock me down and knock me out and he came pretty close to succeeding. I am so thankful for prayer warriors that I am surrounded with. Those quiet people that may not have much to say but are silently fighting a spiritual battle for my soul and the souls of the people they are surrounded with. If it weren't for the fact that my very awesome sister hadn't reminded me of Gods mercy I may have slipped farther than I had. I'm so thankful for his grace and mercy. Tonight while I was praying I began to pray for a good friend of mine who is struggling with the world. God began to deal with me about her and gave me such a great burden for her and the ladies that live around me in the dorm. Lately I have ran into so many people that seem to think in order to have a tstimony they have to go out and "sew their wild oats." For some reason they have it in their heads that the only truly great testimonies are from those people that have been delivered from some terrible lifestyle they were living. I have to say I disagree with that. I'm not perfect by any means but I was raised in the truth and I have to say I honestly beleive some of the greatest testimonies are from the ones that can stand and say "I thank God for his KEEPING power" These people can say I've never been scarred by the world, I've never had to go through the pain that a life of sin will eventually bring. No these people aren't perfect by any means but they are among a very lucky group of people. If you are one of these people that seem to think you have to "go get" your testimony I am begging you to re-think that. Draw close to God and allow him to keep you and you will have one of the greatest testimonies there are. I'm not knocking the testimonies of Gods deliverance because everytime I hear of God picking someone up from a pit of sin it makes me want to get all apostolic and shout but I'm telling you guys if you go out into the world expecting God to deliver you, you may want to think again. You are NOT guaranteed a second chance at living for God!!! Don't think you're going to go play with sin and get lucky enough to walk away unscathed and run back to God before he comes back. I just have one thing to say to those that feel like they don't have a testimony because they haven't experienced the world. YOUR TESTIMONY IS NOT OUT THERE!!!!! It's right here in the presence of God. Stay where it's safe and cling to him like never before! We are living in a time where you do NOT want to mess around with your salvation. Ok I'm done preaching now I just had to get out what God laid on my heart tonight.

Awesome video

The following You Tube video clip is from Howi Tillers website. This song is so awesome! I can't wait to start working on it as a drama piece for our churches Drama Team!! If you've never seen any of this stuff done before you don't know what you're missin

YOUTH RALLY IN MONTICELLO!!!

Hey everybody just thought you would like to know that we are having youth rally here in Monticello on Friday the 21st. I would love to see all of y'all there! The church is located at 1115 Hwy 278 west. If you are coming from the college turn left at the railroad tracks (the intersection by wal greens and KFC). The church is about halfway down that road right next to the Valero gas station. The service starts at 7 PM with great music and worship. Rev. Tim Duke will be speaking. Feel free to contact me at ysh1311@uamont.edu if you would like more information. We are going to have a great time and I hope to see y'all there!

Yvonne

Today's "big" headline. . . . . .

I am a news freak. . .I have cnn.com as my home page so that everytime I get online I can see the headlines. I am in love with my school at the moment because they give us free copies of the new york times and I can usually snag a copy of the Democrat Gazette (the AR paper) from someone at least once a week. Today however the news disgusted me. Normally when you think headlines and front page news you think of something big like the War in Iraq or maybe something big that happened in the area. Today's headline was this. . . . ."she-male" leads prisoners in dance. For some reason cnn felt that a transexual meth dealer teaching prisoners houw to dance was more news worthy than the news on China and whether or not they hacked into the Pentagon! I don't understand this. Anyway just thought I would share that with y'all. I'm suppose to be doing homework not reading the news but I saw that an had to write about it.

Did You Miss Me????

Hey there everybody!!! I know it has been forever since I have posted but I have not had internet in forever! I thought I was going to die! I am back in Monticello now and classes have started. I'm working on campus as an RA(the lovely ladies in the picture are my fellow RA's this year) and as a student worker in the Division of Music. I'm having a lot of fun so far and now that I have internet in my room I can keep you all up to date. I know you all just missed me terribly while I was gone! I just wanted to say hey and let you know I'll be posting on a regular basis now. Hope everyone is doing great.

Love Yvonne

I'm back!

Well we got back from camping and we had a great time. It was one last little trip before my summer comes to an end. I fly home tomorrow night at 6 so keep me in your prayers. I've had a really great summer. I'm glad to be going home to my car but I'll miss my family a lot. I've had fun with everyone here. . .singing in the choir and in old town. I got to go to AZ to see my brothers and that was so much fun. It was so nice to meet Jen my brothers girlfriend. I met a lot of new people in the Eureka church that was fun too. I got to see some old friends from Delano. I got to hear the WAY choir sing and that was awesome especially the quartet that sang! Anyway I just wanted to post real quick and say I'm back. Keep me in your prayers as I travel home.

Love y'all!

Going away.

Well I'm going to go on a little trip for a few days and after that I head back to school. I could be offline for close to 2 weeks *gasp* Oh the horror!!!! I have to get my computer hoooked up to the internet with the college and that always seems to take forever! Anyway don't miss me too much while I'm gone I'll be back to posting before ya know it.

God is Good!!!!!

For those of you that have been following my blog you know that I have been fighting with the financial aid department trying to get my financial aid back. Well we have had 3 or 4 churches praying for this situation and I just thought that y'all would like to know that God is good and he still answers prayers. I just checked my e-mail 15 minutes ago and in my inbox was a letter from Gianna the woman that handles my case in the Hoopa Education Office. She said good news.. . .you have been awarded the $2500 BIA. . .don't ask why and don't ask how. I was so excited!!! Getting this part of my aid back means that I'll be able to actually make it this semester! I'm so happy. She said don't ask why or how but I know why! It's because God is powerful and he worked in this situation. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR PRAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yvonne

Financial Aid Update. . . .I'm not real happy

I recently posted a request asking y'all to pray about my financial aid situation. So far all that I have been told is that rules are rules and "I'm sorry miss Hinshaw but there is simply nothing we can do but I hope this wont hinder you continuing your college education"

Well thats dumb if it weren't going to hinder me in continuing my college education I wouldn't be fighting this tooth and nail!

Sorry guys but I'm a little more than upset right now. We just have to keep praying that something will change. I just got through writing a letter to the chancellor of my school and I thought I would share some of it with y'all so that you could see what I am dealing with and see if you think I have a valid argument.

Dr. Lassiter,
I know that you sent me to Mr. Jones but he was unable to help me. I realize that you are out of the office until Wednesday but I decided to write this letter anyway. I’m sure you know the rules that are in place but just so that there is no confusion I have included some of the rules on dependency status in this e-mail. I hope that by the time you finish reading this you will agree with me that some of these rules need to change. I know that you don’t make the rules but I’m sure you know where to go to make a difference.

Currently the rules state that seven questions must be answered to determine the dependency status of a college student. The seven questions are as follows.

1. Was the student 24 years old on or before December 31st of the most recently completed calendar year?

2. At the beginning of the Award year will the student be enrolled in a Masters or Doctorate program?

3. As of the date the FAFSA is completed is the student married?

4. Does the student have children who receive more than half their support from the student?

5. Does the student have dependents other than his or her spouse or children who live with the student, and who will receive more than half of their support from the student, from the date the FAFSA is completed until the end of the Award Year?

6. Are both of the student's parents deceased, or is/was the student a ward/dependent of the court until the age of 18?

7. Is the student a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?

If the student answers yes to one or more of the following he or she is considered independent and therefore is not required to present his or her parents tax and income information when applying for financial aid.

There are some conditions which allow financial aid offices to override the dependency status rules. However those rules are never clearly laid out the only thing that is ever stated is that extreme cases will be considered for this. What qualifies as an extreme case?

There are four regulations currently in place that state when dependency status cannot be overridden. They are as follows.

Parents refusing to contribute to the student’s education;
Parents unwilling to provide information on the application or verification;
Parents not claiming the student as a dependent for income tax purposes;
Student demonstrating total self-sufficiency.

I laugh every time I read those four regulations especially the last one. To be independent means to be self sufficient these rules and regulations are very contradictory. It is not right to make a student suffer because parents are not helpful. It is my opinion that if a student can demonstrate self sufficiency he or she should be allowed to be considered an independent. I have not lived with my parents since I was 14 years old. I have seen my dad once in 10 years. I moved out of my mothers house at 14 because there were some things going on that I did not want to be around . Now because of the fact that a year ago she remarried I am losing all of my financial aid because I don’t fall into one of the tidy categories that congress has said makes me an independent. This needs to change. I should not be punished for something I have no control over. I’m attempting to be the first person in my family to graduate college and these guidelines are making things very difficult. I realize that you have rules to follow but there has to be something that can be done. Basically the law says this. . . .
I am old enough to drink, smoke, gamble, have a job, pay my own bills, live in my own house, pay taxes get married and have kids and a whole list of other things but yet I’m still not considered independent from my parents does this seem odd to you? It does to me.

The following comes from the FAFSA website and discusses the difference between a dependent and an independent student.

“In the federal government's eyes, all students are considered primarily responsible for funding their higher education. But the government also recognizes that most parents contribute financially on some level. Parents provide assistance whether they've been saving for years to fund their child's degree or simply provide housing while their children study.
Taking this into account, the federal government applies two different standards for students, one for dependent students and one for independent students. Dependent students are assumed to have parental support while independent students are not. The result: Independent students might qualify for more aid.”

The second to last sentence says “Dependent students are assumed to have parental support while independent students are not” I do not have parental support and I can prove it so shouldn’t I be considered independent?

Please forgive me if this e-mail comes across as rude that is not my intentions. I am simply trying to let people know that there is a problem with our system and something needs to be done to make some changes.

I’m not the type to give up easily Dr. Lassiter and if you tell me rules are rules and there is nothing that can be done I’ll simply go up the ladder until I find someone that will listen to me. I’ve worked too hard to simply walk away from my college education now. I’ve even been in contact with Senator Lincolns office in hopes that maybe they can do something for me.

I guess the whole point of this e-mail is to simply ask you to look into things yourself and see what can be done to change some things.

Thank you for taking the time to read this I hope you don’t see me as rude.

Sincerely
Yvonne Hinshaw

So I'm basically just waiting now hoping that I can make these people realize how contradictory and stupid some of these rules are that they have in place. Just remember to keep this situation in your prayers when you pray.

More Poetry. . .

This is a poem that I wrote a few years ago that I thought y'all might enjoy.

I Don't Know Much About Heaven

I don't know what pure gold looks like I've never seen it before

I don't know how big the pearly gates are I've never taken heavens tour

I don't know how wide the crystal river is nor how far it's waters flow

I don't know much about heaven But there is one think I know

I want to go to heaven but not just for the beauty of the place

I want to finally meet My savior face to face

I don't know what songs the heavenly choir will sing

I only want to go to see the king of kings

I don't know what we will eat at the banquet spread

For my eyes will only be feasting on the one at the tables head

Sure I'm looking forward to walking on streets of gold

But only if they lead me to the thronerooms threshhold

I want to bow before him and look upon his face

As I hold his nail scarred hands and thank him for his grace

I don't know much about heaven but there is one thing I know

If Jesus isn't there then friend I don't want to go

I hope that y'all enjoy it!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Jerry!

Today is my mom and her hushand Jerry's first anniversary and I just wanted to say Happy Anniversary. I love you both to pieces! I took a couple pictures of them today. I'll post them in the morning and you can see how much moms hair has grown in the past year it's amazing.

Please Pray. . . .

I have a prayer request for you all. I found out today that I am losing almost $5000 in financial aid per semester to go to school. This is all because my mother recently got married. The thing is I haven't lived with my mom for over 6 years and she does not support me. I'm very upset about this but I know that God can work miracles and take care of everything please pray with me.

Music. . . .A Universal Language

For those of you who don't know or haven't figured it out yet, I love music. It is a passion of mine and I like all kinds of music. I love to sing. . .In my opinion nothing can make a situation seem better like a song can. In light of that I thought I would share with you all some of my favorite quotes and sayings about music and singing. Hope you enjoy :)

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song - -Maya Angelou

Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don't understand the language that you're singing in, they still know good music when they hear it. --Lou Rawls

For me, singing sad songs often has a way of healing a situation. It gets the hurt out in the open into the light, out of the darkness. --Reba McEntire (This is so true to me I love sad songs)

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence --Not sure who said this I'll have to look it up.

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body. --Oliver Wendell Holmes (I think).

Music has been my playmate, my lover, and my crying towel. --Buffy Sainte-Marie (I found this one surfing the web and I fell in love with it. . .lol I have no clue who Buffy Sainte-Marie is.)

Hope you enjoy the quotes. Remember that if you sing your way through life things will always seem brighter. That is what I like so much about that first quote from Maya Angelou. A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer it sings because it has a song. You may not always have the answers to lifes problems but you always have a song to sing. It reminds me of Paul and Silas in prison. At midnight they prayed and sang praises unto God. The didn't have the answer to their problems but they still had a song in there hearts and everything turned out in the end.

Until next time. . . .Crank up the music and enjoy life.

Poetry

The following is a poem that I wrote several months ago on Easter Sunday after hearing Bro. Anthony a young preacher in our church, preach a message entitled you can't silence the blood. I stole the title from my former pastor Bro. Allard. I remember him preaching a message several years ago entitled Hush The Blood is Speaking and it was the perfect title for my poem. Hope that y'all enjoy and remember that I ALWAYS except love in the form of comments ;)

Hush The Blood Is Speaking

I heard it calling and beckoning me
Let me cover you child and set you free
Instead of listening I turned up the music of life
I was happy where I was to heed the voice would bring strife

What is this you ask that is speaking to me?
It’s the blood that is flowing from Calvary
I watch as it trickles from the cross to the ground.
I turn to run and get away from the sound

I don’t need you I cry I’m fine this way
But the blood continued calling everyday
You need this my child you can’t live without blood
Let life flow through you from the crimson flood

I tried to talk louder to drown the noise out
But the blood cried louder it began to shout
You can’t silence me no matter how strong your will
The louder you get I’ll get louder still

Just hush when the blood is speaking and let it work in you
For the blood will be your strength in everything you do
Without my blood you will spiritually die
Just let me cover you I heard the blood cry

I finally stopped running I had become so weak
I heard a voice whisper I have the strength that you seek
I turned to look and there was the blood
I knew I couldn’t outrun Calvary’s flood

I cried out cover me with the blood so strong
Let it cover every sin every wrong
I’m tired of running and tired of seeking
I heard a voice say hush when the blood is speaking

I hope that in some way this poem touches someone out there. I want to use the talent that God has given me to touch someone elses life.

A few pictures as promised

Here are a couple of pictures of singing in old town like I promised. Read the blog just before the silly goat story one.

ENJOY!

The great escape

You're trapped in a well with a goat and a slinky. Describe how you will escape. So I'm pretty much just going to make this up. I got this as a random question today in my profile. So instead of just telling you how I escape I thought perhaps you might like to know the whole story of how I am talented enough to actually fall into a well.

I'm walking through a field by a house and somehow I have fallen into a well. This is partly because I am half blind and partly because I'm incredibly talented and only I could manage to fall into a well that has a stone wall built around it.

I land with a thud and I hear a noise it's some kind of animal. I reach into my pocket and pull out my trusty cell phone with the really bright back light so I can see what is in here with me. BILLY! There you are I exclaim. See the goat had dissappeared a few days before apparently the goat and I have a lot in common. . .oh boy this is getting scary.

Now I know your thinking you have a cell phone so why not call for help? Well like any good story the obvious means of escape never works out quite right and so I have no cell phone service down in the well. According to my service provider they are working very hard to expand their coverage area though!

I notice that on the goats horn thingy ma bob a slinky is stuck. Wait a minute! didn't I just throw that slinky away a few days ago? Hmmm Billy must have been playing in the garbage again.

This slinky is one of those mega huge slinkys that stretches for like a mile. Ok maybe I'm exagerating a little bit but you get the point right? It's also one of those metal ones that are really strong. The only problem is the slinky is majorly twisted.

I unhook the slinky from the goats horn and begin the tedious task of unraveling it. It takes me what seems like hours. Doesn't my family miss me I think to myself. It's got to be getting close to supper time because my stomach is making very loud noises and I think it's scaring the poor goat.

FINALLY I get the slinky unraveled. Then I hook it to the goats horn again. The goat still had his rope attached to his neck so I secured the goat to the wall of the well. Yes there was a place for that. It's a story ok? I can put whatever I want in my well. If I would have been thinking straight I would have included a well stocked mini fridge then maybe I wouldn't be so hungry. I grab the slinky and I hurl it towards the top of well hoping it will catch somewhere near the top. No such luck it comes crashing down and whacks me in the head. I try again and again. Finally on about my 5th try it gets caught on something near the top. I begin to pray that it will stay. I hop on top of the goat and then begin to climb up the slinky like it's a rope. At one point I think the slinky is going to break but apparently it's extra heavy duty metal so it doesn't. I slowly make my way to the top calling on Jesus the whole time. Really I don't think I've ever been so spiritual.

After I make it to the top. . I get some friends and we rescue billy. It was only then that it occured to me. Wait a minute I was just in a well but. . . .I'm not WET! Realizing that the well had been dried up for a while we boarded up the well so we wouldn't have this problem anymore.

Yeah yeah yeah I know it's a corny story but I had fun writing it and really can you think of anything more productive for me to be doing at the moment? Wait a minute don't answer that question please.

Hope y'all enjoy my silliness!

Love y'all

Singing in Old Town

I got to sing today with my mom in old town for Arts Alive. It was a lot of fun. We sang Can I Get A Witness and In Time On Time Every Time together. I love singing with my mom. I really just love singing period. But singing with mom is extra special. We have gotten to do so several times this summer which is really awesome. Today was kinda sad though because it's the last time I will get to sing with her before I go home. :( I'll try and add a picture of us just as soon as I get it. Sis Frost is suppose to be e-mailing it to me. :)

Love y'all

God Said it. . .I believe it. So Why Are We Constantly Looking For an Explanation?

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void: and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Sport of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God SAID, Let there be light: and there was light." Genesis 1:1-3

This is very familiar scripture right? I knew you would think so :)

I was recently having a conversation with someone who thought that the Big Bang Theory is how God created the earth. I don't have time to explain the theory so for those of you who don't know what it is check out this website if you're really interested. http://www.big-bang-theory.com/ . He said that this had to be how God did it otherwise why would God have rested on the 7th day. To him there would be no need to rest if all he did was speak it into existence. I of course do not agree with him. For one thing if the Big Bang Theory were true it would have taken much longer than seven days for the earth to be created. According to the Big Bang Theory it took a long time for the earth to become an inhabitable place. As for why God rested I think he was just taking a day to enjoy his handy work I mean when you do something good don't you like to take a minute to step back and admire your work? I know I do. Now perhaps that is vain of me but I don't think so.

Now on to the whole point of this blog. The Bible says that God said this or God said that and it was so. Why is it that people even those of us that are christians have a hard time excepting the fact that God just spoke it into existence? So many times even without realizing we are doing it we look for ways to explain how God did it. It's simple really there is so much power in Gods words that something has to happen when he speaks. Think about the story of the disciples and Jesus out on the sea. It didn't take him a long time to calm the waves he simply spoke and the waves obeyed him. We need to stop trying to explain God and simply accept the powerfullness of his voice.

There's a song that I believe says. . If God Said it I belive it and that's all that faith demands. (Don't kill me if I have the words wrong please).

So actually I guess you could say I do believe the big bang theory. . . .God said it and BANG it happend :)

Until next time.

My Life as A College Student

I absolutely LOVE campus life! I use to think I would hate it but it has been one of the best times of my life! I have made so many good friends since moving into Royer Hall. Now that I'm an RA I get to meet even more of the lovely ladies that live in Royer with me. The group picture is of all of the RA's and the GA that live in Royer. JJ the one sitting down graduated this spring and we sure are going to miss her :( We have a fun girl named sarah taking her place and she seems like she will be a great addition to the Res Life staff. The other picture is of me and my buddie Lo Lo. She was my roommate last fall before I got the RA job and moved into a private room. I LOVE YOU LO LO! Can't wait to see you when I get back this fall. Anyway I just thought I would share some of my on campus experiences with y'all. The pictures at the bottom of the page are just random events around campus from last year.

Random Questions for My Random Blog. . .How Perfect!

So I was filling out my profile and I noticed that at the bottom it has a random question to answer. I love it! The questions are so weird and half the time they don't make sense but I think they make great blog ideas. I think I'm going to start answering them in my blog when I have nothing else to write about.

Twenty-two Days and Counting

So I live in AR but I've been in California for the summer. I got here on May 14th. It is hard to believe that it is already July the 18th and I only have 22 days left before I have to go back. It's been so much fun. There are a few things I would change about the summer but overall it's been a really good summer. I know 22 days sounds like a lot of time but really its not. In one way I'm looking forward to going back to AR and getting back to school but I'll also be very sad to leave. I grew up here and even though I've never felt like I fit or belong here it will always be home. It's not a bad thing that I don't fit I'm certainly not complaining. I fit just right in Arkansas I'm a country girl at heart and I think I always have been. California is a good place to visit. People are always asking me if I'll ever move back and sometimes I'll tell them what I think they want to hear and that maybe someday when I finish school I'll move back but in reality I don't think I'll ever live in California again (sorry Mom). I doubt I stay in Arkansas forever either though. I have a rambling soul and I like new and adventerous things. I love the adventure of living in a new place and meeting new people. I hate constantly doing the same thing over and over again. I like to sit in a different spot everytime I go to church and I never drive to wal-mart the same way twice in a row. People tell me that someday I'll have to learn how to settle in one place but I sure hope not because that would bore me to death. I can't wait until I finish my degree at UAM because that means a new school and new people for me. Really I don't know how I got on this subject I started out just writing about the fact that I don't have much time left to spend with my mom this summer. Oh well it sounds good anyway. Back to the original topic. I fly out of here on Aug 9th and then I move back into the dorms on Aug 12th. Ugh, that means it's back to plastic mattresses, raunchy food, and community showers. . . sounds appealing I know. Thankfully I'll have a week and half or so before it's back to classes at ungodly hours and professors who think it's funny to assign a 5-10 page research paper the first day of class. I think that all professors are required to take some sort of oath saying they will torment their students until the day they graduate. . no really I do. Ok thats enough randomness for now I'm off to find something to eat and sweet talk mom into taking me to the mall or something like that.

YAY! A Real Blog!!!

Woohoo I'm actually going to start writing a real blog! I've done the myspace and facebook blog thing for a while now but that's not the same. I've attempted to do a blog several times before and it has failed. As you can see I've been a member of blogspot since November of 2006 but I'm just now getting my first post up in July of 2007. I probably wont post everyday but I'll write at least once a week. I hope that all my friends will link to me and read all my random little thoughts. Who knows you might actually learn something! Ok now for a question. I need one of you experienced bloggers to tell me how the devil I post pictures on this web site. I am a fairly intelligent person but I can't seem to figure it out. Your help would be oh so very much appreciated.

I don't know exactly what all I will write here probably a little bit of everything. I thought about posting some of the things I've written as far as poetry goes. Yes I love to write poetry. I'll also talk a lot about music on here. Music is my passion. I am always on the look out for some cool new song that I can sing or maybe use in one of my drama pieces that I love to do. I don't just limit my musical tastes to one genre either. I love everything from smooth jazz to opera to Southern Gospel and yes I even like some soft rock. I am a little strange but I also like the sounds of some of the celtic music. I am very eclectic in my music tastes. Anyway I'm sure most of you reading this know me so I'm not going to do the whole tell you all about myself routine. Check out my profile if you really want to know.

Thats all for now! Remember don't do anything I wouldn't do and if you do don't name it after me!