Let It Snow :)

So, this day, in just the past few hours, has gotten so much better than i ever thought it would be.

Living Nativity was of course, set up to be phenomenal. The coolest kids were there, and I got to be an Angel with two of my besties, Mariah, and Megan. Not long into the start of the Living Nativity, it began to sleet, but it eventually turned into SNOW! It kept going back and forth between sleet and snow, but eventually just kept snowing. We had to close the Living Nativity, but it was still great while it lasted. Hopefully tomorrow, we'll get to stay open the whole time.

But after we had changed into our normal clothes, bundled up, and such, (after taking pictures, of course!), we went outside and of course danced in the snow!

It was great. There was snowball fights, chasing through the parking lot, honestly, it's the best december i've ever had. I loved hanging out with my friends, Mariah, Megan, Dylan, and Andres. It was pure fun, in the snow. We went to starbucks (sans Megan, who had to go home), and sipped on hot beverages and just had a good time talking.

I hope it snows again, especially on Christmas. That would be an amazing Christmas present. I haven't had a white Christmas since I was in kindergarten, and I don't even remember that. I love the snow, where it actually feels like the holidays, and spending time with those I care about when there's such holiday spirit, and joy to share.

Here's to hoping for a White Christmas, kids. I hope everyone enjoyed the snow in Lufkin!

<3 H

The Freedom of Choice Act

Freedom of Choice Act (Introduced in House)
HR 1964 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1964

To protect, consistent with Roe v. Wade, a woman's freedom to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 19, 2007
Mr. NADLER [to see current list of House co-sponsors, click here] introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary


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A BILL
To protect, consistent with Roe v. Wade, a woman's freedom to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ..Freedom of Choice Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States was founded on core principles, such as liberty, personal privacy, and equality, which ensure that individuals are free to make their most intimate decisions without governmental interference and discrimination.
(2) One of the most private and difficult decisions an individual makes is whether to begin, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy. Those reproductive health decisions are best made by women, in consultation with their loved ones and health care providers.
(3) In 1965, in Griswold v. Connecticut (381 U.S. 479), and in 1973, in Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113) and Doe v. Bolton (410 U.S. 179), the Supreme Court recognized that the right to privacy protected by the Constitution encompasses the right of every woman to weigh the personal, moral, and religious considerations involved in deciding whether to begin, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy.
(4) The Roe v. Wade decision carefully balances the rights of women to make important reproductive decisions with the State's interest in potential life. Under Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, the right to privacy protects a woman's decision to choose to terminate her pregnancy prior to fetal viability, with the State permitted to ban abortion after fetal viability except when necessary to protect a woman's life or health.
(5) These decisions have protected the health and lives of women in the United States. Prior to the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, an estimated 1,200,000 women each year were forced to resort to illegal abortions, despite the risk of unsanitary conditions, incompetent treatment, infection, hemorrhage, disfiguration, and death. Before Roe, it is estimated that thousands of women died annually in the United States as a result of illegal abortions.
(6) In countries in which abortion remains illegal, the risk of maternal mortality is high. According to the World Health Organization, of the approximately 600,000 pregnancy-related deaths occurring annually around the world, 80,000 are associated with unsafe abortions.
(7) The Roe v. Wade decision also expanded the opportunities for women to participate equally in society. In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (505 U.S. 833), the Supreme Court observed that, ..[t]he ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.'.
(8) Even though the Roe v. Wade decision has stood for more than 30 years, there are increasing threats to reproductive health and freedom emerging from all branches and levels of government. In 2006, South Dakota became the first State in more than 15 years to enact a ban ..ion in nearly all circumstances. Supporters of this ban have admitted it is an attempt to directly challenge Roe in the courts. Other States are considering similar bans.
(9) Further threatening Roe, the Supreme Court recently upheld the first-ever Federal ban ..ion, which has no exception to protect a woman's health. The majority decision in Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood Federation of America permits the government to interfere with a woman's right to choose to terminate a pregnancy and effectively overturns a core tenet of Roe v. Wade by abandoning more than 30 years of protection for women's health. Dissenting in that case, Justice Ginsburg called the majority's opinion ..alarming,' and stated that, ..[f]or the first time since Roe, the Court blesses a prohibition with no exception safeguarding a woman's health.' Further, she said, the Federal ban ..and the Court's defense of it cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right declared again and again by this Court.'.
(10) Legal and practical barriers to the full range of reproductive services endanger women's health and lives. Incremental restrictions on the right to choose imposed by Congress and State legislatures have made access to abortion care extremely difficult, if not impossible, for many women across the country. Currently, 87 percent of the counties in the United States have no abortion provider.
(11) While abortion should remain safe and legal, women should also have more meaningful access to family planning services that prevent unintended pregnancies, thereby reducing the need for abortion.
(12) To guarantee the protections of Roe v. Wade, Federal legislation is necessary.
(13) Although Congress may not create constitutional rights without amending the Constitution, Congress may, where authorized by its enumerated powers and not prohibited by the Constitution, enact legislation to create and secure statutory rights in areas of legitimate national concern.
(14) Congress has the affirmative power under section 8 of article I of the Constitution and section 5 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution to enact legislation to facilitate interstate commerce and to prevent State interference with interstate commerce, liberty, or equal protection of the laws.
(15) Federal protection of a woman's right to choose to prevent or terminate a pregnancy falls within this affirmative power of Congress, in part, because--
(A) many women cross State lines to obtain abortions and many more would be forced to do so absent a constitutional right or Federal protection;
(B) reproductive health clinics are commercial actors that regularly purchase medicine, medical equipment, and other necessary supplies from out-of-State suppliers; and
(C) reproductive health clinics employ doctors, nurses, and other personnel who travel across State lines in order to provide reproductive health services to patients.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) GOVERNMENT- The term ..government' includes a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, or official (or other individual acting under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a subdivision of a State.
(2) STATE- The term ..State' means each of the States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory or possession of the United States.
(3) VIABILITY- The term ..viability' means that stage of pregnancy when, in the best medical judgment of the attending physician based on the particular medical facts of the case before the physician, there is a reasonable likelihood of the sustained survival of the fetus outside of the woman.
SEC. 4. INTERFERENCE WITH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROHIBITED.
(a) Statement of Policy- It is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman.
(b) Prohibition of Interference- A government may not--

(1) deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose--
(A) to bear a child;
(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or
(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or
(2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information.
(c) Civil Action- An individual aggrieved by a violation of this section may obtain appropriate relief (including relief against a government) in a civil action.
SEC. 5. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Act, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which the provision is held to be unconstitutional, shall not be affected thereby.
SEC. 6. RETROACTIVE EFFECT.
This Act applies to every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice, or other action enacted, adopted, or implemented before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.
=======================================================

I love the Freedom Of Choice Act. I think it helps define the standards America needs for legal abortions.

But I have a serious problem with people against the FOCA who don't take time to actually read and comprehend the bill and then make blown out of proportion statements and assumptions. People who say the bill makes it legal to have abortions throughout the whole nine months of pregnancy aren't even trying to make a good argument, they're just being ignorant and trying to get people to go against the bill for the wrong reasons. There's no way the Congress would let a bill that says anything of that nature pass.

Also, people who don't get what 'protect the life or health of the woman' means need to understand that ultimately, the baby comes second. If the mother consents to having an abortion because the fetus has somehow become a parasite and is killing her, then by all means, the woman has every right to terminate pregnancy. I'm not saying we should allow abortions after it's developed into a viable fetus all the time, but there are certain circumstances where it must happen, or the mother dies, and it's her choice to live or give her life up for her baby.

I'm not trying to say i'm totally for abortion. i would never suggest one, personally. But I think that women do have the right to terminate if they so wish. The fetus is part of the woman's body while during the womb, and subject to her decisions. I think it is totally fair to give women a little freedom with abortions, because it is their body.

But I respect a decision to be anti-abortion. I can see where you are coming from, and I am not trying to bash those who are anti-abortion. I just think people need to make more informed and well thought out ideas and statements about why they are against something, and not go all free radical and damning supporters of the bill.

Pro-Choice is not Pro-Death! Don't even start that mess.

Just my thoughts...

-H

So school starts

tomorrow.

:(

i think that about sums that up...

Ground

i'm almost ungrounded. just a few more hours. haha

i'm not going to lie, it sucked being grounded for two weeks, not being able to go anywhere except work and dance. but soon i'll be able to hang out with friends again! :)

i always wondered though, why it's called a 'grounding.' i think this time though, i realized why they call it such. it keeps you grounded. usually, someone's grounded for acting out, doing something wrong. parent's then put restrictions on that person to 'ground' them, help them realize what they did wrong and put them back into place. i'm not sure why i just figured this out, but i think it'll help me in the future. i hope so, anyway. :)

School

is right around the corner.

it's kinda scary. i mean... i'll be a senior. it's exciting, sure. but scary.
i probably sound like a weeny, but yeah, think about it:

-i have a billion AP classes (with summer homework!)
-i have my last SAT's to take
-i have to apply for college (yikes!)
-i'll be leaving soon

yeah. scary. for me, at least. and i still have to fix my stupid schedule that has almost none of the right classes. summer went by too soon. i mean, it feels like i'm just starting my vacation! i'm finally finished with camp, i'm home. i can chill with my friends, work and make lots of money. but that routine that i just fell into is about to be disrupted.

i have to get used to a new flow, to a new routine. adjust to senior year, to senior life, to the hectic figuring out of college, to rumors, to parties, to drama, to homework.

i'm not sure i'm ready for the crap that's going to be thrown at me in just a few weeks. i don't think i can handle being stuck in that place for eight hours. it's a prison.

Garage Sale

so we're garage selling right now.
i'm not sure if that's the right term, because we aren't selling a garage. i suppose it's more of a 'used stuff' sale?
it's a fundraiser. to help me get to italy by spring break on a school trip.

haha let's hope it helps. :)

A well deserved (maybe?) vacation

So i typed this before i left for New Braunfels (obviously). But it never got published, so here it is...

So I leave in about an hour for New Braunfels.

YAY!!

I'm genuinely excited about this. Just anticipating this trip (with all my church homes!) is making me the happiest I've been in about three days. (I suppose from my previous post you can understand why.)

We're going tubing on the Comal River (I hope I can handle it. I'm still pretty tired from having a deadly(not so much anymore) illness.) Then we're hitting up, of course, Schlitterbahn. :) I love that place (I didn't want to retype it.) It's amazing. And I get to spend time with amazing people. I'm giddy (you think i'm joking.)

I'm usually not a giddy person(lie). But I'm excited. I really am. Not only do I get to get out of the house, I'm getting out of the CITY for a few days. Hopefully I wont spread my infectious disease to everyone. I would feel bad(lie).

Now I'm back and I guess I'll add my report on the whole thing.

The ride there was pretty ordinary. We mostly just chilled, slept, talked, whatever.
We stopped at the Gristmill in historical Greune, Tx. It was pretty cool. I had fun there :) I ordered a salad that was humongous. I couldn't even finish it, haha. We got to walk the city, which was cool. Funny shops with cute shirts that i didn't buy. lol

We get to the Resort (T Bar M Ranch) where they make us wear these orange livestrong bands that say T Bar M Ranch on it so they know we belong there. I still have mine on my ankle, haha.

The next day we wake up early, eat breakfast outside (coffee with cereal and a waffle). We head to the Comal River, which is colder than the all get out, and have a fun time there. The first round we were on the river, everyone was joking around, spraying water guns and throwing splash balls. It was really fun. We stopped and ate lunch, sandwiches. Yummy :) Then we went back for round too. This one was a little more chill. I actually fell asleep for the first thirty or forty five minutes. It was a nice nap that resulted in a ghetto sunburn from where my shorts moved up. I have a red stripe on my legs, haha. It was all pretty chill, and i'm so glad i got to float the river with everyone.

We went and ate dinner at a place called Mamacita's. It was a great mexican restaurant. They had these vegetarian fajitas with portabello mushrooms that were just to die for. :) For desert we had Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. It was delicious. But while we were there, it started raining cats and dogs. Hurricane Dolly had finally struck ground.

The next day, we were debating on whether or not we should go to Schlitterbahn, or do something else. It was decided to go to Schlitterbahn as originally planned. It was kind of angry at first, but when no signs of hurricane showed i grew to the idea. I was happy we had gone, because our summer intern, Nikolee, had never been. So I was glad she got to go.

We had a fun time, but out of nowhere as we were riding the Black Night (amazing!) it starts pouring. We decided it was time to get in line for the Master Blaster (only the most fun ride at Schlitterbahn), so we start the trek up the stairs. About halfway up we hear thunder crack, but decide to take our chances. We get in line and then they close the line down. So we descended and headed back to the group.


We decided to leave, so we waited till the rain stopped and chunked the deuce.
We ate lunch and soon after that an adult was all gung ho for going back because there was a gap in the bad weather. So a few us went back.

First things first, we HAD to get the Master Blaster out of the way in case we had to make a quick get-a-way. We did that, which is just awesome, haha. it's always fun. After that, we all went on the Wolf Pack. That was fun too, especially when our tube almost tipped!

After Wolf Pack, we decided to chill in the Torrent, this river with a wave machine. Krista(a friend of mine) and I were almost out of the river part and nearing the big open pool area when there's an almost simultaneous crack of lightning and thunder. needless to say i flipped out. I don't think I ever swam so fast in my life, I mean I was taking people down trying to get to the shore. Most of the life guards were pretty chill, but this one was totally 'hulkin out' trying to get people out. He was running around screaming "Get out of the water!" and waving his hands and pointing. It was funny to watch when we got under an umbrella.

After our crew had gathered, we chunked the deuce again. A third attempt at schlitterbahn happened, but i stayed at the hotel and napped. It was nice :)

We went and ate pizza after that, and then chilled at the hotel.

We woke up bright and early and chunked the deuce to New Braunfels and Krista and 2/3's the Yeager team. They were going to stay an extra day because they arrived late.
We pull into lufkin around four-ish and stop by cory's house to check it out and say hey. Cory hadn't made it on the trip because he had business to attend to, but we sure did miss him!

It was a great trip, but i'm glad to be back. :) It would have been better if it hadn't been for Hurricane Dolly

Scarlet Fever and Journey

so for the past two hours i've been attempting slumber. for some reason (i can tell you really easily) i haven't been able to get to sleep.

that reason: scarlet fever
while the really bad part (the strep) is gone, it left me with a rash that's just plain annoying. it itches something terrible, let me tell you. it could make a dog feel good about it's fleas (not that i would know how fleas feel to a dog.)

so as i write this blog i listen to journey (for some strange reason "don't stop believing" was on my mind. maybe it had something to do with "cover tunes grab bag"). it doesn't really help.

i really should be in bed, asleep. resting, for i am, as my mother puts it, exhausted from everything i've done, and i have a church trip/vacation tomorrow to New Braunfels. oh boy. but i just can't get to sleep, no matter how long i lie in bed. it sucks, you know?

well, i'm going to try to get some sleep now. (hopefully)

hap·pen·stance

/ˈhæpənˌstæns/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hap-uhn-stans]
–noun
a chance happening or event.

I call this blog Happenstance because it was created, well, not exactly accidentally, but it was rather random.
I suppose anything i have to post here would be the product of happenstance. it's just who i am.
now if i only had a fancy camera like my father, i could post visual 'happenstance' on Happenstance.
till i write again.