tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81610671775705346022024-02-19T01:29:45.086-08:00The Stun Gun GirlMy name is Sunshine, and I'm a survivor. I have dedicated my life to helping women find their voice. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-33079409070094140712018-07-23T16:13:00.001-07:002018-07-23T16:20:24.145-07:00#thisisme <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 1.1em;">Now that my emotions are more under control and Damsel in Defense's </span><span style="font-size: 1.1em;">2018 conference is over, I've had some time to sit with my on-stage experience this year.</span><span style="font-size: 1.1em;"><br></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBl22rGbYiUPQof_LCkabHk0ru90989t-hNWsOB7q9-iRYgMsh9kA_gIg2pe-OOxDhw-VRLr0e_C0MWcbRQILRnoQF3NOlQ5_lk2XvGpUbUfFCnYH8BEM1QM_1X0Y7DxDRzV3f6CQQKWP/s1600/%255BUNSET%255" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBl22rGbYiUPQof_LCkabHk0ru90989t-hNWsOB7q9-iRYgMsh9kA_gIg2pe-OOxDhw-VRLr0e_C0MWcbRQILRnoQF3NOlQ5_lk2XvGpUbUfFCnYH8BEM1QM_1X0Y7DxDRzV3f6CQQKWP/" data-original-width="" data-original-height=""></a></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 1.1em;">5 years ago, I spoke my truth (and by spoke my truth, I mean emotionally vomited as much of it as I could get out in 11 minutes) to 250 people, most of who were strangers to me. Those 250 people have since become my core family. They know me. They know my deepest darkest truths. Fast forward 5 years and 900 people in front of me....I'll be honest, I'm a true ENFP, so I didn't do the math.</span><br></p>
<p dir="ltr">Even 4 years ago, it was so fresh that everyone still knew my story, and any new people had been told about it. Most of them found me and thanked me through tears as they shared their truth with me while we hugged and cried our faces off, but I was still in this very uncomfortable place. I still felt like I had been caught, and shame whispered horrible untruths in my ear. I was incapable, incompetent, and unable to really make a difference. Who was I fooling?</p>
<p dir="ltr">3 years ago, my story was basically the stuff of legends. This one girl this one time had a story that broke everyone's hearts. We were rolling out SAFE Hearts, and the promo video had a ten second watered down blurb of my story, so it seemed that I could be removed from it a little bit. The pressure was off. No one would ever have to know that I was incapable, incompetent, and unable. </p>
<p dir="ltr">2 years ago, my speaking career started to take off, and I grew into my story. I owned it. You see, I came to the realization that I am not the sum of the broken pieces in my heart. I am the artist who put those pieces back together more beautiful and meaningful than they could have ever been sculpted by the hands of another. Had I not realized that, what happened this weekend would have wrecked me.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now that I have had time to sit with the impact and do the math, I realize that 650 people in that room (none of this includes staff and production) did not know me, and now know the single worst moment in my timeline. The moment that steals the breath from their lungs and crushes their hearts. Because I was strong enough to stand with my warrior sisters on that stage, 650 more people know that no matter what has happened in your life, there is peace and healing on the other side. </p><p dir="ltr"><b><u>YOU ARE THE SCULPTOR OF YOUR BROKEN PIECES</u>.</b></p><p dir="ltr"></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD8OmZUhdGE53UgtCsOVLPa3tNVB95Fyz-EQjVzTlaezxK9-WzODjCEHcsrFd2WFbg2X62kGFMIGL-uCQkGDqShAqa3AvIhBAZA5cQMDDMoeAfmlpNolLgrw_qPxhoMBr3kdwq7f3kazB/s1600/%255BUNSET%255" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD8OmZUhdGE53UgtCsOVLPa3tNVB95Fyz-EQjVzTlaezxK9-WzODjCEHcsrFd2WFbg2X62kGFMIGL-uCQkGDqShAqa3AvIhBAZA5cQMDDMoeAfmlpNolLgrw_qPxhoMBr3kdwq7f3kazB/" data-original-width="" data-original-height=""></a></p>
<p dir="ltr">I had to sit with that today to wrap my brain around it. I threw a stone in the pond SO large, that the ripple it caused will continue to empower people long after this conference is a faded memory. Long after <u style="font-weight: bold;"><i>I</i></u> am a faded memory. </p><p dir="ltr">This is my legacy. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:#D8DFEA;">#thisisme</span> <span style="background-color:#D8DFEA;">#warrior</span> <span style="background-color:#D8DFEA;">#thestungungirl</span> <span style="background-color:#D8DFEA;">#phoenix</span> <span style="background-color:#D8DFEA;">#iamthestorm</span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-78101419742343406352017-07-17T00:21:00.001-07:002017-07-17T00:30:46.598-07:00You're never going to believe this weight loss miracle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkAujFb2dzMz3ehKNghLcYIUW1EUkwPTAUu6pqmtUFGn1Ux2iQ__MnJkzmKngjoXp9FVUrz_hyx6e0lr7TaGTXc8PUCn2oizIOmdKTw3BWlqmKt9Bbm1VD82Czc_CWocLMed8vgfxSEo5/s1600/IMG_20170716_122251_827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1550" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkAujFb2dzMz3ehKNghLcYIUW1EUkwPTAUu6pqmtUFGn1Ux2iQ__MnJkzmKngjoXp9FVUrz_hyx6e0lr7TaGTXc8PUCn2oizIOmdKTw3BWlqmKt9Bbm1VD82Czc_CWocLMed8vgfxSEo5/s200/IMG_20170716_122251_827.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
Wow.....what a year, is all I can say. A lot of it was really, really bad, and a lot of it was so amazing that I can't stop smiling. The people in my life right now, the blessings that they have been, the opportunities that have presented themselves to me, and the work I have been doing have a way of cancelling out every bad day. Most days I am so happy that I feel like I might explode into a million butterflies and glitter. <br />
<br />
Still, they haven't come without a cost. <br />
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Last year, my body started wigging out. When I say wigging out, I mean, I was pretty sure I was going to die. After about a million tests and specialists, there it was. The big "C". I had cancer. There is nothing like facing the possible end of your life to make you rethink everything. After going through a terrifying process that lead up to surgery and a healing process with every complication you can think of, I made it to the other side cancer free.<br />
<br />
Listen to your body. Don't miss any of the tests you're supposed to get done. Learn about the signs and symptoms of cancer. Act right away when something isn't right, even if you feel like you might be overreacting. Only you know your body's baseline.<br />
<br />
I'm also going through a divorce, which complicates life even more. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jbLOKPqIzQOYTUIT9KN-WJR-SREMGiIMVYbLgey2OekwsOP75iw_PopPMBTZPwOe-wUZuFQiHtTaw-2QbcWEqPKP8doesidlZGW0SF9JR1uQrFm2LWHljwbQ2AqK0KrfEhwcenayr_u5/s1600/%253Bokj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jbLOKPqIzQOYTUIT9KN-WJR-SREMGiIMVYbLgey2OekwsOP75iw_PopPMBTZPwOe-wUZuFQiHtTaw-2QbcWEqPKP8doesidlZGW0SF9JR1uQrFm2LWHljwbQ2AqK0KrfEhwcenayr_u5/s200/%253Bokj.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>
Part of reclaiming myself was also a long look at my health. Like, a loooooong look. I didn't buy into a special diet...to me that's silly. High fat, low carb, no this, no that....I am not that girl. At the end of the day, I want to be able to eat what I want without sacrificing...well, what I want. I didn't buy into a weight loss product, or workout program, or all of the things people are always pitching that are supposed to work miracles.<br />
<br />
That's expensive, and not what I'm into. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoP17EcnmSbiT7BaLXcmAWozAPNEmHNoQKyoqukfluB-UnUjN1D_twpbZT9GEhKUfKDoYGqXh0d9xsjlMvrbBA_wu-XsMJfmWLChvH9WwYsrXl99-sA8d0FJx1bBJKwkOJlgZsKCJFTkin/s1600/jgv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoP17EcnmSbiT7BaLXcmAWozAPNEmHNoQKyoqukfluB-UnUjN1D_twpbZT9GEhKUfKDoYGqXh0d9xsjlMvrbBA_wu-XsMJfmWLChvH9WwYsrXl99-sA8d0FJx1bBJKwkOJlgZsKCJFTkin/s320/jgv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
No. Guys, it's really not that complicated, yet when people ask me how I'm doing it and I answer them, I end up with confused big anime eyed blinking stares. It's like suddenly I started speaking a dead language that no one understands and they are frozen in time just waiting me to start speaking english again. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXg0mVq9tlA0xP1k16c-ZQtRlydSxMHcyqoqjWNJlv2BWpZYZtQI9UvbM6bxm36pDErvzvQ0sSBc2jYh97SCvSYZa_DpzdNDxEnZm4zUtrY2_EIzaPgxWQWMgGoCYvLBB5_2Uotp3OAEG/s1600/foyg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="490" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXg0mVq9tlA0xP1k16c-ZQtRlydSxMHcyqoqjWNJlv2BWpZYZtQI9UvbM6bxm36pDErvzvQ0sSBc2jYh97SCvSYZa_DpzdNDxEnZm4zUtrY2_EIzaPgxWQWMgGoCYvLBB5_2Uotp3OAEG/s320/foyg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I started listening to my body and moving more. That's it. Weight loss is an easy equation. Every calorie you put in has to be burned and then some. That means moving your body. <br />
<br />Don't get me wrong, I don't count calories, I'm just aware of averages. I have ADHD, and on the days I tried to remember to count calories, 25 things distracted me from actually doing it. <br />
<br />
I also did not go on some crazy mission to the gym every day (believe it or not, I don't have a gym membership), but I started filling my time with movement. While everyone is leaning on the counter talking about their day, I was doing squat sets, calf raises, or tossing a medicine ball in the air and catching it. Nothing too crazy to start with, just some. Matter of fact, I started by doing sets of 25. I started walking. I started dancing. The more I moved my body, the more it wanted to move. I do 7 mile hikes now and got my squats up to 6 sets of 100, and I feel stronger than I ever have. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDUvBBZC8nTonwj4BgYeq27yTBYy8EZ5ykbeefzAhi1sp8SVKahi1qxdiQ5F5ZuMjI9wLwMYN5FauyZ5fi5LxVbt-un_UzYqWM8VeDXTSuXzSeooc6pihS8zrsuh9qSrlL2DvjQ-dfNiP/s1600/gf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="207" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDUvBBZC8nTonwj4BgYeq27yTBYy8EZ5ykbeefzAhi1sp8SVKahi1qxdiQ5F5ZuMjI9wLwMYN5FauyZ5fi5LxVbt-un_UzYqWM8VeDXTSuXzSeooc6pihS8zrsuh9qSrlL2DvjQ-dfNiP/s200/gf.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I want<br />
a beer, I have<br />
a beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I also started listening to what it wanted and making choices based on that. Hey, if I want a cheeseburger, I eat a cheeseburger. If I want a beer, I have a beer. The question is, does my body want a cheeseburger? Most of the time it doesn't. Over time, my taste actually changed. I used to chug a blended sugar filled coffee every single day. Now, the thought of one makes me want to barf, and the last time I had one, I got about four drinks in before I nearly did just that. I don't really want sugar filled crazy garbage anymore. I have become more in tune with what my body wants, and most of the time it wants street tacos, and guess what? I have them. Yesterday I went to the Portland Highland Games and had a banger (crazy hot dog thing with mushrooms and onions) and fries and beer. Do I feel sad about it? Heck no!!<br />
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So, let's break it down again. Move less, eat better. Know what? When you eat better, you get to eat more. I'm not kidding you. If I eat a light breakfast and a salad for lunch, I can have a big bowl of pasta with cheese on it for dinner and not be sad and mad. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaLAVTmYnXxBI-qiPA83gehuZqZaYVp3jXIJl5C3jJaJIVHSYTLmU9fV5YmSoL_2SF0ofFeVMdCUMxX6hjrAvHYhtNqVR4TuiqqfxAvFCDMCZgwtckf1AxS7Q5wuvrYyZebUSksYD5rxj/s1600/IMG_20170709_020938_668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaLAVTmYnXxBI-qiPA83gehuZqZaYVp3jXIJl5C3jJaJIVHSYTLmU9fV5YmSoL_2SF0ofFeVMdCUMxX6hjrAvHYhtNqVR4TuiqqfxAvFCDMCZgwtckf1AxS7Q5wuvrYyZebUSksYD5rxj/s200/IMG_20170709_020938_668.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left, me 4 months ago. On<br />
the right, me now,</td></tr>
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Where am I in this process? I started this journey 6 months ago (after the healing process from my surgery allowed) and I'm down 51.5 lbs. I have been dreading showing these photos to the world, because I was always the person who never let my size be clear in my photos, but I know it has to be done. <br />
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Let's recap: Cancer free, more than 50 lbs down in 6 months, and I don't feel like I've given up anything. I have gotten a little more aggressive with body movement since, but that will happen once you start listening to your body. I've also been incredibly blessed to have built an amazing support system filled with people I can't imagine my life without.<br />
<br />
<br />
It's amazing what the universe provides if you just ask. I'm not <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-AmCBEE6VaFJYkU3EO5XwsSM4AnL8l5Jlyf7ye0otPS8ILSArFwV4ximuABPFEcj02Av-xOmObace0sbdykDwf2XsBWPoW3HfRaqk4z246_8MZrv_Pfjiq6Bj_5wc4fw7GQhiOlGOSlC/s1600/before+and+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-AmCBEE6VaFJYkU3EO5XwsSM4AnL8l5Jlyf7ye0otPS8ILSArFwV4ximuABPFEcj02Av-xOmObace0sbdykDwf2XsBWPoW3HfRaqk4z246_8MZrv_Pfjiq6Bj_5wc4fw7GQhiOlGOSlC/s320/before+and+after.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left, me 5 months ago, on the right, me 2 days ago.</td></tr>
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kidding, I literally asked the universe and it almost immediately answered. You should try it. <br />
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Life hasn't been without its complications, and I am still always nervous when I have an oncology appointment ahead of me, but the blessings in my life right now are far too many to count. <br />
<br />
Listen to your body. Eat less, move more. Know what you want and what you will and will not allow in your life, and make it happen. Trust me, life is too short to be unhappy, unhealthy, and not strive for your best possible self. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSTN-old7qPuFcl6p9M4eq9GdveUgGxC-WOUtiW6T0icEqvO_BUtjOB4VzQFm-IZJ5HK4oWa78xkcUeZvUJQ0fD9Wjwwp5FZatT5pPdCyw-hE_iarqt_3PhyphenhyphenBJg9ZyWd0cEpPOENKT_g3/s1600/IMG_20170707_185507_607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1541" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSTN-old7qPuFcl6p9M4eq9GdveUgGxC-WOUtiW6T0icEqvO_BUtjOB4VzQFm-IZJ5HK4oWa78xkcUeZvUJQ0fD9Wjwwp5FZatT5pPdCyw-hE_iarqt_3PhyphenhyphenBJg9ZyWd0cEpPOENKT_g3/s320/IMG_20170707_185507_607.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks for stopping by! It means a lot to me!<br />
XOXO-The Stun Gun Girl</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-65023481770615465412017-02-28T10:25:00.000-08:002017-02-28T12:19:14.058-08:00Dear Monster, you have no power over me<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear Monster,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was a child, I was terrified of you. My skin would erupt with the feeling of a
million little bugs running for their lives when I heard your footsteps
slinking down the hall. You forced me to
disappear within myself while you found pleasure in my flesh, and every time, a
little more of my being would fracture.
Because of you, I could never fully be comfortable in my own skin as a
child. Instead, I was always worried
about who would find my dark secret and use it to destroy me. I was never an equal, and the joys of
childhood were lost in the game of hide and seek.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I grew older, my warped and twisted reality grew into a
gnarled old tree in the depth of a dark swamp.
Boundaries didn’t exist. I let
more evil in than just you, and because of it I was forced to do worse things
than you could ever imagine…or maybe you could.
I was the beast you created, the heir to the tarnished and cracked
throne of a long bloodline of evil. I
believed I was worthless. I believed my
only existence was to be a tool used by anyone who needed to drive a nail
further into a heart that once beat with love.
There was no light in my life because of you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even when God brought light into my life, it was fleeting,
only giving me glimpse of what could be if only I wasn’t me. It wasn’t until someone noticed that I was
drowning and stretched out their hand that I could finally breathe. I felt like I was free because I was away
from you, but the nightmares still haunted the dark places in my mind. I tried to overcome, but every time I hit a
wall built of fear, constructed by me made from pieces of you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I entered adulthood and began to have children of my own,
I found myself in a string of abusive situations. No matter how hard I tried to rise above my
station in life my dark secret always drug me back down, pulling me into the
murky depths of the abyss. I was
unworthy of love, of good, and of happiness.
Everything was hard because of you.
Everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then something happened.
One day after the last time I was abused I hid. I hid in a cocoon of something I saw as
safety, but it was really just another version of control, causing me to lose
the last little bits of myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then, when I found myself alone, God was the only one left standing
by like a sentinel in a hurricane.
Through Him, I was shown the beauty of grace and that my scars were only
a reminder of who I once was, not who I was becoming. He brought people into my life to show me my
full strength. I lit a torch and burned
that bruised and broken girl to the ground and everything you ever did to
her. I became a phoenix rising from the
ashes of the brokenness and terror that you filled me with. The warrior who stands before you today is
writing not to tell you that you are forgiven because of rationalizing why you
did what you did, but that you are forgiven because I refuse to let your filth
fill my pores for one more moment. Your
sad pathetic life is a reminder of the bed you have made and are chained to for
eternity, while I am free. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That torch I used to set my prison ablaze, I now carry to
help other survivors burn theirs to the ground too. In the end, we will all be phoneixes taking
to the air, no longer held by the bondage of monsters like you, and when our fire fills the skies, there will be no place left for you to hide.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am not afraid of you.
I see you, and you are dead to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As sincerely as I can possibly be,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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Sunshine O’Connor<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-68473362392415427392017-02-06T16:54:00.002-08:002017-02-06T16:54:59.335-08:00Anonymous takes on the Dark Web and shuts down child pornography sites<div class="MsoNormal">
Anonymous is a hacktivist organization that sends shivers
down the spines of top executives and government officials all over the
world. Known for attacking service
providers and institutions that violate human rights, it’s no wonder they set
their sights on Dark Web, the underbelly of the internet where the worst
atrocities are committed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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According to harkcread.com, Anonymous has taken down the
Freedom Hosting II servers that affect more than 10,000 websites. Freedom Hosting II is one of the largest
hosting services on the Dark Web and hosts about 20% of all underground
websites. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Is that all? No. They also have stolen the identities of more
than 380,000 users, who received this message the last time they logged on:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Hello,
Freedom Hosting II, you have been hacked.
We are disappointed. This is an excerpt
of your page, ‘We have a zero tolerance policy to child pornography.’ But what
we found while searching through your server is more than 50% child porn…Moreover
you host many scam sites, some of which are evidently run by yourself to cover
hosting expenses. All your files have
been copied and your database has been dumped. (74GB of files and 2.3GB of
database). Up to January 31<sup>st</sup>,
you were hosting 10613 sites. Private
keys are included in the dump. We are
Anonymous. We do not forgive. We do not forget. You should have expected us. Thanks for your patience, you don’t have to
buy data ;) we made a torrent of the database dump. Here is another torrent with all system files
(excluding data). You may still donate
BTC to …….. and support us. If you need
to get in contact with us, our email is ……
We repeatedly get asked how we get into the system. It was surprisingly easy. Here is how we did it……”</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The databases were stolen, and the websites being hosted by
the service were defaced. Small amounts
of this data has begun to leak onto the main web. Anonymous posted a message that said all the
data had been copied and dumped online.
74GB of files and 2.3GB of database were dumped into plain text emails
that included private keys-in other words, usernames and hashed passwords.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymous has vowed to always fight child pornography. They will not stop. If you are involved in any form of child
exploitation, it’s just a matter of time before your information is scooped up
by them and dumped for all the world to see.
They are coming for you. You
should be expecting them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-91280644147990100912017-01-23T22:38:00.001-08:002017-01-23T23:16:43.598-08:00The road so far.....from the ashesToday while I was in a tear filled message conference with someone very, very close to me, I was reminded once again to turn around and look at the road I've travelled. I know it's there, I talk about it a lot, but sometimes you need to really take a moment and look at it.<br />
<br />
Not everyone in the world has lived the life I've lived. I know that. The first time I told my story, I knew that, and it's what made it so hard to let those words tumble over trembling lips to first a few people, then a few dozen, then a few hundred, and on and on. I was never comfortable in my skin when I began to tell my story because it felt like I was lifting up the clean carpet in my home to reveal a silage pit hidden beneath filled with rot and putrid horror.<br />
<br />
Now that I am comfortable telling my story, I sometimes forget the raw emotion that comes along with it. I'm not numb, don't get me wrong. I still feel it every day, but I'm not afraid. Telling my story has birthed more survivors from the bondage of their victim chains than I even can begin to fathom. No, now I tell my story from the stance of a warrior on a crusade. <br />
<br />
I consider myself a Phoenix. I lived one life before. The dark and empty life of a victim suffocated of hope, peace, or freedom, just waiting for it to be over. Everything I saw from those eyes was hurt, fear, and ugliness. I lived in that ugliness for so long that even after I was free of it, I was still hunted and hurt again. It was all I knew because it started before I had memories. From the dark corners of my bedroom to the dark corners of the streets, everywhere I went was filled with dark corners, and in all of those corners was another more horrific monster. I was led with promises of safety into some of the worst experiences you can imagine, and barely survived. It was in those last moments when I was told where my body would lie rotting and never found that something happened. I can't explain it other than God was not letting me die on that day. As I rushed back into the world of the living, I embraced it with everything I had, burned that old life down, and was reborn.<br />
<br />
I was reborn a survivor. Since that day 11 years ago, I have only glanced back in the rear view mirror with my foot on the pedal as I continued on my journey, afraid that if I slowed down, the monsters would catch up. It took me a few more years to open up about my life, and when I did, it was as if Niagra Falls washed over me. Every time I told it, my armor got stronger. Every time someone approached me, and in that tiniest voice said, "Thank you. You just told my story" my fire burned brighter. Every tear soaked meeting and impossible moment pushed me beyond my Phoenix birth. <br />
<br />
They led me to write a series of <a href="http://www.yourdamseldiva.com/" target="_blank">books</a> for <a href="http://www.yourdamseldiva.com/" target="_blank">Damsel in Defense</a> called SAFE (Sharing Awareness for Family Empowerment) Hearts where I can go right to the source and help break cycles before they even continue. Together with Damsel in Defense, we have the opportunity to empower an entire generation to shine light in the dark corners of the world. <br />
<br />
They have led me to work with amazing organizations such as OAASIS (Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service) where I can come together with other warriors to create change in how the world views not only child sex abuse, but the soil in which it takes root and begins to grow. <br />
<br />
They have led me to the involvement in the RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network) Speakers Bureau where I have had the opportunity to speak and be published. <br />
<br />
They have led me to put my story into words in a book that will be done this year so that others who have visited the dark places I have been can find solace in the fact that they are not alone, that we are better together, and that there is light in their futures.<br />
<br />
In the next few weeks, I am meeting with program managers and founders of organizations I would never have dreamed that I would be sitting down and having coffee with. <br />
<br />
With all that said, still, these words stopped me in my tracks tonight:<br />
<br />
"And as if you need any more qualifying around the word survivor, now you have cancer survivor in there as well. You are more than a Phoenix."<br />
<br />
I never thought that there was more than being a Phoenix, but after some time spent in deep contemplation, the act of being reborn was the moment I became a Phoenix. The moment when my light shone bright and I refused to have darkness around me ever again. Now I carry that torch into my fight. I am a warrior of light, a defender of the helpless, and a freaking force of nature. I am a catagory 5 hurricane and I'm just getting started. The more I set free from the bondage of shame, the , the more we grow in strength. I am a Colonel building an army, but not of darkness, of light. Together we are a supernova.<br />
<br />
This is the road I've traveled. Sex abuse, sexual assault, abduction, domestic violence, child exploitation...those are all in the rearview mirror on that road. Sometimes you have to stop, get out of the car, and take note of the road so far. Ahead of me is darkness. So much darkness. I have no idea where this road leads, but I'm not afraid of it anymore. I will battle whatever comes to free them all. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-32157021823634789992017-01-20T12:53:00.000-08:002017-01-20T12:53:41.842-08:00Yes, Trump is our new president. Now let's get to work.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOV5rQ0Yk4TNEL0Of641U8vsfXb-FWs1DO4S0cLIBtACtFMmrRjF3Mu_qRSNs-zD7ebFH1NNQBAPJMoffVB1KTtVg1y-Xqcn37b9hRjIFOAuh3PkTdgKyUMyBeMyauQ7mRpP1CzH0EgGh6/s1600/16114654_10212393062766748_2477918045806639351_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOV5rQ0Yk4TNEL0Of641U8vsfXb-FWs1DO4S0cLIBtACtFMmrRjF3Mu_qRSNs-zD7ebFH1NNQBAPJMoffVB1KTtVg1y-Xqcn37b9hRjIFOAuh3PkTdgKyUMyBeMyauQ7mRpP1CzH0EgGh6/s320/16114654_10212393062766748_2477918045806639351_n.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
Today is huge. It may be one of the most controversial inauguration days in history. I am watching with open eyes as people run around and smash property that doesn't belong to them, cry out in support or against President Trump, and outside of all that, I am aware of the work that is being done during this intense busy time.<br />
<br />
Mindy Lin, Co-Founder of Damsel in Defense and Betty Jo, a strong willed firecracker of a woman who is no stranger to going before congress, are in Washington D.C. right now. They are in the thick of the most historical moment we have seen in a very long time, and may not see for a long time to come. They are not there to rub in the presidency, protest, or break other people's property. <br />
<br />
No.<br />
<br />
They are there because in this country, where we should have the right to protect ourselves no matter where we go, there are still so many states where self defense tools are illegal. This weekend, they will be rubbing elbows with top leaders at the Commander and Chief Ball and meeting with congressmen to discuss women's safety everywhere. <br />
<br />
They are there during a very volatile and dangerous time because they know that the work must start now. <br />
<br />
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While the rest of you are watching protests unfold and spouting your political opinions all over social media, some of us are there because the correct way to be heard is to take steps to get in front of the right people and <u><i><b>be heard</b></i></u>. The correct way to be part of the change you want to see is to <span style="font-size: large;"><b>pull up your undies, roll up your sleeves, and get to work.</b></span> <br />
<br />
Go ahead. Trash the city. Break all of the stuff. Fight, light things on fire, whatever it is that you people who don't <i>get</i> it are going to do. Nothing but hate, anger, carnage, injury, and loss of life will happen, and frankly, you will look like an idiot. No work will be accomplished. No change will take place. No one's point of view will be affected. <b><u>YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH NOTHING</u></b>. <br />
<br />
While you're doing that, our brave ladies and their husbands will be working for real change and getting things done the way they should be getting done. <br />
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That is how you create change. <br />
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That is what you should be teaching your children.<br />
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That is what you should be known for.<br />
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Oh yes, I am watching, but not for the same reasons you might be. I am watching for two girls to ignite change that will stick by being strong, brave leaders instead of weak angry followers.<br />
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That's my two cents on this weekend. Stay safe out there.<br />
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#istandwithmindy<br />
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XOXO<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-84453251458556263292017-01-04T14:30:00.003-08:002017-01-04T14:35:24.663-08:00The story of the starfish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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People often ask me what my fascination with starfish is about. I would like to share it with you. This is a story of hope and survival and sparking change in the world adapted from the original, The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley.<br />
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Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach lettered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.<br />
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Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy tossing starfish into the water one by one. <br />
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"Good morning," the man said to the boy, "may I ask what it is that you are doing?"<br />
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The young boy paused, looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can't return to the sea themselves. When the sun gets high in the sky, they will die unless I throw then back into the water."<br />
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The old man replied, "But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I'm afraid you won't really be able to make much of a difference. Why does it matter?"<br />
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The boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it as far as he could into the ocean, then turned to the man and said, "It matters to that one."<br />
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All of the work that I do, whether it's in my preschool classroom, at a <a href="http://stunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Damsel in Defense </a>event, when I'm speaking, or in my writing, there is one hope, that somewhere out there, it matters to someone.<br />
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When I <a href="http://yourdamseldiva.blogspot.com/2014/08/why-this-portland-preschool-teacher.html" target="_blank">tell my story</a>, it's not to get my own praise. It's to unlock someone from the bondage of slavery and shame. I speak life and write intention without dreams of fame and fortune. What I do is hard, and it's uncomfortable, and there is often tears involved, and though it sometimes seems when I look at statistics, or I'm faced with a room filled with survivors, that there is no end, but if I don't do what I can to create a pathway out of darkness for those around me, they can never begin.<br />
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If you're feeling the struggle of your life, if you're feeling the pull of indifference, if you are feeling like the battle is too hard to continue, if you are wondering why it matters, it's time to stop, turn around, and look at the lives you've touched. <br />
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If you're a direct sales leader, and you're feeling like giving up, turn around and look at the team you've built and ask if it matters to them.<br />
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If you're a parent and you are wondering why you should even bother doing the hard stuff because it doesn't feel like it matters, I promise, it does.<br />
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If you're a spouse ready to throw your hands in the air because you don't feel loved and appreciated, the change has to start with you in order for it to matter.<br />
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Giving up and sitting in your own putrid comfort zone is not an option if you want to grow. Retreating into the darkness is not an option if you want the work in your life to matter, and if you don't think it matters, it does. It matters to someone.<br />
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Keep throwing those starfish in the ocean. It's hard, it's exhausting, but it's amazing.<br />
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Trust me, you're gonna love it!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-56548261567394754692016-12-20T14:20:00.000-08:002016-12-20T14:23:54.063-08:00Team Time-Getting ready to build your team in 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the biggest struggles people in direct sales face is team building. One of the biggest road blocks in building your team is perception. It's not only the perception that a direct sales company is a "real" job, but it's your own perception that you aren't qualified to lead because you don't yet believe in your business.<br />
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In order to effectively recruit, you have to shift that perception. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfqdWWtSWEUVSvzd4X1_9vAw3dnNWYJkoOPLdx0837V8AiIlOBQlbKwSiBq47TLpbdUq2z5nDFXrNKWIZcl-IO2LGSKMCLB-aD_IZkaGJs8loyttEw9hitQ3PVFTuonaY_Vd_yDbmOm-a/s1600/1935477_10156352322255328_8194845789551968547_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfqdWWtSWEUVSvzd4X1_9vAw3dnNWYJkoOPLdx0837V8AiIlOBQlbKwSiBq47TLpbdUq2z5nDFXrNKWIZcl-IO2LGSKMCLB-aD_IZkaGJs8loyttEw9hitQ3PVFTuonaY_Vd_yDbmOm-a/s320/1935477_10156352322255328_8194845789551968547_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this photo, I am surrounded by incredibly successful women.</td></tr>
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I had this realization a while back when I decided to join a networking group. I got dressed in my business best and slunk into the back corner of the meeting because I did't feel like I deserved to be there. These were women who had created products that were in every store from Walmart to Costco, women who owned realty groups, successful coffee chains, salons, and marketing firms. I didn't feel like I fit in because I was just a mom trying to grow a <a href="http://www.stunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Damsel in Defense</a> business.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeVleMu9nPITvY7UJk32Q5ACZjpDWX-4aVSh9PuPKxmOe8iw2rWuaEOaqjgpZUKie3_zzPGIWV2vBcmUz0uZmhF2cT8WYRcmyP47l3VtZb1_T_9qdHRU7zuF_sFhoDih1gBv5CVNMfcJv/s1600/11141286_994842693868853_6371387750769604116_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeVleMu9nPITvY7UJk32Q5ACZjpDWX-4aVSh9PuPKxmOe8iw2rWuaEOaqjgpZUKie3_zzPGIWV2vBcmUz0uZmhF2cT8WYRcmyP47l3VtZb1_T_9qdHRU7zuF_sFhoDih1gBv5CVNMfcJv/s320/11141286_994842693868853_6371387750769604116_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am the owner of a direct sales business with more than<br />
30 hard working girls who are constantly growing, and they<br />
believe in me.</td></tr>
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When I was evaluating why my business was at a stand still, it was painfully obvious. I didn't believe I was an expert in my field. I believed that everyone looked down on my business and saw me as another mlm scam. </div>
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Well guess what? I am the owner of a direct sales business, which is not the same as an mlm. I have a team of more than 30 hard working girls who are constantly growing, and they believe in me. The moment I realized my value, I started projecting myself as a successful business owner, and things began to change. People began to shift their perception of what I did, but it first took me shifting mine. Now, I can waltz into a networking meeting and know that I have just as much worth as the women there. They start to see the value in my business and take the time to connect me with people in their networks to do business with, and my business begins to grow.</div>
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For me, 2017 is going to be the year of shifting perception. I will be doing a series of challenges on Tuesdays to help others break out of the mindset that direct selling isn't a "real" job. No matter what your company is, join me in claiming your place as the CEO of your business and power building the company of your dreams. The first challenge will be January 3rd, 2017.<br />
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If you have no idea what a direct sales company is, but you're looking for a way to work from home, in your own hours, and make a great living, contact me at Sunshine@YourDamselDiva.com or go to my website <a href="http://stunguncrew.com/">StunGunCrew.com</a> and let's talk about it!</div>
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Are you ready?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-12085765333449768112016-12-19T13:16:00.000-08:002016-12-19T13:16:31.960-08:00Motivation Mondays-get those last minute shoppers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The end of the year can be a really hard time for many
<a href="http://www.stunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">businesses</a>. The Christmas rush slows
down, and people start holding on to their money very tightly. It can spell disaster if you’re not prepared
for a decline in sales. This is the time
of year when last minute shoppers are your bread and butter. How is a <a href="http://www.stunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">direct seller</a> supposed to get in
front of a last-minute shopper when they are probably just going to dash in the
nearest store and pick out something that they know their gift receiver will
probably not like?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Being creative in the final push for Christmas is going to
set you apart from everyone else. You
know as well as I do that our last-minute shopper is on Facebook trying to
figure out what to get their gift receivers right now, and think about what
they see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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500 things that have been copied and pasted, 200
advertisements from every other business, pictures of kids, and funny videos. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwaq8ScXn47rc-oyUEgIHGUCUMokUt7wEvgJJRU_x6RkbwicFISwKZ2Hco_wqqrvjxcaRg7CxktB6QdL-bZmcprW9tYR-wikVvhRchJZ_fT9WpOzhSj6VYUmbKrXHVJgJ7HNqJ-0rEH0J/s1600/entertained.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwaq8ScXn47rc-oyUEgIHGUCUMokUt7wEvgJJRU_x6RkbwicFISwKZ2Hco_wqqrvjxcaRg7CxktB6QdL-bZmcprW9tYR-wikVvhRchJZ_fT9WpOzhSj6VYUmbKrXHVJgJ7HNqJ-0rEH0J/s320/entertained.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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People get on social media to be entertained. It’s the great American time suck, and most
of that entertainment comes in the form of videos. I’m not talking about just sitting in front
of your camera and babbling on Facebook live for twenty minutes, I’m talking
about hilarious entertaining videos or live feeds. <o:p></o:p></div>
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How do you get this shopper’s attention? Be silly and think Christmas. Decorate yourself like a Christmas tree and
sing a song about how amazing they are and how much you want to help them purchase
your product. Create an online
character, click that Go Live button, and have some fun. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are some tips to making great Facebook videos:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Keep them under 2 minutes. Social media has created a civilization of
people with finger <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlovgfE61aheZJo_F75Ye2lZJrVkt7guRjLjqhOP3d5XN7M7MxEVAhVWezgHmybsXeLKg3MydD3trnTJVRBAYx4fEvFkIudI4xQ9oga0QTSuUf3z_RW04lDG6LZH0Bdh1Olnqw4RDFVXeP/s1600/Untitled+design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlovgfE61aheZJo_F75Ye2lZJrVkt7guRjLjqhOP3d5XN7M7MxEVAhVWezgHmybsXeLKg3MydD3trnTJVRBAYx4fEvFkIudI4xQ9oga0QTSuUf3z_RW04lDG6LZH0Bdh1Olnqw4RDFVXeP/s320/Untitled+design.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
swiping ADHD. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Plan out what you’re going to say and do before
you start.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Make sure it’s relevant to what your viewers are
looking for. Don’t dress like a vampire
the week before Christmas and try to sell Halloween, unless you’re selling blinky
green and red vampire teeth.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Find blinky red and green vampire teeth and send
them to me, because I need that in my life.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Don’t live feed everyone to death. One good live feed per day is great. Contact some of your biggest cheerleaders and
ask them if they will share it on their pages and give you a plug, but contact
them in person.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Don’t spam.
Facebook jail is a real thing. Don’t
go there. I hear the food is terrible
and there aren’t any mojitos. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Most important, be clear and concise in what you’re
trying to communicate and HAVE FUN!</span></li>
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<a href="http://www.stunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Trust me, you’re <span id="goog_2126218445"></span><span id="goog_2126218446"></span>gonna’ love it!<o:p></o:p></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q4zSctSwgi6mBuNuMOzTDClFfBWbmU1CA-ZxsqyhV2E2F7s6Cklu_Qx9BLnMw49dj1l6c3Tc96hjWwoMyHcUy4UhUFfI_d8-1tgt236-oDSNDUKUPKpFukel8_lhVPfcTveaGriz_uvw/s1600/X.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q4zSctSwgi6mBuNuMOzTDClFfBWbmU1CA-ZxsqyhV2E2F7s6Cklu_Qx9BLnMw49dj1l6c3Tc96hjWwoMyHcUy4UhUFfI_d8-1tgt236-oDSNDUKUPKpFukel8_lhVPfcTveaGriz_uvw/s320/X.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzUwFLQvsYHesEKNzIIqT55hyphenhyphenj1rr3IQqKW34G4ZLnZu6htN-G1ZnByIqXEx_xpN0xsRrOBuxJhF4bIYnALH7shwfOu7Pe87yvfZJMST70AO8DWLbmfo4Qy1Iymx-4zvCIcZbrWr31675/s1600/The+StunGunGirl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzUwFLQvsYHesEKNzIIqT55hyphenhyphenj1rr3IQqKW34G4ZLnZu6htN-G1ZnByIqXEx_xpN0xsRrOBuxJhF4bIYnALH7shwfOu7Pe87yvfZJMST70AO8DWLbmfo4Qy1Iymx-4zvCIcZbrWr31675/s320/The+StunGunGirl.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-91492371279933455452016-12-16T10:08:00.000-08:002016-12-16T10:13:00.031-08:00A pause in your business can mean a future struggle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzUwFLQvsYHesEKNzIIqT55hyphenhyphenj1rr3IQqKW34G4ZLnZu6htN-G1ZnByIqXEx_xpN0xsRrOBuxJhF4bIYnALH7shwfOu7Pe87yvfZJMST70AO8DWLbmfo4Qy1Iymx-4zvCIcZbrWr31675/s1600/The+StunGunGirl.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzUwFLQvsYHesEKNzIIqT55hyphenhyphenj1rr3IQqKW34G4ZLnZu6htN-G1ZnByIqXEx_xpN0xsRrOBuxJhF4bIYnALH7shwfOu7Pe87yvfZJMST70AO8DWLbmfo4Qy1Iymx-4zvCIcZbrWr31675/s320/The+StunGunGirl.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Many of you may have noticed that there hasn't been a <a href="http://www.stunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">StunGunGirl </a>blog post in quite a while. Many of you also know that a few months ago, life was moving along at the perfect pace when I was given a cancer diagnosis. My seemingly perfect little universe was turned up-side-down, in-side-out, and kicked across the cosmos.<br />
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Even still, through the process of wrapping my brain around the C word that was living in my body, learning treatment options, deciding to go with surgery, and then the hardship of healing, my long term goals never wavered. I thought for sure that when I was well, I would just pick up where I left off and continue the climb to the top with only maybe a minor hiccup.<br />
<br />
Boy was I wrong.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ybpFvt2RBNUdZxacWRM-qPy6VOu-ps38SR7CJIdeWL2vlnal0qvqhu7S2sPmBRaBGJTr39Xq8Vs5nvM-ETvXG8F-vRdM1diMowrsE20IzTB7jQQtDueRbTpgExbTa-mjLYgBYW9zLItm/s1600/fiitfu-300x276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ybpFvt2RBNUdZxacWRM-qPy6VOu-ps38SR7CJIdeWL2vlnal0qvqhu7S2sPmBRaBGJTr39Xq8Vs5nvM-ETvXG8F-vRdM1diMowrsE20IzTB7jQQtDueRbTpgExbTa-mjLYgBYW9zLItm/s1600/fiitfu-300x276.jpg" /></a></div>
As I sat down in front of my computer and opened my CRM software (I love <a href="https://members.fiitfu.com/ilovethis/StunGunSunshineOConnor" target="_blank">fiitfu</a>.com the most), it overwhelmed me. I had 196 overdue followups. I suddenly realized that I was so behind I might never catch up. When I started working through those followups, I also realized that none of my contact's lives stopped, and it was like starting all over again with at least 180 of them. <br />
<br />
That was just the foothills of Mt. Overwhelming. <br />
<br />
All the while, I didn't want to appear that things weren't okay, so I appeared as if business was normal on the outside saying things like, "I'm so blessed to have a job that I can take time off for to beat this cancer," because I didn't want to scare anyone away from joining my company. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfO_b_6EBQHrQaDWbWhuqwIalqs1m_6OOKb-7yRNqTMQaJqXXInSaVQbtgZqaihm06O3rJof2IESYanJ51SYFDhnEuii0oo6weziF0_C6V_3RljgUcnFVPFsyiOiUSPdvW6bbjz8YB1TH/s1600/open+wa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfO_b_6EBQHrQaDWbWhuqwIalqs1m_6OOKb-7yRNqTMQaJqXXInSaVQbtgZqaihm06O3rJof2IESYanJ51SYFDhnEuii0oo6weziF0_C6V_3RljgUcnFVPFsyiOiUSPdvW6bbjz8YB1TH/s320/open+wa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Really, taking months off to fight a beast like cancer already takes a mental and physical toll on you. I wish I would have known the reality of taking that time off and what it would be like to come back to work after so much time passed. I think I could have been better prepared for what was to come. I'm here to tell you, you don't pick up where you left off, you start about 500 steps behind, and that's okay.<br />
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When you expect to come back to the exact point you left off, it doesn't feel okay. Luckily, I learned something really important along the way, and even though I felt like I was treading water in my last hour of strength in the open waters of the deep blue sea, I reached out. When you're feeling down, call up. I wasn't just feeling down, I was feeling defeated. My fire was gone and I was questioning whether or not I could succeed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0K-XsVYLiQQ65fXPOuDFSyZXsBwr9GHoyUjgB1sVAl825_jP0YUVjel9lJXfb_YFe3D3XtEvnt1IUW5IGaRaVJRMM8LoJiubJzcOQ0aOWMjjEbMpq8JaoVTm_Rlqg_H5CalcwbCaG4X1/s1600/fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0K-XsVYLiQQ65fXPOuDFSyZXsBwr9GHoyUjgB1sVAl825_jP0YUVjel9lJXfb_YFe3D3XtEvnt1IUW5IGaRaVJRMM8LoJiubJzcOQ0aOWMjjEbMpq8JaoVTm_Rlqg_H5CalcwbCaG4X1/s320/fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I am here to tell you, that after some hours on the phone with some amazing ladies who not only let me fall apart, but then picked up my pieces and handed them back to me while reminding me who I am, what my destiny is, that there is no future without me in it (especially for me), and told me to put those damned pieces back together, I am ready. The fire has been lit, the passion has reignited, and even though I'm not starting where I thought I would, I'm getting started where I am. <br />
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How do you eat an elephant? Invite your friends! When you're feeling down, call up, and when you're feeling up, call down. You never know which one of your team members might be floating in open water alone and not saying anything.<br />
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Have a blessed day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q4zSctSwgi6mBuNuMOzTDClFfBWbmU1CA-ZxsqyhV2E2F7s6Cklu_Qx9BLnMw49dj1l6c3Tc96hjWwoMyHcUy4UhUFfI_d8-1tgt236-oDSNDUKUPKpFukel8_lhVPfcTveaGriz_uvw/s1600/X.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q4zSctSwgi6mBuNuMOzTDClFfBWbmU1CA-ZxsqyhV2E2F7s6Cklu_Qx9BLnMw49dj1l6c3Tc96hjWwoMyHcUy4UhUFfI_d8-1tgt236-oDSNDUKUPKpFukel8_lhVPfcTveaGriz_uvw/s320/X.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-81451581793998384772016-10-06T23:00:00.000-07:002016-10-06T23:02:32.101-07:00CEO of Backpage arrested on charges of pimping<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3lcgwwqENHeg83Ih6v1dVWL5LwZ9ccXE-CK6j1ksCs-cM2Tgf6xM4ah6RkAKq_lYQqBMVBTiowMr1jWN7eQsqV67dhDvBzsu-W9o-nuNFeHAvRo6OaeVOU5wu-dr4Y6eThFxqNNTTAa_/s1600/Screen_Shot_2016-10-06_at_5.54.46_PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3lcgwwqENHeg83Ih6v1dVWL5LwZ9ccXE-CK6j1ksCs-cM2Tgf6xM4ah6RkAKq_lYQqBMVBTiowMr1jWN7eQsqV67dhDvBzsu-W9o-nuNFeHAvRo6OaeVOU5wu-dr4Y6eThFxqNNTTAa_/s320/Screen_Shot_2016-10-06_at_5.54.46_PM.png" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
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Carl Ferrer, 55, CEO of Backpage.com</div>
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For years, dozens of organizations have been on the heels of Dallas-based website Backpage, linked to sex trafficking and prostitution. Because of a major investigation launched against the site, Carl Ferrer, CEO of the websitehas been arrested, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday.</div>
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Ferrer was arrested on charges of pimping and related crimes in California at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport around 2 p.m. Thursday. He was returning from Amsterdam, where the company also has offices. Texas will also be investigating. </div>
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"A lengthy joint investigation by the offices of the Texas and California attorneys general uncovered evidence that adult and child sex trafficking victims were forced into prostitution through escort ads that appeared repeatedly on Backpage," read a release from Paxton's office sent later Thursday.</div>
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Texas investigators were executing a search warrant at Backpage's offices at the corner of Oak Lawn and Maple Avenues in Dallas during the arrest. </div>
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“Backpage is the single largest advertiser of adult escort services" in the United States, Paxton said. The company “advertises sex acts for money,” and earns millions of dollars in advertising profits annually, he added.</div>
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An indictment filed in late September and obtained Thursday by News 8 cites 17 incidents between 2012 and 2015 in which sex trafficking advertisements were purportedly posted on Backpage.</div>
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The site made $2 million per month in advertisements from October 2014 to May 2015, the indictment states.</div>
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The Texas attorney general said Backpage exploited both adults and children for financial gain.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-86331888299030563832016-09-26T22:05:00.001-07:002016-09-26T22:10:19.915-07:00What the heck happened to my business plan?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am the first one to tell people that in order to make God laugh, all you need to do is tell him your plans. It's all fun and games until it's my plan that gets smashed to pieces.<br />
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I had a bullet proof business plan. For two months I have been busting my tail to attain it, taking trainings, putting processes into place, and making sure to reach out to 5 new contacts every day. My calendar was FILLED, I was all signed up for our Destination Diamond program, and I was going to be a director by October. <br />
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That was my plan. The math was there, the formula was working, and my team had a record breaking month in August. Not to mention, <a href="http://www.mydamselpro.net/SUNSHINEOCONNOR/content/jointeam.aspx" target="_blank">Damsel in Defense</a> released the September special.....<a href="http://www.mydamselpro.net/SUNSHINEOCONNOR/content/jointeam.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">$99 to join</span></a>? Holy canoli!!!! I jumped right into the month with gazelle intensity that would have made Dave Ramsey blush! <br />
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At the same time, I was undergoing a series of tests because my body was a little out of whack. Okay, by a little out of whack, I mean if I was a golf ball getting whacked by Happy Gilmore, that would be the out of whack my body was being. <br />
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Still, a little thyroid medication here, a month of water pills there, some blood work, and some invasive tests were NOT going to stop my road to director.<br />
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Then, one beautiful morning, I got the call. It was my doctor's assistant telling me that my doctor wanted me to come in right away to discuss some test results. <br />
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My heart stopped. "Can you just tell me over the phone?" I asked. No. No, she couldn't. My doctor will only go over these results in person.<br />
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Well that's it, isn't it. I'm dying. <br />
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Through a series of miracles and child care clients who are more like family than clients, parents showed up out of the woodwork to get their kiddos so that my husband could go be with me to hear my sentence. <br />
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The doctor's office was somber. Everyone spoke to me in a lower and more careful tone. I was checked in, and sitting in a room full of future mommies waiting to see their babies on ultrasound or to find out how they were progressing. I was waiting to find out what the rest of my life was going to look like. It was like driving through darkness with no headlights. <br />
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Finally, we were called back. Uncomfortably, we shared very few words as we waited for the doctor. An eternity passed, and every movement I made was emphasized by the deafening sound of the paper underneath me. My heart pounded in my chest, and I struggled not to run away. <br />
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Then she came in and told me the news. I had cancer, however there was a good chance she got it all. <br />
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Wait....<br />
what?...<br />
I have what?...<br />
Did you say......?<br />
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She kept talking, but I am sure I stuck my head under water, because that's what it sounded like...distorted echoes of her voice answering my husband's questions.<br />
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There was no prognosis, just a referral to an oncologist....an.....oncologist.....<br />
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My oncologist. The one who would be treating my cancer.<br />
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There's that word again.<br />
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Wait, I don't have cancer. Didn't she say she got it all? Why do I need an oncologist?<br />
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The next week was a mixture of hyperventilating, crying, numbness, and not knowing what to say when people had questions.<br />
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What stage is it?<br />
What is the prognosis?<br />
What do you need?<br />
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I need this to go AWAY because I have a BUSINESS to run!!!! <br />
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Next I met with my oncologist, who told me again that I had cancer, and I would be having surgery that will knock me out for 6-12 weeks. <br />
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What?<br />
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Director is slipping from my fingertips again.......<br />
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Then it hit me...oh yeah, my plan isn't always the plan I get to have.<br />
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Sometimes you have to put yourself in check and remember that you're not in control. <br />
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Has it slowed my business? <br />
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Yes. <br />
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I have been taking more time with my babies, snuggling my husband, taking care of myself, and preparing for the long winter ahead. Am I still working? Heck yes, but my balance has changed. Director will be there when it's time to be there. Until then, I'm going to be focusing on the things I can control. <br />
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My prognosis is good. I will be having a radical hysterectomy with a small possibility of radiation. <br />
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Cloudy with a chance of radioactive meatballs.....<br />
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I am staying positive. I have come to terms with the phrase, "I have cancer". I can say it without crying my face off. I can say that I need prayers, encouragement, and support. <br />
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My business plan will be modified, and I will take the time I need to heal, but I'm not going to give up or let this stop me from my goals. <span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><u>That is the beauty of a business like <a href="http://www.mydamselpro.net/SUNSHINEOCONNOR/content/jointeam.aspx" target="_blank">Damsel in Defense</a>, you can work it around your needs instead of having to work around a boss and an unreal work schedule.</u></span> I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for the flexibility of this business.<br />
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I will say one thing. I would be lost in my business if I didn't have a business plan in place. I may be modifying it, but I still have clear goals and actions in place. <br />
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Today I have decided that it's not my business plan. It's God's business plan, and I'm going to work with what he gives me.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-42179247970060444792016-08-24T14:31:00.003-07:002016-08-24T14:31:58.487-07:00Let's talk about our direct sales friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi blog family, I hope this post finds you well today. <br />
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Two things have been bothering me for about a week now, and that usually means I need to sit down and write about it. What could they be? They both boil down to how we treat our friends in other direct sales companies.<br />
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This particular blog post was brought on by a complaint that was posted publicly on Facebook by a girl we'll call Suzie Q. You see, Suzie Q was feeling jealous last week because one of her friends signed on with a different direct sales company than she was in. <br />
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The first bothersome moment was a complaint post went something like this:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I just don't understand why someone would join another company when they have seen how much I have made with my company."</span></b></blockquote>
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While it is okay to wonder about the answer to that question, it's only okay to do it alone, and in your head. I feel like this is obvious, but let's be honest, Captain Obvious wouldn't be a character in a major media campaign if there weren't enough people who lacked the ability to know when something is obvious, and this isn't the first time I've seen someone post something similar. <br />
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The second thing is a constant bother. <br />
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I am a cheerleader. I don't care what direct sales company you're in, or even if it isn't a direct sales company at all, I love cheering people on, even if it's hard. I have a rule of thumb that I live by. That rule is, if you're feeling jealous or upset at someone, that is when you need to force yourself to cheer them on. I hardly ever have to force myself because of those reasons, but sometimes I do find myself having a Facebook like fest, and I have to stop and actually slow down and comment. <br />
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I want my time on Facebook to be actually building relationships and caring about what the people I have accepted in my life are doing, whether they are struggling or succeeding. <br />
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Here's the bother, and I know some people do this out of excitement for their own businesses, but when I comment on another direct seller's post and five minutes later I get this message:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Hey, I saw that you liked my post about promoting to yadda yadda. If you join my team, you can yadda yadda too."</blockquote>
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Hmmmmm.......does anyone else see the problem with that?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QKmBHFMRGdmIk247Vu9aMN-Ede_Jwww8GmAowfDVpAGOfsbg4sAlu26Dw11yXZlqFTvnmg2A7P8Nb6ozFlta7MKgUP98qxGkM4V4qevMhymwnDJzCJ-PGKkCJzfrGoX4K71dGBXupyaz/s1600/first-rodeo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QKmBHFMRGdmIk247Vu9aMN-Ede_Jwww8GmAowfDVpAGOfsbg4sAlu26Dw11yXZlqFTvnmg2A7P8Nb6ozFlta7MKgUP98qxGkM4V4qevMhymwnDJzCJ-PGKkCJzfrGoX4K71dGBXupyaz/s320/first-rodeo1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I chalk it up to people not knowing because maybe it is their first rodeo or something, and I'm always gracious about declining, but then I stay on their "lead" list and get the algorithm of contacts. Once a week for a month, then once every two weeks for two months, then once a month until they either give up or I tell them for the ten thousandth time,<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"<i>Thank you, but I'm focusing on my <a href="http://www.thestunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Damsel</a> business. I wish you nothing but success in [enter business here]</i>"</span></blockquote>
<br />
So, here's a golden nugget of direct sales advice, and I promise you, it will grow your business ten thousand times more strong than head hunting your direct sales friends.<br />
<br />
Are you ready?<br />
<br />
Here it is:<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't head hunt your other direct sales friends. Invest in the relationship instead.</span></u></b></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXTOtb9BqfglTotwERjJHGn5HYoamvB-KngS_8xItzwJam6mRXWtM9-xe_zeD367iDBl5Cw2L5vYmP4oSf4eIenag4WzG53aHOgaBYRhHOn8MJrB_rHU6ESsJY3GfbuDr34L2g3Pr4D_c/s1600/dr+who.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXTOtb9BqfglTotwERjJHGn5HYoamvB-KngS_8xItzwJam6mRXWtM9-xe_zeD367iDBl5Cw2L5vYmP4oSf4eIenag4WzG53aHOgaBYRhHOn8MJrB_rHU6ESsJY3GfbuDr34L2g3Pr4D_c/s320/dr+who.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Whaaaaaaaat?<br />
<br />
Yes. Let me set up a scenario:<br />
<br />
I have a friend who sells a makeup line. Let's call her Sally. Sally is growing her business and jumping up the ranks, and is posting about how she gets to go on this amazing all expense paid trip to somewhere with palm trees and umbrella drinks that you need a passport to go to. <br />
<br />
I congratulate her or tell her how awesome she is on every photo she posts, because I genuinely love seeing people succeed. <br />
<br />
Sally knows that I'm not trying to join her team, because she's also blessed me with gushes of congratulations on every achievement I make too, because she genuinely cares about people doing what they love and loving what they do.<br />
<br />
She has never once, in more than a year of knowing her, asked me to join her team. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fX1Luj0OF6owH0FDtUUlfc7wbOXVS3H5R8sKPBLaXW_6Hfs7vthp9aezlJuLRH_KwhJceXrAnoHjp5mtl-4-eecGLsH7c4vELFtCPxuReegIvAUEJAR3SRQmsnPPxO52fV5tNDrwfZPR/s1600/referal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fX1Luj0OF6owH0FDtUUlfc7wbOXVS3H5R8sKPBLaXW_6Hfs7vthp9aezlJuLRH_KwhJceXrAnoHjp5mtl-4-eecGLsH7c4vELFtCPxuReegIvAUEJAR3SRQmsnPPxO52fV5tNDrwfZPR/s320/referal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Instead, she has sent people to me by saying,<br />
<i><br /></i>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"Girl, I know this amazing <a href="http://www.thestunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Damsel</a>, she will hook you up! Just tell her I sent you!" </span></i> </blockquote>
<br />
Why? Because she knows that safety is important, and I have invested in a relationship with her. <br />
<br />
At the same time, whenever someone asks what makeup to try or if I have a friend selling her specific line, what do you think I say?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"Girl, I know this amazing makeup girl! She will hook you up! Just tell her I sent you!"</span></i></blockquote>
<br />
I know she will take excellent care of my referral, and I know she will send referrals my way.<br />
<br />
Some of those people just buy, some join her team, some join mine, but the point is, we have each other's backs. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCyQEj8FL6ADimbq_pQSqMc58XVRbrTqmcOklczrIjxFsVAufovve3MZTAP4lnfwBRpIughbUBdJRc23-oZlZajWYL4ApHHvFEjTX6BBU87tDeOaxz28NvGwGHn1-eI7VOwUFNtipnzcJ/s1600/What_Meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCyQEj8FL6ADimbq_pQSqMc58XVRbrTqmcOklczrIjxFsVAufovve3MZTAP4lnfwBRpIughbUBdJRc23-oZlZajWYL4ApHHvFEjTX6BBU87tDeOaxz28NvGwGHn1-eI7VOwUFNtipnzcJ/s320/What_Meme.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As a matter of fact, I have a referral program that is a win-win for everyone. If a person refers someone to me and they join my team,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">I <b><u>pay</u></b> the person who referred them <b><u>$25</u></b> if my new team member reaches their first promotion within 60 days, which is a cake walk. </span></blockquote>
<br />
That's <b>twenty five smakeroos</b> just for realizing someone would benefit from owning their own <a href="http://www.thestunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Damsel in Defense</a> company. <br />
<br />
On the same hand, if I don't feel like someone will soar with <a href="http://www.thestunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Damsel</a> but I know they would probably be amazing at another direct sales company, I connect them with a mentor from that company that I have a <span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>relationship</u></b></span> with. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U4zpgDzBuOVl8VYr9AUBU9XxxfRDmWeIfdnVqwIwS_VNfAGiTYS8aNvVlwVm0n1ldXOGbxc-KnkLqbQcwoWDrJamlnaTLFDX1Nn8NSdrFNZ4GhzD7xlMWREv3JFcBrVfdNFsPzUPJBcx/s1600/In+this+life%252C+you%2527re+either+a+fountain.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U4zpgDzBuOVl8VYr9AUBU9XxxfRDmWeIfdnVqwIwS_VNfAGiTYS8aNvVlwVm0n1ldXOGbxc-KnkLqbQcwoWDrJamlnaTLFDX1Nn8NSdrFNZ4GhzD7xlMWREv3JFcBrVfdNFsPzUPJBcx/s320/In+this+life%252C+you%2527re+either+a+fountain.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Think about it, do you want someone to join your team who isn't passionate about what you do? It won't work! If I have a person looking to join a direct sales team who just isn't feeling <a href="http://www.thestunguncrew.com/" target="_blank">Damsel</a> but LOVES makeup, where do you think they are going to succeed? <br />
<br />
I'll tell you one thing, I definitely would support them in their choice rather than shame them for not choosing me. <br />
<br />
So, there it is. Two things, off my chest and out in the universe. I hope it helps you in your business practices, and remember, there are two kinds of people. You're either a fountain or a siphon. Which one are you today?<br />
<br />
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</div>
Have a blessed day,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JW9jDpI32K56Ro2DgnvSoOkr4BQsHN_ckqSxHLcfngZzPQS46DQLTqK4gZ392chK2ZG23bmn8N4dwQOspATu0BH7IkgdHIdXWAoty0mnngzMigr64AExCZYln4HGXmNUXmapPS8Tqhl6/s1600/X.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JW9jDpI32K56Ro2DgnvSoOkr4BQsHN_ckqSxHLcfngZzPQS46DQLTqK4gZ392chK2ZG23bmn8N4dwQOspATu0BH7IkgdHIdXWAoty0mnngzMigr64AExCZYln4HGXmNUXmapPS8Tqhl6/s200/X.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0CbWDwaiUn4-MLqi35RA0uBBqaiSU5TaX63k1n_aOC19Q9y8mzaFcVVtOz7dJ1DdCaqrDkbZXT7CyX_ZMYzG3XrCrwm4SjAHyyCe7CTD48ac-RqxUQqMvwyrXsWxg_OjMVk0zQYSdUkh/s1600/The+StunGunGirl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0CbWDwaiUn4-MLqi35RA0uBBqaiSU5TaX63k1n_aOC19Q9y8mzaFcVVtOz7dJ1DdCaqrDkbZXT7CyX_ZMYzG3XrCrwm4SjAHyyCe7CTD48ac-RqxUQqMvwyrXsWxg_OjMVk0zQYSdUkh/s400/The+StunGunGirl.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-62826883951066543292016-07-29T07:00:00.000-07:002016-07-29T07:07:39.036-07:00Finally, you can talk to your kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76DOsn8b2-wnSJf_XO_yFa3moEFM2-RGo0IA-8wkbhKsAzQpN5B1ya5uPWxcmxtrYBeHz7QlYYQM5c8wYdNQPZ8hWFA1P9xJdXW1WCzQq-CV9LowLDLAZfoR7jRj6wzLv7HjnrIXhjyOG/s1600/aristotle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76DOsn8b2-wnSJf_XO_yFa3moEFM2-RGo0IA-8wkbhKsAzQpN5B1ya5uPWxcmxtrYBeHz7QlYYQM5c8wYdNQPZ8hWFA1P9xJdXW1WCzQq-CV9LowLDLAZfoR7jRj6wzLv7HjnrIXhjyOG/s320/aristotle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Looking back through history, there are several people in history that changed a generation. Jesus, The
Boston Tea Party, Mother Theresa, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther
King Jr. jump to mind immediately when you think of positive changes to our
world. The social changes they made
through their actions greatly impacted humanity for the better. According to MIT, the most influential person
in history is Aristotle. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aristotle was an Ancient Greek philosopher born circa 384
B.C. in Stagira, Greece. At 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 338, he
began tutoring Alexander the Great. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school,
the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying,
teaching and writing. Aristotle died in 322 B.C. after being one of the most
influential people to form western philosophy.
He did that through learning, writing, and teaching. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsVHE84TkrA0RNXFtPjeoZ_Qe5rySJwDE9WCvbu2us8xPtxAyZDsNATRNbj7EevDRBXsYLeoLQchDGbaoAVoBc6tuL6_G3uHLLMcZZ8IekjxICPIqNJHbZUsas_ZRMv0_Q8M-wnNKv1U2/s1600/safe-hearts-stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsVHE84TkrA0RNXFtPjeoZ_Qe5rySJwDE9WCvbu2us8xPtxAyZDsNATRNbj7EevDRBXsYLeoLQchDGbaoAVoBc6tuL6_G3uHLLMcZZ8IekjxICPIqNJHbZUsas_ZRMv0_Q8M-wnNKv1U2/s320/safe-hearts-stats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here we stand, in the 21<sup>st</sup> century in a country
where we are free to believe anything, to live out any possibility, and to love
who we want to love, yet the statistics still remain that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in
6 boys will be sexually abused. It’s a
silent epidemic that affects nearly everyone in some way, either because they
were abused, or they know someone who was.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More than a year ago, a team was formed within a company
called Damsel in Defense. Even before
Damsel in Defense became a household name, Co-Founder Mindy Lin knew there was a
need to protect more than adult women.
From the beginning, she wanted to find a way to change the way abuse had
always been silenced. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTPYLJdcyX6CRlnVAn7R71pn38r-lHfc7nQ3u9etZeNypEF9dV8ywTVnXGeWMJtvgG3pkQbf8PLvJA0U0GyyUYcrqZ0MCpR_rPXfzJUo3rLRvveH3q3pP345cwXuh7BWkucOzUf70NlmN/s1600/Somethings_Missing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTPYLJdcyX6CRlnVAn7R71pn38r-lHfc7nQ3u9etZeNypEF9dV8ywTVnXGeWMJtvgG3pkQbf8PLvJA0U0GyyUYcrqZ0MCpR_rPXfzJUo3rLRvveH3q3pP345cwXuh7BWkucOzUf70NlmN/s320/Somethings_Missing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As an outspoken survivor, advocate, student of abuse, writer,
and public speaker, when I started with Damsel in Defense, I knew in my heart
there was a greater mission. I tried to
find where my passion was hiding by shadowing others who worked with organizations
that fought sex trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Those are all great causes, and they need
every person they have working for them, but still I felt like there was more. Every time I looked into the eyes of a victim
of any of those things, I saw a lost child staring back at me, pleading for
that one thing that was missing: prevention.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I began working with national organizations like RAINN (Rape
And Incest National Network) by joining their speaker’s bureaus, and searching
more locally where my impact could help my own community by working with OAASIS
(Oregon Abuse Advocates and survivors In Service), but my legacy was still an
enigma.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjH214SOBG9RhC5IyRsETrJ5196rbQNSbz6WzZnxOcxmGrqbTfU4xMLflJFhmi7hrMH-O4suJUT3cVdYQMM_hjVWrTUARNNwcaUd_wEMeGdDHq9mifJv6pQ3ruFI11Qzbg_zWWLKUCSPi/s1600/big.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjH214SOBG9RhC5IyRsETrJ5196rbQNSbz6WzZnxOcxmGrqbTfU4xMLflJFhmi7hrMH-O4suJUT3cVdYQMM_hjVWrTUARNNwcaUd_wEMeGdDHq9mifJv6pQ3ruFI11Qzbg_zWWLKUCSPi/s320/big.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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When Mindy Lin contacted me to work on a top secret project
that would help children, I was all in.
After flying to Boise, Damsel in Defense’s headquarters, for a
brainstorming meeting, it was clear the direction we were going and we went to
work to answer the question that was presented to me as a survivor: What did I
need to help tell?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6m1qrt_LaXt7eEzzNTQ-pCl849y1GiBRyw9HSq0G1_LOc1WL26MXX3YxWkjSKpaV7Ur-rH6EcC5pPR7HhhD5CBmXliURy2tpvHHAB8merB4NIB2EFTp9QEHn7cxcu_RVq8VKofr-ke-48/s1600/240_F_78134960_SaPuoYl4XHSelck2BUjlN5hz7RzOnIx5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6m1qrt_LaXt7eEzzNTQ-pCl849y1GiBRyw9HSq0G1_LOc1WL26MXX3YxWkjSKpaV7Ur-rH6EcC5pPR7HhhD5CBmXliURy2tpvHHAB8merB4NIB2EFTp9QEHn7cxcu_RVq8VKofr-ke-48/s320/240_F_78134960_SaPuoYl4XHSelck2BUjlN5hz7RzOnIx5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The answer was validation.
I tried several times as a child to tell a teacher or a friend’s mom or
someone who I felt could do something about it, and nobody knew what to
do. I didn’t come straight out and say
my father was molesting me, but I clearly was trying to open up a conversation
in hopes that someone would hear me. By
the time I was in the third grade, I already saw that it was pointless, and the
threats from my dad became too much, so I endured. The only programs about my safety that were
offered through my whole life were stranger danger talks. No one repeated to be COURAGEOUS and make the
RIGHT choice, or to keep telling until someone listened. No one said that the invisible line around me
was for anybody, even if I knew them or they tried to make me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKivSWc73xbXog3p27hG1HVUVD4z97Yz97Zrm83rF0WLaGfysWAPXngLXB4OZU-QxeYa6nJx_bz7X4DegUpaVmGbQPtbDKCpoG5D1vdKrnGUJemcSZ5y_nQ_WS0DInxUQmZ_P0uBjQ8xU/s1600/201311010850340017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKivSWc73xbXog3p27hG1HVUVD4z97Yz97Zrm83rF0WLaGfysWAPXngLXB4OZU-QxeYa6nJx_bz7X4DegUpaVmGbQPtbDKCpoG5D1vdKrnGUJemcSZ5y_nQ_WS0DInxUQmZ_P0uBjQ8xU/s320/201311010850340017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These things weren’t talked about, and to
this day, more than 30 years later, I still see it being silenced. The conversations aren’t happening because
people either don’t know how to handle them, or they’re too scared to find out
something is. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s time to normalize the conversation and change the way
society talks about the silent epidemic of abuse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiTra6_ALLILtsFP6IUUQLMrgomlZ2gJ1a5DnkweJ-4T3slzLYR6uYvsan-_ROU3ojr_wjUNjB1y84bIeAb_vyHzLXJmGX0qD5WHRkpozCaWe2H4CzN-OXHv_qzchvHWuu1OgJ0DlR4H0/s1600/safe-hearts-logo-big.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiTra6_ALLILtsFP6IUUQLMrgomlZ2gJ1a5DnkweJ-4T3slzLYR6uYvsan-_ROU3ojr_wjUNjB1y84bIeAb_vyHzLXJmGX0qD5WHRkpozCaWe2H4CzN-OXHv_qzchvHWuu1OgJ0DlR4H0/s1600/safe-hearts-logo-big.png" /></a></div>
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I was commissioned to write a series of children’s books to
start the process of creating safe space for parents to open the conversation
with their children. Our team included
amazing professionals from a psychologist, marketing team, illustrator, and
focus groups. <o:p></o:p></div>
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SAFE Hearts stands for Share Awareness for Family
Empowerment, and begins with the release of the first 2 books, My Friend’s New
Toy and Madison’s Big Brother as well as a Parent Guide. The Parent Guide is key to navigating the
conversations you will start opening up with your kids. It will lead you through why it’s important,
what to look for, and what to do if something in one of the books triggers your
kids to start talking about something that happened to them or someone they
know. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2rogJv1MCBNfDiyhpmeRbYMY-2W50lcWHpfDmL5pwiC91p8VaBtuxEO8qZslqlsW6KGGL0vqw9gGd4HuXNrO88pt3p-O5t1XxP4brEGObOJZwgTrfsXR0685lDF7JCM4op3Ws3Lz0Zlu/s1600/photo-of-safe-hearts-products-2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2rogJv1MCBNfDiyhpmeRbYMY-2W50lcWHpfDmL5pwiC91p8VaBtuxEO8qZslqlsW6KGGL0vqw9gGd4HuXNrO88pt3p-O5t1XxP4brEGObOJZwgTrfsXR0685lDF7JCM4op3Ws3Lz0Zlu/s400/photo-of-safe-hearts-products-2016.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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My Friend’s New Toy is about a young girl who goes to play
at a new friend’s house, where she finds herself in a tricky situation and
meets the Heart Defenders, four kids on a mission to protect the hearts of kids
in trouble. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Madison’s Big Brother takes us to a girl whose best friend’s
brother has a crush that might go too far.
Again, the Heart Defenders step in to teach children everywhere how to
protect their hearts and the hearts of others.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The interaction doesn’t just stop with a story. There are interactive pieces in the back of
each book to keep the conversation going, as well as puzzle packs to keep the
Heart Defenders fresh in their minds, and a website filled with printable
coloring pages, Heart Defender Certificates, and your child’s own Heart
Defender badge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnauXd0nuzAnK_IfHTgEN0lWxc4mPb83CG2O5BrDb4i3agsQr4dRg3ZC4XECbUT1xTKkUoZVksvb8G6Ax2jAsOGHze53mMlwf_ao6AS2oaoWrzCqFf-pZNHerW_cOvXuWVqsSIM6E1_hQ/s1600/speak-your-silence1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnauXd0nuzAnK_IfHTgEN0lWxc4mPb83CG2O5BrDb4i3agsQr4dRg3ZC4XECbUT1xTKkUoZVksvb8G6Ax2jAsOGHze53mMlwf_ao6AS2oaoWrzCqFf-pZNHerW_cOvXuWVqsSIM6E1_hQ/s400/speak-your-silence1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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SAFE Hearts has also partnered with Speak Your Silence, a non-profit that pays for counseling services for children who are victims of sexual abuse. The mission is to empower as many children as possible to change an entire generation of children.</div>
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The end product that was shaped behind closed doors in secret was just a group of people learning, writing, and teaching just like Aristotle did with the hopes that it will make an impact on the lives of families in bondage. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7mIG9zA1S4lYusSmFF_G8OVf4fBHNV_ciF-NPPcgHGPLsU48tk6utyplDV-b0s6wygge6mCtUGHMHJXOnxvy-rdlZVE8hDvPTqCM9Tg9Q_m0vHDGzaB_eHmpvrtLfKCipc_wFXM1NAP9/s1600/shield-bullet-point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7mIG9zA1S4lYusSmFF_G8OVf4fBHNV_ciF-NPPcgHGPLsU48tk6utyplDV-b0s6wygge6mCtUGHMHJXOnxvy-rdlZVE8hDvPTqCM9Tg9Q_m0vHDGzaB_eHmpvrtLfKCipc_wFXM1NAP9/s1600/shield-bullet-point.jpg" /></a></div>
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SAFE HEARTS can be
purchased either directly from the website or by hosing an Empowering
Kidversations class either online or in person, or find your passion in a career you love by joining us. Find more information at YourDamselDiva.com.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-11552324000622243142016-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:002016-06-24T19:00:13.695-07:00Too many babies die in hot cars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFd4JEWj79ikpl12SetkYBQLMP4Dyp2InTZxnJ4gDzu4TS45Tau7nzLmE1UDND381iZLodRgTIuQCMNZaEYu6u_APBqzaZYIiWZPH_PtRt2RYzQuUWXo84L8zQ4EI8QiE8y6CQTNmjQOB7/s1600/hot+temperatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFd4JEWj79ikpl12SetkYBQLMP4Dyp2InTZxnJ4gDzu4TS45Tau7nzLmE1UDND381iZLodRgTIuQCMNZaEYu6u_APBqzaZYIiWZPH_PtRt2RYzQuUWXo84L8zQ4EI8QiE8y6CQTNmjQOB7/s320/hot+temperatures.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Hey everyone! It's summer, we've had very high temps already and we are starting to see the "baby left in a hot car" stories filling our nightly news and our Facebook feed. So, here is my plea..... </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-size: large;">PLEASE!!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Carry a window breaker in your car! Not only could it save YOUR life, but if you see a child, elderly person or animal in a hot car, you could save THEIR life!! Car windows do not break easily...They are made with tempered glass that is very difficult to break. I don't care if you buy one from me or somewhere else, but please carry one! You never know when you might need it to save a life!!!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedEfO_aWrAvBeHU2YHk0wzOTWh6XMEXSbr4aQb6dItH0gq505AykOJNGlaCfNERtTTYdS7b9twg-Y5qtrhCwpSmdPzIUvUoa92iGITc5Wk7ethAIxtB4sfq4tDpBP1MWQvM1HS8C2UWH_/s1600/Fall+%2526+Winter+2015+Party+Pilot+Cards4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedEfO_aWrAvBeHU2YHk0wzOTWh6XMEXSbr4aQb6dItH0gq505AykOJNGlaCfNERtTTYdS7b9twg-Y5qtrhCwpSmdPzIUvUoa92iGITc5Wk7ethAIxtB4sfq4tDpBP1MWQvM1HS8C2UWH_/s320/Fall+%2526+Winter+2015+Party+Pilot+Cards4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">I have a couple you can choose from. There is the Road Trip Auto Tool, which belongs in every single car! It includes:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Strike-free punch glass breaker</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Powerful 3-function LED flashlight</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">LED emergency beacon</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Seat-belt cutter</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Alarm</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmraGkZNSPrX9CG8y3zfLIjheIw-P7LgfwaxnXgtKiXeqAKAvJCzAHUWEkDLJ6CoisFEDdn9c1fCrckSkEKwpKksSHfvFGhyEVlF6ONpydPf0gmvE5r_NSEclgnmvSg45j3F6xa23OKtM/s1600/hard+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmraGkZNSPrX9CG8y3zfLIjheIw-P7LgfwaxnXgtKiXeqAKAvJCzAHUWEkDLJ6CoisFEDdn9c1fCrckSkEKwpKksSHfvFGhyEVlF6ONpydPf0gmvE5r_NSEclgnmvSg45j3F6xa23OKtM/s1600/hard+hand.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">The other option is the Hard Little Hand, a striking tool that comes with a glove so you can wear it while you're jogging or working and not have to think about hanging on to it. The diamond point tip will break tempered automobile glass.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Never be helpless!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Whichever one you choose can be purchased at </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://yourdamseldiva.com/">YourDamselDiva.com</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Live </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">FANTASTICALLY</span><span style="font-size: 12px;"> and </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.yourdamseldiva.com/" target="_blank">FREE</a> </span>of danger!<span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">XOXO,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">The Stun Gun Girl</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Are you looking for a great way to make an extra income? Let's talk! Go to <a href="http://yourdamseldiva.com/">YourDamselDiva.com</a> now!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-26645988158404030572016-06-24T14:00:00.000-07:002016-06-24T14:00:07.399-07:00Kelso vigilante busts internet predators<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2nKk20FE7TjzS3LfoYfwfNUO84b27FR5MgwmPfZO_u3VK3tcyj5Sv0ED_8YvBGNAI9mCtlRtVIDYo85kAkyLbz8gV_Ed_q8xln7q4EJLCRokiEn_Kiro8Tl_xlUX16Qsrbx46h0lX0gA/s1600/creepy+computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2nKk20FE7TjzS3LfoYfwfNUO84b27FR5MgwmPfZO_u3VK3tcyj5Sv0ED_8YvBGNAI9mCtlRtVIDYo85kAkyLbz8gV_Ed_q8xln7q4EJLCRokiEn_Kiro8Tl_xlUX16Qsrbx46h0lX0gA/s320/creepy+computer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A police officer putting on a class about sex trafficking once told me, "Everywhere tweens and teens are, they are. Everywhere."<br />
<br />
This includes the internet. It's never been more important to talk to your kids about the dangers of cyber space. <br />
<br />
One Kelso man, Curtis Hart, is fed up. Along with a few of his friends, he is on a mission to catch as many predators as possible. <br />
<br />
Learn the full story <span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/kelso-vigilante-busts-internet-predators" target="_blank">HERE</a></span>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Live BRAVELY and LOVE LIFE!<br />
<br />
XOXO<br />
<br />
The Stun Gun GirlAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-65771101380388980242016-06-24T07:30:00.000-07:002016-06-24T07:30:12.737-07:00Sextortion: What is it and why are minors most at risk?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9mkbJCGjZCzWRSCKZ8jCdMQQigJ6NiYyLdF3Qavbm-bhgjLWattD1sxp8d2tJObH43B-Oy_EtkspMICJ7MD93AVuwtqp9oW7tjxXnqMM77CI2APAap0TqjnWQXOxp7paaP4t2E3C6tP_/s1600/sextortion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9mkbJCGjZCzWRSCKZ8jCdMQQigJ6NiYyLdF3Qavbm-bhgjLWattD1sxp8d2tJObH43B-Oy_EtkspMICJ7MD93AVuwtqp9oW7tjxXnqMM77CI2APAap0TqjnWQXOxp7paaP4t2E3C6tP_/s320/sextortion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Sextortion
happens when a perpetrator gets a sexual image of another person and forces
that person do to things or the perpetrator will send the images to friends,
family, and loved ones. 60% of
perpetrators know the person before the threats. 40% of perpetrators met their victim
online. 45% of perpetrators carried out
their threats. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">More and more, predators are moving their grooming processes to online. As connectivity grows and grows, it's important to protect your family from harm both physical and digital. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Learn more about sextortion, what it is, and how to talk to your kids about it <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/sextortion-is-on-the-rise-and-minors-are-at-great-risk" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">HERE</span>.</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Be <span style="font-size: x-large;">ADVENTUROUS</span> and stay <span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="htpp://www.yourdamseldiva.com" target="_blank">SAFE</a>!!</span></span><br />
<br />
XOXO<br />
<br />
The Stun Gun Girl<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0rIMLfiwvpI4l9_fQ7m1WWepcgOEUC06ldLoJypq6hattpd9X53bXmTWkD9ESw3Czm8QAn7LQf3GXnhg9obYkU7E9f0n3yevHhfLGQGKbYIfmk5wpuNh6V2PzF-d7VtgbtaG6vshb0ZW/s1600/blog+signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0rIMLfiwvpI4l9_fQ7m1WWepcgOEUC06ldLoJypq6hattpd9X53bXmTWkD9ESw3Czm8QAn7LQf3GXnhg9obYkU7E9f0n3yevHhfLGQGKbYIfmk5wpuNh6V2PzF-d7VtgbtaG6vshb0ZW/s400/blog+signature.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-69888984033770936312016-06-23T22:39:00.001-07:002016-06-23T22:39:51.395-07:00My cup runneth over<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FY7zjXN27Gu6eVdb0W-0jBZ4wVypgvW5GZzt_75aJcX1PIWAbgLhrw6jyAuhkfZ7uJaaiogoeCtvHPPSAHyQvJn0lIndNzGDZYrsyxU-WnrpS3wHrM_XYTD7XHV8er02X5nkYdR4kHrX/s1600/20151225_112432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FY7zjXN27Gu6eVdb0W-0jBZ4wVypgvW5GZzt_75aJcX1PIWAbgLhrw6jyAuhkfZ7uJaaiogoeCtvHPPSAHyQvJn0lIndNzGDZYrsyxU-WnrpS3wHrM_XYTD7XHV8er02X5nkYdR4kHrX/s320/20151225_112432.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are my monkeys.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This evening was amazingly productive. I got some Damsel work done, did some curriculum building for a class I'm putting together, listened to the rain pour (one of my very favorite things), and had a date with my youngest. <br />
<br />
Then came my 3 non-negotiables. We read from the Bible, we read from a devotional, and we pray together. I love those moments of true connectivity. It gives us the opportunity to really get deeper than normal.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbndP5ljfL-ZI7l-ceDbfbT21J5Th9-lIhD8YrM9cihN7phpwuSz6T0IHfVpw_cB4ct_qSKVqC-KY6Eyyr39tAi78SrU3BFbPTFO5li7h3Y4GmFjALJ-5X5FyblvyuBgfFpp8r8pjeomt/s1600/20151123_201124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbndP5ljfL-ZI7l-ceDbfbT21J5Th9-lIhD8YrM9cihN7phpwuSz6T0IHfVpw_cB4ct_qSKVqC-KY6Eyyr39tAi78SrU3BFbPTFO5li7h3Y4GmFjALJ-5X5FyblvyuBgfFpp8r8pjeomt/s320/20151123_201124.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Shenanigans himself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After my non-negotiable time with the girls comes my husband's tuck in time, which usually fills the house with giggles and shenanigans. Tonight, I sat down to write something about taking care of your business quickly before I climbed into bed, but as my husband and the girls ran around the house filling it with laughter and complete silliness, I decided to ditch the business post. <br />
<br />
There are moments that fill your cup so much that it runs over. When your cup is filled with love, that is what pours out, spilling all around you. In a world where people fight over everything, I want to always remember that I am dancing in a love spill, not a hate spill.<br />
<br />
I imagine a hate or anger spill would be thick, stinky, and hard to dance in.<br />
<br />
What filled your cup today? What spilled out of it? What are you dancing in?<br />
<br />
#letloveexplode<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNjOpKVtjoFn5eBhlHNhD4_gORxKWOMdK4QXz8F77pOR91WyRNTY5LXcL72oG6GrP5T3nfEYjRsN7xiTX2eo91BmMknzN2K7ww0O9pwP13yYJYT_VowVb_pkoTgb1te7-up8FuFNfDWTM/s1600/stun+gun+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNjOpKVtjoFn5eBhlHNhD4_gORxKWOMdK4QXz8F77pOR91WyRNTY5LXcL72oG6GrP5T3nfEYjRsN7xiTX2eo91BmMknzN2K7ww0O9pwP13yYJYT_VowVb_pkoTgb1te7-up8FuFNfDWTM/s320/stun+gun+girl.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, okay, I'm Mr.s Shenanigans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My cup runneth over<br />
and what spilled to the ground<br />
were heartbeats and rainbows<br />
and glitter abound.<br />
<br />
We danced and we danced<br />
until our feet ached<br />
then we danced some more<br />
because those moments you take<br />
<br />
And fill up your cup<br />
with prayer and love<br />
because these are the moments<br />
our lives are made of.<br />
<br />
Live ABUNDANTLY and <a href="http://www.yourdamseldiva.com/" target="_blank">SAFE</a>.<br />
<br />
XOXO<br />
<br />
The Stun Gun Girl<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0rIMLfiwvpI4l9_fQ7m1WWepcgOEUC06ldLoJypq6hattpd9X53bXmTWkD9ESw3Czm8QAn7LQf3GXnhg9obYkU7E9f0n3yevHhfLGQGKbYIfmk5wpuNh6V2PzF-d7VtgbtaG6vshb0ZW/s1600/blog+signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0rIMLfiwvpI4l9_fQ7m1WWepcgOEUC06ldLoJypq6hattpd9X53bXmTWkD9ESw3Czm8QAn7LQf3GXnhg9obYkU7E9f0n3yevHhfLGQGKbYIfmk5wpuNh6V2PzF-d7VtgbtaG6vshb0ZW/s400/blog+signature.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-4277501520801556982016-06-23T15:30:00.000-07:002016-06-23T15:30:01.765-07:00Summer Safety, What is dry drowning?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDYUVqgCJouZ2bILPACMPznU1c8cS2R82o9Yv8KFQrMI9nBkd4zjb-ro-ol6psOlErDyvHoTeTPmyHCne_uebp92i8GSsdCxYw-gdNF11VEWPf6bubZpIqNYuRXsmbVJC7xt35x-PXQas/s1600/dry+drowning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDYUVqgCJouZ2bILPACMPznU1c8cS2R82o9Yv8KFQrMI9nBkd4zjb-ro-ol6psOlErDyvHoTeTPmyHCne_uebp92i8GSsdCxYw-gdNF11VEWPf6bubZpIqNYuRXsmbVJC7xt35x-PXQas/s320/dry+drowning.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Safety is my business, and it doesn't always have to do with stun guns and pepper spray. Sometimes, it's educating my peeps about something they might not be aware of. I wrote this yesterday for Examiner, and I wanted to share it with all of you, because YOU are my peeps.<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/summer-safety-what-is-dry-drowning-and-how-can-you-prevent-it" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">WHAT IS DRY DROWNING?</span></a><br /><div>
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Be <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">adventurous</span> and stay <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.yourdamseldiva.com/" target="_blank">safe</a></span>!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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XOXO</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Stun Gun Girl</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-34201581939073524852016-06-23T13:41:00.000-07:002016-06-23T13:41:02.055-07:00I'm trapped on Twitter, can you find me?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvtFHqlHM99xBoQiSbWAKh3G5ry-yajWGor_P9EOET3nuCxmaRsMEPGti1z9s_Kj-n8VWWRUIxHGpObVi6dy3zXjTaT_nk_8Nt4mcCW2_nr_ohwlQAiQlrZXsHoXz0YsVyAcpSOWpTXQu/s1600/fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvtFHqlHM99xBoQiSbWAKh3G5ry-yajWGor_P9EOET3nuCxmaRsMEPGti1z9s_Kj-n8VWWRUIxHGpObVi6dy3zXjTaT_nk_8Nt4mcCW2_nr_ohwlQAiQlrZXsHoXz0YsVyAcpSOWpTXQu/s320/fruit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Maybe it was a tweet, or a flitter, but I'm trapped on <span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ReclaimdRubbish" target="_blank">Twitter</a>!</span> <br />
<br />
The only way to make my way out is to get on here and give you a shout.<br />
<br />
When you find me there hit the follow and share<br />
<br />
Then help me get the heck out of there!<br />
<br />
I have too much to do to be stuck in a bird.<br />
<br />
Chirping and pecking without even a word.<br />
<br />
So stop what you're doing and give me a post,<br />
<br />
Because it's my fans who I love the most.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
See you there!!!<br />
<br />XOXO<br />
The Stun Gun Girl<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-37364301384580887242016-06-23T12:35:00.001-07:002016-06-23T12:42:31.710-07:00Happy Friday Eve!!! Are you following my Instagram?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmykOgaY-6SWgOSFxFIkwSpY-mAhdhk0ion6jpujdbu7U31KkpzHofSvYhDg26LIDKzfId3_qGnMkgW2kJ9LuOxL7oYRKyqYWRq4bq1m6_yarT0ROYJ2kVF4ONPDWlHyjpl3yGsvI97gum/s1600/zombies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmykOgaY-6SWgOSFxFIkwSpY-mAhdhk0ion6jpujdbu7U31KkpzHofSvYhDg26LIDKzfId3_qGnMkgW2kJ9LuOxL7oYRKyqYWRq4bq1m6_yarT0ROYJ2kVF4ONPDWlHyjpl3yGsvI97gum/s320/zombies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I realized today that my social media is well linked, but I have officially never invited you to my Instagram, where many of the shenanigans I call life are documented on a daily basis. Friends, I am sorry to leave ya hangin, but guess what? Today is a new day, and here is the link to my <span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/radgirlroxx/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. </span><br />
<br />
As you can see from the zombie in my back seat, when I say shenanigans, I mean shenanigans.<br />
<br />
Give me a follow and a shout out to let me know. I hope your week has been amazing, and that your Friday Eve is nothing short of astounding. Isn't that a great word? Astounding.....I want everything to be astounding. <br />
<br />
XOXO<br />
The Stun Gun Girl<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-61641054650739085782016-06-15T13:46:00.001-07:002016-06-15T14:43:54.502-07:00I have been waiting to talk about Orlando-Dropping rocks<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="4ooco" data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALmkV5HcQpvP6BDw2vw2IEWZA2w3WVeZcyxI5mcWtySsla0WgmBv9K0ygCHgALZB5Wsj3k2uBEODZkqjVUVr0bm4GXxQo9-RJGN-7MuJT5I4mSdEGwlTjPRTeglC-gUrMxAE7xeMd9uW_/s1600/hands-in-air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALmkV5HcQpvP6BDw2vw2IEWZA2w3WVeZcyxI5mcWtySsla0WgmBv9K0ygCHgALZB5Wsj3k2uBEODZkqjVUVr0bm4GXxQo9-RJGN-7MuJT5I4mSdEGwlTjPRTeglC-gUrMxAE7xeMd9uW_/s320/hands-in-air.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wasn't sure when inspiration was going to come to me because it always happens organically. There it was today, like a Mac truck barreling right towards me, so here I am, pouring it all out to you, my faithful audience. </span></span><br />
<span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I have a friend who happens to be part of the LGBTQ community. He is one of the most uplifting people I know, but today he is struggling. Every Wednesday he prints out inspirational quotes and hands them out to his clients in the place where he works. He always has the ability to see the good in everything and fights for causes that are good and just. He is kind, even when he faces adversity. He is the type of person people want to know because he makes you feel important.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2c1wmMr4LjbvI5MIm6GMEFJ98wrloDI3gvFPEdymKhyphenhypheny-y_PZSI0yCehDyFQEJhQ5WkKWAt359MMrIgeKOWp238jaWlwi3I6qU4mQKQwWmlgT338yTkCOcyubYnxKAMpzfamuJdE3e6f/s1600/no_inspiration_by_xneetoh-d4nje6u.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2c1wmMr4LjbvI5MIm6GMEFJ98wrloDI3gvFPEdymKhyphenhypheny-y_PZSI0yCehDyFQEJhQ5WkKWAt359MMrIgeKOWp238jaWlwi3I6qU4mQKQwWmlgT338yTkCOcyubYnxKAMpzfamuJdE3e6f/s320/no_inspiration_by_xneetoh-d4nje6u.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0">Today he is struggling. There are no inspirational quotes. There are no cards. Inspiration has bled out of him because of the ugliness people have been showing each other in the days after the Orlando tragedy. It's not bad enough that a terrible human who's name I will never say, took the lives of all those beautiful people. The aftermath has been downright painful. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0">My heart aches and I still cry every time I think about it. Every cell in my body weeps for the families of those who were lost and the ones who were left behind. I ache for the terror each of those people experienced in their last breaths. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"></span><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0">I have been waiting for my emotions to come back to reality so that when I put my thoughts on the Orlando tragedy into the world, it's not an angry garbled mess of emotions. I don't want to bleed out on my audience, I want us to start having educated dialogue. No, I want us to start having enlightened dialogue. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"></span><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0">The most important thing I can say is that <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">we</span></u></b> are the only thing that is going to make a change. The way <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">we</span></u></b> live our lives and the way <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">our</span></u></b> light shines from within <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">us</span></u></b> is the only thing that will <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">change</span></u></b> the view of people around us. The grace <b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>we</u></span></b> show when someone makes an ignorant comment is important.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoTyg7RXy6lByGF5YIt8W5Ygpm0nW4Mlw5hC6ddwrtqKSd9DgLCKPfuabzopqdalcBvVg-c23lpBcEB4onxpVHR-y8NYcy39mvMA9gkRBzMZV3Ei5N4WzbiMfmXxt-TUWqMYP6V4Kg0b9/s1600/nicjo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoTyg7RXy6lByGF5YIt8W5Ygpm0nW4Mlw5hC6ddwrtqKSd9DgLCKPfuabzopqdalcBvVg-c23lpBcEB4onxpVHR-y8NYcy39mvMA9gkRBzMZV3Ei5N4WzbiMfmXxt-TUWqMYP6V4Kg0b9/s200/nicjo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><br /> </span><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0">My favorite dramatist in the entire world is a Christian woman named <a href="https://youtu.be/X3NALPQwc_A" target="_blank">Nicole Johnson</a>. Many times when I find myself struggling, I look to her work to help me make sense of it. In one of her <a href="https://youtu.be/X3NALPQwc_A" target="_blank">skits</a>, she talks about a woman, who in the eyes of the community has committed a sin. This woman, in ancient times, was found to be guilty of her sins and was to be stoned to death outside the city. They took her out, picked up their stones. That's how things were dealt with in her place and time. No one stood for her, no one vouched for her, but they all picked up rocks to hurl at her. Being stoned to death is not a very good way to go. It's slow and takes some time before the person being stoned takes their last breath. You'd be surprised how much trauma a person can live through, and blood was going to be spilled on the ground that day. Everyone stood ready with cold hard rough rocks heavy against the palms of their hands. Without a word, Jesus stepped forward and wrote something in the sand. Everyone dropped their rocks and walked away. No one will ever know what he wrote or why it changed the minds of those people, but whatever it said changed them forever. They weren't changed with harsh words or violence. Just something written in the sand.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN2vAE_aM7yXKFBB_RdD14omEF4xMNWBEAQnMjaZ8L0pVtjhBian_YHelukzHLXOdP_q7my3Xxc16d4oHZFfwvIbLcS4NQ4PjaTfTcKSwtQJZPyOeAo5I48wtp8uHoaceS-Rzb5u2VbA2/s1600/drop+your+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN2vAE_aM7yXKFBB_RdD14omEF4xMNWBEAQnMjaZ8L0pVtjhBian_YHelukzHLXOdP_q7my3Xxc16d4oHZFfwvIbLcS4NQ4PjaTfTcKSwtQJZPyOeAo5I48wtp8uHoaceS-Rzb5u2VbA2/s200/drop+your+rock.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><br /> </span><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Johnson goes on to say that it's easy to see things as black and white until they have a face and eyes. It's easy to </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">vilify an entire community for who they are until it's your son, or your daughter staring back with pleading eyes as you feel that heavy rock in your hand. Then it's not so easy to hurl stones at them. It shouldn't have to take that much of a connection, but in the minds and eyes of most people, change doesn't happen without some sort of connection. I wish the human connection was enough. The overall point of the skit is to get people to drop their rocks and walk away. Hear them hit the ground and let that sound solidify your decision not to throw stones. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="3g6lj-0-0"><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wish that everyone could just drop their stones. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="668k6-0-0">My <a href="http://www.yourdamseldiva.com/" target="_blank">Damsel</a> sisters and I, and...well <a href="http://www.yourdamseldiva.com/" target="_blank">Damsel in Defense</a> as a whole really, has been talking a lot about adversity this year. It seems to be the theme of everything we do. We're fighting against it every single day. What is happening right now in the wake of the Orlando tragedy is adversity. I have watched helplessly as people who called each other friends have fought to the breaking point and chosen to walk away from each other forever. I've watched houses divide and have read and heard the most ugly things that can come from otherwise good humans. I watched complete strangers attack my own daughter's words without even knowing that she is one of the most caring and respectful humans in the world who would fight for each of those people so they could live a happy, healthy, and safe life. My heart breaks with everyone who continues to lose friends, family members, and a piece of themselves in the turbulence left behind by a tragedy. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5zHLYUMsaFOnxghuL1KCP6wX4Zbnkhia4kAsqofOYRiTLY35x1-7iU9QzdfkCa68LPfLZGzs-NgG79CqrfQg2xPvqrjbiXL_pIGaXWaryszWx7aI5xlJYB_d6HxWvbBlE8nSSis6dkt6/s1600/635965963823592381-1128069154_Adversity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5zHLYUMsaFOnxghuL1KCP6wX4Zbnkhia4kAsqofOYRiTLY35x1-7iU9QzdfkCa68LPfLZGzs-NgG79CqrfQg2xPvqrjbiXL_pIGaXWaryszWx7aI5xlJYB_d6HxWvbBlE8nSSis6dkt6/s320/635965963823592381-1128069154_Adversity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="668k6-0-0">Enough is enough. <br /> </span><span data-offset-key="29mt-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span><span data-offset-key="80ejg-0-0">A very good friend once told me that when we face adversity, we have to sit in it. We have to sit in it and endure it and be the light that shines within it because we know that whatever comes after it is going to change the world. The world will never change if we're angry and hurtful towards those who are angry and hurtful towards us. The only thing anger and hate breeds is further adversity. <br /> </span><span data-offset-key="cag1j-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span><span data-offset-key="62uka-0-0">Every change starts with one person who sends a ripple out into the world. If each person that ripple hits is inspired and enlightened, the ripple continues to grow. If the ripple hits them like a sneaker wave and drags them into the dark cold murky water, it ends and becomes a black hole of fear that no one is willing to go near. Fear breeds more fear and eventually turns to hate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="62uka-0-0">I don't say all of this just because </span><span data-offset-key="62uka-0-0">I am a LGBTQ mom who would fight and die for the ability of her children to live a life that is happy, healthy, and safe. I don't say this because I follow Christ (who would be pretty ashamed of what he's seeing by the way). I say this because enough is enough. It's time to drop your rocks. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="62uka-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why? They are heavy, they hurt, and there is enough adversity in the world. We should come together instead of ripping </span>each other<span style="font-family: inherit;"> apart like a pack of wild dogs. If you can't agree, agree to disagree and still love one another. </span></span></div>
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Instead of breathing hate into the people around us, let's breathe inspiration instead, that way no one we love will be left in a colorless empty place. </div>
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Let love explode. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-734864131360301582016-06-08T14:13:00.004-07:002016-06-08T14:14:19.761-07:00Wonder Woman Wednesday-1000 Mile Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Survivor is a strong word.
It means you faced trauma and made it through. Trauma either sucks the life from you and
those around you, or it fills you with hope that one day we may live in a
trauma free world, and that hope pours from you, spilling into the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paulette McKenzie Leaphart is a survivor. As a young girl, abuse nearly killed
her. She could have let it fill her with
darkness, but instead she lifted her eyes to God and made a deal that if he
would see her through the darkness, she would make a difference in the lives of
children. Paulette was filled with hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Her hope spilled out into the world around her, and she did
grow up to make a difference in the lives of children. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then, cancer nearly took her from them. Paulette is a fighter, and she wasn’t about
to let cancer have the last word.
Through the battle because of the cost of healthcare, she lost
everything, including her home and transportation. Still, through it all, she was filled with
hope that she could make a difference. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvG5LR8MYJlVs4vlo384PW_U4wexFuVkPT89Y0XWdogib9GgJ481rCHh66peNnprZ5fRg0yROhZAtv3JehwJLoS6nqkfuUr6f4RavSbHm5sJ4TwQoiXsQwkF1wGUlDg3zc-42HP5nZGtq/s1600/1000+mile+walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvG5LR8MYJlVs4vlo384PW_U4wexFuVkPT89Y0XWdogib9GgJ481rCHh66peNnprZ5fRg0yROhZAtv3JehwJLoS6nqkfuUr6f4RavSbHm5sJ4TwQoiXsQwkF1wGUlDg3zc-42HP5nZGtq/s320/1000+mile+walk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was hope that led her to take the first step in her 1000
mile walk to speak to congress with nothing but a few things, a stroller, and
her 8-year-old daughter. Paulette is on
a mission to find a cure for cancer, and she’s walking topless in an effort to
rally the troops and show everyone that cancer will not define her. Her actions will define her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On June 27<sup>th</sup>, she will show the world what it
means to be a hero. No matter how hard
the road is, she still sings God’s praises and keeps a positive attitude,
posting on Facebook, “Singing… I don’t feel no ways tired… NOOOOOO BODY TOLD
me, the roads would be easy!!!! And I
don’t believe HE brought me this far to leave me!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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It takes a strong woman to be featured as a Wonder Woman
Wednesday recipient, and Paulette blows strength out of the water. I am honored to tell just a small piece of her story in hopes that it will amplify her strength. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Please follow her hashtag #1000milewalk and Show her some
love, and follow her journey on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paulettemckenzie.quave" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.
If you’re in her path, get out there and show your support.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-23344271889305632832016-06-06T23:29:00.001-07:002016-06-07T17:17:39.793-07:00Dear Mr. Turner, A letter of response<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQi2dO2NfQbM9t-UplPQA-wcYQ1o31-buS3X5T1h1ilWYK3ac-lU6nX0UXHLn3OM2FR5fTN8enEVsuQt9XHuBBEez-Y-h5pbL8fc7OQ1Uvbp9oW3APHh7QtRMWYGsx_Wk_aBEuCcehjWa/s1600/ler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQi2dO2NfQbM9t-UplPQA-wcYQ1o31-buS3X5T1h1ilWYK3ac-lU6nX0UXHLn3OM2FR5fTN8enEVsuQt9XHuBBEez-Y-h5pbL8fc7OQ1Uvbp9oW3APHh7QtRMWYGsx_Wk_aBEuCcehjWa/s320/ler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dear Mr. Turner,<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have read the letter that you wrote the judge pleading
that your son’s punishment for rape is too harsh. After all, he’s not a violent person, he has
a great smile, and he likes steak.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First, I am very sorry that your son’s life has been forever
changed by his actions. Let me repeat,
his actions. All actions have a
consequence sir, both good and bad, and when you break the law you have to face
the music. I’m sorry he is struggling
with anxiety and doesn’t like his favorite foods any longer. I’m sorry that his choice to rape an
unconscious woman for his “20 minutes of action” has caused him stress, and has
caused you to throw a fit like a pompous little baby. <br />
<br />
Let me ask you a question? Where is your concern for the victim in this case? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryYzy6q7VDUbfexveuG3_zm0JQSwVcSJla-kuCo62KLR2dgg8ADVK3u0f3sauzsOpkgecx28i1T3DUM2Fc36vFwZM4hJ6FHxNLAgZ3MMkU-XViNnkG87WJ7e4L-enJiC5oMYn3LX7DOIb/s1600/rjoc8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryYzy6q7VDUbfexveuG3_zm0JQSwVcSJla-kuCo62KLR2dgg8ADVK3u0f3sauzsOpkgecx28i1T3DUM2Fc36vFwZM4hJ6FHxNLAgZ3MMkU-XViNnkG87WJ7e4L-enJiC5oMYn3LX7DOIb/s1600/rjoc8.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Does he barely consume food except to exist because his
punishment is too harsh, or do you think that he is ashamed of his
actions? Are you ashamed of his
actions? Should we pat him on the back
for what he’s done, or should we finally draw a line in the sand and say rape
is rape. Would you be writing the same
note if a man raped your unconscious son?
After all, it’s just 20 minutes of action. What if it was your wife?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, his life is forever changed, as it should be. He should have been given boundaries and values
from day 1 and been taught that he’s not worth more than anyone else, and to
treat humans with the same respect and dignity he would want to be treated with. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where did he learn that it was okay to take what he wanted
from another person without thinking about the effects on them sir?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me tell you what changes for a sexual assault victim:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgow1L_a9Mp0eVuhi6zSvbHLuMOCZMYYXXjGysEcIMNTzq3NpenXF9HolHl4qrkHjVXLQCweHA4D4bONUQL_kXt3oDVXx4vyr3WKyeyPhJnLCSRjRSx88rzSZDipOpuE1kRYFypZ7P4QVR1/s1600/shame.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgow1L_a9Mp0eVuhi6zSvbHLuMOCZMYYXXjGysEcIMNTzq3NpenXF9HolHl4qrkHjVXLQCweHA4D4bONUQL_kXt3oDVXx4vyr3WKyeyPhJnLCSRjRSx88rzSZDipOpuE1kRYFypZ7P4QVR1/s1600/shame.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Embarrassment is the first thing that grips you, and it
grips your heart tight. Fear of having
to say that you weren’t strong enough or smart enough to fend off an attack isn’t
far behind. Fear of retaliation, fear of
being made a fool in the court room by being asked what you were wearing, how
much you had to drink, or the famous, “Are you sure you didn’t at least nod
your head a little?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next comes mental illness.
Mental illness affects every aspect of your entire life. Anxiety and depression take over you like a
bird in an oil spill. Why? Because the one thing you were supposed to choose
who you shared with has been taken. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2_hu47YMvG2ttqOnt201VNJj7XUMvElDkfms2Img7svnaAj_SOx8g6UebwbFwNADm9eJXk91c6mgvYBDysyXl6QZS_z8CblNf7mFo4P9Iw2OFfs-2lBS4d21uNdJ5MuZyaGrYmf0FkAp/s1600/trapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2_hu47YMvG2ttqOnt201VNJj7XUMvElDkfms2Img7svnaAj_SOx8g6UebwbFwNADm9eJXk91c6mgvYBDysyXl6QZS_z8CblNf7mFo4P9Iw2OFfs-2lBS4d21uNdJ5MuZyaGrYmf0FkAp/s320/trapped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever been forced into something that you couldn’t
stop, sir?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fear of disease or pregnancy intertwine with the aching pit
in your stomach that never goes away because you know that YOU will be left
with the consequences of what to do if rape has created another human. YOU will have to face the hard choices and
live with the aftermath of them. You
either terminate and deal with the stigma of abortion, give the child up because
you aren’t sure you can handle it, or you bring a life into this world unprepared,
unplanned, and painfully real.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What would you choose, sir?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGmSWVvMnf32Ev7vtB69VgPu8FncobB-6O9_2WTucaXrnG3v6jg6OZxaM7wKKOl-8wsqqAMyAfQ6i1OmeBHsN6mXwpt28PqfhF9TrTy81l8spU3aMQJ2e8dlz_78mnnw7IIbya2eL7M8v/s1600/rape+101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGmSWVvMnf32Ev7vtB69VgPu8FncobB-6O9_2WTucaXrnG3v6jg6OZxaM7wKKOl-8wsqqAMyAfQ6i1OmeBHsN6mXwpt28PqfhF9TrTy81l8spU3aMQJ2e8dlz_78mnnw7IIbya2eL7M8v/s320/rape+101.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then there’s picking gravel out of your back as the blood
runs down your body turning the shower water a disgusting shade of pinkish red
while your face aches from the cut in your lip.
Under the hottest possible water, you try to scrub off the smell of his breath
that will never go away and will haunt your dreams for the rest of your life, and
the deepest sadness overcomes you as you drop to the ground and sob until you
realize the water is ice cold. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You feel so stupid. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His laugh. His
hands. His words. His grunts.
The smell. The pushing. The pain.
The mess. Being alone. Being
unsafe. Those will.never.go.away. Forever there will be triggers that take you
right back to that moment you realized there was no amount of fighting that
would change what was going to happen.
That moment when you realized that fighting back would only make things
more bloody because we live in such a rape culture that we were never taught to
fight back and fight back dirty. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vYQi4bta7EP1-pUqT8ssf68jiRyUq3eRbtBQZQHNv2qacTbQ4T7umSA5FNNl76KO9HsP4SBVCyaXugm3YJJbbACCe8jtFe0RdQk1xpJ1H-Gm5NpllroLmeGEPsi5kVA-j-qej-J6ClaG/s1600/hate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vYQi4bta7EP1-pUqT8ssf68jiRyUq3eRbtBQZQHNv2qacTbQ4T7umSA5FNNl76KO9HsP4SBVCyaXugm3YJJbbACCe8jtFe0RdQk1xpJ1H-Gm5NpllroLmeGEPsi5kVA-j-qej-J6ClaG/s320/hate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hate. Hating your
rapist, hating yourself, hating everyone around you for not understanding, and
the cold vulnerability of the emergency room as a doctor with no victim
specific language tries his best to take a rape kit without scaring you or
making you feel worse than you already do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pitty. Pathetic pitty
from everyone who finds out. Hearing, “I’m
sorry.” Over and over again because nobody knows what else to say when they realize
what happened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Loss of the relationship you were in because they aren’t
equipped to help you navigate through the chasm of trauma. The people you love drift away because you’re
too ashamed to continue, or you push them away because you can’t handle the
burden you place on them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDq5nyB3aOJLCg1i-omrfzTguvnBhQLv3RTEi2gcHdzQJPZ6fbt0ug9j1XgqSVteCffglC2CT3YcKY9HFu-XZp8zFoQ7dmY4QoK7zX2CFTJMK963sfc7dUvUBjBk5pJiBQ86fNfsJLTqy/s1600/ptsd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDq5nyB3aOJLCg1i-omrfzTguvnBhQLv3RTEi2gcHdzQJPZ6fbt0ug9j1XgqSVteCffglC2CT3YcKY9HFu-XZp8zFoQ7dmY4QoK7zX2CFTJMK963sfc7dUvUBjBk5pJiBQ86fNfsJLTqy/s320/ptsd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
PTSD from rape lasts forever. You try anything to get rid of the memories,
but they will always remain. Every time
you look at your forever changed face and that scar on your lip. Even though it healed pretty well, it’s
always there, along with the scars in your back constantly reminding you of the
scars on your soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then comes the worthlessness. How can anyone want me after that? I’m damaged.
Labels like soiled, dirty, disgusting, worthless, and whore swirl around
you. The uncontrollable crying never
stops, so you quit going places because you’re tired of coming up with excuses. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT3t8_s68xye-PnVj_H5hGeuKvJuFdI1EVy5p2oKIt-6tMO3MffErQwwBYnaiJOi4fLzJ5nAokpwZ8w7ZVgeiRYoYR0QMEjv9gqx52hOnqKo80T6lkOc1YHsbRpA2a-9o_fDBUugNFGU1/s1600/rape+cutl.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT3t8_s68xye-PnVj_H5hGeuKvJuFdI1EVy5p2oKIt-6tMO3MffErQwwBYnaiJOi4fLzJ5nAokpwZ8w7ZVgeiRYoYR0QMEjv9gqx52hOnqKo80T6lkOc1YHsbRpA2a-9o_fDBUugNFGU1/s320/rape+cutl.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Food? Forget
food. Or maybe don’t, maybe eat so much
that you gain a ton of weight so no one will ever see you as attractive again. Oh God, what have you done? Throw that up. And you do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sleep? Forget
sleep. Forget anything that makes you
feel like you might not have control, and there is nothing like a little sleep
paralysis to take away your control.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you feel like there is no one left, you just want it to
end. You spend days just staring into
nothing while it eats away at your heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7T8-FmMFn1uJ-TjYubex7BDd-6JjF7EO-DQCIgJoyPI-JmDsnEReGsg_JLcU3-bs6PSDinhe6MQGYWnS7hEh4A5YSaXj6npRIDEcTRDx_kztv3-NGdlbbGSf0DNSsmAGuvzs1KD1kXT_/s1600/im_broken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7T8-FmMFn1uJ-TjYubex7BDd-6JjF7EO-DQCIgJoyPI-JmDsnEReGsg_JLcU3-bs6PSDinhe6MQGYWnS7hEh4A5YSaXj6npRIDEcTRDx_kztv3-NGdlbbGSf0DNSsmAGuvzs1KD1kXT_/s320/im_broken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Years of therapy just prove to you that you’re not ever
going to be okay, and you believe it.
Because of this belief, you
continue to find yourself in sticky situations and the spiral goes nowhere but
down into a series of bad choices and dangerous situations. You begin over time to believe that it is
your lot in life to be surrounded by people who hurt you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of this combined is called shame. Shame and guilt stop you in your tracks. They stop you from living. They keep you sitting in your adversity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglTtY5vuMP61MF91W9LdeDfvjfxkQCApD9jl47ZsLJLgKvP3D3LUxq4aQGsomsePEno2XuBNqACjaioWQZKO5PGQEYQtfQhTTPhVeQwuTITM9BTdKvbx0Ww_UOrpjOmn5Ltq3JjD47DDi/s1600/survivorme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglTtY5vuMP61MF91W9LdeDfvjfxkQCApD9jl47ZsLJLgKvP3D3LUxq4aQGsomsePEno2XuBNqACjaioWQZKO5PGQEYQtfQhTTPhVeQwuTITM9BTdKvbx0Ww_UOrpjOmn5Ltq3JjD47DDi/s320/survivorme.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I know, first hand because this is me. My scars are both visible and invisible. I am reminded every day when I look in the
mirror and every night when the lights go off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So no, Mr. Turner, when your son decided to stick part of his body into an unconscious girl, he has to live with the consequences, and as far as I’m
concerned, rapists get off way too easy because what they steal from their
victims is far worse than a little jail time and having to register as a sex
offender. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope that your son sees how big his mistake was, and I
hope he uses this as an opportunity to create awareness and help end the rape
culture we currently have to survive in every day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fortunately for me, I have healed. Not completely, because my soul will never be
the same, but I know I’ll be okay. The
career I have chosen as a Damsel in Defense Pro gives voices back to the people
they’ve been stolen from and teaches women to fight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG9pufdHJIYXrm5RCgeJnP_m0sGveWbD2omKlz7puGKrZmyEluQizZc9j-gOdqNvoDW6aOJal5YNs2MKgq95xwk8YeD0SfDtxyrqKo-KYJaU0_6hRyx4d6fGZUQL0gAf6updK-Ir1vqNY/s1600/did.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG9pufdHJIYXrm5RCgeJnP_m0sGveWbD2omKlz7puGKrZmyEluQizZc9j-gOdqNvoDW6aOJal5YNs2MKgq95xwk8YeD0SfDtxyrqKo-KYJaU0_6hRyx4d6fGZUQL0gAf6updK-Ir1vqNY/s320/did.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Your son is lucky though.
He’s lucky he didn’t try to attack one of my students. He would call for the police to take him away
on his own had it been one of the Sisters of the Phoenix. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe you should take a census of your own stock Mr.
Turner. Had it been my son, he would
have begged for jail, because I don’t raise my children with so much self-entitlement
that they can hurt another person. I
raise them with a warrior mindset to fight for themselves and those around
them, and to stand up against people like your son.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtW0U3xuRb7IcOgxC972mpMkFtGl6hXrJ3S50d_R3BcG1AizfQ8YZViqtxO-_pw5P36QjEfIR03sk9lFwvxpSPxAgpYKK-J8s5ynnKUU4ojjYWyzWv2QufwHdaLBUfIoTBmyn7kvzFLXY/s1600/Phoenix-Ashes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtW0U3xuRb7IcOgxC972mpMkFtGl6hXrJ3S50d_R3BcG1AizfQ8YZViqtxO-_pw5P36QjEfIR03sk9lFwvxpSPxAgpYKK-J8s5ynnKUU4ojjYWyzWv2QufwHdaLBUfIoTBmyn7kvzFLXY/s320/Phoenix-Ashes.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
Have a nice day Mr. Turner.
I know none of this matters to you, but to a Phoenix, it matters a lot. If you're not sure what a Phoenix is, you should look it up. We rise from the ashes of our old lives every day, and it is our mission to shine light into the darkness until rape becomes a thing of the past. You can help us end this victim blaming rape culture, or you can put your face against us. The choice is yours. Good day, sir.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sunshine O’Connor<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Independent Damsel in Defense Pro <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://yourdamseliva.com/">yourdamseliva.com</a><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0rIMLfiwvpI4l9_fQ7m1WWepcgOEUC06ldLoJypq6hattpd9X53bXmTWkD9ESw3Czm8QAn7LQf3GXnhg9obYkU7E9f0n3yevHhfLGQGKbYIfmk5wpuNh6V2PzF-d7VtgbtaG6vshb0ZW/s1600/blog+signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0rIMLfiwvpI4l9_fQ7m1WWepcgOEUC06ldLoJypq6hattpd9X53bXmTWkD9ESw3Czm8QAn7LQf3GXnhg9obYkU7E9f0n3yevHhfLGQGKbYIfmk5wpuNh6V2PzF-d7VtgbtaG6vshb0ZW/s400/blog+signature.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14622094169099030667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161067177570534602.post-86391347730648882822016-05-20T21:01:00.000-07:002016-05-20T21:08:47.605-07:00Poisonous snakes and pit bulls....oh my!!!<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="f8be5" data-offset-key="7h0ri-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<h3>
</h3>
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQub5Jr1EWpuOor_4UStQHaCzjhZtsXMnM0yfOcAXvk3Imj9Ci1wKlfQEZlZONJuIHMEcBag47KtdjHZYS81svKf2V41Y02DMl6YkfPgFVmnaGT5pfYFpcJEFnAQEm3qVsBT1d3L4QJ3FI/s1600/bluesnake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQub5Jr1EWpuOor_4UStQHaCzjhZtsXMnM0yfOcAXvk3Imj9Ci1wKlfQEZlZONJuIHMEcBag47KtdjHZYS81svKf2V41Y02DMl6YkfPgFVmnaGT5pfYFpcJEFnAQEm3qVsBT1d3L4QJ3FI/s320/bluesnake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Last night, I had a dream that these people were picking up snakes and putting them on a flatbed trailer. I freaked out, but they told me the only ones that were poisonous were the blue ones, as I watched a blue one fall off the trailer and slither right over to my leg where it jumped up and bit me RIGHT in the calf.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEfo2CKr-spX_7-fQMsdeGRmfJZpl7Ac7WfRvT3V323-CjrH5VqEg8rQvEq7voNkQvXd-8JCNojnjYJbXZUE7Nl8lWwYgGiC8HXBNkPlrhNcHqyPIadXlsKgDpx5YRqUyEEslrRa6k54Q/s1600/angry+pit+bull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEfo2CKr-spX_7-fQMsdeGRmfJZpl7Ac7WfRvT3V323-CjrH5VqEg8rQvEq7voNkQvXd-8JCNojnjYJbXZUE7Nl8lWwYgGiC8HXBNkPlrhNcHqyPIadXlsKgDpx5YRqUyEEslrRa6k54Q/s1600/angry+pit+bull.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /><span data-offset-key="e05u8-0-0">The owner of the snakes said, "It's fine. If you get bit, you just get a pit bull to latch on because their saliva neutralizes the poison, and they can't let go, so you'll get enough saliva to stop it."</span><span data-offset-key="67q0n-0-0"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="67q0n-0-0">So I run around trying to make pit bulls mad enough to bite me in the calf as I feel myself starting to croak, which is terrifying by the way.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tCu1Dypxxk6Ngd43bGWJ3-kpTO_5svt4K0aL2k697pmCzK1znfzP8O0ykwy8wj3kRmC0ABpRq7bEBOQMiWTV0Av5na5z3JiGhlB-cF5VpIe54w5weLgMB6p5G9WU8a8UuSCpwsAf5qwr/s1600/what+is+happening.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tCu1Dypxxk6Ngd43bGWJ3-kpTO_5svt4K0aL2k697pmCzK1znfzP8O0ykwy8wj3kRmC0ABpRq7bEBOQMiWTV0Av5na5z3JiGhlB-cF5VpIe54w5weLgMB6p5G9WU8a8UuSCpwsAf5qwr/s320/what+is+happening.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="67q0n-0-0"> </span><span data-offset-key="67q0n-0-0">Most of them wanted to bite me in the face, but I could jump so high that I would land really far away from them. That is one of my favorite perks of being in a dream. I do it almost any time something scary almost kills me. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVplpDiBgheyMufkezTmgR8iEoLY_UdH9YdkBvk9HVA5UdfJ7Ezl1wTZ2xUr3eYWs4tvc7D6Cu3quk5hfrN267P3Dd-hwOPSnMVp6li5-llGFb574ubPoNAKVQnVahi78gq7U8A4WyNt5S/s1600/bluesnakestory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVplpDiBgheyMufkezTmgR8iEoLY_UdH9YdkBvk9HVA5UdfJ7Ezl1wTZ2xUr3eYWs4tvc7D6Cu3quk5hfrN267P3Dd-hwOPSnMVp6li5-llGFb574ubPoNAKVQnVahi78gq7U8A4WyNt5S/s320/bluesnakestory.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="67q0n-0-0"> </span><span data-offset-key="c6nak-0-0">Finally, I find one that latches on....and it hurts like a sonofagun!!!!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="c6nak-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="acgpt-0-0">THEN I wake up with the WORST cramp in my calf ever.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="acgpt-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="frfdj-0-0">So the moral of this story is that my brain goes to elaborate lengths to create a story around anything that is happening....</span><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0">The life of a writer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0">Disclaimer-I am not a pit bull hater, I believe they are wonderful dogs, I just think my brain was on hypercreativespaz.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0">#writewhatyouknow</span><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0">#evenifitscraycray</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0">xoxo</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0"><br /></span><span data-offset-key="cq0s1-0-0">The Stun Gun Girl</span></span><br />
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