photo WarriorQueenHeader_zpsa2d93a61.png

Friday, December 16, 2011

Happy End of Finals!



**studying with my kitten**


How relieved do you feel? I feel soooo relieved, especially with only one semester left for me (till WQ becomes my full time dedication!!)

With the end of finals you should probably first and foremost give a huge sigh of relief!

Inhale. Exhale. Close your eyes!

Man...that felt great :)

I know that your tired brain's telling you to go veg out in front of the tv for your whole Christmas break but I think you should do something a little more worthwhile, like pamper yourself and spend some time with your friends.

For college kids - everyone's coming home and that means crazy nights and best friend time! And high school kids are stoked for the holiday Ugly Sweater parties where they can sneak some drinks in...

Hey guys!! Be safe! There's other cool stuff to do than drink when you're underage. I personally prefer  to adventure all over the place doing silly things - and I'm 22.

Maybe it'd be great to go to the beach at night and check out the stars or take a trip to your "candy cane lane" and look at all of the Christmas lights!!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Boyfriend Question

Which question you might ask? The why am I dating him? Why do I want to be with him? Why am I thinking about him? Why aren't I running? The list goes on and on.

Basically it comes down to some crazy combination of likes, dislikes, chemistry and other things that no one could really truly explain. But the real question is: how do I stay my independent self while with him??

Here's a list compiled by Rachel and I (our bfs are totally chill, but we want the rest of you to have this too)


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

How has it already been 2 weeks??

Well, it seems time has flown by in the past 2 weeks. I literally have been too busy to do anything, let alone post one of the many blogs floating around in my head. Soon I will my lovelies...if you wanna see stuff i reblog  though that is personal and some WQ stuff my tumblr is: raetothewyn.tumblr.com :)

Monday, November 14, 2011

Passionate

This was a homework assignment for my internship class, but I thought it might inspire. :)

 My Passions
What would you do if you didn't have to worry about money? How big do your dreams go? Without worrying about money, I would change the world. 
I'm not joking or being trite either. I would launch a global campaign for young girls. I would reach out to women and girls everywhere. I would travel to inform them and open up their eyes. To what? the warrior queen movement? Of course, but it goes beyond that. I would open their eyes to educate them on everything that the warrior queen movement stands for and everything that I as a person stand for, because I stand for a little more than the warrior queen movement. I care about women's health, emotional well-being and place in the world more than the secular nature I try to keep the warrior queen movement. I live and breathe the movement, it's not something that is questioned. However my passions run deeper than just helping girls know that they are strong.
I guess my passions lie in life. I want to share my passion of life – a happy life – with everyone and to help them see that it is possible to dream big and to achieve and to be yourself. First and foremost, my passion is to always be myself no matter the situation. If I have an emotion or an idea or something I want to talk about, I'm going to share it and I want other people to feel comfortable enough to do the same.
I am also very passionate in writing. Through traveling and changing people and the world, I'd love to change them with my words. I'd love to write books to help others and to share my experiences.
My other big passion is tied into all of them in helping people. I would love to work with numerous charities and organizations to not only broaden my view of the world and of life and to share that with people but to help in whatever way that I can. My biggest inspiration comes from Mother Teresa and Audrey Hepburn, both kind-hearted women who worked to help those in need. I want to be selfless and happy and to help nurture.
A passion not involved with my career would be to be a foster and adoptive mom, although I know that the work is a lot larger than I could imagine. I want to help those who are without a home to feel at home with me, whether it be for an hour or for their life time.  

What are your passions?

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Disney Princesses

So I was stumbling around on the internet and I came across these two Disney Princess comparisons / lessons for romance for girls. I think it's an interesting twist on the fairytales that little girls grow up with. Read them!!

http://www.hercampus.com/love/disney-princess-guide-your-not-so-happily-ever-after
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2208847/the_lessons_of_the_disney_princesses.html?cat=40

Monday, November 7, 2011

Daniela posted this on my wall today! Thought I'd share!!


3 Steps towards Positive Thinking as a Way of Life
The phrase “positive thinking” has become somewhat of a buzzword in a lot of ways in our culture today. So many books and experts suggest “positive thinking” as a solution to low self esteem and confidence issues without ever really exploring what the phrase means.
Positive thinking involves much more than just deciding one day that you will change the way you think. Obviously, altering the way you think about yourself and the world around you is a difficult task. Oftentimes we fail to sit back and consider that the way in which we think about ourselves and the world very much shapes our world and our lives.
Negative thinking has a way of affecting every aspect of our lives without us even realizing it. So much of our happiness and our success rely on our ability to think positively and create positive situations. However, the trek to a positive attitude and positive self thought is no easy path. Follow these three steps in self improvement to gain the ability to think positively and create a new way of life.

Be Aware: Hear Yourself
Self awareness is an essential step in any form of self improvement. You have to be aware of yourself and the things around you before you can understand them and then learn to change and improve them. Before you can learn to alter your way of thinking you have to be aware of how you think in the first place. Take the time to monitor your thoughts and feeling carefully. Listen to yourself throughout the day. When doing this you may be surprised to find just how much thinking you do that you are not completely aware of throughout the day. Pay attention to those negative beliefs you hold that pop up without you realizing it, listen for negative thoughts, watch for negative actions (and reactions), and pay close attention to negative feelings that arise. All of these things are utterly important to be aware of. You should work hard to be conscience of the vocabulary you use throughout the day. Start by simply changing the words you use. Rather than saying “I have my job,” try rewording and rethinking things to say “I would love to find a new career”. While this may sound trite, merely changing the vocabulary you use is a great start to positive thinking.

Take Responsibility: It’s All about You
One of the most common forms of negative thinking involves placing blame on other things. Of course, we all do this. We point the finger at anything but ourselves at times. This is an easy path to take and a difficult habit to break. By placing the blame for something that is bad on someone else, you take the attention off of yourself. This, of course, is only a temporary fix. Even when we place the blame one someone else, that negative energy is still there. Turing the attention away from ourselves can never lead to a successful solution. After you have worked to become more self aware, you have to learn to take responsibility for your feelings, actions, and thoughts. By taking responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and emotions, they become something that you can control and change. Part of placing blame is believing you are powerless. Take responsibility for yourself and, in turn, gain control of yourself. Only after you admit fault and take responsibility for yourself and your thinking can you successfully alter the way you think and act.

Make the Commitment: Change Your Attitude
Each of these steps in self improvement is equally as important as the next. Without self awareness and acceptance, there is no hope for change. The final step in gaining a positive outlook and positive inner voice is committing to change. You must commit fully to positive self thought. Without total commitment very little progress can be made. This, of course, will inevitably take some time and dedication. With a history of negative thinking and blame, it can be very difficult to change our ways. Much of that thinking has become a natural response to our actions and our environment. For this reason, it is essential that you fully commit to creating a more positive inner voice for yourself. Create goals for new beliefs, new outlooks on certain things, and new distinctions for things. Make the commitment to creating a healthier self and a happier mind. By thinking positively and owning our thoughts we can learn to control our situation and master our bad moods.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Cultivating your Friendship Garden

I found this written out from my drafts in July and I think it's very funny that in the cycles of life people fall back into this. What are your thoughts on it?

So, I'm going to use an analogy which is probably going to sound reallly bad, but it's got the same idea as the treasure chest analogy. But here it goes:

Sometimes, you've got to weed out the people who aren't on the same friendship page as you. They're just going to ruin the garden that is your life. But sometimes, the weeds end up to be the best friends and the prettiest flowers of the bunch.

Here's what I'm saying: Friendships are about giving and loving. When one side falls short, the other side can't always pick up all of the slack and then everything tips off the scale and the friendship's over. But sometimes, those weeds -- those people who you've ended friendships with are still reconcilable. You just find out later on in life.

I've been feeling this way lately. I surround myself with friends, whether it's in person, online, via the phone, long distance...all of it. I love friendships and interpersonal relationships. That's my life right there. All of the material things don't matter to me. If I had them and no friends, I would be unable to survive.

But it seems in the past year, that I've had friendships just end. At first I had a little panic: OMG AM I A BAD FRIEND?!

Okay, I know I'm not. Everyone has their moments at being selfish or a bad friend, but i tend to sacrifice more than is necessary or common because of my dependence on friendship. But then I realized...why am I putting all of this effort into cultivating this weed that is not enhancing my garden at all. It's looking like a tall reed among my flowers, instead of a weedy flower.

So I just stopped. I needed a break from cultivating. I nursed the flowers that I could reach, and I relied on the self-sustainability of the rest. You see, I've always been under the impression that if two people in a friendship don't speak for a month or two, or even a year, it doesn't mean the friendship is over. It just means those people are busy. When one person notices, they contact the other and the friendship rekindles. If someone has an issue in a friendship, it's respectful to notify the other person and the issue can be solved.

I guess a lot of people don't see things quite this way. They view it as, if I don't talk to you for a few months I don't care about our friendship at all, so it's obviously over so we're just not going to be friends anymore. They might even delete me from FaceBook (ohhhhh the horror!!!)

The thing with life is, it happens and if you think things are black and white, you're sadly mistaken. Everyone's got their own things going on. So if I'm not talking to you, I'm probably busy. If I have a problem with you, I will tell you. Let's make this all as simple as we can because everything is shades of grey. Let's just each show each other love, and we won't have to worry about not being friends.

Chaotic

"Living without chaos, is like making something without a mess: no fun and far too cookie-cutter for me."

Do you prefer the cookie-cutter to the chaos?

Think about it

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." - Robert Brault


How does this make you feel today? I always try to embrace the little things... :)

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Things have been a little crazy...

okay but when aren't they? Since I haven't been procrastinating homework this week I haven't been looking up things online and being inspired for blogs. SO I will just post some images I found on Tumblr :)














Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Rachel's Words of Wisdom

You probably haven't met Rachel yet. She's outspoken and amazing and the designer of the logo / tattoo that currently resides on my wrist. She's also one of my biggest sources of strength. I don't know why she doesn't just post on here on her own (hint hint nudge nudge Rach) buuuuut she did post this on tumblr and give me permission to share with you.

Every day, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re beautiful. You must learn to love yourself before you can love someone else. You are forced to live with yourself, so you might as well learn to love YOU. No one knows you better than you do. And only you know what you’re truly thinking. Take a moment to think about what you’re good at, what your strong points are, what makes you different from anyone else. Smile, for you have gotten to live another day.. And be happy for all that you have.. And not sad for all that you don’t. To be loved by yourself is far more powerful than to be loved by others. Never tell yourself you can’t do something.. Giving up isn’t an option. LOVE is POWER. :)

Have a great afternoon -- I've got another blog about domestic abuse, 7 billion people orrr something completely different to follow :)

Monday, October 24, 2011

Op-Ed piece for class

This is totally NOT WQ related but I think that everyone should know about this. Obviously this is an opinion piece I wrote for class. There are facts but it's meant to persuade. Go research the topic if it strikes a chord with you.


Mexico is right there. What separates the US and Mexico at some points seems to be nothing more than the sense of entitlement that Americans seem to have. At that borderline there are no language barriers; people who live that close speak more Spanish than English anyway. And is the US public aware that across this border – less than 50 miles from some cities in Texas a war for drugs exists.
That’s right, a war for drugs. This is not a war on drugs like the US and Mexican governments want us to believe. In these dinghy towns – particularly Juarez – everything exists to provide America with cocaine.
It’s time to stop being naive and think that the US has nothing to do with this. It’s time to stop thinking that these murders, disappearances, rapes and abundance of drug trafficking has nothing to do with American citizens and cannot affect them.
Who’s to say that an American vacationer won’t accidentally end up disappeared, raped, or murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? It happens. Visitors to Mexico are warned not to leave their resorts because the safety ends there.
America, it’s time to stop ignoring this problem threatening to overspill into the US; it’s time to take the blindfold off of our eyes and see that existing in Mexico is dangerous.
To fix this problem would be to fix the US immigration problem. According to an article in the El Paso Times, the city closest to Juarez which houses many Juarez officials who are too fearful to live in the city they represent, “25,223 political asylum applications from Mexican citizens were filed between 2006 and 2010, but only 822 were granted, which amounts to 3.3 percent.” But these are only the numbers of those who applied for political asylum, and do not include the countless Mexicans fleeing to America illegally.
These people are not applying for asylum because the economy is bad in Mexico and want to take US jobs. They literally fear for their lives. They flee a government and a system that the US government supports outright. Yet, US border patrol works daily to strengthen our borders.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Unless of course, you’re fleeing a government that the US supports.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

50 Dating Rules for Smart Girls Who Don’t Need Dating Rules

TO MY WQs:

50 Dating Rules for Smart Girls Who Don’t Need Dating Rules

I got a laugh. Enjoy <3

Get Help :)

This is something that is obviously something very close to my heart since I struggle with anxiety caused by my OCD and the need to always be in control. If you feel like you have anxiety or depression or any other mental health issue go to the doctors. Even if you are having temporary anxiety due to stress, therapists and doctors are THE biggest help when you find the right one. Here's an article for that:

http://www.girlshealth.gov/feelings/therapy/index.cfm

Have a great day <3

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

UN Women Fund for Gender Equality

Do you follow our twitter? @beawarriorqueen?

If you do you've seen some of the RTs from UN Women in the past day or so because they've been doing a lot. I wanted to expand upon it and open up a forum for conversation on women globally and just to get an input on what you girls think should be important in our lives. Do you agree with what UN Women do? Do you disagree? Are you indifferent? What do you think girls should focus on? Are you content with the way you live your life or do you feel trapped some of the times because you are female?

I know I've always felt a little bit restricted and try to work toward making it a little better for us girls out there....making us realize that we have such amazing potential. Here's your chance to be a little more aware:


Women make up more than half the world’s population, but the majority of them live in poverty. For their lives to change, they need access to and control of economic resources and political power: to speak out, run for office, and support themselves and their families.Make a donation to the Fund for Gender EqualityUN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality helps change the lives of women all over the world. The Fund’s goal is to advance women’s economic and political empowerment through high-impact, multi-year grants of up to USD 5 million.
The money is awarded directly to women’s organizations and partnerships between governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Spain’s donation of USD 65 million started the Fund in 2009, followed by Norway’s USD 3 million, and Mexico’s USD 800,000. The Fund totals USD 69.5 million and is one of the largest and most recent grantmaking funds dedicated to women’s rights and empowerment globally.
Since its launch in 2009, the Fund has invested USD 37.5 million in multi-year grants to 40 programmes in 35 countries. To be approved, grants must meet the highest standards and are continually monitored for effectiveness.
GRANTEES ARE HAVING AN IMPACT
In El Salvador in March 2011, advocates helped pass a national gender equity law. In China, women of three rural provinces are demanding a place at the table and training female candidates to take a greater role in government decision-making.  In Sri Lanka, a broad-based multimedia effort is training women of ethnic and religious minorities to run for office. These projects meet the Fund’s aim of political empowerment that strengthens women’s leadership — particularly of young women, indigenous women, refugee women and HIV-positive women — increasing their participation and influence in decision-making in all areas of life.
In Rwanda, 15,000 women are being helped to register to inherit and own land and property — rights only recently granted by law. In India, an effort to equip Dalit women to lobby and take advantage of new government programmes resulted in 7,200 women’s obtaining work. In Morocco, women living in 13 oasis communities are gaining both independence and income through vibrant cooperatives. These projects meet the Fund’s goal of increasing women’s economic empowerment, increasing women’s access to and control over goods, income, and land.
The Fund works on local, national and international levels. It supports the gender equality laws and policies of individual nations. It also helps the world make progress in attaining gender equality goals enshrined in international agreements, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), among others.
For instructions on how to apply, please consult the Application Guidelines. If you have questions, please review the Frequently Asked Questions or contact the Fund for Gender Equality Secretariat.
http://www.unwomen.org/how-we-work/fund-for-gender-equality/

Friday, October 14, 2011

Following my passions

This week has been about change. I'm not quite sure how it worked out this way but it is. I find this very interesting.

Let me give you a little background. Things have been a little bit spinny since school started. There was that period of time where I was too busy to post and dealing with too much crazy stuff in my life. Then I had a lull week last week where I should have been working on the stuff that is due in the next week (it's midterm week, I have so much due). But I knew that I needed to take a vacation from this all for my sanity. So I did.

This week, I have been absolutely slammed but not panicking and just working on things and rolling with the punches. I've also been extremely passionate.

My blog posts have reflected this passion and every day it seems I've had a new topic. I thought today I was going to have a nice little break to get my homework done, which for the most part I have been working on it. But, then it popped up in front of my eyes...today's passionate cause.

Invisible Children is something that I became passionate about my senior year of high school and while I have not stayed up to date on it, it's still something that I feel passionate about.

Please check out this article on what Obama is doing and educate yourself on this subject!!

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/world/africa/africa-obama-troops/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
http://www.discoverthejourney.org/blog/?p=502
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrva2aKW1lU

My top 13 ways of living at peace (with yourself, others and the world)

1. Be passionate. Be involved. But be loving.
2. Plant a peace pole (i'm going to do this at my mom's!)
3. Random Acts of Kindness (RAK)
4. When you're driving and you think about that person making you angry...take a deep breath and smile because you are in control of you're safety.
5. Volunteer as much as possible
6. Laugh at everything
7. Love those that have opposite opinions from you
8. Compromise
9. Be self-aware
10. Think of the words you say and take into account their affect on people (racist, sexist, ageist, ableist, etc words)
11. Play with a child and teach him/her something as often as you can.
12. surround yourself with positive and loving people.
13. Be strong in your faith, whatever it may be.


~Ubuntu~

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Love your Political Opposite

In light of all of the politics my heart has been feeling, I wanted to post a blog about love. In politics it's easy to get into a dichotomy and negative feelings between people with differing beliefs. This could be particularly upsetting when the person with differing beliefs is someone close to you. A lot of people choose not to  discuss politics but I'm too passionate to remain silent and it is too much a part of people to deny. People may claim apathy but there will always be some subject that will rile them up.

The important part to remember while we're having these discussions, is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and we should love each other anyway. You can't change how people feel, but you can give them the resources to enlighten them through facts. Do as much research as you can and try not to let your emotions get involved with politics.

Let me give you a scenario from today:

As you may or may not be aware of, today the House of Representative passed a bill that would deny an emergency abortion in life threatening situations. Regardless of my passionate views on this subject, I found myself faced with an upsetting situation. One of my dear friends is completely opposite of me and posted some things on Facebook that upset me because of her passionate opinion and (what I see, at least)  as a lack of common sense or facts. Needless to say, I've taken a break from speaking to her until I cool my jets because I would hate to ruin our friendship over something like this.

What I'm trying to say is, while her opinion may have upset me, it doesn't change the way I feel about her. It's her opinion and I have my opinion but we have many other things in common and she is a wonderful person as a whole. Her beliefs and opinions stem from a very important part of her and, like my opinions and beliefs mean a lot to me, they mean the world to her.

So when you and a friend or someone comes into a disagreement with you, don't be angry with them or fight with them, merely love them for who they are and for having their conviction. :)

With this, perhaps we can find a middle ground and be a country united once again.

My personal Tumblr

Hey guys! I seem to be on FIRE with the blogs lately. I've got a ton to d o but I'm just feeling so involved and passionate right now. Looks like all of that stress and stuff I was dealing with took a back burner (and is not trying to control my life right now!)  There's another post tonight but in the mean-time I wanted to show you my tumblr. I post short little things on there more often and it's personal although there are stuff that i "feature" and "sticky note" that are WQ worthy!!

http://raetothewyn.tumblr.com/

Tell me what you think :)

Occupy Wall Street

I jotted this down on Tumblr earlier in a combination of reblogs and my thoughts but, of course, I wanted them to be more organized here. I think there is a lesson to be learned from this on all sides. Let's say the WQ message is to fight for what you believe in, to work your hardest despite everything trying to bring you down and to always do it peacefully.

I haven’t really been following Occupy Wall Street because of the endless amounts of more personal and closer to home issues that overtook my life for a bit but now that I’m really researching on it, I’m starting to get MAD.

This picture was my instigator. When I saw it this morning I just felt all crazy-like inside. This person may not be part of the 99% but much of the 99% does not HAVE the opportunity or the choice to be anything but part of that 99%. Also, where is this person if they aren’t part of the 99% of people who are not rich?
I’m not saying that this photograph is a lie, though I do not believe that it is the whole story. What I am saying though, is that this person’s situation is rare. Take how hard I’ve worked, my above decent GPA and the amount of things I do in my life (work, intern, freelance, school, homework, volunteer, breathe, blog, start a movement, etc) as an example. I may have received scholarships but that did not save me from debt. Life happens. This person might live in a rock if it hasn’t happened to them.
Nevertheless, people across America are frustrated with the economy and the way our politics are run. Hell, they’re probably fed up with our judicial system too. The US needs to recognize these issues and address them or there will be a coup in some way. We like our freedoms too much. Also, I want to applaud the occupiers on their nonviolent act and going through the proper channels (permits, etc).

This is a reblog:

 
While participants in Occupy Boston have done nothing more than sit around for the past week in attempt to promote open discourse about a set of reasonable ideas, two dozen New England Patriots helped build a playground in Providence today.
This is a reminder that talk is cheap, but action speaks. And sitting is a passive verb. If you love your country, go out and DO things to make it better - don’t spend your time sitting around in what’s grown into an unorganized mess that has lost sight of its original ideas.
Imagine if all those protesters had channeled all that time and energy into productivity - cleaning up our city, volunteering at local soup kitchens, helping educate children. Anybody can hold up a sign and pout. It takes a real commitment to make a statement.
- Stache 

And lastly, for more information on Occupy Wall Street read up on it via the news sources. There's plenty of information just make sure it's unbiased when you're getting your facts so you can form your own opinion. Here's a photo slide show from the NYT. :)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

SAVE THE VAGINAS!

October is breast cancer awareness month and everywhere people are declaring SAVE THE TATAS and I <3 Boobies! How fantastic! Breast cancer awareness has become so mainstreamed that we pronounce our love of boobies daily (especially boys...those dirty dirty men).

I applaud everyone for this. HUZZAH HUZZAH! Ladies, mammograms and self-breast exams are SO important. The founders of the I <3 Boobies movement did something amazing and took this taboo subject and made it conversation safe - better yet they made it IMPORTANT for conversations.

And now, I feel like, in addition, we should move to the next taboo, yet cancer inflicted subject. That's right ladies, your cervix.

Now we can mainstream this with "I <3 Vajayjay" bracelets but that's probably going to stay a little too taboo. Can you imagine Meg Whitman or Sarah Palin with one of those bracelets on? But maybe we can come up with an approach that's less "vulgar" by their standards. Because, they have cervixes, too. This is not a problem that we should just sweep under the rugs because it means we (gasp) have to talk about sexual safety and health.

HPV is NOT funny. Nor is cervical cancer. 

So how, you may ask, can we save ourselves from it?

Yes, it is very important to get the HPV vaccine - I got mine in 2007. But HPV is not the only thing that causes cervical cancer and, like all vaccines, it is not 100% effective.

LADIES WE NEED TO PROTECT OURSELVES AGAINST STDs! (i prefer d over i, it just sounds better. an STi is a car to me...)

We all need to work on this; myself included. Condoms. Get them. They're cheap but if you don;t want to buy them make the boys buy them. Go to Planned Parenthood and get some. Ask a friend. Ask me. There is nothing more important than protecting ourselves.

Let me tell you about a little scare I had two years ago, without any fault of my own.

From 20-21 I was sure I had cervical cancer. Never mind the fact that I had gotten the HPV vaccine over 2 years before and took precautions to protect myself. My gyno scared me.  
Let me background with the fact that your immune system does not fully develop until you are 21. On women, this affects cervical health.

So in summer 2009 I went to the gyno for my annual check up. And was devastated to find out a few weeks later that my cells were abnormal and pre-cancerous. From that point on I was told I would have to return to the doctors every 3 months for a painful procedure called a colposcopy. Gyno's do this to catch cervical cancer early so you can fight it by removing the cancerous cells. This enables women to be pregnant and carry a fetus full term.
As fate would have it, shortly after my 21st I found out my abnormal cells disappeared with my updated immune system. And that I was fine. I did not have HPV. I did not have cervical cancer. The thing is, I'm not alone. I know several other women like me who went through this scary process. 

So because of this I promote health and safety for my cervix. I go to Planned Parenthood often.

I LOVE MY VAJAYJAY!! 

Do you love yours?
 
 
 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Your Voice

Have you used your voice lately?
No, I don't mean have you spoken to anyone and literally heard your voice. I mean have you used your VOICE? Have you spoken from the depths of your soul? Have you done something that you believe in?  Have you done something to promote positive CHANGE?

Because let's face it, there's always something that needs to be changed. We were not designed to be content in our lives - we're curious, we're learning every day, and we should constantly be working to make this planet - this gift that we've been given of life - to make it the best it can be.

Change does not have to be something big. As my favorite movie character says: "You can't change the world but you can make a dent." - Sheldon Mopes (Death to Smoochy). 


When's the last time you smiled at a stranger? Do it. Hug someone. Do something positive for yourself - because when you do something positive for yourself -- your positive energy is contagious. 


LOVE with every ounce of your being. SCREAM it at the top of your lungs. 




Use your voice to make a difference.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Rain drops wash it away

Hello my little WQs,

I am so sorry I've been away for so long. Let me just tell ya...the last few weeks have been anything but calm. They've been exciting, anxious, busy, drama, pricey, hot, sticky and we could even throw in scary. In short, I've been wanting to write but I've never had the time or the emotional energy to do so.

Today, however, I'm feeling feisty on my lunch break at my internship. (Did I tell you I have an internship now? That's the busy part of the equation - work, school, intern, homework, repeat).

It's raining outside and I feel like that's just a breath of relief washing away the bad of the past  few weeks. I'm usually a sunshiney girl but after all of that drama under the sun, I could use a little weather change. So here we are. Rainy days for new chances.

But before I get into the new chances bit, I'd like to post a few things that I've thought about writing about for the past few weeks.

1.  I don't know if I've ever told you how important it is to get checked for STDs and pregnancy often. It's VERY important.
2. Always have money in your savings and a way of borrowing more in case your truck jumps off a cliff
3. A good support system of friends is THE BEST
4. Check out the website Emotional Baggage it's wayyy cool
5. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, we can sit in silence together.
6. New Girl is an AWESOME new TV show. She's also me.
7. Cleaning your room cleans your head
8. StumbleUpon is SO bad when you're in school
9. Public Safety apps are on the rise -- google some like Advanced 911
10. Did you know that kids as young as 1 are using iPads?
11. Volunteering is good for your soul
12. When it rains, it pours but, as Andy Grammar says, only rainbows after rain, the sun will always come again
13.  Sometimes you're just on two different pages, but everyone reads at different speeds so you'll get there eventually. :)

Alright, now what is this business about washing things away?
I think rainy days are the perfect days for self-reflection and to make positive changes in your life!

Sit down, do it. Listen to some good music while you're thinking it out and relax :)

Thursday, September 29, 2011

For the sake of fun

Get your weekly dose of Debbie Puente's Friendship column! She always seems to write just what I've been thinking about. I'll post an update soon; things are a little overwhelming over here.


For the sake of fun

Be strong my warrior queens <3

Friday, September 16, 2011

Strength in a Storm

For the entirety of my life, my parents could not have stressed the importance of family and friends any more than they always have. Somehow, throughout the last couple of years, I had forgotten the strength and meaning of the word: family.

Well yes, I recognize that I have been close to nonexistent with my posts here, but I will tell you that I have not forgotten about all of you. To put in lighter terms, I have been treading through what seems like every storm possible lately.

Through these storms, I have had the privilege to truly feel the presence of a grand, irreplaceable support system of family and friends. My sister and I are 5 years apart and despite that difference in years, I am fortunate to say that my sister is one of the best friends I could ever have. Interestingly, before knowing of my recent struggles, she gave me a gift that came along with these words:

"love... The greatest virtue of all. Love warms the existence of mankind and elevates the spirit."

It was as if she knew without knowing. At such a tumultuous moment in my life, I know that I could count on her, my family, and friends to help bring me to brighter days in times to come.

So now I would like to ask you: What does family represent for you? Where do you go or who do you go to when you've found you've lost your strength? What does the power of love mean to you?

Thursday, September 8, 2011

sorry!!

Hey guys! I just wanted to apologize for my disappearance! I've been pretty crazy busy with school this week - as soon as my homework is done there will be like 50 posts!!
Have a great week!
Raewyn

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Thursday, September 1, 2011

I Get By With a Little From My Friends

Today, I am sick. My throat hurts and I've basically been miserable all day. It's really not fun at all. But did reaffirm how absolutely amazing my best friends / roommates are.

As I was sitting on the couch basically dying (or so it feels), my roommate came home and made me lunch. I was absolutely thrilled. As if that wasn't enough, two of them then left to go look at mattresses and brought me home a bouquet of my favorite flowers to cheer me up.

I LOVE THESE GIRLS.

It brings me back to the Sex and the City quote: "Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with." 


It's true. Have you heard of Vitamin F? I know I alluded to it the other day with the Spa relaxation and girl time post. But here's one of those forwarded emails about girls...I just don't think I could ever stress the importance of girlfriends enough, so I'll keep saying it...Enjoy!


"I just finished  taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body   connection-the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of  psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things  that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a  woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her  relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was  serious.
 
Women connect with each other differently and provide  support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life  experiences.  Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create  more serotonin-a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a  general feeling of well being.  Women share feelings whereas men often form  relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk  about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going.  Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes.  But their  feelings?-rarely. 
 
Women do it all of the time. We  share  from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and  evidently that is  very good for our health.  He said that spending time with a friend is just  as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.   There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something  good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting  our time and should be more productively engaged--not true. In fact, he said  that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other  humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!
 
So every  time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and  congratulate yourself for doing something good for your  health! We are  indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo. let's toast to our friendship with our  girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Opportunities

Audrey Hepburn once said: "Opportunities don't often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them."


These words could not be more true in my life right now, and, though you may not see it, In yours too. 


I'm a firm believer that every day we are faced with an opportunity in some aspect of our lives. It could be the opportunity to meet someone new and make a new friend. Or like for me tomorrow, an opportunity to get an internship at a magazine. 


So as I sit here scanning the website of the magazine to make the most of the interview, I realize I'm completely unprepared. I've done countless job interviews but never one for a magazine. 


Yet here's the opportunity. I have to seize it. I can't let my doubts or fears stop me from doing my best and thinking that I have it in the bag. Let's be honest, there's probably a chance that I could get the internship. They obviously liked my resume enough to set up an interview. Points for me. As far as how the interview goes? That's all up to me and my attitude. 


You see, in interviews, your answers to the questions are only 50% of what they're looking for. Personality and attitude is the other half. So if you go in with a positive attitude that I've got this then chances are, you probably have it. 


Now, I'm not going to go in feeling like they're lucky if they pick me and if not it's their loss. On the contrary, this is a learning experience. They could love me or they could hate me but either way I've learned something for the next time and I've taken the opportunities life is handing to me.


As humans we waste too much time being scared of our opportunities. We're scared of failure, when in truth, failure is the only thing that keeps us trying harder.


So take every opportunity you're faced with, why live your life any other way?

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Overheard on Campus

I have a problem with eavesdropping. I love listening to conversations and even butting in. I can't help it! I'm a journalist - my curiosity is insatiable, especially for information.

Today at school, I had a 7 and a half hour break (horrible, I know) and found myself eavesdropping more than usual. The topic of every conversation seemed to be Jay-Z and Beyonce's fetus. I first heard of it in class yesterday (apparently it was announced at the VMAs) and then again on the radio this morning. Obviously, everyone's talking about it and the surrounding circumstances.

All I can think of is WHO CARES!!!?!

Don't get me wrong, pregnancy is a very beautiful thing. But why does a celebrity's pregnancy mean so much more than a nobody's?

Again, I'm part of the media. But the realities and focus of the media really angers me. The story is not in the celebrities.

The real story lies in the family that lives down the street with the son who's away at war or your boyfriend's sister's life as a single mom with an autistic child. The true stories are the ones not being told.

We each have a story.

Instead of focusing on these over-dramatized lives, let's ask each other to hear our stories.

What's yours?

Friendship and Stress :)

Wasn't I just talking about this?

My coworker's mom is a columnist for The Examiner and she's a lady after my own heart. Tonight's blogpost is courtesy of her column. Enjoy!!

http://www.examiner.com/female-friendship-in-national/make-sure-to-take-your-friendship-meds

-Raewyn

Thursday, August 25, 2011

This is your life



Spa Night

I know all of the time I talk about pampering yourself when you're in a funk -- manicures, pedicures, retail therapy etc. It's something I could swear by because you're giving yourself positive attention that you need to destress.

On Tuesday, I was enlightened to an even better way of pampering yourself. Yeah, all of that stuff is amazing and relieves some tension temporarily, but the ability to truly de-stress through a spa / girl's night vastly surpasses a simple manicure or pedicure.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but my roommates and I have been in a little bit of a funk for part of this summer. We were all kind of "ehh" on Tuesday, but luckily we were hosting a spa party. Spa parties are similar to Cookie Lee events. Someone hosts it and a professional will come in with products and test them out on you and show them off and then you can decide to purchase some after.

We started off the evening with cheese and crackers, fruits and veggies, and a nice pitcher of Sangria (we're all over 21, but refreshing iced tea works if you're younger too!) Once our professional arrived (she's a close friend of my roommate) we moved into the living room and she gave us various mini spa treatments. We had miniature facials, lip facials, hand and feet scrubs / moisturizers.

All of this was absolutely phenomenal and can help peel of tons of stress and toxins from our bodies. To top it all off, the estrogen was flowing and our endorphins were high. Women release the hormone oxytocin when they are together bonding and it's a "feel good" hormone.

It is a beyond amazing experience. I suggest trying it. And next time you're feeling sad, surround yourself with your best girlfriends because your oxytocin's gonna brighten things up quicker than you think :)



**Our spa party was hosted by a representative of BeautiControl

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tattoos

What are your thoughts on tattoos?

Personally, I think they're a particularly awesome way of expressing yourself, especially if it's something personal. Tattoos are there forever. So it better be meaningful.

On Sunday, my little brother turned 18 and we had a tattoo party in celebration. My dad, brother, roommate and I all got tattoos that meant something to us.

My brother and I got tattoos for our cousin Gregory who died after having cancer when he was a child. It was an incredibly beautiful moment of us getting our tattoos. Here's some pix!



Raewyn

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Confidence for All

Hey guys,

So I'm very lucky that my friends posted blogs this week because I was in Vegas living up the good life (or relaxing by the pool to be more accurate). Sitting in Vegas, I got a good look at appearances and insecurities because that's what Vegas is built on.

Of course we have the girls faked to the extreme and the buildings are all glitz and glamour until you get off the strip and realize it's just another desert town. The part that actually struck me, was the high amount of faked up insecure guys.

I thought this would go perfectly with the previous post about girls and confidence, because it's important for us to remember that most guys lack confidence too. It's how our society breaks us down and how it makes money off of us.

Walking around the pool there were so many guys built to the extreme, strutting their stuff and trying to woo any girl they could. Just by glimpsing these guys, immediately you're gonna think they're cocky and have a lot of confidence, nothing can bring them down.

Not true.

Girls spend hours getting their hair and nails done, putting on makeup, shopping etc. Boys? They spend hours at the gym.

So whenever we're feeling insecure about ourselves, we should probably think that everyone else feels insecure too.

Let's all build our confidence up, shall we?

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Warrior of Warrior Queen

Dear ladies of Warrior Queen,
If you have been following us for a little while you are aware, or possibly not, that there is a Warrior (or warrior king) helping with the warrior queen. I will remain nameless, but for those of you who do not know me, lets call me Jason. I am a guy, I have simple ideas and I believe firmly in the mission statement of Warrior Queen (in fact I helped write it). 



I have been lucky enough to have been surrounded by women who are confident, or so I thought, throughout my entire life. It has taken me almost 20 years to learn a few things about “confident” women. First off, there are two different types of confident women. There are women who are confident in themselves and there are women who have confidence given to them by the outside world. WELL I am here to tell you, the more confident you are in the beauty that you have, the more beautiful you become. Have you ever known someone who at first did not seem that attractive to you, but the more you got to know them the more attractive they became?


 On the opposite side of that I have a close friend who is not confident in herself. She cannot see that she is beautiful, no matter how many people tell her, and as harsh as it may be it almost makes her less attractive to the actually good class of men. And yes, I promise that there are a better class of men than the lying, cheating, D***** bags that most of you seem to surround yourselves with. I am not saying that we are easy to find, nor am I saying that we are perfect in any way. But those of us that like to think of ourselves, as the “good guys” want a girl who is confident. The problem that my friend has is that, she is seen as an easier target for the guys who are less than adequate. She embodies what they go for, a girl who does not believe in herself, who is not confident enough to know that she can find someone else.  My friend stayed in a horrible relationship for way too long, she will give a million reasons for it, but the truth was she got comfortable, and she wasn’t confident enough in herself to believe that someone else would come along and make her happier than she ever knew possible.


 The thing, at least for me, is not if a girl is the next super model, or the “hottest” girl at the party, it is what she perceives herself to be. I am not going to lie to you; one of my longest relationships was with a girl who, though incredibly beautiful to me, was not someone who would cause you to stare if you walked by. But to me, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She was the girl who could smile at me, and melt my heart. And EVERY GIRL reading this right now deserves that.. Every girl deserves to be with a guy who wakes up every morning thanking his lucky stars that he found you. Because it does not matter if you are perfect, it matters that you know that you are worth it. Most of the guys that girls say they want, want a girl who is not only happy with who she is, but knows who she is and embraces it. 


My sister is the perfect example of this. She knows (or thinks) that she is not the most beautiful girl, and that she is a little nerdy, but she embraces it with all of her heart. She knows that there is going to be a guy out there that is going to love the fact that she is a person who would rather spend a night sipping tea and reading a book than going to a club and partying it up. 


And every girl reading this right now, can learn something from that. 


Joe Nichols has a song called gimme that girl. It is a favorite of mine for many reasons. The main reason is that the lyrics speak towards what I personally, want and look for in a girl. “Gimme a girl that's beautiful Without a trace of makeup on Barefoot in the kitchen, singing her favorite song Dancin' aroun' like a fool Starin' in her own little show Gimme the girl that the rest of the world ain't lucky enough to know.” 


Now NOT ONLY is this what I look for in a girl, but girls, you need to start looking for a guy who sees all of these things in you. There are countless songs about being who you are and that being beautiful. Every girl reading this should know that someone is going to see you for what you are. I am going to leave you now with these words from Jaron and the Long Road Home, in their song You’re Beautiful.
Babe, you coulda gone with RomeoBut you let him go And you stayed with me instead And every day I find new ways that make you beautifulYou're beautiful and thats beautifulWhat's she doing with a guy like me?You're so cool and I'm high tea.I don't deserve toHave a girl as beautiful as you
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...