The End of the World? Really?

2012? Please. I thought it was a joke until I met some people who actually believe it. Like our French teacher at my school. But then again, I'm pretty sure he also believes Obama's the anti-Christ. Then there's the people who think the earthquake in Japan was the beginning of the end. I'm just thinking to myself, "Seriously? Are you dumb?". Earthquakes happen all the time.. Don't you think the end of the world and return of Christ would be something just a tad more dramatic than that?
... I do.
I'd really like for someone to get creative with their ideas of the end of Earth. Ya know.. Maybe a black hole sucks everything up? Volcanos of ice erupting and freezing all of mankind? Radioactivity causing everyone to shrink down to Smurf size? SOMETHING other than earthquakes. It's getting so boring.
There's another interesting point to this whole "2012" business. How do some people believe in the Mayan Calendar to end our lives, but they legitamatly don't believe things like the Holocaust ever happened? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have met a person who fully believed two things:
1) 2012 was going to happen, because the Mayans told us, and Mayan Calendars are always right about everything, and
2) The Holocaust never happened.. I got the following quote off of a website claiming the Holocaust was fake:
"The Holocaust is a hoax. The time has come for Christian scholars and pastors to recognize this, and to stop perpetrating a hoax as the truth. A Christian is not free to believe and promote a lie about any person or nation. True Christian scholars should at least read what the Revisionists write."
are you kidding me right now? HOW DOES SOMEONE DENY THAT?

I just find it amazing what some people will believe. Good Lord, PLEASE find some common sense somewhere.

Love,
Taylor.

I Love School.

You know what I love?

Some of my amazing teachers.

Today, I woke up in a terrible mood, but when I got to school, my teacher changed it around. I sat down at my desk and heard him say from across the room, "Jersey Shore is like a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Ronnie and Sammi. No one wants them together, but they still try. The only difference is Ronnie wears wife beaters and Sammi wears micro skirts and push up bras. Then one day, he'll find her drunk and passed out, think she's dead, then drink himself to death out of depression. Yeah.. Modern day love tragedy."

This is one of the only reasons why I even bother to go to school anymore. LOVE IT!

Love,

Taylor.

We're So Sorry.

As the new semester started, we found it harder and harder to keep up with this blog. We stopped answering questions, and pretty much forgot about this. We can't apologize enough. However, this spring break, we're going to get our stuff together! We promise.

Here is our promise to all of our readers:
We won't do this again. We will update this blog weekly, and always respond to your questions promptly. During this spring break, we will write and hopefully get things back on track. We love you guys!

Love,
Haleigh and Taylor.

The Next Best Thing.

  Does anyone have a gym membership? We do.

  Does anyone ever notice a huge difference in the amount of people at the gyms during January? We do.

  We find it hilarious that while people make New Years Resolutions, they often forget them before summer. The biggest one being "working out consistently." So if you happen to have made a New Years resolution that may be a tad hard to keep up with, we've come up with some ways to make sure you stick to them throughout the WHOLE year. If you have any more ideas, leave a comment.

1. Write on your mirror with dry erase marker. Hopefully you look at your mirror at least once a day, so you should remember to do "said resolution." (Yes, expo marker does come off mirrors. Just use a paper towel to wipe it off.)

2. Set an alarm in your phone. You can make those daily, weekly, or monthly. Make your ring tone extremely annoying, that way you have no excuse but to look at your phone and shut it off.

3. Set reasonable goals. Don't tell yourself that you're determined to loose a pound a day.. You would be setting yourself up for failure. Maybe a pound a week.. or a certain amount a month. Maybe just a yearly goal.

4. Stay motivated. You can usually do this by "partner resolutions". This way you can choose a resolution with a partner, and that way you can each keep each other accountable.

5. If you are deciding to work out, have an AWESOME play list.

6. If you don't want to partner with someone, you should still have someone to keep you accountable.

We want to know what other resolutions people have come up with, and ways you plan to keep them going the whole year. Let us know! Happy New Year, everyone.

Love,

Haleigh and Taylor

Post Number TwentyOne.

Dear peoples

    In your last post, you mentioned something being against God's word.  Now that's all well and good, but you sited an Old Testament verse.  The problem with this is that according to the New Testament we are no longer under Old Testament law.  Romans 10:4 says, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes"  So since Jesus died on a cross and all of that, the Old Testament is just there as a record of what happened and the prophesies about Jesus.  What we are under is the law of Christ. This law is in Matthew 22:37-39.  We are commanded to love God and people. Well that's all I have.  And remember, God made you special, and he loves you very much.

  All the best,

   Chowder

Dear Chowder,

  Technically, you are right. However, you should read the beginning of Romans. You'll find in Romans 6:1-5, it basically talks about how even though Christ died for our sins, that does not mean that we can live whatever life we please with the excuse that God will always forgive you. But, if you require a verse from the New Testament to persuade you, look up 1 Corinthians 5. We hope this helps.

Love,

Haleigh and Taylor

Post Number Twenty.

Dear Haleigh and Taylor,

     So me and my bestfriend are sitting here and some philosophical things came into our conversation. We'd like your opinion/help, along with the comments of others. So here goes nothing....

1) What is true tollerance? In todays society, it is the "right thing to do" to accept all beliefs and thoughts, but yet when certain people choose not to do this, they are criticized and cut down for doing so. Is what they are doing not their belief/thoughts? And intern are not being tolerated for their beliefs? Politically correctness is bs. Sorry for the personal opinion.

2) Is fear just your own personal un-knowing of what there is to come or what there is out there? And also is fear just knowing the truth but not being willing to accept it because you dont want it to be true?We think fear is a mixture, for instance, when you are young as a child, you are afraid of the dark. This is mainly caused because you cant fully see what is out there, and your "fear" is the possibility of it being something harmful and you dont know what is out there due to you not being able to see what there is, or know what there is. Is fear simply ignorance combined with the refusal to accept the harmful truth, is what I'm basically asking?

3) Why does love exist? Why would any sensible human being want to go through all of the hardship and troubles that come with it for one small feeling of joy, that most likely isnt even there all the time? We admittedly do not know how to fully explain this question, but it is prevalent in everyones life and especially one of ours.

                                                                                                Thanks for your time,

                                                                                                Food for thought

Dear Food for Thought,

  To let you know.. These are the hardest questions we've ever had to answer on this blog.

1) We respectfully disagree with your view on today's society. We feel like society screams at you that the "right thing to do" is to accept the most prominent beliefs or thoughts, though in actuality, we should be able to recognize every ones beliefs or thoughts. In our opinion, it's no ones business if you decide to go against or for the status quo. Who ever gave ANYONE the right to disrespect or not accept what you do? Judgment day will come, and the only person who can reject or accept what you do is God. So to your question, I don't feel as if it's any ones place to "accept beliefs" or not. You can conclude if you agree or disagree according to your own personal beliefs (referencing to the Bible), but never disrespect it. You can hold your own beliefs, while knowing there are contradicting beliefs all over the world, and respectfully disagree with those that contradict your own. Once you reject a belief or thought, one tends to reject all people associated with that belief or thought without ever really knowing them.

2)

fear 

1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.

3. concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.

4. reverential awe, esp. toward god.

5. that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which a person is afraid: Cancer is a common fear.

We just used Dictionary.com to give you the "literal meaning" of the word fear. We'll use this as a guideline. In my (Taylor's) personal opinion, fear is the forced acceptance of change. I'm going to use the example of being afraid of the dark. When you were younger and afraid of the dark, were you afraid of shutting your eyes? Hopefully not. When you closed your eyes, essentially the same thing happened. Your vision was taken away, and anything could happen around you and you wouldn't know what it was. But when it's dark, your limited vision is forced upon you, and it's a change that you never initiated. As far as your refusal to believe what's coming/the truth, that's more denial than fear. Maybe even just pure stubbornness.

3) This last one.. Well.. We can't help you much. But from what we know of love, it's not a "small feeling of joy that isn't even there all the time", so your friend should probably stop thinking that he/she is in love and face reality. We don't know why or how people fall in love, and we can't describe love even if we had to. Ask your parents. They may know.

Thank you for these questions, we really loved them. Write us again with even more questions, and let us know if you disagree with us.

Love,
Haleigh and Taylor

Post Numeber Nineteen.

Dear Haleigh and Taylor,

    Its us again, and we have one more inquiry for you. We were just wondering this- why do girls go for the jerks a lot of the time, when there are guys that are actually nice and treat girls right right there the whole time. I ave been in plenty of situations where a girl has been led on by a guy who was a jerk and they still liked him after that happened, and I would like that girl and would have been talking to her very often for awhile and wouldnt do something like that to them, but they just look over me because I am not like incredibly attractive. And i know its not because I'm ugly or anything, because not to sound arrogant, but girls have been forward with me and told me I'm attractive. But it just makes me mad that the girls decide they want to go for a huge douchebag because they're the most attractive guy they know or she somehow likes them or even maybe had been dating him for long enough to "love him". Its fairly annoying, and My buddy here has been through the same situation, because he liked a girl and wanted to date her, but she had a jerk boyfriend who treated her awful, and went of to college anyways but she still dated him for reasons unknown to anybody except her. They are still friends, and she will confide to him about the jerk struff he does, but she still stays with him despite the mean stuff he does to her. This leaves him wondering what could be but I guess some things aren't meant tobe known.

Dear Food for Thought,
 The girls who can't see a nice guy to save their lives usually can't for two reasons: 1, They like the thrill of not knowing what comes next, and 2, they're really not ready for someone who could actually be capable of liking them for who they are rather than what they have to offer. Unfortunately, that "thrill" is typically fear of commitment. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it is so true. The jerks that you guys are talking about are generally straight to the point, don't really care, and never have any intentions on treating her respectfully. Girls sometimes want to take those kind of people and "change them" into the person they want. They like the challenge and the chase, and the jerk guy generally ends up winning all around.
  As far as your buddy goes, the girl that he wants to date doesn't really have to give him a reason for why she stays with him. Now that he's gone to college, really it's only a matter of time before they break up. Sucks for your friend if they don't, but Apparently she's okay with being treated like that. See, when those kind of guys are so mean, all the time, then they do something like open the door for his girlfriend, his girlfriend will forget all the things he's done and decide that he's the nicest thing ever. It's a kind of denial. She wants to stay with her boyfriend, so she convinces herself that he's the one.

Love,
Haleigh and Taylor

Post Number Eighteen.

Dear Haleigh and Taylor,

     There has been something going on in our(us, the writters) grade at our school for a long time that no one really talks about because most dont care, but it bothers me. The girls on our grade seem to think quite highly of themselves, and are not afraid to share it. After every school year ends they always make the comment of, "I hope a hot, or just worth while, guy comes to our school next year." They make this comment directly to the faces of all the guys in the grade, to which the guys say nothing, or just walk away out of respect. It has happened every year I can remember, and even some of the girls who have told me that the guys need to not worry about looks as much at our school have said the same thing. And In retaliation, i have once said "Maybe this year a hot girl will come." and they jump on me like I said something outlandish and comepletely out of line. I'm no egomaniac, but most outsiders, including adults and kids from other schools, all agree that in reality our grade has many more good looking and "worth while" guys than girls. The girls in our grade are regarded as the meanest in the entire school and tend to have a common consensus that every guy, and especially the ones in our grade, are out to get one thing from them. I'd like for them to spend one week in any other school and then have them tell me how that theory worked out for them. I am not asking for much, just a little respect from them. Because we respect them much more than give us credit for. I'd also like for them to make a choice: be consistent with your opinion of us and leave us alone, instead of sometimes dating and leading us on, or wake up and realize whats been right in front of them the whole time.

                                                                                        Thanks for your time,

                                                                                        Food for thought

Dear Food for Thought,

We like the name. We really do. Is there a story behind it?

As far as your problem goes in your school, we actually have somewhat of a similar problem, so this one is kind of easy to relate to. Although I must point out.. there was no actual question that you asked.

There's really no way to fix your problem, and we're sorry that we're unable to give you better advice. The thing is that once a group of girls have a set opinion on you, it takes a lot for that to change. It has nothing to do with the guys personality.. It's generally due to a girl's immaturity. I'll show you how it usually happens.. and this may explain the whole "sometimes dating you and leading you on". You start talking to a girl.. texting her a lot. Let's name her Lauren. You give Lauren a lot of attention, and Lauren LOVES it. So she starts thinking about you and decides she likes you. You and Lauren start dating, but when the news gets back to her friends, they all ask her, "What are you thinking?" She starts second guessing herself, picks out every bad thing about you, like how you chew your food or how you laugh, and she's over it. You now have a broken heart, and the girl moves on. This post sounds just like a bash on girls, but it's not. Trust me, guys have done the most idiotic things as well, but I'm trying to explain what may be happening. The only way to go around this is to find a girl that can think for herself, rather than going along with all of her friends without giving it a second thought. Don't worry, most girls grow out if it anyways, but for the time being, don't look for girls in "that crowd". Go find a girl who's into more than just the latest gossip, and a girl you could really and truly get to know. Once you find her, hold on to her. Have fun. The most you can do is ignore the mean, rude, egotistical girls, and wait to find that certain someone.(: Let us know if we were able to help, we really weren't sure what you were asking.

p.s. if you can't find one in your grade, shoot for older. haha.

Love,

Haleigh and Taylor

Post Number Seventeen.

Dear Taylor and Haleigh,
I like this girl, but the problem is....shes my cousin. Am I screwed
up? I cant help that she's hot, and she feels the same way and we talk
a lot. We would like to date...but you know the problem. Help?

Am I gay?

Could switching to Geico really save me 15% or more on my car insuranse?

Dear Anonymous,
  These were three separate emails, but clearly, they were not serious emails, meaning they don't exactly deserve three separate posts.

To your first question, incest is against God's word. Look up Leviticus 20:12 Deuteronomy 27:22 and it tells you so. So no, you should not date. As to the screwed up part.. well.. we don't know you that well..

To your second question, no. You are not gay. Because your name on your email is a guy's name, and you just told us that you want to date your girl cousin. Meaning you are straight.

To your third question, yes. Depending on who you were insured with before you switched to Geico, you very well could save up to 15%. The question is whether or not you can do it in fifteen minutes.

I hope you had a nice laugh. Happy New Year!

Love,
Haleigh and Taylor.

Taylor-- 12-22-10

Wow. Christmas is in three days. This year has flown by so quickly. While most schools are out on break right now, I wanted to remind everyone to enjoy this Christmas. Spend time with your family, and make the most out of it. My grandmother is leaving for Uganda, Africa on January 5th. She won't be back until my graduation (May, 2013). Fortunately, I will be able to fly out to Uganda and see her this March, but that won't make me miss her any less. Having a countdown to the day she leaves has actually made me enjoy our time even more, and that makes me feel terrible.

I feel almost selfish, for waiting until the last minute to start seriously spending time with her, and realizing my grandmother for the amazing woman she is. It does, however, put things into perspective for me. I'm fortunate in this situation. I have a countdown until the day she leaves. It makes me think of those who have lost loved ones in sudden accidents in which they were never given the chance to say goodbye. They have probably all wished that they would've enjoyed their time with that person, and hoped that person knew they loved them.

So as my 'New Year's Resolution List' begins, I will make this number one: Don't hold back. Let those that I love know that I love them. When the time comes, reality won't have to "set in", because I will have made the most of my relationship with my family and friends, making love a reality, rather than just an idea reserved for the last days of someone's life.

Have a safe Christmas, and enjoy the holidays. 

Love,

Taylor

So Don't Say Certain Names.

Dear Anyone Who May Want To Post Something On Our Blog,

  Lately, we've had people who have resorted to cussing while trying to post something on our blog. As you may or may not know, all comments are moderated by us, meaning we have to approve the comments before they are ever posted on the site. We refuse to post things with foul language in them. Re-word your posts, then send them to us again. Also, if you choose to use anyone's name in the post, you HAVE to ask them if that's okay. If not, do NOT use their name. We're not going to go through and re-word your posts for you anymore. You can re-send them, after you've re-worded them. If you feel strongly about something, tell us how you feel, but tell us how you feel while keeping it appropriate. We're sorry if it's an inconvenience, but we've said this before, and we refuse to compromise. Thanks.

Love,

Haleigh and Taylor

Post Number Sixteen.

Dear Haleigh and Taylor,
   okayy so a bunch of girls at this school decided to band together, mainly ******, *****, and *****, and make one of my best friends' lives miserable. i hate that they'd do this to her because now a bunch of people think she's a whore when she's a super nice kid and has never done anything that she's accused of, and i know ***** likes to treat her really badly and trash her and it's SO unfair! my friend is sometimes reduced to tears about it but she never retaliates, and i'd do something about it but i dont' go to her school and it pisses me off that i have no power over her feelings. what can i do?!

Dear Anonymous,
  There's really nothing you can do. But you can always try to give your friend advice about it if she wants it. Our advice to your friend would be to talk to these people, and try to clear up any misunderstandings that may have occured for them to believe the things that they're spreading. The best thing she can do is just handle it maturely. But she does need to stand up for herself. Talk to her, always be there for her, and remind her that this, too, shall pass. If talking to the girls doesn't help, she should seek counsel from some sort of higher authority at school. Let us know how everything turns out, and if you have any questions, feel free to email us again.

Love,
Haleigh and Taylor

Names, Names, Names.

Hey Everyone!
  Lately, we've had a few posts in which people will use the names of people that we know in their questions. When we give advice to people, it's so much easier to be fair and unbiased whenever we don't know who you're talking about. We don't want to be biased, and to help us with that, we're asking you guys to not use people's real names when you email us. Also, we can't post things with people's names on here without their permission, and then that gets into confidentiality issues and whatnot. Unless your desire is for us to know who you're talking about for certain situations, we ask for you to leave names out of it if you can. Thanks!

Love,
Haleigh and Taylor

Post Number Fifteen.

Dear Haleigh and Taylor,
  So I'm having problems with my parents. Every time i try and talk to them, they put on their sensible "counselor voice". you know that irritating "and how do you feel about that" situation. I've attempted to have adult conversations with them, but each one ends in "i'm the parent and you're the child" or "you're not being logical". Sometimes they blame my "illogical arguments" on my brothers who have moved away. In the end I usually end up yelling at them or using a "disrespectful tone". (every tone i use seems to be disrespectful to them) Then I get into lots of trouble causing me to miss out on some really important stuff. My mother even started a "do over" method. Basically if I say something they don't like, I can do it over or just say what they really want me to say. I am sick of it. I feel as if I am the black sheep of my family because even my sister (who complains about them on a regular basis) sides with them. She told them (with me in the room) that she sees how i treat them and doesn't wasn't to be like me. i feel like I'm an outcast in my own family! All I wish is for my parents to respect me and allow me to figure out my life for myself.
     help me. i need a voice!!!!

-Rachel

Dear Rachel,
  In this case, there's honestly not a lot to be said. We can sympathize for your situation, because all parents can be a little overbearing at times. It may not be what you want to hear, but they are the adults, and for the time being, you're under their roof. Meaning you have to cope with the current situation, and try your best to make it as pleasant as possible. Just know that when you get older, things will change. They will see you for the adult you will become, and treat you appropriately. Our advice to you would be to do the same as your mom, and start a "do over" method. This is a different kind of "do over" method, though. Try to start over. Try to forget about past arguments and fights you may have gotten in, and from now on, try your best to show your parents that you are trying your best to act like a rational adult. I know that I (I being Taylor), tend to have a disrespectful tone, even though I don't realize it. I try to get a point across, and instead of making a point, I actually look somewhat ridiculous by the amount of immaturity my tone conveys. Try not to hold grudges, and remember that it's your family. No matter what, they will always be there for you. Let us know what happens. Best of wishes!

Love,
Haleigh and Taylor