What A Wedding!

This past weekend, my sister and her fiance (now my brother-in-law) got married.  It was a joyous occasion, where two people celebrated their love for each other, but it was a day I wasn't really looking forward to, to be perfectly honest.  It's not that I have anything against weddings.  I just didn't know what to expect.  My family has been talking about this day for almost a year, so now that it was finally here, things were chaotic.  There were lots of arguments and yelling over finances and plans, we all had to pick out clothes, I had to learn how to use a video-camera last minute, and since I had never been to a wedding before as an adult, I was afraid I would make a mistake; it was so much, that it had me emotionally and physically drained, but when the moment came, I couldn't be happier.  My sister and her fiance's big moment was finally here, and everything went smoothly.  The day was long, but it was a great wedding day!

A few things I took away from my sister's wedding day was how important family truly is.  Everyone obviously know that, but we don't always say it or show it, so seeing it in person really made me appreciate my family for who we are and how much we've grown.  Not just my siblings and I, who have grown up a lot since we were children, but my parents, who have grown up wiser.  I also took away how magnificent churches really are as a structure.  I had never been in one before, since my family is not overly religious.  Everything I had ever seen of a church had just been a picture, but seeing it in person is a different experience because of all the architecture and paintings.  Lastly, I just took away how important love is to me.  I used to believe I'd get married, but now I'm not sure anymore.  I've struggled so much in the area that I don't know what the future holds.  But one thing I do know for sure is, that I still desire love, and it's still one of the most important things I value in life.  People hate weddings because it's so political and institutional, but being at one in person changes you.  On the outside, I may be the same person, but inside, I feel different.  I can't explain it, but I can feel it.    

Who knows what the future holds for me, but that's a story for another day.  For now, I just want to say congrats to my sister, Heather, and her husband Nick.  I'm so happy for you both.  Hopefully, I and others find our special someone someday...

Baby Mama's

A term that is loosely thrown around in our culture is the term baby mama, which honestly, is a term that befuddles me.  On Facebook, it was used for women who wanted to be "married" to each other, and for celebrities, it is someone who is not married to the father of their child.  It has other meanings, but these two are the most used that I see.  In hindsight, I suppose it is not a big deal because people have children with different people all the time, but when it's accepted or praised in culture, I think that is when it's a problem.

Case in point, Adrian Peterson, the all-pro running back from the Minnesota Vikings.  His son he had died a few weeks ago, and there was a lot of media coverage over it.  Everyone felt sorry for AP and gave him praise for playing on Sunday, but I think they lost sight of the fact a child of his died that he never met before.  I understand he was the biological father, but someone else raised him.  I'm not here to bash AP because I think he is a great athlete, and he's been through a lot.  I just get disgusted with the way sports culture and most of America is, thinking it's alright to just have children with anyone.  Having children is a huge responsibility, so if you cannot do it, then you should not do the deed.  But that does not stop athlete's such as Antonio Cromartie and others having multiple children from many various women.  Some even praise it or think it's cool, which is a damn shame.

I know what I'm criticizing is nothing new, and adds on to the list of many reasons why athlete's are not as great as they seem sometimes; it's just that these people are more privileged then us, and are supposed to be role models, yet they overuse the power they have.  And when they do get caught, they act like they're sorry, or think they can just pay someone off, but that's not enough.  When someone has a child, being financially sound is nice, but more often then not, they need parents, and they can't have that if there father is someone who just doesn't give a damn.  I know what I'm saying only speaks to a minority of athlete's, and that there are many who are happily married that love their wives/husbands.  It's just a shame sometimes that they do not get our attention.