The Minion Challenge

Minions are small, yellow, feisty creatures that serve only the baddest villains of all time. They have served villains from Napoleon to Dracula. Most recently, Minions served the evil genius Felinious Gru, from Despicable Me. Sure, these minions are cute, comical, and up to no good. But, to me, these little guys DOMINATE the world today. My boyfriend's sister brought up the point that you cannot go a single day without seeing a Minion. These little yellow creatures are everywhere. 

For instance...do you want some simple Kraft Macaroni and Cheese? 

Well here, also-- have a Minion.

Do you need to drive anywhere?

 

Oh! Look! Two Minions on the side of the road! How convenient?

Hey, how about a Tic Tac to tide you over until lunch?

MINIONS.

How about a nice getaway trip to Vegas?

 

Don't worry, there are *creepy* Minions there, too. 

But alas, surely I won't see any Minions on a college campus today. 

BUT I LOOK UP FROM MY PHONE AND APPARENTLY IT IS BRING YOUR KID TO SCHOOL DAY BECAUSE I SEE A TINY HUMAN WITH A TINY MINION ON HIS BACK AND ALL HOPE IS LOST.

Therefore I stand by my argument that you can't go a day without seeing a Minion. 

Why is she so nice?

I have the most charitable mother on the planet. Whenever she sees someone in need, she goes out of her way to help them.

With the holiday season approaching, I see my mother's charitable acts more than ever. People always make comments about my mom saying "Why is she so nice?" "Why did she do that?" Sometimes I feel a little defensive thinking, "Well, why not?" "Why do you care if she helps someone else in need?" Instead of stonewalling the conversation, I turn this into the opportunity to share how AWESOME my mother is. Growing up, my mom had ONE pair of pants and TWO shirts. She had no pajamas.

The best part of this whole thing? My mom didn't know that I love telling her story. Her TRIAL became the OPPORTUNITY to make a change as she grew older.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Clive and Helen Jo Murphy, had taken her in after her stepmother kicked her out of the house because "Mormon Missionaries visited me at our front door." 

After she was kicked out of her house, she moved in with The Murphy family. They taught her what it was like to be part of a loving family. This was "something [she] never really had due to [her] parents' divorce when [she] was 5 years old." The Murphy's taught her a lot in the little time she was with them. They taught her how to wisely spend her money. They emphasized the importance of spending money on things you need versus things you want.

 When she was living with the Murphy's she had been accepted to BYU and was saving money to be able to attend mid-semester. 

"I was employed at a local Hallmark store and had been eying a crystal heart-shaped necklace, wanting to purchase it every time I received a paycheck. Brother and Sister Murphy counseled me to be smart and not purchase frivolous things and to keep my goal of attending college in sight. I saw that necklace every time I went to work, but heeded their counsel and didn't buy it."

 After months of working and saving money, the day had come to move from California to Utah. The Murphy family drove her to Provo in the middle of October to pursue her dream of obtaining a college degree. As they dropped her off at the dorms, Sister Murphy pulled out THE necklace and gave it to her as a gift from their family. 

Here is the best part. I get choked up EVERY TIME I tell this part to anyone:

"I asked how I could repay them for taking me into their home and for all they had done for me. They told me that I needed do nothing more than help others throughout my life. What's funny is that I wanted this necklace so badly, but have never actually worn it! Although it has remained boxed in my jewelry drawer, this necklace reminds me of the promise I made that day, in that dorm parking lot, to help others. I have done my best to do just that and hope I have made the Murphy family proud."

SERIOUSLY. My mom is a saint. Let's call her Saint Cheryl. 

Here's my challenge to YOU: Accept the challenge. Go out of your way to help someone else. I look up to my mom so much. She has taught me to go out of my way to do nice things for people. It's not hard to smile at someone, or wish someone a good day, or letting someone in on the road instead of speeding up.

Happy holidays! Go out and do something nice. 

San Bernadino and Prayers

Yesterday, December 2, 2015, there was a mass shooting in San Bernadino, California. Before I go any further I want to send my condolences to those affected. To the families, the businesses, and the community that was effected: My heart is heavy, and I'm sorry. I don't know what it is like, whereas I don't know anyone that has been involved in a situation like this.

What we know so far is that there were three active shooters. Two suspects are deceased, and one is detained. After a heated interaction at a holiday office party, two shooters entered the building in combat gear and began to shoot. Terrorism hasn't been ruled out, but it seems to be workplace violence based on the information the public has received. According the the Washington Post, police found 12 pipe bombs in the home of the suspects, along with more ammunition.

Anyways...the motives of the shooters are still unknown. This is terrifying. Aside from the sickening mass shooting, I am sickened by the fallout from the public.

This post right here really got to me:



As Americans, there isn't much we can do. I definitely can't do anything about this problem from "Happy Valley, Utah." It is natural for people to want to do something about a problem. In this scenario, there is not much we can do but send good vibes and pray. I'm not forcing anyone to be religious. If you don't believe in prayer, that's your call. I'm not going to shove religion down your throat. But what does Daily News intend to achieve by publishing this? What good does this do? Does it distract the attention from the shooting itself? What are your motives Daily News? Whether religious or not, this is horrible journalism. People are dying, and you choose to pick on people praying? You choose to push down people who are trying their best to stay positive? Whether or not you believe in God, THIS IS NOT JOURNALISM. Daily News prides themselves in reporting news, but this isn't news.