What's In A Name?

Names.

We all have them.

We don't choose them (generally).

Sometimes they mean something, sometimes they don't.

Let's talk about my name.

My first name: Brittanny.

Not Brittany, Brittney, Brittni, Britnay, or anything else.

B. R. I. T. T. A. N. N. Y.

Technically, it's supposed to be pronounced in 3 syllables.

Brit-tin-ny.

Like the word (country) Brittain, with a y on the end.

If you know me, you know my mom is from England.

Great Britain.

Makes sense, right?

My mom originally wanted to spell it "Brittainy", but thought I would get called Britt-tain(rhymes-with-gain)-y. Which doesn't sound so nice.

My mom thought she was being originally when she came up with that name.

Except.... It ended up being in like the top five names of 1989.

Whaddaya do?

Now, my middle name is Hope.

Hope is pretty. I love it. It's a great virtue.

My dad blessed me to always have a "hope in our Savior Jesus Christ" when I was little, and I love that my name ties into that blessing.

(By-the-by, here are other names that were considered by my parents:
Felicity Hope: Grandma G deemed that too Catholic, so that was out. When I was younger I was really hurt that I didn't get named that. I really wanted to be a Felicity. Probably has something to do with my obsession with American Girl dolls at the time.....

Holly Lynn: If I was born in December. I was born in August, so that didn't cut it. Lynn is also my dad's middle name.

Chelsea Lynn: If I was a blonde. I was not. I had a thick head of black hair, Chelsea is also an area of London. And again with the Lynn.

Richard "Ricky" Lynn and Benjamin Dee were the winners for boy  names.)

I think I'll stick with Brittanny :)

Update: I thought I'd tell you - when I introduce myself, I say Britt-ney. Two syllables. My mom hates it. Also, most people just call me Britt.
So, you know... Britt's a pretty cool name.

Gay Rights

This is my blog, and I'll say what I want to.


I support gay marriage.
There, I said it, out loud.

The Church said this, yesterday:
We firmly support the divinely appointed definition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman because it is the single most important institution for strengthening children, families, and society.

I believe that with my whole heart.

So how and why do I support gay marriage, when I also believe what the Church says?
I'm still trying to figure that out.

Here's what I think.
Partners in same-sex relationships should definitely be granted the same rights as spouse in heterosexual marriages.
(This is where I do not know enough about the differences between marriages and civil unions...)
I think anyone should be with who they love (within reason... no animals, please).


Let me put this out there: my dad is gay.
I love my dad. I love his partner. I want them to be happy. Because I love them.
So, I support gay rights.
I support gay marriage.


But, people that think it's just about love, you're wrong.
No one is saying that people shouldn't be with those they love.
It's not about intolerance, either.
No one is saying that they hate gays.
(Well, they are, but shouldn't be, and I won't go into that here...)

I think when politics get involved, lines get blurred and overthought, and things that don't matter somehow end up added into the whole equation.
And it's messy.

I've heard some members of the Church that are upset because if gay marriage is legalized, than perhaps in the US temple marriages will not be recognized as legalized marriage ceremonies any more - meaning that a couple will have to have a civil ceremony, and then get sealed (like they do in other countries, England for example).
I get that that is frustrating.
I also get that we are so close to the end.
The Second Coming.
If that happens, it is probably just another sign.
And members of the Church can deal with having to have a civil ceremony and then a temple sealing. Members of the Church already do that.

Has this post left anyone completely confused about my thoughts?
Probably.
But it still felt good to type out.

I know I am not the only person who is LDS, who struggles with this.
I believe in love, I believe in equality, but I also believe in the Church and it's teachings.
It is a fine line, and is getting even finer.
I know for a fact that the Church will never change their stance on this.
I know that.
I accept that, I support that.


Maybe I am standing on the fence.
Maybe I am damning myself.
Maybe I am not showing my support in either direction.
Maybe others will think that I am being dumb, or unsupportive, or uncaring.

I don't care.
In my heart of hearts I support the LDS faith and it's stance on gay marriage, and marriage in general, for that matter.
And I also support gay rights.
I will continue learning and going forward in faith.
Maybe I will go forward quietly until I learn a little more of myself.
But I will go forward.


By the way, you should read this article:
http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2013/03/9432/#.UT4lr1f6jLl.facebook

Also, this was my friend's status today and I loved:
..... knows she should probably be more politically charged at a time like this, but she is shamefully more concerned at how poorly her NCAA bracket's doing...

On Soccer

Last night a world cup qualifier game was on, Mexico vs USA and Kyle wanted to watch. Confession: soccer bores me to tears. I watch the World Cup, because hey, it's the  World Cup but other than that.... No thank you.
That's not to say I hate soccer.
I dated two soccer players in high school and went to my fair share of games. I guess it's true of any sport - if it's your team, and people you know are playing, you enjoy it more. Plus the soccer field for high school games is not as huge as pro games, so it's easier to keep track of where the heck the ball is.

As a side note, my junior year of high school we had to write a metaphor paper in my English class. One of my said soccer playing boyfriends had broken up with me recently, so I wrote a paper comparing a soccer game to dating; how it was just a game to the players.
It was awesome.

Next time I go to my mom's I'll have to dig it out and then post it for your enjoyment.

On Naming a Blog

First, the blog address, which is "my-dashboard-confessionals". 

If you know me at all, you know that my favorite band of all time is Dashboard Confessionals. I thought it fitting that I name my blog after them.... Their name comes from their song 'The Sharp Hint of New Tears' when it says "on the way home, this car hears my confessions...."

I'll let this blog be my "confessional" of sorts. 

As for the title - "This Is How It Goes, Baby" comes from a song by another of my favorite song artists, Missy Higgins. In case you were wondering, the rest of the lyrics go like this:

This is how it goes, baby

I get angry at your words and I go home

But you won't come after me,

Because I'll be back before you know, you know

The lyrics don't really have anything to why I choose them, I just like how it sounds.

The Beginning

This will be a companion blog, of sorts, to Kyle and my's blog. It might have a few more random posts, that don't really need to be shared on our family blog.

We'll see how long this lasts, and how it goes!