Blog 19: Favorite TV Show

My favorite TV show of all time is the show Friends. There are so many reasons that it is my favorite show.  I have been watching it since I was young and I now own all of the seasons.  I love it because it is such a funny show and it is impossible for me to watch an episode without laughing.  Friends is also a relatable show.  It is about a group of six people from New York City that are all best friends.  They go through many obstacles along the way, but their friendships stay strong.  
I have recently succeeded in getting some of my friends to be obsessed with the series as well.  It is the one show that I wish would have stayed on TV forever.  I have always hoped for a Friends movie, but it looks like that's not going to happen.  All of the actors in the show I will always love.  The six main people (David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc) are all such talented people.  I always watch any new show or movie that they are in.
I can't believe it has been nine years since the last episode aired.  It doesn't seem like it since re-runs of the show are still played every day.  It was such a popular show all around the world.  I liked the show so much that in eighth grade when we had to write a letter to a celebrity, I wrote to Lisa Kudrow a.k.a. Phoebe.  I think it will always be my favorite TV show and someday I'll have to show my kids and grandchildren the best show of all time.   

Blog 18: December 21st

Well here we are, December 21, 2012 and it doesn't appear to be the end of the world.  I'm rather happy about that so I can accomplish all of the things I wanted to. 
It is the last day of school before Winter Break and everyone seems to be rather excited, including myself.  It is Ugly Sweater Day which is one of my favorites.  I am wearing a lovely blue zip up sweater with snowmen on it.  I have seen some pretty great sweaters today.  A lot of them have had jingling bells and sparkly Christmas trees. 
I am  very excited for Christmas as always.  This year my family's holiday is going to be a little different, but it should still be fun.  The day after Christmas every year I leave for Arizona.  My grandparents have a house there and it is always so much fun.  I go with my sister and my cousin.  We always do a lot of swimming and play tennis.  We get to go to nice restaurants and do other crazy fun activities that we wouldn't usually get to do. 
On Christmas Eve this year, I work.  I'm not too thrilled about that, but then at least I get time and a half.  I was scheduled to work five days over the time I am going to be on vacation so I had to get all of those days off, which was pretty difficult.  Fortunately, I did it!
I'm looking forward to this break as I always do.  It is crazy to think that when I come back to school after today, it will be 2013.  Graduation year. 

Blog 17: End of the World

Today it is December 19th, I have been thinking to myself today, that the world is going to end in two days.  I don't actually believe that, but I think it is something interesting to think about.  I started making a mental list, somewhat of a bucket list, or things that I want to do before I die.  If the world ends in two days, unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to cross a lot of the things off my list.
One thing that I've always wanted to do is travel.  I want to see everything.  I want to experience different cultures and go to places where I don't even know what language they're speaking.  That sounds pretty amazing to me.  I want to see world landmarks, like the 7 Wonders of the World.  I mainly want to travel all around Europe.  I want to go to Paris, Rome, Venice, Dublin, London and so many more places.  That is one thing that I don't think I will get done if the world ends in two days.
Another thing I've always wanted to do is fall in love.  I think love is such an interesting concept, and I don't even really know how much I believe in it.  I believe in great caring for people, but I don't know about love, maybe it is just something you have to really experience.  Unconditional love is something I don't believe is true, but love...I'm not quite sure yet.
I don't really know what else I would want to do before my last day on earth.  I think that you should always live everyday like it is your last, because you never know when your last day will be.  I think the simple little things like never going to be angry are really true.  That's probably why there's nothing else I really feel the need to do.  Whenever I'm talking to people about something ridiculous like the end of the world and ask them what they want to do before it, I always get a variety of different answers.  There's only one type of answer that bugs me.  When people say that they would want to apologize to someone, or make something up to a person, I don't know why they're waiting for the end of the world.  One of my favorite quotes explains my reasoning...

"Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today." -Benjamin Franklin

Blog 16: Journal Response on Food

I see food as both a sustenance and an emotional comfort.  I like different foods for differents moods, as I'm sure most people do.  The seasons also seem to influence my food choices.  When it is a cold winter, I love to eat soups and other warm foods.  In the summer, I love to have sandwiches and salads.  All types of salads.  Regular lettuce salad, fruit salad, pasta salads, everything.
My favorite meal of all time is alfredo pasta and caesar salad.  I first ate caesar salad when I was a little kid, and I loved it.  Pasta has also been one of my favorites since I was a child.  When I was little, I didn't like spaghetti sauce, so I always ate noodles with butter and parmesan when my family had that for dinner.  Now, I enjoy all different sauces and types of pasta.  However, every once and a while, I still like my noodles with butter.
There are some foods that I really dislike.  The main one is beets.  Beets I find to be absolutely disgusting.  When I was young, I thought I was about to eat a slice of tomato, but I actually took a bite out of some beet slices.  Ever since then, I haven't liked them at all.  Another food I don't like is cream cheese wantons.  Someone once told me that I would really like them because I love Chinese food.  Long story short, I didn't.  When I took a bite into it, I wasn't too happy.  Whenever I have attempted to eat them to give them another chance throughout the years, I seem to always get headaches after.  I don't know what it is about them. 

Blog 15: Social Media

This past week, I did something that I never thought I would do. I got a Twitter.  I have always found Twitter to be pretty dumb and a waste of time.  I never knew why people would want to know every aspect of their "followers" lives. I still don't completely understand it.  Retweeting, favoriting and whatever else people do on their is very odd.  I have always been more of a Facebook person.  Facebook is pretty awesome to me because you can share photos and everything.  That's probably the main reason I use it, so my friends and family can see pictures. 
Twitter is starting to grow on me a little bit however.  I thought to be on Twitter, you had to get tweet updates sent right to your phone, but that is not the case.  So Twitter is basically Facebook, people update their status and can even add a picture along with it. 
I seem to always be the last person to every type of social media because I always start out being so against it.  I never had a MySpace and was late to the Facebook game.  Then about a month ago, I got a Pinterest, which I never thought I would do either.  Everyone said that I would get addicted, which I haven't which is good.  I don't think that is as great as everyone else thinks either.  The only other social media that I really love is Instagram.  I really like taking pictures and sharing them.  Instagram allows you to put cool effects on the pictures you take and to share them with the world.  I like looking on the "Most Popular" page to see the photos with the most likes.  They are usually super cool. 



Here is a picture I took this week and posted it to Instagram.  I thought it was a super pretty sunrise. :)

Blog 14: Christmas in the Air

Lately, Christmas seems to be surrounding me and I am so excited.  Last weekend a bunch of snow fell and I went outside to play like a little kid.  I took some really pretty pictures of my barn and the snow falling.  I also took pictures of the Christmas lights we have displayed at my house.  Everything seemed so peaceful and beautiful. That's what I love about winter.
When it snows, I hate driving.  That's the part I dislike about winter.  I don't really mind the cold, however I don't really like any winter sports because of it.  Simply playing in the snow though makes me happy.  My whole world seems to be at peace with the snow.  It really makes me like to just sit, think and reflect.  We got so much snow on Friday night and then we got a lot more on Sunday and that's when I went to play in it.  My dad went outside to plow the driveway and I went outside with one of my friends.  My dad started chucking snowballs at us, and then we had a little fight which I like to think I won.  I then went down to feed my animals after my friend got picked up.
This weekend is going to be another one filled with Christmas activities.  My sister is coming home tonight from college which makes me super excited.  Tomorrow, some of my family is coming over for a little Christmas party and we are doing a gift exchange. Then on Sunday, I have two friends coming over.  We are going to bake Christmas cookies and other goodies which should be really fun.   



A view of my house on the snowy Sunday



Blog 13: Quote of the Day (11/30/12)

"It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does." -William Faulkner

I find this quote to be very interesting.  I think what William Faulkner is saying is that when you create a character, it should be one so vivid and particular that the ideas from the author keep on flowing.  I think when creating a character, you should start with the name, a name that meets the personality of the character you want to create.  William Faulkner, I also believe is saying that a character should be so interesting and complex that the writer never runs out of things to say about them.
When writing short stories, I think this quote is some very helpful advice.  Characters should be able to develop themselves.  The writer should be able to know the character's personality and the reader should be able to see it through dialogue.  I think that the writer should have numerous ideas for what their character is going to say and do, to be able to learn who they are as a person. 

Blog 12: Meaningful Movie

One film that I have seen that meant a lot to me was the movie My Sister’s Keeper.  It was meaningful to me because I think that people can learn so much from people that have cancer, like Kate in the movie.  Kate had Leukemia since she was two years old and she always wants to live life to the fullest. When a person knows that the end of their life may be near they make every day count.  They work hard to have amazing experiences and to love the people that surround them and that they care about the most.  This movie also shows what this illness can do to a family.  Due to Kate’s sickness, so much stress is put onto her parents and siblings.  The parents begin to get so involved in helping Kate that they forget about the rest of their family and what they need.  My Sister’s Keeper illustrates all the hardships that families go through when trying to care for a loved one with this horrible disease.

Another reason this film is so meaningful to me is because there have been many people in my life that have been affected by cancer.  I have seen people go through the exact hardships that Kate goes through in this movie and book.  My mom and great-grandma both passed away from different types of cancer.  My aunt also currently has breast cancer.  Seeing the way they valued everyday of their life was extraordinary to me.  I think seeing that makes people get their priorities in order and realize what is truly important in life.  I feel that cancer can either tear your family apart or bring you closer together.  In the movie, it at first was tearing the family apart, but once they began to realize what was actually important, they became closer together.  The family in My Sister’s Keeper knew that they had to stick together in order to get through the tough time.  The death of Kate makes her sister Anna, and her parents learn a lot.  They become a family again because they know that’s what Kate would have wanted.  Movies like this one can make people learn so much.  It’d taught me to love my family and friends around me and to value every day I have with the people I care most about. 

Blog 11: Scott

I was sitting here doing my homework, trying to think of what to blog about.  As I was sitting in the office at my grandparents house, my twelve year old cousin came into the room.  I said to him, "Scott, do you want me to blog about you?"
He said, "No, I don't even know what blogging is."
So I decided that I would blog about him.  Currently we are sitting here, in the computer room and Scott is reading over my shoulder as I'm typing.  This evening we are going to decorate my grandma and grandpa's Christmas tree.  We have been doing it every year since we were old enough to be able to decorate it.  My grandpa is hanging other Christmas decorations up around the house and my grandma left to go get Papa Murphy's pizza.  Once my other cousin who is sixteen and my uncle get home from work, we are going to have dinner and decorate the tree.
Scott and I are now talking about school and the teachers I had in middle school. He is a sixth grader and was wondering which teachers I had. It turns out he had the same teachers as I did when I was in middle school. I didn't know that until right now.
I'm really feeling like it is getting close to Christmas today because of all these activities.  After school today, my friend Rachel came over and helped my grandparents and I wrap caramels.  Caramels are a holiday treat that we make every year in the beginning of December and give them away for gifts. They are absolutely delicious and are my favorite family tradition. 
I can't wait for Christmas this year, well I really don't like to wait for it any year.  I love Christmas because my sister comes home from college and I get to see all my family that I haven't seen in a while.  I think I also like Christmas so much because everyone seems so happy and giving.  My favorite thing is to see people smiling and having a great time with friends and family.  The only thing we're missing this year is snow. I can't believe it is December 4th and there isn't any snow.  As long is there is snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas though, I'll be happy. 

Blog 10: Quote of the Day (11/29/12)

"Character gives us qualities, but it is in actions-what we do-that we are happy or the reverse...All human happiness and misery take the form of action." -Aristotle
 

This quote I believe is very truthful.  I think happiness and misery do take the form of an action.  Happiness or misery causes us to do things different than the usual.  Not only will our moods be shown to be visibly different, but the specific things we do.  Character does give us these qualities.  Character lets us discover who a person is and figure out why they are the way they are.
 
Aristotle's quote is very useful when I think about writing my short story. It kind of explains to be that I should make my story as if the reader is there, not like I'm just telling them about it. In my short story, I want my characters to come to life and be relatable. I want people to know the character so well that they can almost predict what he/she will do in certain situations. Not only though dialogue will I be able to describe the characters, but through what they do and how their body language affects their interactions with others.

I think happiness and misery must also be shown in the setting of my story.  I need an atmosphere that reflects who my characters are and who they want to be.  When the mood of the story changes, the mood of the surroundings need to change as well.  In great stories, I don’t think the author should have to say when someone is filled with joy or filled with sadness.  The detail should be so specific, that the reader can pick up on different cues to know the feelings of the characters.  Anyone can tell a story and say that someone was sad, but then the reader doesn’t know the type of person they are when they’re sad.  Character has to be shown through actions. 

 

Blog 9: Admirable/Heroic Person

          There have been many people in my life that I have admired or that have been heroes to me.  One of those people is my great-grandma Betty.  She was an amazing person that I am very happy I got to know for sixteen years of my life.  She was one of the strongest women I ever knew and always put others before her.  I always had a lot of respect for her growing up because she would always help me with anything and she taught me a lot of responsibility.  When she was diagnosed with cancer when I was about eleven years old she truly became my hero.  My great-grandma lost over one hundred pounds due to chemotherapy, but yet she stayed strong and fought until her last day.  She was very sick, but always told me to think positively and to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Whenever I needed something I knew I could ask her and she would be there for me. 

          My great-grandma Betty was the woman that taught me how to knit and cross-stitch.  She got me interested in cooking and baking and taught me so much in sixteen years.  One of my favorite memories of her is when she snuck me a piece of pie after my mom told me I couldn’t have any.  She was the best grandma in the world.  I gained even more respect for her once I learned of her past.  She had my grandma when she was only sixteen years old and worked so hard to raise her.  She was also the oldest of eight siblings and had to help raise her own brothers and sisters.  My great-grandma was one of the most amazing women in the world.  She always told me that I better marry a good man that loved me for me and nothing else.  She was the one that I looked up to everyday as I saw her fighting a terrible disease.  I will always remember her as a fighter and as someone who made me the person I am today. 

Blog 8: Future Goals

I have many things that I want to accomplish in my near future and I have many life goals.  As I think about my future, there are so many things that I hope to accomplish.  If I look five years ahead, I hope I am doing well in college.  I want to get a Master’s degree in social work and I’m hoping to be able to complete it in five years instead of six.  I hope in five years I am in my last year of college.  I want to have studied abroad in Europe by the time I’m done with college as well.  I think that would be an amazing experience to have and it is something I have always wished to do.  I used to say that I wanted to just pick up my life and live in Europe for a year, and I think studying there would be a great way to do it.

Ten years from now I hope I have my career on its way.  Being a social worker preferably in a school is my dream job.  I want to be able to help kids every day and feel like I’m making a difference in this world.  In ten years I also hope to have a husband and maybe even a family.  I’ve always wanted children and pets when I’m older.  In ten years I will aim to have stability and a normal routine.  In ten years from now I am also looking forward to spending time with nieces and nephews that I will have.

 It is hard for me to even imagine where I will be in twenty five years.  In twenty five years from now I will be forty two years old.  I would like to have older kids and be doing well in my job.  Maybe I’ll even be sending one of my kids off to college.  It is crazy to think about all the changes that there will be in that long span of time.  Technology and everything that’s normal to me now will be completely different I’m sure.  Wherever the future takes me I will be content as long as it is spent with my friends and family.

Blog 7: Nightmare

All of my life, since I was a young child, I have had a reoccurring nightmare.  I have always had a slight fear of clowns and I never knew why.  In my nightmare I am at some place that appears to be a circus.  There is the circus music playing in the background and flashing lights on the ceiling, on the ground, everywhere.  I remember there being a lot of the color red around along with a darker yellow.  The dream takes place from the point of view of my own eyes.  Usually in my dreams I can see myself, but this one is always different.  I can only see the things around me, but not myself. 

In this nightmare, I am running, running for my life it seems.  Things are burry as I am passing them and I hear a lot of laughter, but not really in a positive way.  I am crying and I realize there are clowns chasing me through this place.  There are blurred figures standing around me but no one is helping me.  I know I am a little kid in this dream even though I can't see myself. I know this because I have to look up to see all these people.  My dream always ends with this incredibly creepy clown coming really close to me, staring into my wet eyes filled with tears and the clown picks me up.  I always wake up terrified and breathing heavily as if I have indeed been running.

One day, not too long ago, I shared this dream with my dad since I've been having for so many years.  My dad began to laugh hysterically.  I was kind of mad that he was laughing so I asked him why he was.  He said that when I was about 2 years old he had taken me to Circus Pizza.  I was running from this clown that was trying to pick me up and I was crying.  At first I thought he was joking, but I guess not.  My dad said he was sorry for that traumatic event in my life as he was still laughing.  I now too think it is funny, and ever since he told me about that day fifteen years ago, I no longer have that nightmare.  

Blog 6: Favorite Vacation

I have been blessed to be able to go on many great vacations in my lifetime.  My top three favorite include Austria, Alaska and Hawaii.  I'm often asked which vacation was my favorite and I think I would have to say it was Hawaii.  I always heard such amazing things about the Aloha State.  I figured that many of the things were exaggerations or false statements.  People said how the ocean water was a beautiful teal color, that there were white sandy beaches and the temperature was always perfect.  When I got to Hawaii, I was amazed to discover that all of those things were true.

Hawaii was one of the best experiences of my life.  I have never seen such beautiful sights and done such amazing things.  I took a helicopter ride when I was on the island of Maui.  I was very nervous at first since I had never been in one and heights aren't really my favorite thing in the world.  When the helicopter was flying over the island, I was absolutely astonished by the beauty of that state.  The water was the magnificent teal color and the sky was perfection.  We flew down by a waterfall and I achieved my lifelong dream of touching a cloud, not just some fog on the ground. 

My cousin and uncle also took surfing lessons which was pretty funny to watch.  The view from my hotel balcony was one of the best things I have ever seen.  We were on the top floor of the hotel in the corner room and our view went for miles.  The balcony wrapped around half of our room.  I spent the later part of the days watching the sunsets and people walking down on the beach. It was the most exquisite trip of my life and it is one I will never forget.   

Blog 5: Is Beauty Skin Deep?

Beauty is something that can be defined in many different ways.  My favorite quote about beauty is;

"Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are." -Markus Zusak

Have you ever met a person that you think is beautiful?  Not just in the way they look or act, but just who they are?  I have.  It's hard to explain why they are beautiful, it is just the way they are.  There is the beauty that everyone can see, a pretty face, a fit athlete, but not everybody can see true beauty within people.  And that beauty is the most important and valuable.

I believe that a lot of people do have beauty that is just skin deep, but I don't believe that is the only kind of beauty. I think true beauty is in someone's heart.  The way they treat other people and how they live their lives shows who they are as a person.  I think that sometimes in our culture, true beauty is hard to find.  People are often concerned with the way people look and not the way people act.  It may be a cliché, but I believe people often judge a book by its cover. 

Someone can be beautiful on the outside and not on the inside.  Beauty that is “skin deep” is often misleading.  The culture of the United States is often very judgmental and I think that is very unfortunate.  People usually have a hard time understanding others.  It is difficult to see others’ point of view or accept their beliefs.  I don’t believe beauty can be defined by looking a supermodel.  Everyone is always going to have different opinions and disagreements.  Personally, I think once people begin to see beauty from within, our world would be a much better place. 

Blog 4: I Remember...

I remember... the summer nights
I remember... dancing under the lights
I remember... the hot, sunny days
I remember... running through the maze
I remember... swimming in the lake
I remember... eating that cake
I remember... sleeping under the stars
I remember... driving our cars
I remember... vacationing in Cape Cod
I remember... jamming to the iPod
I remember... taking those photographs
I remember... sharing those tears and laughs
I remember... the best summer ever
I remember... wanting to live forever

Blog 3: 350 Words- St. Stephen's Cathedral

         In April in Vienna, Austria, it was a cold and starry night.  The city was filled with people, lights, laughter and chaos.  I was walking the streets with my sister and friend, soaking up the amazing atmosphere.  There were so many loud voices, speaking words I didn’t understand, in a language I didn’t speak.  It was a Friday night and everybody was having a splendid time being out with friends and family.  The town square had music playing and everything in the area was madness.  People were dancing and singing, having the time of their lives.

In the middle of the craziness there stood a magnificent church called St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The church was built in the 1300’s and the vision was breathtaking.  The architecture was so different than anything I had ever seen in the United States.  We walked in the cathedral through the huge doors and I had never seen something so exquisite. When I stepped through that door I instantaneously felt more at peace. The outside look was simply amazing, but in my eyes it didn’t even compare to the interior design.  There was currently a Mass going on inside and the entire building was lit by candles. There were small spiral staircases in columns containing only about five or six steps and stunning religious paintings on some of the wall surfaces. The vision was like one out of a dream.  We stood in the back of the church listening to the priest speak until a choir began to sing.  The remarkable soprano voices echoed through the cathedral.  It brought tears to many peoples’ eyes around me and almost to my own.

That moment in the church, the choir singing and candle light around me, made me feel so overwhelmed.  It is my favorite memory of Austria and one of the most extraordinary memories of my entire life.  My sister, my friend and I talked about that moment for the whole walk home, whenever we tell people about it; no one ever seems to think it is as wonderful as we do.  It was an incredible experience that had to be witnessed to be fully appreciated. 
              

Blog 2: Phobias

I have always found phobias to be a very interesting concept.  Everyone has a phobia or fear of some sort and I think various things cause people to have them.  Even the people that think they are brave have some type of fear.  Phobias can be of actual objects or of feelings and experiences. 

I believe phobias are often inherited from our parents.  I don't think they are inherited through genetics, but through behaviors.  If the environment a person is brought up in dislikes or fears something, I think a lot of the time the person will then be afraid as well.  People aren't born with fear, I think fear is a learned feeling.  Children always seem to be so curious and fearless.  They are always exploring and want to try new things.  However, as people grow older, that curiousness and innocence seems to fade.  Some may say the curiosity fades with intelligence, and maybe that's true, but I think wanting to experience new things is a wonderful trait to have.  As we grow older, we develop phobias based off of bad experiences or scary moments in our lives.

I have always had a few phobias that many tell me are unrealistic, I disagree.  I don't remember certain bad experiences that made these fears come about for the most part, except for one of them.  My biggest phobia is of sharks. I remember being a young child and watching Jaws at my grandparent's cabin.  That caused me to not even go in the lake for the remainder of the trip.  I have other common fears that probably go along with fears of most women, such as snakes and spiders.  My goal is to one day conquer my phobias, maybe by petting a tarantula or swimming with sharks.      

Blog 1: Home Is Where the Heart Is

I believe that home is where the heart is.  A home isn't just a house, anybody can have a house.  A home is a place where there is family and where the people you love surround you.  My home is filled with joy and laughter, and it is somewhere I love to be.

I consider my home to be Minnesota.  I think that even after I graduate college I will come back to Minnesota because it will always be who I am and where I'm from.  More specifically, my house in Elko is home.  Every fall the colors of the leaves are breathtaking and the cool breeze that I hear rustling through the trees brings a smile to my face.  I walk in my front door to be greeted by the smell of apple cider.  When I go down to the barn, my animals happily run up to see me.  As the leaves on the ground turn to snow, I am just as excited.  The pond turns into an ice skating rink and the occasional competitive hockey game.  Snowflakes land on my gloves and not a single one is the same.  There are now delicious smells of hot chocolate and evergreen trees filling my living room.  When the snow is melting and the flowers begin to bloom, I know it is spring time.  The garden becomes colorful and I once again hear the birds begin to chirp.  Those cool spring days become very hot summer days which means diving into the swimming pond and a time to mow the lawn.  I see farmers working in the fields and smell fresh cut grass.   My sister and I are reunited with her return from college.  School is out and it's a time for making memories that will last a lifetime.

My home will always be where my heart is.  When I think of my home, I think of how the seasons change and the times I have spent together with friends and family.  There are so many amazing memories that I know I will cherish forever.