My Biggest Critic.

Myself. Yes. Me. I am my biggest critic. I love to question myself again and again.

I am pretty sure every blog post of mine has been read over and over and over until I am satisfied. If you've noticed a mistake here or there, don't tell me. Leave me ignorant. I'll obsess beyond all reason about what people thought about that one mistake. Because of my OCD though, I think that I have managed to write a pretty good blog so far. I have always made sure to keep it entertaining and upbeat. Some of my stories were sad, but they were there to show you that having an appreciation for the good times and the bad times is important. Without one or the other, I am pretty sure life would get pretty boring.

Continuing on, I think that at the beginning of my blogging, I was pretty shy. ME. The person writing this blog. You may not have noticed (and if you did, keep it to yourself), but I was crazy obsessed with what people thought about what I was writing. Questions ran through my head like, "who is going to see this?" "what will they think of me?" "do I sound stupid?" "am I going to get a good grade?" yeah, I know I worry too much. But hey, who doesn't? Worrying about the silly things is the stuff that should make you feel lucky because you could be worrying about serious things like what your next meal will be and if you will even get a meal today. So yeah, in the beginning, I was a big worrier. But as I blogged more often, I realized it didn't matter, because this blog is about me, and if people didn't like that, well then they don't have to read it. I see myself as a more confident blogger at this point.

As for the actual writing though. I think that I did a pretty good job about the spell check and vocabulary input. What it comes down to though, is that I write how I talk. I think that is a good thing though. I mean, obviously I could get myself into trouble sometimes by saying things like "ain't" and "swag" but you know, life of a teenager. I just find it really important to write about WHO you are AS you are. It's a luxury, appreciate it. 

Hang Loose.

It's true. I really like this picture mainly because I'm into homemade things. Especially cut, paste, and tie projects. They're my favorite.

BUT, this weekend I got to relax. I got to head out to my family's lakehouse for Easter weekend. It's truly beautiful out here. I've been out for a run, gotten to head back, WASTE time in the shower, read my book, play some games, and a myriad of other exciting things. Currently I am writing this blog post (that was not an assignment) simply because... I. HAVE. THE. TIME. 

Best part is, I got to spend a little time modeling the staircase with my nephew. 

I know, you're thinking, "are they professionals??" The answer, sadly, is no. But we're still the hottest kids in the building. 

What a Healthy Human.

I am not sure if I mentioned this before but, I started this blog as an assignment for my college writing class. But I might have fallen in love with it a little bit. I like being able to talk about myself from MY perspective and essentially sound however I want. HECK YES. 

But anyways, this particular post is not about me. As an assignment this week, we were asked to write about another person's blog. The person I chose was another girl in my class. Her name is Jenna, and she is wonderful. I must admit, I am a little bit jealous of her self-control. She is one of the healthiest people I have ever met. She runs everyday at 5AM and her blogs reflects most of her eating habits and habits of life in general. She writes like I would imagine hearing Jenna talk. For those of you who don't know her though, she is a soft spoken, spunky, and all together adorable. So her blogs reflects just that. She finds beauty in everything she sees and she is so positive about everything. Her blog shows WHO she is. If I were to draw three conclusions from her blog they'd be...

1. She loves Jesus. A lot.

2. She takes care of herself.

3. She is honest and straightforward.

The third is especially important. If you don't tell someone how unhealthy their habits are, they won't exactly want to make a change. 

The blog is well written and constructed. The colors are perfect for her topic of blogging. Everything is visible and easy to read. The best part about her blog though is that no matter how you read it, you feel yourself wanting to be healthier. She makes every option sounds scrumptious (if you're eating it). If you are not into eating home remedies that include inedible food choices though, I know that for me I automatically feel better knowing that there are better solutions to a cut than just Neosporin and a bandaid. "feel better" as in "healthier". I just really enjoy reading Jenna's blog because of how inspiring it is to want to use the Earth to my advantage, rather than destroy it more and more.

THANKS JENNA <3 

PS guys, here is the linky link to her blog (:
https://eastern.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1570808_1%26url%3D

"Valar Morghulis"

Reading a book is one of the most amazing things I will ever get to do. Books to me are an escape into another world. I love reading everywhere because what I read is how I remember what I was doing when I was holding that particular book. Over the course of let's say a week, I could have read an entire book and in doing so, I have the ability to remember what I was doing that week while enjoying the book I was reading. I'm going to be annoying and in depth and give you a nerdy example. Over winter break I went to Ecuador and I brought three books with me, one of them being "Game of Thrones" by George R. Martin. Everything in that books reminds me of laying in the sun, on the beach, just reading away. And I guess that since I now mentioned "Game of Thrones", I should tell you all about the reason this post has been born into existence. As a quick side note, instead of writing "Game of Thrones" for the next five minutes, I am making it into and acronym, so GOT. 

Okay now, GOT was also made into a TV show. Which I love. It's for some of the older young people of America so I would probably keep it way from small eyes. While that sounds awful, the story behind the sordid adventures is one that I've never seen before. The way that Martin intertwines his characters is so intricate and beautifully done. But he's a sly one that author. Martin loves to get you extremely attached to the characters and then writes them right out of the book as soon as you begin to really appreciate the character. All in all, the books are well written and very entertaining. Now, back to the whole TV show part of this post, three of the main actors from the show are portrayed as siblings. They are the Lannister kids (for lack of a better word). They're also three of my favorites, especially the shortest one, Tyrion. 

Here is a shot of them, all dressed up in the show garb....

They look fabulous, don't get me wrong, but I like seeing them like this....

Real, actual, human beings laughing with each other. How wonderful is that? This is something very small that people miss out on. I don't know why it makes me so happy seeing them doing something completely everyday. I guess it might be because in the show, they are all fighting for the same throne. Hence, GOT. But, there are three very important things to take away from this....

1. Having the ability to read books and the access to them is a very valuable thing.

2. Watching your favorite characters come to life and portray your obsession is SUPER cool.

3. Watching those same characters be real people, even more SUPER cool.

Appreciate the little moments, they're pretty short.

Like Tyrion.

Cerro Verde.

This past week, I had spring break. I spent mine in Santa Ana, El Salvador. I cannot even begin to tell you how beautiful it was. It was a land full of splendor. From the colors of the flower petals, to the flavors of the food, El Salvador was a place I would go back to.

Our last day there we drove up a mountain to a range of volcanoes. I have never seen a volcano in my life let alone a mountain range of them. The power at the top was so palpable. You could literally feel the power radiating around you. I knew that these volcanoes were uncontrollable and pretty much could blow at any moment. I wasn't too scared though, just mostly in awe.

Sometimes we don't see how much we actually miss out on in life. If you never get to travel, you are so limited to what you can experience. Yeah, the suburbs of your childhood home are probably beautiful, but what really changes besides the trees planted on your street? Even if you live in a rural home, the farm you live on may be gorgeous and full of new things to see each day, but while you have the chance, go somewhere you've never been, appreciate the land that is given to you. You won't regret it. 

Nature is not only beautiful, but it's powerful.This used to be a volcano. This is a shot of the crater from the fallout, that turned into a lake. While the destruction and peril followed the explosion of the volcano, the lake provided homes and freshwater for the people living in the mountains. These people have next to nothing and one strong force of nature changed the course of their lives. 

Love the world around you, while it's here. I'm not saying you have to. Live on your couch if you'd like, but there is an amazing landscape out there calling your name and waiting for you to step up and explore the heck out of it. 

Relational Little Moments.

I love being able to relate to people. People in my home town, people at school, people all around the world. When I go somewhere I love to find out more about each person I meet. I've had a pretty interesting love and I would never turn down the chance of sharing my life with someone. I feel like if I'm willing to share my story, someone else will do the same. This is one of the little things in life I love the most. 

http://littlethingsxoxo.blogspot.com

This blog is someone I don't even know but we share the same views and ideas and I love that someone out there who I don't even know thinks about the same things I do. I go into a more elaborate details about the things in life that I appreciate but the ideas that this author shares are so similar to my own. How amazing is it that you and someone anywhere in the world can appreciate that first bite into a cupcake, a simple homemade snack, or sharing a little bit about your day. 

While Michelle's blog is wonderful, it was a little difficult to figure it out at first. While it's an amazing blog full of wonderful ideas and plenty of colors that just make me feel happy, it is a little strange to navigate. If everything was a little better laid out it wouldn't have been as tough. But other than that I love all the brightness that her blog offers. I find each food option on her blog so scrumptious looking and the way that she goes into detail about each snack or meal is so cool. She analyzes the food, but not in the way a professional cook would. She studies the parts of it that any other normal person would, making it easier to relate. 

Again, I know I'm being repetitive, but hey guys, relating to other people is kind of what life is all about. I think sometimes we take that for granted. Well stop, because other people bring out the best in us, and that's pretty wonderful. 

Michelle's blog shows a lot of her life. So I wanted to share a little bit of mine with you guys. These are some wonderful people in my life who bring out the best in who I am. 

Moments when I can get my friends to look at a camera and smile with me are some of the best times. Maybe Michelle feels the same way, I mean why else would you want the world to meet your friends?

Life Changing Moments.

I grew up in Valencia, CA, and I went to a pretty big school there. I loved it. I didn't know everyone but that was okay because I never stopped running out of people to meet. While the administration had to be more authoritative and strict, I look back and ponder how many times I resented all of their rules and regulations. My sophomore year the higher ups decided that our school needed a fence around it with lockable doors and a key for every important administrator. No more sneaking off campus for lunch, no more walking out whenever you wanted, it felt like a prison and we were utterly trapped. Yet, over time we got used to the fence's presence and got used to the new way of life we were forced to live. Seniors and juniors were given the privilege to go off campus for lunch as long as they stayed out of trouble and everything just seemed to fall into place.

Looking back now I realize that while the fence was keeping us from going out, it was also keeping anyone else from coming in. How many times a year to we hear about a tragic school shooting or kids getting kidnapped right in front of your eyes? Seriously we will always be dealing with these tragedies but looking back now I see that because my school took precautions, shooter drills stayed drills and everyone was safe. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

How does this relate? Well the little things like protection and safety can seem very minor sometimes, but they really aren't. Without them we'd be living in a much crueler world than we can imagine and I'd prefer this messed up one over something worse any day. 

It's a Process.

You should probably skip to like 30 seconds in. You don't have to, you can hear the man talk if you'd like.

Now that you've heard the song (and I'm assuming you have), I'd like to share why this song is so worthy of a blog post. Life to me has been a very long, hard, and terrifying process. But a process all the same. The lyrics from this song represent who I am as a person. I like to push people away and I sometimes look back an wished I hadn't. I build myself up, just to keep pushing myself back down because I sometimes don't think I'm good enough. How silly.

I've got a lot of loose ends, I've done some damage, 
I've cut the rope so they fray,
I've got a lot of good friends, keeping me distracted,
keeping my sanity safe,

Chorus:
Here, I stand on the edge of the ledges I've made, 
Looking for a steady hand,
Here, I stand in the land of the rocks in the valley,
Trying to be a better man (for you),

I drink a little too much, It makes me nervous, 
I've got my grandfathers blood,
I take a little too much, without giving back,
If blessed are the meek then I'm cursed,

REPEAT CHORUS. 

And I want to learn how to love, 
And give it all back,
And be forgiven for all I've done.

What this song taught me is that friends are important and life isn't just about getting somewhere. Sometimes we all have to stop and listen and something beautiful may happen. We all get so caught up in going, coming, receiving, giving, connecting, etc etc. TAKE SOME TIME TO YOURSELF. Enjoy the little moments of happiness in life with a stranger. Appreciate who YOU are, because if you don't how can you expect to appreciate anyone else?

Appreciate a song or two, it just might teach you how valuable you really are. 

Haitian Teardrops.

Summer 2012 I went on an international mission trip with my youth group. If anything was more life changing, it was that trip. I mean life changing as in how I viewed my life once I got back to the states, because while the sweating and lack of "normal" food took off fifteen pounds, I'm talking about the life change that alters how you think about the way you live life each day. 

One of the first days we were there my youth pastor said that he planned to have us take a hike up to a small Haitian village tucked into the mountainside. It sounded peaceful and really exciting, until I found out that the hike would take about two hours and we were to get up around 6:30. Getting up at 6:30 wasn't so bad because who wants to sleep in when your room is stifling because you have no air conditioning or power to make the fans work? I'll tell you, not this girl. As for the two hour hike, well, let's just say I'll probably never do anything that physically demanding again, unless I climb the mountain again. Or hike in the Himalayas, but I don't foresee that happening in my future anytime soon. 

BUT, I did make it up the mountain and what I saw was a village in need of some real love and care. The houses were made of wood and metal slats, and looked like something that wouldn't exactly survive 20mph winds let alone a hurricane. Those who inhabited the sickly looking homes themselves though were some of the happiest people I had ever met. While they were hungry, thirsty, and very very poor, they found a reason to smile each day.

We continued our trek through the village to their church they had made in the center of "town". When I say church, I mean cinderblock walls and slabs of wood mounted on a few huge rocks to look like pews. But that church service was one of the most powerful services I'd ever attended. But the main event of my story happened while in the church. After the service had ended our group of ten-along with a few Haitian kids from the orphanage we were staying at-handed out juice and bread and dresses for the little girls. After about five minutes, the church erupted in chaos and the village people were grabbing and clawing for more juice, more dresses, more bread, more more more. This is the part where I broke down, sat myself in the corner of the church and cried. I wanted to be so angry at these people for not being orderly and patient, but right as I was about to push everyone away I realized that this is probably the only food they will have that day, or this dress is the only pretty thing their daughter will ever own. And that fact is what broke me. While I'm sitting in the corner sobbing, a little boy crawls up onto the stage of the church, sits in my lap, and wipes my tears away and smiles.

This is Makinglove. Yes, that's actually how you spell it. Regardless of his name though, this little one had a big heart. I have everything these kids will never have and HE is wiping away MY tears. That one small gesture of love stopped my crying on the spot and me and the Makinglove started giggling uncontrollably. The whole church stopped and stared and then laughed with us. That one moment was so beautiful and I don't think I will ever forget it. 

One little boy's finger wiped my tears off my face and it is one of the most memorable moments I hold. 

Zombieland.

If a very ridiculous movie can actually teach you something, it's worth remembering. Zombieland is one the more interesting movies out there. If you haven't seen it, well, to sum it up, it's about a kid who embarks on an adventure in a post-apocalyptic version of Earth. Also, there are zombies. The audience soon finds out that because the main character, Columbus, has a list of rules he follows he's managed to survive. Which brings us to the reason for this blog. Rule #32 of Columbus's list is "enjoy the little things". A lot of times, I think that we all forget the little wonders of life, so I've decided to let you all peak into some of the past and present experiences in my life that have been small, but meaningful. 

As a small token for future posts, I leave you with a picture.

Here's a snapshot of a small section of my college campus. Have you ever seen a snowflake? They're quite small, but when they all come together, it's magical. Waking up to a snowy morning is one of the coolest moments in life because everything looks like it transformed over night, and there is nothing cooler than a transformation. Just ask Shia LaBeaouf.