Fair Flying

I absolutely love my family, and I wouldn't switch places with anyone else in the entire world. My family keeps me grounded, in touch with the world and people in general. They love me for who I am, and vice-versa. This Thanksgiving, the top thing on my list to be thankful for was my family. I appreciate everything they've ever done for me. Last week, my great grandmother passed away. She'd lived a great long life, and her death brought us all together again just in time for the holiday season. If there was ever any conflict, any doubt in our minds, it was washed away by the food at the dining room table. We all sat, talked, ate pleasantly, and shared our love with each other. Mostly through hugs and kisses, and words were passed as well. I love my family, so so much, and am very thankful for all of them. They all hold a special place in my heart, and I hope everyone can be as grateful for their families as I am for mine. Even during times of darkness and despair, we hel

Yes yes, I went to NYC for a school trip! It's my second time going altogether, but the last time I went I was only two, so you can imagine my excitement. I think it was a really fantastic experience for everyone, even the people that had gone last year.  On Friday we arrived in the city around noon, just in time for a hearty lunch at a cute little french restaurant. I had chicken and potatoes with some DELICIOUS zucchini and carrots. There were baskets piled high with veggies and sausages, and for the first time ever, I tried and enjoyed ground goose liver. It was actually very good, and I was glad I tried something new. Next, we went to a dance academy were we took an hour long salsa lesson! It was very fun despite everyone's clammy hands. I recall it being very warm in that room, and when the cool city air met my face again, it came with relief.  Later, we checked into the hotel in NJ, close by. The hotel was a very good one, and had a pool and a hot tub. The cont

Is it worse to miss someone who has died without a single memory of them than to miss someone who you've shared a long train of memories with? In my opinion, it is. When someone passes away, and you have so many great memories with them of their life tied with yours, they didn't really DIE. They just left for a while, so to say. But in your heart and your mind, you remember how wonderful they were, and all the great things they did. And soon you begin to think, "Wow, I'm really glad I knew them." Most of the dead people I know of, I never really got to know, or had time to get to know. I find this incredibly sad, and sometimes I find myself in tears just a little bit at the wonder of what they were like. I crave and yearn to understand them better and wish I had been much closer to them before they passed. I was too young to understand most of the time, and too young to even care. To know people cared about me SO MUCH, when I was too young to even see tha

Today was my first meeting for Confirmation of the Catholic church. My sponsor and I received a packet to fill out about what each other thought about each of the seven gifts of God. In my opinion, I think understanding is the most important, especially for Confirmation (for me, anyway.) Before we step into ANY situation, we must understand what exactly we are getting ourselves into. We must understand why, what, and how. On another note my sponsor (my amazing Godmother) and I also talked about how people have no respect and wonder of the world anymore. Everyone takes things for granted. They never truly stop to smell the roses, they never LIVE! I know you've probably heard this a million times, but COME. ON. You're kidding yourself if you think your life is crap. Because it's not. You have the power in yourself to entertain yourself (without meaningless technology), to make yourself happy, and be whatever and whoever you want to be. We talked about how great big amazi

Something I've learned to do whenever I feel sad is just think that my life is far more comfortable and better than some other peoples' in this world. After all, I have food, family, and a roof over my head. And sometimes I forget how important that is. Sometimes I feel sad for the stupidest of reasons (teenage girl reasons, of course...) and then I think about Japan, with their Tsunami. And everything else going on in the news. Rarely, I ever turn on the news voluntarily. But occasionally, while eating breakfast I turn it on to catch up with some local stuff. And what I see is horrific and terrible. I just about cry, and crying at 6am is not the most comfortable ways to start off your day. So whenever I feel like crying for simple reasons that may be easily fixed or ignored (though it may be hard), I must remind myself time and time again that my life is amazingly better than most citizens of our Earth. I am a very lucky person and should be thankful for what I have. VERY

So, Valentines Day went by like absolutely nothing. Maybe it's 'cause I'm single, and had nothing to do. Maybe. But it went by like it was air. Everything has happened so quickly in life, we forget to stop and smell the roses, breathe in the fresh air. This morning, I watched Hook with my mom. Then after a calming shower, I listened to the Beatles, who kindly sang to me "All You Need is Love" and I decided something. Peter Pan, at the very end of the movie, says "To live. To live will be an awfully big adventure." And he's 100% right. To live is a great adventure. Maybe death will be too, but who really knows. So for now, we must take in every line on the paper, every detailed drop of ink on the parchment. Take it all in and absorb it. Because you never know if it will be short, but you can bet that it will be an adventure. And then as The Beatles so kindly reminded me, all we need is love ! It's fine as gold and true as red white and fre

What is relaxation these days? Is it snuggling up with someone you love on the couch to watch a nice movie? Is it sitting in your bedroom, listening to music and eating chocolate? Is it simply sitting in silence, lying on a yoga mat? I guess it all depends who you are, and what mood you're in. This past week, my friends and I have joined a short-term yoga class in our school that will be continuing a couple more weeks after break. And may I just say that yoga is a VERY enjoyable and relaxing class to take. It's perfect serenity, it really is, even when you're stretching out to reach your goal of flexibility, your whole body quaking to find it's still point. The outcome is breathtakingly relaxing. This plus some Vitamin water, my friends and I loved it. It starts with setting down your yoga mat and turning off the lights, while turning on some relaxing ritual-like music to calm the soul. You place yourself in child's position, (which is a position I could ea