Sarah McLachlan - I Will Remember You [Official Music Video]

Last Post!

     So, I have been thinking about what to write about in my last post. I decided to write about my life in the next few months... some of the things I am looking forward to and some goals. Short term, I want to move on from this winter semester coming up! I want to survive it at least. I am taking 20 credit hours next semester. That is 7 classes. Yes, people must be saying that I am crazy, but I want to graduate on time. The Spanish department does not really help with how students want to graduate on time. They like you to be here for like five or six. Well, I decided to beat the system! I cannot wait to go to Spain next summer. It is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am hoping to perfect my Spanish speaking and learn about the culture. I am also looking forward to my 21st birthday. In the first week of May, it is my parents' 25th anniversary, my 21st birthday, and my sister's college graduation. So, we decided that there is so much to celebrate, why not celebrate in LAS VEGAS! All I have ever heard about Vegas are stories, so I am looking forward to making my own! Also, after Spain, I am looking forward to my last year of college. It is hard to believe that I only have one year left. I feel like I just received my acceptance letter into UM-Flint yesterday. Scary how fast time truly flies by... Since I am in the teaching program, I do my block of teaching classes and then my last semester, I student teach. I have already had experience with elementary students so I am really looking forward to being in a high school because I want to be a high school teacher. Once I graduate, I plan on moving down to Florida.

      Long term goals- there are many. I want to move to Miami because they speak Spanish there all the time. Miami University also has one of the best interpreting programs. I do not want to be a Spanish teacher for the rest of my life. I want to learn French and Mandarin Chinese and become and interpreter for the United Nations. Yes, those are big dreams but I believe in myself. Go big or go home right?! Also, a family is very important to me. I want to get married and start a family before 30. I also want to live in a foreign country for a year or two. Traveling is very important to me. So I hope my soon-to-be-husband will like to travel! Overall, I want to live in my parents' footsteps. In final, I have had a wonderful life. I want to keep going in the path I am going. I am looking forward to so many experiences. I hope you all will have successful and happy lives. Do your best and never settle for anything less than what you want and deserve. Good luck!

College and Support

     







     Since this is our last blog, I decided to just talk about my normal life as a college student. No matter what anyone says or does, college is the most important idea a person could ever grasp. College is needed for anything these days; a job, a successful lifestyle, lifelong friends, an education, etc. Many people feel that college is too hard and they barely get through it, but even just getting by and still receiving that diploma is an accomplishment in itself. I know many people, especially in my generation, who are the first in their family to ever attend college. Every time I hear this, I tear up because that in itself can carry around so much proud. In my family, my dad went to Western. My mom did not go to college. She could not afford it when she was my age. However, my mom did go back to school when she was 40, which everyone in our family was so proud of her for. Even now, she is back in school. My parents have always been the best support system behind me. They were always supportive in everything I did. My dad, he never missed anything in my life. He was there at my birth, every kindergarten field trip, all my elementary parties, all of my volleyball games in high school, all of my honor dinners. My mom, who has been to just about everything too, is my biggest inspiration as well. She attended as much as she could when she was in school and working nights as a nurse. My sister Amanda has been my rock in life. Although we barely got along in high school, she is my savior now. She is more than my sister, but my best friend. My grandparents have also been so supportive, praising me in everything I do.

     













      In all honesty, I could not have asked for a better family. They have provided me a meaningful life and have always been there for me. They never gave up and they  never let me give up. They are the best thing in my life. They are the most important thing and I would not have been able to motivate myself to become what I am today. I would not have been able to reach college and strive to graduate and become a teacher without them. I truly owe my family. This is my thank you to them. If I take anything away from life, I know it would be to appreciate my family and all of the opportunities I have been given. And that is exactly what college does; it provides chances of a lifetime. As mentioned previously, never give up on a dream. Even if it is so unrealistic, one day, you could accomplish it and overcome all of those obstacles that once stood in the way. Always appreciate your life and never take it for granted. You never know what the next day may bring. Life is not about the number of breaths, but the number of moments that take your breath away. In closing, my final advice is to live, laugh, learn, and love.

 

Stress and its Consequences

     As I have been talking about stress, there is a few things that can become an outcome because of stress. Since I recently read my paper in class about eating disorders, I wanted to go into detail about eating disorders and my experience with one. They can affect ANYONE, especially women and it is extremely important to be able to recognize the symptoms and understand the consequences. To start of, Anorexia Nervosa is a pyschological illness that limits a person's intake of food. This person will barely eat and they wil ldrastically lose weight. Bulimia is also an illness in which a person binges and purges their food. They also lose a ton of weight through this way, too. I wanted to first give some of the symptoms:
Anorexia Symptoms:

• Refusing to eat and denying hunger
• An intense fear of gaining weight
• Negative or distorted self-image
• Excessively exercising
• Preoccupation with food
• Social withdrawal
• Thin appearance
• Dizziness or fainting
• Soft, downy hair present on the body (lanugo)
• Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)
• Abdominal pain
• Frequently being cold
• Dehydration

Bulimia Symptoms may include:

• Eating until the point of discomfort or pain, often with high-fat or sweet foods
• Self-induced vomiting
• Laxative use
• Excessively exercising
• Unhealthy focus on body shape and weight
• Having a distorted, excessively negative body image
• Going to the bathroom after eating or during meals
• Feeling that you can't control your eating behavior
• Abnormal bowel functioning
• Damaged teeth and gums
• Swollen salivary glands in the cheeks
• Sores in the throat and mouth
• Dehydration
• Irregular heartbeat
• Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation
• Constant dieting or fasting

     As we can see, many of these symptoms are very noticeable, so hopefully if you are experiencing this or if someone you know is going through this, don't keep it a secret. You could potentially save a life.

This is truly what I used to see in the mirror.

     After you have begun to notice the symptoms and have admitted the problem to yourself or a professional, it's time to begin a new chapter with different treatments. As I said in my paper, some great people to talk to are nutritionists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. These professionals will help you move into the right recovery process so you do not end up in a hospital bed or dead. Death is a very common outcome for eating disorders so these should NEVER be taken lightly.

     As a personal touch, I wanted to provide some basis on how I know about this experience. When I was a freshman in high school, I was 14 years old. I had a ton of friends and I thoroughly enjoyed life. One day in the cafeteria, a boy came over to my lunch table and took away my paper bag lunch. He rummaged through it and then took it, threw it in the trash and said to me, in front of the entire lunch room, you are fat and need to lose weight. Stop eating. I ran to the bathroom and sat there until one of the secretaries from the office found me. She called me sister to help me. My mom also came to take me home. From that day on, I did what he told me to do. I stopped eating. I lost 31 pounds in less than a month. I was a thin, 82 pounds as a 14 year old. I lost a lot of my life during this time. My friends thought I was too fragile. My grades began to suffer. My family was worried about me. However, for a person with an eating disorder, the more weight you lose, when you personally look in the mirror, you get a self-distored image. The mirror in your eyes actually portrays you as a heffer and gaining more and more weight. Every time I looked in the mirror, I thought I gained 10 pounds. So there I was overexercising, not eating, and become too thin for life. I exercised twice a day. After school I would run 4 miles and then I would go to volleyball practice for three hours.My skin turned yellow. I lost half of the hair on my head, yet I grew so much hair on the rest of my body because my body needed to give me some heat. I was cold all the time. It was a horrible time. One people think I regret, but in the long run, I don't. This eating disorder helped me strive to get better.
     I had just turned 15. I had been to several doctors and each diagnosed me with anorexia. I didn't believe it. I was only 15. But my parents and sister were so concerned. At track practice one day, I fainted in the locker room. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed. It was a sad day, that day. I was dehydrated and was being fed through a tube in my mouth. I was also hooked up to several different tubes to provide me different fluids as well. I'll never forget the look on my dad's face. From that day on, I knew I was not only hurting myself, but my family too. I made the decision to see a nutritionist, psychologist, and psychiatrist for a year. In this year, I gained some weight back. I made my new friends. I improved my grades. And I fell more completely in love with my family than ever. They were truly my rock through this and there was no way I would have made it out without them. I learned through this that nobody should ever influence your decision to knock off a few pounds. It should always be your idea. This time of my life was horrible, but I don't regret it. I am who I am partly because of this. I always strive for perfection because of an eating disorder, but in a healthy way. God knows no one is perfect, and I do too!
     So, there is my story, in a shortened version. Even six years later, I am still recovering. In my opinion, nobody ever truly gets over an eating disorder completely. I am still tinged by the thought of being perfect, but I know that my family and friends already love me for who I am.
     For more information on eating disorders, here is a great website. Hope I didn't tear you all up too much! Have a great week.

Hahaha

Workload

     As a college student, times always seem hectic. This week, I had so much to do. I had two exams, a quiz, two papers due, and four days of work. Plus, I try to have a social life. Sometimes, that is the most lacking part of my life which is sad because I love my friends and family. This morning, I woke up to the first sign of snow. That made me happy because I love the first days of winter. It means that Christmas is family and that means family time! This week, I am just trying to wrap my finger around all that needs to be done before the semester is over. I have finals coming up. If you have read my recent posts about studying, you can also use those tips in order to study for finals and write paper. My number one piece of advice again is DON'T PROCRASTINATE!
     When times are stressful, it feels as if the days will never be over. Normally I can't believe how the time flies. Nowadays though, I am overly stressed. I am tired. I got sick last week because of my lack of sleep. I had too much to do. After this week settles down, I am planning on sleeping ALL weekend. I am a Twilight fan so I will be one of those who are buying the release of Eclipse on DVD Friday night. I am looking forward to a nice night, cuddled up to a fire watching that! We are also decorating our tree this weekend. I already explained to you that we have a real tree and it is my favorite time of the year. I also plan to do a little shopping. I went up to Birch Run last weekend. I finished my boyfriend and family. All that's left to do are my friends. Christmas gifts are either hard or easy. Gifts cards were a great invention, but year after year, they get boring. If anyone has any ideas about gifts, let me know!
     Other than that, I plan on relaxing. I feel that is the best way to ever relieve stress. Spending time with family is the best way also. Laughing is the greatest gift in life and it is free! Don't ever take advantage of it. Plus, it's a great way to get a six-pack! I know this was a complete random post but I had a lot on my mind! I am posting a video that will make everyone laugh. Enjoy the cheer around and don't stress too much. Always know there are people to talk to! Since I read my paper in class this week, I want to talk to you guys about my eating disorder experience in my next post. Have a great week! Also, here is a link for some stress-reliever tips!

Christmas: The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

Just to get everyone in the spirit! This is my favorite Christmas song!