MIscellaneous #8

        I had to sit out my freshman year from tearing my quad, but I decided to go out for basketball again my sophomore year. I knew that I would be on the varsity team for sure that year, so I was really excited to go for it. I went through the summer workouts and camps and also conditioning. During our very first practice, I could feel my quad pulling just like it had done the previous year. I tried to forget about it and not think about it, hoping the pain would go away, but it didn't. I kept practicing on it thinking maybe it would get better. I kept going to my family chiropractor for therapy and massage, but nothing seemed to help. My chiropractor, Shad, told me that it was the worst quad tear that he had every witnessed, so I knew it wasn't good. I had numerous MRI's from this injury and they all showed the same thing. My freshman year, I had a hematoma on the top of my quadricep muscle, which is similar to a blood clot. I went to the same doctor my sophomore year that I had went to my freshman year, and he sat me down and told me that I should not play basketball anymore. I can remember sitting in the doctors office with my godmother, because my mom or dad could not go with me. I sat on the table with my teeth clenched and tears in my eyes. I didn't want to cry in the doctors office, because I didn't want to be a baby. I was so angry at the time, but deep down I knew it was probably for the best. Basketball was my third favorite sport, and my doctor told me if I wanted to be healthy for volleyball and softball I need to give up basketball. As soon as I got in the car with my godmother after we left the doctors, I broke down and cried. I could not believe that I was never going to play in a basketball game again. One of the worst parts of the whole experience was having to walk in the gym during practice and telling coach that I could not play anymore. He knew how upset I was, so he took it well, but it was very hard. I felt like I was letting my team and coaches down, but they were very understanding.

Miscellaneous #7

      During high school, I went through a lot of different injuries. It was very rough since I played sports throughout my whole high school career. My freshman year, I played basketball. I had been playing basketball ever since I was in the 5th grade, because that was the youngest age that Crestview started having teams. My dad coached basketball for twenty years, so I was around it my whole childhood. Basketball was definitely my third favorite sport, but I still liked it. I was never really good at ball handling, but I was a pretty good shooter. My dad always told me I wasn't mean enough for basketball, and I never really knew how to take it. I tried to be nasty, but that just wasn't my style. I became more aggressive the older I got, because with age I became stronger. During conditioning my freshman year of basketball, we were running out on the football field and it was very cold that day. We were running 100 yard pyramids, and as I was running, I could feel my quad pulling more and more the harder I ran. I didn't want to sit out or stop running, because I didn't want the coaches or my teammates to think I was faking it. I stuck through it and throughout the rest of the season, I ended up tearing my quad all the way through. I would run on it during practices and just grit through the pain. If it got too bad I would ease up, but I never wanted to sit through games. My mom would massage it before games in her office with biofreeze and wrap it with ace bandages to keep it warm. It always helped a little bit, but never enough to keep it from pulling. Towards the middle of the season I went to the doctor and he made me sit out the rest of the season. Our team went to state that year, so it was really hard to sit out and not be able to be a part of that experience.

Miscellaneous #6

      I think it is so amazing how weather works. When I was young I always thought that I would be a weather woman. I wanted to be on TV and point at the map/green screen and talk about the upcoming weather. My uncle Rick is the Emergency Management Director for Van Wert County, so I feel like it is in my blood to be obsessed with what is going on outside. I love tornados and thunderstorms, even though they can be scary sometimes. The sound of rain is so incredibly peaceful, and I love falling asleep to it. It is crazy how warm it was outside, especially in December. I wore shorts outside comfortably, and I honestly can't remember the last time I did that during this time of year. Sometimes I wonder what it is like to live near the coasts where they get extreme weather all the time. I have never experienced an earthquake, but sometimes I wonder what it's like. I can't imagine going through something that drastic, because it is so scary! Can you imagine just watching the earth split apart right in front of your eyes? Thunderstorms are always fun and cool until it gets super windy and the lightning gets bad. High winds can be very scary, especially when the electric poles start falling, and trees start falling on cars. This past summer, we had a bad storm that took our power out for a week. It was very eye opening, because we have never been out of power for that long. I can't imagine what people go through when they lose power for weeks and even months. I really don't know how the amish do it! A couple years ago, one of our really big trees in our backyard got struck by lightning and split right down the middle. Part of the tree fell off but the other half stayed. It was amazing, because the whole tree was then dead and had no leaves on it even in the summer. It is crazy how God works, and all these storms and disasters remind us how he is in control and shows us how powerful he is.

Miscellaneous #5

      One of my favorite things about Christmas is the movies. I could name a ton of movies that are out there that I could watch over and over. I honestly have never watched a bad Christmas movie..have you? Some of my favorite ones are Elf, The Grinch, Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone- Lost in New York, and Christmas Shoes. I honestly have never been that big of a fan of Will Ferrel, but I think he is hilarious in Elf. A lot of people think he is always funny, but there are a lot of times when I think he's stupid and a little weird. In Elf, he acts as an Elf from the North Pole, because he was taken there as a baby. He thinks that he is a real elf, not knowing that he is really just a human. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of my other favorites. I could seriously quote that whole movie every time I watch it. Some people get mad at me because I don't shut up. Oh well!! Chevy Chase's Christmas vacation may be one of the oldest, funniest movies that I know. I used to watch it all the time when I was young, and my whole family quotes it all the time, and it cracks me up. Home Alone is also one of my favorites, along with Christmas Shoes. Home Alone is hilarious, but Christmas Shoes is more serious and sad. It actually is one of the saddest movies I have seen. It is about a little boy who wants to buy shoes for his mom who is probably going to die. He doesn't have enough money to buy them, so a gentleman at the store helps him out with the cost, and he is able to get the shoes for his mom. There is a song that goes with the movie, and they play it on the radio at Christmas time. If you ever get the chance to listen to it, I recommend doing so. It is very sad, but it reminds us what means the most at this time of year.

My Classes #7

      Today was my very last computer class, thank goodness! We walked in the class and there was a surprisingly large amount of students in the class. The reason for this was probably that it was our last class and we also had a test. There was always a lot of people who would skip this class, because it was kind of pointless. There were several older people in my class, so it was probably more challenging for them, since they didn't learn as much about computers at a young age like we did. We walked in like a normal day and sat down at our computers. We were supposed to sit at the same computers every class, because it was easier for our professor to take attendance. My roomie and I chose to sit in the very front row, because it made it a little easier to pay attention, and because I have horrible eyes. I have really bad astigmatism, therefore it is hard for me to see things that are far away, because my eye doctor can't find a prescription strong enough for my eyes. After we took our seats today, we still had about ten minutes before class actually started, so I got on the computer and emailed my parents. I told them to have a nice day. As soon as ten o'clock rolled around, our professor stood at the front of the class and told us that we could take some more time to study or finish our homework if we wanted. After about ten more minutes, we were finally handed the test. All we had to do was a short excel assignment and then save it to our jump drive and print out two copies of it. After all of our tests, we would hand in all of our homework assignments from that unit. The test was very easy today, which was kind of a relief because I didn't really know what to expect. I am now officially done with that class. Hallelujah!

My Classes #6

    Tomorrow I will be having my last class of Computer. Thank goodness! The class is really not bad, considering I already know what I am doing. What stinks about it is that I am very bored the whole time. I have always liked being on the computer, so I have never disliked these types of classes. I just get so bored so easily which makes it hard for me to pay attention. My professor is a nice lady, which is good. She helps her students a lot, which is nice to see. I wish all my professors were like that! In this class, we would review a part of Microsoft Office, and then she would give us in-class assignments followed by homework assignments. I never really had homework assignments because I would just get them done quickly at the end of class. In this class we went over Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. The biggest challenge for me was definitely Excel. In elementary and high school, I took computer classes, but we spent the least time on Excel. I understand it, but it isn't a breeze like the other two. The only thing that confuses me sometimes is the equations that you have to use to solve things. If you do not put the right symbol or number for something it messes the whole thing up. It is amazing how computers work, because it does all the calculations for you in a split second. I cannot wait to take this test tomorrow and be done with this class. I enjoyed it, but it really wasn't worth my time.

Miscellaneous #4-Christmas

      It blows my mind when I talk to people and they tell me their favorite holiday is not Christmas. I mean, it's the most wonderful time of the year literally! Everyone is always so happy and jolly which makes things so awesome. I love driving around during Christmas time and seeing everyone's Christmas lights up on their house. Along with all the pretty decorations and lights, the music and movies are amazing. There is nothing like turning on the radio and hearing all the Christmas classics on your favorite station. I love turning the TV on at night and being able to watch a movie. The classics are definitely my favorite, such as Home Alone, Elf, Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation, and Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. My mom likes to watch the Hallmark movies, but those are all too much alike sometimes.

     


     Not only are all these things great, but the most important thing to remember at Christmas is Jesus!!! How awesome is it that we can celebrate his birth every single year!! Pretty awesome if you ask me!! My brother, sister, and brother-in-law do not live around here, so it is always nice to spend some quality time with them around the Holidays. It is a blessing that we get along so well. My brothers are hilarious, so it is always a good time when we are all together. I really don't know what I would do without my family. There are several things that I am asking for this year for Christmas, but the main thing I want is a Northface coat. I don't have a coat that I can wear to class, so I would really appreciate one. I know they are expensive, but I think it would be worth it. Christmas is a blessed time, and I am really looking forward to it!