Christmas (:

I LOVE CHRISTMAS. (: I love everything about it, from putting up the tree, cuddling up next to the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate, to the expressions on your families face when they open a present. The best part about Christmas? CHRISTMAS MUSIC. <3 Christmas a amazing. Yeah, it is a stressful time because you have to have enough money to get presents and everything. But that is not what Christmas is about. I think that Christmas should be about spending time with your family. It should be about enjoying everyone company. Christmas should not be about who gets the most expensive present or complaining about not getting what you want. I would be perfectly fine without getting a single present.

Some people out there don't get 1 thing for Christmas. They would be happy just to have a stable home. Somewhere they can call home. Those people would be extremely happy to get 1 present for Christmas and wouldn't complain if they didn't.

This year I didn't ask for 1 present. I don't want anything. I just want to spend time with my family. I want everyone to be together and be happy. After my mom almost died it made me rethink everything. If my mom were to die what would I remember about her? It wouldn't be what presents she got me, or how much money she spent on me. It would be all the smiles we shared. It would be playing twister on Christmas with my brother and my sister. So this year don't worry about the presents you get or the presents you don;t get. Just be happy that you are with your family.

Feared or Loved?

In my college prep class we were talking about a quote for a essay we read, "The Prince." To sum the quote up it asked one simple question, Is it better to be feared or loved? I can see it in both aspects. I mean if people fear you they are going to do what you want them to do for the sake of not wanting to deal with the consequences. They are going to do it because they feel like they HAVE to, not because they WANT to. If people love you they are going to do what you want them to do because..... well they will want to do it. They will want to do what is going to make you happy.
Also if you are loved and not feared i think that you will gain a lot more respect from them. I mean if you fear someone you don't have respect for them. You do what they want you to do because they want you to do it. If you love someone you have the up most respect for that person. You are going to do what they want you to do because it will make them happy and you know that it is the right thing to do.
Don't get me wrong to be loved has its downfalls too. If you are loved then you have to worry about messing up. You have to worry about upsetting the ones that love you. By making 1 wrong decision you can loose everyone that loves you.
I honestly think that if you fear someone that you will never be able to gain any kind of respect for them but if you were to loose the ones that love you then you can always get them back.

What Makes Me Happy. (:

So I have not had a very good week. I just started basketball and have been having some problems with my friend. So when I got home after a long practice I was so excited to see that my sister's car was in driveway. I hurried up and got my stuff out of my car and went inside.

Before I opened  the door I was met by my nephew.

"Hi Nina" he says with a huge smile on his face. 

"Look," as he pointed to his popsicle. Nobody else was in the house. I picked him up and instantly started to cry. It is crazy how a simple "Hi Nina," can make everything seem better. What is more crazy is how close you can be with someone that can't barely talk. 

I didn't want him to go home but he had to. He started to cry when I told him he had to put his shoes on. He kept saying "Nina go bye bye." But I had school the next day so I knew I couldn't. So after you my sister and nephews left I talked to my mom and she told me that I could go and spend the night with them. I got my stuff together and went to my sisters. When i got there my nephew was still crying because he wanted me to stay with him. When i opened the door he started to laugh and ran over and gave me a hug. I gave him a bath, we colored, and played with his Woody and Buzz dolls. Then I tucked him into bed and read him a story. 

I guess I'm just trying to say that sometimes when things are not going your way. Or you are having a bad day. You have to step back and realize the things that truly make you happy. 

Basketball

This is my senior year. This means my last time to play high school sports. Sports are my life. I do them not  because my parents want me to, or to be involved, but I do them because I have a passion for it. I love everything about it. From the practices where you think you are going to die because you just ran 5 suicides, to playing your last game.

I just had my first day of basketball practice. Not only is it my senior year but I am the only senior that went out and we have a new coach. I didn't want a new coach. I wanted to have to same coach from freshmen year to senior year but there is nothing that I can do about it now. I just have to accept the new coach and do my best. His coaching style is EXTREMELY different then our old coach. That is good and that is bad.
This year is going to be way different. More intense, and a lot more is going to be expected out of all of us. This new coach is going to have higher expectations. Not saying that our old coach didn't want us to succeed but there is just something different about this new coach.
Being the only senior out means I have to be more of a leader. I feel a lot of pressure but that is good for me. I will have to push myself and be the best that I can be. I have to show everyone that there is a reason, other then because I'm a senior, that I am playing.
This years basketball is going to be different. But it is up to me to choose wither it is going to be different in a positive way. Or if it is going going to be different in a negative way.

Senior Night

I didn't think that it was going to be as hard as it was. As they announce my name I walk out the doors hug my team mates and get the gifts that they gave me. Then I go over and hug my coach. My stomach drops. My heart is racing. And now I am crying in front of a crowd of people. I am not crying because this is my last game of volleyball I have. But because of all the memories and how close I have become. I try to hold back the tears but they keep coming out. I look down at a picture that was given to me so that people won't see me cry. But I know that they can tell that I am.
After they announce all of us I pull it together. I know I have a long night of volleyball I have to get focused on. We are playing a team that had already beat us once this year. Us senior girls are determined not to let that happen again. Game one comes along and we don't do so good. We lost. But we knew we are better then they are so we all stay positive. Game two. WE DOMINATE. We are all one cloud nine. Our energy is up and we know we have this in the bag. Game three and four. We win. They were good games and I am proud we won.
When we get in the locker room I am full of every kind of emotion you can think of. I am happy we won, sad it was our last home game, kinda upset that I struggled that game, and super excited because I had the game winning hit. We all come together after coach is done talking to bring it in. We yell at the top of our long who we are and who we are proud to be DOGS.

What Would you Do?

So I am really debating if I should write about this or not. But I have decided that i should. This is a very touchy subject. I'm going to talk about abortions.
In College Prep class i read an essay about this. It talked about a clinic that was only for abortions. It really made me think. Is it okay to have abortions? The answer may be different from person to person. Some people may so no because religion, or family background. Some people may have no problems with it. Me personally.... well I'm undecided. I think that there are circumstances that are okay for a women to get one. For example, if a 14 year old girl gets raped and gets pregnant then i believe that it is okay. I mean after all it wasn't her choice to have sex. What i don't agree with is women that use it as a form of birth control. They just have sex, get pregnant, and have abortions. This is not right at all. If you are having sex then be safe about it. Use a condom or get on birth control. Don't just go get abortions for no reason. You are taking an innocent life away.
I also think it is okay for a women to get an abortion if the baby or the mother is at risk of death because of the pregnancy. Me.. well i don't think that i would ever get one. Even if my life were at risk. I don't think that i could do it. I could not take a little innocent life away.
Some of you may disagree with me and that is fine. Everyone has there own opinions about it. It just makes you think. What would you do if you were in that situation? But in the end it is the women's choice and she is going to do what she thinks is best for her and the baby.

Personal Philosophy

What is my personal philosophy? Honestly I never really thought about it before. Being a 17-year-old girl the only things I really think about are boys, being with my family, and finishing high school. But if I really thought about it then I would have to say that my personal philosophy would be to be thankful for each day and not take a day for granted.

When my mom was diagnosed with cancer it really showed me how your life can just be taken away from you. To actually be faced with the possibility that each day could be your last is probably the scariest thing in the whole world.  I don’t know how my mom got threw it and fought cancer. When I ask her she just says that each day she would wake up and have a positive attitude about it. She learned that you can’t take your life for granted. You can’t take the simple things for granted most of all. She said that just waking up in the morning was something that she cherished.

            My mom is the strongest woman I know. She is my best friend and she has taught me everything that I know. The biggest lesson being that you have to love life. Be thankful to be alive. Be thankful for the simple things in life and to treat each day like it could be your last.

             

            

Homecoming

When you hear the word Homecoming what do you think? I'm sure it's the usual football game on friday night, getting all dolled up for the dance, and dressing goofy all week. Homecoming an extremely happy time. But this is my senior year and it has been stressful as well. I mean don't get me wrong i LOVE homecoming week but between volleyball practice, school, getting your dress for the dance, and being on homecoming court i have had no time for my family.
My family means the world to me and i love spending time with them. This week i haven't sat down at the table with for dinner at all. I haven't been home earlier then 10:30 all week. I know my parents understand which makes me feel less guilty for not seeing them. Also getting outfits for all the days is a big stress. Everyone wants to look the best. But having a busy schedule makes it hard to find time to go shopping and get everything you need.
So don't get me wrong i love homecoming week. Especially because it is my last one. But even with all the fun stuff it is a stressful week. A week full of goofiness and just enjoying being in school.

Beauty???

Beauty. What is it? Is it strictly looks? Is it more than that? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I strongly believe that. I also think that every single person is beautiful in their own way. Some people may say that beauty is only skin deep. This statement to totally false.

Looks only can last for so long. The real beauty is someones personality and their values. How long does looks last? Not long at all. But if you love someone for their personality then they will always have it and you will never be disappointed. What happens when you get old? Your looks fade and then you have nothing. Some things that i look for in a guy is someone that is great with his family, someone that i can talk to about anything, and someone that makes me laugh. I mean looks are what first get your attention but personality is what makes you love someone. Example of this is beauty and the beast. She had to look past the looks to see the real person and fell in love with him.
So do i believe that beauty is only looks. No. No i don't. Looks can only get you so far and then you have nothing. You want to be with someone that has a great personality and someone that has the same values as you. If you only go out for someone based on their looks then you will disappointed because the looks will fade away and then you will find that they are ugly on the inside.

What it means to be a SENIOR!

What does it mean to be a senior? To some people it means responsibility. To other people it means freedom. To me it means leadership. Being a senior comes more opportunities for you as an individual to step up and be a leader. You have so many younger kids that are looking up to you. You, being a senior, have to set a positive example. Even if we don't see it there are people looking up to us all the time. It’s not only the younger kids that we go to school with but teachers, parents and even our classmates.

A lot of students feel that being a senior means that we get to slack off. I don't agree with that at all. I believe that this is the year that we need to more seriously. This is the time when we have to get ready for college and figure out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. This is a huge decision for anyone to make. We want to show all of our friends, family, and teachers that put up with us all these years that their hard work has paid off and that we are ready to start a life on our own. If we act and prove to everyone that we can do it then the kids younger then we are will follow in our footsteps. We, being the seniors, are the leaders of the high school and need to act in such way. 

I can’t tell you what it means to be a senior. That’s all up to you. Some people may think that it is a year to slack off but others may think that it is a year full of responsibilities. Either way enjoy your last year. It is one that we will never forget.