It's a Family Tradition

So it's time to start the holiday countdown. Now I really wish I had the new Christmas Countdown Ornament! Yes I look forward to not having homework or classes for four weeks, but I actually really enjoy just being at home with my family. Everyone has their own definition of Christmas. Everyone does it differently, and that's what feels like Christmas to them. Christmas to me starts with getting all the boxes of decorations down from the attic, then helping set them up while my dad and brother watch football. Christmas is watching Charlie Brown on ABC. Christmas is listening to holiday music all through December. Christmas is going to my Oma's house the night before and opening their gifts. Christmas putting out cookies and milk for Santa no matter how old we are. Christmas is enjoying our new things for an ENTIRE day! We all have our own little traditions that make Christmas feel like Christmas. Ever since I was little we have done basically the same thing for Christmas each year, except for one year. That year my parents decided to take my brother and I on a ski trip and spend Christmas in Colorado. Although I was with my family, something just didn't feel right. It wasn't our tradition, and all I wanted was to be at home. Everyone has their way, no one way is right, they are all traditions that bring families together.  

Why I Don't Believe In Luck

Do you really believe in luck? Or do you just say "good luck," or "I'm having bad luck today," just because that's what everyone says. Do you really think that someone who made a 3 pointer to win the game was lucky? Or maybe they just practice every day and they happened to be on target that shot. It is not impossible, you don't have to get lucky in order to do something amazing or something improbable. I don't believe there is such thing as luck. Now people may argue that people who win the lottery are lucky, that doesn't require a skill you practice. No it doesn't require a skill, but everyone who buys a lottery ticket has an equal chance of winning, and numbers are choosen randomly. It is amazing that they picked you from everyone, but is that really lucky? I believe that everything happens for a reason. Things will happen the way they are supposed too, and in the end that is how it is supposed to be. So I guess what I am trying to say is, you don't really need luck, whatever is supposed to happen, will. Things that seem impossible shouldn't become lucky when they are overcome.

When Is Free Good? When Is Free Bad?

When most people think of free they automatically associate that with something good, but I don't think free is always good. Sometimes it depends on what exactly is free. If it is a free Kesha CD or drugs, that is bad, but on the other hand if it is a free education or a free space in Bingo, that is wonderful! It also depends on the circumstances, who is giving and who receiving the free item. If someone gives a 13 year old free beer, that is not good. Just because it is free doesn't necessarily make it good. The free thing must be appropriate. Also, someone who might get everything for free and never has to work for anything might develop bad habits. Someone who needs to learn how to be responsible wouldn't benefit from everything being free. They would benefit if things weren't free and they actually had to work for them. Maybe older people or more experienced people who have worked for things in the past would benefit from some things being free to them. We are free to do as we please in this world, and that is a wonderful thing, but that doesn't necessarily mean all things free is good. It might not be obvious, and it might not be what we want, but working for something that is not free can be beneficial.

The One Thing I Couldn't Live Without

What is the one thing you couldn't live without? Most people's answers would consist of material items like, an Ipod, a cell phone, a car, a teddy bear, a lucky egg. These are all great things, and it is amazing that they are of that high importance that you couldn't live without them, but I look at the question a little bit differently. When I see one thing you couldn't live without, I start thinking about survival. Yes we all need food and we all need water to survive, but then that is two things. So technically we couldn't survive with just one thing in our lives, BUT let's assume that we have food and water. I don't think I could live without my thumbs. Without my thumbs, it would be a challenge just to type this blog. Without thumbs, we couldn't grasp anything. Without thumbs it would be really difficult to pick things up. Thumbs are actually what differentiate humans from other animals. What if we all had hooves, could you imagine how difficult life would be. We wouldn't be able to do a lot of things just because it wouldn't be possible without thumbs. So you all can keep your Ipods and Cell Phones, but have fun using them without thumbs!

You Say Tomato..

Being here at SMU has really shown me how diverse our world is. I have new friends and teachers from all over the country, and even the world. Whether it is a across the border of Texas, or across the ocean to Europe there is a huge difference in the way people talk, eat, dress and even think. I always thought the way everyone did everything in remotely the same way for pretty much the same reasons. I’ve found out that’s not true. Even things as simple as asking for a soda are different. My friends from Minnesota all call it “pop”. The way all of my friends talk is different too. I have friends with so many different accents its funny to get them all in a group and have a conversation just to hear the difference. Whether it’s my friends from California or New Jersey. It seems like every detail about everything is different even though we all are from the same country and go to the same school now. Sometimes I miss my hometown where everyone was on the same page, and everyone knows everyone. It really makes you take a step back and think about how big our world is and how different people across the world must be if there are so many differences between my friends who live across the country.

Man's Best Friend, Seriously

Why are dogs considered man's best friend? They can't even talk, so how do we have such strong connections to them. As a victim of unconditional love from four dogs I can tell you why. Dogs are amazing creatures, and they are actually incredible friends. They provide companionship and loyalty. You hardly find a dog that is not just dying to please you and obey you. They love you no matter what. And it is actually proven that having dogs make our lives healthier by convincing us to be more active. Dogs can serve as someone' eyes, or someone's ears. They can also serve as stability for someone in need. They are incredibly caring and smart. And they will never give up on you. There is good reason why dogs are said to be man's best friend. I am sure everyone who has a dog understands what I am talking about. You form a deep friendship with them that can even be stronger then a friendship with another human. As crazy as that sounds, I know my dog lovers are with me. Unfortunately dogs do not live as long as we do, and it is heartbreaking when we have to say goodbye. I am going through that time with my dog right now, and it is harder than anything to say goodbye to my best friend, but I will never forget why he was my best friend.

Books VS Movies

I saw the new Harry Potter movie a few days ago which got me thinking about how much more fun reading can be at times than watching a movie. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the Harry Potter movie was great, but the movie just left out a lot of what I got from the book. When I start reading a book I get to decide what my characters look like, what they sound like, and what they are wearing. It was weird watching the first Harry Potter movie because all of the characters were a lot different than I had imagined. It is disappointing to me, but sometimes movies help when there aren’t a lot of character descriptions in the book, like I never pictured Hagrid so tall when I read the book.  A lot of my friends who read a lot of the books like Harry Potter and Twilight say the movies ruin the books because you already have the story in your head and you end up disappointed when the movie is different. I also do the same things with music. When I listen to a song for the first time I usually relate the song back to the memory of when I first heard the song, or I make my own little music video in my head. Then when I watch the real music video it’s so weird to see what the singer is actually singing about or who they are singing about. I just wish everything played out like it does in my head!