Tragic but Insightful.

            My life has always been pretty ordinary. When I was told to write a blog about a significant even that defines me, my mind went blank. How am I suppose to write something amazing if there's nothing to tell? So, I gave it lots of thought and I decided to write about the time got lost. I was about 7 years old when I made a mistake that terrified me. My older sister, Jade, had just invited a friend over to go swimming and play in the yard when my cute, sweet, loving dog wandered into the woods. Jade, Sarah (her friend), and I were afraid he was going to get lost in the 52 acres of wood behind my house. On a split decision Sarah and I followed my dog into the woods while my sister went to tell my parents. Following the dog I began to freak out. I had never been in this part of the woods before and we had been walking for close to an hour. Out of know where Sam, my dog, vanished and we were left alone in the hot summer sun. We sat along side a small stream that divided woods and a grassy field. I began to wonder if we would ever find our way out of there. thoughts about my family rushed into my mind, What if my family isn't out looking for me? Will I ever see them again? I was so young and immature, I had no clue what I had gotten my self into to or what was going to happen. The only thing I wanted at that moment was to be home, safely sitting inside. After a few minutes of debating what's next, we crossed the river and continues on until we found a road. I was extremely frightened but Sarah made me walk up to a house with her to figure out where we were. They called the cops and were being put in the back seat to be escorted home when my parents arrived. The feeling of being abandoned and trapped in a endless place was unbelievably horrifying. As we got into my parents car my mom began to tell us that we were in big trouble and would be grounded for a few months. I was happy when she said that because it meant I couldn't get lost again. I later found out that we were about 5 miles from my house. All of the events I have experienced have all resulted in the same thing. I have learned that my family means everything to me and without them I would be forever lost.

The One Place...

Some people would say I am crazy, that I do some pretty weird things, or that my idea of the perfect place to hangout is strange. To me, the place that i would spend all of my time, if i could, makes me forget all my troubled thoughts, and clears my head. All of the anger built up inside of me, all my worries, and emotions fade into the distance. I am able to relax and not feel so stressed. My perfect place is the track, when there aren't tons  of people crowding the lanes. Running in a circle seems boring to a lot of people, including me, so I prefer adding hurdles. I put my headphones in, turn the volume up and let my feet carry me away. When I race, and my heart beings to beat extremely fast, my legs shake in my starting blocks, and my stomach turns, I feel comfortable and eventually the nervousness subsides. Growing up I wasn't encouraged or pushed to do sports, running has always been something I enjoy doing. I may not be the fastest or have the best form, trying my hardest and having fun while doing it is all that matters to me. The rough, slightly cushioned track and the hard plastic hurdles keep me from losing my mind and help me relax. Everyone has there one place where they like to go and think, explore, or clear their mind and everyone is different in their own special unique ways. I remember the first time I tried hurling in Middle School, I was so afraid of falling and hitting the old plastic thing placed in front of me, but I built up the curate and took the chance and lucky I loved it! I also can recall the first time I fell during a race, it was in eighth grade at an away meet. I was approaching the last hurdle of my 200 meter hurdle dash when my foot didn't clear the plastic bar and I flipped over the top. I rolled on the ground twice, scratching up my arm and knee, but I got up and ran through the finish line as though nothing had happened. All of my experiences have fought me a lot of important life lessons, and I still manage to keep learning more. Although I love laying on the couch eating chips and watching a good movie, I’d rather spend my time practicing and enjoying what truly makes me happy. 

One Photo, Tons of Memories...

  When you look at a picture for the first time your mind becomes filled with thoughts. You form questions and emotions build up inside of you, especially when you can connect and relate to the image in front of you. For me, when i face a specific picture i recount memories, and begin to feel sad, afraid, and useless. The image that effects me the most is of my dad, when he experienced one of  his most tragic and horrifying moments in his life, when he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. 

When i look at this photo i remember the day i went with my mom to the hospital for his surgery. We waited for over three hours and when the doctor came out he took her aside and told her that he had cancer. Tears filled her eyes and i took her in my arms. That was the start of it all. From then on i stood my my parents and helped out the best i could. My dad had seven Chemo treatments and about 33 radiation treatments. This picture reminds me of his cranky days, his good days, and how he fought through it all and is healthy now. 

Radiation targets a miniscule part of the body and shoots beams of radiation, shrinking the cancer. It burns the skin, as shown in the picture. Chemo is given through an iv, tiny drips at a time.
http://www.uihealthcare.org/radiation-therapy-what-to-expect/

Failure

What do you think of when hear the word failure? Failure is an opportunity to learn from your mistake so that you never make it again. It's a normal thing that happens all the time. I remember back in Middle School during track season where a little mistake caused pain and embarrassment. I was approaching the last hurdle of my 200 meter race, as my foot left the ground, kicked up to run over the hurdle, my little mistake occurred. I kicked the plastic bar and flipped over the hurdle. As I rolled across the track I scrapped my knee and arm. I didn’t give up; I stoop up and pushed through the finish line milliseconds behind the person in front of me. I learned that even if you fail at something, you have many other opportunities to succeed. Giving up makes it a failure, but if you try it’s merely a small accident. Because I never gave up, I still hurdle and have gotten much better. I look forward to it every year and set new goals for myself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T97kkzRMEAY

Early Experience

From the start i knew this entry would be difficult. There are only a few childhood memories that i can recall. I decided to tell the story of when i moved to New Paltz in first grade. I was a tom boy, I wore jeans and tee shirts instead of dresses and nice shoe s. My hair was short, spiky, and eventually highlighted purple. On my first day in Mrs. Lewis' class i didn't make a lot of friends. I remember a couple guys asking who the new guy was and joking around. Ironically, they became my best friends! It didn’t take long for me to get use to my new home. I lived in the woods on about eight acres of land. My house was newly built with lots of open space and I got my own room! In my old house my two sisters and I shared a huge room but I finally didn’t have to clean up after them and put up with their nonsense. Best of all, in my back yard there was a GIANT oak tree that we use as base when we played tag. It didn’t take long before I tied my little sister to the tree! Eventually we got rid of the tree and put in a lagoon shaped pool. I like living in New Paltz but cant wait to move out!