Reviews again!

I told you that when I am break, I am able to do things like go to movies, and play new games. Well this time I got to read new books. I am traveling with the Men's Basketball team right now and we are in Salem, Massachusetts which is a very interesting town. I will give a review about his later considering my trip is not over yet. However, I would like to review two of the three books I brought with me on the trip (not finished reading #3 yet). The first book is part of a series by James Patterson. It is titled The 5th Horseman and if you have not started reading these books, you need to. It is a great book that lets you tag along with a police lieutenant and the SFPD on murders. They are easy read books and they do not take a long time to read (do not let the thickness of the book fool you). A problem I noticed with the entire series and not just this book in general is if you read these books very quickly one right after the other you feel like they are just repeats, however if you read them with about a month in between them they do not get boring. I give this book a 4 out of 5 since I did not like the ending. I felt that Patterson just quickly finished it instead of giving details like he typically does.

The second book that I read was The Alchemist, I had always heard of this book and when a friend offered it to me over break I obliged. I am glad that I did, this book was very interesting and it tells of a boy traveling from his homeland to Egypt to find a treasure at the pyramids. It also talks about Personal Legends which are things that everyone has and wants to accomplish. Throughout the book, everyone that the boy meets becomes an omen and they tell him that in order to find the treasure he needs to follow and listen to these omens. The boy does what he is told and through following his heart, listening to the omens, and telling the truth he finds his treasure. This book was a 5 out of 5 and I want to add it to my collection just so I can always refer to it when I am down.

Reviews!!!!

So being on break from school has given me quite a bit of free time and I am really enjoying it. So I got to go to a couple of movies as well as play some new games and I am here to tell you what I think about them. First the game called Partini...okay so I have not honestly played this one with a group yet, but I was reading some cards and playing some of the things with my sister and we are excited to get a group together to play it. So far a 5 out 5 on my scale. Do remember with this game it needs to have partners and a group of people who are hanging out, works well for a couples night. Second game I received as a Christmas gift was called Identity Crisis. This game is a lot of fun. The object is to identify the a celebrity based on either a numerous amount of clues or one clue depending on the round. We had so much fun playing this game on Christmas Day. This is definitely a 5 out of 5. The last game I wanted to review is called Last Word. At first it was confusing but once everyone got the hang of it, it was a lot of fun. It is fun to see what people come up with for the subjects and the letters given. I also give this a 5 out of 5. I also saw movies over the break and the first one I saw was Four Christmases. I absolutely loved this movie. It was a romantic comedy and it was so cute, if my family was the way Reese Witherspoon's and Vince Vaughn's families were, I would do the same thing. The length was perfect and the one liners and scenes were great to watch, I give this movie a 5 out of 5 and recommend it for anyone who is going on a date. The second movie I saw was 7 Pounds. At first, I was skeptical to see it, however at the end I was glad that I did. It is a great drama and Will Smith was perfect for the part. I give this a 5 out of 5 and recommend for anyone who loves drama. 

Merry Belated Christmas!

This year's Christmas was so much fun. My mom pulled out old family videos and we spent countless hours prior to Christmas day watching and enjoying the memories. (I will spare you the pain and craziness of my family by not posting any). The food was delicious, on Christmas Eve we have ham and cheese potatoes and on Christmas Day we have a variety of foods consisting of chicken noodles, lasagna, ham, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, and green beans and ham. My mom can definitely cook and my family can definitely eat. I only have to return one thing this year due to incorrect sizing which is better than years before where I have had to take multiple items back. Church was also nice, my family and I are Catholic and I enjoyed the Mass very much. We typically attend the children's Mass and I think it is a lot of fun to see the children get into the Christmas story the way I used to. Tomorrow I am headed off to Boston with the Men's Basketball team so enjoy the rest of your post Christmas celebrations and Happy New Year!

Sorry

So first thing is first, I am really sorry that I have not updated for almost a month. The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas mesh for me considering that I am preparing for finals and and Basketball Season starts. So quite a bit has happened in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. One, I got all my Christmas shopping done in like two days, which is very impressive considering I am sometimes very indecisive when it comes to gift giving. Two, I have been working with the Men's Basketball team and we have been traveling like crazy but we have also won two games! Yes you may think this is not a lot, however this is considering that last year we only won three. Three, finals are finally over!!! It was a long and grueling three weeks for them to be over, but they finally are over and I do not go back to school until January 19th. Granted I am working but I also get to travel to Salem, MA and spend time at home, which is well needed after a fun semester. Four, the past two days, I got to spend with my niece and family. It started yesterday with taking Sophee to watch Trish get her hair cut, which by the way is a fabulous haircut. Then we took my mom to Olive Garden for lunch and then went back to my house to bake cookies. We made those pillsbury already pre-made cookies, sugar cookie cutouts, peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses, and colored rice krispie treats. We had so much fun that she came back today to finish decorating the sugar cookies and decorate the tree. After dropping her off at home, we headed to my dad's side of the family for our Christmas. We had a great time reminiscing about our families old stories and eating pizza. It was so far a great weekend and the week is going to get better!!! Tomorrow I am going to Grease, the Broadway play, which I am excited for!! I also posted a picture of the cookies that we made!

Being Thankful

So since it is Thanksgiving I decided to blog about what I am thankful for (yes I know it is cliche, but it also makes me look back on the year) So here is my list:

~My family, especially my mother

~The health of my family, we had a couple of scares this month

~My high school friends, I have not seen them in a while, but to hear their voice or talk to them is enough

~My faith, there were a few times that I questioned it and I am very grateful that I have stuck by it and have put my faith in God.

~My College Friends, they have gotten me through some stressful times

~My Person

~That I am healthy (my ankle is feeling great!)

~My job and that I love it

~The hours I get to spend with my niece's, they keep me young and remind me how great children are 

~My two kids that I work with who have autism, they teach me new things everyday and they remind me of the daily stressors that are not stressors but we make them to be

These are just a few and I know I could come up with more so Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Woohoo!

I was excited to blog today and tell you very exciting news. The Basketball team that I am a student Athletic Trainer for won their first game of the season. Now I know this may seem not very exciting however, last season this team only won three games total. We are now 1-2 and even though it is only the beginning we are very excited for this season and are looking forward to more wins!!!!

I am an idiot...

So this past thursday I was standing in line waiting to get soup for dinner. While I was ladling the soup into a cup, I was talking to a friend and I was standing on my feet funny. I do it all the time and the way I stand are where my ankles are literally touching the ground so I am standing on the sides of my feet. Well, while I was standing there, I heard three pops in my right ankle. Needless to say I gave myself a grade 2 ankle sprain, all from standing my typical way, I am such an idiot. :)

What were you thinking?

So this past Wednesday as I was driving into my hometown I passed our local McDonald's and their sign outside caught my eye. It said: Try out Cappacinos. Now I thought this looked odd and I knew something was wrong but I couldn't figure it out. Then it hit me cappuccino was spelled wrong, way wrong. So I laughed to myself because I thought yes this is the epitome of my town, however now I am just embarrassed that it is spelled wrong because I drove past it yesterday and it still said the same thing with the misspelling. I was able to get a picture of it when I drove past it.

Impressed

So I was watching my nieces the other day when one of them wanted me to play with her and help her with her computer. Now when I say computer I mean a little toy laptop that kids can play games on and hers of course is Barbie :) So we're messing with all the games and I started to get curious and looked at all the features or activities this computer possessed. What I found completely impressed me. Under one of the categories called games, there is one titled National Anthems, and there were 15 different countries National Anthems. I thought that was pretty cool, this little laptop is teaching all kinds of things to children. My one niece and I worked on math and spelling for a while and then we started working on typing. Yes this little Barbie laptop also teaches kids how to type correctly. I am very impressed with Mattel and the way that they are incorporating learning into Barbie items. 

Book Review: Mother Warriors

So I got done reading Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds and I really enjoyed the book. This book opened my eyes to realize how many other families go through what my niece's family goes through. All the different supplements and all the different therapies. A lot of times many families think they are alone, even if they are at an event that supports autism and other things. This book made me realize that we are not alone and other people are out there struggling and doing the same things we are. This book also made me look at autism in another light. Many people blame different causes for autism and this book focused on the biomedical aspect of autism. Thus said this means that after vaccines, they noticed their child to be different or start to have signs and symptoms of autism. I knew that many people blamed vaccines as a cause but I did not know a lot of research behind this and this book showed all the differences and things I still need to learn. This was a great book and I give it a 5 out of 5 on my scale. I definitely encourage you to read it, regardless of whether or not you know someone with autism.

Burnt Cherry Pop-tarts and Orange Juice!

So as I was trying to think of things to do on my computer I realized that I wanted to blog about burnt cherry pop-tarts and orange juice. I love them and they are a great combination. It is one of those things that many people say gross to but then when you ask them if they like peanut butter and pickles they are all for it! That to me is gross. I love cherry pop-tarts though and when I eat them if I can burn them, then I burn them. The crust on the outer part must be almost black and the filling inside needs to be boiling out! Then I know that I have perfected my pop-tart treat and I cannot wait to eat them. The best thing that goes with them is a glass of orange juice with no pulp. It is just FABULOUS!!!! So I wanted to share my fun treat with you while I ate them and decided what to do :)

Good-Bye October :(

So I am really sad that October is over, but it still feels fall-ish here in Ohio. For a few days it was very chilly, but the weather has turned around and it is gorgeous out now. Halloween week was great as you saw from one of my posts earlier. My dress turned out fabulous and everyone loved it and trick-or-treating was great. My niece's were a swan princess and minnie mouse and we had a great time going out around the neighborhood. The weekend was also fun hanging out with friends and looking at all the costumes. P.S. I was in Target today and saw a sign that said only 50 days till Christmas!!! That is so crazy to think that the end of the year is almost here and the end of my semester as well! Today is also election today here in the United States and I hope everyone voted regardless of which party. Good luck to the best candidate and I will write again soon, promise! 

It's Almost Done

So today I started on my dress/Halloween costume and it is almost done!!! The only thing left is adding the straps and putting in the zipper!!!! It looks so pretty too, I cannot wait to wear it for Halloween :) If you are unsure of what the picture is, it is a pin in my dress waiting to be sewn together. I cannot wait for tomorrow and it to be finished, I will obviously post the finished product once it is done! Have a good night :) :) :) :)

Best Week Ever!

Okay so, I feel like I should be on that show Best Week Ever, because I am obviously having the best week and I don't think anything could possibly bring me down from this high!!!! So this is why I am having the best week:

1. I did not have Psych lab today

2. Got my hairs (yes hairs there is more than one on my head) cut

3. Halloween is in 5 days

4. Trick or Treat is in 4 days

5. i have very little homework due at all this week

6. I am going to make my costume tomorrow

7. I get to be crafty (one of my favorite things to do) almost all week

8. I get to bake cookies, yummy!

9. fall sports are over in 5 days and my winter sport has started, woohoo basketball

10. this weekend is daylight savings time!

11. I get to spend most of my week with family and friends!!! :)

Hall-O-Ween!

So Halloween is only a week and a half away and I am getting super excited. You can tell obviously with the previous posts that I have made. Well today I went a little bit further :) I worked on my costume!! If you do not know already, I am going to be the green m&m and have decided to make a dress for Halloween but during the day I am going to wear a t-shirt with the 'm' on it. So that is what I worked on today since I am going to a Halloween party tomorrow. It is not technically a Halloween party but I work with a boy who has autism and he is in Boy Scouts and his den/pack are having their Halloween party tomorrow and I am going to dress up too! The picture is of my cool shirt that I am wear and the headband is one that I made out of green m&m's!!! I am so proud of it and i cannot wait to wear it, I am sooooo excited :)

Walk Now for Autism

This past Sunday my second family and I participated in the Walk Now for Autism in Columbus. It was a very exciting event and we had a great time. I really enjoyed walking and raising money for something that I am very passionate about. Walk Now for Autism is a huge fundraiser for Autism Speaks, an organization that was founded 5 years ago. It is the fastest growing organization in US history and still continuing to grow today. This was the very first Autism Walk held in Columbus and there were more than 5,000 people in attendance. It was so great to see all those people there for a certain cause. All the money donated to Walk Now for Autism goes towards research and helps families offset the cost of autism, especially since most insurance companies do not provide any help. Our team was called Reaching for Sky and it was comprised of over 20 team members who in one way or another have been touched by Skyler. We had a great time while walking and there were many activities for the kids to enjoy as well. 

Fall, oh Fall :)

Fall is my favorite season in Ohio and so far it has been one of the best Falls I have ever experienced. It is only seven days into October and I am loving it. This past weekend, my niece, one of my roommates, and I went to the pumpkin patch. We went to the one that I have always gone to and we had so much fun. The patch has not really changed since I was little, they have just expanded their play area for children and my niece loved it. We had so much fun deciding on pumpkins and playing with her. She went down this one slide almost thirty times. We got homemade kettle corn, the first sip of Apple Cider and then we went back to my dorm and painted them! We painted all kinds of colors and used glitter, they turned out fabulous, all the while we watched my roomies', my niece's, and I's favorite movie: Beauty and the Beast! After painting pumpkins and eating some of our delicious popcorn we went out to eat. Now one of my roommates and I are making homemade applesauce! So far the process is going well. My recipe calls for 6 apples and since we did not think it was enough, we decided to quadruple the recipe. Well lets just say we have apples overflowing the pot. Right now the apples are simmering and we are almost done, and boy does it smell delicious! I cannot wait to taste how good it smells. If you would like to make your own applesauce I have posted the recipe along with pictures of this past weekend at the pumpkin patch! Happy Fall :)

Homemade Applesauce
Ingredients:
6 apples (preferably McIntosh)
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel and core apples and cut into quarters. Place in an enamel sauce pan with water and lemon juice. Bring to boil then turn heat down slightly. Simmer 30 minutes to break down and get them to thicken. Take off heat and stir in sugar and cinnamon. Enjoy!

Thought this was fun :)

So here are the rules, answer the questions with only ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Couch 2. Where is your significant other? 3. Your hair? curly 4. Your mother? Fabulous 5. You father? Hard-Working 6. Your favorite thing? Smiling :) 7. Your dream last night? great 8. Your dream/goal? happiness 9. The room your in? Living 10. Your hobby? Creating 11. Your fear? Failure 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy 13. Where were you last night? Dorm 14. What you're not? 15. One of your wish list items? Travelling 16. Where you grew up? Ohio 17. The last thing you did? Homework 18. What your wearing? casual-dress 19. Your TV? Off 20. Your pet? puppy 21. Your computer? lifeline 22. What do you think of tags like this? interesting 23. Your mood? semi-stressed 24. Missing someone? yes 25. Where would you rather be? Travelling 26. Something your not wearing right now? Shoes! 27. Favorite store? depends 28. Your summer? Short 29. Love someone? Many 30. Favorite color? Pink 31. The last time you laughed? 10 minutes

October!!!!

Woohoo it is finally October and I am so happy. My favorite holiday is coming up in 30 days and I cannot wait. This coming weekend, I am taking my niece to the pumpkin patch and we are going to decorate my dorm for Halloween. I cannot wait, I am super excited! The past few weeks have been a bit stressful at school but nothing to bad has happened. Last night was my first night that I stayed up past midnight to work on homework and hopefully it will be the only time that I have to do that. I have started a new challenge though with a friend. We have decided to start working out and to tone our bodies and hopefully shed a few pounds. :) Our goal is by her birthday so we have just over 10 weeks to do this challenge but we are excited. Our reward for eating healthy and working out is purchasing a new fun dress for New Year's Eve. Plus since are both pushing ourselves, hopefully one of us will be successful.

Why I Walk

The Columbus Walk Now for Autism is now less than one month away and yesterday while doing a ABA session with my niece she did something that she has never done before. She looked right at me and said Manda I love you. That is one of the many firsts that I get to experience with her because even though I know she does love me she has never expressed it with words before that she chose, she can always repeat what others say but never has she ever looked at me and flat out said I love you. So as I was logging my hours into one of the the many spreadsheets I came across something that I wrote for the Autism Speaks website and they asked us to write about why we walk. Here is why I walk:

When I was 16 years old I met a family that would change my life forever. My best friend and I became babysitters for a set of twin girls, Sophee and Skyler. Little did I know one of the twins would inspire me to find what I wanted to do in life. We started watching the girls before our junior year of high school and continued on after that the following summers. When we noticed that there was a developmental delay between the two girls no one seemed worried because it is normal and sometimes happens. It was during our junior year and the summer before that very significant differences started to arise. Skyler did not talk, react to her own name, and would have meltdowns whereas Sophee did not. After hundreds of doctors visits and hours of trying to figure out what this beautiful baby wanted we finally got our diagnosis. The first which was received in the summer before our senior year was SID- sensory integrated disorder. However, the twins mother Kandee thought there was more. Once we found out the first diagnosis we started OT and "therapy" sessions at home. The second diagnosis, I believe came sometime between October 2005 and January 2006 and this was the PPD-NOS diagnosis, but again, Kandee knew there was more. In April of 2006 Skyler was diagnosed with classic Autism. Since that day, the whole family and everyone who has ever been touched by those twins stepped up to the plate to help with any obstacles. Car rides to and from OT and speech. Therapy toys bought or made, whatever was needed was done by someone and everyone was there for Skyler and her family. The biggest challenged we all took came this past summer in 2007. The family decided to start ABA therapy and at first we were all skeptical, however I can tell you now after a year of ABA there is an amazing difference and Skyler has progressed greatly. Learning from Skyler has been my biggest development in the past five years and each time I see her not only does she grow, but I grow.
I do not walk because it's the thought that counts. I do not walk because it would be nice of me. I do not walk because it’s something to do. I walk because something needs to change. I walk because autism can change an entire family’s dynamic (good or bad). I walk to fight, to raise awareness and to raise money. I walk because a little girl very near and dear to my heart is not "able" to. Yes she can walk independently, but she cannot speak out and tell everyone who will listen how life is like living with autism. I walk as thanks to Skyler's family for letting me into their lives and helping Skyler develop. I walk because I care and want to see Skyler independent one day. I walk because I want autism to become history rather than an epidemic.

If you would like more information about Columbus's Walk Now for Autism comment me and I will reply as soon as I can.

Props to NBC and other Soap Operas

Today while eating lunch, I was searching through the channels to watch something when I stopped on NBC to see what was going on on Days of Our Lives. I use to follow this soap when I was in high school and know some about the characters. One particular scene caught my attention and I think that NBC and other Soap Operas deserve a PSA award for raising awareness about autism. A family on Days is in the beginning stages of dealing with their son who has autism. Another soap spin off that airs on SoapNet, General Hospital Night Shift, also is doing a story on a father of an son who has autism. I think it is super important to get the word out because families who are dealing with a child of autism need to understand that they are not alone and that there are other families out there dealing with the same thing. I work with two families who both have high functioning children with autism. They are completely different in every aspect but they are both high functioning and are able to communicate to anyone and everyone. With these shows showing the different characters and how to deal hopefully families will look for support groups and people who do not know what autism is will also start to understand more. I wish everyone knew what autism was, not so they can assume that when they see a child act out they think they have autism, but so there is an understanding. For example, a couple of years ago when we had just heard that my "niece" had autism we were just starting to figure things out but her outburst were still long and quite frequent. One night after her mom got home we decided to go out to eat and while standing in line my "niece" wanted a flower that was decoration, her mom was just trying to order as fast as possible so that we could avoid an outburst but that did not happen. While the outburst was going on and we were trying to calm her down an older woman ordering behind us was staring at us with hatred. Like we could not control this child and that we were horrible people. As we get through the outburst and sit down I know the woman who was behind us sat near us. She then stared, pointed at us and spoke to her husband. They then stood up and walked away from the table they were sitting at to a farther table in the back of the restaurant. I was so angry and upset that this woman had the nerve to just assume that my "niece's" mom was a horrible mother and it took absolutely everything for me not to get up and tell her off. Then while sitting there trying to calm down and enjoy dinner, I thought of my "niece's" mom. She goes through this everyday and doesn't get to get a way from it like the rest of the family does. So congrats to NBC and the Soap Operas for trying to get awareness out on autism! Also the word niece is in quotes due to the fact that she is not a blood relative of mine but her and her family are very close and are a second family to me and I refer to her and her twin sister as my nieces. :)

Travel Report: Chicago

So this past weekend I had the opportunity to travel with my school's volleyball team to Chicago for a tournament. We left on a Thursday afternoon and ended up in Chicago around 11 at night by taking a bus. We stayed in Hyde Park which is probably 20 minutes away from downtown Chicago and it was a complete and different experience than I had had the first time I visited Chicago. We got very little time outside of the Volleyball Tournament, but what we saw of the University of Chicago was really fun. The first night we spent in Hyde Park and we ate at some amazing restaurants. We started our food exploration at Medici (sorry if spelling is incorrect) and it is similar to a local hang out. Had food that ranges from grilled cheese to salmon, the prices were very reasonable and I would recommend to anybody. THe second place we ate at for dinner was a pizza restaurant. They have amazing deepdish and the toppings are stuffed inside the pizza. It was absolutely delicious and we topped the night off with triple chocolate cake :) The final day we were in Chicago we had breakfast at a Greek Restaurant which was only a block from our hotel. They had a great American variety of breakfast food and they were very speedy with their service. We ate the Tavern at the Park in downtown Chicago that night for dinner and we were stuffed with how much food we received. We ordered two or three appetizers and each one was fabulous, I order their house cheeseburger with straw fries and they were amazing. The food in Chicago is top of the line and can either be super cheap or super expensive and we witnessed that all. Our hotel looked a little on the sketchy side of things until you are in the room, but then they seemed okay and very secure on the outside. The weather was not so great, it rained all weekend but that did not stop us from having a good time. Overall I give this trip 4 out of 5 stars.

Prayer Request

I graduated from high school in 2006 and during that school year a lot of things happened. One thing that happened and touch each of my classmates lives was a fellow classmate of ours was diagnosed with cancer. This form of cancer has never been beat and the patient who was diagnosed this cancer to ever live with it, lived 5 years after being diagnosed. Well my fellow classmate was one of them who beat the cancer and went into remission. The day before his 6 month check up he had a seizure and found out that he now had another form of cancer abbreviated AML. This cancer was in his brain and spine. He has been battling it for a little over 2 years now and I got word on Saturday that there is no longer any hope of him surviving. The cancer has taken over his body and the doctors have given him days to live. He has decided to stop all treatments and come home to pass peacefully. I cannot imagine what his parents are going through or his older and little sister. My friend is only 20 years old and has not even gotten to do some of the things he has wanted. He was a XC and track runner at our high school and his mom when writing on his blog the other day told everyone who reads it to go and finish the race for him. Well if you could please keep him in his prayers especially during this time. Not only pray for his peaceful passing to be with our God, but for his family (parents, older sister and brother-in-law, and younger sister) and his classmates who have been touched by him and who have been with him through his entire journey with cancer. Pray that even though we will mourn that we have lost a great person that we will once rejoice to know that he is finally cancer free and sitting up in heaven watching us finish our race. I am going to leave you with a quote that we put on the back of shirts that we sold as a fundraiser for him and his family: "To give anything less than your best is sacrificing the GIFT" -Steve Prefontaine

Michigan!!!!

So this past weekend my cousin and I drove the 3 and 1/2 hours to Michigan to watch the Wolverines battle Miami of Ohio. This was my cousin's first real college football game and we had so much fun! We got up super early to get up there in time for the noon game and after the game we stayed in Ann Arbor and shopped at the local stores and ate there. We enjoyed our time and the weather was absolutely beautiful, the only downside to the whole days was the I got sunburnt in the face and ended up with some pretty sick tan lines due to my sun glasses!!! Hehe. I cannot wait to purchase tickets for next year I am super excited :)

Classes

So I have almost completed a full week of my junior year in college. Right now it is kind of stressful and not because of the class load but because all my classes, work study, and extracurriculars are trying to straighten out logistics. My classes right now are a lot of fun. Since I am on the path of becoming an OT I have Therapeutic Modalities, Intro to Psychology, Psychology of Sport, and Critical Pedagogy. Nothing to serious right now and I feel that it is going to be a nice work load to carry. Now if my work study would get itself figured out I would be in heaven. I work for the Athletic Training Room as a first aider for Varsity Athletics. This fall I am in charge of Volleyball. What this is entails is that I make sure someone is always down at their practice with a small cooler of ice and a med kit to take up blisters and cuts. I also have to schedule people to travel with the team which sometimes no one wants to do. I have 2 great girls that are working with me so I think it is going to be a great season, but right now we are trying to figure out who is going to what and what days everyone is working. I really enjoy working with the teams that I have been assigned and we sometimes get to travel to fun places. Like next week, I am going to Chicago!!! :)

Junior Year

So it is official, I start my junior year of college in less than 5 days. I am so excited and cannot wait to see what my classes are going to be like. It is really excited to be moved in and my 1st roomie has arrived and roomie #2 is coming tomorrow and we cannot wait. I also travelled around A quad and priced books. That was not a fun task. I totalled my books and it came to $500.00! Yikes, looks like I will be checking multiple websites and the library so I can discount those :) It is going to be a very fun and exciting year and I cannot wait for it to start!

Woo Wee!

So I have not blogged in a while. Technically, less than a week but still it feels like forever. A lot of crazy things happened since I last blogged so I figured I would tell you about them. I returned from Louisville on a Friday and the following day I loaded up my mom's car and mine and headed back to school. When I arrived I found out that my room was not ready because someone had been living there and had trashed the place. Well thanks to my fabulous mother and aunt they decided to clean the room instead of having house cleaning do it and they did a fabulous job. Now I am moved in and working in the Athletic Training Room for preseason athletics. I cannot wait for my other two roomies to get here, it is kinda lonely without them. After moving in on Saturday, my cousin and I went to Michigan for the day on Sunday. We have kinda started a tradition of going to U. of M.'s Football Fan Day. This is the second year we have gone and we had so much fun. We got to meet all 4 quaterbacks and the offensive line. They are really cool guys and not to mention good looking. The best part about this year's football fan day is that we will be heading back up to Michigan to watch the Wolverine's play against Univeristy of Miami Ohio. This is exciting because it is my cousin's first official college (not to mention Big 10) football game. While in Ann Arbor we also decided to look at some of the stores. Since we live in central Ohio it is nearly impossible to find any U. of M. item because apparently the Buckeyes are gods or something. So we hit the motherload of motherloads and found a ton of Michigan items and we were superstoked and cannot wait to go back up in three weeks!

Travel Report: Louisville

So today I got back from a vacation of visiting friends in Louisville, Kentucky. This is my first actual vacation in Kentucky. The drive from Ohio to Louisville was decent and enjoyable. My only problem was the bridge that connects the two states and I believe the fear of the bridge, I inherited from my mother. She absolutely hates bridges and this one made me nervous. It could have been the fact that this is the first time I have ever driven the bridge, I have ridden in a car over it but not driven it myself. Once in Louisville I realized how neat of a town it really is. It a large college town but it feels small when everyone knows everyone. Where my friends live were located in a perfect spot with hometown shops, ice cream shops, pizzerias, and bars. It was really nice and even though I felt I was in a quaint town I wasn't. We were able to walk to many places and the zoo was only 7 minutes away. I would definitely go back there and spend a vacation and it was really nice to get to relax. We were able to shop some at Mall at. St. Matthews and it was a lot of fun. There was all kinds of things to do even for youngsters and adults. So rating for Louisville: 5 stars :)

Common Courtesy

So I volunteer for a family for about two hours each week (or more) in helping their daughter who has autism. I have known this family for some time now and I willingly do this since I want to become an OT and focus on children with autism. Today was a fabulous day while I was working on tasks with the child, we were drawing shapes and she drew a smile face and dubbed it a monkey. Then we drew a circle she then added 2 eyes and a mouth and something on top of her head, she then looked at me and said "a queen." This took me by surprise because her imagination was working and we have never had her do this task before. Her mind is developing and her imagination is growing and it was really cool to see her be able to come up with this imagination. We scribbled for a bit and looked up and said "the ocean" and then proceeded to draw a king. It took my breath away to see her being able to react like and watching her grow each week just amazes me. However, my day was ruined when I went to leave. And when I mean ruined I mean that I was let down. I left saying good bye to the autistic girl and her sister I then proceeded just to say good-bye and the father completely ignored me. This is not the first time he has done this and I feel that he purposely ignores me because he knew I was leaving it wasn't like I was with a group or sneaking out, I was the only one leaving. He does this often and I normally let if roll off my back but some how I can't do that this time, it really is bugging me. I know that I have not done or said anything that is rude because I normally do not hang around the house long enough but I just don't know what I should do. Should I tell him I think what he does by ignoring me is rude or should I just let it roll off my back. The way he treats me is really getting in the way of my relationship with the girls because when I know that he is going to be at the house, I do not want to go over for a visit.

Bad day? NBD

So today I attended a kick off event for Walk Now for Autism by Autism Speaks. It was sponsored by the Limited Brands and besides the fabulous decor, great food and beverages, the speakers were phenomenal. There was an autistic teenager (16) who spoke, a mother who has in the past 12 years never spoke publicly about her son's autism and someone that made me realize that my bad days are not bad days. His name is Henry Slatkin. He is the president of Limited Brands' Home Design and has a nine year old son with autism. Before he spoke they showed a video about their son and how they did ABA therapy from about 8 in the morning till 6 at night and how he was unresponsive. This means that everything that Henry and his family told to their son he had no response because his brain could not comprehend what was being told to him. The sad thing about Henry and his family is that he informed us that his wife and him had decided to put him in a home because they could no longer take care of him. This put life into perspective to me. Could you imagine having to put your child who is nine years old into a home because you could not provide for him. Even though you had all the money and did everything you were told to do and nothing came out of it, no progress. I can not imagine, I am not a mother yet but to have to place your child in a home and to have to make the decision about the fact that you were not adequate enough is mind blowing-ly painful. I am very appreciative that as right now I do not have to make a decision like that and that my niece is making great progress. We, as humans always take things for granted and today I realized that I take my niece's progress for granted. Yes we are happy when she does something new but we want her to be a high functioning autistic person and right now she is not there. However from where she used to be with no therapy or vitamins she is high functioning and is doing great. So before you complain about a bad day think before you lash out or complain. Life could be worse

Beauty Announcement: Nail Colors

Growing up I never thought I would be the girl into make-up, nail polish, hair products, and clothes but that all changed when I 1.became a teenager 2.found a straightening iron and 3. got my nails professionally done for the very first time in eighth grade. Well one of my favorite obsessions besides handbags is nail color and my favorite collections come from the one and only OPI. I love all their colors and I even love their wide brushes. My new favorite thing about them is that they no longer use toxic ingredients such as DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde. However they have a new collection out and I am super super excited. I was flipping through one of my magazines that I had recently received in the mail trying to find another nail color ad (Revlon has a new collection out too and they look fabulous as well!) when my sister asked me if it was the new OPI one I was looking for. I immediately stopped looking for what I wanted to show my sister and flipped out. I could not believe that I had missed their add however when I did finally see it, it made up for! Their new colors coming out in this collection titled Couture Couleurs, La Collection de France are absolutely exquisite and I cannot wait for my nail guy to get them so I can try them. I have attached a link for you to see them because I am so excited that they are out!

OPI: http://www.opi.com/France.asp

Book Review: The Game of my Life

This book is written by Jason McElwain. You may recognize the name, he is a nineteen year old autistic boy who on the night of his senior basketball game scored 20 points in the last 3 minutes. Jason who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 was his high school's team manager for the four years he attended. When he tried out for the Varsity team and was cut, the Coach asked him to be the manager and Jason said yes. The coach also made a promise that on Jason's senior night he would get to dress. He may not have been able to play but he was definitely going to get to dress. Well luck just so has it that Jason's team, Greece Athena, was winning by a lot and was put in with 4:19 to go. After shooting two shots that missed he lit up and according to him was "hot as a pistol" Scoring 20 points, the game's high scorer. This book is truly an inspiration to families everywhere who deal with hardships. This book touches me closely because a girl that I refer to as my niece has autism and our dream for her is to be able to live by herself one day. Very well written this is a must read for anyone and everyone. The book is laid out perfectly and is a page turner. Even though I knew how the end was going to turn out I just had to keep reading and reading. This gets a 5 out of 5 on my scale.

Getting Ahead

So this summer I had a to do list. On this list was finish a t-shirt quilt and other sorts of stuff I would like to do while I was home. Well....I added something to the list and decided that instead of making it a this summer project I am going to make it a next summer project. When my mother was young, her mother (my grandmother) bought her a wooden toy chest. Well when I was born she re-did the chest and gave it to me. After being a baby toy chest, a boat, a to refrigerator, a baby bed, and a trunk for all of my marvelous costumes it was put away and has not come out of storage for over three years. I want to re-do it again and turn it into a chest that I can put all my blankets it (I have quite a few). After two hours of just getting the top finish off I decided to call it quits because it was going to be more work then what I wanted to get into and will hopefully be done in another year. So by next year at this time I will hopefully be blogging about my next great accomplishment. Re-finishing an old toy chest!

Praise Ye the Lord

This week at church it is our Vacation Bible School and I am in the nursery. I love babies and children of all ages and I love seeing all these kids come together for VBS. Even though we do not do any lessons or anything like that it is still fun to be with the church family and get close to everyone again. So far we have had 5 regular kids for the past two days and we play in the room, then we go listen to the opening ceremonies, do a little teeny tiny craft, get a snack, then go outside. We have so much fun that our time flies and we don't even realize it. I think that it is very healthy for children and all alike to have some sort of faith. When I was away at school (granted I only live a half hour from my local church) I did not attend church as often as I liked. Not because I couldn't make it or didn't want to, I just thought that I did not need the sevice because I prayed during the week. Little did I know that after having an extremely stressful month and attending a service one day, I realized that I still needed to go to church because it just made me feel good and I felt different after attending church. No matter what faith you are baptized as, it is okay to attend a church of a different faith. For me, I was baptized Catholic, but attend a Methodist church. I am not sure if I will stay Catholic or not but for now I think that it is important that I have a faith and believe in my faith.

Great Accomplishment

So today, I finally did it! I finished my t-shirt quilt. This has been a two year process in the making and I when I say two years, I mean I started then left it and was going to do it last summer and never got to it and finally this summer I was sick of looking at the squares that I had cut so I did it. I worked 10 hours straight on this quilt and even though it is not perfect, it is perfect to me. I had three minor setbacks but nothing got my spirits down. I will say that it is still 99.99% finished. I still need to add a few stitches here and there but it is usable and I am so proud of myself. It has been on my summer to do list for two years straight and I finally get to mark it off my list. I will also say, that I will probably never do it again. It was a lot of work and at times frustrating but I am not a sewer and do not work with the sewing machine enough to do it again. I hope you enjoy the picture, because I am so proud!

Do your Homework

So with my previous post you guys obviously understand that I am an advocate for autism. With the latest buzz about Mike Savage and his talk radio and what he stated on there about autism I have been to hurt to write or even talk about it. I know that it was not a personal attack on me but I feel that even though he is now apologizing for attacking children he was attacking anyone advocating for autism. Children who are autistic personally do not realize the kind of attack that was put on them. I love Google and looking things up so today on my break I was looking at some articles discussing Savage's talk show and some of the people's comments. What really surprised me was all the ridicule not only against Savage but also the medical world. People who are dissing ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). They are saying how can there be mild forms of autism and other notions like that. And I also understand that autism is really hard to diagnose especially since there is no written documentation stating what classifies autism and what doesn't. However, if you are going to talk down about something do some research first. ASD is an umbrella that has many disorders underneath it. Along with Autism these include anything from Rett Syndrome, PPD-NOS, and Asperger's Syndrome. If you researched these you would find these are true disorders that since they are so similar to autism they fall underneath this umbrella. I do not have a child who has autism but I see first hand what it does to a family and to the child itself. And if you really did research on autism and all the different side affects you would too probably be advocating for it. Each case is unique and different in their own ways and many times some side effects will go away and new harsher or lighter ones will appear. Even though there is no cure right now for autism, by getting help from OT's , PT's, and SLP's there can be a future for children. So to you people who make fun of a mild form think for a second. Every parent's goal for a child that has severe autism is a mild form or even an Asperger's diagnosis. But it still takes a lot of work. Right now the child I know is a mild form (in my opinion) which means that she is able to communicate whether it be to close friends and family only or to complete strangers. She no longer has meltdowns (which is something considering she used to have over 10 a day and each lasted over 5 minutes long). She is mild and our goal for her is an Asperger's Diagnosis. Many people with Asperger's are able to live on their own and function almost "normal." Those with mild forms can either become Asperger's or severe again. So think before you start judging the medical world.

Autism or Something Like It

So a little girl that I baby-sit for and have known now for over 4 and 1/2 years is autistic and I help her family out by doing ABA therapy sessions with her on Sunday's or when I can. She is so much fun and I feel like I am a part of the family especially since I have known her and her twin sister (I took that one to the zoo yesterday :)) since they were 17 months. I was with them when we heard the autism diagnosis and I have been involved with her family and researching everything we possibly could about autism. Last year while babysitting we started ABA which stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. This technique has worked really well with her and she has improved so much from last year. Everytime I am over there and she does something new is so thrilling to me. Which is why after working with her and her family and dealing with the autism for the past 3 and 1/2 years I have decided to become an Occupational Therapist. I love children and have always wanted to do something with kids, growing up I wanted to be a teacher and now after working with the girl I watch I ahve decided that OT is the way for me to go. I like seeing children progress and grow through fun and learning. I now have two more years of undergrad and two and a half to three years of grad, I know that it will be a tough ride but I am excited to do it and am looking forward to the road ahead.

The ZOO!!!

So today was one of my favorite days for the summer. I took a girl that I baby-sit for to the zoo and even though the temperature and humidity were against us, we had a great time. I love the zoo and if I could go every day I prolly would. The girl I took loved the carousel so we rode it a couple of times. I don't know about your zoo but our zoo is ever changing and they are either remodeling or adding new animals all the time. This summer our zoo put in a huge water park to go with it so the lines were a little longer, and the walk from the parking lot to the entrance was as well but once seeing the animals it makes up for all that. I am also one that when I go to the zoo, I have to see everything. This time however, due the the heat and the tiredness of my 5 and 1/2 year old girl we did not see exactly everything or at least she didn't. :) This is only the second time she has been to the zoo and my one hundredth so while running errands before going we stopped and got a couple of books from the library about some of the animals she would see. She is also learning how to spell and write so she made a list of a all the animals we wanted to see. Even though the list was four animals long we still had a good time. One of her biggest things was that she thought they could get her so she was scared at first. Once she realized that they could not get out of their cages she relaxed a little more. She is also not one that likes the outdoors or the heat of the summer for that matter so for her to survive the day made me very proud. Plus I spoiled her, chocolate ice cream, all the rides at the zoo, food court food (not picnic) and at the end of the day she got a toy from the gift shop. On our way home I half expected her to fall asleep rather she played with the stuffed animal we got for her from this visit. This trip not only made me realize how lucky I am to have this life but makes me excited for when I have my own kids to take to the zoo myself. Our next visit to the zoo is already scheduled. We are going to go in November when the polar bears come and we cannot wait!

Book Review- Sundays at Tiffany's

So I love James Patterson and my favorite book by him so far is Suzanne's Diary to Nicholas. When I saw that he had written another book that looked lovey dovey, I had to read it and I did. I will say that it was not as good at my favorite but all in all it was very good. I think this book gives the story of hope and reasons as to why we as humans come in and out of peoples lives. It also tells us to take time for us and spend our "mad money" however we choose. For you that do not know what "mad money" is, it is cash that you spend on anything you want and feel guilt free about it. My grandmother sometimes give me "mad money" and it is a lot of fun to do that. The main character in the book is a woman who's mother is a producer for broadway shows and she is very prestigious. The daughter lives in her mother's shadows all her life, as a young girl, the daughter has an imaginary friend. Who at the age of 9 must leave her. She thinks about the man for the rest of her life when all the sudden he reappears and changes her and her mother's life. I was half expecting something really sappy to come especially after reading Suzanne's Diary, but nothing sappy just a storybook romance and hope. I suggest that you read it, it is a page turner like all his books. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.

Beauty Tip

So I love beauty and tips to keep my makeup healthy. I had always heard of cleaning makeup brushes but I had never actually done it. Well I decided about a month ago that I wanted to do it so I went to one of my favorite websites eHow.com and looked it up. Chose the instructions I thought were best and then put it off for another three weeks. Well I did it today and let me tell you, I will be cleaning my brushes weekly. After watching all the colors run off on some brushes I had not used in a while, I was completely disgusted. I am someone who does not share anything that I use, but to see what I was using over and over again and how "dirty" they were really grossed me out. I encourage you if you have never cleaned your makeup brushes to do it. I have included the instructions I chose and the link to the website where I found them and it really really works!

Materials Needed:
makeup brushes
1 hand towel
baby shampoo
bathroom sink

Take 1st makeup brush and completely wet it at the sink. Make sure the water penetrates all the way to the core of the brush bristles. Pour a drop of baby shampoo into the palm of your hand. Lather up the bristles of the makeup brush with the shampoo like you would your hair. Keep rubbing the shampoo into the bristles of the makeup brush for 1 minutes. Rinse the makeup brush thoroughly to get rid of the shampoo. Keep rinsing till the water runs clear. Lay brush on towel on a flat surface and let dry for at least 2 hours.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2311087_clean-up-brushes-baby-shampoo.html

Mille Borne

When I graduated from High School in 2006, I received all kinds of gifts and one in paticular. It is a card game called Mille Borne and my sisters and I attempted to play it about a year ago, however we gave up and I put it up with the rest of the games in our basement. This past summer when I moved back from college I went through the games again and came upon this game. Well if you are looking for a game that is strategic and fun. This is the game, after figuring out all the rules my sisters and I get absorbed in it because not only is it fun, but strategy has to be involved. Since my sisters and I are very competitive this game is perfect and fun. My younger sister, Cait loves this game because so far it is the only one that she can beat me at, however I think I am going to beat her soon. :)

Another Year Older

About a week ago I celebrated a milestone. I was able to purchase my first legal drink all by myself!!! Many people when finding out that it was my birthday wished me a happy one and then told me that now it is all down hill from here. I don't understand that though, I turned 21 not 80. Techinically we are dying every single day we are alive, I understand that there is no other significant birthday for me to celebrate to me a birthday is not another milestone or another year older for me, it tells me that I have survived. Regardless of the difficulties that I have faces or the joys that have been given to me, I have survived and had a great year. So if today is your birthday or whenever it is. Happy Birthday!!! It is a great day, look at your past year and the accomplishments that have come with it. I met all kinds of new people, I survived my second year of college, I grew up I dealt with grief, I raised money for awareness, and my biggest accomplishment (maybe not to some people) but I ran a mile! That is huge for me considering me and running are polar opposites.

What would you be?

When I was in high school, I attended a private Catholic school where my sisters now attend. When attending a Catholic High School, you are required as curriculum to take a Religion class. Well this past year my sister was a freshman at our high school and one of the assignments in her theology class was very interesting to me and I wanted to journal about it as well. She had to write a paper and discuss if you would either choose to be a rose or a dandelion and other unique things. So this is my attempt at her theology assignment:I think I am more like a Volkswagen than a Cadillac because I like chic and things with straight lines. Cadillacs are too big and I like small things (I wonder if this is because I am 5'2") I also am more like Volkswagen because I am still young and Cadillacs to me are for the more older crowds. I think I am more like a swimmer than a football player, because even though I love to watch football and know what is going on, I like water and quiet. Football is too loud and swimming is quiet and peaceful. I also feel more like a swimmer because I am independent and do not like a lot of group things. I think I am more of a symphony than a rock song because again, I am not loud and I like the quiet. I also am like symphonies because I can be calm when needed and rough when needed as well. Even though I like being quiet, I feel like I am more of a waterfall then of a quiet brook, because I have to constantly be moving and doing things. I like to be a busy body and it is hard for me to sit still and relax. I am more like a rose then a dandelion because I love deep colors and just like a rose with thorns, I have a wall up around me so that I do not get hurt, but once you get past those thorns/walls you see beauty. I think I am more like a sunset than a sunrise because I cannot stand mornings and like to go out at night whether to party or just to look at the sky. I think I am more like a lamb then a lion because of the fact that I am quiet and calm. To me a lion is a rambunctious person and loud and that is not me at all. I am more of a period than a question mark because if I have a question I find an answer so I can turn it into a period statement. I also think that periods are leaders because they do not need anything to follow them so they are independent and can stand alone, like me. I think I am more of a valley than a mountain because of my height, as well as I like to fill up with all kinds of information like a valley does with water. I am more of a host than a guest because I like to run things and make sure they go smooth; I like to be in charge so if anything goes wrong I will be able to come up with a solution to fix it. I am more of an eagle than a duck because I always make sure I represent myself as best as I can and I like to be a leader. I am more like a movie star than a politician because I do not like to deal with political issues, I can step up and be a leader but I would rather have some one else do the political side then me.

How many will be affected?

So today I found out that a former teacher of mine passed away from breast cancer. She had been battling for the past couple of years now and the battle if finally over. With the death of my teacher and a couple of things that have happened to me this past week, I have realized how many people are affected by death. Since it is the summer time and I am not at school I go and do one of my favorite things, watch baseball. A really good friend of mine is an Athletic Trainer for the summer team and when I am on my way to the game or I am heading home after the game she always tells me to be careful. I don't know how many times my family, relatives, or friends tell me to be careful, but I never really take it to heart.One night on my drive home (about a half hour from the ballpark), I was thinking about this and if I were to pass away or anyone pass away how many people would be affected. Not just immediate family, but people who's lives I or anyone else have touched. My teacher was a great person and she touched my life immensely. She was never my homeroom teacher but she was the women who taught me everything about English and she also taught me how be confident in myself when talking to people in higher power then me. I will forever miss her, but when thinking about the upcoming funeral and calling hours I wonder how many people will pay respects. However, after getting through calling my friends and telling them of the sad news, I received a text from one discussing how she will be missed, loved, and never forgotten. It just goes to show 1. how quickly word gets around these days and 2. how she affected people. Below is a quote that I found on the Internet that holds true to my teacher and how everyone should remember her.

“You can shed tears that she is gone,

Or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,

Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,

Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her only that she is gone,

Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,Be empty and turn your back,

Or you can do what she’d want:

Smile, open your eyes, love, and go on.”

Fireworks :) Valentine's ;) Costumes >:)

So many people think I am unusual when it comes to my favorite holidays. However a lot of times once they hear my reasoning they understand. If you could not figure them out according to the title my top three in order are Halloween, Valentine's Day, and the 4th of July. Why might you ask that it is not Thanksgiving or Christmas or even Easter. Well...Halloween is my all time favorite because I love dressing up in costumes and have since I was little. Taking dance classes for over 16 years helped me achieve that but not that i am no longer dancing I love to dress up in different characters. Another reason that I love Halloween is to see every one's creativity. I think I am a very creative person and I think it is really interesting when I see what people can come up with either on their own or with some help. Halloween is so much fun because you get to be something you have always dreamed of. Think back when you were younger, what was one thing that you always played? Barbie's, Pirates, or Dinosaurs? Well on Halloween you get to relive that memory. Plus an additional perk is free candy for good manners :) My second favorite Holiday is Valentine's Day, many say its because it has my favorite colors pink and red, however I grew to love Valentine's Day through my first job. I worked at Hallmark for four Valentine's Day Holidays and it was so much fun seeing all the cool presents we had to offer men when they came in 20 minutes before close to get their wife's gifts. I also like it because even though we tell our loved ones we love them every day, it is one day that is set aside to make sure that you do that. Plus being a child at heart, I still love making cookies, buying silly valentines, and making valentine boxes ;) My last favorite holiday is July 4th. These reasons are very simple 1. It tells me, my birthday is only six days away and 2. I LOVE FIREWORKS! every year I try to see as many fireworks shows as possible because I think they are so fun. Yes sometimes they are loud and sometimes they are not as good as before, but you only get to see them once a year (at least where I am from) so I try to make it worthwhile and lasting by seeing as many shows as possible. p.s. Happy 4th of July!

My Small Things

I had a very rough day today and even though I got up at 8:15 in the morning, it did not turn rough until 5 pm-ish. I went to work as usual and noticed that I was not working as hard as I normally do but did not really care, I only had to mail some recruitment letters and then make new tabs for file folders! (My life is extremely exciting by the way.) After work I was taking a girl that I baby-sit for to dance to help out her mom. I got to the house and that is when things started to turn sour. I showed up right on time and when I found out she wasn't ready things got semi-stressful because some how she lost her shoes and still had to put her leotard on and I had to figure out a way to get her there on the one gallon of gas I had left in my car. Terrified that we were going to be late and run out of gas I got her there on time and planned how I was going to find a bank that would accept my card without charging me so I could get money well, my day brightened when on our way home a local grocer had my bank and they had gas! I was extremely excited. Even though my day did get a little worse I decided not to complain too much because I have had worser days. Just because I did not get to do what I wanted to doesn't mean it was a bad day at all. The reason is because of all the small things that happened to me today. The first thing that happened was that my dad and I had a small e-mail convo and it was nice, nothing serious, he just answered a question for me. The second thing that happened to me was when I was with the girl I baby-sit for. I use to watch her and her twin sister during the summer, however this summer I am not doing that and I still cannot decide if that was a good or bad choice. I really miss them a lot and they miss me too and they always love to see me, as do I for them. So we are driving in the car on our way home, just chatting about anything and everything. She is really nervous because her recital is this coming weekend and it is her very first one ever. When we get to her house I eat dinner with them and then head out to finish off my day. However before I leave I get the hugs and the kisses and then the when are you coming back. That is what makes me smile because even though I am not a part of their family, they make me feel that way and I love them like they are my neices. I tell her when I will return and we smile get more kisses and hugs and I leave. She is one person in my life that when I think about can make me smile, even on really sad day. The next small thing that happened to me was as I was driving to see my g'ma (this is my great-grandmother) my aunt calls me and tells me a quirky little fact that she knew I would enjoy and I did! She did not have to tell because it is kind of a meaningless fact but she knew that I would appreciate it very much and I did. So whether or not your day is going bad, look at the small things that happen during the day and see why they happened. My schedule for the day was busy: work, run to dance, into town to see g'ma, baseball game but I was not able to go to the baseball game because I got stuck (using loosely) at my g'mas and was unable to go. But that was a small thing because it was telling me to slow down and relax. I live a very very busy life, and I am a people pleaser so I tell everyone yes and I mean yes to everyone. The past two years I have been able to say no, however this summer that is not the case and I feel like I am running around with my head cut off most of the time. But the small things make me calm and relaxed and help me look forward for the next day to come. So whatever your small thing is during your day, enjoy it. :)

What's That Smell?

As I was going through my day today I was wondering what I was going to talk about...there are many things that I want to jot down and I could decide until I got into my car after I got done volunteering. I was just halfway through my day after going to work from 9-4 and volunteering till 6, I was finishing it up with a baseball game and seeing a couple of friends. As I was leaving from volunteering, I was chilled so I turned my heat on in the car. I know June 25th in Ohio and I have my heat on. However if you are from Ohio especially central then you understand that having the heat and the air on whether in a car or a home is very normal during any day of the year. So I am sitting in traffic with my heat on when this smell hit me. It wasn't a bad smell it was a memorable smell. It is one of the smells that makes you wish for what it is reminding you of. This smell, in particular, reminds me of my high schools days (even though not that long ago) and football games in September. My friends and I would park at our High School and would walk to the game about a mile away. It was during fall so where it was hot during the day but cool at night. After the games were over, we would walk back with the team and jump into the car and turn the heat on. Then we would head over to the fast food restaraunt and get some ice cream all while giggling and having a good time. Have you ever thought about a smell that can take you anywhere in a moment's notice? There are a ton of smells I have that will instantly remind me of something. My car's heat always reminds me of fall and I can't wait for it to arrive. Then there is the smell of my old shampoo that brings me summer days when we would spend them at the pool. My great-grandmother's house always brings back great memories.I find it very interesting how our sense of smell is so powerful. Not many people realized that all of our senses are connected to our body and they work together. This is an example of it happening. Think back on the last scent that reminded you of something, whether a favorite childhood food or the summer that you went to the beach. The gift of smell is so powerful, yet taken for granted so much. No one realizes how much we and our bodies use smell, to feel, to show emotion, and to remember.