Three important people in my life.

     My husband is an important person in my life. He is my best friend and has been a great father to my children when they needed one most. My husband’s name is Spencer. He is about 5’9 and has a very slender build. He has brown hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen. He is a very easy going person. Where I stress over something he just let’s it slide like it is no big deal. Our personalities fit perfectly. He is the most important person in my life because he came to me when my children and I needed him most. We were not in a very good place after leaving my abusive ex-husband. Spencer taught me to love myself again and what true love really is.

     My friend Rose is an important person in my life. Rose is about 5’8 she has blonde hair that is short and very thin.  She is very heavy set and is very quiet and has low self-esteem. Rose is an important person in my life because she has taught me that true friends look beyond the outer shell of a person. She taught me that not everyone is perfect and that it’s ok.  Rose even though she is nothing like me has turned out to be one of the best friends I have ever had. She does not parent like me. She is not clean like me. She has an abusive husband that she stays with anyways. We are just complete opposites yet we have been great friends for years. Rose has taught me a lot about myself and I believe I have taught her to be stronger and to value herself more.

       My father is an important person in my life. My dad is 5’8, and he is heavy set. He is balding on top and what hair he has left is almost white.  He dresses in jeans and old t-shirts and is a very giving man. Growing up he took my side quite often. He saw the unfairness that was going on in our home and did his best to try to help me. He is man who avoids conflict so this was hard for him most of the time.  My dad taught me that everyone deserves a chance and just because people can do bad things it does not make them bad people. Everyone deserves a second chance.  He taught me that hard work may mean you have to sacrifice but that it is what men do for their families.  He also taught me that people can change and become more caring, loving people. My father is a good man.

    

Crescent City California

Crescent City California on the fourth of July is one of the best places on earth.  Crescent City is located in northern California on the coast a few miles from the Oregon border.  It is located in the beautiful redwoods (the tallest trees in the world) and is a small town filled with great people. We camp there every year for the fourth of July and it is such a relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city life. There are plenty of camping spots or you can stay in a hotel or motel. There is great dining and plenty of attractions as well. Trees of Mystery is a few miles away, home of the famous Paul Bunyan and his blue ox babe.  Undersea world is located in crescent city on the wharf and for a small fee you can take a tour, pet live sharks, starfish and sea urchins and watch a seal and sea lion show.  Down on Front Street there is a wildlife sanctuary where you can see baby seals and sea lions that are recovering and waiting to be released back into the wild. On Front Street there is a great indoor pool, it is called the Fred Meyer pool. They have a heated pool and a waterslide. About a half a mile down the road is a beautiful lighthouse that you can get to when the tide is low and you can go inside to explore. Everywhere you look there are sea urchins and starfish to pick up and play with and large ground squirrels who have decided showing off for humans is a quick way to get fed. They will actually climb in your lap and eat the food you give them.  The air is clean and the streets are not crowded. The people are friendly and welcome you with open arms.  On the fourth of July they have a great parade and the entire town gets involved, I know because growing up I was in it every year.  They parade through the streets for over an hour throwing out candy to all the kids and then everyone goes down to Front Street for the festivities. They have live bands, great food, face painting, helicopter rides over the Pacific Ocean and lots of dancing. It is just a great family event and a wonderful break from the busy southern California lifestyle.

Blog entry week 12

I found the book fast food nation to be very interesting to say the least. I think most of us know some of this stuff. We just choose to act like it doesn’t really happen. I found many parts of the book disturbing. I never realized how many people were affected by something that seems so normal to us.  Fast food restaurants have ruined many people’s lives. Yes I believe we all make a choice to go through that drive through, however it has been made so easy for us. The cost of eating out at these unhealthy fast food restaurants can often be much cheaper than getting healthy food from the store and cooking at home. I do not think it is the fast food companies fault entirely, yet they do have to share some of the blame. If your best friend is an alcoholic and they are trying to quit drinking and you offer then some alcohol and tell them everything will be fine, are you not somewhat responsible? A good person would not put that temptation in front of them. Yet we have a fast food restaurant on every single corner.  After reading this book I am definitely more aware of what I am putting in my body and I do not eat out nearly as often as I did. I hope as a country we can all learn to be healthier so we can live longer and have happier lives.

Blog Entry 11

Blog entry week eleven

The truth was… I have been swimming in the ocean on the shores of Japan.

How is the semester going for me? Well it has been tough. I have quite a bit of stuff going on at home and we are trying to have a baby so school is becoming harder than expected. Lots of bed rest doctor’s orders and most instructors don’t seem sympathetic to the situation so I have just been doing the best I can. I have a husband who is in the navy and he is very busy, and on call at all times. I have three kids ages from 12-15 and they keep me very, very busy. I have college full-time and quite a bit if duties at our church as well. I love to be active. However with all the baby stuff it has become difficult. My husband and I have had over five miscarriages and are considered very high risk so my doctors are very strict on what I am allowed to do at this point. I am however still determined to finish this semester and make the dean’s list again as I did last semester. The payoff for me will be obviously my degree and transferring to a university. Most importantly showing my children that dreams do come true and no matter your age or the length of time you have been out of school, you can still accomplish anything you set out to accomplish. My children and my husband are my motivation for my success. My children are always asking how I am doing and we are always comparing grades, I have always taught them that C is average and they are not average. So I expect more out of them. I myself have to live up to those same standards as well. My husband is in college at a university and we are always in a competition over who has the better grades. That keeps me motivated because I like to win.