I Am Who?

                I switched the wording around for the title of this blog, if you notice.  Instead of the title being “Who Am I?” for a traditional essay on how many dogs and cats I have, I decided to take another approach.  This approach is basically: as you are reading and figuring out what kind of a person the author of this blog is, the author of this blog is realizing what kind of person she is.  Could be scary, I know, but I am willing to try.

                To my parents, I am a daughter.  A daughter that always tries to obey, impress, and never disappoint them.  They never have to remind me to do homework, tell me to do chores, or when and how to behave.  To my 28 year old sister, Jessica, I am… you guessed it, a sister.  Trying to be the best sister I can, I let her borrow clothes, stick up for her, and support her in hard times.  To my niece and nephew, Jack and Jenssen, I am foremost a God-parent, secondly an aunt.  As a God-parent, I try to always be a religious role model for them… or just a role model.

 John F. Kennedy High School views me as a student-athlete: a student-athlete that will take two Advanced Placement classes and participate in four sports (basketball, volleyball, track and field, and softball), while being an active member in various clubs. 

Which brings me to how much I pride myself in my work ethic and drive.  I love challenges and rising to the occasion.  Whether it is a tough class or washing dishes; if someone is outworking you, you aren’t working hard enough.  Determination and motivation are the keys to success (possible future blog idea)… or maybe it’s just my overly competitive spirit?   

To my friends, (I hope that) I am the best friend in return.  (I hope that) I try my hardest to always be there for them, to listen and help in any way possible.  When you only get to be in high school for four years, you should make the best of it and have fun! I believe that life is nothing without friends and family to share it with. 

 If you were the United States of America you would look at me as being a very patriotic citizen because I am extremely interested in military academies such as West Point, Annapolis-Naval, or Air Force.  I would like to continue my basketball at that academy while majoring in Pre-Med.  I have on my “bucket list” things like: learning Spanish, Italian, and French, learning to play the guitar and piano, traveling the world, going to the Olympics, and going to the moon.  Overwhelming I know, but why not have big dreams and goals? 

And how would I be able to accomplish any of these goals or even be the person I am today without God?  Yes, this is true; I try to be as religious as I can.  Though this blog is not about religion or God, I brought it up.  It’s ok.  You can “unfollow” now if you wish…

 Still there?  Good.  Because that is also a part of who I am, and part of who you are is accepting the person you are.  Only you have to satisfy yourself!  I was taught to be proud of myself and have self-confidence.   I will never be ashamed of my beliefs or who I am as a person.  I am me and no one else. J (573)

Moving and the Baggage...Literally!

Packing up your life somewhere else and moving it clear across the town, state, or even the country is what we call a “pain.”  It takes weeks, sometimes months, to pack all of the stuff you didn’t even know that you possessed.  Once you get it all neat and packed in cardboard and shipping tape, you must hire a company to move all of it… or, in my case, move it all yourself.  Did I mention the sore core muscles I have? 

After loading it into the truck or trailer, you think to yourself, “Wow!  I’m finally moved!”  Not so fast.  You are technically only “halfway moved.”  The relief of getting in a new place can be just as much as getting out of one, until you must unpack, of course.  While continuing your busy lives of school or work, you must unpack your life and organize it in an efficient way beneficial to both you and your family.  We can’t forget the scheduling of getting the cable and internet set up, or the electrical and water bills in your name, or God forbid that your paycheck doesn't get mailed to the correct address; better yet: the new residents of your old home get the rest of your Seventeen Magazine subscription sent to their house!  How tragic. 

Boxes everywhere tend to make you feel a little uneasy.  They kind of remind you of your life at the moment:  cluttered, confused, and unorganized.  Let’s just say that for someone like me with borderline (ok… TYPE 1) OCD this is a frantic situation.  You wish you had the money to pay a secretary/assistant to sort all this stuff out. 

And of course there are the days where your friends ask if you want to hang out.  You reply, “Yea! I’d love to… but I have to help my mom unpack.”  Did I mention that the whole “moving” thing doesn’t just stay at your house inside a box waiting to be opened when you get home?  It follows you to school or to work.  In my case, I always say, “At my old school…” or “They didn’t teach us that!”  You have to put so much more effort into all of your classes and activities.  Being the “new girl” at school isn’t as glamorous as the movies portray.  Lucky for me, they don’t flock all over you and ask you questions.  The boys don’t gravel at your feet, and it is hard to “invite yourself” to parties that “so and so” has had every year since the fifth grade.”

  I was dead on with the title for this blog.  Moving has physical, emotional, and mental baggage.  Hopefully, I will write a blog on the perks of moving to a new town and school and meeting new people soon.  But for now, I guess I’ll be tagging #movingprobs on Twitter. J (481)