Tales of Tenth Grade

My school work means a lot to me because I want to do the best I can do to succeed. Sometimes the school work is a lot, and it becomes stressful to get it all done, but im the end it is worth it to see the hard work pay off with a good grade. A lot of times you have a lot of work build up and you have been struggling with procrastination who turn in assignments slightly late, and hope their teachers forgive them. Some people line up their schedule to take the hardest classes to make them look good, but in reality what matters is that you are trying and understanding what you are doing no matter what level. School work is also important to me because the more school you do hopefully the more prepared you are for life later, and know and understand what you want to do with the rest of your life.

This prompt literally just gives me an excuse to rant so… Beware.  There has never been a time when there hasn’t been an animal in my life. From the time I was a wee baby, t here was always the fur equivalents of tumbleweeds rolling around my house, for with a minimum of three cats (which has since turned into 1 more cat, 3 dogs, a handful of fish and snails, and a bearded dragon) you’re bound to end up with a hefty amount of loose fur. As I grew, my love for domesticated animals grew also, blossoming into a love and an appreciation for wildlife too as I experienced the world around me with the wide-eyed wonder of a child. Nothing is more important than Earth and wildlife, so with that established, here is a rant/tangent about humanity’s mistreatment of animals through canned hunting. Canned hunting is a rather prosperous trade, especially considering that, and forgive me for being presumptuous, few know of it. For those who have never heard the term “canne...

When you think of sports, the idea of hard practices, impossible workouts, and not having any free time may come to mind. I cannot count the number of school dances, sleepovers with my friends, or even family events that I have missed due to my packed schedule. But I would truly not trade it for anything. Playing softball, soccer, volleyball, and basketball over the course of my life has dramatically impacted my life and the person I am today. When I was around 6 years old in first grade, I met one of my best friends on my town soccer team. Originally, we only liked each other because we had the same name, Alexa, but continuing playing soccer with her for another 3 years really tightened our friendship. Later, I joined a travel team known as "The Shockers." Today, all 7 of my teammates from my third-grade soccer team have become my best friends and I don't know what I would do without every single one of them. The sports I have played throughout my life have taught ...

Whats important to me really changes periodically. Yes, there are certain things that stay consistent such as family and friends but other then that it is constantly changing. Right now basketball is important to me. Basketball has given my a distraction from school and when i'm playing it is like nothing else matters. It has also caused me to form some great friendships with people I wouldn't normally talk to. When my teammates and I are on the bus or watching a game we are constantly laughing. However, in a month when softball starts it will replace basketballs importance to me and become my new focus. I'm not saying that things lose their importance simply because something else comes along. I'm saying that you have to know your priorities in your life during that specific time. For example, right now i'm sure school has its importance in all of our lives in one way or another but when school is over and summer begins other things will begin to prioritize o...

When thinking about what is important to me, it made me reflect on the last couple of years of my life and the choices I have made while in high school.  And while my path may not be for everyone, I am hoping that by sharing some of the most important things for me, I can help someone out in finding what's important to them. Dear Student, What I have found so far during my high school career is that if there is something you want to do, you can do it.  It has always been important to me to explore all of my interests.  However, many people will tell you that you have to choose one.  Sure, it may not be easy to balance all of your interests, but it can be done.  Entering high school, I decided not to decide on one single activity, but on all that interested me.  I joined the marching band, knowing it would be a handful in itself, but I wanted to play a sport too.  When discussing my idea to do both volleyball and band with my mom, she said, "why...

One of the most important things in my life is baseball. It has always been my favorite thing to do. Someday, I hope to play it in college. Baseball and school definitely take up the majority of my time, and I feel that I should always put school first. However, putting school first doesn't mean I put less time into baseball. If I have to study for two hours for a test, then I'll still practice for an hour after. I might have more fun playing video games or going to hang out with my friends, but I know that the sacrifices I make for baseball are well worth it. There is no better feeling than stepping up to the plate and hitting a home run or stepping on the mound and striking somebody out. If I strike out, that just gives me more motivation to succeed. Just fighting for that one hit or that one throw is what makes the journey worth it. Another reason why I love baseball is because it gives me a retreat from all of the other things that I have to do. When I'm on the field...

Swim is a never ending challenge of dedication and endurance. Almost every single day there is a practice. Monday through Thursday practice is at 8:00 and doesn't end until 9:45 when the cleaning crew is literally pushing us out the door so they can start cleaning the locker rooms. On top of that there are two morning practices, each at 5:30 in the morning before school starts. So while everyone else is sleeping in a nice warm bed, we are traveling in an ice cold car to go swim for an hour. Besides the awful practice times there are so good parts to practice. Each week we have two dry land practices, Mondays being a fitness activity with a trainer and then Thursday being wither spin class or yoga. Personally I prefer yoga because i can use it as a time to catch up on all the sleep I've been missing.  Despite the dreadful hours of practicing there is some fun. Almost every other weekend there is a swim meet, usually about an hour away. Most of the times in New York where...

Thinking of one thing that is important to me is pretty difficult. There are so many things that play such vital roles in my life, like family, friends, pets, etc. These are all pretty much classified as cliches but I guess they're considered that because they are the most important parts of people's lives. When I hear the question, "what is important to you," the first answer I come up with is family. Whatever the mood--happy, sad, angry, frustrated--my family is always there for each other. I could argue with my mom or my dad or my brother, but at the end of the day we love and care for each other. Yes, it's super sappy, but it's true. Another major part of my life are my close friends. To be honest, they're my support group. My friends are the people I can tell anything to and when I do, they are there for me, will support me, and will give me the honest response to everything. Sometimes it can get difficult to plan out days to hang out, but when we...

Since I was small, I've never desired being sub-par, being a follower, another cog in the machine that is society. I've never wanted anyone to be a follower under the ideals of someone else. Of course we learn from those who've experienced life before us, but no one wants to be a copy of someone else. Yet, if I'm being honest, I've always been somewhat envious of those who are automatically charismatic. Those who are looked up to by their peers, the ones who are asked for help when fellow classmates are in a dilemma. Maybe it's because I want to be able to help. I want to be seen as smart, and be recognized that way. I can't help but feeling small, and frankly, stupid when I can't collaborate with others- When others don't feel as though I'm intelligent enough to have a conversation with. I want to be admirable, and I want to be able to inspire others as they inspire me. I don't want to be, or think I'm above anyone, but I want to at l...

I feel kinda dumb saying this... but I love food. I grew up in a family where it revolves around almost everything. While eating breakfast we talk about dinner. What we are going to order at the new restaurant we are trying out. I was born into a family of foodies. I think my love of food came from my dad's side of the family. My Dad got his love of food from my Grandma. She is every stereotype of an Italian grandmother you could think of. Almost forces food down your throat (in a loving way), short, and loves cooking. My particular favorite dish of hers is what we call "Hot Sauce". It sounds interesting, right? She makes spicy red sauce (from scratch of course) and spaghetti. Then she layers the sauce, spaghetti, mozzarella (pronounced muhtzedell) and repeats until at the top of the pan. I would try to explain to you how delicious this is but I simply cant. Because it's not just the flavors, it everything else that goes into it. Ever since I was little. my Grandma ...

When I read the topic of this month's blog post- something important to you- it took me a moment to figure out what I wanted to write about. There's an abundance of things that are important to me- school, parents, sports, friends, pets. But I wanted to pick the most important; the three people I could never live without- my sisters. Sure, it might sound cliche or like I'm making it up because who gets along with their siblings? I'm not saying it's all sunshine and rainbows all the time, we do get in fights. However, most of our fights last about five minutes and end in laughter. I am the youngest, so all of them have already lived through what I'm going through now. In a way I kind of see them all- Valerie, Samantha, and Caitlin- as my guide through life because they're always there for me with advice.  My oldest sister, Valerie, has taught me the most about loving yourself. She is now a senior in college, but when she was in high school she didn't ...

When I was a kid, I would sit on the puffy couch in my grandfather's living room and watch in awe as my aunt weaved the colorful string that trailed from the balls of yarn sprawled across the carpet into a row of sturdy stitches. As a kid, there was nothing I wanted more than to be able to do the same, to which my aunt promised she would teach me. By perhaps 4th grade I was able to make all of the stitches on my own, and would spend hours looping yarn around a blue plated hook until the array of stitches formed a little square. While I rarely would end up with a finished creation, I loved being able to make something with my own hands, and taught myself everything I could. Crocheting in a monotonous yet fulfilling task. It forces you to slow down for a second, and provides a little space to clear your head. While I have drifted from it since I was a kid, I keep coming back to the rows of little knots out of the comfort I find in it. Whether through crocheting or music ...

Something important to me is being successful. Obviously there are many other things that are more important right now like my family and friends, but those are very generic and apply to almost everyone. I have always been especially focused on my future, with that driving me to get good grades and succeed in school. Even in middle school, I would always be trying to make money or working on assignments others didn’t care about. That being said, I don’t mean I need to be super rich, as I’m not that interested in materialistic things, only that I’d like to live comfortably. This would relieve a lot of stress, not having to worry about money on top of everyday tasks and work. The way I see myself being successful is by doing well in high school, then going to college, and then getting a good job. Like most others, I have little interest in my classes, and following this path is my motivation to do things like studying, homework, and this blog post, things that all are bothersome short-te...

There are many things important to me in life... of course. Many people would say that the most important thing in their life is their family, friends, pets, jobs- and the list goes on. All of these things are important to me and should be to others, but there are some things that I believe are important that go deeper than simply relationships or material possessions. To me one of those things is Missions. When I say Missions, I mean bringing hope "to the ends of the Earth" by sharing Jesus and his Word. Whether it be here in the States, SouthEast Asia, Africa... everywhere. So far, I have been on "official" missions trips to 3 countries, but I plan on visiting many more for this purpose. I'm not saying one has to go far in order to share the Gospel, but love for travel and mission work has definitely been placed in me from a young age. It's important to me because I think about how much I take for granted living in a country where the Bible is so easily ac...

So, as you all know, Australia right now is suffering from extreme wildfires which are burning homes and habitats rapidly. The areas most affected by this tragedy, toward the southeast places like Victoria and New South Wales, were where I was born and spent the first couple years of my life. Although I have only been back there a few times in 12 years, it continues to hold a special place in my heart. I am aware that there may be a few other posts on this topic for this month since it is so prevalent in the media, but I thought I would take a more emotional than a factual spin on mine. I really wanted to share a few pictures and places from my childhood when I was in Australia. Judgment  This was taken at a "fancy" seafood restaurant at the docks in Fremantle. My granny was with us at the time and we went to this particular place because she loved the ocean and grilled squid, which was what I'm holding up. The seafood in Australia is phenomenal and usually freshl...