The Greats: Middle School

I am now in my 4th year of undergrad and facing graduation in May. I have been in school for 3/4ths of my life and the idea of not being in school anymore is a bit scary. It also makes me a bit nostalgic. Teachers have been a huge part of my life and sometimes we forget how important they are. So here are some of the great teachers I have had over the course of my life: starting with middle school.

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child."  - Carl Jung

Mrs. Barghols: Mrs. Barghols was my Enrichment teacher throughout middle school. I don't think I understood how great that class was until later, it was just a fun thing I got to go do instead of regular class. She had me in class for 3 years and probably knew me the best out of all my middle school teachers,  she called me Lizzie instead of Elizabeth (which is what I went by then). She encouraged us to reach beyond normal school, to be creative and invent things. She didn't treat us like the little hooligans we were, she talked to us like adults. I didn't even realize I was learning things while I was in her class, but they are some of the ones I remember most vividly. Mrs. Barghols always had a kind word for everyone and encouraged us to be ourselves. She gave me confidence in myself and made learning fun, and for that I will always remember her and be grateful.

Mr. Goodwin: I think I owe this one an apology. I never took him or his classes seriously enough (and it didn't help that I hate history classes). Back then, antagonizing the teachers was entertainment, and while I was never very loud or rowdy, my friends were. As I look back now, I realize the immense amount of patience he and many other teachers had with us. It takes a special kind of person to teach middle schoolers. Mr. Goodwin poured a lot into his students and into me.

Mr. Wilson: Mr. Wilson was a large man with a thick, dark beard, and he probably could have looked pretty intimidating if he didn't always have a smile on his face. He was my volleyball coach, which I only participated in my 8th grade year (because I was horrible, I think I was on the 3rd "C" team). Despite the fact that I hit the ball more with my face than my hands, he was always kind and encouraging. You could really tell that he loved what he did, and that is what I remember most about him.

Thank you to all of the teachers who put their time and effort into me, you deserve the best.

Friends are Friends, No Matter How Far

On one of Maria's visits home, we went sailing!

This is Maria. Maria lives pretty far away from me, actually she's not even in the

United States right now, she's studying abroad in Brazil this semester.

Maria has always had a great sense of adventure and is always willing to try something new, she can run circles around me and probably bench press me too. She is great at skiing and sailing (yeah, sailing, how cool is that?).  

Maria and I have known each other since middle school. We sat together at lunch almost everyday. We went to our Senior Prom together. But most impressive of all, we stayed friends after graduating high school.

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

— Elizabeth Foley

After high school Maria moved away from our hometown to go to college in New Mexico. Growing apart from your high school friends is a natural part of life, I have friends from high school that still live in the same state as me but I haven't talked to in years. Maria and I, no matter how far away we lived, talked on a regular basis. When I broke up with my long-time boyfriend during my first semester of college, I texted her all of the funny pictures I would usually send to him, and she was always there to have a good laugh with me or make me feel better. That first semester of college we were both learning how to live away from our parents and make new friends.

"Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes."

— Henry David Thoreau

During breaks in school Maria sometimes comes back to visit and at the very least, we try to  go get lunch. With the discovery of Snapchat, we now send each other crazy pictures all the time, of what we're doing or whichever new filter is the weirdest.

Over the years of living so far away, we have become very VERY different people. We don't have the same friends, she likes spending time outdoors and I try to limit my time outdoors to a minimum, she is brave and adventurous and I tend to take a safer approach to life. As our lives continue to move in different directions, I know I always have a friend that cares about me and has the same (if very strange) sense of humor.

Being friends with Maria inspires me to not be afraid to go on adventures, and I have also learned that friendships takes a little bit of effort, and a small investment of time, but that time is always well spent.

Mark my words: Dads like this are one in a million

This post may end up sounding like a 5th grader's "why my dad is the best" essay, but it's true.

Meet Mark: Mark is a father of 3 children, a husband, a teacher, and a mentor. He's quick with a joke (usually a corny one), and a smile. His hair is "starting" to grey, sometimes I forget that it's grey until I look at it. He likes old kung fu movies, and terrible horror movies (Aaah! Zombies!! is an hour and a half I'll never get back). 

Mark likes to pick up a new hobby every few years, which has made him a man of many talents. He can make custom pens, twist balloon animals, make training knives, and he tackles several obstacle races every few months. To this day, he still offers to make me a balloon hat on my birthday, which I usually have to refuse multiple times.
No matter what he's doing, he gets invested in it. When I begged my dad to let me take martial arts classes (3rd grade), he quickly decided he wanted to get in on it too. I did martial arts for about 9-10 years, I stopped a few years ago when I got busy with school and work, but my dad still does it to this day. 

Matching UCO hats! Broncho Pride!

Like all fathers, mine has taught me a lot over the years.

He taught me how to change a tire, check my tire pressure, and how to take a test, but the most valuable things he has taught me are less tangible. Whether or not they mean to, every father teaches by example.

One of the things I admire the most, is that he stands up for what he believes in. He doesn't back away from something just because it gets hard. 

My father has a way of confronting things in a very calm way. He doesn't yell or get irate (although I have seen him lose his cool a handful times when dealing with his teenage children, but who wouldn't when dealing with teenagers?) It is this gentleness, yet firmness when talking about or confronting something that has stood out to me over the years and that I try to carry over into the issues I confront in my own life.

Mark is a kind and generous person. He cares about the people around him. He is always willing to lend a hand or advice to anyone around him. I remember Thanksgivings when random graduate students or family friends would join our family for dinner because they didn't have anywhere else to spend it. It was never a big deal, but as I remember those holidays now I realize how amazing he was to open his home to people that needed one that day. I think I have carried that thoughtfulness with me.

Although Mark and I don't see eye to eye on everything, he is always there for me and I feel truly blessed to call him my dad.

I love you dad, thank you for being a fantastic example for me to look up to.

Big Characters, Big joke: The reality of the presidential race

I  posted last week about a character I have never met in real life, and I'll be doing that again here.


Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump.

Possibly some of the biggest characters in America right now. 

Dirt about presidential candidates comes out of the woodwork, no matter the year or the candidates. This year is special, there is a special kind of craziness surrounding this year's race. On one hand, you have a former first lady whose husband was involved in a huge scandal during his presidency. She's been accused of deleting emails, being too sick to be president, and if elected she would be the first female POTUS. She knows all about the political world and for some people she represents everything that is wrong about the political system. On the other side is a man who has never held a political office, who has had multiple bankruptcies, has been accused of being racist, bigoted, and sexist, and is possibly the most controversial presidential candidate of all time.

Is this race a joke?
One of these people is going to run our country?

Memes of these two candidates have popped up all over the internet (basically our generations version of political cartoons) that point out the flaws and the stereotypes of these two candidates.

I won't pretend to know them, or have any clue as to what is going on inside their heads, but everyone in the USA is keeping tabs on these huge characters. Last week, the debate was impossible to ignore. Even if you didn't have the TV turned on, video clips, memes, and drinking games of the debate popped up on all types of social media. And yes, you heard me right, drinking games. This presidential race has become such a joke that many of my peers were playing drinking games to every predictable and ridiculous thing that was said during the debate.

Maybe having a few drinks made it easier to forget that one of these two people will soon be the leader of the US, or that there are people out there who whole-heartedly believe that their candidate is the ideal president.

There isn't much in the way of a conclusion for this post, just that I am frustrated with the election, the political system, and with America. Really? These guys? Of all the people in America, these are what you think the best options are? I know many other people who are also confused and frustrated by the election. The only thing we can do about it is vote. Get involved in local elections too! It's the only way to change things.

Well that's all for politics, I promise not to post about it again. 

Jenna Marbles is not my friend

The first time I ever saw a Jenna Marbles video, I was in high school, and my friend Maria and I watched "How to avoid talking to people you don't want to talk to." We thought that was the funniest thing we'd ever seen and proceeded to binge watch all of her videos and show her to any of our friends that would watch. That was 5 years ago.

I spend A LOT of time on Youtube. I mostly watch vlogs, skits, and an occasional gaming channel.

Jenna Marbles is not my friend, but sometimes it feels like she is. 
She loves her dogs, she changes her hair on a constant basis, and she always takes everything one step further than anyone else (if you need evidence of this, check out her Highlighter Makeup Video). Her current channel has been up for 6 years, but she was making videos before that as well. I have watched her get pets, go through breakups, move across the country, and grow into the person she is now.

Following someone's life on Youtube is kind of like having a pen pal that you never write back to, but they keep writing anyway.

I have also really enjoyed watching Julien Solomita's vlog channel over the last few years. (That's Jenna's boyfriend if you didn't know). I think part of why I have enjoyed his videos so much, is because not only is he around this person I already feel like I know, but he is doing what I want to do in life, which is making quality videos for people (plus he's really good at it).

These two Youtubers have been particularly inspirational to me. Julien reminds me to reach for the things I want and to be proud of what I make, and Jenna reminds me that being me, even if that means being weird, is okay and that following my dreams will be worth it. Even though I've never met them in person, they have a significant impact on my life. I've watched them at least twice a week for the past few years, how could they not be characters in my story?

Mr. Mouse in my House

Houston, we have a problem.

There is currently a tiny, adorable pest living in my house. I don't know how he got in, but he hasn't been paying his rent, so he needs to go.

Yesterday I was minding my own business, watching TV and folding laundry, when I saw a grey blob dash across the floor. As my head whipped around toward it, I became very alert. I quietly got up and tip-toed towards the movement. The grey blob scurried from underneath the dining room table, squeezing into a small hole next to the dishwasher, that I am now hyper-aware of.

Meet Mr. Mouse:
Mr. Mouse is about the length of my index finger (I have very small hands), grey, with a pink nose, and thin whiskers. He is very shy, and only comes out if you sit very still for a long time.

Mice don't particularly scare me, I'm not worried that he'll bite me or anything like that. However, I really don't want him wandering through my belongings or eating my cereal. He is definitely making me paranoid though, I don't like not knowing where he is. He pops up when he is least expected, so every time I enter a room I take a good look around and poke at any place he could be hiding.

Today I am going to get a catch-and-release trap and set it up, then we'll find Mr. Mouse a new home in a field somewhere. I think he'll like it better than my house anyway.

My Little Sister is Growing Up

Ashley is a bright-eyed, optimistic college freshman. She loves the Beatles and vintage appliances and she spends waaaaaay too much time in Target. She laughs easily and whole-heartedly. We are yoga buddies, we go shopping together, we work together, and we're always borrowing each others' clothes. Despite being very close, we are vastly different people.  She is always quick with a smile and has better shoes than me. She wears more dresses and less makeup. She likes to be around and help people, which is probably why she wants to be a nurse.

Three weeks ago Ashley moved out of our parents' house. I was surprised to find that I was more worried about her than I thought I would be. I remember how excited I was when that day came for me and even though everything wasn't always perfect, it taught me so much about life. I loved having more independence and responsibility, which is part of the reason I was so surprised to find myself worried about her. Of course, I was excited for her too, but the worry crept in around the edges.

Would she make friends? Keep up with classes? Meet boys? Party too much? How often would I hear from her? Or see her? What if she got too busy for me? Would she tell me if she wasn't okay?


I'm so used to her living at home with my parents, that it's weird for me to think about her being somewhere else. Maybe this is how moms feel when their kids move out. I find that more than any feeling, what I feel is a need to be there for her, and I don't know the best way to do that. I'm watching her grow into her own person, and I want to be a part of that person's life.

These last few weeks have been different, but still the same. I've found comfort in some of the things that have stayed the same. We still have an active group chat, filled with cute things that Mom does or funny pictures. We still see each other every Sunday for lunch and send snapchats when we're bored.

Even though Ashley and I are different in a lot of ways, I know that we both have a good head on our shoulders and are both down-to-earth. As I watch her grow into her own person, I will try to enjoy this time in our lives, while we're both in college, before we are fully-fledged adults.