Final Blog Entry

I cannot believe that it is already time for my final reflection post on my blog. This entire virtual portfolio of the last seven weeks of writing assignments has shown me several things as I look back. I have found out that my writing skills have improved. I am now able to more effectively convey my thoughts into words. My biggest struggle in composing these daily entries was digging deep into my mind and experiences. While it was fun and simple to write about my interests and favorite activities growing up, I found it really difficult to uncover and explain what I value and hold dear in life. Specific exercises such as the prewriting activities for the “This I Believe” and “What is a Place?” essays have had the biggest impact on me. Because of these exercises, I now know more about myself. I can understand exactly what I believe in and value and what place has the strongest and most meaningful connection in my life. I relied on the classroom’s daily blog generator for several of my prompts. However, I found that some of the easiest topics to write about were writing about my day through free writing and to discuss my favorite things. Possibly my favorite aspect of creating a blog and adding entries was reading other people’s entries. They really unshed quite a lot of personal information about my classmates, which greatly helps me connect better with my peers. Hopefully my blog served the same purpose, and now my classmates know more about me from my writings. While there were many positive characteristics about the daily entries, there was one thing I quite disliked. I never looked forward to having to write an entry everyday. On days when I worked, having to write an entry was the last thing I wanted to do. However, now I realize that practice really does help improve writing, so I am glad that I preserved and made every deadline. I strongly believe that I have improved as a writer and made significant changes.

Sunday, July 20

Daily Blog Entry

I decided to once again search for a writing topic on the class page’s prompt generator for my twenty-fifth and final daily blog entry. “What are your 'Seven Wonders'--or the seven most amazing things your eyes have seen? Describe the places, objects, people or accomplishments in your life that are the most meaningful and life-affirming experiences of your existence?” Two places that I consider wonders in my life are my grandparent’s house and Truman State University. My grandparent’s house is where I spent a majority of my childhood. There are so many wonderful memories stored in that house, and I always love visiting. My college is a wonderful place for me because I genuinely feel at home there, and it is where I met the best friends of my life. There are not many objects I posses that are worthy to be considered a wonder, but one of my favorites is a hand-written letter from my one-hundred-year old great-grandmother that she wrote to me for Christmas of 2012. I have it saved away and will keep and treasure it for the rest of my life. The biggest accomplishment in my life is my general happiness with where I am in life and the path I’ve taken to get here. I am proud of the friends I have made and the places I have been. Finally, there are many more than three wonders of my most meaningful relationships with people. I am thankful for my friends who have always supported me, and I am thankful for my absolutely amazing family. I would not be half the person I am today without the teachings and life lessons from my parents. They have showed me unconditional love and have been great role models for when I am ready to be a parent. I am quite thankful for the wonders in my life!

Sunday, July 20

Daily Blog Entry

Today’s post comes from Christopher Walker’s suggestion, "What would I rather be doing right now?" Well, it is currently a Saturday morning, and I do not have to work today. This means I have virtually the entire day to do whatever I please. Right now, I really want to go outside with my golden retriever, Trooper. His face always lights up when I go out and play with him! The weather feels just right today, which makes going outside with him even more enticing. I would also like to see my grandparents today; they always are a pleasure to talk to and go to Springfield with. I would rather be playing video games. I recently started a game called Assassin’s Creed, which has proven to be very addicting. I would rather read some of the books I have started this summer but have not picked up in quite some time. Medical Terminology for Dummies has only a few unread chapters remaining, while my new textbooks for the upcoming semester are begging to be started. I would rather be eating right now; I have been up for a few hours and have not ate breakfast yet. I always enjoy a bowl of frosted flakes and a banana. I would even rather be cleaning and organizing my room right now. This is not a task I enjoy doing, but it just simply needs to be done. I would rather text my friend, Justin, right now. He is currently editing a DVD for a family friend’s 70^th birthday party. I think he would rather be doing something else as well! Finally, I would rather be swimming today. The weather for the past few days has been unnaturally cold for July, and today would be the perfect day to jump back in and do some laps across the pool!

Saturday, July 19

Daily Blog Entry

Today’s entry comes from the prompt generator. "What does January feel like?  Write a poem or paragraph (or whatever) that explains your opinion of and emotions felt for the twelve different months of the year." January feels dark and alone. The days are extremely short and cold. February is miserable and stressful. I associate it with having to plan homecoming in high school and taking horrid exams in college. It may be the shortest month, but it feels like the longest. March brings about change and optimism. The weather gets warmer and spring break is totally rejuvenating. April is yet another long month; everyone is ready to be done with school, but we still have to power through the last lessons and project. This rainy month sets the stage for my favorite month of the year, May. May is the busiest and most fun month. School gets out; flowers are blooming, and my family celebrates several birthdays. My sister turns another year older on Cinco de Mayo, and I celebrate y birthday on this month’s last day. June brings about warmth and happiness. The longer days contain an abundance of fun as summer is finally here; we enjoy ourselves with swimming and weddings. July continues with summer, blazing the lawns and allowing us to enjoy pyrotechnics. August means back to school, where I feel relief in seeing my friends again. September brings about the first signs of fall and the beautiful color changes. October signals midterm break and shorter nights as the air gets colder. November is always a busy and stressful month. School is getting closer to an end, and we get to celebrate with family and delicious food. Finally, the last month of the year brings about several milestones. We celebrate another Christmas and enjoy the end of the year festivities. Each month can definitely bring about several unique emotions and opinions.

Friday, July 18

Daily Blog Entry

We have all had that one class in high school that we always looked forward to. For some of us, the class was made fun and interesting by the teacher, the subject, or the fellow students. I was lucky to have three classes in high school with the same teacher that had all of these components. I remember starting Biology in January of 2011. I thought to myself, “Here we go, another boring science class with another terrible teacher.” At that point, it had been four years since I had a science teacher who actually cared about her students and wasn’t burned out on teaching. Thankfully, my new Biology teacher, Ms. Myers, surpassed my incredibly low expectations. For the first time since the sixth grade, I was interested in science again. I loved learning about cells and genetics. Best of all, the class actually challenged me. The next fall I enrolled in Chemistry with the same teacher. Ms. Myers once again proved to be able to make the content extremely interesting and relevant with real life examples and applications. The class was made even better by being surrounded by my best friends. The next year, I got to take one last class with Ms. Myers, Anatomy and Physiology. I got to learn all about our bones and muscles, the layers of the skin, the complete digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems, and the brain. We even got to dissect cats towards the end of the year! It was during Anatomy and Physiology that I realized that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I want to keep learning everything there is to know about the human body. My major is currently Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I am looking forward to what the future holds in these disciplines, and it is all thanks to one extraordinary high school teacher.

Thursday, July 17

Daily Blog Entry

This evening’s daily blog entry comes from Kortney Driver’s suggestion. “What are some awesome vacations that you have taken? Memorable places you've seen or people you've met along the way?” I will begin with my first vacation out of Missouri. It was the summer of 2002. My family traveled to Destin, Florida by car and stayed in a beach house. It rained nearly the entire time, but I thought it was the coolest trip I have ever experienced because it was the first time I ever saw the ocean. I immediately fell in love with everything the beach had to offer. The next two summers, we traveled to Gulf Shores, Alabama. I could not believe that a beach could improve on what Destin had to offer. The sand was whiter and cleaner and the sea was much clearer. Best of all, there was no rain for either trip! The second trip to Gulf Shores was even better! Our hotel messed up with our reservations and overbooked. Usually, this would be a massive problem, but we were offered an amazing solution. We got to stay in the penthouse suite for our stay! It was a collection of rooms that had several great amenities and the best view! That was one of my favorite vacations until 2006. That year my family went on a cruise to Cozumel and the Yucatan Peninsula. We had the best time exploring the enormous ship and the tropical locations. Finally, the best vacation I went on with my family was a cruise in 2011. We traveled to two islands in the Bahamas. One destination was Nassau, and my sister and I went parasailing. It was one of the most fun experiences in my life. We loved circling in the air and viewing the busy island and the dolphins in the distance. We don’t always get the opportunity to travel to such exotic locations, but I definitely look forward to every year we get to!

Wednesday, July 16