Easter Fun

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and I can honestly say I am sad to see it pass. Partially because I don’t feel like getting back to school work and partially because I love Easter. I love the feeling of spring because of the bright colors and beautiful smells. I especially enjoy the smell of hiassen flowers as soon as I step out my front door. For Easter yesterday, my family and I first visited my grandmother’s (my dad’s mom’s) house. We took our dog, Bella, with us because my grandmother loves her. Bella can pick her mood up no matter what so I always bring her around. After my grandmother’s house, we went out to dinner with my stepdad’s side of the family. Dinner was extremely delicious, but I felt like I gained about 8 pounds afterwards. I wanted to go into a food coma in my bed right after. Unfortunately, there was still another stop to make: my Nanny’s (my mom’s mother’s) house. We went there to have dessert and to see my aunt, uncle, and little cousins. I also got an Easter basket full of Reese’s peanut butter cups! (My third pack of the day and also my favorite.) For dessert we had ice cream cake and cupcakes. My little cousins got pink and purple icing all over their faces. My cousin, Garrett, kept sneaking more pieces of ice cream cake without anyone knowing. The only time we finally found out what he had been up to was when we heard him drop the cake on the floor. He started to cry at first when he was caught, but my uncle could not even be mad at him because the whole thing was so cute. At the end of the day we finally came home, but I could not relax yet because I had to study for my physiology test the next day aka today.

Babysitting

Tonight I have to babysit my cousins, Maddie, Garrett, and Ben. Maddie is 7, Garrett just turned 4, and Ben will be 2 in April. Maddie tends to be a little bossy and hyperactive at times, always telling Garrett how to play a certain game and shoving him when he is the center of attention. Garrett definitely has the “middle child syndrome.” Although he tends to be the family favorite, he is extremely emotional and sensitive. He will start to cry for no reason at all, and then ten seconds later, he is laughing at God only knows. Ben is one of the most relaxed babies I have ever seen; he is happy just as long as he’s eating. They are definitely a handful. Maddie and Garrett will probably be fighting over their iPad and Wii. I love to babysit my cousins because we get to order pizzas and movies, although having all the kids agree on one movie is always an issue. Garrett normally only wants to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks, even though he has seen it about 12 different times. Ben loves the show Yo Gabba Gabba so he gets to watch that on his own little DVD player. It helps him falls asleep so I’m a big fan of Yo Gabba Gabba. Even though I love my cousins (they’re pretty much like my siblings), babysitting them wears me out. I am literally so exhausted when I get home that I can totally understand why my aunt and uncle need a night away once in a while. I cannot imagine having to take care of them all day everyday and still having energy to think for themselves. I am only there for one meal of the day, and I get extremely stressed out just from that. I could not handle having to try to get each kid to finish their dinners and wash their hands before and after. I guess they have just gotten used to it by now. Babysitting definitely makes me consider the number of kids I want to have.

Home to Baltimore :(

I got back from my spring break vacation in San Diego, California this Saturday. I was extremely sad to leave because I met so many amazing people over there. Everyone is so kind and care-free compared to people over here, I truly wish I could move out there. Not to mention, the boys are much cuter as well! While I was there, I got to go to the San Diego Zoo and plenty of beaches. I was staying at a condominium that was merely one block away from the beach. I was staying in Pacific Beach, California. There was a huge pier that led right out into the Pacific Ocean where you could stand and watch the waves crash underneath of you. The water was bright teal and blue, unlike the brown water that is commonly seen in Ocean City. Sting rays, dolphins, and sharks are commonly seen close to the shore, which makes it much more dangerous for surfers on the West Coast. Although the waves are pretty much perfect, the sea animals show no concern for the desire to surf. Another one of my favorite activities that I got to do was shopping, of course. The main street that I was staying near had tons of boutiques and little shops. After spending two long days of shopping for not only myself, but my family as well, I got to eat at cute restaurants on the corners of the popular blocks. The night life in Pacific Beach consisted of many night clubs and bars. Because I am not 21, I was not able to go to either of these so we, instead, decided to play music and dance at our condo. It was the same amount of fun, but it was much easier to get ready and fall asleep without the hassle of walking anywhere! Overall, I cannot wait to go back for another visit because I already miss the people and the hospitality that I was surrounded with during my spring break.

Spring Time Walk

Today I decided to take a break from all my homework and studying to take my dog for a walk. I have a miniature schnauzer named Bella, and she is truly my baby. Bella normally wears a pink sweater with a bright pink leash when she goes for a walk, yet she still thinks she is a real rebel. She weighs about 14 pounds and loves to pick fights with dogs about twice her size. When we turned the corner out of our street, Bella spotted her infamous enemy pitbull neighbor, whom she always begins to bark at. This pitbull could easily jump the fence and run after us, so I tried to hurry up and keep moving. After escaping an imminent dog attack, we turned another corner to the house with the huge black Rottweiler. Bella is not normally the instigator of the fight with this dog; however, she never refuses to back down once he starts with her. As usual, I crossed the street to the opposite side of the Rottweiler’s house in hopes that the dog would not see him. My attempt failed once again, and the Rottweiler started to go ballistic in his chain leash. The only thing saving us from an attack by this dog is the fact that he is tied up to a tree in his back yard. I still fear that one day he will break loose and come running after us, though. Bella started shaking, as usual, after the dog’s constant menacing barking at her. We rushed around the next corner for some peace and quiet in the sun and some friendly dogs that Bella can actually tolerate. Most people that we meet on our walks think that Bella is adorable and innocent. Although she is highly adorable, she is in no way innocent. As we made our finally turn back onto our street, we met our final friend: the mail lady. Bella loves the mail lady because she always gives her a little treat. Exhausted from her rendezvous, Bella drank about a gallon of water and snuggled up in a blanket for the rest of the day.

Nutrition

Today I had my first nutrition exam. I thought I was going to throw up, I was so nervous. After taking it, I believe that it was a pretty fair exam. Some of the questions had two answers that I could see fitting, but of course, you had to pick the better one. The main things that I focused on for the exam were the vitamins and minerals. Thank God I made flash cards for them, or else I would have been totally lost. The amount of information I had to retain for this exam is unfathomable. I am dreading the final with all my heart. Right before the exam, I felt like I was going to pass out. The paper work we had to sign about cheating made me even more nervous than I had to be. I’m always worried that teachers think I am cheating when I’m zoning out and talking the question out to myself. I am also afraid of my phone going off, even though I turned it off because that happened to my friend in high school one time. I have such bad luck that that would happen to me. After the individual exam, we got into groups according to the version of the exam we had and took the exam over again. I think the discussion I had with my group really helped me understand more concepts and to see how other people’s thought processes occurred. Overall, I think we did really well as a group. The most frustrating thing about having to take this exam was that I had to sit through an extremely drawn-out lecture. I was so brain dead and absolutely done with nutrition that I had no idea what she was saying. I just can’t wait for my patho quiz to be over tomorrow so that I can have a two-day break before I start studying for the exam for that class next week!

Lefty Fun

Seeing that the title of my blog is “Life is better being a Lefty,” I figured I should talk a little about why this is so. Such a small majority of people are left handed that it makes you feel special to be in that small portion. I always felt unique as compared to my friends when I would eat with my left hand, write with my left hand, and reach for things with my left hand. My grandmother is also left handed so she raised me to believe that lefties are special. She always used to tell me, “Us lefties are smarter! Don’t let anyone tell you differently.” To this day this quote has stuck with me, especially when she and I are together and people may poke fun of us. It’s a special quality that we share with each other that our family (all full of right handed people) cannot understand. I love to go out to eat with my family and cut my food next to them. Typically, I tilt my plate almost sideways and my arm sticks fat out as I cut. I always smile and say that I cannot help it so that they can’t get mad at me. Again, something only a lefty would be able to do. When I was little, I used to throw with my right hand, but over time I somehow have switched to throwing with my left hand. In doing so, I have realized that my aim is much better now that I throw with my left hand. This would have helped me years ago when I played softball. Another thing that I find interesting about “typical lefties” is that they are supposed to be more creative and artistic. Although this does not pertain to me now, as a child, I used to love to pain things. It didn’t matter what it was, I would paint it. I also used to love to steal notepads from my dad’s office and write stories. I attribute these qualities of my childhood to my being left handed and from my grandmother’s encouraging me that I was a special lefty!

I want snow!

This winter has really disappointed me so far. I love winter because I love snow. It’s my favorite type of weather! Obviously, we have not gotten any real snow accumulation yet this season because the temperatures have been so warm. To be in the 60’s in January is ridiculous. I want to be able to wear heavy coats and snuggle up with some hot chocolate. I love snow days, but so far it doesn’t seem like we will be getting any of those. There is only one month left for any real snow to happen, so time is wearing thin! Even though I do love the spring season, I would love to have some cold weather and snow before spring comes. I don’t like that pretty much every day of winter has felt like spring so far. My favorite part of having a snow day is when my mom and I shovel a pathway to the backyard for our dog and watch her play in it. I have a miniature schnauzer so it is very easy for her to get lost in the snow! When we had two blizzards in one week a few years ago, Bella would dive into the mounds of snow that had to be piled up on the sidewalks and get lost. Our front yard is on a big hill, and Bella would literally sit in the sled and ride down to the bottom of the hill. She loves the snow! I’m not asking for a huge snowfall like that one; I’m simply asking for a few inches that would close schools for a day. A day where my mom and I can relax and watch movies without having to worry about school or work. I’m hoping strongly that this February will make this winter a real winter, especially since my birthday is during this month!