blogging

Blogging has been an interesting experience. It was something that I had never done before because I was never sure how it would work out. However, I'm not sure that I really enjoyed this experience. I enjoy writing but maybe it was being told what to write about and having a time limit that really put a damper on things. What I did enjoy was reading what other classmates had to say. Also how they have handled tough moments throughout their lives. Without the blogs I'm not sure that we would have gotten to know our classmates this well. I might continue to blog in the future but maybe with more photos and a little less writing in my posts.

Great Times!

There have been many times where I have had a great time. Some include being with friends others include being with family. However, one of the most memorable, great times that I have had has been recently. On Thanksgiving day my family spent it a little differently. We had to have dinner ready a few hours earlier than usual and there were no kids playing out in the front yard. It wasn't the same because all of the "kids" had to go to work for the Black Friday sales. This year it was a reality check that we have finally grown up. We were no longer kids that had to wait around for dinner. No, we had become young adults that had to make some part of the meal. Furthermore, once dinner was over all of the teens went into my room and watched a movie, like we always did. However, this time around some had to leave to go to work before the movie was even over. Once most of them had left my cousin, younger sister and I began to talk about the "good ol' days." There was so much that we had forgotten about because of all the bad that had come our way throughout the years. We were basically just catching up without ever actually being apart. Even though there was nothing really exciting about it I had a great time. This was mostly because growing up is a very scary feeling but now I know that I will always have people around me that will help me stay grounded. 

Three people

The three people that have been important in my life are my mom, my younger sister, and my cousin.

My mom is about 5'4" with short, red hair, hazel eyes and very fair skin. She has the kind of short curls that make you want to play with her hair. She also has a glare that would make even the most  confident person nervous. However, at the same time her glare makes me laugh because I know she won't be mad for long. My mom and I have had our difficulties back when I was younger but we have powered through all of them. She has taught me that I am not superior to anybody and because of this I cannot and should not judge anybody that is imperfect because I myself am imperfect.

My little sister, who is not so little, is about 5'6" with short black hair and bangs that cover her eyes. Also, she has olive skin and dark brown eyes just like our grandmother. My younger sister is a very distant person. She is the type of girl that if you see her outside of school you'd be lucky if she said a quick "hello" to you. However, she has a whole other side to her. With me she is very happy and laughs at the simplest thing. She is the one person that can brighten up my day without even trying. If I am sad and crying she will cry with me and then make me cry while laughing and finally just make me laugh. To be honest, my younger sister is the type of person that makes me want to be a better, more responsible person. Someone that she could look up to and trust.

My cousin is a very small girl. She is only 5'2"(I'm being generous there), and probably weighs no more than 97 pounds. In many ways she looks like my younger sister with black hair, olive skin, and dark brown eyes. However, she is much older, 21, but has always been there for me. My cousin has been my best friend since we met when I was 3. Everybody needs that one person in their lives who they can tell anything to and rely on them for anything. She is that person for me because as a young teen I was very troubled and she always keep me from going over the edge. I would like to say that she has been there through everything never judging or giving misguided advice. 

These three people are the ones who have made me who I am and have kept me striving for my goals. This is because no matter what I do they will always be there to pick me back up and tell me to keep going. 

Johnny Rockets

After hearing all of the great feedback on a great burger restaurant, Johnny Rockets, by my friends I decided to see what all the hype was about. I went in open minded expecting the burgers to be "outta town!" Unfortunately this was not the case. First my friends and I were seated in the middle of an overcrowded patio with zero sunlight. The lack of sunlight made the place cold and uninviting. After what seemed like hours, the waiter finally arrived and asked what we would like to drink. He then took about 20 more minutes to arrive with our drinks and take our order. Since I had never been to this restaurant, I had no clue what to order and neither did my friend. Our waiter then gave us a "few" minutes to decide and then came back. We ordered our food and after a long wait it finally arrived. We ordered some chili cheese fries to share and a couple of burgers. However, our burgers did not arrive with our chili fries. The fries were somewhat cold and the chili covering them was very bland. When our burgers finally arrived they seemed very tasteful. However, when I took that first bite I found out looks could be deceiving. The "special" sauce in the burger was awfully bitter and had an odd taste to it. Furthermore, the patty had no seasoning on it and was a little to pink for my taste. Johnny Rockets has no future in my top 10 burger restaurants. With their poor service, mediocre food, and high prices I cannot see myself ever wanting to go back there for lunch. However, I will give them this Johnny Rockets has a unique vibe to their restaurant. The whole fifties, jukebox style has a good feel to it. Now if only the had food to match.

Fast Food Nation

After reading Fast Food Nation written by Eric Schlosser I have come to realize how disgusting fast food truly is. I always knew it was unhealthy but I never would have thought how unsanitary it was made.This book has really opened my eyes and given me something to really think about. I believe that the way Schlosser describes details in the book is the what really grabs the reader's attention. This is because he writes in an informational way as opposed to some other books about unhealthy diets that seem to just command you to eat healthy. In fact, I don't think that Schlosser's first intention was to get his readers on a healthier diet. Schlosser just simply wants to open the eyes of his readers about what they eat on a regular basis. 

Fast Food Nation has really been an eye opener and because of it I know think twice before going to a fast food restaurant. Mostly I'm afraid of catching some sort of disease from the meat. However, I will admit that sometimes it just calls my attention and I go out for some McDonald's but now I don't eat there as often as I used to. I don't think fast food in moderation is necessarily a bad thing but maybe it is but for now it doesn't seem so bad and maybe one day, after reading this book a few more times, I will give up fast food completely.

School

Being that this is my first year as a college student it really came to a surprise when I found out how much work is involved in maintaining passing grades. School was always planned out for me and now having to create my own schedule is not as fun as I imagined it would be. One thing that really annoys me is that there seems to be no time for anything because there is so much that needs to be done within a short period of time. Also, the biggest challenge is being able to make time for both school and work. A full time student has to juggle schoolwork, exams, and online work on top of having a full time job because college will not pay for itself. No matter how hard you try it seems that there will never be enough time to do both without being tired.

The biggest pay-off about going to school is knowing that you will not have to settle for basic jobs that require no skills. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to figure out what you truly want to get out of life. Having to go through all the challenges of college will eventually pay off and that day is when you will truly appreciate having gone through all of the challenges. What truly keeps me motivated is my natural curiosity for every subject. Being able to learn old things in different perspectives allows people to really understand the subjects being taught. This allows students to figure out what they would like to have as a career and what they definitely would not like as a career. What keeps me going is the ultimate pay-off. This would be a simple, fruitful life and not having to stress about how "ends meat" will be made. 

5 lies ,1 truth

1) I currently work at the Esplanade in Oxnard.

2) When I was younger I had three Dalmatian dogs and a horse.

3) My mom's birthday is one day after mine.

4) Once my older sister and I traveled on our own and got lost!

5) My younger brother is studying to become an actress.

6) In my spare time I enjoy baking and make the best cookies in my family.

Good Times

This photo makes me laugh everytime I see it because my mom is horrible at taking photos. When I first saw it I laughed for a good 20 minutes. Now, I still laugh but it reminds me how lucky I am to have such a great mother because even when she is not trying, she can still cheer me up even if it is just a picture.

Change

When I was 14 years old I believed that the only people that could give me good advice were my friends. Whenever I had a problem or just needed someone to talk to I would go to my friends because I felt that no one else could have understood without any judgement. However, from time to time I would hear about hoe one of my friends asked her mom for advice whenever she had any sort of problem. I remember thinking, "wow, her mom must be really cool." Of course, I was a little bit jealous that her mother could be someone that she could talk to. Never in a million years could I have such an open relationship with my mother like she had with hers.

I always thought that my mom would simply not get any of my problems. Maybe she would have even told me something like, "well, that doesn't sound like the type of person that should be friends with my daughter." An answer like that were exactly the type of answers that I was trying to avoid so I never really confided in her with any of my teen drama. However, as time went on, I began to get bigger problems. I like to call these type of problems as "adult problems." My friends just simply seemed too immature and too unaware of how to handle them. Slowly I began to talk to my mom about it. It wasn't that I was seeking any advice from her. IN a way I guess it was just goo to have somebody listen and actually be able to say, " oh I remember, I had something similar happen to me." As I began to talk to her more and more about my problems, it eventually turned into us being able to just talk and update each other on what was going on in our lives.

Even though it took quite some time for my mom and I to be able to communicate it has made a huge difference in our household. I no longer feel like I can't talk to anybody in my house and we actually have conversations during dinner time instead of watching TV. 

Family

There are many different families with many different moral understandings. What could be the right thing to do for one family could be a completely foreign concept to another family .The way I was raised was to be a genuine good- hearted person. To my family, that means to be courteous and truthful. I grew up with: both my mother and father, my older sister, and my younger sister. We were all raised to be good people. Growing up I knew that if somebody fell on the playground that it would be a nice gesture to try and help them up. When there was a new student in class, while everybody tried to figure out why they had come to the school, I would go and ask. The person you become in life has to do a lot with the way you were raised.

My older sister was raised with the most responsibility on her shoulders because she has two younger sisters who are following her footsteps. I remember my mother would always tell her to be careful what she did because as soon as we found out, my younger sister and I, we were bound to do the same. I believe that I am who I am today because of my mother. She taught me a lot of things but the most important lesson she has taught me is that I am not perfect. That I am not invincible and That I can't expect people to bail me out of my problems. Some people might grow up with their parents coddling them but I grew up knowing that I would make mistakes and because of that I would become a better person.

My dad is the one who really taught me about the value of friends. He would spend saturday afternoons with his buddies and watch sports on TV. I remember he would tell me that family always comes first but with friends you can expand your family. He raised me to be very social and understanding because as he once put it, "everybody needs friends." Also, he taught me the value of education. Since I was in grade school my dad was always telling my sisters and I that we had to try our best in school. He then continued on saying that if our best wasn't good enough, we were not trying hard enough. Now I understand that in order to make something of yourself, in today's time, you have to have some sort of education.

Maria Berber

I had the pleasure to interview Maria Berber during the last class session. She was a great sport when asked these series of questions:

1) What is your name and age?

                " My name is Maria Berber and I'm 18"

2) Tell me about your background?

" Well, I have always lived here in Oxnard and I have only one younger brother."

3) What motivates you to stay in college?

" What motivates me are my parents. Also I know that I will have more opportunities in life with a degree."

4) What's your current schedule like?

" I am a full time student. For the most part I have classes in the morning but  I am off by two and wednesdays is when I have my only night class."

5)How do you balance family, school, and work?

" When I'm in school I focus all of my attention on the class and I don't work so when I get free time I spend it with my family."

6) Do you have a mentor or role mode in your life?

" I would consider my mom to be my role model because she raised to children as a single mother. She taught me that sometimes life can throw some hardships and you have to learn how to be able to handle them."

7) Do you consider yourself a role model or mentor for someone?

" I would consider myself to be my brother's mentor. I would like to know that he'll follow my lead and continue to go to school once he graduates as well."

8) How would you describe yourself in three words?

" Organized, mature, and nice."

9) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

" I see myself starting my career, maybe a new car and finally becoming successful."

10) What's your "motto" or philosophy for succeeding in school?

" To do all of my work and not get distracted."

11) What specific things about Oxnard College do you like?

" I like that it is so close to my home so I don't have to drive far or commute."

12) What are some areas in the college you think could be improved?

" The prices of the books could be a little lower and the counselors could be a little more helpful."

13) In what ways does your culture influence your decision to come to college?

" In my culture it is custom to have to work hard for the things you have which is why I feel I have to work hard to earn my career."

14) What's been the biggest surprise about your college experience?

" I was not expecting the amount of work required in order to pass a class."

In the end I got to know Maria and where she had come from. The interview went great and she was not afraid to share some of her personal life with someone she had just met. Thank you Maria for being so polite and open about your life.

My First Day

 Being the middle child, out of three girls, you'd think that I would be pushed into the background. However, this was not the case with me. Both my sisters were very shy but I was very outgoing. As a result I became very aware of my confidence and lack of shyness. My confidence came in handy when I really needed it because as a child my family moved around a lot. The fact that I was full of confidence helped me make friends every time I would switch schools. So when it was time to transition from elementary school into junior high school I felt it would be a breeze. In fact I was more excited than I had ever been before. The thing I was most excited about was being able to ride a school bus. I had been to so many different schools before but none of them had required to take a school bus.
 The summer before my first year of junior high was long but the last two weeks seemed to go by extremely fast. Most of my summer was spent answering questions like, " are you nervous?" and "are you scared?" However, I would always answer with the same confident, "no" because I was honestly not nervous or scared of my new school year. In fact I was more anxious and excited to start the my new school year. This time I was definitely not nervous or scared because I had friends from elementary school going with me to the same junior high school so what was there to be scared about? By the time there was only two weeks left, we were told to go to orientation and got to see the campus for the first time. There were instructions given out in the quad area. This part of the school was full of long, blue benches in the middle and towards both sides there was a patch of grass with long, green pine trees which dropped the orange colored needles down into the grass area. This really gave me a feeling of fall and the start of a new school year. We were sent into the cafeteria and through those double doors I saw so many unfamiliar faces. Naturally, seeing all of those unfamiliar faces began to intimidate me but I still maintained my confidence.

The last day before the new school year seemed like any other day during summer. That night my mother kept asking me if I was nervous or excited. She seemed to really want to get my input since the whole summer all I said in reference to my new school was "no." In a way, she made me a little bit nervous and I started to second guess my confidence for my first day. Later that night I found myself not being able to go to sleep. There were to many thoughts going through my mind. At 3 in the morning, I was still wide awake and I started to feel worried that I would be exhausted on my first day. Taking this into consideration, I decided to wake my mom up. Unfortunately, waking somebody up at three in the morning turns out to be a really bad idea. It took her about five minutes to realize what was going on and then finally got up to help me figure out what to do. When she got up she made me some chamomile tea and poured it into her favorite hand made, blue mug and told me to relax my mind. Once we began to talk it was quite obvious what was going on. However, neither of us dared to point out the fact that I, for the first time, was nervous about my first day of school. This of course, came as a surprising shock because what was I nervous about? I had friends, I had seen the campus. My mom and I decided that it would be best for her to actually drive me to school instead of taking the bus. The one thing I was most excited about throughout the whole summer, was something that I would not be able to do because of my nerves.

As we arrived at my new school, now, Fremont Junior High School the first thing I saw was a line of cars dropping off kids at the school.  We could hear honking, yelling from the excitement of the returning students, and a lot of laughter. Each time our car moved I began to see more and more things that were not there at the orientation. The gate towards my left seemed so high and empty. Further down, there was a small park outside of the school with a yellow, green, and purple playground. There were so many kids around my age walking into the wide, black front gate. I got out of the car and joined that large group of kids walking into school through that metal gate I immediately saw all of the footprints from the kids that had walked through the morning dew grass. When I got through the gate there seemed to be more kids in there than outside. Maybe it was the smaller space or maybe there were actually more kids inside but I felt lost within the huge cluster of kids who seemed to know exactly what they were doing, unlike me. All I could think was, "there were definitely not this many people during orientation here." There were so many things going through my head and as I began to see all of these kids and none of which I had gone to my previous school with, I began to feel a little bit more nervous. As my nerves started to get the best of me I saw my first familiar face, Jasmine. She looked exactly the same, tall and thin with long black hair that went all the way down to her hips. Back in grade school we hadn't been the closest friends. In fact, we only really talked during class  but finally seeing somebody that I could actually talk to felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders. Neither of us knew were to go so we decided to look for more people that we went to grade school with. As we walked towards the bus drop off section of the school, all I could smell was the disgusting smell of the bus exhaust pipe. Unfortunately we were unable to find anyone else. Thankfully seeing at least one familiar face made me gain my confidence back. Suddenly I didn't feel so alone. 

So far I had been to three classes and met a lot of new people. The class I had before lunch also included some of my former grade school classmates so we decided to have lunch together. Lunch at my new school was very different than my previous school. At my previous school we all lined up with our class and our teacher guided us to the line. This time we had to go on our own and had the option of eating the cafeteria food or the cart food. The cafeteria food was given out in white, plastic lunch trays while the cart food was given out individually wrapped and we had to pay for that food. Of course, everybody wanted to eat the cart food because that consisted of : cheeseburgers, chicken wings, pizza, chimichangas, chips, and cookies. We decided to buy the cart food because it felt more "grown up." As the day went on I began to feel like I was gaining more and more of my confidence back. It felt like any other new day of school once I began to see more familiar faces. The rest of my classes went by really quickly and I began to open up and meet these new people that began as unfamiliar faces but ended as my new classmates. Once the day ended, I really wanted to take the bus home. However, since my mom had dropped me off in the morning we had agreed that she would also pick me up at the end of the day. At the time that seemed like a great plan because I hadn't expected my first day to go as smoothly as it had but when it finally ended I was upset at not being able to ride the bus home. Then I realized that there was always tomorrow to look forward to and I could ride the bus both times, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. My first day had gone absolutely amazing and I had definitely not expected that.

What had begun as an unknown environment ended as a new beginning for me to meet and connect with these new classmates. I was so nervous that I almost called home to ask my mom to pick me up. Looking back I am proud that I did not call home because it would have just been a cowardly way out. Although I had never been nervous about my first day at a new school before, being nervous for this first day was a new fear that I had to conquer. My first day at Fremont Junior High School was very significant for me because it was the first time I would be more than two blocks from home by myself. It was also the first time that I would have more than one class. I had to go from one class for six hours to six classes in seven hours. The fact that I was faced with these nerves makes me glad that I lived through it because it made me realize that I could conquer anything that came my way regardless of my fear.

Texting: Risky Distraction

There are many controversies when it comes to texting. Not so long ago the concept of a text messages did not even exist. Now it seems to be the only source of communication that people use. I'll be the first to admit that I would rather text than call to contact somebody. It is easier, faster, and saves some time by not having to engage in extra conversation. Yes, it is true that texting has it's downsides but it also contributes to the fast paced world that we live in today. Moreover, I believe that the biggest downside of texting is texting as a distraction.

Texting, in many ways, is very convenient because it does save a lot of time. However, it also serves as a heavy distraction. When people go from calling at home to texting in class it starts to become a distraction. I believe when texting first started up people were using it as a substitution of calls. Now we use it for everything. We went from texting as a need to texting as a luxury which is becoming a huge problem, mainly for students. Students will text in class and because of that they will stop paying attention in class and put all of it on their side conversation which in turn can affect their grade. In this way, texting serves as a risky distraction.

Reality Television

     With today's modern technology it is fairly easy for the younger generations to become easily unamused. What used to amuse a teen 10 years ago will grab their attention for about 10 seconds in today's time. Television shows have had to become more suspenseful, more unique and most of all more interesting in order to become successful. Nowadays, the most common T.V show is a reality show. These show's allegedly contain no scripts and are all "real" events. These type of shows seem to be very popular in the younger generations, mostly teens. However, I will admit that, being a teen myself,  I have watched my fair share of reality shows. Maybe it's because they contain legitimate scenarios or maybe it's just because what you see on a reality show seems to be more relatable to our everyday lives but somehow I always find myself drawn to these shows. To be honest they are quite interesting and maybe for some it might just be a way of comparison to their own lives to be able to say saying, "well at least my life isn't that dramatic." Unfortunately, reality shows have a way of getting in your head and as much as you might say that you think some of the people on the shows are disgusting or simply uneducated you just can't help getting home in time to watch that new episode of your favorite, most current reality show.

  As much as I would love to say that I hate reality shows, I don't. I guess you could say I'm a neutral party. However, I do believe that those types of shows are very harmful to our society. There might be some people that think that maybe if they act as crazy or as wild as the people on reality shows maybe they will get their own reality show. Furthermore, what if a young child watched a reality show with obscene content and thought of those actions as something to consider to be normal. Those are some examples in which I would consider these shows to be very harmful to our society. Now, I won't say that I am completely against reality shows but for the most part they are all garbage. Reality shows are good for entertainment purposes not for a way to base your life upon. I might even say that a reality show is more dangerous than any other type of show because with a reality show you are dealing with real life events that anybody can perform. This of course, encourages not only dangerous behavior but also inappropriate behavior. However, taking into consideration that a lot of reality shows are staged now, some acts might just be unobtainable but nevertheless possible. Even though reality shows might be one of the few things that can keep a teen entertained for more than 20 minutes it doesn't mean that it is the only source of entertainment and eventually as we begin to mature we also begin to lose interest.

Fast Food

      Living in California means living a fast paced life. Which is why most people don't have the time to have a well thought out meal. However, I was lucky enough to grow up in a large family where somebody is always available to, "take care of the kids." When I was a child both my mother and father had full time jobs and because of that we, my sisters and I, were babysat by our grandfather. My grandfather took care of all the children in our family while our parents went off to work so to keep us entertained he would take us all to McDonald's. All six of us would share the 20 piece meal of chicken nuggets and I, being only a child, treated it as if it was a delicacy. However, this was not always the case. When we got rowdy, we would not get our 20 piece meal. In a way, it was more of a treat for behaving throughout the day. When we were not being babysat, we never indulged much in fast food. My mother, even though she had a full time job, would always go out of her way to make something for us to eat, even if she wouldn't be home to eat it with us. Occasionally she would just simply not have the time to make dinner so we would go out to Grandfather's Pizza in San Diego, where we lived at the time. Complete with an arcade, it was a haven for young children like myself. As I got older so did my sister and when she got her license nothing was out of reach. We went everywhere! I guess you could say we overindulged a little. Why wouldn't we? It was cheap, fast, and best of all we didn't have to rely on our parents for it.
      Now that I am older, I realize how unhealthy fast food actually is. Everybody always said that fast food made you drowsy but I never actually realized this until all I ever felt was exhaustion. I try not to rely on it as much even though it would be easier to buy a slice of pizza than grill a chicken breast. I won't lie, I do eat fast food but now when I do, it's in moderation. For example, when a friend has a birthday we'll all go out to eat or a family birthday party or when I am running late for work and simply don't have the time to make a lunch. Those are some occasions when I will eat junk/ fast food. However, when I let myself slip I feel very sluggish and on occasion I'l even get a stomach ache but eventually I just get used to it. Juggling school and work is very time consuming so sometimes I just don't have the time to think out a meal and just eat the most convenient thing at my disposal. Since my mom has decided that my sisters and I are old enough to make our own meals, she never cooks for us. As you would imagine, this is a very inconvenient thing for the new college student. Fast food, I believe, is a very easy trench to fall into when you are not being cautious and fortunately I am trying very hard to not fall in like most people that are in my position. 

Past, Present, and Future

  Born on October 31st, 1994, I spent most of my childhood known as the, "halloween baby." My older sister spent her early childhood tormenting me into thinking that I was an omen because I was born on Halloween and being only 4, at the time, I believed every single word she fed me. We grew up in Santa Barbara but at my tender age of 7 we moved to San Diego, which is where I consider my hometown to be. Eventually, we moved to Oxnard but by that time my childhood was long gone and I no longer cared for dolls or recess. I was, as most would call it, a normal teenage girl, until our family suffered a great lost. Later that year my aunt and uncle passed away and it damaged my family more than anybody was willing to admit. They had two daughters who were both underage so my dad offered to be their guardian. However, only one was related to our family by blood so the court ruled that one would stay with us and the other with her biological aunt in Santa Barbara. As time went on I felt ok but the coldness I felt towards people said otherwise. After that I had a lot of trouble concentrating at school and never really cared for what others were doing. 

  Currently I am a full time, first year student at Oxnard College majoring in Liberal Arts. College is a huge transition from high school because in high school, well, you don't really do much and the little that is done you are guided through step by step. However, in college you are responsible for your own work and nobody really guides you through it like they did in high school. So, now that I am in college I am beginning to realize how hard it is to actually be a student. Now I understand why people with degrees are paid so much more than people without. It's because they worked very hard to be where they are. I also work full time at a retail store in camarillo where I have earned a lot of responsibility in just one year. Having both responsibility as a student and an employee, I have had to learn to manage my time very carefully. Which as most of you know is very exhausting work. When I'm not working I am either at school or doing schoolwork. The little free time I have I try to spend with my family. Whether we are off on a fun family trip or just sitting at home watching a movie, I try to spend as much time with them as possible. Due to the fact, that I am maturing I have realized that my family is very important to me and that I don't have as much time with them as I thought I did.

  With time I intend to move out of my parent's home and move out to live in Los Angeles. Partially because I don't want to be one of those kids that never moves out and only stays to party but mostly I want to move out because I need to push myself to make a life outside of home and eventually go off to University. As of right now I am undecided on whether i will stay close to home by going to UC Berkeley or if I will take a chance and aspire to go to Penn State. However, as someone once told me, "it doesn't hurt to apply to both." Who knows, maybe a rejection letter will send me off to my right path.  In the far, distant future i really want to have the opportunity to have my own published book. A sort of tell all on my life because my family has been through a lot, which is not mentioned here, and we have come out of it so much stronger that I really feel like it can help a lot of young teens, that are struggling with their lives, try just a little harder to keep going and know that no matter how many obstacles are thrown in your path, time can really be a savior.