Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day, doing things you enjoy with the people you love; I know I will.

Christmas Time

This Christmas Season has raised my spirits in unexpected ways. First, the return of my brother takes me back to the 'golden day's. He returned home for Thanksgiving, but it just was not the same only having three days to enjoy him being around the house. Secondly, getting out of school for two entire weeks is a much welcomed, much needed break. I've never felt so eager to escape the halls, the teachers, most of the people, and the drama that is South Medford High School.

One thing I'm feeling awfully excited about this year is giving gifts to others. It's ironic that this year I truthfully cannot think of one thing I really want, yet I'm excited at the thought of getting things for others. Perhaps, its the realization that this is my last Christmas where I'll be at home before and after the holidays; I'm not sure. That seems to be my outlook on a lot of things lately. Since I'll be headed off to college next year I tend to look at each thing I do as the last time. I know that may seem weird, but that's just me. If anything its been an encouragement to do more stuff, like going to basketball games, hanging out with different people...that type of stuff.

Either way, I'm looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus with my family and friends, right here in Jacksonville. Maybe even Sunriver too, if I'm lucky.

After my Sun vanished, I thought one glimmer of light shone through the dark tunnel of life, one last person who kept that faith and friendship. Now that light is questionable. Perhaps she's still there, as before, the fog just covers her beam. I messed up, and for that I'm sorry. I am probably getting what I deserve.

College Essay II

Here is another taste of an essay I just wrote for my college application to Stanford University. I am more pleased with this one, as I believe having more words to use helped me to better express myself.

It was early; it was late. For me, a novice member of the South Medford Swim Team, both appeared to be true. Well-known as a time to be trudging through last-minute homework, five in the morning was not a place that I liked visiting…ever. However, when the opportunity presented itself to join my peers at the YMCA for swim practice, I snapped it up. Why? The reason escapes me.

After my first day of waking up to the fire alarm-like sound of my alarm clock at 5 a.m., the glassy waters at the pool quickly cooled me off. The workout exhausted my body, leaving it in a state of disbelief. Swimming, a sport no usually associated with the proverbial “blood, sweat, and tears” of other activities, proved itself a modern example of Darwin’s survival of the fittest. The first practice behind me, and still that question loomed in my mind, “Why are you here?” It takes guts to flail around at the “Y” for two hours, face submerged in water while your muscles attempt to operate with the short supply of oxygen that comes courtesy of only being able to breath every third stroke.
Perhaps that is the reason I subjected myself to such torture every morning for months on end? No, I’m not a masochist! As a competitor, I thrive on the challenge, the discipline, the willpower it takes to finish the race.
With daily practice comes a daily routine, rituals that help my body to function when my brain doesn’t want to get out of bed. During the cold winter months of swim season, nothing is left unscathed in the night by Mother Nature. Changing out of my warm pajamas is only possible after the dryer has tossed my sweats for several minutes, giving them the heat to scare away my chills and shivers. While waiting, I battle several yards from the front door to my car, which is frozen over, and needs to be started. If I don’t die from hypothermia, I am always afraid that heave eyelids will overcome, leaving me vulnerable to falling asleep at the wheel. Before I go, I make sure to tell my parents I love them.
Every day, I dip my foot into the water, as if it might have gotten warmer since I last was there. This remains my biggest challenge each day, making that decision. I stand inches from the edge, knowing I don’t need to stay, knowing that a warm bed and a cuddly puppy await me in my room should I turn around and never come back. Jumping in signals the point of no return. Frigid water encapsulates my flesh, triggering a response to swim, and keep swimming until my body heat rises and I can swim no more. Free will is not a fun thing at a moment like that, but with my goal in mind, I descend into that unforgiving cube.
Besides the exhaustion and lack of sleep, several less talked about side effects are associated with swimming every morning. The main one being the smell. Like chicken marinating in the fridge overnight, a swimmer is left with the pungent odor of chlorine that no soap or body wash can take away. Not only do you reek of it, you sweat it. Any strenuous activity outside of the pool will cause you to perspire chlorine-scented sweat. It doesn’t go away, but the girls sure do. Practice, exhaustion, weird odors, and sore muscles, will it ever stop?
There is no foreseeable future for a person like myself in swimming. The district meet is a showcasing of the top talent in the conference, something I am not. I remain the poster child of swimmers who advocate less revealing swimsuits. Despite my downfalls, I continue in this extreme sport. Being motivated by discipline is a powerful phenomenon that can inspire humans to reach for a goal, no matter its measure.
So what has been my goal? What payoff has given me the willpower to take that chilly plunge each dawn? I see life in holistic terms- I am the essence of my mind, body and spirit. I can now admit that my steely mind of fullness of spirit where hindered at times by my body’s shortcoming, primarily a lack of fitness. By choosing to swim, I have acquired a resource I did not have before, finding more time to pursue my personal fitness goals. I have traded slumber for swimming and the results have been extremely satisfying. Sure, it was a rocky road to travel, but with the right attitude and a strong determination, it is possible to conquer any goal. It is all a matter of believing in oneself.

College Essays

In applying to various colleges, I have been asked to write many essays to give them a better idea of who I am as a person. Here is a short essay I just wrote for my application to Stanford University:

What is meaningful? While one person might propose “meaningful” as a suggestion of success or accomplishment, another might argue “meaningful” is merely something that exists, or has meaning. To me, “meaningful” signifies a person, place, or event that has added value, created purpose, or fashioned character in my life. One such meaningful experience occurred this last June in the impoverished town of Rosarito, Mexico.

After months of fundraising, spiritual preparation, and nearly an 18 hour bus ride later I found myself setting up camp on a plateau in the middle of a desert near Rosarito, Mexico. Nearly 100 other high school-age kids from my church had made the same decision to forgo the comforts of their lives in Southern Oregon to construct eight homes for eight needy families. Through the process of building a home for a Mexican family I encountered a life changing experience. I can’t recall ever working so hard and yet, having so much fun. I discovered that in serving others and giving of myself that I was paid back in riches far greater than material wealth. In doing this mission trip, I accomplished my greatest success in doing something that impacted me deeply, something that will have a long term effect on the lives of others, leaving me with a tremendous sense of self satisfaction that will stay with me for a life time.

Give Blood

For the first time in my life today, I donated blood. We had a blood drive at school, which was organized by a girl for her senior project. And I decided that since I am healthy, and 17 it would be exciting for me to get my blood drawn. After being filled with food and water from the "snack table", filling out paper work, and waiting in my chair for a considerable amount of time, I was lead to a lawn chair type set up, where I was hooked up and taken care of.

I was thoroughly impressed by the simplicity of the whole procedure, and am looking forward to donating my blood as often as possible (something like every 56 days.) This is a great cause, and a very easy process. I walked into the gym this morning, a tad nervous, due to the fact that it was my first time, and I was all alone. It was very much comforting when several friends arrived to go through this fairly painless procedure with me.

Several of the tests given before the actual blood were taken were quite interesting, but all necessary considering the seriousness of where the blood is going. This included filling out a questionnaire with many explicit questions that were more entertaining that they were informational, but it was well worth it. I would encourage anyone reading this to go out and donate your blood as it will prove to be a simple, exciting, and somewhat rewarding experience