The first trailer for the new reboot of Spider-Man was released earlier this week and the internet has been loosing it's mind ever since. Many people are excited to see "Spider-Man: Homecoming," but there are many who are tired of the reboots, this being the third version of the web-slinging hero.
This new installment stars 20-year-old actor, Tom Holland as Spider-Man. He differs from the former Spider-Man actors because he is closer to Peter Parker's age. Toby McGuire was 27 years old when he got the role of the high school superhero and Andrew Garfield was 29 years old. Some think that the age similarity may make him the best Spider-Man yet. Also, Holland has already impressed critics and fans with is small appearance in "Captain America: Civil War," because of his ability to compete alongside the other Marvel heroes.
With that, why do people care so much about superheroes? David Wright, a writer for ABC News, said that people look to superheroes to "tackle problems that are too tough for mere mortals to handle." Alex Wilgus said superheroes are "colorful incarnations of the human soul," tackling the issues of humanity.
These heroes help us escape from our reality and jump into a false reality where people have super powers and the ability to save humankind from evil. Along with that, the heroes all have the perfect bodies, capable of picking up cars punching through walls.
These bodies depicting superheroes, people that young boys want to be, has had a negative effect on males. A McCreary Centre Society study found that 31 percent of healthy weight boys in Grades 7 to 12 were trying to gain weight. Not just young boys are looking to gain weight, older males have looked to protein powders and sports supplements to get the muscles like a superhero. A study in August 2015 found that only four percent of men are happy with their physique and 85 percent had been on a diet to attempt to achieve their ideal body.
Society has become so obsessed with having the perfect bodies, which had led to the rise of plastic surgery and body building and the decrease of health self-esteem.
So, do we care about superheroes and their bodies? It is clear that we, as a society, do because we are allowing their unrealistic bodies to be a comparison to our own.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Do We Care: Internet Challenges and their effects
The newest internet craze has everyone frozen in their tracks. The Mannequin Challenge, the internet's newest video challenge, features groups of people standing still while someone walks around recording the whole thing. Who would have thought something that simple would explode on the internet.
The challenge comes from a group of students from Edward H. White High School in Jacksonville, Florida who came up with the idea in class one day. One girl froze in front of the class and another said that she looked like a mannequin. Other students liked the idea and joined in and then someone recorded the finished result and posted it to Twitter. Next thing they knew students around the country were taking on the challenge.
The challenge really took off when sports teams and celebrities decided to join in. people like the New York Giants, Hillary Clinton, the FLOTUS with the Cleveland Cavilers, and Taylor Swift have accepted the challenge. The BYU gymnastics team also took the challenge, racking up more than 7.5 million views so far and landing a feature on ESPN.
The Mannequin Challenge is not the first internet challenge to take over the internet. There have been many other challenges that celebrities and every day people have gotten involved in, but why?
Peer pressure is a major factor that keeps these challenges trending, particularly for teenagers. Laurence Steinberg, a researcher at Temple University in Philadelphia found that "teenagers are drawn to immediate rewards of a potential choice and are less attentive to the possible risks." He also found that because teens are still learning to control their impulses, they have a harder time resisting pressure from others.
With that, many internet challenges of the past have proved to be dangerous to people's health. For instance, the Hot Pepper Challenge has sent people to the hospital and the Cinnamon Challenge can lead to choking or even vomiting, yet teens are more than willing to complete the challenge just to be accepted and respected by their peers.
Not all challenges have lead to harm. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which was started to create more widespread awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), challenged millions of people to pour a bucket of ice water on themselves or donate to the ALS Association. Millions of dollars were raised for the association and made for entertaining videos of your friends and favorite celebrities pouring freezing water on themselves.
So, do we care about internet challenges? It is clear that we as a society do because they are entertaining and because our friends and favorite public figures are "challenging" us to join in.
The challenge comes from a group of students from Edward H. White High School in Jacksonville, Florida who came up with the idea in class one day. One girl froze in front of the class and another said that she looked like a mannequin. Other students liked the idea and joined in and then someone recorded the finished result and posted it to Twitter. Next thing they knew students around the country were taking on the challenge.
The challenge really took off when sports teams and celebrities decided to join in. people like the New York Giants, Hillary Clinton, the FLOTUS with the Cleveland Cavilers, and Taylor Swift have accepted the challenge. The BYU gymnastics team also took the challenge, racking up more than 7.5 million views so far and landing a feature on ESPN.
The Mannequin Challenge is not the first internet challenge to take over the internet. There have been many other challenges that celebrities and every day people have gotten involved in, but why?
Peer pressure is a major factor that keeps these challenges trending, particularly for teenagers. Laurence Steinberg, a researcher at Temple University in Philadelphia found that "teenagers are drawn to immediate rewards of a potential choice and are less attentive to the possible risks." He also found that because teens are still learning to control their impulses, they have a harder time resisting pressure from others.
With that, many internet challenges of the past have proved to be dangerous to people's health. For instance, the Hot Pepper Challenge has sent people to the hospital and the Cinnamon Challenge can lead to choking or even vomiting, yet teens are more than willing to complete the challenge just to be accepted and respected by their peers.
Not all challenges have lead to harm. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which was started to create more widespread awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), challenged millions of people to pour a bucket of ice water on themselves or donate to the ALS Association. Millions of dollars were raised for the association and made for entertaining videos of your friends and favorite celebrities pouring freezing water on themselves.
So, do we care about internet challenges? It is clear that we as a society do because they are entertaining and because our friends and favorite public figures are "challenging" us to join in.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Do We Care: Kardashians, social media and plastic surgery
Someone in the Kardashian-Jenner family is in the headlines every day. Last month's headlines were about Kim getting robbed in Paris. Last week they were about Kim's husband Kayne West cancelling his tour and checking into the hospital. Today they are about Kim and Kayne's marital problems. Why is the media so concerned with this family and their personal lives? What is so special about them?
"Keeping up with the Kardashians" has been on television since 2007 and over 2 million people tune in each week to see what the famous family is up to. The family has also taken over social media. Kim has 88.2 million followers on Instagram with younger sister, Kylie Jenner is close behind her with 80 million. Kylie is also the most followed person on Snapchat. They willingness to flaunt their bodies for all to see is what keeps the media talking and their population of fans to grow.
The Kardashians put a lot of emphasis on their appearance. Most of them have fended off rumors of plastic surgery, saying their extreme hourglass figures are all natural. Many of their followers are younger females who care about appearance. Even though the Kardashians say they haven't gotten any plastic surgery, plastic surgery is on the rise.
In 2015, minimally-invasive and surgical cosmetic procedures increased by 2 percent since 2014. While procedures like face lifts and breast augmentation went down, buttock lifts and transplants were up 36 percent. There is no direct correlation between the Kardashians and the increase in those procedures, but it is interesting to note that their fans want to look like the big booty sisters with tiny waists.
Utah has one of the highest rates of plastic surgery. Salt Lake City was named the "vainest" city in America back in 2007 due to the large amount of plastic surgeons in the area. In 2010, Utah had the eighth-highest number of of plastic surgeons per capita. Many Utah women are going under the knife to get "mommy makeovers," as do many women in Hollywood, to get their pre-baby body back.
Teenagers are even jumping on the plastic surgery train. In 2014, 64,000 cosmetic surgery patients in 2014 were 13-19 years old. Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, CEO of BeverlyHillsBody told PEOPLE in 2015 "This is directly related to surgery of the stars of the their reality shows, and the acceptance of cosmetic procedures on social media."
While there is no solid proof or direct correlation, but plastic surgery rates keep rising. So, back to the main question of do we care? People like the Kardashians and social media influencers could possibly influence us to change our minds without even trying.
"Keeping up with the Kardashians" has been on television since 2007 and over 2 million people tune in each week to see what the famous family is up to. The family has also taken over social media. Kim has 88.2 million followers on Instagram with younger sister, Kylie Jenner is close behind her with 80 million. Kylie is also the most followed person on Snapchat. They willingness to flaunt their bodies for all to see is what keeps the media talking and their population of fans to grow.
The Kardashians put a lot of emphasis on their appearance. Most of them have fended off rumors of plastic surgery, saying their extreme hourglass figures are all natural. Many of their followers are younger females who care about appearance. Even though the Kardashians say they haven't gotten any plastic surgery, plastic surgery is on the rise.
In 2015, minimally-invasive and surgical cosmetic procedures increased by 2 percent since 2014. While procedures like face lifts and breast augmentation went down, buttock lifts and transplants were up 36 percent. There is no direct correlation between the Kardashians and the increase in those procedures, but it is interesting to note that their fans want to look like the big booty sisters with tiny waists.
Utah has one of the highest rates of plastic surgery. Salt Lake City was named the "vainest" city in America back in 2007 due to the large amount of plastic surgeons in the area. In 2010, Utah had the eighth-highest number of of plastic surgeons per capita. Many Utah women are going under the knife to get "mommy makeovers," as do many women in Hollywood, to get their pre-baby body back.
Teenagers are even jumping on the plastic surgery train. In 2014, 64,000 cosmetic surgery patients in 2014 were 13-19 years old. Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, CEO of BeverlyHillsBody told PEOPLE in 2015 "This is directly related to surgery of the stars of the their reality shows, and the acceptance of cosmetic procedures on social media."
While there is no solid proof or direct correlation, but plastic surgery rates keep rising. So, back to the main question of do we care? People like the Kardashians and social media influencers could possibly influence us to change our minds without even trying.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Do We care: Celebrities and elections
It has been over a week since Donald Trump won the election and became the new president-elect. The news of his victory has left millions devastated and fearful for the future. Many celebrities were among the millions mourning Hillary Clinton's loss. Celebrities have taken political stands for this during this election in the past couple years, but why do people care about who Taylor Swift or Tom Brady voted for?
Celebrities endorsing presidential candidates is nothing new, but with the rise of social media, this past election brought more to these public figures' opinions into the spotlight. The number of stars backing Hillary greatly outweighed the number backing Trump, yet Trump took home the win. This made people question whether celebrity endorsements make any difference in elections.
Stars think they have a huge influence on the general public and while they are seen by many, their political stands do not necessarily cause people to change their own political views.
People like Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Anne Hathaway also visited college campuses encouraging students to vote. Millennials are known to be a celebrity and social media obsessed generation, so campaigning to them was a smart tactic, but it did not have much of an effect on voter turnout.
55 percent of millennials (18-29 year olds) voted for Clinton and 37 percent voted for Trump and republican voter turnout in this age group was the fourth-lowest turnout since 1972. Even with that, voter turnout in states Trump won were, on average, unchanged, but in states where Clinton won, turnout dropped by an average of 2.3 percentage points.
In Utah, despite pushing for the millennial vote, Evan McMullin, who was ahead in the polls the week of the election, Trump still won the state. Maybe McMullin would have won Utah with a few celebrities on his side, but there is no way to tell.
So, back to the question: Do we care about celebrities involved in elections? The answer is inconclusive because there is no real proof celebrity endorsements have any effect on voters.
Celebrities endorsing presidential candidates is nothing new, but with the rise of social media, this past election brought more to these public figures' opinions into the spotlight. The number of stars backing Hillary greatly outweighed the number backing Trump, yet Trump took home the win. This made people question whether celebrity endorsements make any difference in elections.
Stars think they have a huge influence on the general public and while they are seen by many, their political stands do not necessarily cause people to change their own political views.
People like Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Anne Hathaway also visited college campuses encouraging students to vote. Millennials are known to be a celebrity and social media obsessed generation, so campaigning to them was a smart tactic, but it did not have much of an effect on voter turnout.
55 percent of millennials (18-29 year olds) voted for Clinton and 37 percent voted for Trump and republican voter turnout in this age group was the fourth-lowest turnout since 1972. Even with that, voter turnout in states Trump won were, on average, unchanged, but in states where Clinton won, turnout dropped by an average of 2.3 percentage points.
In Utah, despite pushing for the millennial vote, Evan McMullin, who was ahead in the polls the week of the election, Trump still won the state. Maybe McMullin would have won Utah with a few celebrities on his side, but there is no way to tell.
So, back to the question: Do we care about celebrities involved in elections? The answer is inconclusive because there is no real proof celebrity endorsements have any effect on voters.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Behind
Social media is a double edge sword. It allows us to stay connected with friends and family no matter where we are, but it also allows us to compare ourselves to others. I find myself comparing my life to my friends' more often than I should. It is hard to look at what others are doing and not wonder why you aren't doing the same things.
I graduated high school four years ago, which means I could be graduating college right now. Many of my friends are graduated this past weekend and are moving on to bigger and better things, while I am sitting in my apartment writing this when I should be writing an article that is due before next class. As I saw everyone posting pictures at graduation, I began to think why that wasn't me. Why am I not graduating right now? Why am I behind? Why is my life a mess when everyone else seems to have theirs together?
While I was wallowing in my hole of self-pity, I snapped myself back to reality. Just because someone looks like they have their life together, doesn't mean they do. Sure, I may not have graduated this weekend, but I will in a year and a half. I may be behind, but it's because I chose to transfer schools rather than go to a university I didn't love for four years. My life may be a bit of a mess, but I still have time to figure things out before I get thrown into the real world. My original life plan may be shot to pieces, but I know I am right where I am supposed to be. I am Madeline and I can't and don't want to be anyone else. (I mean, I actually wouldn't mind being Taylor Swift...)
We have to stop comparing ourselves to others. None of us are the same. We all move through life in different ways and at different paces. We all look different and have different personalities, so we should celebrate those differences! Find what makes you extra special because there is something special about everyone. Be happy with where and who you are because the only life you can live is your own. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured, so love YOUR life and be the best YOU you can possibly be. I promise, it's better than watching others live their lives on Instagram or Facebook. ;)
-M. Philly
I graduated high school four years ago, which means I could be graduating college right now. Many of my friends are graduated this past weekend and are moving on to bigger and better things, while I am sitting in my apartment writing this when I should be writing an article that is due before next class. As I saw everyone posting pictures at graduation, I began to think why that wasn't me. Why am I not graduating right now? Why am I behind? Why is my life a mess when everyone else seems to have theirs together?
While I was wallowing in my hole of self-pity, I snapped myself back to reality. Just because someone looks like they have their life together, doesn't mean they do. Sure, I may not have graduated this weekend, but I will in a year and a half. I may be behind, but it's because I chose to transfer schools rather than go to a university I didn't love for four years. My life may be a bit of a mess, but I still have time to figure things out before I get thrown into the real world. My original life plan may be shot to pieces, but I know I am right where I am supposed to be. I am Madeline and I can't and don't want to be anyone else. (I mean, I actually wouldn't mind being Taylor Swift...)
We have to stop comparing ourselves to others. None of us are the same. We all move through life in different ways and at different paces. We all look different and have different personalities, so we should celebrate those differences! Find what makes you extra special because there is something special about everyone. Be happy with where and who you are because the only life you can live is your own. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured, so love YOUR life and be the best YOU you can possibly be. I promise, it's better than watching others live their lives on Instagram or Facebook. ;)
-M. Philly
Monday, February 22, 2016
SnapMap
For all those who have Instagram, I am sure you are aware that you can put a location on your photos. Sometimes it can be creepy, but sometimes it can be really cool. In one of my classes, we did a little assignment where we had to take at least 10 pictures that had a common theme and post them on Instagram with a location attached to them. I am working on an article about movies and ratings, so I decided to stick with the theme of movies. I found different places to buy and watch movies and where to get snacks for cheap. With SnapMap, I am able to see where each place I took a photo is. It's pretty cool actually. If you want to know the scoop when it comes to movies in Provo/Orem, check out my SnapMap!!
-M. Philly
Friday, February 12, 2016
21, fun, and single for Valentine's Day?!
With Valentine's Day coming up this
weekend, I have heard some of my single friends call it Single's
Awareness Day. At this point in my life, I think it's funny that us
single people still complain about being single. Here is the thing...
I like being single.
As I was walking to work this morning,
I was thinking about if I had made different decisions then I would
in a very different place right now. I had the thought that I would
be miserable if I were married right now. Don't get me wrong,
marriage is a wonderful, amazing thing, but I would not want to be
married right now. I mean, I'm only 21!!
I have been single for most of my life
and I have accepted that and learned to love my singleness. Sure,
there are days where I feel alone and wish there was “someone
special” in my life, but then I fill that void with friends,
family, and Netflix.
Being single has allowed me to do
things I could have never done if I had been tied down to a man. I've
traveled with my best friends. I've made tons of friends. I've
flirted with lots of guys. I've tried new things. I've had the
freedom to do what I want, when I want. I've learned to appreciate my
alone time. I've become more independent.
What I am trying to say is, being
single can be really awesome if you allow yourself to focus on what
you do have and not what you don't have. I know I will find a husband
one day in the near or distant future, but for now, I am going to
enjoy life being single and 21!
For all you ladies out there, happy
Galentine's Day. Be like Leslie Knope and enjoy it with your favorite
gals.
(I guess you could call Palentine's day
for all the guys to enjoy it with their pals!)
-M. Philly
Monday, January 18, 2016
MY 2016 Grammy Predictions
If you really know me, you know that award season is one of my favorite times of the year, so I thought I'd look to the next big awards show, the Grammys. I love music and I pay attention to the charts to see what's new and trending, so I feel I have a pretty good knowledge of the popular music industry. With that, I thought I would share some of my knowledge regarding this years Grammys by talking about my favorites and predictions for the four main awards.
First of all, the Grammys are voted on by members of the Recording Academy. They are legit music people who are experts on music. I am a bit more biased than they are, so my predictions may not be the most accurate, but I will try to keep my personal tastes to myself.
1. Record of the Year
(This award recognizes the performance of the artist along with the producer, engineers, and mixers.)
Really Love - D'Angelo and the Vanguard
Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Blank Space - Taylor Swift
Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd
All of these songs, except "Really Love" have lived on the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart and have had a massive amount of radio play. I believe it will come down to "Uptown Funk," "Blank Space," and "Can't Feel My Face" because all three have fairly big production elements and have spent more than one week at number one. Because I am a Taylor lover, I'd love to see her win, but I think it will ultimately go to "Uptown Funk." It spent 14 weeks at number one and the music video has over a billion views on YouTube. Not to mention, it's got an old school vibe and a killer horn section and who can resist a good horn section? I know I can't.
2. Album of the Year
Sound and Color - Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
Traveller - Chris Stapleton
1989 - Taylor Swift
Beauty Behind the Madness - The Weeknd
I have two words for this category: Taylor Swift. I am pretty confident that Taylor is going to take this one home. First of all, 1989 was the only album in 2014 to sell a million copies. Second of all, it is a sonically cohesive piece of pop beauty that critics loved. Also, she had a lot of big names help with this album, including Max Martin, Imogen Heap, Ryan Tedder, and Jack Antonoff. Additionally, she has dominated the world in the last year and a half with her chart topping singles, her letter to Apple Music, and her "squad" taking over the internet, so I would be surprised to see anyone else take this award, even though Kendrick and the Weeknd both had hugely successful albums and years.
3. Song of the Year
(This one recognizes the songwriters.)
Alright - Kendrick Lamar
Blank Space - Taylor Swift
Girl Crush - Little Big Town
See You Again - Wiz Kahlifa feat Charlie Puth
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
This isn't an easy one to predict. "Blank Space" is full of smart and witty one liners, but "Thinking Out Loud" is a beautiful love anthem the all the world swooned over. Country artists usually don't take this award, so I can't really see "Girl Crush" taking this one. Kendrick has been really seen by the Grammys this year, getting the most nominations, so he could be big contender for this one, although I'm not a huge fan of this song in particular. When it comes down to it, I think "See You Again" will take this one because it has been another huge song in the last year with decent lyrics. Also, it is in memory of Paul Walker, so I feel like that will put it over the edge and no one can really be mad if it wins.
4. Best New Artist
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor
Honestly, I would love to see Taylor Swift take over the Grammys, but my dreams don't always come true. If you want to check out all the other nominations, go to GRAMMY.com. Tune into the show February 15 at 8/7c on CBS to see how accurate my predictions are.
-M. Philly
First of all, the Grammys are voted on by members of the Recording Academy. They are legit music people who are experts on music. I am a bit more biased than they are, so my predictions may not be the most accurate, but I will try to keep my personal tastes to myself.
1. Record of the Year
(This award recognizes the performance of the artist along with the producer, engineers, and mixers.)
Really Love - D'Angelo and the Vanguard
Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Blank Space - Taylor Swift
Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd
2. Album of the Year
Sound and Color - Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
Traveller - Chris Stapleton
1989 - Taylor Swift
Beauty Behind the Madness - The Weeknd
I have two words for this category: Taylor Swift. I am pretty confident that Taylor is going to take this one home. First of all, 1989 was the only album in 2014 to sell a million copies. Second of all, it is a sonically cohesive piece of pop beauty that critics loved. Also, she had a lot of big names help with this album, including Max Martin, Imogen Heap, Ryan Tedder, and Jack Antonoff. Additionally, she has dominated the world in the last year and a half with her chart topping singles, her letter to Apple Music, and her "squad" taking over the internet, so I would be surprised to see anyone else take this award, even though Kendrick and the Weeknd both had hugely successful albums and years.3. Song of the Year
(This one recognizes the songwriters.)
Alright - Kendrick Lamar
Blank Space - Taylor Swift
Girl Crush - Little Big Town
See You Again - Wiz Kahlifa feat Charlie Puth
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
4. Best New Artist
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor
I am really happy with these nominees this year. Courtney Barnett isn't very well known, but the Grammys like the underdogs. (Remember Esperanza Spalding? Me either, but she won this award back in 2011, beating out Justin Bieber, Drake, Mumford and Sons, and Florence and the Machine) Even as the underdog, I don't think she has a great chance of winning. James Bay has put out some amazing music this year and has had a decent amount of radio play, but not enough to make a huge deal about. Sam Hunt, who I like to call the male T.Swift of Country music, is a big contender. He has done very well this past year. Because his music is more of a crossover or pop and country, he is loved by country and pop lovers alike. I hate country, but I love Sam Hunt. Meghan Trainor is probably the most successful out of all the nominees. I think she is the only one to have a single hit number one on Billboard's Hot 100, but I feel like she hit her stride back in 2014 when "All About That Bass" was released. To me, she isn't a new artist. Tori Kelly, I believe, has the most talent in this group and I'm not just saying that because she is one of my favorites. She wrote and produced her own music and still continues to do so. She has slowly become more well known and her heavenly voice has landed her on the BET awards paying tribute to THE Smokey Robinson and she won the Breakthrough Award at the 2015 Billboard's Women in Music Awards. Even with that, I think Meghan Trainor will be victorious because of her popularity at this point in the game. (My fingers are still crossed for Tori.)
Honestly, I would love to see Taylor Swift take over the Grammys, but my dreams don't always come true. If you want to check out all the other nominations, go to GRAMMY.com. Tune into the show February 15 at 8/7c on CBS to see how accurate my predictions are.
-M. Philly
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Gone to Carolina in my mind
A week ago, I was walking home from the bookstore when I got a text from my best friend saying her father had passed away. I've never had my heart broken, but I'm guessing it feels a lot like I felt when I read that text. I honestly didn't know what to do. The thing is, there wasn't much I could do because I was 2000 miles away. I sat in my room for a while and just cried, after I called my dad asking what I should do. All I wanted in that moment was to be home. All I wanted was to be there with her, but I couldn't. I don't think I've ever felt that kind of heartache before. I've never had such a longing for home even though I was just there two days before. I kept thinking of her and her family and how heartbroken they must have been and how difficult the coming days would be. It made me so sad because I knew they were hurting, but her whole family is so strong and amazing. I kept thinking of how much I admire their strength and how they have handled her dad being sick for so long. I thought of all the good times we had had with her dad, whether it was at the beach or just at her house. He was such a great man, who was always smiling and happy to see everyone. I tried to put myself in her shoes, but I couldn't even imagine the pain she was going through. I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to be there and how much it saddened me that I couldn't be. Thankfully, my dad was so quick to be there for her and her family. I would not have been able to feel any peace if it wasn't for him going to see her family, going to all the services, and calling me everyday to make sure I was okay and to keep me updated. I felt my love for him grow so much, which I didn't know it could grow anymore. I appreciate him more than ever before and I am so thankful to have him. Having him be so great and this whole experience got me thinking about things. I had prayed for a long time that when this time came, I would be home so I could be there for her, but God has a way of showing us he is the ruler of time. You never know how much time you are going to have left with your friends and family. You never know what is going to happen when you leave home, so you have to make sure you are spending the time that you have in the best ways possible. During Christmas break, I wish I had spent more time with my best friend. I wish I would have snuggled my nephews a little more. I wish I would have cracked more pecans to make mom and dad's lives easier. I wish I would have taken more time to look outside myself. As I was thinking about this I just decided that it was time to stop being so lazy and to start being a better me. I want to be a better friend, sister, daughter, student, follower of Christ, and person in general. I can't waste anymore time just sitting around. I've got to work as hard as I can to be better than I am right now because you never know what God is going to throw your way.
It's been said many times that the Lord only gives you what you can handle. I know that Erin and her family are so much stronger than I am because they have been given so many trials, but they always handle them with a good, positive attitude. I admire them so extremely much because they are simply amazing. I still desperately wish I could be there just to give a hug or a smile, but I guess the Lord knew I was supposed to be here. Everything happens for a reason. For some reason, I met a super quiet girl in Kindergarten who has been my BEST friend, my partner in crime, and one of my favorite people ever since. My life wouldn't be the same without her and her wonderful family and I cannot thank God enough for putting them in my life. I love them and my heart has been with them all week, even though I couldn't there.
It's been said many times that the Lord only gives you what you can handle. I know that Erin and her family are so much stronger than I am because they have been given so many trials, but they always handle them with a good, positive attitude. I admire them so extremely much because they are simply amazing. I still desperately wish I could be there just to give a hug or a smile, but I guess the Lord knew I was supposed to be here. Everything happens for a reason. For some reason, I met a super quiet girl in Kindergarten who has been my BEST friend, my partner in crime, and one of my favorite people ever since. My life wouldn't be the same without her and her wonderful family and I cannot thank God enough for putting them in my life. I love them and my heart has been with them all week, even though I couldn't there.
-Madeline
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