Memoir

Spring Break #3

Another passion of mine is the outdoors. Growing up, I've always gone up to the family cabin during the summer and experienced the lakes around where I live.  My family and I have a jet ski, so I've become quite accustomed to using it.  Being out on the lake makes me instantly happy.  There is nothing more refreshing than forgetting the world and just having some fun in the sun.  My cabin is my favorite place in the world.  Watching the sunrise/sunset from my hammock overlooking the lake really draws out peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and the tranquility that separates you from the chaos of life for a little while.  Being together with family is always a plus and everyone seems to be in a happy mood.  Another thing I love about lake life is water sports.  Pulling my friend on tubes and having all the control driving the jet ski is a wonderful feeling.  It's been fun learning how to do barrel rolls on the tubes with my brothers and figuring out how to jump over them or on top of them in the process.  Everyone comes together in mutual love for the freedom that being up north brings.  My grandparents certainly love spending time with all the grandkids, and my mom is able to bake and cook for large groups of people, one of her passions. When night comes, I always look forward to the bonfires out by the lake and roasting s'mores.  Then, I go out on the dock and just lay down looking at the expanse of stars above me that never ends.  It's always fun to see a shooting star or two.  Schoolwork is far from my mind, along with pretty much all other responsibility while I'm at the lake.  It really has helped shaped who I am.  I love being the girl that can back up the trailer to launch the boat and jet skis in a minute flat, while the boys struggle with even backing it up straight.  That will never stop being funny.  I remember when I was of age to drive the jet ski alone, I spent 4 hours at a little coffee shop on main street of a little town up north that had wifi so I could pass my license test online. I wanted to drive so bad, even though my dad had let me drive since I was about 8 with him on the back (oops).   I am so passionate about being out on the lake in the sun and I wish I could live there all year round.

Spring Break #2

Having a good community of people to surround yourself with is important.  I am passionate about centering yourself around friends that will support you, love you, and keep you accountable.  For me, it was extremely important to find good friends that will help me decipher God's will for my life and keep me strong in my relationship with him.  A good community of friends that can do this is one of the ways Gods speaks into your life.  One way is through his word, the other through his church (this community of people-not the actual building), and through his holy spirit.  These friends will help me navigate different seasons of life and depict if certain things are really God's calling for me or tell if it's just my overactive imagination.  So far, I've found the most genuine human beings I've ever known in Chi Alpha, the christian ministry on campus, and I couldn't be happier.  These people will be my friends for life, and they always are critical in helping me see things from God's perspective.  Strengthening these bonds now is important for long-lasting friendships. I've been so blessed in finding these great friends right off the bat my freshman year of college.  God connected me to these people and even provided me a stress-free "finding a place to live" situation.  I knew my housing plans for next year already by October; I will be living with my Chi Alpha friends that God put in my life so quickly.  I don't have to worry about apartment applications, roommates I wont like, etc. That was all taken care of.  I already have a good start on a community of believers around me that walk through life with me that share the same worldview.  That is so important to me and I'm so glad that I have them with me; we can help grow each other's faith and strengthen each other when it gets hard. These friends are constant reminders that I am loved unconditionally by our Father and it's through these relationships that he can communicate with me and bless me in ways I couldn't have ever imagined. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else in my life right now, even though I came so incredibly close to playing softball in college down in South Carolina- completely across the country.  Fortunately my parents and I were lead to choose the place where I belong and I wouldn't have it any other way; I've found my people and the fact that they bring me closer to God and his plan for me each and every day is completely priceless and totally sacred.

Spring break post #1

One thing I am passionate about is softball.  Growing up with this sport, it has become very important to me and has played a part in shaping who I am today.  I've dealt with many different obstacles throughout my time playing the game, and it has grown my patience, competitiveness, athleticism, toughness, and personality just to name a few aspects of my life it's changed.  I've had a lot of bad and plain terrible coaches throughout my experience and this has taught me how to deal with adults who are more immature than I am.  It has also taught me how to show grace in situations that take a lot of strength and willpower to be the bigger person in. I have made tons of friends through this sport as well.  This has grown my personality, being as there are lots of time spent with teammates joking around and having a fun time as well as serious moments that bring everyone closer together.  I have learned so much from being on a team throughout my life, and I'm so glad I was able to learn how to work towards a common goal where I have to rely on others to accomplish it.  I've also learned how to approach difficult situations and trust God with them.  Without experiencing unfairness and challenging decisions, I would never have understood how important it is to trust Him with the direction he is taking my life.  I know I played softball for a reason.  I have the experience I need to mentor younger kids and I am also prepared to handle people such as a bad boss in the real world and in my future workplace.
There are so many skills needed to play this game.  The general public views softball as less important when viewed with baseball.  Yes, baseball is viewed on a much bigger scale professionally, but softball is just as important and young girls everywhere benefit from playing this sport.  Softball is equally as hard as baseball, if not harder.  Softball players hitting against a 60 mph pitcher is about the same as a 110 mph major league baseball player.   Sports Science came out with a video describing how softball is in fact a challenging game involving lots of practice and talent to master.  Introducing an upward-moving pitch that crosses that vertical plane in addition to a curve ball or a screw ball is something that baseball players could never hit.  Jenny Finch recently pitched against Tori Hunter and Albert Pujols, both very good hitters in the major leagues, and they couldn't even come close to touching Finch's pitching.  This just proves that people need to respect the game of fastpitch softball a lot more because it takes the same amount of skill and talent to play as baseball. That is one thing that has always bothered me.

Short Story

Last night, my schedule became conflicted when my sorority required me to be at a finance committee meeting while I was scheduled to work.  Juggling my job while in school with a nursing major and holding an office in a sorority takes a lot of planning and organization.  Yesterday was just one example of when things get jumbled together.  At my work, we have to submit availability requests 2 weeks ahead of time, and I was notified about the finance meeting with less than that time needed for me to request off work.  Nevertheless, i was still expected to attend otherwise I would be fined.  Our financial officer planned this meeting in accordance with having full attendance of members, me included.  I am the Event Director for my sorority, so I am on this committee in order to discuss my plans for our spring formal, and other socials I plan.  The members of this committee meet to discuss each officer's budget. So, I had to overcome this challenge and reach out to my coworkers for help to get the last two hours of my shift covered, but no one was about to.  While at work,  I overcame the scheduling challenge and switched shifts around with the other sellers on the fly.  I worked with my manager to see if the other sellers scheduled would be able to switch some things around.  We managed our team together and figured out a way things could work without me there, and I was able to leave early and still attend my finance committee meeting.  This way, I wasn't fined, and my store still had the required amount of sellers working to maintain wonderful customer service.   I also brought my coworker that switched with me Starbucks to let her know how much I appreciated her being flexible.

Commentary Topic

One topic I am interested in doing a commentary on is the new Deadpool movie.   I think it is interesting for a movie to be geared towards the other end of the the superhero spectrum.  It broke the record for highest grossing R-rated film in North America during on it's opening weekend.   This proves that many people are being drawn to this film and also are responding very positively to it.  The reviews on it are also pretty positive.  It received an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 95% of viewers liked the film.

I think it's pretty cool to see a film about a superhero that's not actually all that good.  I think it would be interesting to follow the reactions to this film.  Ryan Reynolds in this role is an especially talked about topic.  Apparently, his humor is what gives this movie and his character the extra comedic punch it needed.  I myself am not familiar with the X-Men series, and this film is the 8th installment of the film series.  I would have to do more research into the the previous films as well, but I think this topic is all around very popular right now, and would be interesting to find information and opinions on.

Rhetorical Analysis link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM8azoZjI4U

I will be doing a rhetorical analysis of this Super Bowl commercial from 2015.

20 min blog #5

Working retail is quite a commitment.  I have a part-time job at Victoria's Secret/Pink which I started last year.  You have to have a patient mind and happy demeanor your entire shift.  In my job, we get commission, so it's super important to make sure each customer you talk to knows your name.  This way, there is friendly competition within coworkers as well to gain incentive.  It takes teamwork and some sacrifice too because everyone has to share customers equally and determine who's already talked to who, etc. Depending on what your strengths are, your title could be a generalist, a processor, or a seller.  If you're a seller, you are out on the sales floor your whole shift, selling people the items in the store.  You have to be nice, easy to talk to, and make people feel comfortable with you.  If you're a generalist, you would most likely be up at the cash wrap working registers. There, you have to have great customer service skills because you handle many different transactions to handle and things can get complicated.  You're also the last experience a customer has with the store before walking out the door. If you're a processor, you handle all things in the background.  Processors make the store look nice.  They organize all the clothes, switch floor sets around, and other jobs in the back hat keep the store running.  It is always nice to be a seller and be able to call on a processor in the back to check stock for a customer so you can get an answer immediately.  Sometimes, your patience is really tested when you get the crabby Sunday customers.  I don't know why but usually on this day people seem to be more impatient than most.  When someone is extremely rude to you, being an employee and always needing to at your best, you have to just smile and ask if they want anything else.  Dressing rooms get crazy during the busy hours.  "Go back" piles get stacked up and hard to put away because everyone is so busy, and customers are always needing your help for something when you're trying to get someone a room.  Luckily, we all have a walkie talkie system so our team can all communicate with each other to make sure everyone is getting the best service and attention possible.  I love my coworkers and my job, and even though retail is hard work, it's been very rewarding.

20 min blog #4

Last year in March, I went on a spring break trip with my high school band.  We flew across the ocean to Europe, where our destination tour would be through the countries of Poland and Hungary.  This trip was absolutely amazing.  I had the chance to be with a bunch of my best friends having the time of my life in Europe.  I've always had a desire to travel the world, and I am glad I had the opportunity to see these beautiful countries.  We went to Krakow first and got to see their main square market.  We also went on a tour of Auschwitz 1 and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps.  That experience alone was one of a lifetime.  Standing in the watch tower of the famous Birkenau railroad tracks where actual Nazi guards stood was surreal.  So was seeing the barracks and the gas chambers that the Jews suffered with for so long.  The other part that hit home was seeing all the suitcases, glasses, prosthetic limbs, and piles and piles of shoes.  Next on the trip we moved on to a happier note and traveled to Zakopane, Poland.  There we got to climb to the top of a mountain and overlook the beautiful city nestled in the mountains.  It was absolutely stunning.  There we got to have a nice polish meal in with this amazing scenery to go with it.  After that we traveled to Budapest and got to explore the city.  It was so fun venturing off and seeing all the things this other part of the world had to offer.  I was lucky and found that they still make lattes over there.  There were lots of vendors at a cute little Easter market on one of the main streets of Budapest.  While in this city, we also got to take a boat tour on the Danube river and see all the beautiful city lives from the water.  This trip was marvelous exposure for me to open my mind.  I know now that I want to see more of our beautiful world and everything in it.  I was fortunate enough to have the resources to make that trip possible, and I pray that in the future I can expand my knowledge and experience level of other fantastic sights that are out there waiting.  My next adventure may not be with a big group of people with chaperones and an itinerary planned by a tour company, but it will sure be a thrilling highlight of my life.  Traveling is something important to me, and I want to make sure I will have the opportunity to do so when I am older.  Life stuck in one spot seems so dreary to me, and I'm can't wait to see what the future holds for my travels.

20 min writing #3

Self esteem.  It's such a big issue when teens start branching out and becoming independent.  When teenage girls become young adults, we strive for this self image of ourselves that we can be proud of.  I think everywhere there are girls struggling with self esteem issues.  Our society nowadays is constantly telling us we need to be thinner, prettier, shorter, have longer hair, perfect skin, be smart, be perfect.  The big focus is mainly on our outward appearances and what we present to other people.  Most girls that are searching for their identity though, need to start looking inward.  I've realized that outward appearance matter, yes, but not nearly as much as the inside.  I've found that my identity is in Jesus Christ, my father, and that not flesh nor any mortal thought can get in the way of that.  I am made in a perfect image, and for that I need not worry what other people think of me.  I don't care if people don't like my hair, my clothes, my decisions.  No matter what I do I will always have the abounding love of my father shining through me and any mistake I will make.   I desire that other girls searching for their identity stop judging themselves based off of what a boy thinks of them, or what society thinks of them.  We are loved daughters of Christ and we need to start paying attention to worth that's measured in a whole different way.  Society tells us that we aren't good enough.  That's a lie.  We see suicides every day from struggling teens tormented by bullying, or by feeling like they aren't worth it.  It pains me to think that there are people my age all around me that are not content with who they are or what their circumstances may be, and that sometimes it can lead to the taking of their own life.  The pressure to be like by our peers is there.  I feel it every day just like everyone else, but I've also found peace that if someone doesn't like my choices, there is nothing I can do to change that.  And that's not my problem.  I am confident that I am and am becoming everyday exactly who God made me to be.  That's not to say I don't struggle with being content.  I do.  It's just that I am also at peace and trusting that those doubts have no power of me.  They won't last forever, and I can easily escape them.  I hope that someday I can reach girls in their soul searching time of life and deliver them the good news- that no matter what, they are loved.  Our culture needs to stop shaming girls who aren't under 150 pounds, and that love eating pizza and cake.  I hope one day our society can value a person based on what they see when our eyes our closed.

20 min blog #2

This weekend has been very influential in just a few short days.  I came down to Minneapolis with my Christian Ministry, Chi Alpha, for the annual SALT conference.  The hotel were sitting in is very nice, and right now were playing a game that I've never played before.  It's fun making a bunch of new friends and seeing a bunch of college kids coming together for once purpose- to praise God. I've met a lot of cool people, been prayed for, prayed for people, and made stronger connections with friends I already have.  Granted, there have been ups and downs but I really am grateful for everything that's been happening this weekend.  I am so passionate for this campus ministry because of the wonderful things its doing in students lives.  I will also finally get to see my brothers tomorrow since my family lives in the cities, so they will have the opportunity to take me out to lunch.  I'm growing as a person this weekend, and I'm also seeing big changes in the people around me.  Coming to college felt risky and was initially pretty scary.  Chi Alpha was a great outlet for me to find friends that accepted me.  College has been a whirlwind, and I've been through a lot already this first semester.  Fortunately, I wouldn't trade any of my trials.  They've made me a better person.  I am loving being independent.  College is definitely what I was waiting for.   High school was fun and all, but it was tough because I never felt like I was truly fulfilled with my calling in life.  Coming to college and finding this group of friends that will always have my back has opened my eyes to what good friends are, and also what it means to be a good friend.  Sitting here now, just listening to the conversations, makes me so happy.  I've found a home, in Christ, my great community.  My family would be so proud of me and the choices I am making because I am truly striving to love and live for Jesus.  And right now, I couldn't be happier.  I will keep walking in the path God has set for me, just like my brothers did in college.  I want to follow their examples because they have been so successful and I know that they will always be a great influence on me.  I've found who to follow and what to strive for.  This group of friends I've met is the first step to becoming that person I've always wanted to be.

20 Min Blog #1

Bad softball coaches are something I could definitely be an expert in.  Throughout my 14 years of playing softball, I've had two coaches I can confidently say had my best interest at heart, one of them being my own father.  All the others wanted to do was play mind games with young teenage girls at a sensitive time in their life.  I've been through the ringer when it comes to adversity in sports.  Starting when I first started playing fastpitch for my community team, I wanted to start pitching.  I was so excited to start, but I was already being told to give up because the coach's daughter was a pitcher, so I would have to be pretty great in order to get time on the mound.  I didn't care.  I started pitching anyways, and the coach hated that I was just as good as her daughter.  When i was recruited by an elite team,  my community team had a fit when i decided to leave. I started traveling to places all over the country.  The first elite softball program I was in, I was dragged through the mud. I had talent, but I understood I was not the best player in this new elite world.  Although I was not the star of the team, I did deserve to play, to get better, and to grow.  My coaches only had the interest for me to be an insurance player. They would give me bits and pieces of playing time, telling me my time would come.  Then, my family and I would spend all this money to travel around the country just to sit on the bench.  My coach played mind games with me once I did get recognized and became a starter after waiting patiently for my shot.  I think he had little man syndrome.  He wanted to feel powerful, but he wasn't a very tall man so maybe that impacted his ego. Jesus was what I was focusing on when I was constantly overlooked, and played with.  The next elite coach I had was wonderful.  After switching elite programs to a team that was many levels more enjoyable than the first program I was in, I found my softball family.  I had learned many things about the game during my bench time, my waiting time. When I was finally given a chance to thrive and show off my skills, I had so much fun. I finally had a coach that wanted me to grow not only as a softball player, but in my character as a person.  I got three and a half great years of softball.  Throughout that time, I had started being recruited by college coaches.  My high school season came along each spring, along with the coach for it. Throughout my high school softball career, he was rude, played favorites, strung you along, and altogether, I started in maybe 5 games in my 5 years being on Varsity- I was the only one on the team with a college scholarship to play softball.  And he didn't play me.  I am so grateful for this though, because this experience has developed me as a person.  I have a patient character because of it, and I soon became content knowing that not even a coach could get in the way of God's plan for me.  Bench me? So what.  I know I deserved more, but I didn't complain.  I waited, and I set an example for younger kids.  At my senior banquet, my parents and I had a family come up to us afterwards in tears because of how unfairly I was treated.  Everyone else knew it, we knew it, but it didn't change that I was happy about it. I was setting an example for the younger kids that even a big bully coach can't stop me. Jesus is always the answer.  Bad softball coaches have proven that to me, and made me so confident in that.

This is Caroline Meyers, and I am in Mrs. Ruhland's English 120 class at 9 a.m.