My Best Friends

     Ever since I was born, there has been a dog in my life. When I was born, my parents had a pitbull named Molly, then came along a mut named Bergan, then we had a yellow labrador named Hunter, and now we have two yellow labradors named Sandy and Silas, and two yorkies named Ollie and Fred. Dogs have been a huge part of my life. In so many ways they have taught me things like looks can be deceiving, to be loyal to your friends, and trust your instincts.
     As a child, I was never afraid of dogs, but I had a little cousin who was scared to death of my dog, Hunter. She would never get more than 5 feet away from Hunter, and she would run away if he tried to go towards her. Finally, I told her that even though he may look scary to her, he is one of the nicest dogs on earth. She eventually got over her irrational fear of Hunter, and they became very good friends. This taught me that looks can be deceiving. A dog that looks like it would rip you to shreds could, in fact, be the nicest dog on the planet. I took this realization and applied it to how I see people. I try my hardest to not make assumptions based on people's appearances, but that isn't always the easiest thing to do.
     Another thing that my dogs have taught me is to be loyal to your friends. I know for a fact that my dog Sandy would never betray me, except for maybe a Beggin Strip. No matter what happens, Sandy will always love me, and I will always love her. We are best friends, and the time that I have spent with her has taught me that if I want that type of relationship with a human, then I need to start with being loyal. Loyalty is what shows your friends and family that you are there for them whenever and wherever. Because my dog is loyal to me, I can trust her to stay with me when we go places. She is an unchanging figure in my life, and I try my hardest to replicate that in myself when around my friends. When you think you've lost everything, take a good look around, I guarantee your dog will still be there, full of love and admiration.
     Dogs have an uncanny ability to sense that something is wrong. Although there is no scientific evidence supporting dogs can sense danger, or dangerous people more accurately than humans can,  I believe that they can.  Our dogs bark when somebody comes to the door, but when out in public they love the attention that they get from others. It is very out of character for them to growl or raise their hackles at people, so something must be wrong if they are showing these behaviors. They trust their instincts when it comes to others. To cut things short, trust your initial instincts of a situation or person, before you let the mental chatter in your mind tell you you're wrong. Your gut instinct is usually correct.
     Dogs are a huge part of every one's lives.  There's no telling when, where, or why, you will encounter a dog, and subconsciously learn something from them. A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, once said "Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem." If your dog bristles when a certain someone comes around, why not listen?

What Made Me

     From third grade until present, I have been crazy about one thing. That one thing that involves blood, dirt, wounds, and picking yourself up when others need you. Softball has always been the one thing I know will never let me down. Whether I am playing or coaching I feel as if this is the place I was born to be, and this is the place I will stay forever.

     When I started playing softball I didn't learn how to throw a ball correctly; I learned how to execute plays with precision, and no hesitation. The throwing the ball part was already known. Also, I look for and find opportunities where others see nothing. Fans in the stand don't see that twitch in the foot of the runner on first base before she steals; I do. Part of being a softball player means that I am solution focused.  When my team is down by 4 in the top of the sixth, we find out exactly what we need to do in order for us to score enough points to get the win. Instead of focusing on the problem at hand, I find a solution to remedy the problem. 

     Equally as important as being alert, and willing, being a softball player has taught me to be ambitious. I want amazing - and why shouldn't I? Softballs constantly choose to live the best life they can, instead of watching it coast by. Players don't practice and go through drills on auto pilot. I choose to play my best every day, every rep, every play, down to every single throw. Why? Because to a softball player the game is everything; it's now or never, and don't let your team down. Along with ambitious, we as softball players have clarity about what we want. We visualize and formulate our best reality while others are mere spectators of life. 

     With everything that I do in softball, I carry it over to my day to day life. I use my ability to execute tasks with precision to not waste time on things that won't get me where I need to go. I use my ability to seek opportunities to further my education, and experiences through out my life. I use my ability to be ambitious, and find clarity to hunt for what I need to expand my horizons, and find where I should be. Softball is what made me who I am today. 

My softball team after we won the championship game last season. 

Spring Break is so close!!!!!

   

It's officially down to 18 days, 5 hours, and 20 or so minutes until Spring Break. I've never gone anywhere during Spring Break in my whole life, but this year my best friend, Kenna, and I are going to Arizona. (My mother, and my little brother will be joining us as well) My grandmother, and her boyfriend live in Arizona during the winters, because she's old, and I guess old people despise the chilly weather here in Colorado. Anyways, while we are in Arizona we have a full schedule that includes, baseball AND softball games, as well as a college visit in Flagstaff.
     Softball - to me - is the greatest sport ever invented, and one of my all time favorite college teams are the Arizona State University Sun Devils. I can sit and watch softball, just as much as I can play it. ( I also assistant coach a rec team where I live) So, my mother was gracious enough to buy tickets to go see them play, because it's within a reachable distance from my Grandma's house. I get jittery even thinking about it.
     Also going on in Arizona this time of the year is Spring Training for the Major League Baseball players. Even though it isn't softball, I still love baseball. I tried to get my mom to take me to a Red Sox spring training, but they practice in Florida, so I settled for a different game to watch. Being Colorado natives, we decided to go see the Royals and the Rockies play. Last time I saw the Rockies play was Todd Helton's last game, and they got smoked by the Red Sox. WHOOT WHOOT! It'll still be a good game.
     My mom and I found a college in Arizona that has an adequate engineering program. Now, I hate the heat, so at first I told my mom I didn't want to go to Arizona for college, but Northern Arizona University is in Flagstaff, Arizona. Flagstaff is about 7,000 feet in elevation, which is comparable to Colorado. This means I'm not going to die of heat stroke every time I walk outside. So, while we are down in Arizona we set up a tour at NAU to see if it is a college that I would be interested in going to. They also have ROTC (Reserve Officer's Training Corps) at NAU, which is something that I am very interested in doing. We will be able to look at that program when we are there too.
     An interesting place that was recommended to us was a place called the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium. It's in Litchfield Park, Arizona, and it has a zoo, aquarium, and a safari ride all in one place. Now, ever since I was a child, I've been an avid Animal Planet watcher. So much so, that I'm pretty sure that I've seen every single episode of The Crocodile Hunter. I love animals, and learning new things about animals, and discovering new kinds of animals, so a zoo, aquarium, and safari is just the right place for me. My mom also found out that you even get to feed the giraffes!
     Although the drive is about nine and a half hours, on our way back we are going to swing through Grand Canyon National Park so that we can see the Grand Canyon for the first time. It'll only add about an hour or two to our drive time, but it's well worth it. It's one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, if you had the opportunity, wouldn't you want to see it?
   
   

The Redneck in Me

     Food. Literally. It's the fruit of life, at least mine anyways. My mother and I are food addicts. We are constantly searching for different recipes to try, and experimenting with different ingredients. Well, my dad is a hunter, and this year we put an elk in the freezer, so we have an over abundance of elk meet to use. My mom and I aren't too keen on elk meet, but we have been good about replacing beef with it, and we have found some delicious meals to use it in.

     The elk steak wouldn't be my first choice. The processor gave us, tenderloin, steaks, ground elk, and 3 different kinds of sausage: black pepper, country, and italian.  The sausage is the best out of all of it. Maybe I'm just a sausage kind of girl, but I always tend to pick the sausage 99% of the time, when given the choice.
     With our elk we substitute it into hamburger helper, put it into gravy for biscuits and gravy, make elk burgers ( or elk sliders), and the country sausage is perfect for breakfast sausage patties. At first, I was a little weary of the elk, thinking that it would be too gamey, or just not taste good, but over all I give it a two thumbs up.