Tag: life

  • It’s Been a Bit

    It's Been a Bit. This picture is from my white coat ceremony!

    Helloooooo! It’s good to be back! I apologize for the long hiatus, but my first semester of dental school had me pretty preoccupied. So yes, it has been a bit! So let’s catch up then shall we?!

    Let’s talk about my first semester of dental school! 19.5 credits flew by and things went well! Could there be improvement? Absolutely. And I plan to do even better this upcoming semester. But, I enjoyed it! I did very well in my wax lab and enjoyed getting to further develop my fine-motor skills. I took quite a few very basic level science classes again which were fine, but I am very excited to move away from talking about the mitochondria (which is the powerhouse of the cell by the way). My anatomy class was by far my favorite class this semester though. I’ve always enjoyed anatomy and it was good to review and dig deeper!

    Outside of school, life has been pretty good. A while ago, I may have discussed that I was dealing with SIBO, and that is now cleared up for good (we hope!!). I am continuing to navigate this gluten-free, dairy-free life, and I’m enjoying that quite a bit actually! I’m feeling good and eating good food for sure. We actually started making gluten-free, dairy-free pizzas at home because I was really missing pizza more recently and I think it was a huge success. If anyone is wanting recipes, let me know!

    While I’m on break from school, I PROMISE to be more active here again. Yes, it has been a bit, but I plan to be gone less in the months to come. I have some pretty fun things planned for the blog this upcoming year and I hope to continue providing you with good things to read if you’re all up for it. Next on my agenda is to relax and rest up, enjoy Christmas, and ring in 2023!

    I’ll see you all next weekend. Much love! ❤️

  • Where I’ve Been

    Hello hello! I’m baaaaack! Sorry for the impromptu hiatus. The past month or so, I just feel like I haven’t had much to post about and I haven’t felt as motivated to create content for you all so I just didn’t post. So here’s a bit on where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to since we all last talked. 🥰

    The past month or so I’ve been doing a lot of prepping for dental school. That includes getting a new MacBook and iPad, filling out a bunch of forms, and just making sure I have all the various, fun things I need!

    I’ve been working out a lot and enjoying all of that too. Recently enough, I attempted a bench press PR of 105 pounds and it wasn’t too bad. I just need to work on my depth at that weight and I’ll more confidently say that I can bench 105. Proud of the progress I’ve made there though!!

    I’m nannying until school starts and that has been a blast. Kids are a lot of fun, in my opinion. 😊 And while I haven’t done much traveling since my Florida trip earlier this year, I am looking forward to a weekend in Colorado Springs coming up! I’ll share more after that fun little getaway.

    So that’s a bit on where I’ve been! Again, sorry for disappearing for a bit, but a break every once in a while is important. As far as what my schedule for posting will be like for the future, let’s get back to the weekly Sunday posts. I think we can start that up again. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and I’ll see you next weekend! ❤️

    Where I've Been
  • Adulting is Hard

    adulting
    Photo courtesy of Echo Magazine

    This semester I’ve learned a lot of things, but one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that adulting is hard, or at least whatever it is that I’m doing seems like adulting and it’s a lot.

    Living in the dorms the past two years, I didn’t have to worry too much about preparing my food. Most of the time, I would get something from one of our dining halls or their express shops or I would pop something in the microwave and voila, my food would be ready. This year, things are a bit different. I have a kitchen! I’m very happy to be able to make food for myself but it has been an interesting balance trying to make sure I still get all of my school work done and then also cooking and making something decent for myself to eat. I’ve enjoyed being able to use my kitchen though for the most part. Very thankful for it as well. 🙂

    When I lived in the dorms and even living at home, chores have always been a thing. Cleaning up after myself has always been a thing. I would consider myself a pretty clean person but I never realized how much responsibility comes with having a space to yourself like my apartment until I’ve had to take care of it. Vacuuming and cleaning the floors are a regular part of my weeks. Cleaning my mirrors and wiping down countertops, tables, and my decorative table are also things I have to keep up with. Dishes, laundry, the lists go on and on and on. I may sound like I complain when I say these things and sometimes I do complain that there’s so much to do and only one person to do it. But I’ve also learned that I appreciate cleanliness and that cleaning up around my apartment makes for a great study break sometimes.

    Reflecting on what I’ve mentioned here with my food situation and my cleaning, I feel like I still haven’t done much of this thing that people do call “adulting” but I feel like I’ve had a good introduction to what’s to come.

    Sorry for another short post this week. I have a lot going on with school and I’m really trying to finish two of my classes early since I have the chance to with them being asynchronous and fully online. Final push here!! Have a great week everyone!

  • Here’s to New Beginnings- Thanksgiving Break 2019

    new beginnings

    My laptop works everyone!!! You might not think it’s that big of a deal but I sure as heck do. I’ve needed it to do some homework, which is now done by the way, but oh my goodness, wowza, I’m so happy. Anyway, I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and have had safe travels getting to and from places if you traveled for the holiday. I shared this in a recent blog, but some of you may know that my grandpa passed away recently. This past week, we held his celebration of life and my sister and I had the honor of speaking at it. My family and I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving with my grandpa in addition to my aunt and uncle, but things were different this year. Things are going to be different now. Different is never bad, but it can be a little scary going into the unknown. Regardless of that, here’s to new beginnings.

    My family and I left for Farmington, New Mexico on Thanksgiving day and roads were good for travel. Thank goodness. My sister and I passed the time napping and talking with our parents. There was no radio because my mom’s car decided to lock us out of the radio so that was a fun time. We saw a lot of snow on Wolf Creek but regardless of that, the trip was great.

    We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at my great aunt’s house and it was great to get to spend time with them outside of our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. It was strange though. It was different from what I’ve been used to around that time. It felt good to be with family of course but it just wasn’t the same. My grandpa wasn’t there. Marty wasn’t there either. Losing family is hard.

    After our incredible meal, we went back to my grandpa’s house where my dad and aunt have been doing a lot of packing and moving of things. The house was practically empty when we arrived earlier in the day and it would continue to get more and more empty throughout our time in Farmington.

    On Friday, my family and I attended my grandpa’s memorial service. It was incredibly touching to get to meet all of the people that had the pleasure of getting to know my grandpa. He was a wonderful person and it really warmed my heart to see how many people he had an impact on. Getting to speak on behalf of some of the teachers that worked for him was also such an honor. My sister also crushed it up there when she spoke, so I’m very proud of her. The service was great and the food following the service was also great. Olive Garden catering is thebomb.com let me tell you. The rest of Friday was spent packing up and cleaning up around my grandpa’s house.

    Saturday was also a lot of cleaning and moving things. It was also a day that I did a lot of homework that I hadn’t finished earlier in the week. I promise I don’t procrastinate it’s just that I had a horrible cold earlier in the week and sleeping was more important to me than homework. Priorities! We also visited the Salmon Ruins which is about thirty minutes from my grandpa’s house. It was SUPER cold but it was still really nice to get out, walk around, and revisit a place that I had been to when I was younger. I’ve also always really enjoyed learning about the history of the Anasazi people and ancient civilizations (this place isn’t exactly what I would call ancient but I hope you get what I’m trying to say here haha) so this was fun.

    Sunday we left and spent a wonderful TEN HOURS in the car. Kenosha Pass was closed which resulted in a two hour detour for my family back through Colorado Springs. New beginnings = ghost towns through desolate parts of Colorado? Haha. It also did not help that I had a HORRIBLE headache today. Fun fun. But now, we are all safely home and I will be heading up to finish out this semester in the morning.

    As I said before, different is not bad but different can still make you feel bad. Maybe bad is the wrong word. Sad maybe? I’m not quite sure what the word I’m looking for is yet. I’ve spent a good portion of my life in New Mexico visiting family, living in my grandpa’s house, climbing the trees in his backyard, and calling Farmington practically a second home. So many traditions, so many memories.

    What’s next though? I honestly hope that my family and I continue to visit New Mexico because I’m not sure what I’ll do without the three to four trips we make to New Mexico yearly. I want to continue to see my family in New Mexico and Durango. I want to continue our traditions and even start new ones. Things have changed, but that doesn’t mean that everything has to change. Of course I’m still struggling with the death of my grandpa and also Marty, but with each of these endings, there are new beginnings.

    If any people reading this attended my grandpa’s service, thank you so much for being a part of his life and thank you for also being here. As I said earlier, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you also have a great week. Here’s to new beginnings. See you next Sunday.

  • My Sister, My Best Friend

    My sister, my best friend. From the minute she was welcomed to the world, our friendship and bond would sprout from the earth, growing bigger and more beautiful each day. We’d run into our boulders and steep mountains, but we knew that life was meant to be conquered together.

    I vaguely remember having my sister sit on my tiny almost two year old body and bite my thumb. Who knew that little sisters could be painful! I remember the day I told her that regular chairs served the same function as rocking chairs and this caused my sister to crack her head open on our fireplace, oops. I remember the year at Halloween when we dressed up as a pair of princesses from our favorite Barbie movie and pranced around our living room singing with sheer joy. I remember playing with dolls and stuffed animals and pretending to be fairies and different animals for hours and hours in our backyard and really just anywhere we traveled.

    Together we discovered that hair doesn’t grow back on Barbies and that gum doesn’t make a good headband and that a bottle of Coke makes a good explosion if it’s shaken up enough. We’ve learned that tables make good hiding spots from heel-nipping dogs and that I’m a good hairstylist when it comes to chopping off bangs. We’ve seen that tennis rackets can cause major damage to the face and that becoming good at roadtripping is crucial if eight-hour car trips come as a perquisite of being in the Horvath family.

    Allyson and I learned to treasure our time together when I moved to a new school as a high school freshman. We learned to be thankful for our health and good fortune when I hurt my ankle and couldn’t play tennis for almost two years. Allyson and I learned to fearlessly navigate the rough waters of high school and life together. We learned that being each other’s best friend is the most wondrous part of our lives.

    Sometimes, people ask my sister and me how is it possible that we get along so well. They share stories of how they tease and fight with their siblings, and even hate them. Some people yearn to be away from their brothers or sisters and some wish they were not related. It should never be this way. I tell people that it takes time. It takes time to get to know our brothers and sisters. Siblings should support, love, and care for each other. They act as the cheerleader, the coach, the tutor, the Devil’s advocate, and one of the closest people a person knows in life.

    Regardless of where I go and what I do in life, my sister will always be with me. She may not always be right beside me or just down the hall, but she’ll be in my heart. Her goofiness and curiosity and outgoing personality have left a permanent mark on me like the mark we inscribed on the giant peach tree in my grandpa’s backyard. We will forever be tennis doubles partners, dish-washing partners, traveling companions, video directors, best friends, and most importantly sisters.

  • Rising to Fulfillment

    For the final project in my advanced language arts class this year, we had to create a new model for a person to reach self-actualization.  We had to argue why it was better than Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and explain the new steps of the model. The model my group created shows how a person must reach fulfillment as opposed to self-actualization. This post is going to be a long one, so be prepared to do a lot of reading! Enjoy!

     
    After untying the ropes and releasing the sandbags, the beautiful and bright hot air balloon was released from the ground. Slowly and gracefully, the hot air balloon travelled farther and farther from the surface of the earth. As it reached into the clouds, its passengers could see the land below clearer than ever before. The journey to becoming a fulfilled person is like a hot air balloon in that the more needs a person satisfies, the clearer everything appears to them and the closer they are to becoming fulfilled. If someone allowed too much heat to fill the hot air balloon, it might pop or tear causing the passengers to come crashing to the ground. If a person is full of hot air or has a big ego, they may fail to meet their needs and never reach fulfillment. A person must satisfy their basic needs, communication, self-confidence, love, sense of accomplishment alongside benevolence, and be self-motivated to become fulfilled.
    Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has become irrelevant to the people of today because it was created so many years ago. Times have changed and so have the needs of the people. Maslow’s hierarchy also lacks communication, self-motivation, and self-confidence in its steps to becoming self-actualized. These three needs are crucial to a person’s understanding of themselves and the world around them. They are also needed in order for a person to reach fulfillment. Unlike Maslow’s model which appears to have a clear end, this hot air balloon model shows that a person can become fulfilled, however, their journey is never complete and they are always working to accomplish new things and discover even more about life. Similar to Maslow’s model, a person must first satisfy their basic needs to start their journey.

     
    Whether it be shelter, food, clothing, or water these are basic needs that a person must satisfy in order for them to begin their journey to fulfillment. These basic needs are what help keep a person alive. Some people, like Shin Dong-hyuk, who had escaped from the internment camps in North Korea was deprived of his need for food (Harden 76) as well as a comfortable, spacious place to call home (Harden 15). In Camp 14, he was unable to become a fulfilled person because his basic needs were limited. A person can get by with enough food to keep them alive, enough water to keep them hydrated, and a small area to use as shelter but it may be difficult to survive. Even if a person is at a low on their basic needs, they still have the opportunity to become fulfilled. In order for a person to continue on their path to fulfillment, they must be able to communicate with others and have support systems present in their lives.

     
    Communication is crucial to a person’s growth and ability to become fulfilled. It provides a person with comfort and people to talk with. It gives people a support system too. Social interactions make people happy and give them something to look forward to in their days. According to the documentary titled Happy, “studies show that the happiest people have strong and close relationships with their friends and family”. Communication allows for support systems between others to be built. People rely on others to give them criticism, encouragement, advice, and guidance therefore communication is critical to a person’s journey to becoming fulfilled. In life, the job of parents are to help their children overcome setbacks, help them see their progress over time, and guide their children in making the right decisions (Merryman). A lack of communication or support can halt one’s progress towards reaching fulfillment. When someone a person loves shows disappointment or disapproval, it can be difficult to feel confident in one’s self especially when they are doing their best to please their loved one. The main character of Two Kinds wasn’t able to become fulfilled because her mother failed to communicate with her in a way that would allow her to understand why she was disappointed. The girl’s mother wasn’t willing to support the main character through her struggles of discovering herself and thinking positive. Even though body language can be considered a form of communication, verbal communication allows people to gain feedback that they will be able to remember and use to improve themselves. Social interactions and having a support system are important in helping to build one’s self-confidence which is the next step in this model.

     
    Self-confidence, or being able to be happy with one’s body, knowledge, and accomplishments is the next step on the path to becoming fulfilled. It is critical for a person to be able to have faith in who they are and their abilities because it allows them to continue gaining confidence in themselves. In today’s society, especially in schools, students are pressured to achieve good grades, particularly A’s so that they will feel good about themselves. Receiving a B in school is still a good grade to receive, however, most students feel that receiving a B in class doesn’t make them look as intelligent and doesn’t make them feel as accomplished as receiving an A does (Lieberman). In order for a person to achieve self-confidence, they must stop measuring themselves to others. They must “stop gauging [themselves] and comparing [themselves] with others’ accomplishments and possessions” (Green). A person must realize that only they can control their actions, feelings, thoughts and worry about themselves. When someone has faith in their abilities and has a plan for themselves in a sport, school, or life in general, they will be successful and ultimately become fulfilled, like Novak Djokovic, #1 men’s singles tennis player in the world. Starting at a very young age, not only did his coaches and parents know that he had potential to be an amazing tennis player, but he too knew he could be great. In order to do that, he worked extra hard, trading in his recess time for tennis practice and now Djokovic dominates the men’s professional tennis tour (Novak: Novak Djokovic). Believing in one’s own potential and and abilities assists them in becoming fulfilled and having loving relationships can back up one’s self confidence and journey to fulfillment.

     
    Love can be defined as a strong feeling of attraction for someone, whether it be a friend, family member, or a significant other and it is beneficial to one’s happiness and sense of security. Not only this, but love allows a person to get closer to reaching fulfillment. When a person is in a loving relationship with someone else, they are willing to sacrifice their time and strength, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Oog from I Love Girl, spent every night he could moving rocks to form a path for Girl, whom he loved very much. He wanted Girl to be safe and have a more efficient way of getting to the river from her cave (Rich). Love is important to have in one’s life because it helps people “get through tough times and [allows them to] reach [their] peak potential” (James), as long as it is a healthy loving relationship. Some people struggle to form healthy loving relationships. They communicate poorly, are rude to one another, or forget to support their loved one. Hamlet and Ophelia, for example, loved one another, however, they struggled to deal with their negative emotions in a way that would not damage each other. Hamlet upset Ophelia by rejecting her love, and with the death of her father still fresh in her mind, she drowned herself in a river (Shakespeare). Hamlet and Ophelia may have been in a loving relationship, but since it was a damaging relationship, the two lovers weren’t able to become fulfilled. Love allows a person to feel as if they have accomplished something good in their life. It gives them a sense of accomplishment, urges them to be the most helpful, generous person they can be, and brings them closer to fulfillment.

     
    Doing good things for others and wanting to be able to help other people learn is pivotal to one’s development towards reaching fulfillment. Having the satisfaction of helping others, getting good grades in school, receiving awards in sports, and recognition in one’s community are not only important to the confidence and security of a person, but their sense of accomplishment. Men’s #1 singles tennis player, Novak Djokovic, has had a successful tennis career and this has given him confidence as well as a strong sense of accomplishment. Not only does he have a sense of accomplishment with his career, but he has had success with his foundation, the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which raises money for poor children throughout Serbia in order to build and create safe, nurturing, and fun environments for them to learn and play in. So far, his foundation has helped over 10,000 children in Serbia (About Us: Novak Djokovic Foundation). Djokovic has been willing to give back to the people of his country and this has added to his sense of accomplishment. Others may not be as successful as Djokovic or have a wonderful tennis career like he does, but they may still be willing to perform helpful acts for others. However, some people may not have a sense of accomplishment because they haven’t been successful in anything or don’t have the motivation to accomplish something like the main character of Two Kinds. She was constantly pushed to try new hobbies and activities with hopes of becoming a prodigy in at least one. Since she wasn’t successful in any of the activities she tried, she had no sense of accomplishment and was unable to motivate herself to feel as if she had a sense of accomplishment let alone fulfillment.

     
    Before a person can finally become fulfilled, they must have self-motivation. Self-motivation is a person’s drive to push through difficult times and get work done on a day to day basis. If a person wants to become wealthy, lose weight, or meet a certain goal, they have to create a plan and follow it. According to a surfer interviewed in Happy, a documentary, “If [a person] wants to be a surfer, they will be, and if they want to be a doctor, they will be”. A person should do what they enjoy and want to do so that they will be the happiest they can be and have the most insight on their life. If someone wants to perform better in a sport or academics they need to push themselves to work hard and accomplish their goals like Peekay in The Power of One. Despite the beliefs of most people in his life, Peekay believed he could become the welterweight champion of the world. With long, hard hours of work and training over many years, Peekay managed to stay undefeated in his boxing matches and “earned an exaggerated reputation as a boxer” (Courtenay 342). Peekay was motivated to prove everyone in his life wrong and accomplish something great in his life. Even when a person is in a position of strength or at the top of their game, they need to be motivated to stay on top and become even better so that they can remain in their position. In an interview with Djokovic about being in the #1 position, Djokovic said, “I believe that all guys that are out there are fighting each week to get to number one and I know that… I think that you need to work twice as hard when you’re up there” (Stutchbury). When someone is lacking motivation, they struggle to accomplish goals or succeed in many things. The main character of Two Kinds had no motivation to try to become the next Shirley Temple, an expert pianist, or even succeed in school after failing in many activities. Even though her mother would persuade her and find ways to motivate her daughter to become successful, they would never motivate the poor girl (Tan). A parental figure or a friend could be doing whatever they can to push or force someone to become good at something but this will usually never motivate the person to accomplish a goal. In the end, it is the individual being pushed that has to force themselves to practice and succeed. Once a person is able to motivate themselves to accomplish goals, be successful, and find happiness within themselves, they can become fulfilled.

     
    After a long journey filled with positive and negative experiences, a person finally can become fulfilled, realizing all that they are able to do, what their potential is, and that they are as happy as they are. Fulfillment is the satisfaction or happiness as a result of accomplishing something in a career, school, sports, or anything in life that comes from becoming a fully-developed being. In life, a person will experience many ups and downs, successes and failures. They have to learn to overcome the negative aspects of their lives and watch as their successes slowly become bigger and more important in their lives. When a person believes that they have enough accomplishments to quit trying in life and finally relax, but they continue accomplishing goals, they have become fulfilled (Gordon). Becoming fulfilled means that one is happy with who they are and all that they have accomplished (Cort) and in order to do this, a person must embrace change as well as the unknown. They must enjoy the process of reaching goals and discovering how to reach fulfillment. When a person reaches fulfillment, they are humble, have a purpose to life, are motivated by growth, and aren’t bothered by the little events in life (Sze). Even after a person is fulfilled, their work is never done and they continue to set and accomplish goals. A fulfilled person knows that there is always room to improve and learn, so they are eager to try new activities and hobbies that will keep them satisfied and happy with their accomplishments and life. This new model gives a person unlimited room to continue accomplishing goals and improving themselves once they have become fulfilled.

     
    The hot air balloon travelled over luscious, green pastures and fields of wildflowers. The passengers inside excitedly waved down at cars, which appeared as ants in a long line from high up in the sky. The people could see so much from their halcyon place in the sky. They felt happy, truly happy. The ride up into the sky gave them a sense of excitement as well as accomplishment in life, giving them motivation to keep trying new things and be successful. This new model with the analogy of a hot air balloon is more fitting in modern times than Maslow’s old model. It touches on several traits and needs that Maslow missed with his model. It also allows a person to continue growing and improving, unlike Maslow’s model which abruptly ends after one becomes self-actualized. In order to become fulfilled, a person should satisfy their basic needs, need for communication, have self-confidence, love, and a sense of accomplishment. A person must also be benevolent and have self-motivation. Only after a person has acquired all of these traits and satisfied their needs, can they reach fulfillment, allowing them to truly be happy and see the world in a new, bright, and encouraging light.

    Works Cited
    “About Us: Novak Djokovic Foundation.” Novak Djokovic Foundation. Novak Djokovic Foundation, 2016. 30 Mar. 2016.
    Cort, Sean. “Achieving Self-Fulfillment in 2012.” Psychology Today. N.p., 2 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 May 2016.
    Courtenay, Bryce. The Power of One. New York: Delacorte, 2005. Print.
    Gordon, Emily Fox. “The Meaning of Fulfillment.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Oct. 2014. 03 May 2016.
    Green, R. Kay. “4 Steps to Self-Actualization and Becoming the Best Version of You.” The Huffington Post. 18 Jan. 2013. 03 May 2016.
    Happy. By Roko Belic. Dir. Roko Belic. Perf. Anne Bechsgaard, Gregory Berns, Roy Blanchard.
    Netflix. 03 July 2013. 28 Apr. 2016.
    Harden, Blaine. Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to
    Freedom in the West. New York: Viking, 2012. Print.
    Lieberman, Matthew D., Ph.D. “Self-Esteem vs. Esteemable Selves.”Psychology Today. N.p., 29 Mar. 2012. 02 May 2016.
    Merryman, Ashley. “Losing Is Good for You.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 24
    Sept. 2013. 03 May 2016.
    “Novak: Novak Djokovic.” Novak Djokovic. N.p., 2012. 30 Mar. 2016.
    Rich, Simon. “I Love Girl.” The New Yorker 17 Dec. 2012. 2 May 2016.
    Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2012. Print.
    Stutchbury, Greg. “Djokovic Vows to Work ‘twice as Hard’ to Stay at Tennis Summit.” Evening
    Standard. N.p., 31 Jan. 2016. 30 Mar. 2016.
    Sze, David. “Maslow: The 12 Characteristics of a Self-Actualized Person.”The Huffington Post. 21 July 2015. 03 May 2016.
    Tan, Amy. “Two Kinds.” The Joy Luck Club. New York: Penguin, 1989. Print.