(1) Which three of the blogs in your friends list have you visited the most this year?
1. Kara
2. Camie
3. Teddy
(2) Are you scared to fall in love?
No, I'm not scared to fall in love. I am still concerned about possibly falling out of love with someone because I haven't had much experience with that.
(3)Which of your closest friends gives the best hugs?
I'm sure that all of my closest friends would give great hugs so it's difficult to determine that.
(4) When was the last time you had a good laugh?
One of my favorite things to do anymore is to tease my cousin Allison about how horrible the Dallas Cowboys are. She always seems to know how to give me exactly the reaction I’m looking for which makes it fun. I appreciate the effort that she’s put into becoming one of my best friends and I always enjoy being able to spend time with her regardless of what we’re doing together.
{1} What is your most irrational fear? I've developed an irrational fear that Sheila or my closest friends could die at any moment that I still haven't made it passed mentally yet. I remember how frustrating it was to watch my mom die of cancer and not be able to do much about it.
It does scare me that Sheila, or someone else I care about, could die at a younger age like my mom did. So sometimes I need the reassurance that Sheila and my best friends are still doing alright, for my own peace of mind, or I become too concerned about them due to that irrational fear. (2)Which family member do you have the easiest time getting along with?
Sheila (3) Which family member do you have the most difficult time getting along with?
My Dad
(4) What random question do you typically get asked by casual acquaintances? A few of my acquaintances have asked me how I'm able to handle my disability so well. I believe the answer is that during the few times I've hit a low point in my life I've had Sheila, at least one close friend, or my cousin Bethany that I've felt comfortable with talking to about anything. Then they'd usually go out of their way to make sure my life seemed more enjoyable again. I feel fortunate that I still have such a good support system in place.
I do significantly benefit from having several people in my life that care about me, encourage me, and that help me to become a better person as I've learned quite a bit from watching their examples of kindness which I've tried to implement into my life.
A few days ago I traveled to Jackson to go swimming at the Jackson Rec Center again. I decided to purchase a membership punch card to swim nine more times there this year which should be fun.
1. What song would describe the year that you had in 2011?
2. What do you love about blogging?
I think that blogging’s made me even more appreciative of my closest friends when I realize how difficult it is to describe exactly what being able to spend time with them in recent years has meant to me. I don’t know if whatever I’ve written about those experiences has meant that much to them, but I’ve always felt incomprehensibly blessed to have the friends that I do and hopefully they realize that I’ve always cared about them quite a bit, because it still is very important to me that their lives are as enjoyable as possible.
3. What three things would your future dream home include?
A. An NBA basketball court.
B. An indoor pool
C. For some reason I've always wanted an air hockey table or a fooseball table as well. Maybe it's because my Dad would usually beat me when I played air hockey with him in arcades when we were on some vacations as a kid. I've always been very competitive and get anxious to pay whoever it was that won against me back the next time I play them.
4. What daring thing would you attempt to try if there was no risk involved?
I imagine it’d be more fun to attempt kissing a beautiful woman if there wasn’t the usual risk of being slapped or seriously injured by them involved.
5. What did you learn in 2011?
I learned that sometimes in life you have to go for it and take risks so that you don't spend the rest of your life wondering about them. Growing up I was always terrified about being too far out of my comfort zone and possibly failing or getting rejected. I'm proud of myself for going after what I wanted in life during 2011 and refusing to settle for less than that even though admittedly some of those things didn't work out as well as I would have hoped.
I think as an adult it's easy to become set in my ways and not be as motivated to put the necessary effort into trying new things that may improve my enjoyment of life. It can be frustrating when it feels like I'm just pointless stuck in the same place in life or not getting the results that I wanted when I've put my best effort into something. I usually like being more in a set routine every day anymore, but it's good for me to get out of that routine and see what else life has to offer once in awhile...
My cousin Amy and also my friend Teddy were two of my main role models growing up. I’ve looked up to them for quite awhile now and definitely wanted to be more like them as a teenager. I still have so much respect for both of them and am very appreciative of the significant positive influence they’ve had on my life so far.
#2 Do you think you'd be a good parent? I would like to think I'd be a good parent, but don't know for sure yet. It does seem like it'd be a lot of responsibility to have a baby or child depending on me. However, I'm finally at a point in my life where I feel that I could be committed to having a family and putting their needs before my own. Sheila tells me that I'd be a good uncle some day so that's a little reassuring at least for now.
#3 What is your go to solution when you are having a bad hair day?
I put a hat on as an easy solution to a bad hair day.
#4 If you were a Crayon, what color would you be?
Green’s always been my favorite color so I’ll go with that.
#5 They say love is in the little things. What is a little thing someone does to show you love?
Sheila’s done countless kind things for me that most siblings probably wouldn’t be as willing to do. I would think that it’s probably not a very pleasant experience for her to have helped put my wheelchair in the trunk of the car in the winter, but she’s always gone out of her way to do inconvenient things like that to make my life better which I’m grateful to her for. Maybe someone else actually has a better sister than I do but I doubt it.
I recently went to two New Year's Eve parties that were very fun. I was invited to play games with some of my cousins in Afton. It's always been very fun for me to be able spend time with Bethany and Amy regardless of whatever we decide to do together. I especially appreciate how thoughtful and kind my favorite cousin Bethany is to me because she's always gone out of her way make sure that I'm included in everything and has been one of my closest friends for as long as I can remember. It was also enjoyable to be able to get to know a few of my younger cousins better as well...
Later that night I attended another party/dance. I decided not to dance, but did have so much fun playing several lightning basketball games. I'm usually more comfortable and relaxed while I'm playing basketball which made it easier for me to get to know people. It was also very amusing to watch people playing Twister and I learned how to play a few new games as well. It did make me resolved to be kind to everyone in my life to see how friendly several people, I'd never met before, were willing to be to me that night without knowing me very well.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity this time of year provides to be more resolved to become a better person. It's been very beneficial for me to reflect on all of the extraordinary people in my life that have been very supportive of me and that I've always aspired to be more like, because they continue to be such great examples to me of the type of person I strive to be. It's already been an enjoyable year so far and I do hope that I'll be able to have several more memorable moments in 2012 with the people that I care about the most.
