Faithfully

[EDIT: Happy One Month Blog! :) I'm proud of what you're becoming.]

Summer has been interesting thus far. It's been full of adventures and realizations lately.

Never would I have thought that the people around me really had such a big influence over my actions; however, today, after an interesting adventure, I came home and realized, a lot of what I accomplished and the way I feel about others is influenced by my friends. I'm quite sure I've changed a lot of people's opinions about others because I get overly opinionated at times, but if it weren't for Rammi making his points during our Fenton's trip, I doubt I would've ever really thought about it. For example, my determination to graduate early from college comes from my family because they've always talked about the importance of college, yet the oldest boys in the family who are suppose to be done with school are still busy exploring their options. On top of that, my drive to do well stems from all the relatives around me who constantly look down on me and scuff at my accomplishments because they've graduated top 10 or given speeches at graduation or had above a 4.0 gpa in high school. It's stupid to brag about those things in my opinion because high school was a time to enjoy life. I'm not sure why, but in the end, even though I was always the underdog in the family, I feel like I've lived life to its fullest more than any of them. Sure they have more accomplishments on paper, but how are those achievements going to benefit them in the future? I've built friendships that'll last for life and made mistakes that I've learned from. In the end it's these that will stay with me, not a 4.whatever gpa in high school. Nor will a school with a well-known name benefit them if they aren't going to the school for the right reasons.

Until this summer, I never saw how inconsiderate some of my relatives can be. It aggravating to me for my family to not take time out of their day and cherish moments with the elders we have left. Maybe it's because I've gone to 5 or 6 funerals and was brought up around a big family, but I love spending time with my grandma and I try to stay home as much as possible when she comes to visit. (Also, she's my only grandparent left, so that makes her even more special.) But my cousins don't really understand that. It's more annoying to see her favorite grandchild acting like a spoiled brat who doesn't give a $#!* about her. My grams doesn't even ask for much, she cooks dinner for them, invites them over and is really just looking for some company, someone to talk with her or to just listen to her stories. Personally, I love listening to stories about the old times. But they find coming to dinner at my house, where everything is prepared and washed for them a hassle! Outrageous.

What I'm trying to say through all this is it's surprising to see what those around you do for you, and how their actions effect your life. Through my experiences I've grown to appreciate a lot of things and remain faithful to my family & their expectations (sort of... what they don't know won't hurt them, right? ;]). Life is forever changing and tomorrow is never a sure thing, now is what matters.