Day 4: Siblings

Well, this blog project thing was supposed to get me into posting everyday for thirty days so I would post more frequently when it was over, buuuut I kinda failed at that already, I guess. In my defense, I was super, duper tired and had to work my brain like mad to even start to talk in real life in a way that made even a stitch of sense. Writing down things in a way that wouldn't leave people exiting out of this tab, scratching their heads was NOT going to happen. BUT I am all rested now (after about twelve hours of sleep last night), so I might be able to make some kind of sense in this entry. I'll give it a shot, at least.

Today's entry is Day Four of the project, which means I get to write about my siblings. This also means it could turn out to be another long piece of writing, because I have four wonderful women to talk about who are lucky enough to be my sisters. Wait. I mean... I'm lucky enough to have them for my sisters. Yeah. I think that's how I'm supposed to say it. I'm going to be honest and say how nervous I am to write this, because, well, I know I won't be able to do them justice when I try to tell you about them and all their wonderfulness. I'm also excited, though, because I get to tell others (and possibly them) some of the things I think about them. So, it's kind of a weird feeling.

Anyways, enough with the ranting about my random feelings. On to talking about the sistahs!

Liz- My Inspiration To Be Successful

First up is my oldest sister, Liz. She also happens to be one of the people I look up to the most in my life, which is, really, how it has always been. Every year, though, I find myself admiring her more or in a different way, because I learn more about who she is or I realize something new that just increases her awesome points. I think the thing that I find myself admiring the most about her is the fact that she just keeps going with everything, even though there have been some major bumps in her life's road. Probably what helps her is her insane brain that holds more knowledge and understanding of things than most other people I have met. Because of her drive to keep going and her mad intelligence, she keeps going back to school to learn more and do more while teaching college courses. And she still kicks major arse in the classes, too. She is incredibly successful in everything she does, which is why I think of her when I feel like quitting. Liz really is my inspiration to be successful.

Tori- My Inspiration To Be Smart
Next is my older stepsister, Tori. Tori and have never really been all that close, but that's not the fault of either one of us. We just never really got to see each other too often. Despite this, though, Tori still has had an impact on my life. Whenever I think of her, I think of one of the memories I have of her. See, it was before her dad and my mom got married, so they were still out in Linden, and we were visiting. I think the rest of us were outside doing something stupid (it was the norm for us, especially Cami and me), but Tori was inside, watching the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet... While reading the lines from her book. She may have even complained about the fact that they didn't follow it word for word, which made me laugh. Tori also knows more random facts than a person should know, which I always found to be amazing. Because of this, Tori is my inspiration to be smart.

Cami- My Inspiration To Be Awesome

After Tori is Cami, my younger step sister (who is really only a few months younger than I am). You may remember my little thing about Cami from Day One of the project (June 18, 2010), but I didn't really write much about her. I actually said very, very little. She is kind of...well, she's really difficult to describe. Not because I don't know or like her, but because she is an individual and unspeakably awesome. She's crazy, smart, and herself. She's not afraid to be who she is, which is what makes her so awesome. When we were younger, she cut her hair short, like, "boy short," which is a little out there for third/fourth grade girls. But she totally rocked it, because she liked it, and she had the confidence to not really give a flying rat's arse if anyone else did. On top of this, she has an insane amount of creativity and a great eye for art, which is why she is going to be successful in her career choice: photography. I have always admired Cami for being herself and so insanely awesome, and I still do to this day. Cami truly is my inspiration to be awesome.

Annie- My Inspiration To Be My Best

Finally, there is Annie, my youngest sister. She is four years younger than I am, but she can act both more mature and more child-like than her actual age. On top of this, she is always trying to be the best she can possibly be. She never swears, because she thinks it's very wrong; she always thinks the best about everyone; and she always believes what you say, because she thinks people are just good in general. Although she can be child-like in many ways, Annie is, like all my other sisters, unbelievably inteligent and good at basically everything. We have also been through a lot together. One of the things being our parents divorce, which, of course affected our whole lives. It caused so many different emotions that were not fully understood by such young children, that we were forced to lean mostly on just each other. She even wrote a poem about it for her English class this year. The thing I love and admire the most about Annie, though, is how kind and understanding she is to everyone, no matter what wrong they have done to her in the past. She also works hard and kicks major butt in school. Because of all of this, plus more, Annie is my inspiration to be my best.

I love all my sisters an insane amount, and, as you might be able to see, they basically make up who I am and what I believe. Without them being who they are, pieces of who I am and how I do things would be missing, and I just would not be whole.

Thank you, sisters, for being you. For being amazingly awesome.

Chelsea

Day 3: Parents

When I saw what the theme of tonight's blog was supposed to be, I kind of chuckled, because I was thinking about postponing tonight's topic to talk about my parents in honor of Father's Day. This could not have worked out any better! :)

Of course, for this entry, I will not just be talking about my dads because of the holiday. I will also be talking about my mom, because she deserves just as much recognition and admiration as my dads.

My mom, Kelly, is one of the hardest working and strongest people I know. She works ten hours a day at an insanely difficult job that is made for someone who is probably my age in a General Motors truck plant building the BIG trucks (like semis). Despite the obvious hardships of the job, my mom does not quit, because she knows that there are others depending on her. This shows a strength in her mind, body, and heart. Her strength was also apparent when Anne* and I were younger and she tried to be as involved as she could while working crazy hours. Being, as Anne's wide-eyed friend from preschool put it so very well, "the biggest mommy I have ever seen**," she was always recognizable. Her "big-ness" wasn't the only recognizable trait, though. She also enjoyed sharing her karaoke machine with the school and would bring it in when requested, showing her support for music, children, and, of course, performances those children would hide from behind a curtain if they were forced to watch them now due to the level of embarrassment. By doing this, I learned the importance of sharing what you can with anyone. I also learned that a karaoke machine can make any young child appear to be cool for at least that day, even if she's the awkward, shy one.

Married to my mom is Rick, my 5'11", motorcylce riding, tattooed step dad of nine years. Despite the fact that he has many of the characteristics of a stereotypical "scary guy" (mostly if the motorcyle is at foot), he is one of the kindest, most fun people I know. In fact, one of the major things he brings to our family is fun, which helps us with "bonding" and staying together. Because of him, we have had the opportunity to travel to different states and even Canada. Along with the fun, Rick brings some awesome stories that not only entertain, but teach lessons. Lessons such as don't leave snakes in your garage with an open top, because they will get out all over, entangle themselves into lawn chairs, and freak out your mother. Or be careful when in a mosh pit, because a strong 5'11" man trying to protect the women he is with can push you, and you can fly across the audience. Important lessons like those. Basically, Rick has made my life more interesting, I guess. I really don't want to think about what life would have been like if he and my mom hadn't gotten married, because I like having him here. ***

Finally, there is Tom, my dad since, well, birth. I can thank (or possibly blame :P) my dad for almost all of who I am. We have very similar personalities (kind of quiet at times, but we can be out going if the time calls for it, or we can at least take some kind of charge). We both do the corny joke thing (I believe him to be the king of such jokes). We both lack the strength in Math and Science (he also took Astronomy and Psychology in college to get out of the other more hardcore science classes for Gen. Ed. requirements), but we do well in English and History (though he is far better at both than I am). My dad is also one of the most intelligent and driven people I know. He graduated from U of M- Ann Arbor (big deal 'round these parts). He ended up going into sales for years, until he decided to go back to school to get his teaching degree. He managed to do this while still caring for Anne and me (with some help from my mom and aunts). I don't think I thought too much about this when it was going on, but looking back, I can say that I know it must have taken a lot of guts to be one of the older people there, learning new teaching styles and technology, while having to keep two (sometimes bickering) daughters quiet. Along with this, my dad is one of the few people who can really make me think during a discussion, and I love that. His mind just amazes sometimes, especially with his understanding and love of literature.

Although my parents all have different strengths and all gave me something different in my life, there are a couple of things they have all done for me. One thing they have all done is influenced my taste in music. When I was little, my mom would always have musicians like Carole King, Al Green, and Elton John playing. Similarly, my dad would often play The Beatles, James Taylor, and Van Morrison. Having these two adults play this kind of music around me almost constantly made me fall in love with not only their music, but music in general. To this day, these are some of my favorite artists to listen to. Heck, Carole King is my favorite songwriter and The Beatles are my favorite band. Although Rick was not present for the first few years of my life, he has been introducing me to new music with a different twist. An example is Liz Phair (her old stuff, not the newer, poppier crap). I had not known of her older albums, and I like how interesting it is.

One of the major things they all share, though, is their non-stop support. From the beginning, they have all supported me, no matter how crazy or pointless it seemed. The most notable support was for my interest in music. It mostly started in sixth grade. First, it was choir, which required money for the extra curricular outfits. Then, it was the guitar I decided I wanted to pick up, also in sixth grade. It was always obvious that music wasn't my absolute calling, because I was never amazing at any of it. But I enjoyed it so much that they continued to dish out the money. Even after the first set of guitar lessons had to end because the instructor left, we found another, who cost even more, but they still paid for it. Then it was the voice lessons (two different teachers for that, too). Of course, the choir involvement went on until I graduated from high school (seven years) and included many extra activities such as Solo & Ensemble, Honors Choir, and even a fine arts camp. Having their support for this area of my life probably impacted me the most for more reasons than I could count or begin to explain.

I was incredibly lucky to be born to the parents I have. Without the strength, love, guts, fun, humor, and intelligence they all show, I do not know how my life would have been, but I love this life and this family.

Mom, Dad, and Rick, if you happen to read this, I love you and want to thank you for everything you have given me. I could not have asked for more from you.

And to any other readers, it's okay that you're jealous. I would be, too. :)

Chelsea

*Anne is my younger sister. She is four years younger than I am.
** My mom is actually not "big." She stands at 5'10" and is in good shape. I just thought I should clear that up. :)
***He also brought me Taco Bell at work today. I don't know what that really has to do with him as a whole or how he has impacted my life, but I just thought it was really cool. And delicious. And I felt like it was worthy of sharing, because, well, it's Taco Bell. :D

Blog Project Day 1: Best Friend(s)

Today is the first day of my blog project to get me into the swing of even having a blog. It also happens to be a difficult topic for me to start with, because I am lucky enough to have many best friends. I cannot choose just one who deserves to have a letter/blog for them. So, after a little bit of thought, I have decided I am going to write mini letters/blogs for all of my best friends inside one giant letter, because it was the only way I could think of to be kind of organized while still telling them how important they are.

I also give you permission to skip through this entry, because the letters might get a little too Nicholas Sparks sappy for some of you (including myself).

And now, without further ado...

My Dearest and Most Amazing Best Friends,
I know I never tell you how much you mean to me, but that's because words cannot describe how important you are to who I was, am, and will be.
Throughout the years, you have all seen me at my lowest and highest points, but you have never failed to be there for me 100%. At the times I am at my happiest, it is almost always because of you. Even when it's not directly from talking to or seeing you, the chances are great that you gave me the inspiration and drive to help me achieve something that could cause so much happiness. At the times I am at my worst, you always find a way to bring up my spirits, even if just for a moment of relief. Helping with both sides of the spectrum of emotions can take a lot out of people, and it requires a lot of responsibility. I cannot thank you enough for taking on such responsibilities. Without you, who knows what kind of person I would be right now (even if I am not happy, happy, HAPPY all the time :P)?
Individually, I hope you all know what you have done for me. If you don't, well, I'm about to tell six of you. :)

Heather, you have known me since middle school, and you still stuck around with me when you thought I hated you and even later when I "took your solo." Later, you were my college roommate for a whole school year. How you even managed to stick with me all this time, I will never know. There is also the fact that you pushed me in music by challenging me and making me want to improve. Had it not been for you (and your mad skillz which I still cannot beat even when I try my absolute hardest), my level of musicianship would have remained the same all throughout school.
Cami, you have stuck with me since your dad and my mom met up again, started dating, and then got married June of our fourth grade year. How anyone can remain not only a sister, but a fantastic friend of mine for that many years baffles me, but I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Having you all the way in Colorado has been difficult, but the memories we have (some more embarrassing than others) never fail to put a smile on my face, and you still managed to help me through rough times this past year.
Lizz, you are one of the most child-like nineteen-year-olds I have ever met, but that is what I love about you. Having a friend who is still so in touch with her child self keeps me in touch with who I am and what is really important. Not to mention the fact that it makes you even more fun to be around. I know that if I ever want to watch cartoons or classic Disney movies, you are absolutely the person to call. Having someone like you brings light into my life when things appear to be nothing but dark. That is something that I will always need.
Emily, you are one of the most hilarious people I know, because you have such a unique humor. I was going to use "sarcastic" to describe it, but it is so much more than that. It's a mix of sarcasm and (playful) mean-ness that only you appear to be able to pull off. There have been times when it was the only thing successful in lifting up my mood. You also give spectacular advice when I come to you or just need your help. Without you in my life, there would be much less laughter, which means more saddness than should be allowed.
Alexa, you are one of the kindest and most understanding people I know. I have been able to talk to you about many things, and you have listened (and taken my side -high five-), while being understanding. When I was having one of my most difficult times, you were there for me completely, always listening with an open heart and ears. Without having you there for me at that time, who knows what would have happened with those emotions or what place I would be in today? Stephanie, you are an insanely hilarious and kind person. There were never times that I was with you and not enjoying myself. Although it has been about a year since I last saw you, I still frequently think of you and the fun times you, Heather, and I had, and they always make me smile, no matter what. You impacted my humor (made me slightly more sarcastic and more used to sarcasm) and who I am as a person. Without you, my life would have lacked so many important and amazing things.

Best Friends, I love you all dearly, and I cannot imagine my life without any of you. All of you have helped me more times than is necessary, and for that, I will always be in debt to you. Thank you, all of you, for everything you have ever done for me, whether you know it or not. I only hope that I will be able to repay some of my debt to you some day in our lives and show the same kind of love, support, and kindness you have shown me.

Chelsea