My road to being healthy: week 1

So....the day after I wrote my last post, I went to McDonalds. I also went to McDonalds the day I wrote the post. So I guess you can say we're off to a great start!

This week, I decided that I needed to get rid of all of the unhealthy food that was in my fridge/freezer/cupboards in order to make room for the new healthy awesome food. Seeing as I'm not a wasteful person, the only solution was to eat it all. Don't even tell me you wouldn't do the same.

I DID however work out a lot [edit: I wrote this part on Thursday hoping it would be true of the rest of the week. Wishful thinking]. On Thursday, I watched last weeks episode of How To Get Away With Murder and did a bunch of strength training stuff, and then I put on my Spotify and had a one-person dance party to Sorry by Justin Bieber (it really is a fantastic song), along with some other Top 40 songs I had never heard before. I tried to remember all of the moves that I had learned when we did Jazzercize at camp, but I'm pretty sure I just made most of it up. Did I break a sweat though? You bet.

I did eat a cookie immediately after, but let's just pretend that I made some progress ok?
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.
.
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That was the last time I worked out all week. Things happened, I got busy, and then I got a 48 hour flu thing which caused me to lie around in excruciating body pain for two days straight. No working out (or eating healthy) for me.

Sooooo week 1 was a bust. Let's see how week 2 goes.

HEALTHY EATING AND LIVING!!!!

It has been almost an entire year since my last post. The best I can say is "oops, sorry."

For the last month or so, I've been feeling super duper motivated to work out, which I literally never wanted to do before, but I'm still not quite at the cut-out-food-that-is-probably-terrible-for-you stage. So I thought maybe doing a blog series about my road to healthy living would maybe help me do that. Because if I have to come back here every week and tell the world what it is I've been eating in order to help me become healthy, maybe I'll be more inclined to put the healthy stuff into my body and take the crappy stuff out of my fridge? It's worth a shot.

So here's what's going to (hopefully) happen:

Every week, I will make a post about the fun workout things I've been doing, and the fun healthy foods I've been eating, and then we'll document my progress. This will probably be incredibly boring for all of you, but it will possibly help me do a better job and that's what really matters since I'm not being paid to write this!

I tend to work out when I'm watching TV, because then I'm not bored, and I'm also not just sitting. Working my body AND my mind! Double whammy!

I only ever work out at home because I'm too scared to go to my school's gym because everyone there is really intense. I also don't want to go running outside because people will stare at my abnormally red face and judge me for being a bad runner. I just watch YouTube videos and follow fitspo accounts on Instagram.

First fun workout thing:
On friday, I did 75 SQUATS! My friend told me that my butt looked bigger, which is what I was aiming for, so clearly that part of my exercising is working!

That is all.

"Is this what people wear when they work out?"

Thanksgiving

I know what you're thinking:
"You live in Canada. We already celebrated Thanksgiving. Why are you talking about this now?"

And to that, I will respond:
Who says we can only have one day to be thankful?
Who says we can't give thanks every day?

I'm thankful for sun and the energy it gives me.
I'm thankful for cozy sweaters to keep me warm when it's cold.
I'm thankful for ice, because without it, there's no hockey.

I'm thankful for my parents and the wisdom they've given me.
I'm thankful for my friends and their everlasting support.
I'm thankful for cashiers and the patience they obtain even when the days are rough and they've just been yelled at for the hundredth time.

I'm thankful for my education and the opportunities it gives me.
I'm thankful for technology which gives me all the answers I need.
I'm thankful for bus drivers even when they pass me by because I know they're just trying to be on time.

I'm thankful for music and the way I can feel it in my toes.
I'm thankful for Tyler Ward, because he writes songs from his heart, he loves his fans like friends, he uses his fame to send positive messages, and he picked me out of a crowd of hundreds of people and made my day week month year life so much better.

I'm thankful for TV and the lessons I've learned from my shows and movies.
I'm thankful for Harry Potter, and how it has been a part of me from the very beginning to the very end. Always.
I'm thankful for James Lafferty, because...come on, who wouldn't be?

I'm thankful for feminism because every man and woman deserves a voice.
I'm thankful for postmodernism because sometimes it's better not to have all the answers.
I'm thankful for Christianity because I wouldn't be who I am today without God's grace and guidance.

I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head, clothes on my body, food in my fridge, and clean water to drink.
I'm thankful that I have the right to vote.
I'm thankful for the 24 hour Starbucks down the street, where I can always go to do work (and stare at cute boys).
I'm thankful for pizza. I don't even have to explain this one.
I'm even thankful for Justin Bieber, because he brings many young girls happiness. He has his flaws, but so do I. So do you.

Instead of complaining about the things we don't have, we should try being grateful for the things that we do have.
This world would be a lot happier if we stopped taking things for granted and started being thankful.
Try it.

Gender Socialization in the Media and its Effect on Girls

[I wrote this for a blog exercise for one of my classes, but I thought I'd share it on here too because it's something I'm passionate about!]

There was a press conference a couple of years ago to promote the movie The Avengers. While watching just the first few minutes, I noticed that the questions that were directed towards the men pertained to the acting, the filming, and the character development, whereas when Scarlett Johansson (who plays The Black Widow, a very strong, witty, sarcastic, agile, and courageous character) was asked a question, it wasn't about her acting skills, it wasn't about Black Widow's character development. In fact, it had no relation to her immense talent whatsoever. The exact wording of the question directed at her was "To get into shape for Black Widow did you have anything special to do in terms of the diet, like did you have to eat any specific food, or that sort of thing?” Being the wonderful individual she is, she answered the question with absolute grace, though she is clearly unimpressed by the "rabbit food" question. And why shouldn't she be unimpressed, when all her male costars are being asked existential questions, and she, just because she's a woman, is asked about her body? You can watch the interaction in the video above (3:00-4:26).

This gives us a little bit of insight on the large issue of gender socialization from the media. So many female celebrities, like Scarlett, are subjected to questions, interviews, and ratings about their appearance, rather than their talent. For example, when Ryan Seacrest was interviewing the Academy Award attendees last weekend, he asked most of the men about their careers, but he asked the women first about their dresses (since "that's what everyone wants to know about"), and then maybe about their movies. [see here] Why is this topic so important to touch upon? I'll tell you why. Because it's intended target eats it up. 

Everywhere I look, I see ads for makeup, hair, clothing, weight loss, and modelling agencies. Teen girls see these, and they hear "You're not good enough, so buy this and you will be." I see interviews with beautifully made-up female stars, talking about their wardrobes. Girls watch these, and they hear "Talent isn't important, it's your outward appearance that really matters." I see magazine articles, featuring new mothers who lost their baby weight in four months.

Girls read these, and they hear "Over-exercising to look good is more important than taking care of your baby, because who wants a fat mother?" Though all of these values are false, young girls (the ones who are being targeted) believe them, because these values define society's stereotypical, desirable woman - flawless, thin, with perfect hair, perfect teeth, and a perfect boyfriend. This belief transfers to their everyday actions.

Patricia Adler (1992) states that the extra curricular activities that girls participate in are focused around glamour and concern for their appearance. Her findings from her study show that one of the main causes for popularity in girls is physical appearance. The more popular girls have the nicer clothes, the nicer makeup, and the more attention from boys. But how did this become the definition of popular? The media. Girls believe that if they have all of these qualities, they'll be more like their favourite celebrity, and looking like a celebrity means you'll be successful. 

Thinking as a feminist theorist, I believe that there is a huge problem in the media's portrayal of women. Men are seen as successful for their talents, and women are more so seen as successful for their looks. This causes young girls to have lower self-esteem if their looks aren't at that level.

What can we do to change this?

Song Idea - "Sunday, December 22nd, 2013"

During the holidays, our power went off for 86 hours, and while it was off, we stayed at my Grandmother's house. The first night we got there, her power actually went off as well, so we spent the night sitting around the table with candles as our only source of light, and I wrote this song. It's super rough, but hey, I'm no prodigy! It's basically about how we should be grateful for what we have, and we shouldn't take things for granted!


By the light of the fire
I sit in solitude
No noise, no distractions
Just me, thinking of You

Sitting by the candles
The lights, the flicker on and off
Illuminate the stillness
Like the flames in my heart

The radio comes on
The stillness is suddenly gone
But the thought of You still resonates
In my mind

Because You, Lord, You lived
Long ago, without the things we have now
You, Lord, You lived
Without lights, without cars, or online communication
Help us be thankful for what we have
Help us remember You this year (<-- this was originally "Christmas" but since it's past that I changed it)

Constant complaints
Shatter the air straight through
"I can't live without the internet!" and
"What are we going to do?"

But if you take some time
And just sit by the fire
And think about the One who saved us all
Then maybe you'll reclaim desire (<---- super rough, will be changing that)

The radio announcer says
"72 hours of dark"
How about instead of freaking out,
You remember Jesus, our very own spark

'Cause You, Lord, You lived
Long ago, without the things we have now
You, Lord, You lived
Without lights, without cars, or online communication
Help us be thankful for what we have
Help us remember You this year

Writer's Block

Blink, blink, blink.
I stare at a blank page.
The cursor flashes on and off, on and off, on and off.
I start to type.
"Hello everyone, I would like to talk abou-" [delete]...too formal.
"Waddup homie-" [delete]...too informal; no one will take me seriously.
I stare, and I stare, and I stare.
Why is it so hard to put my thoughts into words?

Blink, blink, blink.
It's almost hypnotizing, that little flashing line.
My mind is jumbled with possible phrases
But my fingers freeze up, unable to put what I'm thinking
To justice.
I just want to write about my passions:
Music, Abolition, God.
But I can't.

Blink, blink, blink.
"Sophie, you should start a blog!" I thought to myself,
That one day in March.
What was I thinking?
My heart wants to write, but
My mind thinks "You're not good enough."
And what do I listen to?
My heart, of course!
Because I've heard the song -
"Listen to your heart, when it's calling for you"
I want to prove my mind wrong.
"I AM good enough." I tell it.
But am I?

Blink, blink, blink.
If I'm truly good enough,
Then why is this so difficult for me?
"Maybe I'll try writing songs," I say.
I listen and listen and listen to the artists
I look up to.
They can do it, so I can too.
I play a chord on my guitar.
Starting off simple, with a G.
I wait for the words to come...
Nothing.
Maybe a Bm?
Still nothing.
Alright, alright. It must be a C.
I start to get frustrated.
Maybe, just maybe,
My mind has a point.

Blink, blink, blink.
The cursor seems to be staring at me,
Judging me,
Saying "Come on, Sophie, how hard can it be?"
I turn off my computer and switch to paper.
No more flashing.
No more pressure.
Surely it should be easier now?

Blink, blink, blink.
The lines on the page are running together
As I try my hardest to blink the tears of frustration
Out of my eyes.
I can't write.
I sigh heavily and rip the page up.
My mind won.
I guess writing just isn't for me.

[Writer's Block - an original poem by me]

Throwback Thursday: Blast From the Past!

Heyoo!

Gosh it's been a while...I'm currently sitting in the library at school, waiting to buy a textbook from a girl I met on Facebook. Normally, I would watch one of my many TV shows to pass the time, but things have changed in the last few days! I have decided to take a fast from not only TV, but many other social networking sites that have distracted me from my schoolwork the past year and a half. I'm still unsure about whether I'm in the right major, but I feel like it will be easier to tell if I like it if I ACTUALLY spend time doing the work without distractions!

As it is only the first week of school, and no assignments have been given yet, I must find other ways to pass the time, and this was the one that popped into my head! So here I am!

Recently, I've been exploring old photos from when I was little, and I thought I would share some with you, as it is Throwback Thursday!

in order: my first halloween // a couple of snaps of me running - I was a very active child! // me and my dad // me and my mom // me and my stuffies

I love looking over old photos, it just brings me so much joy! One thing I love about being an only child is that there is no shortage of photos from my childhood.

I hope you enjoyed them! I also hope to be back on this blog more regularly (since I have no distractions)

xoxo Sophie

Dressember Week 1

Heyoo!

Here are the photos I have taken for Dressember from Day 2 - Day 8! I've been having a lot of fun picking out dresses!

 If you want to donate to IJM to help abolish trafficking, please go to this link! Thank you for all your support :)

xoxo Sophie

Dressember Day 1

Heyooooo I'm baaaaaack!!!

I want to tell you about a little exciting something that I will be doing this month!

For the month of December, I will be participating in Dressember, where every day of the month, I will wear a dress. "Why the heck would you do that? It's freezing out!" - you may ask. I have two answers for you. 1. Because I like dresses, and 2. I am doing it to raise money for International Justice Mission, an organization that works to combat human trafficking. 

In the last couple of years, I have developed a huge passion for organizations that either rescue women and children (and men as well) from trafficking, or run/support aftercare facilities for survivors, or both. As it says on the IJM-Canada website: "IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems – police, courts and laws – effectively protect the poor." IJM has performed rescues of thousands of girls from brothels all over the world.

100% of the money donated will be going to IJM Canada. Originally, Dressember was just a part of the US IJM project, but when I realized that I wanted to participate, I noticed that tax receipts could only be issued to US residents. After contacting Blythe, the amazing mind behind this whole thing, about this issue, she so graciously put together a Dressember page on the IJM Canada website, so that my Canadian friends can support me and receive a tax receipt for 100% of their donation!

I don't have enough dresses in my closet to wear a different one every day for 31 days, but I'm going to attempt to make each day different in my own way. I'll be posting pictures on here for the next month to document my journey and to keep you all updated!

So I would like to ask you to partner with me in bringing freedom and hope to those in captivity. The following link is to my personal page on IJM Canada's website. You'll find a video there to find out more about what IJM does, and you'll also find a little box where you can donate. Every dollar makes a difference! Thank you for reading and for caring.

http://justact.ijm.ca/sophiemiriam

[If you live in the US, there is another website where you can donate if you feel so called (x), and you will be able to receive a tax receipt from there!]

Dressember 1st OOTD!

xoxo Sophie

SORRY!!!

Heyoo!

So I TOTALLY had this genius plan to start a blog and update it every day.....and that clearly never happened. I've discovered that writing is just not my strong point, while music is, so I've decided to start a music YouTube channel where I post covers of songs.

I've only put one video up so far, since I started it yesterday, so if you want to check it out, please go to http://youtube.com/SophieMiriamMusic!

Maybe if my writing improves I will start this up again, but until then, have a lovely time listening to my music! Thanks for following me!

xoxo Sophie

Throwback Thursday: Prom 2012

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Heyoo!

It's prom season! Today, the grads of my old high school had their prom, and as I started seeing the photos pop up, it got me reminiscing about my own prom last year! It was held at the Capitol Event Theater, and old movie theater converted into an event venue! It was a beautiful building. Here are some pictures from my own prom!

My prom dress that I got for only $25!

My friends and I decided to take a schoolbus rather than a limo. Class to the max!

Me and some of my friends.

Looking through the pictures has gotten me all teary-eyed, missing my lovely friends! Luckily, I've gotten to see a handful of them this summer.

What were your proms like? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo Sophie

Weird and Wacky Wednesday: Tattoos

Heyoo!

I have always been fascinated by tattoos, and whenever I see someone on the street or in a store with tattoos, I always try and get a closer look to see what it may be. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to tattoos I like! And I have already planned out all the tattoos I want to get in the future, and I'm going to share my ideas with you guys!

1. Tattoo: 5 point star

Location: wrist
Reason: I have had 5 sponsored children, all from different countries, but even though we are far away from each other we still all look at the same stars. (cheesy, I know, but I love it. Simple, but meaningful.)

2. Tattoo: The Jesus fish (Ichthys)

Location: ribs

Reason: Ichthys means Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour. The fish is a Christian symbol that in the early days Christians would use to identify each other. One person would draw the first line, and if the second person drew the second line to complete the fish, they would know that they were both Christians. It's basically a means of identifying as a follower of Christ! 

3. Tattoo: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) in Spanish

Location: shoulder

Reason: This is my favourite Bible verse. It is such a reminder that I can't rely on myself in tough times, but I CAN rely on God! It will be in Spanish because one of my sponsored children, Madeley, sent me this exact verse in Spanish saying it was her favourite verse as well.

4. Tattoo: Psalm 40:1-3

Location: foot

Reason: Another of my favourite Bible verses! I want it on my foot because it talks about God setting my feet on a rock for a firm place to stand!

5. Tattoo: "Yeah, the road gets harder, but it's not much farther. It's gonna be alright."

Location: back

Reason: This is a line from one of my favourite NEEDTOBREATHE songs, More Time (link: lyric video of the song). It's just super inspirational and encouraging and I love it! The road is always going to get harder, but you just gotta keep going! (For those of you who don't know, NEEDTOBREATHE is the best band ever and you should totally listen to them because they are actually incredible.)

6. Tattoo: Treble clef turning into a staff

Location: starting behind ear and going down neck

Reason: Music is a HUGE part of my life, and I can't imagine my life without it. It really calms me when I'm feeling anxious.

7. Tattoo: OUTSIDER

Location: forearm

Reason: Yet another NEEDTOBREATHE-themed tattoo. They are seriously my favourite band. Their song, The Outsiders (link: live acoustic version on a radio show), is my all-time favourite song - not just by them, but literally of all time - the first time I heard it it really stood out to me! I don't know exactly what their meaning behind it is, but my interpretation is that as Christians, we are outsiders because we are set apart. People will always be looking down upon us, but we are called to love everyone no matter what they do. This tattoo will be a reminder to me that I am an Outsider, and that's ok, because God will always love me. I'm not very good at putting my thoughts into words, so sorry if that didn't make much sense.

Alright guys! Sorry that this is up really late! I had a super busy day but I wanted to put this up for you so I'm finishing writing at 2am. 

I hope you liked this post and if you have any further questions about why I chose these particular tattoo ideas, please leave a comment below and I'll try my best to answer!

Also, leave a comment with tattoo ideas that you have for yourselves, or tattoos that you already have! As a tattoo enthusiast, I'd love to hear about yours!

Talk to you tomorrow!

xoxo Sophie

Daily Themes!

Heyoo!

So as I've been getting back into blogging, I decided that I want to have a little bit of structure and have a theme for each day! That way, it will help me keep on track with blogging, and it will just be fun! I was brainstorming ideas last night and here's what I have so far:

Monday - Makeup Monday

I'm not a huge beauty guru, like so many other amazing blogger/vloggers on the internet, and I don't know very much about makeup, but I do quite enjoy wearing and buying it from time to time! On Mondays, you can look forward to product reviews/reactions, products I've been loving, fashion pieces, etc.

Tuesday - Talk About... Tuesday

If there's one thing I love, it's to TALK! Whether it's about TV shows, books, movies, current events, or even what's going on in my life! On Tuesdays, I will just sit down, and talk to you guys about whatever is on my mind!

Wednesday - Weird and Wacky Wednesday

I am EXTREMELY weird, and I think that's a good thing! So Wednesday will be dedicated to all things weird!

Thursday - Throwback Thursday

For those of you who use Instagram, this won't come as a surprise to you. For those of you who don't, Throwback Thursday is a day where I will talk about things of the past, memories, nostalgia, you get the picture! You may see a few baby photos here and there!

Friday - Favourites Friday

It's coming to the end of the week, so this day will be dedicated to talking about my favourite things of the week. Lots of vloggers do monthly favourites, but my opinions change so quickly that I don't think I have many things that I love for an entire month!

Saturday - Storytime Saturday

Lots of embarrassing things happen to me, so I'll tell you about them!

Sunday - 'Spirational Sunday

Yes, I shortened the word Inspirational. So sue me. Here you can expect inspirational quotations, Bible verses I love, what my Pastor talked about in church that morning, whatever!


I'm also thinking about having monthly themes every other month, where every day of the month, along with my regular daily post, I will have a post catered to that theme! I've only thought of a few so far, but here they are:

- The 30 Day Snap (as talked about in my previous post)
- Cooking with Sophie (This past year at university I was super lazy about cooking, but I want to branch out and cook more healthy/exciting things! I'll post the recipes as well!)
- A Song A Day (I'll share what song is currently stuck in my head!)

Alright! So those are my ideas so far! If any of you have any suggestions for other monthly themes, OR if you absolutely hate my weekly ideas and you have a better one, leave a comment below with your suggestions! I'd love to hear them!

I really am looking forward to posting these!

xoxo Sophie

Yikes!

Heyoo!!

Soooo...it's been a while, hasn't it! The time has just gotten away from me, and I really don't have any excuse, other than...you guessed it...laziness. There have been plenty of times where I could have written a blogpost, but honestly I just kind of forgot about it! :/

Anyways, I'll give you all an update on what's been going on!

1. I finished Supernatural. Crazy finale!!! Totally bawled my eyes out, as per usual.

2. I've decided to continue going to Brock for Con-Ed. I did a lot of research about Film, in all different aspects, and I DO still really like it, but I think in order to really know if I want to switch programs I am going to have to keep going in my current one to see if I still like it! We'll see how second year goes!

3. I got my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday! I'm still a little sore, but the swelling has gone down quite a bit so I don't look as much like a chipmunk anymore, and I'm starting to be able to eat solid foods, little by little. I had Mac 'n' Cheese today, and it was delicious.

4. I'm actually leaving for camp on Friday, and that's actually the reason I started blogging again: I want to do something that one of my favourite bloggers/YouTubers, SprinkleOfGlitter (I linked her YouTube channel), started, called the 30 Day Snap.

Basically, over the course of 30 Days (or is July 31 days? I can never remember), you take a photo each day and upload it to your blog. I've decided I'm going to take my photos at camp, and then on my hour off when I get internet I will try to upload them to here over the course of July. Hopefully it will work out! You can read Louise's original blogpost HERE.

5. I've been learning bar chords on the guitar! Hooray!

I'm still a little rusty, but practice makes perfect, so I'm going to keep practicing :)

I think that's all for now!

Have an awesome week, and talk to you soon, hopefully!

xoxo Sophie

My Dream Style

Heyoo!

So I thought that you guys should get to know me a bit better, so today I'm going to talk about my style preferences.

Keep in mind, most of the clothes I'm going to show here I don't actually have, because I'm a university student and can't afford to go shopping. So this is basically my "dream wardrobe".

I was browsing through my style board on Pinterest and I discovered that I often pinned these main 6 things:

1. Lace Dresses

I LOVE lace dresses, and this showed clearly, as the majority of my 1000+ pins of clothes were these types of dresses. They're just so cute and dainty and I just love them!

2. High-waisted

High-waisted pants, shorts and skirts were very in-style back in the 60's and now they are making a comeback, and I am over the moon! Soooo cute!

3. Boyfriend Jeans

There's just something about looser jeans with cuffs that just makes me so happy. This is funny because I primarily have skinny jeans, but again, it's gonna happen when I get money!

4. Vintage Tops

Look at the collar! Enough said!

5. This Comfy Ensemble

Scarves and boots and comfy sweaters - perfect for fall!

6. High-heels with bows

I didn't even know I loved bows so much until I went through my board and noticed that almost every single shoe post had bows on them! So adorable and feminine!

Those are the main things I found on my Pinterest, BUT there is one more thing that wasn't on Pinterest that I am absolutely obsessed with, and that is...

7. Fandom Shirts

What can I say? I'm a fangirl.


Alright guys, that is my dream style!

Cheerio!
xoxo Sophie

Across the Ocean

Heyoo!

Today I'm going to talk about a country that means a lot to me, and that is the Dominican Republic.

Three years ago, in February 2010, my church sent a group of 20 young adults/adults, including myself, on a Missions Trip to the DR. We would be working in a village called Esperanza (Hope, in Spanish), building houses and playing with the children.

Here's a bit of geography. Esperanza Village is in Puerto Plata, so probably the closest to Canada.

Alright, now that that's over with (I hate geography), let's move on with the story.

So in Esperanza, I met a little 7-year-old girl named Isabella on the very first day we were there. She was really sweet, and immediately took a liking to me. As the days went on, Isabella and I grew very close, to the point where she would constantly be around me, holding my hand or wanting me to hold her, all the while teaching me some Spanish and Creole while I taught her some English. I loved that girl. When it was time to leave, we were both crying, and I promised to pray for her and think about her every day. Three years later, I still do.

When I got home, I went into a depression from missing it so much. I'm sure people who have gone on Mission Trips know what I mean by this. I would literally cry myself to sleep every night. I vowed that if I ever had kids, my first daughter would be named Isabella.

Now, our trip was the last to go for a while, so I didn't hear about Isabella for a very long time. But this year, my Pastor and friend, Mike, and his family went to live in the DR for 4 months. I secretly hoped, every day, that I would hear something about Isabella, even just a little note saying she was fine. And that's exactly what happened today.

I was facebook chatting with my mom, and she sent me the link to Mike's DR Trip blog, saying that he had met Isabella's mom, and he had seen her again. I quickly read the blog post, and I found out that she's 10 now, and she lives with her mom and brother, and she is healthy. I almost started crying because I was so happy! There was a picture, and she looks so beautiful and grown up! Here it is:

I miss her so much, and I hope to one day go back and see her. And I hope she remembers me!

That's all for now!

Cheerio!
xoxo Sophie

Why Are Decisions SOOOO Hard To Make??!?!

Heyoo!

So if you don't know, I'm currently finishing up my first year of university (one more exam, hurray!). At the moment I am in the Concurrent Education program, which means that I'm taking my BA and my BEd simultaneously, and I don't have to reapply for Teacher's College in my 5th year. Living the dream, right?

Wrong.

Let's rewind a little.

You see, all through my life, I've gone through possible career paths like I go through a chocolate bar (breakneck speed, gotta love chocolate!). When I was younger, I wanted to be a vet because I loved animals, but then when I discovered that vets had to put animals down, I quickly changed my mind. Killing animals, sick or not, was NOT an option for me. I went through several other options after that, and then when I was in high school I decided I wanted to be a coroner. Sounds like a great job, eh? I was just so into crime/cop shows and I always thought the coroner's job seemed like the coolest. And besides...if you messed something up, it's not like you'd kill the person! (Great mindset, I know). But then in Grade 10 Careers class, we had to search jobs, and all the steps it would take to get there, and then I discovered that in order to be a coroner you have to be a surgeon first. Not ideal. Having someone's life on my hands freaked me out. That's probably why I don't look for lifeguarding jobs outside of my camp. So coroner was crossed off the list. Throughout all this, being a teacher was the LAST thing on my mind. Staying in school for the rest of my life? Ew! No thank you.

But then, in Grade 12, I took Co-op class, where we'd go to a workplace and shadow the people. I'm sure you all know what Co-op is. Now, when I was in elementary school, I started learning the violin. I became quite good at it, and I really loved my teacher! So when I learned that I could do Co-op anywhere, my mom thought of my old music teacher. After I discovered I didn't have to do an interview because she already new me, I thought I'd give it a shot. Easy work, people I knew, great!

So every other afternoon, I would walk the 15 minutes to my elementary school, and I would help out in the strings class. Basically my job was to sit with the kids and play alongside them, and if any of them were having difficulty, I would take them outside and work with them. I shortly discovered that I was actually helping the kids improve, and they all respected me and really liked me because I was nice to them, and I never yelled at them like the other teachers did from time to time (they never learned that yelling doesn't make the kids listen, it just makes them hate you).

Then I realized that I really did like Co-op, and it was fun playing along with the kids, and it helped with my own sight-reading as well, so when I was playing my harder pieces in high school I improved a lot. Anyways, for some reason, I decided that I was going to be a teacher, even though for all those years I swore it would never happen. I just thought, well this must be what God wants for me! I'd always been good with kids, I had lots of experience working with them, and now I was loving Co-op, so why not?

That is...until I got into first year university at Brock, the BEST Con-Ed program in Canada, or Ontario at least...don't quote me on that. At first, I started off loving it! I was there with one of my best friends, who I think in some way influenced my decision to be a teacher, I was FINALLY living on my own, in a house with three other amazing girls, and life was good! But then things started getting harder. Now, of course, this is natural, because it's a huge transition and for some reason all the first year professors get together and decide that they're going to make life hell for us. But I finished off Grade 12 with a 93 average, and by the end of first semester at Brock, my average was in the 60s. Not great. I know this happens to everyone, but even my mom was thinking that maybe social sciences wasn't the best thing for me.

Now remember, just because your marks are lower in university does NOT mean you should switch programs! This was not the only factor for me, and honestly, everyone gets low marks in first year! So don't sweat it! :)

Now, there's still a part of me saying "Hey, maybe keep going for a second year! Maybe it's just first year, and once you've adjusted you'll be fine!" But there's also a part of me that doesn't really want to be a teacher, because it scares the crap out of me. Speaking in front of people? Not my forte. Whether it's giving a presentation in class, answering a question in class, or even praying out loud, I get red in the face and my heart starts beating a mile a minute, literally. And speaking in front of people is what a teacher does every day from 9-3. Also, there's an even bigger part of me pushing towards a different career path: Film.

Why film? Well, in Grade 12 Media Studies, one of our assignments was to take a song and edit it into another video that somehow related to the lyrics. I was partnered with my friend, and we decided to take the song Today Was A Fairytale by Taylor Swift (a personal favourite) and mix it with Disney's Cinderella. Together, we watched the entire movie (which was a party in itself :D) and we chose certain scenes that worked well with the lyrics of the song. After we found the scenes, we tried to make it into a powerpoint with video clips, but that did NOT work out, obviously. So when I got home, with help from my tech-savvy dad, I found the clips on YouTube and edited them into iMovie. And I don't want to toot my own horn, but honestly, it was pretty amazing. My dad shows it to all of his guitar students who want to learn that song, LOL! I think we got 100% on the project in the end. That's when I started thinking about pursuing film, but I kept shoving it out of my brain thinking "No, Sophie, you want to be a teacher!"  So I went to school to be a teacher.

Now, in December of 2012, when I was home for the Christmas break, I had been looking on my tumblr and I saw a few posts about Jack and Finn Harries, the YouTubers. I decided to check out Jacksgap, their channel, and let me tell you, I was hooked after the first video. Watching them led to me watching all the other YouTubers that were in their videos, and then I just kept watching more and more YouTubers. I became fascinated with the art of talking to a camera and how it changed so many peoples' lives! I thought it was a really cool thing to do, and honestly, I tried to make a video or two myself. But let's be real..I'm super awkward talking to a camera. I'm sure if I did it more I would grow more comfortable, and I really wanted to, but I had to focus on school, and didn't have time to think up videos, let alone make them. Plus, the only way to film them was on my MacBook, and the quality was terrible.

Anyways, I would watch the videos, and I noticed how I would pay such close attention to how the people edited their videos so well! It was amazing! I have started paying attention to editing in TV shows and movies as well, as I am a junkie (as you can tell from my last post). This made me really realize that film editing is something I'm very interested in, and I would like to pursue a career in it!

So, me being the conflicted, poor decision maker I am, I am currently stuck between wanting to pursue a degree in Film, and not wanting to leave Con-Ed in case I regret it. I'm trying to have the mindset that one of my favourite YouTubers and Bloggers, Zoella, has: to just say "Yes", but it's hard to get into that place where I can say "yes" to anything. I know I have to do it, and I know I eventually will, but I'm having a HUGE internal battle with myself over my future, and there are too many "What if"s.

So here I am. Sorry this was so long, but I really wanted to get it into writing, in hopes that it would help make my decision a bit easier. Let's see what happens once exams are over.

Cheerio!
xoxo Sophie

Too Many Emotions!

Heyoo!

So I don't even know if anyone reads this, but if you do, hi my name is Sophie, and I happen to be at TV addict.

I watch all kinds of shows, ranging from lovely family shows like Parenthood all the way to crazy murder shows like Criminal Minds. As much as I do love Parenthood (starring Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls, she's friggen awesome), I do tend to lean towards the darker shows. I don't know why, but I just love them! A few of my favourites are Pretty Little Liars (let's be real, it's pretty darn dark), CSI:NY, Criminal Minds, Heroes, and my recent favourite, Supernatural.

I recently started watching Supernatural, and by recently I mean about a week ago, because 1) several of my friends raved about how good it was and 2) a whole bunch of the people I follow on tumblr posted about it, and it looked like something I would enjoy. 

Now, as I said, I started watching about a week or week-and-a-half ago, and I've just finished Season 2 of 8. And let me tell you...after only two seasons, heck, after maybe 2 episodes, I developed an emotional attachment to the characters, Sam in particular (if you don't watch Supernatural, Sam's the giant on the left.)

Let me tell you about Sam Winchester. Sam is the younger of the two brothers. His mom died when he was only 6 months old, he lost his girlfriend of two years, and he's seen way more death than a normal person should. Yet he, in no way, is desensitized.  Sam sees so much death, and battles so many demons and spirits, but when the time comes for him to pull the trigger, he can't. Sam sees underneath the demons, and he sees that there is a real person being trapped, and even if it means the demon escaping, he can't bring himself to kill the person. And that just makes me love him so much more.

Sam is also quite sensitive. He has so much love in his heart, and so much pain, that of course he's going to break down and cry. And I respect him so much for it. Not many guys can cry -- I mean...there's that saying - "real men don't cry" or whatever - but honestly...I think that's bull -- but Sam can still step up to be a man and save people from evil, and still have emotions. And let's be real here, whenever I see Sam crying, it makes me want to kiss him three times as much as when he's not. Just saying ;) Let's show Sam crying and we can all just stare at him and love him.

LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL HE IS. This is from Season 2, Episode 17, if anyone wants to die of feels. Don't watch it or else you'll never laugh again just kidding not really. 

Anyways. Season 2 in particular was just a whirlwind of emotions and feels, and I cried a lot more than I care to admit. But I guess I just did...our secret! I, for one, can not wait for Season 3!

That's my rant on Sam Winchester and the wonder that is Supernatural.

Cheerio!

xoxo Sophie

Heyoo!

So this is my first ever blog post...and I've gotta say it's a little scary writing this! I've never been a writer, so don't expect this to be "English Major Quality".

To start off, my name is Sophie, and I'm 18 years old. I have very thick, curly brown hair, and I have only just learned to accept it, since it's not going anywhere! I play violin, and some guitar, and I sing!

this is me playing guitar hurray!

I live in Canada, and I am in my first year of university. I am studying to be a kindergarten teacher, but I still don't know if that is exactly what I want to do! I've recently discovered that I am quite good at helping people who are going through rough patches in their lives, as I am a very good listener, and I don't like to judge people based on their backgrounds! This has led to me questioning my entire career path and making me wonder whether I should be a therapist or something. But as of now I think I will stick with my current degree and hope that one day I will be clear as to what I want to do with the rest of my life. Scary stuff!

Besides having a passion for working with children or those in need of love and listening, I also have a huge passion for working with women coming out of trafficking. If you don't know what trafficking is, it is when people are basically sold, like objects, whether as slaves, or as sex objects. I am hoping to become involved with an organization that helps these women.

Now that you know some things about me, let's talk about this blog thing that I've decided is a good idea to have...who knows why.

As the blog name says, this is just going to be a website of me ranting things, or reviewing things, or whatever the heck is on my mind. I really have no idea yet. Maybe some time in the future it will have some structure but as of now it will be a giant word barf and you will all like it!

So yeah, enjoy my randomness, and I'll talk to you soon!

*le queen wave*
peace out girlscouts!