"The world is a book and those that don't travel only read one page."
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Where to begin?
Well... I love ice-cream, horses, my family, and my heated blanket. I'm a steadfast Christian that loves to drink chi with friends. I adore my horse, Romeo, and love it when he gives me kisses. I just want to experience life and fall in love with the world, but that's not why I'm blogging. I'm blogging because I want to make my year as an exchange student the most memorable experience possible not just for me but my family as well. Blogging will be a way for me to share my stories and debrief situations. I'll always have this to look back on and, let's be honest, who wouldn't love to say that they have blogged for a year! I found this quote on Pinterest, "They laugh at me because I'm different, and I laugh at them because they are all the same. " I feel like this describes how I feel on everything that had happened. This exchange process has been a whirlwind and still is but through all the papers, meetings, conferences, blog work, school work, regular work, home chores, and finding time to eat and bathe God tolled me to go. So I'm going and there is no stopping me! "All things are possible if you believe. Mark 9:23" |
Favorite Songs:
1. Budapest (listenhere) 2. Shut Up and Dance (listenhere) 3. Run Wild (listenhere) 4. Elastic Heart (listenhere) 5. Bad Karma (listenhere) |
Favorite Movies:
1. Star Wars (trailerhere) 2. Captain America winter soldier (trailerhere) 3. Pride and Prejustice (trailerhere) 4. Big hero 6 (trailerhere) 5. The Hobbit (trailerhere) |
Meet the American Family
Dad
My dad is the rock of the family. He loves to play sports and be the best dad in the world! He is an Electrical Engineer at Franklin Electric, which means he can help me with math no matter how difficult it gets! He is an over comer that can except a hard past, make other dads look pewny and weak, yet still make babys smile at Walmart. He is truly a man of God and leads his family to greatness!
Andrew
This is Andrew and his girly girl, Jenna, whom was my friend first. BTW! Andrew is so smart and is such a hard worker. I use to hate him because he use to do my school work over my shoulder but now he is my go to person when I don't understand something. We can read each other's mind at times and I couldn't ask for a better brother!
Esther
Esther is the fun- loving party girl that never grows weary when there is dancing to be done. And don't mistake the lipstick and shiny shoes for a prissy sissy because, Esther is a tough cookie! She can fall down a hill of rocks with scratches all over, dust herself off, and be ready for round 2. When it comes to duck tap she is the master and when it's time to snuggle she is already on the couch with the quilt!
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Mom
I love this picture of my Mom just because I think it captures her strength and beauty. She isn't afraid to do hard things and definitely is out to make the world a better place one kid at a time. She has the best hugs in the the world can sing, dance, cook, clean, talk about awkward nurse things, make you laugh or be the person to go to when you need to cry. There is no other person I would rather call my Mom.
Paul
This is the geek child that reads high school chemistry books but can't seam to remember where he put his socks. Paul never stops making me laugh even if I'm laughing at him! He is always up for a hug and if you hand him a kid of any age they will be best buddies at the end of an hour. If one of us will go to the moon or create the next atomic bomb it will be Paul and he will have an older sister cheering him on!
Animals
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My American Paradise
I thought, and I know that me thinking can be dangerous, that people might want to see with their own eyes the special places in America that I call home. Enjoy these picture tours of my pieces of paradise.
House |
Bedroom |
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Veggie Garden |
Home Turf from the back of a Horse |
Before Exchange Letter to me: |
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Dear me,
I’ve never written a letter to myself before… How does it feel self to read a letter to you? Which is me… Now I’m just confused. Who am I writing this to? Well whoever you are let me tell you somethings I have learned about life in my short 18 years of living.
#1 People love kindness. Yes the rude cheerleader may get all the attention at school but out in the real world, rude just puts you at the bottom of the food chain. Walk into a room confident (even if you don’t feel it). Then smile at everyone that glances your way, like their look is an early birthday present. When someone, even if you don’t know them, smiles so genuinely and is kind in the way they speak and move, people will want to keep you around. I guarantee it.
#2 Mom, Dad, anyone with more life experience is usually right. As a teen we hate to here this one but it’s the truth. Older people just know. They tell us to travel while we are young, to not drink and drive, and enjoy our childhood because it goes so fast. Some teens allow that knowledge to go in through one ear and out the other but listen, because usually they are right. Think of it like a horse bred in captivity. All its life it wants to go crazy and be free. It’s blinded by the desire to go, see, do and forgets that there are predators, cold nights, and droughts. A horse that has already had experience living in the elements will help guide the young horse to understand the dangers and give the horse an advantage. That’s what others can do for us in our lives! We may not understand the value in staying home and planting a garden while our friends party but our parents do and know that we will one day thank them for teaching us to work hard and make sacrifices.
#3 Start a journal. Journaling is such a great way to get all the gummpys and crazys out of your system. Then the best part is you can go back and see how you worked your Mt. Everest problems out and turned them into the ant hill in your back yard. I’ll give you one of my resent journal entries that still makes me laugh.
“May 4th 2015, I want to ride Romeo, but I’m tired. Actually I’m mad… Never mind now I just want to cry. I think I need to go to bed. I’ll fill you in on my day later.”
That was a real journal entry, that I , Carmen Jagger, wrote. It’s not pretty but now I think it’s funny. I obviously didn’t then. That’s what a journals for. The wants, needs, and sometimes just being there.
#4 Don’t let some else write your story. This is your life. You be the author of your story. If you want your main character to go on a quest for Camelot then pick up a sward at Walmart and fly to the UK. What’s stopping you? When you feel like you’re trapped a very good question to ask yourself is, “What would Chuck Noris do?” We all know chuck is always right so if you doubt yourself find strength in a man that has no limits.
#5 live life to the fullest. You only get one shot at this. That’s why it’s not a good idea to play with the fire of dangerous situations and reckless action. That’s not to say you can’t have fun. Just have fun the right way. Fun should be something that doesn’t come back to bite you. Open seats at a concert, take them! You’ve never tried a food before, eat it! Someone once said that you only regret the things that you didn’t do. If you think a situation is impossible just remember we sent a man to the moon before we invented snuggies. In this world if you want it, you can get it!
Well me, I’m done ranting to myself. Can we go have a Popsicle now?
Carmen
I’ve never written a letter to myself before… How does it feel self to read a letter to you? Which is me… Now I’m just confused. Who am I writing this to? Well whoever you are let me tell you somethings I have learned about life in my short 18 years of living.
#1 People love kindness. Yes the rude cheerleader may get all the attention at school but out in the real world, rude just puts you at the bottom of the food chain. Walk into a room confident (even if you don’t feel it). Then smile at everyone that glances your way, like their look is an early birthday present. When someone, even if you don’t know them, smiles so genuinely and is kind in the way they speak and move, people will want to keep you around. I guarantee it.
#2 Mom, Dad, anyone with more life experience is usually right. As a teen we hate to here this one but it’s the truth. Older people just know. They tell us to travel while we are young, to not drink and drive, and enjoy our childhood because it goes so fast. Some teens allow that knowledge to go in through one ear and out the other but listen, because usually they are right. Think of it like a horse bred in captivity. All its life it wants to go crazy and be free. It’s blinded by the desire to go, see, do and forgets that there are predators, cold nights, and droughts. A horse that has already had experience living in the elements will help guide the young horse to understand the dangers and give the horse an advantage. That’s what others can do for us in our lives! We may not understand the value in staying home and planting a garden while our friends party but our parents do and know that we will one day thank them for teaching us to work hard and make sacrifices.
#3 Start a journal. Journaling is such a great way to get all the gummpys and crazys out of your system. Then the best part is you can go back and see how you worked your Mt. Everest problems out and turned them into the ant hill in your back yard. I’ll give you one of my resent journal entries that still makes me laugh.
“May 4th 2015, I want to ride Romeo, but I’m tired. Actually I’m mad… Never mind now I just want to cry. I think I need to go to bed. I’ll fill you in on my day later.”
That was a real journal entry, that I , Carmen Jagger, wrote. It’s not pretty but now I think it’s funny. I obviously didn’t then. That’s what a journals for. The wants, needs, and sometimes just being there.
#4 Don’t let some else write your story. This is your life. You be the author of your story. If you want your main character to go on a quest for Camelot then pick up a sward at Walmart and fly to the UK. What’s stopping you? When you feel like you’re trapped a very good question to ask yourself is, “What would Chuck Noris do?” We all know chuck is always right so if you doubt yourself find strength in a man that has no limits.
#5 live life to the fullest. You only get one shot at this. That’s why it’s not a good idea to play with the fire of dangerous situations and reckless action. That’s not to say you can’t have fun. Just have fun the right way. Fun should be something that doesn’t come back to bite you. Open seats at a concert, take them! You’ve never tried a food before, eat it! Someone once said that you only regret the things that you didn’t do. If you think a situation is impossible just remember we sent a man to the moon before we invented snuggies. In this world if you want it, you can get it!
Well me, I’m done ranting to myself. Can we go have a Popsicle now?
Carmen