home

vomit, pee, poop, crying, screaming, are all the symptoms of a baby. My cousin, being a victim of teenage pregnancy gave me an idea of what being a mom might be like. It isn't glamorous, i have personally been attacked by infants countless times, and had yet to see that one "moment," the moment all parents talk about, that made being a mom or dad all worth while. I did not understand the appeal of children, as baby's they cant survive on their own, and are clumsy and wet. As they hit one they are able to crawl and possibly walk, which were traits i didn't find admirable. After one, they continually get worse. They hit their terrible two's, which consists of running, screaming, whining, grabbing, and an all around nuisance. Once they are at an adequate age for school they only digress, they are put into a classroom with 15 other adolescents, who also, jab, grab, poke, and scream. Although this was my initial outlook on kids, i have slowly warmed b-up to the idea of having a family in the future. I have seen glimpses of pure adoration between parents and their children, and as a senior in high school have a lot to learn about raising a family. I have recently taken on more babysitting jobs and have been reluctant to leave the kids. They have shown me that there is more behind all of the screaming, and kicking. I have gotten past this reluctance towards kids, but have no interest in starting a family for several years!
 * Kids**
 * -Alex Koentges**


 * Homosexuality**

When i was growing up i had always thought that homosexuality was a horrible thing and that every homosexual in the world was a horrible person. i thought this way pretty much my whole entire life all the way up to high school. I still thought this way during freshmen year. All was the same up until sophomore year when i started to talk to a girl again. This girl would end up becoming my girlfriend. Her name was Savannah Maynard and she had two homosexual uncles. She wanted me to meet these two uncles and needless to say i was hesitant to say the lease**.** So the day comes that i have to meet these two guys who i think are horrible people before i even meet them. I started to mope into the house complaing the whole time. Savannah told me to plant myself into the chair and just keep my mouth shut, so i did. The two Uncles stepped in with giant smiles on their faces. I didn't know what to expect when the opened their mouths to speak. They started to talk and they seemed jut like normal guys! I couldn't believe it i was judging these two men before I had even met them and it turns out that they are just like me. By the end of the night I was just in astonishment on how cool these two guys were. Ever sense I met those two men i have forever changed my way of thinking about homosexuality and i just wish that my eyes would have been opened earlier.


 * Loreto Vialpando**


 * Such A Thing Called Love?**

One thing that I use to hold a firm opinion about, but changed my thoughts and views on was being in love. As innocent as being in love sounds, I use to be against it. Growing up, my parents always pushed me to not rely on people for anything; money, friendship, or love. Even though I was young and hadn't experienced love yet, I grew my opinion about it after seeing love tear so many people I cared about apart. So thinking that, I never gave the whole "being in love" with someone a chance, nor wanted to. I even kind of looked down on the people who relied on their spouse, young and old, to make them happy because I thought that made them weak. I watched love make some of my strongest role models in my life, cry and do things they normally wouldn't do. I even had to watch my friends, as young as they were, cry over their boyfriends who didn't treat them right or much less deserve them. I always told them that it wasn't worth crying over, and to just move on. I thought it was so easy to stand your ground and just walk away from a lover. I never had empathy for the people who put them selfs in a position to get hurt because I felt like they had the power to stop it. I also believed, it was better to stay single when you were younger so you could focus on you and your needs, because all that a boyfriend/girlfriend would do was distract you. To me, getting over someone seemed like nothing. A piece of cake. Until love came knocking at my door when I was sixteen. I know I was and still am young, and probably still don't understand the full meaning or true feeling of actually being in love with someone. But the way i felt about this person was new and I had never felt it before. Soon enough we were dating and I caught my self falling for the same trap as all my other friends did with their boyfriends. I was going through everything I never thought I'd allow myself to go through. The crying, the fighting, and the hardship of being in a relationship. It was so bittersweet. I finally felt how hard it was to let go of someone that once made me so happy but yet makes me so sad now. I tried to take my own advice and just walk away and let it go. Didn't work. It was a long and tiring roller coaster, and even though it didn't work out the way i wanted it to, I'm glad I went through it all. It taught and showed me a lot and I don't regret one thing. It helped me be able to understand peoples pain when they're in love and not judge and call them weak. Now, I actually applaud people who have been on crazy roller coaster rides with their relationships and still stuck it out together, because now i know it's not easy. Although, I still believe that its best to stay single when your young, because being in my relationship, it took a lot of my time away from school and friends, and that threw me off guard when it was all sad and done. But other than that, I think loves a beautiful thing when its healthy and good, and I defiantly have a more positive opinion about it.


 * Amber Abeyta**


 * Gun Point**

At a young age, I was completely convinced that "gun point" was a literal and physical place. I saw it as a bad part of town, some place your parents would always nag and warn you about time and time again of where not to travel alone. As a child I spent an enormous amount of time with my grandparents. Every night at exactly five o'clock I would sit down on my grandfather's knitted rug right under his rocking chair. As we would watch, my head would fill with questions and yet, I knew I couldn't speak a word of them in fear of ruining his concentration. Toward the ending of each report, the news anchor would mention a robbery or mugging at gun point, stating how absolutely dangerous and serious the situation was. I would sit, legs crossed, head slightly tilted in complete confusion of where in the world "gun point" was. Little did my grandfather know I was mentally debating this terrible place, and why people continued to go there, knowing the dangers. As I grew older, I realized that "gun point" is no where near a specific consistent place. Still my questioning of people's character and choices never ended, and to this day I sit cross-legged, head slightly tilted, pondering the actions and choices I observe people making. Like any self-righteous kid, I have always been convinced that my ideas and thoughts were the only correct ones for obvious reasons. Yet, as experiences and faults has shown me differently, I have begun to see that not only are my ideas not necessarily the most logical for myself, but can be completely wrong for others as well.


 * Brenna Bishop**


 * Texas**

Texas was once my sanctuary. I called it home for 6 seemingly short years. I relished everything that state had to offer- from its tepid weather to its straight weekends of placid downpours of rain. I adored my friends and family, and the memories I had there. I was heartbroken when I was told we were moving to Colorado. I couldn't stand leaving everything behind. Not long after I arrived, however, I found the Colorado climate refreshing and strangely more comforting than in Texas. I quickly grew accustomed to Colorado and my zeal for my home state dwindled. I still visited Texas once or twice a year after that, but with each visit I began to resent it more and more. The warm, damp weather that I once loved is now reminiscent of being smothered with a damp blanket. The hum of cicadas that used to calm me now make me uneasy, with their roaring buzz evoking images of hissing feral cats ready to spring from the trees and kindly share their rabies with me. After every visit I'm left wondering what I ever liked about Texas to begin with. It certainly wasn't the danger of passing out trying to walk from the far end of a parking lot in the middle of summer or being branded by my seat belt every time I try to buckle up. Whatever I saw in that massive, sweltering state before, it's gone now. Texas is no longer my home; it's merely a place I'm tethered to and forced to return every few holiday seasons.


 * Chris Ryser**