Confession

     When I was a kid, I liked to tell my parents that I would be going over to a certain friends house when I would be really going somewhere else. I enjoyed the thrill I would get from the idea of maybe getting caught in the act. A lot of the time, I would go to sleep over at a friends house and walk around Saint Paul at all hours of the night. However, my parents were under the impression that I would be sleeping over at another friends. For some reason the adrenaline rush from walking around the city late at night adhered to me. A number of bad things could have happened: I could have been caught by my parents, by the cops, or even worse injured by someone on the dark street corner. There was something about the cool night air and the streets being lit up at night that was so attractive to me. My parents surprisingly never found out about me walking around the city at night with friends, and lets hope they never do. 

Facebook Profiling

A friend of mine, who is also in the Minnesota National Guard, has a very busy Facebook life. Almost everyday there is a new post from him or his buddies who tag him in something. For the most part, his posts revolve around the army or what he thinks of himself. It doesn't take long to see that he can be a little full of himself sometimes. From his pictures to his status' he likes to express to people how much he loves himself. Many of his friends and family play into this personality he has and post a variety of pictures of telling him how awesome he is. Another common theme on his Facebook is  how much he loves the United States of America. He has been in the army for over ten years now and has been deployed three times, so his love of country is like no other. He posts pictures of how much he loves the US. For example, a Photoshopped redneck holding a shotgun, with his eagle wings, and holding the American flag, charging into into a tornado coming towards his home.

After knowing him for a little over three years now, I can confidently say that his Facebook page reflects his person very well. He is very full of himself, in a good way though. He is a very confident and out going kind of guy, and his Facebook defiantly shows this.

Expectations

     In high-school my teachers stressed highly the importance of getting good grades and getting into a good college. Though out the entire four years of my high-school career this expectation of attending college was drilled into my head. At first it seemed like a great idea. If I went to college I would be able to get a degree and get a 'big boy job' at the end of my four years. However, my teachers failed to mention the thousands of dollars of debt college would put me into. Though money wasn't a pressing issue at the time for my family, I still felt like there should be a way to get my education costs reduced. At this point in time I was a junior in high-school and I started looking into the military as a post secondary option. I played around with the idea for about a year before I swore my oath to the Constitution and was now a soldier in the Minnesota National Guard. Now the expectation level increased dramatically. Not only did I need to survive basic training and infantry school. I needed to attend college after and succeed in that, as well as going to my monthly drill. At one point in time this pressure proved to be too much at the time. My grades began to slip and I was eventually suspended from MSU. After a year I was allowed to resume my academics in pursuit of my major. Expectations, while some times helpful, can prove to be very stressful and can sometimes hinder the person who is expected to do so much.

Happiness

      Happiness is a very important thing in life. Personally I find happiness in many aspects of my life. Happiness is the feeling that helps me get out of bed each day. The feeling that keeps me going when I am having a tough time. It is crucial to have happiness in one's life because it can truly shape your personal life. In my personal experiences happiness is one of the most important things to have. With out it I tend to find all the negatives in any situation. I will start to become isolated because of my negative attitude towards every day life. If I feel like I am starting to lose my happiness I think of my family. My family is by far the most important thing in my life and therefore makes me the happiest. Happiness is a crucial aspect in my life, and I couldn't live without it.