Hearing Loss

As many of you may or may not know, I have hearing loss. I wanted to talk about it today since it's a very important part of my life.

When I was 4 years old my teachers noticed that I wasn't hearing as well so my parents naturally took me to the doctor to get it checked out. They thought that it was just a big mistake and that the doctor's would prove my teachers wrong.

Yea, that didn't happen... I had hearing loss. I was given hearing aids and over the first couple of months everything was fine.

Then, I noticed that I was no longer able to hear out of my left ear. I tried changing the battery and my mom tested my hearing aid to make sure it was working properly, which it was. She had to take me back to the doctor's to get tested again.

What they found out was that I have malformed cochleas. Cochleas are the hearing part of your ear. You're supposed to have 2.5 spins (like a snails shell) and my ears only had one.

My options were to either learn sign language or get a cochlear implant. My parents wanted me to be able to hear them so they chose the cochlear implant. I was then scheduled for surgery with Dr. Young.

I went in for surgery and what was supposed to only take about 3 hours ended up taking 6. I was having fluid come out where it wasn't supposed to and so I ended up having to get a spinal tap. It was not fun at all. I was awake and the doctors were stitching up my back. Not something every parent wants there child to go through exactly.

I was extremely nervous before surgery!

After surgery while I was in recovery.

My Grandmother came to visit me after surgery.

I ended up having a longer recovery to make sure that everything was okay. I just remember asking my mom every day when I could go home.

The ironic part is that even though both of my ears have malformed cochleas only my left ear ever went completely deaf.

Even though the experience wasn't all that great it definitely proved to be a good decision on my parents part. Without having a cochlear implant I would never have been able to improve my speech, vocabulary, or listening skills.

If you have a cochlear implant or may be getting one soon, just know that it really opens up so many more opportunities for you. I can do completely "normal" things like play soccer, go swimming (just be sure to take off your cochlear implant and hearing aids before going into the water!), and most importantly it doesn't interfere with my day to day life. It may be tough in school because you're likely to be the only student to have hearing loss or a cochlear implant, but answer people's questions! It makes it so much easier if your friends and teachers understand what it's like. Encourage people to ask questions about it, it's unique and a part of who you are so why should you be ashamed of it?

Moving

In the About Me tab I said that I was originally from Chicago. I wanted to talk about moving since that was one of the hardest things to do... EVER! If you are moving anytime soon I hope you don't feel as alone and know that I went through the exact same thing.

When I found out that I was going to be moving I was actually at Costco with my Mom. At first I didn't think it was going to be that bad. I actually thought that it would be cool since I knew other people who were moving to Pennsylvania.

Once it sunk in though it wasn't so great anymore. I had to go through the trouble of telling all of my close friends. That was definitely that hardest part, having to tell my friends and then just start flat out crying with them.

Then I had to pack my bags and move. That's always fun. (The first half of moving is the hardest, but it does get better, I promise!)

The awesome part of this experience was that I was forced to become a bit more extroverted, I got to meet a lot of cool new people that I wouldn't have met otherwise. I also expanded my view of the world. I noticed how the world didn't revolve around my little town in Chicago, that it was so much bigger than that.

Just look at all the amazing people I've met and the experiences I've already had!

That's also around the time I found out that new places can be interesting. Before moving I knew that I wanted to see other places. But after moving, I knew that I wanted to live in other places, experience other cultures and broaden my horizons even more.

Just recently, I decided that I wanted to major in International Business because of it. I think it's so interesting to learn about new places and experience different cultures. I know that my major can change throughout High School, but this is what I want to do now.

So don't think of moving as a bad thing! Yes, it's hard, but when was life ever easy? Think of this as a chance to have new experiences! Moving isn't the end of the world, or the end of anything. In fact, it's a new beginning and a fresh start.

Elevation Burger

For dinner tonight my family ate Elevation Burgers. At first everything was going great. My dad placed the orders, the food came at a reasonable time and then he went home to bring it to us.

When he got home and opened the bag they had messed up my order. I had ordered a double meat burger with cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. What they gave me was a veggie burger.

My dad had to go all the way back to the burger place to fix it up. Also, this is not the first time they have messed up our order, it's happened 3-4 times before.

Once I was finally able to eat my burger it was good though. However I was not impressed with how many times our order got messed up.

This is the burger they messed up on...

The Fries as always, are really good. I love how they make them.

If you end up going to Elevation Burger, make sure you check your order before walking out the door.

Things You Need for Fall

It finally dawned on me that fall is coming. The leaves are starting to change color and you can no longer go swimming.

This is my list to help me survive the Fall:

1. Tissues: I'm sorry, but there is no way to avoid these. As soon as the fall comes around you're blowing your nose.

2. Cetaphil: Probably the best facial cleanser ever. It's perfect for any skin type and it doesn't irritate your skin like all those other products that contain chemicals and are harmful to your skin.

3. Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin: During the fall months your skin tends to get dry. Apply this on your face once or twice a day depending on how dry your skin is.

4. Vaseline: I don't know about you, but my lips get so dry over the fall. This stuff is seriously my lifesaver. I don't know what I would do without it. Apply as many times as you like.

5. Lotion: I use Bath &Body Works and Avon Naturals. It really doesn't matter what you use, as long as you are keeping your hands, feet, and legs moisturized.

6. Hot Chocolate: It's now time to begin drinking warm drinks in the morning before school starts. My drink of choice is Nesquik.

7. Tea: I also love drinking tea during the fall/winter months. I love Chamomile, Earl Grey, Rose-hip, and Mint. Tea is also going to be your new best friend when you get sick.

8. Emergen-C: To help prevent you from getting sick this year and hopefully limit your use of those tissues, drink this every couple days as it strengthens your immune system. While you're sick drink this too to help your body get rid of the cold quicker.

I hope this helps! Happy Fall!




So recently I found out that YouTubers exist in the world... Where I have been all this time is beyond me but I thought I'd share my favorites. (In parenthesis is the name of the YouTube Channel)

1. Zoella
2. Marcus Butler (MarcusButlerTV)
3. Caspar Lee (dicasp)
4. Connor Franta (ConnorFranta)
5. Tanya Burr
6. Jim Chapman
7. Joey Graceffa (JoeyGraceffa)
8. Louise (Sprinkeofglitter)
9. Alfie (PointlessBlog)
10. Jenna Marbles

Banana Bread

My Mom and I saw some lonely overripe bananas on our countertop. We didn't know what to do with them and as it would be a waste to throw them away we made banana bread.

It's not just banana bread, it's the most mouthwateringly delicious banana bread. How could I not share this recipe with the world?

To make your own you will need:

1. 2 Cups of all-purpose flour
2. 1 Teaspoon of baking soda
3. 1/4 Teaspoon of salt
4. 1/2 Cup of butter
5. 3/4 Cup of brown sugar
6. 2 Eggs, beaten
7. 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

*This is how ripe you want your bananas!*

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a bowl, combine your flour, baking soda and salt. In another, larger, bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until it's all blended. Stir in flour mix into the banana mix, stir to just moisten. Pour the batter into the pan.

 

3. Bake for 60 mins. Check your bread with a toothpick before taking it out of the oven to make sure it comes out clean (no batter should be on the toothpick.) Let the bread cool.

4. Enjoy with Nutella. (Seriously try it, it's like heaven on earth, i'm not kidding.)

*Please Note* This recipe is not mine, if you would like the original version click the link: Banana Bread Recipe

My Favorite Books, Movies, and Music

I have a confession to make... I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I love all the books, and of course all the movies. Emma Watson is my idol, just saying.

Now let's get down to business, now that I've gotten Harry Potter out of the way I can talk about other Books, Movies, and Music I enjoy. Let's start with my Top 5 Favorite Books:
* Please note that as I am a High School Student some of these books/movies are not meant for Elementary School Kids or some Middle School Students.

1. Hunger Games Series: Need I say more?

2. Little Women: A great book for pre-teens. It shows the growth of 4 sisters, every girl can connect to a sister.

3. The Catcher in the Rye: This is one those books where you love it or hate it and I happened to think it was amazing. However, I would definitely wait until High School to read this book as the content is a bit mature.

4. Jane Eyre: I read this book over the summer and it truly is a novel that every girl becoming a young adult should read, it really taught me a lot about love but not in the soppy super romantic way.

5. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: I read this book in 7th grade. At the time I didn't know much about  the Holocaust and World War II. It was such a moving story and I cried so, so much. It's a very important part of World History and everyone should read it.

Now it's time for my Top 5 Favorite Movies:

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Another one of those stories that helped me grow up. What I love about this story is that I really felt like I got to experience what Charlie experienced and it really gave me an idea of the changes people go through in High School and all the questions and trying new things. From a High School Students perspective it was good to know about all the things that are out there in the world. I need to read the book and watch the movie again. 

2. Soul Surfer: Another amazing movie. I loved how Bethany picked herself up again and achieved her dreams when everyone thought her career was done. An inspirational movie that really makes you thankful for what you have.

3. Les Miserables: An incredible movie about the French Revolution. I'm in love with this movie, it's a love story and a war story all packed into one, perfect for me!

4. Avatar: A really cool movie about these people in a different world. I love the different experiences in this movie.

5. Skyfall: Who doesn't love British spies? I think this one was the best 007 one yet, it's one of my favorite action movies!

Now I'm going to tell you my who my favorite Music Artists are. I have so many so this is just going to be a list. Check these peeps out on YouTube and Itunes- I love them!

1. Imagine Dragons

2. Avicii

3. Fun.

4. One Direction

5. Plain White T's

6. Taylor Swift

7. Selena Gomez

8. Grouplove

9. Owl City

10. Train

11. Little Mix

12. Michael Buble

13. Bruno Mars

14. Coldplay

15. OneRepublic

16. Mumford & Sons

17. Marina & the Diamonds

18. The Beatles

PS- Who watched the Celtic vs. Barca Game? It was so intense!! Gotta give props to the Celtics though, they played hard!

How to Deal With Anxiety

Seeing as though I named my blog "The Anxious Me" I figured I should probably cover a post on anxiety sooner rather than later. First of all the dictionary definition of anxiety is: "A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome." We have all experienced anxiety, but some people have it worse than others. Once in a while anxiety isn't bad, it's when it becomes repetitive that it becomes a problem. My anxiety causes me to not sleep at night, my heart will be pounding so badly I swear it's come close to coming out of my chest. I also will be so anxious about something that I stop talking. That's when my parents know something is wrong because I ALWAYS talk. I'm going to share with you my secrets to get my anxiety to go away, they work, I'm not kidding.

1. Write in a Notebook- Whenever I go to bed and know that I'm not going to be able to sleep, I open up the notebook, write down the date and everything that is on my mind. I don't leave out a single thing that could keep me from falling asleep. Nobody else will read your notebook so why does it matter anyway? Below is a picture of my anxiety notebook.

2. The next step is going back to bed and trying to fall asleep, it sounds like the hard part but the weird thing is, after writing in my anxiety notebook it's so much easier to sleep at night. However if that's not enough try relaxing all your muscles starting from your feet. What I do is pretend that it's gone numb, I wait a few seconds and then I move up a little bit more all the way to my head. The last thing you should relax are your eyes. Make sure while doing this that you don't think about anything other than relaxing that part of your body- if stressful thoughts start poking in your head it defeats the purpose!

I hope this helps guys! The anxiety notebook isn't only for bedtime either- use it whenever you need to. It also helps if you have stress over something, writing it all out helps to organise your brain so that you can focus on one portion at a time instead of overwhelming yourself with the whole picture. 

PS- Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post!