Just thought I would give you guys a heads up that I've moved on to Wordpress.com, and if you wish to continue reading my fun posts, keep up w/ what i'm reading, and see recent (ish) photos, go to http://alyhaebig.wordpress.com

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good whine every once and awhile, but constant complaining, the nagging incessant kind that ends up dragging your day down along with the complainer--that has to stop.

Because, really, what good are you doing yourself by complaining? Describing to people how my life sucks really does not make my life feel any better, in fact it merely emphasizes the point when the people nod in agreement instead of offering any ray of hope to pierce my dismal aura. A negative attitude only brings about negativity, and I have never been a fan of the negative thoughts.

Of course, though, whenever I get too fed up with the complaints and I mention to the person that they'll just have to "suck it up" to some extent, I receive in return a glare and a "you don't really know what I'm going through" speech, of which I also despise. Do I know in particular what you are going through? No. Have I been in worse situations than having a couple midterms in a week? Yes. Could things be worse? Yes, yes they could.

In fact, this is how I cope with my negativity, and I will offer it up as a tip.

Whenever I feel my chipper mood slipping, I take my pen and I draw a smiley face on one of my fingers. Sometimes it's just a simple smiley, other times I go a bit overboard and give him/her eyebrows, a nose, and even some freckles. In the end, the effect is the same. Sometime throughout the rest of your day, you will look at your hand, be reminded of the tiny insignificance of your two midterms in the big scheme of your life, and smile (I practically giggled once). Do this, and I swear it will yield results. Your money back guaranteed ;)

For me, as it is for a lot of teens out there, this troublesome issue has been my weight.

Although I've always been within the "normal" weight range for my box at 5 feet, 7 inches, I've never really been satisfied with my body. It's not that I long for a thinner body than I already possess, it's more that I always want to improve my body through my own devices. These devices included a better, more nutritious diet and an exercise routine that I've been following for probably 8 months now. And, although I've lost weight, gone down a few sizes, and naturally just feel better in my body, I still find myself sizing up other girls in comparison to myself and examining the way I look each and everytime I walk past something remotely reflective. This saddens me considerably, because it seems that my weight (although perfectly perfect) is something I just cannot get over.

Now I can easily play the blame game. I can point a steady finger at the media, who is and has always been showering me with images of beautiful women with a thin and perfect figure, making me long for a body I really can never possess. I can also blame any person who has put me down in any way, therefore causing a drop of self-esteem and a poor body image. However, when it all comes down to it, this issue is between me and...well...me.

I place hope and confidence in the fact that one day I will be able to strut my stuff in whatever I choose, knowing that I look fantabulous, because that is my goal. When I will reach this goal...welllll...that's a work in progress, but my body and I have got a score to settle, treaties to sign, and until then, I will continue to eat right, exercise, worry about eating too many pieces of pizza and soft serve ice cream, count calories on a level borderline subconscious, recalculate my BMI, and take quizzes titled "How healthy are you?"

It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I know some day I will be able to achieve a balance where none of those fallbacks will be necessary anymore. That day I will be able to stand on my own two feet, proudly look myself in the mirror, and see a woman I would never ever change.

2) Feeling energized and ready to go by 7am :)

3) Starting off the day with a steamy grande caramel macchiato

4) Getting the best/most fresh produce from the Farmer's Market

5) Satisfaction in knowing that you got more done by 11am than most people will get done that day

1) Seeing my baby bro in a suit :)

2) Seeing my momma :) :)

3) Seeing my baby (aka, my dog) :)

4) Being home :)

However, when my friend lent me the book, he did not say "if you have time on your trip, read this" or "next time you get the chance, read this" instead he plainly told me to read the book and that it was one of those books that you couldn't put down. So, almost guiltily, I packed the paperback away in my backpack where it kept Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (every summer I reread the series, don't judge) company for the duration of my vacation.

It was only after I finished Harry Potter halfway through the trip that I thought of opening "The Shack," if not for curiosity then sheer boredom. And, as ridiculous as it sounds, I was entranced by it. It made no sense even in my own mind, the prose was nothing special (although profoundly descriptive) and I thought I could predict the plot from a mile away (which I was pleasantly surprised that I predicted wrong) but the book held my attention.

In hindsight I believe my increased attentiveness to "The Shack" is due to the fact that when the main character Mack confronts God and the trinity, he asks all the questions that burned in the back of my mind, most of which I dismissed as holes in my religion. The main focus of these questions (to me) seemed to be why God let's bad things happen to good people. Although I cannot clearly and simply answer the question even after reading the book, a sense of peace has overtaken the doubt that resided in my mind.

"The Shack" also reinforced my own personal belief in God, which, in a nutshell, can best describe a God who loves all equally but in a unique way and doesn't expect anything of his creation. My belief is contrary to the mindset of "if I go to church every Sunday, I'm in his good favor." In my mind, God doesn't care if I go to church (which, let's face it, is downright dull sometimes) or if I volunteer 50% of my life because God knows me and loves me exactly the way I am.

I digress..."The Shack" illuminates my belief in such an emmaculate way that I am transfixed by the wonder of it all.

Needless to say, I googled it shortly after I finished the book and found numerous slayings and rants about how "The Shack" falsely depicts God and the trinity, most of the ranters were church officials (go figure).

That all being said, I encourage all of you who are precariously tipping on the edge of faith to read "The Shack." If anything it will give you a different perspective on modern religion.