This Thanksgiving Bulldog Life

What am I grateful for? My family. This is cliche, I know it is, but seriously I am super thankful for my family. From the oldest, to the youngest (and newest) I am thankful. From my grandmother, who brought me up like a second mother. Who taught me how to sing, who told me to be myself and to not change for anyone, ho taught me how to cook real Italian food, and made me listen to her favorite ...

I am grateful for the music I like and what it has brought into my life. In 2014 I started taking an interest in this band called R5. After following and tweeting at the band a handful of times, I met this girl named Jasmin. We both made the same joke about the band and followed each other. For months we DM-ed back and forth on Twitter. Eventually we exchanged numbers and started FaceTiming. The tw...

During this season of thanks I am most grateful for my family, or at least the family I have left. It has been a tough year in my household and last Thanksgiving during this time of year our family would be getting ready for the holiday season, decking the halls, together. This year things are a little different. We are still together, but now I’m part of a new family at a new home with my mom, brot...

I am thankful for my sense of humor. Without a sense of humor, I would not be constantly laughing. Without laughing, I would not be happy. I often get told that I am a positive person, and I think I wouldn’t have such a positive mindset without having a sense of humor. Let’s face it, not every day is a good day, and it can be hard to maintain a positive energy. My sense of humor is what keeps me...

This Thanksgiving season I am thankful for laughter. Everyone has their own laugh that you can identify down the hallway. It can start and strengthen friendships, it can relieve tension, and it is a universal language everyone can understand and participate in. I can honestly say that the times I spend laughing are the best parts of my day, whether I’m laughing at something funny, something that...

The first time I ever read Shakespeare was in sixth grade. I knew that I would have to start reading it for my seventh grade advanced English class and I wanted a head start. I checked out Romeo and Juliet from the local library and fell in love within three days, just like the star-crossed pair. The second I put the book down, I immediately begged my parents to buy me the No Fear Shakespeare copi...

Two Thanksgivings ago, I was forced to watch as my mom’s health deteriorated. Her skin turned a dull yellow and she was too tired to keep her eyes open. She was diagnosed with a liver disease, one that science still hadn’t invented a cure for. But no matter how weary she was, she still got up, invited people into her home, cooked a full meal and was a great host to her family and friends. Doct...

I am thankful for FL Studio. I am a SoundCloud rapper. FL Studio is a program you can buy to edit your vocals. I use it for my rap songs. It is cool because there are over 100 effects. You can also import your own custom plugins like auto tune and reverb. I have made a lot of songs using this software. I am proud of every one of them. My music is creative and different because I do a wide variety of ...

Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that may not be thought of that much - people usually just skip to thinking about Christmas right after Halloween when they really should appreciate what Thanksgiving means. It’s about giving thanks for what you are most grateful for, whether it’s family, friends, relatives, or siblings.  Usually, whenever someone asks me what I’m grateful for, I use the m...

I am grateful for the hot, succulent, juicy, tender, glazed ham, pineapple-dipped slices accompanied with baked-to-perfection golden macaroni and cheese, loaded bacon bits, mashed potatoes, dressing and the sweetest sweet potato pie by Patti Labelle. Time to free load, visit those family members you don’t like going to see but because they have the best potato salad you ever tasted you make an exc...

For this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for music. To make it specific, I am thankful for the amount of instruments in my house, and learning to play those, especially learning to play the guitar from my dad, and my private teacher. I first started to play the guitar on my own in the year 2013. I knew nothing about how to play it, but as the months passed, my dad taught me the strings, some basic chor...

I am thankful for my failed attempt to take my own life. When I first arrived at the emergency room they sent down a social worker to talk to me. I was sent to inpatient program at Hinsdale Hospital to receive the treatment they thought I needed. My journey began here. I arrived to the inpatient facility around 3:30am. They took my blood pressure and temperature and sent me to bed. I was allowed t...

My hands stretched across the piano keys as they move quickly, looking like a crawling spider. The music echoes throughout my house which causes my family to yell at me to stop with the noise... but I can't. Whenever I am bored of watching TV or need a break from homework, I go straight to my old piano, passed down from my grandmother. Without this instrument my appreciation for music would be completely c...

Choir would not be as fun without Nick. The Chicago Children’s Choir has a demanding schedule that’s hard to keep up with. But Nick is without a doubt one of the reasons why I make it through the day. We first met last year. We were both new members in the top ensemble of the CCC, the Voice of Chicago. We connected right away. But never would I have thought that his mere presence would make...

I’m grateful for the holidays! With the holidays come movies, music, festivities, family, and friends. Holidays make everything fun and give you something to look forward to. Holidays are comforting and full of so many other things that come with it to be grateful for. I’m grateful for Halloween, for the crunchy leaves and chilly air and dark colors and spooky movies and pumpkin patches with friend...

People already might believe that having a twin is interesting. However, I think the the fact that my twin sister, Seymone, was supposed to be a boy, is way more interesting. Before we were born, the doctor correctly pronounced myself as a female. However, all the way up until a few weeks before my mother’s due date, everyone believed she was going to be a male. I find it even funnier that her n...

I am beyond grateful for the life that I am living. I am grateful for my  babysitter that did CPR on me in a parking lot. When I was a baby I was very sick for a long time. I was missing a muscle in my throat which caused me to stop breathing many times. I actually only left the hospital a few times until I was three. A time that I was out of the hospital I had a very trusted babysitter watching me....

I am thankful for music. I started playing piano when I was about six. I loved being able to read the music and make something out of the 88 keys. When I entered fifth grade, We had the opportunity to choose an instrument, band or orchestra, to learn. Since piano was not an option and I wanted to learn a different type of instrument, I chose french horn. I don’t know why I chose the instrument; I j...

The person I’m most thankful for is my older sister Christina. She is the most important person to me in the whole world. She’s quite seriously the only person I can tell my problems to. I know it’s super cliché to say your family, but Christina is the person I hold so close to me. We have the strongest bond ever when ever I need someone to help me when I've fallen down she’s always ther...

Young Life is an organization which brings kids a little closer to each other and God. I joined Young Life freshman year and have been involved ever since. I am thankful for Young Life because it has affected my life in so many ways. I started out as just another kid at Young Life sitting in the back just trying to fit in, but by the sophomore year I was outgoing and really getting involved. Over the...