Time Spent with Family is the BEST Time Ever

Well overdue too, I have to say the weekend I spent with my cousin, Hailey, was some of the best memories I’ve had in Phoenix yet!

Background: The Crowe family lives on the San Juan Islands in the most Northwest region of the States. My family used to camp there every summer, and when my grandparents lived in Washington, I’d see them a few more times than just Christmas. However, now that we’re all getting older and meeting together only happens once a year in December, it gets tough!

I have said before, family is the BEST gift I could ask for. I know what it’s like for family not to care, spend time with you, and ignore you, so I’ve made it my mission to be a part of my cousins’, Hailey and Bjerre, lives. Hailey is now a whopping 15-year-old and Bjerre is a 4-year-old turning 15 :)

Hails, or more affectionately known as Booger, and I try to stay in touch as much as possible. Facebook, phone calls, texting, you name it! She’s called me when friends are evil to her, she confides in me about her dreams, among other things. I know she looks up to me, which gives me that much more pride and joy to be there for her....and let’s face it, keep myself in line!

Stop, Look & Listen

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Side note: My title makes me want to yell out in a cheer from high school! (Dedicated to my Wolf Pack!)

I get so annoyed with myself. When friends are stressed, heartbroken, unnerved, or frustrated with life, my heart literally aches for them and I can’t seem to get it off my mind. The motherly instinct kicks in (and I don’t even have kids yet!! Good grief!) and I just want to fix everything. I hate when I can’t help people, or fix problems. It’s the same reason why I hate when people are disappointed or mad at me, and I have no control over changing their opinion. Why is it that we have such deep bonds like this for our dearest friends and feel helpless when we can’t fix the pain, or why we go to any length to help those in need? But more so, why don’t we trust each other enough to be completely open and honest so those of us that want to fix it can pinpoint the problem!?

Simple answer. We’re human. Past experiences of others destroying our capability to trust others. The thought that others are judging us for being “weak” when pouring our hearts out. Because we have become a selfish public without genuine care or the art of listening. And because it becomes humorous when we struggle with ignorance. If you saw a man repeatedly running into a wall until he was a bloody pulp, after awhile it would make you laugh because it was so absurd. For this exact reason, we throw the wall up to relieve ourselves from embarrassment. It is unfortunate that we build walls so high and tough, that few people know how to break through. No one wants to get hurt, but life isn’t about being safe.

With winning in mind

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Pandora current song: It's The Only One You've Got, by 3 Doors Down

With Winning in Mind, by Lanny Bassham, takes readers through a mental management journey. Most people don’t realize that mentally managing the game of life will make them more successful as well as those around them.

It doesn’t matter if you win or lose – until you lose!

Some people say that they never win at anything and that everyone else is more privileged because they are good at everything. For those people, they just haven’t found what they are good at yet. Maybe that person is always trying to be good at what everyone else thinks people should be good at. For example, football and baseball are two major spots that guys love to play and be good at. There are also guys who try so hard to be good at the sport but are never successful. To develop self-confidence, one needs to find something that they are confident in; something that boosts their confidence like art, a different sport, etc.

People lose due to poor mental management. It takes years of training or constant practice to learn how to cope with mental stress. After a person achieves this, he is confident and in control, have a different mentality and better self-image, and better attitudes and habits. People who a experts at mental management develop a system to control mental aspects of performance and, as a result, winning becomes a habit.

My way or the highway, or sure used to be!

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Pandora current song: Downtown Song, by Anberlin

David Hoopes’ model about cultural competency illustrates the development of cultural competency in everyone of us. I can also use it to examine my own development as a leader as it’s a great model to ‘step inside’ yourself.  Truthfully, I was once in the ethnocentrism stage for a large amount of my growing up. Ethnocentricity is a state of relying on your own and only your own, paradigms. It was my way or the highway. It was when I had a few wake up calls where I realized there are other ways besides my own. We all develop into the people we become through our different experiences and hopefully we learn to become progressive, positive responders to situations than we used to be in our younger years.  I believe that I am at the end stages now, but it sure wasn't always the case.

One wakeup call was none other than cheerleading. To begin with, I used to be the quiet girl in the classroom that was only “known” to my best friend and a few acquaintances. Other than that, I had no outside school social life. Now I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but like I said in earlier posts, I didn't know who I really wanted to be.  In 9th grade, I was ready for a change. I wanted to be a part of something in school so I was not just another girl at school. I decided to try out for the cheer team. I can promise you that I looked like the biggest hooligan with no prior dancing experience, but I had wanted it so badly.

In tenth grade, I was back on the bottom of the totem pole. I went to the state’s biggest school, South Kitsap High School, so of course I was intimidated. However, I had promised myself that I would be involved. I was in ASB, 4-H, Key Club, FFA, Tennis, and cheer, among other things. Like junior high cheer, I was not very good to start with, but my drive and dedication would not let me give up. I ended up making the team after three tryouts. I ended up on varsity cheer my senior year and was so dedicated to it, that I missed out on a German exchange opportunity to go back to Germany for the summer. I was distraught, but I couldn’t leave my team. I can always go to Germany, but I can never relive my senior year in high school.

Bashelf: My little/big sister

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Pandora current song: Black Balloon, by The Goo Goo Dolls

So you may have been thinking, "Britni hasn't talked about her sister...not even once yet!" Well, that's because I was waiting to write a whole post on her. She's my younger, taller sister who will turn 21 on March 10, 1010 and I'm bummed I'll miss her big day.

What's Bashelf you ask? Well, when I was little, I couldn't pronounce her middle name, Michelle. For some reason, the name has stuck with her and will for the rest of her life. It truly made me smile when she put "Bashelf" on her high school sports gear as her name, instead of Ashley.