Intellectual vs. Personal

Ever since I was young, mythology has deeply interested me. I remember looking through all the books my dad kept in our library, and stumbling upon an old beat up mythology book. At the same time, I was fascinated by ancient cultures, so the religions of these places sort of tied right in. For some reason, I was especially captivated by Greek and Egyptian mythology, probably because ancient Greece and ancient Egypt are my favorite civilizations. What struck me as interesting then and still now is that the Gods of these people were not perfect. Unlike the sinless Gods of more philosophical religions, these God's lives were like soap operas! They fought, were unfaithful to their spouses, got drunk, angry, and jealous.

Hera was the wife (and biological sister) of Zeus. Although Zeus was the supreme deity, he ran like a little girl from Hera's notorious jealousy and anger issues. Zeus was constantly committing various acts of infidelity with goddesses and mortal women alike. Many of the worlds most famous myths and mythological figures were influenced by Hera. For example, the Roman name for Hercules is Heracles, which translates to "the wrath of Hera". It was Hera who came looking for her husbands love child with a mortal woman, and attempted to kill him in his sleep.

Their relationship, oddly enough, reminds me of a tumultuous relationship that I spent far too much time in. A certain boy (who will not be named, but instead referred to as Greg) had me on an emotional roller coaster ride for the better part of my high school years. Greg and I started out well enough, but after almost a year of dating infidelity became a large problem in our relationship. Since we honestly cared about each other, we would continue to "work it out" as best we could. However, after a certain point the resent began to bubble over, though neither one would admit it. Jealousy plagued me to Hera-like levels, and I had no problems with taking out all my anger on Greg. As you can imagine, this didn't motivate him to be a better boyfriend. So eventually, after several more years our relationship ended despite our Herculean efforts to resurrect it. 

Things Most Dear

All my life I have had no choice but to recognize the fact that I am extremely blessed. I grew up in the most amazing environment, with a family that always loved and supported me. As I've gotten older, I appreciate all they have done for me more and more. I've also learned how unique and incredible our family dynamic is, as we all get along so well and are very close. My daddy, Shaun, is a lawyer back in Spokane and is one of the coolest people I know. My mom, Kathy, is a homemaker and catered to my and my sibling every childhood whim. However, the focus of this blog will be my siblings, because I have the most pictures of them!

Kelly, my older sister, is 26. She's one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, and was like a second mother to me growing up. She went to University of Washin

gton (GO HUSKIES!) Our endless Barbie games gave way to Sex and the City marathons as we got older, but we always joke that its the same thing! My favorite thing about Kelly is she's always down to listen to me, and give advice. She helps me put things in perspective, as she went through many 

of the same things I'm dealing with now.

Then there's Trevor. Trevor is 23, and

 my only brother! He's my hero. Trevor is one of the most genuine people I've ever met. He's really charming, and a total people person. Everyone can't help but love him. Trevor also attended University of Washington, and is the biggest Husky fan I've ever met. He's also really funny, and has the most excellent taste in movies and music. Growing up around my dad and brother is the thing that got me involved in my obsession with classic rock. Trev and I love to go to concerts 

together, and the picture I chose is one of my favorites of us. We went to Pearl Jam together 2 years in a row at the gorge, but this is a picture of the first time. It was literally 115 degrees, but we endured the heat for our 11th row seats. It was amazing!

My baby sister is 16, and her name is Natalie. I'll always think of her as "little Nattie" even though she's a Junior in highschool! Natalie, like Kelly, is freakishly intelligent. She's in all Honors and AP classes, and honestly still has a 4.0. Natalie is the closest to me in age, and we watched all our older siblings grow up and leave home together. It was just us for 5 years, until I moved out this September. I miss her everyday! We share a very strange random and sarcastic sense of humor. Natalie is also the only person who shares my Harry Potter obsession to the same extent! For only 16, she has an amazingly developed sense of self and isn't easily swayed by her peers or their opinions. That's pretty impressive, in my opinion.

I know there are all those cheesey sayings about how family isn't necessarily those you are directly related to, but I believe them! My best girlfriends are just as important to me as my sisters. It is usually rather difficult for me to find girls I really like, and I think it's because the bar has been set so high by Lauren, Renee, and Laine. I've known Lauren since I was 8, and Renee and Laine since I was 12. After high school when we all parted ways it was really rough, and the picture I chose reminds me of our happy summers spent at the lake when we're all reunited!