“A road is not for a destination but for a journey.” This quote is a perfect representation for our Hero Journey and our very crucial teenage years. We are all obsessed with just getting the good grade in all of our classes that we never give proper effort to truly learn. In this situation we are only focused on the end product or the “destination” that we fail to experience the “journey.” Some students go through high school with the mentality that you just need to get through it to go on to college. But, there are so many experiences everyone should live through and learn from. It is all about making mistakes on your “journey” to make you a better person which is your “destination.”            

          On my journey, I really wanted to pick medicine’s that I feel I need to work on in my life. I also picked some that I admire in other people. I tried to figure out which Guardian possessed which medicine but I found it somewhat complicated. The clues were challenging and some of the Guardians I had never met. I also felt weird asking if they possessed that medicine. I received quite a few questioning glances while others found enjoyment out of my journey.

          The first medicine I wanted to search for was courage. I have always challenged myself and been put in situations that definitely required courage but everyone could always use more courage on their Hero Journey. It also takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you believe in  and speak up for yourself and that was the clue I was give. It was pretty easy to guess the Guardian after that clue, it was Mr. Hicks. The symbol he gave me for courage was a crayon. I think a crayon is a good symbol of courage because a crayon “is what it is.” All the other crayons around it are different colors but it always stays true to itself and that takes courage.

           I love having a good time and enjoying life. I consider myself a quick witted person, but there are definitely situations in which I wish I were able to laugh it off and see the more humorous side of it. That is why I wanted to possess humor on my journey. I also believe that humor will make my life more enjoyable and I ultimatley make me a happier person. What other Guardian in our school is as hilarious as Senora Jackman? I knew she held the symbol for humor which was a smiley face bead. A perfect symbol for humor!

          Perserverance is an admireable quality, especially on your Hero Journey. If you are determined and have perserverance you can get yourself through any sitation or hardship. Understanding that someone out there has a situation much worse than you can fill you with a stronger perserverance to help others. Mr. Brown who is in charge of Diversity at our school was the Guardian of this medicine, and I thought it was quite fitting for his position.

          The clue for the medicine wisdom was, “When books are not enough, this is where true wisdom abounds.” It was quite evident through that, that the Guardian was going to be the Librarian. I went and asked her if she had any wisdom and she gave me a little paper with words of wisdom on it. I really liked this medicine because I believe wisdom is the bade that many many other admireable qualities stem from. If you are wise I believe it helps guide you strongly and with a clear head through your Hero Journey.

          The insight medicine was actually very interesting to me, because I thought about it in a different way. I was not sure where or who had the symbol because insight clearly is done internally and comes from within you. It is hard for someone to give you insight to your own thoughts and beliefs. So, I asked Ms. Haffley if she had insight, and the symbol was a little round mirror. It was perfect and I think I was my favorite of them all. Looking in the mirror you see yourself and in yourself is your beliefs and your inner strength which is really going to guide you through your Journey.

          I really enjoyed this Scavenger Hunt and I got all of them but three. I know what Guardians have all the symbols but I couldnt work around each of our schedules to get just three of the symbols. I still feel like I got a lot out of this project and found it very reflective and a good way to view your personal journey and what medicines you want to improve on!

This is totally something I would do! i laughed for about 3 minutes when i saw this the first time! it is totally genius…and if i were driving by i would totally stop too! HILARIOUS!!!

I am on an amazing volleyball team up in Muncie, Indiana called the “Samurai.” Almost everyone on my team is committ to huge colleges to play volleyball and have won many awards in the sport. So far our record is 18-1. This is a huge accomplishment personally for me, because I have never been on a team before where every single person refuses to lose! Winning is the expectation! We don’t play against the other team, we play against perfection. We strive to never lower our game to the competition, but strive to be flawless. It takes an extreme amount of dedication and passion, but is 100% worth it! We played over President’s Day weekend in Dayton, Ohio. One of our starters twisted her ankle, so I was put in to fill in her shoes. It is a big responsibilty because she is such a key player. I was proud with my performance, even though I was really nervous. We won the whole tournament and our record was 8-0. We all received medals that said Champions on the back! It was an incredible feeling!

My friend from work Gre Hollander, attends the University of Michigan and is studying film editing. He does the camera work, acts, sets up scenes, and edits many hilarious, music, and horror films. It is always exciting for me to see something new he has created. While looking on his facebook page, I can across an album of pictures he had posted titled “Clones”. This was very intruiging to me, so i clicked through it. It was amazing…he had pictures of just himself beating up himself, himself playing himself in basketball, and himself lounging in different seats in his room. He explained to me that as long as he had the same lighting and never moved the camera from the origianl spot, it is quite easy to cut and manueving these pictures around. So, my friend Katrina and I went to the park and had him take multiple shots of us on the swings and make them into one picture. I think it is amazing how realistic this picture looks! No there are not 6 other Lauren Rafdal’s roaming the earth…just one!!

I woke up this morning at 5:30 and was disappointed to find out that Brebeuf was being stubborn and hadn’t called it a snow day yet…even with 8 inches of snow on the ground. Then at 6 am my mother announced that we did in fact have a snow day! i was thrilled! i went back to sleep and got up around 9:30 am. All my friends were going sledding and getting together…but i was on total home shut down. I could not leave the house for my mothers dramatic fear of my losing my life! So, i decided to read the rest of my amazing book and watch last thursdays episode of The Office! I went outside and had a snow ball fight with my little brother….which basically consisted of me pushing him down and running away. haha but i still won!! it was a relaxing, uneventful day and im really hoping for another snow day tomorrow so when we go back it will already be friday!! I’m not sure how to put videos on this post so here is a link to a hilarious video of people slipping on the ice! it happens to all of us…a ton to me…so its really enjoyable!!

Ok….so this semester I have already at least 15 quizzes. I dont understand the need to teach us new information one day and then quiz us the next! HELLO…thats what tests are for!! quizzes drive me crazy…because you can know your schedule and have everything spaced out and easily over look a quiz that you bomb and have a bad grade. I know that grades arent everything but this is our junior year and every grade matters!! Teachers seriously need to know that we have more important things to worry about then just their class. I know its hard for some to grasp!! anyways if you feel the same way….leave me a comment and let me know….we can complain about it together!! haha but i doubt the stupid quizzes will ever go away!!

After 3 years of being playing varsity volleyball the class of 2010 volleyball girls are ready to step in and take over and win Brebeuf its third state title. The picture above has Cali Estes, Me, Lucy Reser, Lizzie Hineman, Alexx Puckett, and Shelby Hiltunen. Most of us have played club volleyball together or have played at the same club. It is amazing how close we all are, we are more like sisters. We aren’t afraid to be honest with each other, which ultimatley helps each other. We hold each other to such high expectations that none of us want to let each other down. It is truly incredible to be apart of a team where i know everyone is going to give 100% of what they have! Brebeuf Volleyball is amazing and everyone in the school knows that if you mess with one of us…you are gonna get a whole face full of volleyball girls confronting you! Im not trying to scare you…that’s just the wayt it is haha! This weekend all six of us went out to dinner and over to Lizzie’s house! We recalled old memories from the past three years, and talked about all the excitement to come in the upcoming season! Everyone come cheer us on next year…we are going to be UNSTOPABLE!!

All of my life I have always believed and felt like I was put on this Earth for a certain purpose. I know it’s there for me and itching for me to finally discover what it is. At this point in my life I am trying to decide on what college I want to go to and what I want to study. The problem for me is what if I choose wrong? What if the college I choose is where I will study to do or be the opposite of what I was “called” to do? I have had many conversations with my mother about my “calling” because I have such a strong urgency to truly release my passion and set out for what I was called to do. I try to think about my interests and qualities, but they are so broad and different, that narrowing them down would be almost near impossible.

I also believe in destiny and that wherever I choose it will be the right place for me and I will learn so much. I do believe I am a hero waiting to be called. I will admit I am worried that I will somehow miss my calling and thus never set out on my adventure. But, I have hope that my calling will somewhat knock me over the head! I think about this a lot and find it kind of humours that we did this exercise. Many people go through life not thinking they are worth much or don’t have a calling but I believe we do.

If you know me at all then you are well aware of my insanely vast knowledge of the movie world!! I LOVE MOVIES!! i can walk into a room where a movie is playing and be able to tell you what movie it is, the plot, and all the starring actors and actress. Some say it is a gift, i say its a passion! haha! i work at a movie theater and if i got paid a LOT more then i would work there for the rest of my life! haha! Or i hope to either work for disney someday or be a big time producer and win oscars! i am not partial to any particular type of movie…i enjoy seeing all types of film and really want to be in a film making class someday! The only type of movies i dont enjoy are scary movies…i have seen quite a few of them but i just dont enjoy them and feel tense and nervous the whole time. Sometimes that can be fun…but not always! Right now i really want school to be over so i can go see the new James Bond movie…and i am going to the midnight showing of Twilight tomorrow night!I cant wait…be sure to ask me how it went…i am sure i will more than delighted to express my thoughts! hahaha! anytime you want to know about a movie just ask….thats what im here for!!

1.       No, I am not afraid to dream.  Dreaming to be a success in this world, have a family, and travel are all things I want and am striving for but I have always felt I have been given life for a purpose and need to prepare for that. Every time I go to sleep I secretly hope I will dream because it is an escape and a chance to see myself in a different life and let my mind create a different life for me. Deep down I have always hoped that a dream I have in my sleep will spark something in me or make me finally see a glimpse of what I am supposed to be. I dream, aspire, and have a deep burning within me to be so much more than anyone ever thought, and exceed so many people’s expectations. I want my life to make a difference and help people even if that means a great sacrifice for me.

2.       No I would never open the envelope. I would never want to see what my life is supposed to be like instead of truly living and enjoying every minute of it. The only benefit which would be tempting for me to want to view my destiny is if I am ever in a situation where I am completely lost. If I were to have no idea what option for my life to choose and which road will take me where. That is the only circumstance where it would be tempting to peek at what my final destiny actually is. Seeing what my destiny is before I have lived it could cause me to alter it somehow and never actually live it out. So if my destiny was to save the world and I saw that ahead of time, I might not try as hard and never end up saving the world.

3. My immediate reaction to my destiny really got me thinking. My destiny was “You will save the life of a single individual, but you will never marry or have children.” Reading this made me excited for the opportunity to save someone’s life but skeptical because I won’t ever get married or have children of my own. If I were to never have children then I would really reach out and try to save more than one person’s life. I would try to make it my life’s goal to help as many people as possible. But, if I were to follow my destiny to the fullest extent then I think it would be hard to discover which person in my life is the ”single” individual I am suppose to save. I would constantly be on the lookout but destiny’s usually work themselves out and that is why I would never want mine revealed to me because I would try to hard. I think I was given a really good destiny, because it is about helping others and putting someone before myself and my own wants and desires. That is hard for every human being to accomplish, and I love a challenge.