The Seasons (Free Write)

        I love Michigan. It's such a wonderful state and I feel like we tend to take it for granted a lot. One of my favorite things about it is that we get all four seasons. We get the freshness of spring, the traditions of summer, the beauty of fall, and my favorite, winter. Okay, so I admit it, I'm one of those few people who adores snow and absolutely loves the winter. This is funny even to me, seeing as I'm always cold, but I honestly love the winter. It just brings out the happiness in me. Anyways, I love having all four seasons. I know that a lot of people travel down south for the winter, but I just don't see the point. Yeah, they escape the cold weather, but look at what they're missing! Winter is such a beautiful season. I love watching the snow as it piles up outside and glistens in the sunlight of the day. Of course, I wouldn't want to live with winter all year round. I don't see how the people who live far up north survive. I would freeze without the comforting thoughts of warmer seasons just around the corner. The change from season to season really is something. A blossoming spring develops into a crisp summer, and then the leaves change color, and snow starts to fall. I would have to say that my favorite season change is, without a doubt, winter to spring. This is because we have already adjusted to the icy weather of the winter months, so even though 50 degrees would feel cold in the fall, in the spring it feels like a heatwave has washed over us! Therefore, I rest my case. Michigan is awesome, and we are so lucky to live here. One of my sisters lives down in Virginia, and they get hardly any snow most years. In fact, once when I was visiting her at Christmas time, her school got a snow day in the anticipation of snow. I woke up the next day expecting to see lot's of snow outside, like when we get snow days up north. Well, there was no snow. In fact, it didn't even start snowing until after lunch time. Compare that to our recent week of snowdays due to our massive amounts of snow currently occupying the town. I really do love the snow. I know a lot of people hate it, but there's something about it that just makes me smile. The same thing goes for falling leaves, shades of so many colors drifting through the air and piling up on the ground. This is also true for blossoming flowers and plant growing seasons. Every season has unique traits that make it special in its own way. Without one of the seasons, something would be missing from my life. With them, I feel so complete. I really don't know how I could live without one. It would be so different. People who live without winter and those who live without summer really are tough! I would miss the balance of the four seasons way too much. I'm so glad we live in such a beautiful state. Michigan truly has its perks! (:

The Dairy Dilemma... (Convince Me Post)

       

        I really don't like milk. I never have, and most likely never will. I remember when I was little I would drink maybe a glass or two weekly. Today, I can't even remember the last time I drank it! Okay, I do have my reasons though. First off, I'm slightly lactose intolerant, so if I don't take my lactose intolerance medication before drinking milk, I get terrible stomach aches. That may have something to do with it. I know that numerous people share this trait with me. And it's not fun. Even if I take medicine before eating dairy products, my stomach still hurts after eating something as simple as a bowl of ice cream or macaroni and cheese. But mainly, I honestly just don't like it. To me at least, milk tastes strange, makes my stomach hurt, and causes me to cringe every time I drink it.
        Now some of you milk-drinkers out there are probably mad that I'm basing this entirely off of my own personal opinion. However, it turns out that I am not alone in my quest to not drink milk. Many professionals have stated that drinking milk past childhood is in fact not as good for you as they once thought. First off, cow-milk, what we normally drink, was made especially for baby calves and not for humans. Every species has its own, unique version of milk, and they drink milk from their own kind. So it seems a bit odd that we drink the milk of other animals. Besides, baby mammals like calves only drink milk when they are young. Then they stop. Humans, on the other hand, drink milk all throughout their lives, contradicting the natural pattern that mammals follow. Also, milk ironically depletes the calcium from your bones. This goes against everything we have known about milk. I grew up hearing that I should drink a glass of milk every day (which I did not do) so that I would stay healthy and build up strong bones. Now, that entire idea is being questioned. Should we really be drinking milk throughout our entire lives?
        Whether you don't drink milk for personal reasons or for health reasons, there are always other ways to get calcium into your diet. Exhibit A: Almond Milk. This is one of my greatest discoveries. The world outside of dairy milk. If you find a good brand of soy milk or almond milk, it is a great substitute for cow-milk. Personally, I love Silk Almond Milk. After growing up with hating regular milk, I was surprised to find a drink like milk that actually tasted good. Not to mention the fact that almond milk can have more nutrients in it than regular milk. When I first started drinking Silk Milk, I realized that there was a whole 50% more calcium in it than regular milk. It also tastes wonderful in cereal and in cooking experiments like macaroni and cheese! Another way to get calcium into your diet without milk is by consuming other forms of dairy more. There's yogurt, cheese, and so much more.
        This concludes my rant about milk. I never thought I would end up writing about such a random topic, but it happened. Now I can officially say that I have written a blog post about how terrible milk is. I understand that some of you may feel differently, but now you have a look into the other side of this dairy drink. Thank you for listening! (: