Entry #4. Be Thankful.

Well, the orange and black has been put to rest and all of the skeletons, jack-o-lanterns and witches are back to their cozy place in storage. The stores have already switched their music playlists to the Christmas station and all of the winter seasonal decorations have been put on the shelves. Even though the entire planet automatically starts thinking about Christmas as soon as Halloween is over, we cannot forget about the most important holiday, Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is such a beautiful day and a time to be appreciative for everything you have in your life. This is a typically a holiday for family get togethers and bonding experiences, good food and gratitude. A lot of families have specific traditions they follow every year on this day and it truly brings together the members as a unit.

This is the last few days of November, just before the Christmas hype reaches full throttle and takes over completely for the rest of the year. It is a great opportunity to go around at the dinner table and share what it is you are thankful for and maybe reminisce on a blessing you received this year.

I cannot believe that 2015 is already coming to an end..Why is the time just flying by? I feel like I blinked and October practically came and went. Take a moment right now to think about all of the crazy, challenging and rewarding experiences you went through during this year. I'm sure there have been drastic changes, pain and a ridiculous amount of memories and adventure. Think about all of the blessings you have received and what kind of life you have been given. It is important to constantly self-evaluate and this time of the year definitely reiterates that concept.

October through December has always been my favorite time of the year ever since I was a little girl. There is something about the cooler weather and the cheery mood that makes the season that much more enjoyable. All of the holidays are so fun to involve yourself in and celebrate- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.. and I got lucky with a December birthday on top of that! People seem to be so much more willing to do things for others around this time of the year. Donations are made to charities and the less fortunate and the world tends to put aside their personal wants for other individual's needs.

Every year for Thanksgiving, I go back to Las Vegas where I am from and spend the holiday weekend with my family. We always get the huge newspaper and store catalogs and plan our Black Friday shenanigans. Then on the night/morning of we hit the stores to shop until we drop, which is always fun and a rush trying to beat others to the deals. On Thanksgiving day, we spend the entire morning preparing the meal together as a family. Usually every member is in charge of a different food item and we all come together at the end of the night and feast. The meal is always so delicious and we usually get so full that we get stuck lounging on the couch watching Christmas movies after. Later in the evening, we always meet up with the rest of our family members and go to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory to look at all of the Christmas light decorations. Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions?

I hope this year you remember the real meaning to the holidays and take time to think about what you are thankful for. I encourage you to make a list of things you want to accomplish to "give" and help others this wonderful month of November. Maybe you can pick one person or  family to bless this year or surprise with a plate of baked goods. You don't have to go out and spend a bunch of money in order to shower someone you are grateful for them. Cooking and baking is always a great gift for  others and is equally rewarding to you as well. Homemade presents are always so much more sentimental anyways and it shows you put time and thought into it. Cherish this holiday season, it always seems to come and go way too fast. Xoxo.

Entry #3. A Slanted Report

While browsing the internet I came across many news articles and entire websites that shared thoughts and informations swaying to a particular side or viewpoint. Media and news reports can be extremely bias and it is important to recognize when a piece of information you are reading forgets to include the opposing opinion. 

One article I found very slanted, happens to be a report from the Washington Times by Kevin Sabet; the title of this piece is "Colorado will Show why Legalizing Marijuana is a Mistake".

Here is a link to read the article yourself: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/17/sabet-marijuana-legalizations-worst-enemy/?page=all

This is a perfect example of a slanted or bias report in the news/media. This specific article describes all of the negative sides and troubles pertaining to legalizing marijuana, however, it fails to address any good or positive aspects of the plant. This is most definitely a one-sided post because it fails to address the opposing viewpoint and benefits. I have read numerous cases about people being medically healed from cannabis. There are tons of individuals in this world either fighting cancer or other illnesses, dealing with physical pain, handling emotional instability, or suffering from depression who rely on marijuana as a medication. Many PTSD sufferers use medical marijuana as an antidepressant and for their high anxiety.

This author, Mr. Sabet clearly omits certain information from his article to focus only on the negative side of this issue. He also only uses specific stories and examples to back up his point and disregards all other perspectives. He puts in an example of a 2 year old girl ingesting a marijuana cookie and needing immediate medical attention. There is also mention of this drug increasing the rate of addiction, car crashes, and mental illnesses. No where does he include a medical benefit or positive outlook on the subject whatsoever. This author clearly wants his reader to agree with him that marijuana is bad and should not be legalized in this country; he shows this opinion by highlighting the negative risks and "what if" scenarios that ultimately makes marijuana come off as all bad and dangerous. 

I found this website, medicaljane.com, that shares tons of stories about people who have positively utilized marijuana to cure all sorts of illnesses and cases. One specific article I found on this website was about a boy from Phoenix, Arizona by the name Zander Welton who suffers from autism and epilepsy which result in violent seizures. At times these seizures would cause poor little Zander to stop breathing and ultimately slowed down his cognitive development. Surgery was the only option along with a heavy amount of pharmaceutical drugs as well. This ultimately failed to help Zander and actually resulted in even more harmful side effects. The Welton family was introduced to medical marijuana as an extract, a form of cannabidiol oil and an herb. His mother admits that it was difficult decision at first but cannabis was the only thing that finally eased the suffering for her son. 

Zander was able to walk backwards for the first time in his life, maintained a lot more focus in kindergarten, slept more peacefully at night and was actively playing around with his brothers and friends. He could go weeks without having a seizure and the marijuana oil ultimately made a huge difference. A claim was made by an attorney in Arizona stating the use of the cannabis oil could actually result in prosecution because it is a much stronger dose than the plant form itself. This was a big concern and fear for Zander's parents because this oil happens to be the only thing making a difference to his condition. 

“My husband and I made the heartbreaking decision to stop giving Zander the medical marijuana oil,” stated Jennifer. As heartbreaking as it was, both Jennifer and her husband wanted to follow the law as strictly as possible so they could protect their beloved son from prosecution."

Here is a video to see more of what I am discussing.

This led the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)  to file a lawsuit in order to clarify Arizona's medical marijuana specificities and help young Zander. The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled in favor of Zander, reassuring his parents and doctors that they could continue treating his epilepsy with cannabis extracts without the fear of being prosecuted by the law. 

As you can see, I have shared a case where marijuana was not just all negative and "dangerous". This drug has positively impacted the lives of so many individuals in our world and you can find countless stories and cases highlighting marijuana benefits. This first article, by Mr. Kevin Sabet was very slanted and failed to recognize that marijuana is good in any way. It is harder to be convinced by this author because he seems to have tunnel vision on the specific subject. A good author is aware of the opposing viewpoints on their topics and addresses them to avoid being bias in their writing. 

Whether you are watching the news, reading an article online or listening to the radio, you should always be aware of biased media and slanted reporting. A lot of credibility is taken away from the piece when it is too one-sided. Along with recognizing slanted reporting in the media, it is also very important to not write in this way either. Sometimes when you are really passionate about a certain subject it can be hard not to be biased. In some cases biased ideas can be okay ( like maybe for a blog post, debate or court case); however, in a professional situation, it should be avoided. Good luck out there, there is TONS of slanted ideas in this big world. Happy writing my fellow readers. :)

Entry #2. The Big Apple

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

And there is something even more meaningful about that picture when you are the photographer. The image above was snapped by yours truly in New York City's Central Park. December of 2013 I was a senior in high school and had the amazing opportunity to fly out with a group of students and stay in NYC for 4 days. The best part about it was that my grandma was interested in chaperoning and got to go with me; we stayed in our own hotel room and just took the tour bus schedule with the rest of the group. I also celebrated my 18th birthday on one of the days we were in the city and can say it truly was a trip of a lifetime. I took tons of pictures and today I want to post some of them with you and share some of the great sights and points of high interest. In all honesty though, these pictures can't even compare to the true beauty in New York.

Central Park is in Manhattan, New York and is the most visited urban park in the United States. There is a 2.5 acre section in Central Park by the name of Strawberry Fields that is dedicated to the former Beatle John Lennon and is where this "Imagine" memorial is located. I was there on December 8th, which happened to be the same day back in 1980 when John Lennon was murdered in NY. In honor of his passing there were strawberries outlining the "Imagine" and flowers and other sentimental objects towards Lennon were covering the memorial. A man was sitting next to it playing an acoustic guitar singing all of John Lennon's songs; it was absolutely beautiful. 

The next phenomenal sight I captured happens to be the Empire State Building, which is a 102-story skyscraper in Manhattan and is thought of as an American cultural icon. It is currently the 5th tallest building in the world.

The picture above, I took at the National September 11 Memorial where the former location of the Twin Towers has been transformed into two pools with the largest man-made waterfalls in the United States. There is also a forest of trees and a lot of greenery; one tree in specific is fenced off from the public and is actually the only thing that survived the horrific incident on 9/11.

On one of the days, we took a ferry to see the lovely Lady Liberty and all of her wonder. We had a lot of things scheduled for that day so we were not able to stop on the island and climb/ explore her. However, the ferry ride was so amazing and the view was just breathtaking. Above is a picture of my grandma, girlfriends and I on the ferry. Next time I visit the city, I hope to actually touch The Statue of Liberty.

This photo was captured in Grand Central Terminal which is a well known train station in New York. It covers 48 acres and has 44 platforms, which is more than any other train station in the world. 

The next two pictures I took are of the Rockefeller Center. This is actually a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres in the city. The dark picture is a view from the top of the centerpiece building, which is also known as the Comcast building. We went to the very top and viewed the city from the observation deck. It was chilly and started to sprinkle on us while we were up there- it was so refreshing! Radio City music hall is an entertainment venue in the Rockefeller Center and hosts T.V shows, sports, music and more. We got to take a tour of the inside and see all of the behind the scenes which was really cool.

I took this picture while I was inside the tour bus. It just captured the chaos of all the traffic and taxi cabs there are in the heart of the city. If you travel to New York, you HAVE to visit Time Square. It is just so cool to look at all of the things and people around you, especially at night with all of the lights.  

I was fortunate enough to go in December when the entire city was covered in Christmas decorations. There was Christmas music playing, hot chocolate being sold, holiday shops and seasonal smells all over the place. It was the best time of my life and I am so thankful for that opportunity. I know traveling is expensive but if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend making a trip to New York in your lifetime. I was fortunate enough to go with a tour group, so i was taught a lot of cool information and got to travel to a lot of difference sights and attractions in just a few days. When traveling to NY on your own without a group, it could be a lot harder to navigate through the city- especially when it's mostly walking or taxi. I am hoping to make another trip out there within the next few years and of course I will make sure to go around Christmas again because it was just too perfect.    This was a trip for the books, that is for sure. :)

Entry #1. Gotta Love Blogs

Blogs are just so cool! I am not going to lie- I really really really love to type on my blog. It's such a great way to express your ideas, much quicker than writing and you're able to connect your ideas with people all over the world. I enjoy reading other perspectives on topics and seeing videos or pictures of interesting ideas shared. The blogging world is fascinating and it has a wide variety ranging from personal, formal, news, fashion; there are blogs covering just about every topic you can think of!

The greatest blog in the entire world has to be http://blondevsworld.tumblr.com; this is a personal favorite because I absolutely adore and worship the author Nikki Blackketter who is a sponsored fitness freak and bodybuilder. I follow her on every social media account and even have her on snapchat haha- but anyways, she is such a badass! She has a strong passion and drive for lifting weights, pushing her limits and reaching phenomenal goals. She is a macro coach and has a love for healthy foods. To top it off she is also the most gorgeous girl on the face of the Earth, has an incredible body and is so motivational. She has a YouTube account where she posts great workouts, exercises and awesome techniques. Her and her both have both competed in shows and won competitions; the two of them are the ultimate power couple I swear!

My personal favorite blogs always tend to be blogs with a lot of passion put into them. I am a health nut so the blogs I tend to read on my free time happen to revolve around fitness, exercise techniques and good clean recipes. I love to hear other people's weight loss stories and see transformation pictures; this is so incredibly motivational to me. I admire other's who care about their physique and personal health and I love to hear tips and advice on how I can improve myself. I love to cook and spend time prepping the foods I eat so blogs with recipes and food discussion is also a preference.

I also find beauty and fashion blogs to be interesting and fun to browse. Being a girl, there are so many different ways to do my hair, make-up, dress; it is incredible the amount of opportunity we have when it comes to beauty. Hearing about techniques and hints and helpful and exciting to try firsthand. There is an amazing blog at http://prettyshinysparkly.com that is written by a woman named Kristina who has a great passion and love for style, beauty, luxury and life. Her posts are informing, give helpful advice and suggest specific products.

I have a weakness for life stories and personal events; I can't tell you how much I love reality T.V and  personal accounts. I just genuinely enjoy reading or watching someone recap their life experiences or opinions. There was specifically I found that I enjoyed- it is bitchphd.blogspot.com; I feel like the author is very real and I love her ideas on feminism. She cusses and is informal throughout, however, still maintains structure, punctuation and a great deal of organization. I love her voice all throughout the blog; you can tell she is very blunt and strong in her beliefs.

In my blog exploration I also came upon another amazing blog that I fell in love with. This is http://decor8blog.com; the author is Holly Becker and she is an interior writer, book author and stylist. Her blog is filled with delicious recipes and great posts with decorative ideas. This website is at the perfect go-to when looking for ideas to expand your creativity and try new things. I love to read and see new ways to design or decorate a room. I have always been a fan of watching home interior design/renovation shows on the television so it's clear why I have such a great interest in reading about it as well.

In contrary, some blogs that I don't care to read include ones discussing politics and historical events. I mean- if the historical fact/ story is really interesting-okay. However, if it drags on and shares events like a digital timeline, then count me out. A boring blog such as http://www.thegwpf.org, discussing the global warming policy, would zone me out of concentration or put me to sleep. I would much rather spend my time on the present tense and learn how to enhance my life in different ways.

I honestly really appreciate blogging. I love that my ideas are permanent on here, once I hit publish this baby is final! It is a product to the world online and open to absolutely anyone who care to read it. It is like a digital diary and very convenient to be able to access it 24/7 and re-visit old posts from the past. I love reading comments from my peers and other bloggers, feedback is the best. If you do not already have a blog, I strongly recommend you make one. Blogs are filled with so much information and can teach so many valuable lessons. :)                  

HEY. HI. HELLO.

Hey there! 

For those of you who have visited my blog before..welcome back! This post might be a little repetitive to my very first post as it is mostly directed towards my newcomers. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Alexis McCall and I am 19 years young. I will be 20 on December 6th and I feel like it’s a big road mark in my life;no longer a teenager!

So much has happened this past year.. I have been serving at this new bar (The Moon Saloon) and making great money. I have also chose to pursue an educational path and have been taking many prerequisite courses to get my associates degree. My plan is to stay at Glendale Community College until this degree is met and then transfer to Arizona State University for further studies.

I also purchased my very own car from a dealership, a light blue Scion tC ($10,000) that I put a $5,000 downpayment on and continue to pay monthly for. I’m close to paying it off and have been working very hard to build a savings account and good personal credit. This is an accomplishment that I am very proud of.

My favorite hobby would have to be working out; whether it is outside, at the gym or at my house I love to be physically active. I get a sense of happiness and peace of mind when I make time to exercise. I also enjoy cooking and preparing good, healthy wholesome foods. I am a very peculiar eater so I like to meal prep. I do not eat meat of any kind except for fish. My favorite meal to cook would have to be a delicious piece of salmon! I also love sushi, tuna and shrimp as well. I am a huge fruit, vegetable and organic consumer. In my free time I also enjoy spending time with my grandma(who raised me) , friends, boyfriend and little shih-tzu dog.

Another change in my life recently actually happens to be a certain man. I have been single for over a year and a half so it is definitely a change for me to be this interested in someone. About four months ago this guy and I met through a mutual friend. In the matter of time we have connected on a different level and he has become my best friend. I never really thought of him as a potential relationship because we had such a great time together as friends. We are so open and comfortable with one another and constantly laugh and joke around when we are together. He makes me feel so important and goes out of his way for me each and every day. I love spending time with him and just being in his presence; I finally realized I just couldn’t hold back my feelings for him any longer and took a chance on a relationship.

I am so happy and look forward to what the future holds for us.

I’m also excited for more active blogging; I have some great ideas I can’t wait to share. Stay tuned my bloggers!

Entry #11. Blogging.

Blogging has literally changed my life. I have never gotten more joy out of doing an assignment before this English blog; it didn't even feel like homework. I found out that I am a much better writer than I thought I was and I really enjoy discussing topics that interest me to others.

I feel like people are really good at giving their standpoint or opinion on a subject but never really reflect and analyze why they have this opinion. Blogs are a perfect opportunity to tell the world your perspective and explain why you feel the way you do. It is a wonderful way to connect with people all over the world who are interested in discussing similar subjects with you.

Blogs bring motivation and knowledge about so many different life aspects. One can learn how to better their eating habits, change their physical activities, learn more about a specific hobby, and ultimately enhance their lives.

I love that blogs are so personable and visual; you can add all sorts of videos and images in between your text to make the reading much more creative and enticing. They are organized by date and easy to navigate with specific hyperlinks.

Before this, the only time I would ever "blog" was when I was updating my statuses on social media. I have an Instagram, Facebook and Twitter that I update pretty regularly but I never took the time to create a more serious and lengthened blog. After this experience with blogging, I am going to continue to post regularly on this Relayed by Lexy website and hope that people still read my posts.

I am taking English 102 next week and was told this will be included in that course as well which made me very happy. I am excited to be able to continue the rest of this semester on my blog and share many more ideas and perspectives with the world.

I loved to read and keep up on my classmates posts as well. It was very interesting to hear the opinions of the others I attend school with and I loved to see the different self-generated topics that were chosen. There is such a wide variety of people in this world and we are a blessed generation to be able to connect with this entirety through technology.

If you have not already made a blog, I would highly suggest you consider it. It is a calming experience to be able to vent the thoughts that are in your head and pour them out onto a computer screen. Your words could impact someone or even change a life and you don't even know it. Even if you don;t think you are a good writer, take a chance and challenge yourself. Tell me how a few weeks of continuous blogging affects your life.. Are you a natural blogger?

Food Inc.

The movie that changed my life a year and a half ago. Food Inc. was the ultimate reason I decided to become a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish). And the sole reason I choose to eat an organic diet over processed, unnatural foods. This film scarred me and completely changed my perspective on the food industry,

So many people are unaware of where our all of our food comes from. From fast-food chains, to restaurants, to super markets- it seems as if we have hundreds of options but in reality a lot of our food comes from the same sources.

Industrialized farms have taken over the world in order for the farmers to get an animal or crop to grow in half the time it naturally would and at a much fatter size. Farmers will inject hormones and anti-biotics into their products which can potentially harm us as the consumer.

The part of the movie that got to me the most was the chicken coops and following the chicken farmers. Tyson is the biggest meat packager in the world; they essentially redesign their chickens to have large breasts in order to profit more. They didn't even want to show the inside of their chicken coops on the documentary because of how disturbing it really is! The chickens never see sunlight and their environment is filthy and covered in feces. The chickens can't even hold up their own weight because they are too fat from the hormones that are fed to them and their bone structure and strength can't support their bodies.

It is so disturbing to watch the chicken farmer just throwing the dead chickens around and clearing them out of the coop like it was nothing. She was wearing a face mask and gloves but i'm sure she has picked up illnesses from the environment she exposes herself too. 

All of the industrialized famers' concept revolves around mass production like an assembly line in the factory. They profit more money obviously by raising a product at a quicker rate and larger in size...However, what they are not thinking of is the consumer's overall health.

In my opinion, all processed and industrialized foods should be avoided, especially meat. Companies should not be allowed to sell food that has been exposed to and cared for in an improper way. It is not fair to the animals and it is not fair to us human beings as consumers. Do not support industrialized farms.