| I had to write a paper for my Elementary Health Education class that was to answer the questions, "Who am I?" and "What do I stand for?". Since Xanga is all about blogging and being deep, I figured this would be the perfect place to post my paper for all to see. I know none of us "do" Xanga anymore, but maybe one day you'll read this. Hopefully you'll say, "That is so Lauren." when you do. Lauren Ammerman Kin 2602 2-5-07 A Personal Philosophy I am Lauren Ammerman, the daughter of Karen and John Ammerman and the oldest of a brother and two sisters. I was born in Kenner, Louisiana but have lived in a few other cities within the state. Mandeville, Louisiana is and has been my home away from school for about 10 years now. Having gone to a public high school of about 2000 students, it’s no wonder I chose a massive, spirited school such as LSU for my college career. I am a junior in Kinesiology and plan on doing something in the Fitness and Recreation field later on, though it is not definite. Honestly, it would be my first choice to just be a mom, within marriage of course. We’ll see where life takes me. But who am I really? What makes Lauren Ammerman, Lauren Ammerman? I believe that what I stand for makes up who I am, so I will answer both questions simultaneously. I am adventurous and sporty. I thrive on new experiences and often tend to choose fun over responsibility, particularly when it comes to studying. I love the outdoors and appreciate it in many ways, recreationally or simply for solace. A few examples of my favorite outdoor activities include hiking, camping, canoeing, playing frisbee (both Ultimate and just tossing it casually with a friend), sunbathing, or simply enjoying the beauty God has created for us by sitting outside somewhere for a while (i.e. under a tree, on the Parade Grounds, on my porch, by a lake). I grew up playing sports and dancing. I currently play on the LSU women’s club ultimate frisbee team and thoroughly enjoy the exercise, competition, and of course my teammates! I enjoy a good beer with a friend, live music, going out dancing, meeting new people and learning their stories, snowboarding, traveling, the beach, mountains, funny people, laughing till my side hurts and my cheeks are sore, and the scent of a Sweet Olive shrub. My zest for life has attracted many people to me. My friends are important to me and they know that they can call on me to talk and I will listen. I have a very “motherly” instinct in the way I deal with my friends and people I encounter, and I usually give people the benefit of the doubt. My naivety sometimes causes me pain, but I learn from it. My compassion for my friends allows me to take it upon myself to actively be there for them in pursuit of their happiness. This quality is also applied in my social situations. A close friend of mine has told me that I “always try to make everyone happy no matter what we’re doing”. It is true that I feel I take it upon myself to make everyone have a good time, including making uncomfortable situations not. I wear a lot of my emotion on my sleeve but at the same time I hold a lot of it in. Even though I have a great number of friends whom I adore, there are only a handful of them who really “get” me and completely know me. I strongly dislike and try to avoid confrontation. However, I hope to one day feel more confident with confrontations and to learn how to handle them well. I have a free-spirit and fun-loving attitude that I credit my family for. I love my family. I come from a big, but very close Irish/Italian family. In fact, my best friend is my cousin. Many of my values and personality traits are because of my family’s influence. Since I am a practicing Catholic a lot of my views, both politically and morally are biased toward what the church believes. I am active in a pro-life group, I believe in staying pure till marriage, I am anti-contraceptive, and I hope to marry one day and raise my kids Catholic, the works. These values influence who I date and associate with. Laughter is also very important to me. I love to laugh and see the humor in every situation, good or bad. If you can’t laugh at yourself then you’re going to miss out on a lot of what life has to offer. Believe me when I say life is hilarious! |
