Pink Ribbons Fade Color As You Mature.

Hello class! I am Elizabeth Nesbitt aka (Labbygirl.) I prefer to be called Liz. I am returning to college after an 18yr. hiatus’. I am an Interdisciplinary studies major in Humanities and Social Sciences with a minor in Health Administration. I am taking this class towards my major and I thought it seemed really interesting. I am in my early forties and work full-time for Shands Healthcare in Gainesville, Florida. I am a financial counselor and enjoy helping people. I am petite, use and electric wheelchair for mobility and drive a high tech. van. I have Spinal Muscular Atrophy a form of Muscular Dystrophy. I love dogs, and rescue Labrador retrievers for Florida Labrador Retriever Rescue in my county. I have a beautiful yellow lab named Tuffie, who is my service dog and goes with me everywhere. I live with my partner Terry of 20 plus years and truly love him. We have the first dog I ever rescued a big black 90lb. lab named Midnight. He is a gentle teddy bear. Then there is Peanut a 10lb. Chihuahua who thinks he is a Labrador. Finally, there is Princess a 9lb. Chihuahua. Amazingly our dogs all get along, plus we rescued two black cats a brother and sister named Lilo and Stitch. This is our first experience raising cats and it has had its moments.

I have a bubbly personality, and do not accept the word no for an answer. I have paved the road in many areas for physically challenged individuals. I do not like to be treated any different and I live by the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I feel many people do not take the time to get to know someone before making the wrong assumptions. I am open minded, strong minded and stick to my convictions. Listening to music helps me relax and I love reading books, watching movies and scrapbooking. Presently, I am working on a scrapbook about Tuffie and I and our adventures together.

“Your Life As a Girl” by Sittenfeld starts out with Anna as a tomboy. She is playing various sports and winning. Anna gets along with the boys as buddies until she is at the Halloween dance. Jimmy Wrightson appears and says “Hey, Anna, can I suck your tits?” This is the age when boys are picking on girls and Anna for being a tomboy and doing dares for money. Sittenfeld is describing Anna and her experiences starting in late elementary through high school. At middle school Anna and her friends are into every diet imaginable and thinking the worst of themselves. Sittenfeld is writing the story through Anna, but I have to wonder if she is not expressing how she felt as a girl growing up. I think Sittenfeld hits most of young girl’s feelings and actions, but I prefer the stories in Red. I think this story is told to fast, you blink and she is getting ready for college. I could relate to a lot of Anna’s feelings of being fat, ugly and all the above. We are constantly exposed through media the perfect female body. As girls we think we need to all look like a model and constantly put ourselves under the microscope. I prefer the stories in Red because they are written in first person.

The story Lately written by a 14 year old young women made me remember putting my dog down 8 years ago. This young writer deals with death like a very mature adult. She is glad that Lately doesn’t accept the brittle leaves. She wants her horse to remember “her hand on her nose and neck and suddenly entwined in her mane.” The young girl remembers the good experiences she had with her horse. I feel the first experience girls have with death be it human or animal starts you on the path to maturity. I thought the girl authors in Anything Extracurricular did an excellent job describing their emotions. The young writer’s captivate you into their stories and make you feel as if you are re living their experiences.

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