When faced with the question, where am I, there are a multitude of things that I might tell you. I could probably tell you that I was born in Reno, Nevada. I could mention that I have been raised in Aurora, Nebraska for the last 15 years of my life. I would definitely tell you that I am a proud student here at Aurora High School. But all those facts would not add up to create a complete picture. All the things that are simply me would not be included in that list. I tend to have a quarky side that most people aren't lucky enough to see. I get side tracked VERY easily. I think would be fair to say that I am the undisputed leader of the Procrasti-Nation. But to be completely honest, I would have to tell you that I come from family. The source of all my attributes that are exclusively Alex are brought up from a wellspring of family. Through the ins and the outs, the ups and the downs, the lefts and the rights my family is always there. I suppose it doesn't really make a lot sense to answer the question where am I, with the statement family, so let's just say I am at "home."

Home would constitute a wide variety of things for me. From cornfields, football, New Zealand, Ford, Cadillac, and Dodge vehicles, to turf fields, family gatherings, Ostakaka, Pecan pie, to Playstation 3, "That 70's Show", our cabin at Ericson Lake, and all the way back around to giant glasses of water, Swedish traditions, and wacky out-of-date shirts. These items might not mean a whole lot to the average person, but for me it provides a sense of home, of family. We always place a great weight of importance on grades and who we are hanging out with. My parents would always tell me when I was younger, hang out with those people who have the same interests and desires that you do. Don't let the people who are around you dictate your future. I think that so far, I have chosen the right group. They may not always be an orderly crowd, or the guys that you want to take home to the parents, but they make me laugh, and I know that each one of them has a certain desire for their future.

In our senior year, we are all that that metaphorical "Fork in the Road" of our lives. There is one path that everyone wants to take. It's the path that our school, community, family, and friends all want us to venture down. Writing a blog post about where I am would not be a meaningful lesson if we don't include the things that we are preparing for in this place we are in. Down that one path lays hard work. This will probably include college, graduate school for some, and an honest way to make a living. I am standing at this crossroad and I can look down that road. I can see all the benefits of this life. I can see returning back to Aurora. I can see success. And if I pull out my binoculars and peer deep down this path, I can see a family of my own.  I'm not saying that this trail won't include failure, because it will. Where I am at right now, the consensus is that it's not about how many times you get knocked down but how many times that you get back up. My family has strived that point. Over and over and over and over. Like the quote I used in my last blog posting says, we are a product of our environment. I truly enjoy this environment that I am in; I wouldn't have it any other way.  This first path is the far more difficult road to take. What lies at the end of the other road is a lot less favorable than what lies at the end of the first. Whether it be laziness, lack of effort, lack of skill, lack of determination, or maybe just plain bad luck, this is the far more traveled. It involves putting your goals to the side, and "going through the motions." Repeated disappointments don't necessarily characterize this path. It's the consistent submission to these disappointments.

I am at home right now. Sitting in a black leather chair typing on this keyboard, which is missing one of its Shift keys. (Makes it very hard to capitalize letters sometimes) I am in a Stucco house, on 100 Wexford Street, with a giant glass of water and a blue paper in front of me that tells of how I'm supposed to complete this assignment. But that's just the physical part of my location. It doesn't tell you the ingrained attitudes and goals that come with the family, school, and community. I can only hope to delve deeper into these ideals, while maintaining that sense of place that every individual must have.