Updates!!!

Lots of news to share =)

School: Finals are over, and school is out for two weeks! Thank goodness - I wasn't sure I would make it =P My finals went well: I took Bio, Calc Theory, English, and US History. Bio was really quite short, but I know I made a mistake on one of the short answer questions. Calc, I enjoyed, but am not sure what my grade will be. My calc teacher always curves his tests, so I should be fine. English was really fun - it was just three essays: one analytical, one imaginative, and one personal, and the prompts for each were very interesting. US History was probably my least favorite. I liked the essay prompt and felt I did a good job on that, but the multiple choice was very "nit-picky," so we'll see how good of a grade I get there.

PSATs: My PSAT scores came in on Saturday! I was really happy with how much I improved from last year, especially in Writing, since last year, that was my worst section, and this year, it was my best! Based on my score, I think I'm in a good position for becoming a National Merit Semi-Finalist, so that's pretty exciting =)

Break: Well, my break plans are pretty simple - I'm working and riding. The barn I work at has two winter camps, and I'm working at those from 9-1, Mon-Thurs both this week and next. I also hope to ride a lot this break, since I don't get to do much while school's in session anymore. For Christmas, my family is going over to a family friend's house and we're having a big Christmas dinner.

In addition, my friends and I have quite a bit planned. Last Friday, we had a Christmas party, which I really enjoyed, even though I was exhausted after finals. After the party, one of my friends (let's call her R) spent the night at my house, and we had a nice long talk, something I haven't really had a chance to do lately. Saturday, I was invited to a Hanukkah party, and we played dreidel, Apples to Apples *Hanukkah Edition*, and make latkes. On Sunday, I went out to dinner with R, which was super fun! For New Year's Eve, a bunch of us are sleeping over at R's house, and celebrating. Can't wait!

Back to School: Before going back to school, my entire class (63 girls) is going to China for 10 days as part of our "global investigators" program. We'll be spending the majority of our time in Shanghai, and then for a few days, will go to a small town/village outside of Shanghai to experience life there. I'm extremely excited for the trip, especially since I'll be rooming with one of my best friends (coincidentally, whose birthday is the 6th day of the trip!). I'll definitely be back with many pictures and stories of my time there =)

Other: I started seeing a new chiropractor (I saw one in May/June, but stopped soon after) on Saturday. I have nearly constant back pain, and it gets very bad when I sit or stand straight, or bend over. On Saturday, we went through the normal new patient drill, and he took some x-rays of my back. Today, I had a follow-up appointment, where we looked at the x-rays and decided what our course of action would be from here on out. Turns out, I have mild-moderate scoliosis (which I already knew), and have a bunch of subluxated vertebrae. Subluxation (more about it here) basically means that the vertebrae are not aligned, and are therefore pinching the nerves, preventing messages from efficiently/correctly going from the brain to the organs.

My C1, C2, C4, C5, L4, and L5 vertebrae are subluxated, which is the cause of my headaches, pain, foot-numbness, insomnia/inability to sleep well, crabbiness/crankiness/snappiness, heart/chest pain, and so many other things that are wrong with my body! Our plan of action is for me to see the chiro three times per week for 12 weeks, get another x-ray, and then see him once a week for 40 more weeks. Hopefully, by the end of all this, my back will be more normal and we will prevent the subluxation from deteriorating (which can cause even more debilitating injuries/illnesses).

Happy Holidays, and I'm sure I'll update before leaving for China =)

-E