Yes, I am still alive.

Hello all! I know it's been a very, very long time since I've posted on here- no need to comment on that. Let's just say I've been busy, with my life and myself. I know I've probably never really explained any of what has gone on with me in the past and what is currently going on with me. Well, things haven't been very well in the past. Actually, they've been Hell. Mental illness is something that I would never wish for any of you guys- it is a problem so deeply devastating that I know it has probably affected all of the people I know, including you all. So, I'm sorry. I haven't been the friend I know that I can be to you, because of my depression and other mental and emotional problems. It's sometimes hard for me to talk about and describe my depression, because it upsets me and makes me cry, so I won't do that right now. But if you have anything you want to ask- ANYTHING (I don't have a problem being open with you guys)- please don't hesitate to ask. I could even post something else on here if you want me to, answering any or all of your questions.
Anyway, on to what I am doing now. I'm definitely doing so much better than I was a few months ago. For the past few months, I've pretty much just been sitting at home, doing nothing. But then I started seeing both a psychiatrist and therapist, and was prescribed a different kind of antidepressant (like I said, very open). I'm taking Zoloft now, and it's really helping a lot more that what I was taking. I'm at least doing something now, even if it's just silly craft things. I completely reorganized our kitchen 2 weeks ago, and then cooked a bunch of food for our cousin Nikki's graduation party. I made chicken for burritos, cilantro-lime rice, corn salsa, O'Henry bars, lemon bars, gingersnaps, and carrot cake all from scratch. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun and very rewarding for me. I know Nikki really appreciated it because, at 27, she'd never graduated from anything before, and now she's a nurse! You see, she dropped out of high school and got her GED at 15 after she had her daughter Kelsie, because there were some teachers at her school who were not very nice to her. So, anyway, I wanted it to be special for her, and I think it was.
But NOW, I am in New York City! Brooklyn, to be exact, on Flatbush Avenue. I love it here- the subway, the people, everything. I'm having a lot of fun staying with my aunts Mandy and Theresa, and their dog Laveau and their cat Lumpy. (sidenote- her name was Walnut when Mandy first found her in a walnut tree? But now we all call her Lumpy.... weird).So far we've only been to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, which was really cool. I would have taken pictures for you guys, but no photography was allowed. Basically it's an old apartment building that immigrants lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the tours, you got to see 4 different apartments- two that they have recreated to look like what it did when the families lived in them, and 2 that they call "The Ruins". In the first one, they've just added in furniture and stuff like that- all of the paint and wallpaper and stuff like that. The Ruins are the coolest though. They look exactly as they did in 1935 when the building was condemned and the owners evicted everyone. It was awesome! 
Yesterday, Mandy took me into Manhattan for her dentist appointment, because there is a 3-floor Barnes and Noble less than a block away from her dentist's office. Needless to say, this was pretty much my own personal heaven. I spent at least an hour in the fiction section, and then sat down and read The Great Gatsby and ate an apple for half an hour. It was awesome. Oh! But the best part of the day was in the morning, when we were waiting on the subway platform. There was a guy, probably around our age, playing violin for tips on the platform. Mandy and I were both still sleepy-this was at 9 am- but we both decided that was the best way to start the day. Mandy even tipped him.
Anyway, we haven't really done much today. We slept in, the walked about a block over to this delicious crepe shop. I had one with Nutella and strawberries-yum! Oh- the food is also awesome. There's always a HUGE selection of places to go.
I'll definitely keep you guys posted on what else we do while I'm here over the next couple of weeks. 
Love you all!
Gabby

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Today I got to eat with the president of my university in the Presidential Dining room (all wood, fancy napkins, plates with the seal on them). So that was exciting and just neat that no one is above you meaning, even the president of the university wants to sit and talk with you. I enjoy that about college :)

Then secondly, I was asked to be a hair model for a woman from Bible study. She's interviewing for a prestigious hair salon and she has to do a live hair style...so she wants to chop off my hair and dye it. I told her I wasn't sure and not to put me on the top of the list. She wants a long haired model and thought of me first. a) I have virgin hair haha b) She wants to go above the shoulders which makes me nervous. What do you guys think? It's a completely free hairstyle. :/ I don't know. INPUT PLEASE!

Thirdly, I love my criminal law class. Who'd think that studying law would be so fascinating? We dicuss all sorts of issues! It's kinda firing me back up to the idea of being a prosecuting attorney. Why do all the things I want to do involve more schooling (and as we know, more school = poverty ;) haha. You're rich in smarts but poor in all else). haha. Today we talked about homicide yay! There are actual legal forms of homicide - a) abortion b) death penalty and c) war time killing. I never thought of that fact before. And I know all these defenses for crime and how self-defense applies. It's rather fascinating and I am glad I am taking it. At least I understand the laws for which I am meant to uphold.

What are you guys learning in your classes right now? Anything exciting? Intriguing?

I learned something else interesting today (not in class). Apparantly one of my friends was watching a discovery show and they said that men are able to get HPV in their tonsils and mouth....weird huh? Oh and does anyone know how many rights that a man has when his wife / girlfriend is pregnant and he wants the child? Oooh!! Ethics question! What do you guys think about how far a woman's rights goes when it comes to carrying a child? Should she have complete right over her body? I really would love to hear feedback!

Okay I'll bid adieu for now because I fear I might just explode all sorts of mental thought processes when I really should be reading Job and Ecclesiastes for Old Testament.

I love you all and I hope you're having a beautiful time :) I cannot wait til we are reunited again!