Cause Essay (Revised)

I come from a very large Italian family who love to get together and basically just talk and eat, eat and talk. Because of this I think I have been asked about 100 times "What made you go back to school?" At first I was taken aback and didn't even know how to answer. It took me a while to ponder and formulate, but once I knew, it all made sense.This is the story of the why's.Why I decided to go back to college after 8 years, a husband and three kids later.  I remember the day vividly. The day that I decided I was going to go back to school. I knew this was something I had to do, and I've known it for a long time.

 My husband and I had actually been toying with the idea for a few years, but somehow me getting a part time job always won instead. We are a family of 5 and it has always been tough living off of my husbands one income. I would always find a odd job where I would only work from 9 am to 2 pm in order to work around the kids school drop off and pick up schedule. I would always have to put our youngest daughter in daycare though.  Finally it was like I was hit on the head and a light bulb popped on because I realized that working those short hours didn't mean anything when you consider the price I was paying for our one daughters daycare, plus the price of gas for the commute, and eating my lunches out. This was the first reason I decided to go back to college, because something else besides me working a measly part time job needed to be done in order to provide more financial stability for our family.

Regret is something I fear with all my soul. I never want to regret anything I have done in my life. Of course I know that no one is perfect, not even close, including myself. But I do want to try and make choices that will both make me happy in the present but also most importantly tie into my "life plan". I knew in my heart that if I never went to college, not necessarily to get my degree and "become" something, I am happy to just study and learn, that I would regret it later in life. Initiative  is a big part of "doing". It's really easy to make decisions and to think of what you want to do, but without initiative it just might never get accomplished. I had put off going to college for long enough and once I decided this there was just no stopping me. The thought of possible regret was my initiative. This is my second reason for why I decided to go back to college, I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't grow old(er) and regret not taking the chance.


I love all the little Nike slogans, you know the ones you see on their t-shirts and commercials. Actually I have always been a sucker for personal affirmations and those Nike slogans are not far off from that. Something about feeling inspired, strong, beautiful, great, or basically anything glass half full, even when your not is amazing. I have always been honest enough with myself and even others to admit that I never really follow things through. I always start with great ideas and then they end up either as half finished craft projects or me backing out of being Girl Scout troop leader in the middle of the school year. It's horrible, I am ashamed and well aware enough to know that it needed to change. This realization kind of coincided with my decision to return to school. I dedicated myself to being a student and will not let anything get in my way of following through with this dream of mine. This is the third and most concerning reason of why I decided to go back to college. I wanted my children to be able to know that once you put your mind to something you can always achieve greatness.

 So here I sit, one month into my first semester back in college, well aware of the fact that I am a "non-traditional" student. I have gotten plenty of opinions from everyone who doesn't really matter in my life, it seems that they know me better than I know myself. In a way I feel like I have been set up for failure, but I will not accept that. I have always and will always put my children and husband first but what's so wrong with wanting to do it all? I pride myself on the fact that I have kept up on all the laundry, provided a home cooked meal every night, continued my impulsive house cleaning schedule all while maintaining really good grades in all my classes. Not to mention all the boo boo's, night time book readings, early morning soccer games and everything else that comes with the job title of mom.

What I already know (Revised)

These are the questions that I already have written up for my isearch. I really don't know any definite answers to any one of them. I have vague ideas based on what I think I already know, but nothing is factual. I think that's goes along with why I believe this choice of topic was best for me, I have never really taken  the time to do any real research.

This is my basic first reactions to each question:

• What steps should I take to lose weight?

 1.) Diet and excersise.

• What are the different options for weight loss?
• What are the pros and cons of the major options?
• What surgical options are out there for weight loss and how safe are they?

4.) Lap band, Liposuction, gastric bypass, ?

• Can changes in my diet do the job?

 5.) Maybe? Probably but not quick enough

• What about clean eating, vegetarian or cutting out all sugary foods?

 6.) I know nothing about this except my husbands friend lives off of shakes and green mush!

• What type of exercise is best and how much should I do?
• Are at home programs like p90x and turbofire more effective than working out at the gym

 8.) I would like to think so but are much more intense. Maybe harmful for people not in the best shape ?

• Is it better to work out at home or at a gym? 

 9.) I am thinking it depends on personality.

• Are there any prescription medicines for weight loss?
• What about over the counter weight loss pills or supplements?

 11.) I know I see plenty of ads for these things, but have no clue if they really work or the safety of them.

• There are so many diet's, how do I know which one is right for me?

12.) I don't know but this is my favorite question because I would really like to know.

Graf # 14 isearch research plan

For my isearch I plan on using the internet which has almost endless possibilities for my topic. I also am planning on interviewing some friends and family that I have in mind who I know have either struggled with losing weight in the past or are still doing so now.  I'd like to get their thoughts on what did and didn't work for them. My husband has a good friend from high school who is now a Beachbody coach. Beachbody is the company who makes the turbofire and p90x dvd systems. I know he has become very interested ( almost obsessed) with weight loss before and after stories so I know he will have a lot of info for me. If I happen to come across one website that I think answers all my questions, I don't care because I would never use only one form of information to persuade my answers. Researching to me means using different forms of input to come to my own conclusions and/or gather facts. I have already reached out to my husbands friend and let him know about my isearch, I wanted to give him enough time to be able to give me educated answers. That was the first step on my "time line".

Outro for cause essay

So here I sit, one month into my first semester back in college, well aware of the fact that I am a "non-traditional" student. I have gotten plenty of opinions from everyone who doesn't really matter in my life, it seems that they know me better than I know myself. In a way I feel like I have been set up for failure, but I will not accept that. I have always and will always put my children and husband first but what's so wrong with wanting to do it all? I pride myself on the fact that I have kept up on all the laundry, provided a home cooked meal every night, continued my impulsive house cleaning schedule all while maintaining really good grades in all my classes. Not to mention all the boo boo's, night time book readings, early morning soccer games and everything else that comes with the job title of mom.

Intro 2 of cause essay

It was March in Maine and it had been a long cold winter. Compared to the two other winters I have experienced living in Maine, this one was the worst. I felt like I had been cooped up as a prisoner in my own home for far too long, but the time inside did give me plenty of opportunity to think. I had been wanting to go back to school for quite some time, but there was always something that came in the way. Something about the way I felt during those cold lonely months of winter made me realize that once and for all I was going to do something big for myself.

Intro 1 of cause essay

I remember the day vividly. It was March 15th, 2012. This was the day that I decided I was going to go back to school. I knew this was something I had to do, I just didn't know for sure why at that time. My husband and I had actually been toying with the idea for a few years, but it just never seemed to work out. Why?  Oh for so many reasons that I can't quite seem to recall. Honestly, it was probably due to the fact that I was so busy with my crazy family life to actually follow through with it.

Reaction to cause essays

I read all four of the sample cause essays you posted. After reading them I felt like I had an instant understanding of what a cause essay is, and what you are expecting us to do. I didn't quite understand just by reading the writing instructions you gave us. The instructions you gave us were good, and did make sense but there is something about reading those sample cause essays that really hit home. My first actual reaction to them were thinking how much I like the flow. I find myself always having too much in the middle of my writing that I think I end up with abrupt endings. I like how the cause essay seems to make it almost impossible to have that happen. There is a specific form and section for each part of your writing. I think that goes well with my way of organizing. I really liked the first essay about the relationship. I knew it had to be good when I felt myself angry at her for putting her guy in the middle of her and his daughter. I wish that I can get to the point in my writing that others will actually feel the emotion of my writing. I also liked the last one, about the marching partner. It was nice to see how much he saw in Molly, and the appreciation he had for her. There was beauty he saw in her that wasn't lust or love, more like an admiration for the qualities he knew she possessed.

Graf # 11 Research

A few years ago I decided that I wanted to have an emergency kit in our home. Leaders in my religion have been asking us to try and prepare 72 hour kits to have in case of disaster, and it can never hurt to be prepared.  I know a lot of people who do have them already but I wanted to take the time to do some research myself. I decided on making my own instead of buying a pre-made kit. The pre-made kits are convenient but they are also quite expensive and not personalized at all. I remember feeling immediately overwhelmed when I began my research because of how much should actually go into the kits. I decided to just take a section at a time and do my research that way. There is a basic order of what should go into a disaster kit and then people decide what will or will not work for them. I personally knew immediately that I did not want food that I would have to cook in there, because that means I would also need to have a camp stove and can opener etc. I also didn't worry about the clothing because my kids grow so fast and in case of real disaster I probably wouldn't be that upset if I had to stay in the same outfit for a few days. I did chose to put in ponchos and wool socks that would fit everyone.So basically I just went step by step and after about a month of research and a month of actually getting all the stuff and putting it together we had our kit.

Graf # 12 Place

I call it a lake house, my husband calls it a camp. I don't care what we call it, I love this house. As I walk down the driveway to our newly purchased house the beauty of the scene overcomes me. I look at the deck that wraps itself around the home and wonder out loud where I should put my lounging chair. My bare feet enjoy the feel of the grass as I make my way down to the sandy beach area. Our kids have already made it to the water and are wading in. They love it, and the squeals of delight they make are proof of that, and sound like music to my ears. My husband puts his arm around my waist and pulls me closer as we stare out at the lake, the colors of the sky are amazing. Purples, blues, reds, this has got to be a Maine sunset, I surely never saw colors like this in Arizona. I feel like I am in a movie scene, the crickets are chirping and the fire is crackling. At this moment, right here and right now I am the happiest women in the world, and it is all because of this place.

Graf # 10 Person

What the heck happened to him over there in Iraq??!! This is not, I repeat this is not, the same guy I grew up with. If it weren't for the U.S. Army issued name tape so clearly showing me who he was I literally would not believe it. This man standing before me was not so long ago the first boy I ever loved. We met in high school and fell head over heels with each other. He was such a sweet , caring, kind individual. These were the characteristics I adored the most, and somehow they were also the first to disappear. I can't lie, I knew I was in for a shock when the letters slowly started to get shorter, more abrupt and plain old disheartening. I am not going to give up on him, I refuse too. One year away from his family and friends, stuck living in a war zone, nothing but violence impacting your everyday experience with life. If I was in his shoes I would no doubt be worse off.

isearch "why"

       The reason I choose to research weight loss as my topic is because I haven't been able to figure it out myself. Weight loss wasn't my first choice for topics, heck it wasn't even my second choice. But after stumbling upon the realization (with a little help from my English professor) that my first two choices were just too broad, and could never be answered in a short research paper, I took a deep breath and chose to suck it up.
        Sitting in front of my computer I knew what I had to do, I typed swiftly before I could have a chance to change my mind. "I have decided to change my isearch topic to Weight Loss."  Obviously as I have explained before my weight and I have a past together. I have struggled with how to lose the extra weight I have gained from child birth.
        I am mostly writing this isearch on weight loss because even though I have tried many times to lose the weight, I have never taken the time to research all the different ways it can be done. If I don't know all my options how could I be sure that I am doing everything I can?

 Following are some questions that I hope to answer:

• What steps should I take to lose weight?
• What are the different options for weight loss?
• What are the pros and cons of the major options?
• What surgical options are out there for weight loss and how safe are they?
• Can changes in my diet do the job?
• What about clean eating, vegetarian or cutting out all sugary foods?
• What type of exercise is best and how much should I do?
• Are at home programs like p90x and turbofire more effective than 
• Is it better to work out at home or at a gym?
• Are there any prescription medicines for weight loss?
• What about over the counter weight loss pills or supplements?
• There are so many diet's, how do I know which one is right for me?

isearch background

My weight has been an issue for me basically my whole life. I was never actually overweight per say as a child or teenager, I just thought I was. I had been raised with such a bad image of myself that I thought nothing but the worst. Up until a few years ago, my weight was something that I had been basically trained to worry about. Let me back up to my early childhood and explain what I think is the reason behind my weight insecurities. I grew up with parents who fought all the time. My father was so mean to us and my mother would never stand up for herself. I am an only child so I didn't have anyone to share this experience with. My mother's weight would fluctuate as she would go in and out of bouts of depression, mixed with a interesting array of new diet fads. My father would consistently pick on her weight, she was either too fat or too skinny in his eyes. Of course I heard all of this, children always hear everything. The last thing I remember my father talking to me about before he left us for good was about how I should stop talking about wanting to be a model; because I would never be one. I will never forget that. I will also never ever tell any of my children that they will never become something that they want to become. Even though I was a nice healthy weight in my adolescent years, I did put on about 40 lbs during the pregnancy with my first child. I was adamant about losing that weight because I was fearful of what it would do to my self esteem if I didn't.  When I became pregnant with my second child about 2 1/2 years later I was actually 15 lbs lighter than before my first pregnancy. Once again I gained about 40 lbs and wasn't worried about my ability to lose it. I didn't plan on needing a c-section. This is the beginning of my real weight loss struggle. I have had a total of two c-sections and I truly believe that having the surgeries and those abdominal wall muscles being cut made it as hard as it has been. From 2008, the year that my last child was born until this day I have been trying to lose the extra weight from those last two pregnancies.

Graf # 9 object

My white chest of drawers. It's my favorite piece of furniture I own. Actually, it's more than that. If I was moving across country and could only bring one thing, I would bring my white chest of drawers. Currently, it resides in my dining room. In all honesty my dining room is just big enough for our table and six chairs. There really isn't any better place in our house to put it, so it just stays where it is despite the smirks my husband gives me whenever someone has to pull their chair in to allow walking room. Needless to say, we don't have a lot of dinner guests. I wouldn't have it any other way because this piece of furniture has a story to it and I love being reminded of it everyday. When I look at this chest I think of friendship. My best friend and I made this chest together. The story of her and I began about three years ago when we met at church one Sunday. Both of our families had just moved into Brewer, Maine about a week apart from each other. Both of our families had moved from Gilbert Arizona. Both of our families had three kids, who happened to all be just the same ages. We became instant friends, our husbands became instant friends, and our kids became instant friends. We weren't just friends who would see each other every Sunday at church and that's it, we decided to rent a set of side by side town homes and live next to each other. This arrangement could defiantly have ruined our friendship, but it only grew stronger. Our kids would play together outside every day from the time they got home from school to the time we called them in at night. We were lucky if they would take a break to eat dinner. When our kids would be playing outside, her and I would spend time together in either her side of the house or mine. We decided to make a list of things we had always wanted to do but needed a little help getting accomplished. One of these goals was to refurbish a piece of furniture. We went out to goodwill and purchased a old wooden dresser. We spent days outside in the garage working on that thing. It was soon finished and we fell in love with it. Our husbands hated it. I didn't really have the room for it so she kept it. I was just impressed with what we accomplished with our dream and hard work. We found out in May of this year that her husband would be finishing up his residency in another state, they had to leave when the school year ended. Now while our kids played after school we would pack her stuff. The day before they left our husbands packed up their u-haul. The day they left we all said our goodbyes and took a  quick walk through of their house to check for anything left behind. It was empty except for the white dresser which sat alone in her dining room. I knew right away that she was giving it to me to have as a reminder of her and of our friendship. Her husband smiled and my husband sighed, but her and I cried our eyes out.

reaction graf to isearch samples ( graf # 8)

I read through a lot of different isearch samples. My reactions are all over the place because they were written by so many people who all have different writing styles. I have became slightly overwhelmed with what a big project this seems to be. There is a lot of research that is going to need to be done, a lot of time that is going to have to be invested, and a lot of sleepless nights in order to get this work done without totally ignoring my three kids and husband. On that note, I am also extremely excited and ready to get started! I feel very confident with the topic that I have decided on. I love the fact that you ( Goldfine) have made it very clear that we need to be personally invested with our topic. I felt the connection that each student had with there isearch when I was going through the samples, and it makes for very good writing.

brainstorm topic/ideas

I have decided to change my isearch topic to Weight Loss.

My brainstorm for this new topic:


Weigth loss options :

Different options for weight loss
medical/surgical vs. non surgical

Supplements:

what is safe what is not
non FDA approved supplements
weight loss pills
 cleanses

 exercise:

p90x, turbofire or other crazy exercise programs
at home excercise videos
effective workout routine
gyms vs. at home


Diets:

calorie counting
weight watchers
can changing your diet make all the difference?
clean eating
 

isearch worksheet 2nd try

What do you want to write about? I want to write about Nursing vs. Medicine

What do you want to find out about your topic? I want to find out whether I would like to be a nurse or go into medicine.

 

What are your questions about the topic?

1. What are the differences between Nursing and Medicine

2. What are the differences in schooling methods

3.Who gets paid more and is it justified

4. Do doctors have more stressful environments to work in compared to Nurses?

Subquestions?

1. Is there a philosophy for nursing and or medicine

2. What schooling is harder, longer etc..

3.

How does the topic connect to your life?  Don't say 'curious' or 'interesting.'  Or don't stop there anyway....

I happen to have quite a few friends in the healthcare field. Some of them went from being RN'S and decided to go to advance practice nursing as either NP'S or CRNA'S. I also have a few who decided to change from RN's and go to PA school. I often gear them argue about who is more educated, who knows more etc... Because I want to be a RN right now I thought I should better understand this debate. 

Give three reasons you like the topic

1. I am very interested

2. I want to pursue a career in the healthcare field and would like to know the differences

3. I want to be able to debate it with my medical field friends

Give three ways your life might change if you answer your questions

1. I might decide to go to school for a physician assistant instead of nursing

2. It might make me feel differently about who is seeing me at a doctors office

3. I might feel completely unsure about going into the healthcare field at all

Graf # 6 Unique

I am unique in the lifestyle that I have chosen to live. I am Mormon. A member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. I do not drink coffee or tea. I do not do anything recreational on Sunday except go to church, for three hours. I do not curse, or use the Lord's name in vain. I do not drink alcohol or smoke. My faith does not define me however. My life that I live has a constant relationship with my faith but I am my own person. I like to bring my kids to cemeteries, just because I think they are beautiful. I have no desire to ever own a dog. I just don't have any extra time for one.  Unlike the majority of LDS members, I was not born into this religion. I choose it for myself, and for my children by my own free will. That is unique.

Graf #5 reaction to isearch brainstorm

My first reaction was : Well, you certainly narrowed it down to anything horticultural pretty fast! Your original "list of things I sometimes think about or mess around with" had a bit of variety in it. But then "comes a bit of focus as I try to narrow down one of these topics" and you start to turn vanilla on us! By the time we get down to the  "list of potentially researchable questions or issues to be researched; in an isearch" I feel like you must have either had a wicked hard time with your vegetable garden in years past or are just oddly interested in manure. All jokes aside, I do not feel like any of your topics that were in the "narrowed down" list would require the amount of research you are anticipating us to do in order to write this "isearch". I may be wrong though. If I am please let me know because I might have to change my topic...

isearch worksheet

What do you want to write about?

 I would like to write about whether people are a product of their environment or not.

What do you want to find out about your topic?

 I would like to research the whole nature vs. nurture debate to come to a conclusion of my own.

 

What are your questions about the topic?

1.  Nature vs. nurture?

2. Do siblings have the same major personality traits?

3. Can good parents end up with bad children?

4.How do people reach to there environment around them?

Subquestions?

1. Personality similarities and differences in twins?

2. If a child commits a crime does it fall back on the parent?

3.  How much of a role do genetics play?

How does the topic connect to your life? 

 I have always had questions about this topic. Even before becoming a mother myself.

 Recently, since taking a intro to sociology course this topic has been brought back up again for me.

Give three reasons you like the topic

1. I like the idea of physiology and sociology having different theories.

2. I like learning about human development.

3. I am curious and excited to learn more about this topic and to possibly discover my own personal theory.

Give three ways your life might change if you answer your questions

1. I might feel differently about how I raise my own children.

2. I might end up changing my feelings on crimes committed by juveniles.

3. I might decide to change my major from nursing to sociology, or physiology!! ( That would be major)