I stand by the the fact that the prequels are the best episodes of "Star Wars," and here's why.

Well-meaning friends and family commented constantly on the weight loss, telling me how good I looked and how hard I must have worked to achieve it. Little did they know, it was one of the loneliest and most stressful periods of my life.

Once my family had moved and I could no longer call myself a gymnast, I slipped slowly into a major identity crisis. It wasn't a crisis where I bought a whole new wardrobe or changed my taste in movies, but one which plummeted me into a depression. I went to school, came home, immediately got in bed, woke up to eat and went back to sleep. I repeated this cycle for the next year of my life.

As church members, we believe marriage to be a sacred commitment that lasts for all eternity. The wedding day symbolizes the start of that commitment, but unfortunately the age of social media has turned weddings into a trendy, convenient excuse for shameless self-indulgence.

Focusing on your strengths doesn't mean staying in your comfort zone. It means to anticipate what could be a stumbling block and to watch out for it. This way, instead of tripping all the time, you can actually enjoy the journey and learn something new.

Suffering through years of losing has taught me about patience. It's helped me learn how to endure through the trials of life. It's helped me bond with my dad, from whom I inherited my fandoms, as we dream of someday attending a Super Bowl parade in Washington or World Series celebration in Baltimore.