Hamm It Up! :)

Pen pals are so much fun and very valuable to relationships that are stretched accross a few states. I have started being pen pals with my two very good friends in Seattle, WA, again because I have come to realize that we are growing apart. I am not just doing this for a personal curriculm, but also for a relationship that is in need of strengthening. I love these two girls to pieces and do not want to see us grow apart, because we don't have time to call each other and talk for an hour on the weekends. It is also pricey for me to pay for a trip to visit, which I will hopefully do again the summer before our freshmen year. Receiving letters is so much fun, too. Even though it takes longer than just telling them on the phone, we will have a lot more time due to the ending of school! Besides, I think that if you take the hard and longer way, which in this case is writing a letter, it shows how much you will do for the relationship. We did this while I still lived in Seattle, WA, just because it was so much fun, but now we really need to. We can't just drive over to each others' houses or tell them at school. We need to keep this relationship strong and that is what I plan to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    LOVE YOU M.H. AND V.Z.!!

Since I was a procrastinator and I didn’t actually master the Rainbow and have my brother film it…I made myself this page of links to different websites with steps and videos on how to do the Rainbow! I want to master it for a personal curriculum next year and probably practice it this summer!!! These websites have some really god insight on how to do the Rainbow so pay attention!!

 eHow

ViewDo

wikiHow

I’ve noticed that all of them say the same basic idea and I have also noticed that I will have to practice this move a lot to master it!!!

This post is about the pros and cons of spring break. I know some people would say that there cannot be anything wrong with spring break, but I disagree.

I am first going to explore the pros about spring break….

1. NO SCHOOL! Obviously this is one of them! No stress about studying and homework, late nights, the actual tests and quizzes, and the everlasting….um…sometimes light and sometimes heavy…boredom.
2. The next pro is getting together with friends that you can’t usually get together with because of school. You can also stay up late without worrying about school.
3. Also, you have way more energy for sports practice. Unfortunately, my soccer game was cancelled because of the snow, so I was almost bouncing off the walls.
4. AND MORE!!!

There are probably more cons then you think….

1. BOREDOM!! If you do not organize your spring break in a fun manner, you will suffer boredom. It is not fun at all!! I used to not really look forward to breaks, because at least during school, you always (usually) have something to do.
2. HOMEWORK!! Some teachers (luckily not ours) pile on the homework! In Seattle you would have it coming out of your ears! That is definitely not fun!!!
3. CHORES!! Sometimes, parents give you extra chores to do, which is not fun!
4. A lot of people go on vacation during spring break, which can cause disappointment. It causes disappointment because you can’t get together with them since they usually go for the whole break!
5. AND MORE!!

A good tip to prevent the boredom disease is to make a list at the beginning of spring break of all the people you want to get together with. This way you won’t forget anyone! Start calling!

I think that swearing is for people who are insecure and are trying to get attention or sound grown-up. There is really no good reason to swear. I don't swear, because I don't like when other people swear. It really annoys me. Even the words stupid and dumb are innapropriate. I think it makes people sound rude, which isn't what anyone wants, I hope. I think that boys who swear to get girls' attention, are not going to get the girl's attention. Especially when that girl is me. I do not like it when guys swear to sound cool. OK, all you boys out there!!!!!!

So, if you want to get someone's attention, don't use the tactic of swearing! 

Missing school is not fun. Especially when you miss MATH!! I just don't get why people want to ditch class. It doesn't make sense to me. They say they just don't want to do the work. Well, my theory is: You are going to have to do the work anyways, so why don't you just do it now!? I mean, then you have to do more homework. Even if you just keep ditching, it will catch up with you someday.

Also, it annoys me when people purposely ditch class, because they didn't study or they didn't do the homework/project. That's not fair to the people who actually did what they had to do. 

So, I just try to not miss school, because I don't like missing school work. MATH is especially hard to miss, since everything adds onto each other. This causes stress to the student, because then it's hard to do the new work and the work you missed. It's SOOO frustrating to teach yourself a lesson, too, like if you wanted to try and keep up with the class. 

For these reasons, if I ever become a teacher, I would just tell the kids to have fun and I would tell them the work they missed and go over it with them when they came back.

The following is what Mr. Wilkoff should get from the Digital Educator Technology Toolkit Options in my opinion:

Macbook Laptop - 13 Points

The Discovery Team needs to get this new laptop, because it will provide faster usage of the programs and it also has a camera, which will allow us to make movies and take pictures. If we get the iPod, too, then we can put some of the pictures on the iPod.

iPod 30 GB - 3 Points

Mr. Wilkoff should get this iPod because we could use it to be a “team” iPod. We could put really good podcasts or Chinswings (voted on) on it and maybe even have a system of being able to “rent” the iPod out to students on the Discovery team.

Canon powershot SD630 Camera - 3 Points

We should get this camera for numerous reasons. One reason is that we can take pictures at parties (like the “End of CSAP Party”, etc.) and then make a scrapbook page(s) of every class at the end of the year. Pretty soon, we could have a big scrapbook full of memories. Also, we could take pictures of Discovery for the yearbook.

Canon ZR800 Digital Camcorder - 3 Points

We could use this camcorder in all classes to record event. For example, we could have recorded parts of Ms. Gulick’s going-away party. We could also record skits or projects in all cores for the teachers to grade.

Pasco Explorations in General Science Bundle - 6 Points 

This will be handy for experiments and demonstrations in Science and would help Mrs. Chenoweth explain certain points in more detail with a visual picture.

Crucial 1GB memory Card for Canon Camera and Camera Accessory Kit - 1 Point

We need this for our camera, because we need to be able to take a lot of pitures at one time and have a case for the camera so it doesn’t get scraped or broken.

Plantronics Audio 85 USB Headphones and set of 2 esternal Speakers - 1 Point

We need these technology advancers, because then we can hear and do podcasts or Chinswings easier. This way we can also have better podcasts with less background noises.

“Oh, come one, Jim! Just do it! Or are you scared? Cluck, cluck, cluck!” Larry laughed and walked around like a chicken. “Or actually, you would be like a chicken with your head cut off!”

“Fine! FINE! I will do it, OK? So, what do I have to do?” I asked, like I could really care less about what they were going to say.

Ronald spoke up, “You have to go to your lover, Maggie, and tell her that you LOVE her!”

They all started cracking up while my face burned with pre-humiliation.

“OK,” I said, trying to sound defiant, “I will do it!”

It was recess and I had some difficulty finding Maggie. Finally, I spotted her giggling with her friends and flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder.

“Here I go!” I said as confidently as I could.

As I strolled over there, my heart rate raised dangerously high. I took deep breaths as I reached the group.

“Um..Maggie, can I talk to you?”

“Yeah, sure. What do you want?” She said curiously.

“Well, like privately, please?” I said as politely as I could, while I got this sensation like I was flying.

“Hmm..OK.” She turned to her friends. “Wait here, OK?”

Her friends looked disappointed, but nodded their heads in agreement.

“Um..I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the movies this Friday?” I said. I was trying to ease into it as slowly as possibly, so it wouldn’t come out as a shock to her.

“Give me one good reason.” She said slyly.

“Well, I love you!” I blurted out. So much for being conspicuous.

“Oh, well, um..sure I guess.” She said hesitantly.

“I am sorry. That was kind of random, wasn’t it?” I said, feeling my face heat up.

“Yeah, you kinda took me off guard. But I guess if you love me, I should give you a chance.” She said carefully.

“Thanks! I will talk to you later. Bye!”

“Bye!” She said and hurried over to her friends, as I raced back to mine.

“Ha! I did it! And she said she would go out with me! Now who do I get to dare next?!” I said, feeling like I could do the impossible.

“Oh, come one, Jim! Just do it! Or are you scared? Cluck, cluck, cluck!” Larry laughed and walked around like a chicken. “Or actually, you would be like a chicken with your head cut off!”

“Fine! FINE! I will do it, OK? So, what do I have to do?” I asked, like I could really care less about what they were going to say.

Ronald spoke up, “You have to go to your lover, Maggie, and tell her that you LOVE her!”

They all started cracking up while my face burned with pre-humiliation.

“OK,” I said, trying to sound defiant, “I will do it!”

It was recess and I had some difficulty finding Maggie. Finally, I spotted her giggling with her friends and flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder.

“Here I go!” I said as confidently as I could.

As I strolled over there, my heart rate raised dangerously high. I took deep breaths as I reached the group.

“Um..Maggie, can I talk to you?”

“Yeah, sure. What do you want?” She said curiously.

“Well, like privately, please?” I said as politely as I could, while I got this sensation like I was flying.

“Hmm..OK.” She turned to her friends. “Wait here, OK?”

Her friends looked disappointed, but nodded their heads in agreement.

“Um..I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the movies this Friday?” I said. I was trying to ease into it as slowly as possibly, so it wouldn’t come out as a shock to her.

“Give me one good reason.” She said slyly.

“Well, I love you!” I blurted out. So much for being conspicuous.

“Oh, well, um..sure I guess.” She said hesitantly.

“I am sorry. That was kind of random, wasn’t it?” I said, feeling my face heat up.

“Yeah, you kinda took me off guard. But I guess if you love me, I should give you a chance.” She said carefully.

“Thanks! I will talk to you later. Bye!”

“Bye!” She said and hurried over to her friends, as I raced back to mine.

“Ha! I did it! And she said she would go out with me! Now who do I get to dare next?!” I said, feeling like I could do the impossible.

So, you have probably heard about the banning of Google video. Old news. Kind of. Anyways, I am kind of torn in between, but more on the school’s side.  I mean, I get the reason behind Mr. Wilkoff’s logic. But I also understand the district’s point of view. There are very inappropriate videos on there and it could also distract students using the computer from their first priority. I think it was a wise choice, but I would change one aspect of the banishment.

1. I would make it so their is a password to get into Google Video that only the teachers knew. That way the teacher would know you were on Google Video and they could watch what you are watching, because they would’ve typed the password into the computer themselves.

This would make it so not everyone could get on whenever they wanted to!

Another reason I agree with this banishment is that school isn’t a place to look at videos that aren’t curriculum-related. You can do that at home. School is a place to learn and that is what they are trying to enforce, I think.

So, the banishment of Google Video isn’t all that bad, but it could be revised slightly. You just have to remember that the school could get in a lot of trouble if a student saw something inappropriate or disturbing.

I have learned how to do many different things on the computer in Language Arts.

I have done picture strips for my survival simulation. My survival simulation is a project that we have been working on for the last two weeks. We are pretending that we have landed on an island with no other inhabitants and we have to build a society. This society has to consist of a plan for trouble-makers, getting supplies, building a shelter, and many community aspects of out little village. My group is made up of a pilot (Erin Hayes), who owns most of the supplies, the co-pilot (Eden Burrup), the surgeon (Shannon Hegemann), the actor (Evan Miller), the fisherwoman (me), the millionaire (Hannah LaDow), and the craftsman (Mike Mullen). We described our characters with a lot of detail and made goals for our stay on the island.

I have also written many interesting pieces. These are shown on my blog. I won a Authenticity Award for “Dear Dedicated Me” and I was very proud of myself. I have also started to write a series.

I have been posting my pieces of writingfor all of discovery to see on a very handy-dandy website.I can also search for different writing topics under tabs. This way I don’t have to look for a post I want to read.

We can also look in my Language Arts folder. (This is not on the computer!)

“Love you, mom! Good night!” I said as I went into my room and closed my door.

“Love you, too! Good night!” she said as I saw the light streaming from under her door go out.

My mom and I were the only ones still awake. I had been doing homework (a lot of MATH) and I was exhausted. I got under the covers and prayed to God. Then, I thought about some stuff, and was soon asleep.

“Hey, Ellie! Wait up!”

I turned around and saw Nick running towards me.

“Oh, hi!” I said while my stomach was fluttering madly.

I had written a note to him earlier that day and had given it to him at lunch. It was about the Halloween dance and I was asking him if he was going to it. And if I could, like, meet him there. You know. Just hang out.

It was the moment of truth.

“Hey, I read your note and I can’t go to the dance…I am going somewhere else for Halloween.

“Oh, where are you going?” I said curiously.

“Um…well…I am going to…um…to a party that one of my friends is hosting.” He said uncomfortably.

“OK, I understand. Wait,” I said, comprehension dawning, “are you going to the party with, like a girl?” I said, my stomach plummeting.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” he said, not really looking me in the eye.

“Yeah, well, I just did.” I said impatiently. “Who are you going with?”

“Karly.” He said, while pretending to be really interested in the tile floor.

“Oh.” I said, blinking furiously. “Well, I’ll see you around,OK?” I said and turned away. I started to speed-walk away.

“Wait, Ellie! Stop! Please!” he cried after me, but made no move to come after me.

I ran into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were starting to get red and they were filling with tears. I went into one of the stalls and sat down on the toilet. And I cried.

I heard footsteps and quickly closed the door. I saw black flats with pink sequins go into the stall next to me. I knew they were Karly’s. I opened the stall door and ran out of the bathroom.  Then..

“Ellie! Wake up! You need to get up! GET UP! You have to catch the bus in 20 minutes!” I heard my mom yelling.

“Huh, what?” I said and scrambled out of bed. I slipped on a pair of sweats, a soccer shirtand a sweatshirt (and undergarments, but I won’t specify!) in 5 minutes. Then I washed my face, grabbed my backpack, a lip gloss, a brush, and two hair-things.

I made myself a bowl of cereal and asked my mom if she could french braid my hair. So, as I scarfed down my breakfast, she put my hair into two flawless braids.

“Thanks, mom! See you after school!” I said as I ran out the door.

It was a beautiful morning and I got to the bus stop just as the bus was filling up. I clambered into the bus, got my ID out, flashed it to the driver, and started down the aisle.

“Hey, Ellie! Over here!” I heard Karly yelling.

I saw her at the back of the bus. I sat down and we started talking about what else: soccer. There was going to be an informational meeting at lunch about school soccer and we were obviously going to it.

In a lapse in the conversation, I thought about my dream and asked Karly if there was a Halloween dance.

“Yeah. It’s just like a big social at night and we dance towards the end, I think.” she said. “Are you going?”

“If I can! Are you?”

“Yeah, but only if I don’t have anything else going on.” she said.

“Oh, cool!” I said.

“I hope you don’t have anything like a party to go to on that night.” I thought anxiously.

“Hi, Ellie! Can I come sit with you?” It was Genen Huggle again wiping her glasses.

“Um…I guess.” I muttered.

“OK, well, I was wondering if during our recess/break, if I could interview you? You know, for the school newspaper? If you don’t want to, that’s OK.” she said without taking a breath.

“Sure, I guess.” I said.

“OK, see you later!” she said and hurried off.

“Who was that?” Karly said as she sat down.

“Genen Huggle. She’s a writer for the school newspaper.” I replied.

“Oh. What does she want?” she asked, although I knew she had a pretty good idea what Genen wanted.

“Oh,” I said casually, “she wanted to interview me. About soccer, that is.”

“Cool. So, how are doing on your health project?” she asked with a trace of a smirk on her face.

“Great!” I said, trying not to look jealous or annoyed. “Veronica is a really hard worker and we’ve already got our project all planned out. It is going to be….” The rest of my sentence was ended by the end of lunch/beginning of break bell.

“Well, I gotta go!” I said and hurried off into the hall. I had no idea where the interview was going to take place, but I knew where the newspaper crew met, so I went there. Sure enough, Room 108 was teeming with students and I just barely spotted Genen through a gap in the crowd.

She was sitting a small table with a pad of paper and a pencil. She waved at me and I walked over there.

“Hi. We don’t have much time, so let’s cut to the chase.” she said in a very professional manner.

“Er….ok.” I mumbled.

“Let’s start with some basic questions. What’s your first and last name?”

“Elizabeth Lincoln.”

“And how long have you been playing soccer, Elizabeth? I mean, Ellie.” she said as I gave her a look that plainly stated that I would much rather be called Ellie.

“I have been playing since my first year of preschool. Before that I was constantly kicking the ball around with my family or watching my siblings play.” I said.

“O.K. Who do you play for now?”

“Well, I just got accepted onto the GU15 Gold team for the Elite club.” I said.

“You mean GU14?”

“No, I am going to play an age group up.” I said trying to sound somewhat modest.

“Sweet!” she said, while frantically scribbling on her notebook.

“Yeah.”

“What position do you play?”

“I play striker, otherwise known as forward. I run around up top and try to get a lot of breakaways.” I rambled off.

“O.K. Do you have any siblings?” Genen asked.

“Oh, yeah! I have three younger brothers and one younger sister. My mom is pregnant with another girl, though.” I said.

“Oh. You’re really lucky. I am an only child and I would love to have siblings.” she said with an envious look on her face. “Anyways…are you going to try out for the middle school team?”

“Yeah, the try-out are next Monday through Wednesday, so I am really excited.” I said glancing up at the clock. WOW! Time goes by so fast when you are talking about soccer. We had about 1 minute before the bell rang.

“Um, Genen? I have to go to my next class, so do you want to finish this tomorrow?” I said with a trace of anxiety since my next class had a very strict teacher.

“Oh, no. I am done. You’ll probably see this article this Friday in the school newspaper. Thanks again!” she said and shook my hand.

“No problem. See you later!” I said and hurried to Math.

I could not wait for Friday!

I am going to list the things I know about one of my role models Mia Hamm.

• I know that she plays (or played) soccer for the National US Womens Soccer Team.
• She was very good in high school and played on Varsity her freshmen year.
• She is married to Nomar Garciaparra (spelling?).
• She has won at least one gold and silver medal at the Olympics.
• She coaches a girls soccer team.
• She went to college at University of North Carolina on Chapel Hill.
• Her hometown was Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• I know that she had a brother, who died.

Recognizing what I know about Mia Hamm will help me to research her and start ideas about these different aspects of her life. For example, I could find out more about her husband or research if they have any kids. Or I could find out more about her family and if she had any other hobbies during her childhood. Brainstorming is very important , because it is good to point out what you know and want to learn.

Have you ever been really excited about something, but then when it happens or is really close to happening, you get really scared? That happens to me a lot when I have to go away from home. I get really excited about sleepovers and babysitting, but then when I have to go, I don’t want to. A lot of the time, I just don’t do sleepovers, because I do not like that feeling and/or I don’t like to be away from home if I don’t have to. Sometimes when my dad has to go on a business trip and he comes back, he says that he missed his bed and that he is going to sleep good that night. That’s kind of how I am. I like to sleepover when I know the friend really well and I have been to their house quite a few times. But if I barely know them, or only know them through school or a sport, I’ll just hang out with them, not sleepover. The suspense is almost more fun than when it actually happens!

It’s like when you are about to ride a really freaky and scary ride. You are really excited until your turn is there. Then, you feel that it would be a better idea if you wait for another day. I’ve done that a few times at Elitches. The first (and only time so far) we went on this ride that you had to climb up these rickety paste green stairs. That time the ride was more fun than the wait. I was so freaked out and so was my friend. But we stayed with it and it was a lot of fun.

So you have to distinguish the difference between good suspense and bad suspense. If you are about to do something bad then you should probably not do it and not feel the bad suspense, the bad action, and the bad consequences. Other than that, suspense can be fun or it can give you time to think if you really want to do what you are about to do or not.

“Hey! Ellie! Wait up!”

As I turned around, I saw one of the many writers from our school newspaper running towards me.

“Hi, Ellie. I am Genen Huggle and I was wondering if I could I could write about you for an article in the newspaper.”

“Uh, sure. But I have to get to my class, so I’ll talk to you at lunch, OK?”

“OK.” She said with a grin stretching from one ear to another.

“Bye.” I say while already speedwalking down the hall. Since it was the first day of a new elective I had switched to, I didn’t want to be late. I had switched from health with Mrs. Karlted to health with Mrs Dalben. Mrs. K thought I was to involved in soccer and was constantly nagging me about it. Instead of blowing up at her, I just switched classes.

I entered the health room just as Mrs. Dalben was closing the door.

“Hello. You must be Ellie. I am Mrs. Dalben.” she said as she shook my hand.

“Yes, I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” I said. “Where should I sit?”

“You can sit next in that empty seat in the second row.”

“OK.”

As I walk to the seat, I look around the class. When I got to my seat, I dropped my pencil (just my luck!).I bend down to get it, but it’s not there anymore. I come back up and see it on my desk. I look to my left and see a guy with brown curly hair and big green eyes smiling back at me.

“Thanks..” I say as the words get half stuck in my throat.

“No problem. I’m Nick, who are you?”

“I am Ellie. I switched health classes, because I didn’t like my old teacher. Well, actually, she didn’t really like me.” I laughed.

He laughed, too. “Yeah, I know how that goes. Well, I will talk to you later, OK?”

“OK.” I say and turn my attention back to the teacher. She was saying something about a project, when the door flung open and Karly stumbled in.

She gave a slip to Mrs. Dalben and started to walk to her seat, that was on the other side of Nick. She saw me, smiled a kind of sad smile, and I mouthed, “I miss you!”

She whispered, “Ditto.”

I smiled and tuned in just to hear Mrs. Dalben start to say the partners for the project.

“Maria and Jason. Andrew and Lauren. Karly and Nick. Ellie and Veronica…” 

“NO!” I thought to myself. “I can’t believe I just missed that chance to be with Nick! At least I was with a girl.”

Veronica waved to me and I waved back. Mrs. Dalben was just saying you could work with your partner until the end of class to come up with your outline.

As I walked to Veronica’s desk, I saw Nick and Karly already deep in conversation. They were laughing and jotting down ideas on a piece of paper.

This was going to be a long day. 

This is my brainstorm for the personal curriculum we are doing in Language Arts class:

Pink=Final Ideas

Purple=Tie-I still have to decide! (Maybe do both?)

1.) The first idea that popped into my head was to explore vocabulary more. I would like to start a vocabulary book again, so I can expand my vocabulary more, while I am practicing my spelling. I like vocabulary, so I would really like to challenge myself. (This will probably be the one to go! Good-bye!)

2.) I would like to work a little bit on my “book” that I am writing and see how far I can get. Then I could show Mr. Wilkoff what I have so far, post it on my blog and, keep working on it.

3.) I think it would be really cool to make a memoir of memories in a period of time in my life or my whole life. I could enjoy it a long time from now, and while I am writing it I could reflect upon those memories and explore them some more.

4.) I would like to learn about the dialect that African Americans used a long time ago and maybe still now. Then, I could write a blog using some of that dialogue and see how well I do. I would have to read and research this topic to find out more about this dialect.

5.) I would like to research more about Mia Hamm, because I have always thought she was my role model. If she is to be one of my role models, then I want to know more about her and the USA Women Soccer Team in general. My dad saw a good documentary on the team, so I could watch that for more ideas.

The Things That I Need In Order To Do My Personal Curriculum!

1.) I would need the following to finish #1 on my Personal Curriculum:

• A vocabulary book from Mr. Wilkoff.
• Mr. Wilkoff’s help in learning how to use the new vocabulary book.
• Paper and writing utensil.
• A goal. (Example: I want to learn 30 new vocabulary words and write a blog using all of them.)

2.) I would need the following to finish #2 on my Personal Curriculum:

• My binder with my started book.
• Access to my blog.
• Some more advanced Writing Pros to help me edit the book.
• The “works” to add color and a cover. (If I finish…)
• A writing utensil and paper.

4.) I would need the following to finish #4 on my Personal Curriculum:

• Access to the internet and library to research the topic.
• Other peoples’ help to find books where I could analyze the text.
• Access to my blog.
• Paper or a word document.
• Writing utensil or a keyboard.

5.) I would need the following to finish #5 on my Personal Curriculum:

• Access to the internet.
• Good search engines.
• Access to the library.
• Access to Blockbuster or a different movie store.
• A place and tool where I could record my work and data.
• ME!

(I might add on to this list of things I need!)

     My first project, which is the research on Mia Hamm, is going to be a poster and a report. The report will be not that long, but will explain the traits and characteristics that I like and have found out about Mia Hamm. The poster will contain some pictures and little tidbits of information. I really am just aiming for information on Mia Hamm, that is easy to read and to the point.

     I would be working on this one throughout the quarter….

     During the semester, my goal is to write a chapter a weekend, so I should be able to have 7 more chapters at the least. If I finish the book, then I will bind it and make a cover and back. If I don’t finish it, then I will keep working on it next quarter,too, and give it to some people to read. I will see how people liked it and talk to them about the ending.

     Respect. Respect in our modern society and in earlier years are two different things. Our modern society has created a false sense of respect. Respect is used too loosely for what it really means. People throw it around like basically everyone respects everyone, which isn’t true. Respect is a valuable treasure that people come across when they have the highest love and admiration for a person or people. It’s like you bought a cubic zirconia (a fake diamond), when you though you were buying a real diamond. Of course you would be mad, and that is how respect is. If you say you have respect for someone, that person should feel highly honored that they are receiving this admiration. In some cases they should be, but in others, it is fake. An imposter. Bogus. So, respect in our modern society is different from the respect a long time ago, to different people, and to different ages.

     Respect in our society is fake. It is something that people confuse with other emotions. When teachers and parents say “Respect me.” or “Respect him, her, or that.”, you say “Yes, I will.”, but most of the time you aren’t. You emprint a message in your brain that you have to be extra careful and cautious around the “thing” that deserves respect. Sometimes you just become afraid of that person. That is NOT good, because you are you are not respecting the person or people anymore, you are staying away from them.   More and more people misuse respect in our modern society. If you respect someone, you should be loving them and treating them with as much kindness as you can muster. Respect is a treasure that you only find when you look for it long enough.

     Respect a long time ago was closer to the real respect. Sometimes, like on the tobacco plantations, the slaves were fearing their masters, and not respecting them. When fear is correlated into respect, it isn’t respect anymore. It is this emotion between admiration and dislike. Sometimes when you respect someone and they do something to cause you to not admire them as much, you put a drop of fear into the picture. Then that drop of fear and dislike spreads like wildfire, creating this hazy boundary between you and that person. Then, everyone that object comes up in your mind or in a discussion, your mind and heart have a battle between putting fear or dislike in front of respect. This shouldn’t be the case. It should be that there is nothing that can come up between you and your decision to respect someone. It’s an everlasting feeling that you should almost always feel. If you start respecting someone, there shouldn’t be something that comes between it. Respect in the earlier days on the tobacco plantation wasn’t respect. Fear is a better word for their feelings towards their masters.

     Have you ever heard the people say, “Respect your elders.”?  That is a good reason for respect to come into the picture. People older than us should always be treated with respect, but is what really is respect? In the book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Cassie was told to respect her white teachers and white people in general, but wouldn’t have it been better if she had just feared them? I mean, that was basically what her parents were telling her to do, wasn’t it? She didn’t really respect them, she just feared them and their actions if she did something wrong. In heart, she didn’t like them or admire them. She actually really disliked them! Like when her brothers, friends, and herself dug the trench for that bus to fall into. She wasn’t doing that out respect for the white people on that bus! She was doing it out of madness and frustration.

     Have you ever felt respect towards people that you don’t know, but they are adults? Probably not because you don’t know them, so why should you? Therefore, respect also has to do on how well you know the person. If you know a teacher for a couple days, you won’t respect them as much as you respect your parents, because you don’t know them. You might say that you respect them, but do you really? Or is it just a “towards teacher attitude”? As GRRR says, “Greatness is being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready”, but what if you like some teachers, you just don’t respect them? Maybe you have that personality where it has to be awhile before you trust and respect someone. Maybe a few months, years, decades, whatever, but you just don’t know them enough yet. So, why does the school push respecting teachers so much? I think if the teacher stopped talking about respect so much, it wouldn’t become such a usual thing. As I said in the earlier in this piece, respect is a treasure. Not everyone respects everyone, but will some people accept them? Will they still accept the fact that they have to ease it in and even after that they might get just admiration?

     So, to conclude this piece of writing, I just want to say that you really need to think about respect before you say you respect someone. These are some of the qualifications I think need to be checked off before you know you truly respect them:

• You don’t mind talking to them, because they interest you (to an extent) and you like them.
• When someone brings that person or people up, you defend them and say nothing but positive or constructive criticism about them.
• When you are alone with that person or people, you don’t become afraid and skittish, but maybe just a little quieter.
• You know and realize that that person or people needs help in specific areas in life and respect those mishaps or mistakes. You also help them and truly care about them.

     If you can say, “Yes!” to all of the items listed above, then you are ready to find the respect that person or people. If you couldn’s say, “Yes!” to all of them, you can still respect them, just save your highest admiration for the few that you think truly deserve it. Don’t get me wrong, you can still respect a person or people, but just remember that you can’t confuse fear and respect, because you might confuse your brain and heart. Most of all: Don’t give anyone a cubic zirconia!

Have you ever judged someone before getting to know them? If you say no, please reconsider. I highly doubt you haven’t, because I probably do it a few times a day. At school, do you place someone higher if they wear Abercrombie and Hollister? I can say I have done that before. (This is kind of like the “hierarchy” thing we are doing in Language Arts.) It really doesn’t help you because you are missing out on a lot of people. I have a really, really good friend that I don’t think has anything from Abercrombie or Hollister. Not like that matters, because she is one of the nicest and funnest people I have ever met.

Sometimes you place people lower than yourself even if you aren’t aware that you are doing it. Maybe when you look at people who wear a lot of black or guys who wear girl pants, you automatically think that that person is a weird and mean person. They might just be a little lonely or confused.

So, just try to experience the person before you judge them upon what they wear.

I think some people get into the presents idea too much. This year my family is going to lay low in presents. At first, I was kind of mad and acting selfish, but then I started to think about the pros of not thinking so much about presents.

1.) You really start to think about the kids who aren’t going to get any presents. I mean, yeah I like getting presents, but isn’t there more to Christmas then colorful wrapping paper? Those kids might not even have a family to share the holiday spirit with.

2.) You also start to think about what Christmas really means to you. Does it mean getting a lot of presents or does it mean Jesus being born?

3.) Why do you kids talk about presents and such, so much? Do they care that they got some cool and thoughtful presents, or is it that they got the most presents out of all their friends?

Please think about these questions, because it will make your Christmas experience more memorable. Just relax. I am sure you will get what you want for Christmas, unless your parents can’t afford it. Have they ever let you down?

So, try to think more about the real reason for Christmas. I am not saying that presents are bad, but don’t let your selfishness ruin Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This is a true story. It happened on November 15, 2006.

It was the big game. We were playing the team above us and whoever won would stay in P2 (Premier 2). The team that lost…they moved down to Classic. So, you can tell the tension was high, but so was the excitement. We were playing at Shea Stadium, under the lights. It was freezing and until about 10 minutes into the 2nd half, I hadn’t been wearing Under Armour. So, I could’ve been called an ice cube, and it wouldn’t have been considered an understatement.

Anyways…

I really wanted to be captain. My coach picks the two girls who have been trying really hard during practice. I thought I would get it, but I didn’t. I told my friend, who was a captain, how I wished I was one. She looked me in the eye and said, “Ania, you need to play like you’re a captain.” I looked right back at her and said, “I will.”

I was having a great game. It was freezing, but I was doing what I loved to do. I was running around and trying to give 100%. Whenever I was taken out for a breather, my coach would say, “Tell me when you are ready to go back in.” Then I would run, take a gulp of Gatorade, and rush back to her side.

Nothing could have doused my spirits. I was unstoppabe and so was the rest of my team. We had halftime and then we went right back into our groove. We wanted to beat this team and stay in P2 so badly.

Someone passed me (a striker) the ball. I got the ball and started to sprint towards the goal. There was a defender right on me, but she couldn’t keep up with me. I was on fire. I was getting closer and closer. I kept asking myself, “Should I shoot now?” Finally I was in postion. I kicked it into the corner of the goal and just watched. It hit the left side crossbar, then the top crossbar, then it rolled into the saftey of the net. I turned around and started running towards my team. They engulfed me, this second family of mine, and I jumped in the air, screaming with happiness. The other striker patted me on the back and said, “That’s my girl.” I was so happy!

We ended up winning the game 1-0 and we are staying in P2. The team above us in Real (that lost) is moving down to Classic. I don’t know if we will be the “B” team now, or what but I am just soooooo HAPPY!

GO REAL!

(This post is in Real colors, which are white (couldn’t do that one), black, red, and yellow.)

Have you ever taken advantage of someone or something? I bet a lot of people would say “No way, I would never do that.” But you do. If you have ever moved you will know exactly what I mean. I learned when I moved that I took advantage of a lot of stuff. More stuff than you would imagine. I took advantage of of having good teachers, having a big backyard, having a dog, having a lot of my relatives close to where I lived, and a lot more. Here is an example of taking advantage of people:

I lived in Seattle, WA, as a lot of you know. I moved here in the summer of 2005. I learned some important lessons that you could not learn any other way.

I was talking to my two best friends in Seattle over the weekend and I got kind of sad. When you were in 7th and 8th Grade at St. Thomas More in Seattle, it was a special privilege to go to dances at STM and at other schools. My friends were talking about how they were going to go over to one of their houses and get “primped and pretty” before the dance. They were hoping a lot of boys would come and that it would be a lot of fun.

I was talking with my mom last night and I was talking about how I wished I would be there on Friday. I talked about how the dances here were so much different, because there are so many people at them. I didn’t go to the social on November 2nd, but I can’t imagine it would be like the ones in Seattle. In Seattle my school wasn’t even the size of 7th Grade at Cresthill Middle School. So, you knew everyone. Here, I barely know all the kids in Discovery!

So, as you can see, there are things that you think are insignificant, but later you wish you still had them!

So, as that one song says, “Live Like You Were Dying”! Or live like you are dying! Which means live every day to its fullest!

I had heard about how Bluesea and Raindrops did the letter, writing to yourself at an earlier age, but I did it a little differently. In this next piece you will learn about how in different places in my life, I was determined to overachieve. It helped me and will help me.

Dear Dedicated Me,

As fatigue overcomes your body, keep going strong!  All of your time and dedication will soon pay off.  When you feel like all of the running and working on your soccer skills is never going to do anything for your soccer future, think again.  You wanted to move up in soccer, so you worked hard and now look to see where you are. 

As you stress about homework, tests, and projects, realize that all of this is adding onto your chances of success in the future.  As you struggle to do well in Discovery, keep plugging along.  When you excel in highschool and college, you will look back and realize that all of those little things really payed off.

When you take the time to be a loyal and trustworthy friend, and you feel that the person doesn’t even care, you would be surprised to know the truth.  You know that when you have friends who puts the time into your relationship with them, it really makes a difference.

As you make time for church, youth group, and retreats, just think about how comforting it is to have someone always there for you.  You will thank yourself in the future, when you need God’s loving hand to guide you through the hard times.

As you make choices not to do drugs, alcohol, and other things that would do your body and brain no favor, think about how you are making a difference in you own life.  Instead of giving into those bad things, pray to God to help you to reject them.

And last but not least, keep up the good work!  It will make a difference in your future! (I would know!)

Sincerely,

Successful (and still dedicated) Me 

THIS WON AN “AUTHENTICITY AWARD”!

One day a semi-poor man was walking to the grocery store. He was going to to buy his family a hot meal for dinner, since it was Thanksgiving. He saw a man that looked even poorer than himself begging outside the store. Out of the kindness of his heart, he went into the grocery store and bought his family a box of cereal and for the man outside, a warm apple pie. The man nodded his thanks and put the pie in a paper bag to his right.

The semi-poor man had a joyful Thanksgiving, because he knew it was important to take what you have and make the most of it.

On Christmas Eve, the semi-poor man got a knock at his door. But when he went to answer it, no one was there. He looked down and saw a brightly wrapped Christmas present on his porch. He opened it and found a full-out hot meal, complete with an apple pie. He found a card and this what was inside of it:

Dear Kind Man,

I was very touched that you would spare money to buy me a hot pie. My wife loved it and so did I! In gratitude, we bought you this! Inow know that you should not judge someone based on their money!

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Johnny Depp

P.S. I guess I was kind of undercover!

What is the moral?

I really liked how kubafish3 did this same blog except she did it with volleyball. I thought it was really creative and I wanted to do it with my favorite sport, which is soccer. So, here it goes:

• If your hair has two dents in it: one from your headband (to keep the wispies back) and one from your ponytail holder.
• Instead of lounging around the house, you go and practice soccer.
• Your leave the room if someone disses soccer.
• You don’t like getting new soccer shoes to an extent, because then you have to break them in.
• You have at least one soccer poster in your room.
• Everyone knows your favorite sport is soccer.
• You have at least 5 pairs of soccer shorts.
• You have a spot in your room dedicated to a certain soccer player.
• You have written at least 3 pieces with soccer as the main part.
• You have at least 3 soccer balls.
• Your love going to Soccer Stop (a store).
• You got contacts, because you don’t want to wear your glasses in soccer.
• The highlight of your day is soccer practice.
• You don’t mind doing your homework late, if you had been doing soccer.
• You recognize people from games, scrimmages, and camps.
• You get more stressed the night before a game, than the night before a test.
• You wear sweats and your soccer attire to school at least once a week.
• You have loved reading, writing, and commenting on this piece of writing.
• Your idea of a good book is something with soccer in it.
• You take care of all your equipment.
• You have at least one drawer in your dresser, basically filled with soccer stuff.
• You have two pairs of PJ bottoms and 3 PJ tops that have soccer stuff on them.
• You tend to say “See you at soccer!” more than “Bye!”
• Your teammates and coach are like a second family.
• You feel really bad if you can’t make a game or practice.

I will keep adding on to this when I get sudden inspirations!

“Ellie! Where are you?”

I chose not to answer. Why would I want to hear about her brand new soccer shoes, soccer ball, clothes, iPod, and basically everything else in her house that she has gotten from her grandma. Her grandma is this filthy rich lady with three little Pugs and a vault full of cash.

“Ellie? Are you in there?” Great, now she has my mom looking for me, too.

“Yes, I am. What do you want?”

I was hiding in a place only my mom knew about. She always knew I was there when I was mad or sad, so it wasn’t much of a hiding place. It was a little room behind the back of my closet and I had decorated it to my likings. In other words, it was covered in soccer stuff.

“Ellie, do you want to come out or would you rather me tell Karly that you’re taking a shower!”

“The latter!” I said with sarcasm dripping from my voice.

“Don’t use that tone with me, young lady! Here I am doing you a favor and don’t you think I am not going to want to know what is going on. I want an explanation as soon as Karly leaves.”

“O.K. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

I could hear her telling Karly that I was in the shower. I kind of felt bad, but I really didn’t want to talk to my best friend. Why, you might ask? Well, I guess it’s been really getting on my nerves how spoiled she is. Here is an example: Yesterday she had told me that her grandma was going to try to get her on TLC’s, A Makeover Story. I mean, she’s already pretty, with her brown hair and big brown eyes. But I can’t say that I am not just as pretty. My hair is naturally straight and I have these big blue-green eyes that are probably my best feature. We are both about 5′ 2″ and I look even taller when I curl my hair, which is really easy with my type of hair. I don’t do it that much though, because I it takes too much of my sleeping time up.

As I crawled out of my hiding spot and arranged my coats to cover the handle and hinges, I thought about how school was just about to start. Before that train of thought roared through my brain at top speed, my mom entered my room. She perched on my bed and patted the spot beside her. I sat down and began my tale.

I told her about my envy and disgust with Karly. I mean, I like her, it’s just hard to talk about the stuff I want so badly, (personalized cleats, a pool, an iPod, a laptop, etc.) when she already has all of it. She’s gets presents all the time and she barely notices. I would love to have a 10th of what she has, but it’s kinda tight on money around the house. (I have a set of twin brothers, Timmy and Tommy, who are 10 years old. I have a younger sister who is 6 1/2, Teresa, and a little brother, Nicholas or Nick, who is 3. Plus, my mom is pregnant with a little girl, Mary. My mom’s name is Elizabeth and my dad’s name is Luke. My full name is Elizabeth Kathryn Lincoln. I am 14 years old and I am an 8th grader at Sweetrose Middle School with Karly. We have a golden retriever named Maggie, 10 fish, 2 hermit crabs, and 1 bunny.)

When, I was done with what I had to say, my mom said,

” I understand, Ellie. I know how it feels to have a spoiled friend. I had the same problem when I was in high school. But don’t worry too much about the material things and worry about what is inside. I know it would be nice to have all of the expense “toys” she has, but I don’t think that that should get in the way of a wonderful friendship.”

I know that sounds so pathetic, but I knew she really meant it and I loved her for that.

“Thanks, mom.” I said and gave her a hug.

“You’re welcome, sweetie. I am going to go make dinner, but in the meantime why don’t you invite Karly over for a sleepover?”

“O.K.” I said and sank bank into my pillows.

It is one week from then and I am standing next to my dad as he fills out the registration form at the Elites’ try-outs. I knew a couple of girls from school and Karly.

Karly looked fantastic in all her new gear, but I knew first impressions only went so far.

She was a defender and I was a forward, so we got split up at the beginning of the try-outs. We did a lot of really energy-consuming drills, but luckily I was in really good shape from a summer full or running around. I was doing great. I mean FANTASTIC!!! They were just having one all-day try-out, and we’ll have a lunch break of course. I saw my P.E. teacher a few times, but I don’t think she wanted everybody to know that she knew me and that she was also one of the coaches wife. When we did races, I tied with Karly and this Amy girl for first.

At, lunch I ate with Amy and her friends. I could tell Karly was mad, so I told she could eat with us. She just gave me this weird look, like I was being really rude and I should just drop everything and hang out with her.

After try-outs, I felt really good and really tired. I went home, ate a huge dinner, and I took a bath. Then, I watched a movie and went to sleep.

“Ellie, telephone!” My mom yelled at the bottom of the stairs.

“Coming!” I yell back.

It’s three days later and I have been pouncing on every phone ring.

“Hello?” I say into the telephone.

My mom is standing next to me with this really excited expression on her face.

“Hi, Ellie. This is Coach Skye and I was just giving you a ring about what team you’re on. You are invited to play on the GU-15 “A” Elites soccer team. I have already talked to your mom and dad, and they are probably just as excited as you are!”

“Excuse me, but you just said GU-15 and I am supposed to be in GU-14.”

“Oh, no this is really big opportunity! You are going to play an age up and on the “A” team. You would be coached by your P.E. teacher’s husband, but I am the coach of the Gold team for GU-15!”

Silence.

“Ellie? Ellie, are you still there?” Coach Skye said.

“Yeah, I guess I am just in shock. WOW! Thank you so much!” I managed to gasp out.

“Sure! I forgot to tell your mom when practices are, so could get on the line with her?”

“Yeah! Thanks again!”

After I handed the phone to my mom, I jumped up and down for five minutes straight. Then, I called Karly.

“Hi, is this Karly?”

Yeah, of course it is.”

“Hey, this is Ellie.”

“I know.” Karly said, sounding really sad.

“What’s wrong? What team did you make?” I asked, sounding desperate.

“Ellie, didn’t your parents tell you?”

“No, what?”

“I am not on the same team as you. I am on the GU-15 “B” team.”

“WHAT!” I scream.

This is a story I wrote last year and I love it!

            “Ellie! For the thirtieth time, please,  can you answer my question?”           

“Oh, sorry! What was the question?” I responded as the image of me scoring the winning goal in some game drifted off.           

“Ellie, we talked about you day dreaming during my class. The question is: what are the three articles?” My English teacher Mrs. Thortsfoot said impatiently.             

“And, an, and the.”           

“Good job. Kelly, what are the helping verbs?”           

At this point, I drifted off. I knew I was going to have a problem with English being the second to last period of the day. At least we have P.E. next. YES! I totally forgot that we are doing soccer in P.E. today!            

“BRRRRRRRINNG!” I rushed out of the classroom and ran smack into our P.E. teacher.           

“Hi, Ellie. Would you mind getting dressed and then being first captain for picking teams? I have heard you love soccer, so I thought it would be fun if you were a captain.”            “Yeah, of course I will! See ya!”            

As I rushed to the locker room, I started to pull my shorts and t-shirt out of my backpack. I was glad that I packed some different shoes too, because it is kinda hard to play soccer in flip-flops! Finally, I got to the locker rooms and changed out of my polo and jean skirt into my shorts and t-shirt. Just as I was shoving my stuff into a locker, the rest of the girls came clattering in.           

“Hey, Ellie, wait for me!” I saw my best friend, Karly, already almost done changing and tying the shoelaces of her brand new Nike Shox. I have four siblings, unlike Karly, who is an only child. Therefore, she is kinda spoiled, but we both like soccer and have been best friends forever.           

She stood up, shoved her stuff into a locker, and we walked out into the school’s gym.           

“I can’t believe we are playing soccer today! It is great timing, with try-outs for the Elites tomorrow afternoon. Oh, sorry, still a sore subject, huh?”            

She knew I was still sensitive about her leaving our rec team and trying-out for the most competitive team in California. It was a dream that every girl that played soccer hoped for and so  obviously me and Karly did too. However, Karly’s dream came true when one of the coaches came and watched the only game I was not at! Her dream was being fulfilled and I was being left in the dust.           

“Its okay, Karly. You have a reason to be excited. Let’s go pick teams. Mrs. Baron said I could be the first captain and you know who I will pick first!”           

After, we picked teams, we headed out to the soccer field behind the gym. As we opened the double doors, the glaring September sun hit us full force. As, my eyes slowly adjusted, I saw the beautiful facility. Just last year, we had been able to raise enough money for a new turf football/soccer field, a baseball field, and a track circling the turf field.            

I put a red penny on and chased after a ball Mrs. Baron had thrown out. As, I neared the ball I did a Rainbow, caught it on my knee, and started juggling.           

“Wow! Nice one, Ellie!” I looked over my shoulder and saw Mrs. Baron with this astounded look on her face.           

“Thanks!” I said as I concentrated on trying to beat my record of 98. “89..90..91..92..93..94..95..96..97..98..99..100!” Then I heard the sharp blast of a whistle and dropped the ball to my feet, kicked it to the sidelines and rushed out to my team’s huddle.           

“O.K. What’s happening?” I asked Jessica who looked like she was in charge, which was no surprise.           

“Well, we have all picked our positions and the two positions that are left are left forward and right marking back.”           

“I will definitely play left forward. Is that it?” When I was greeted with nods, I yelled, “1…2…3… Break!”           

We ran out to our positions and the game was on!           

One of the things about me is that I am very competitive. I cannot help it! I just need to do well in everything. However, it was a nice day and I just wanted to have fun.           

When the game started, I immediately ran up to the last defender, but not offside. I got in a good position to receive the ball and take off. For the first few minutes, the action was mainly on the other side of the field. Therefore, I just jogged in place and focused on where the ball was.            

Suddenly, Maddy sent the ball whistling up the field and it went over my head. I chased after it, while already thinking about what I was going to do when I got to it. I trapped the ball at the left corner of the 18-yard box and did a crafty Pullback to get off my defender. Then, without wasting any time, I took a few dribbles, got the ball in a good position, and shot. It was a beauty and went in the upper left-hand corner of the box.  It was in!           

“YIPPEE!”           

As I ran back to my position, everyone slapped me a high five, even people on the other team.            

Then, the game started again. The other team was being a lot more aggressive, like I just set a whole new perspective on the outcome of the game. I was totally caught in the swing of it all.            

Suddenly, the ball was passed to my feet. I hate those passes, because they are hard to control. It was even harder when Miranda, the defender, was attacking me.            

Fine, if she wanted to be physical, then I would be physical, too. She got the ball from me and sprinted away. I was mad now. I chased after her and was a little too physical. She fell to the ground.            

I knew something was wrong the minute she hit the ground. Her face was a chalky white and she was rocking back and forth, holding her ankle. Everyone else fell to the their knee.            

“I am so sorry! Are you O.K.? Does it hurt? Are you dizzy or feel like you are going to throw up?”           

“Chill, Ellie. I am fine. I probably just need to ice it. Could you help me get to the clinic?”           

“Yes, of course. Hey, Karly, can you help me get Miranda to the clinic?”           

“Yeah, sure!”            

We hoisted her up in between us, with one of her arms hooked around each of our necks.            

By the time we got to the clinic, I was close to tears. Miranda was chattering non-stop but I still felt horribly guilty.           

When we got inside, Dorothy, the nurse, propped Miranda’s leg up and asked us what happened.           

“Ellie and I just kinda collided when we were playing soccer and when I fell I landed really awkwardly on my ankle.” Miranda said.           

“Well, let me take a look.” She peeled off Miranda’s sock and shoe. Her ankle was slightly swollen and bruised. “Oh, I thought it would be a lot worse than this. Ellie, could you grab some ice out of the freezer, please?”           

“Yeah…Yeah, sure.”            

As I walked over to the freezer, I thought about how my competitiveness was constantly getting in the way. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. I had lost friends over things like this.           

“Ellie, dear, could you please hurry and close the freezer door and come hand the ice pack to me?”            

“Oh, sorry, here you go.” I realized I had been staring blindly at the open freezer.            As, I handed her the ice pack, she told Karly and me to go back to class.            

“I feel so bad!” I said as soon as we were out of ear shot of them.            

“Don’t worry about it, Ellie. Everyone makes mistakes. Anyway, you heard the nurse, it isn’t even that bad!”           

“I know, but I am getting kind of worried about my competitiveness. I mean, what if I do that again but it is serious? Maybe I shouldn’t play select soccer, because I don’t want anything to happen to anyone.”              

“Yeah, and maybe I shouldn’t come to school, because I might trip and break my ankle in the hallway! Come on, Ellie. Think realistically! Even if that does happen, nobody is going to say that you did it on purpose!”           

“You’re right. We better hurry up and get back to P.E. though before Mrs. Baron thinks we are ditching class. I will race you! On your marks, get set, go!”           

As we raced over the grass hill and towards the facility, I thought about how much I was going to miss her companionship on the soccer team. I wished with all my heart that someone would invite me to try-out! However, who?           

“I won, Ellie, and you know it! You must be really out of it because you never lose a race!”           

“BRRRRRRRINNG!” “Oh, no! We don’t get to play anymore!” “Hey, Ellie, could you come here a minute?” Mrs. Baron shouted to me.“Yeah, sure!” As I ran over, so many different thoughts were shooting through my mind. Is she mad because I hurt Miranda? Does she think I am too competitive? Finally, I got there and was standing in front of Mrs. Baron. “Is Miranda okay?” she asked me.“Yeah, the nurse said it wasn’t that bad.” I replied.“Can I ask you some questions?” She asked me eagerly.“Uh, sure. Fire away!” I said, a little bit confused.“Thank you. How long have you been playing soccer?”“Since I could walk basically.” I said with a grin.            

“Do you play select or rec?”           

“Rec.” I answered, getting more confused by the question.           

“Do you play for the pure joy of it or is it because you do not want to disappoint someone?”           

“Mostly for the first reason. I mean, my dad pushes me but I like it because I like his advice.”           

“Do you feel you could play at a higher level? Or do you not even want to go there?”           

“I don’t want to sound conceited, but yeah, I do think I could. Plus, I feel I could use a bit more of real coaching, strategizing, and techniques, and I would love to receive that information.”  

“Do you know the soccer club, the Elites?”

“Definitely!” I said with renewed vigor.

“The highest team for U13 is coached by my husband. When you left to take Miranda to the clinic, I called him on my cell phone to ask him if I could give a specific young woman an invitation to come try-out. He agreed, knowing that I have a good eye for athletes, especially soccer players. So, if you would like, you can try-out for the Elites.”

“OF COURSE I WILL!!! I mean if my parents let me!”

“Okay then, I will call you later this evening. You better get to your locker or you will miss the bus.”

“A million times thank you!! You are the best!!”

As I ran up to Karly, who was waiting for me like the good friend that she was, to tell her my good news, I was in a daze. I could not believe it! I was not going to be left in the dust after all!

This is a quiz that I just made up and parts of it may be based upon different quizzes you may have taken, read, or seen.

I think that quizzes are really interesting, because sometimes they hit you right on (even though I don’t believe in that type of thing where people can guess your future) or they aren’t even close. Did this one get your personality right or wrong? I would like to know, because maybe there is some sort of format or word choice that is better than others. Also, tell me if you liked it and what you think about quizzes. I will add your insight on this quizz at the bottom of this quiz, signed by your username.

1.) Which would you rather do on a rainy day?

a. Go outside in your swim suit and run around in the rain.

b. Practice basketball at the rec center.

c. Get together with friends and play games at your house.

2.) What is a typical place for you to be when there’s a day off?

a. At your house doing your homework.

b. At soccer practice.

c. At a birthday party.

3.) After school you are…

a. At the writing club at school.

b. At a volleyball game at another middle school.

c. At a friend’s house studying for a huge test.

4.) On a Sunday night you are…

a. Out at a restaurant with your family

b. At a team party for your track team.

c. At youth group and church.

5.) When you have P.E., you…

a. don’t really care either way.

b. you are so excited you can’t fall asleep the night before.

c. can’t wait to see your friends!

6.) Your electives are…

(Just pick what electives are similar to yours)

a. P.E., foreign language, Band/Orchestra

b. P.E., foreign language, Art

c. P.E., foreign language, Computer 1 or 2 

7.) Your favorite classes are…

a. all of them!

b. Science and Math.

c. Language Arts and Social Studies.

8.) At a sleepover, you suggest to…

a. watch a movie.

b. play truth or dare.

c. share interesting stuff about yourself

9.) Your favorite sport is…

a. swimming.

b. basketball and soccer

c. volleyball

10.) What does an interesting write-on sound like to you?

a. You are walking through a jungle with nothing but your ingeniusness to help you…

b. You win a chance to shoot a million dollar shot…

c. You find yourself on Mars…

11.) Would the thought of sky-diving scare you?

a. yes!

b. no!

c. kind of!

12.) Do you like change?

a. No!

b. Yes!

c. Depends what kind!

13.) Do you like to write?

a. Yes!

b. Kind of!

c. No!

14.) Do you study a lot for tests?

a. Yes!

b. Kind of!

c. Not really!

15.)  Do you stress out a lot?

a. Not really, I usually have enough time to finish everything.

b. Yes, I am always so busy!

c. No, I make time for school and friends! (More for friends!)

If you answered mostly a’s…

You like to spend time doing things in a quiet atmosphere. You enjoy reading, writing, and hanging out with your family. You make time for the important things, but you have a lot of time, because you don’t do time-consuming, out of the house ativites. You spend time on your homework and it’s very quality work.

If you answered mostly b’s…

You love to be busy. Your favorite smell is the smell of a freshly cut soccer field. You are extremely busy, but you still pull off getting A’s and B’s. You spend time with your family and friends, but when they’re over, you still like to be doing something. You enjoy SPORTS, P.E., the rec center, sleepovers, and reading when you get a chance.

If you answered mostly c’s…

Your first priorities are friends and family. You love to make knew friends! You are loyal and trustworthy to your friends, and you rarely gossip. Sometimes your homewrok slips off your mind… but you just usually remember just in time.

(This may not be the exact thing that happpened but it’s pretty close.)

“Hi, this is Ania. Can I talk to Veronica?”

“Yeah, just a minute.”

As I waited for Veronica to pick up the phone, I thought about what I was going to say.

“Hello?”

“Oh hey Veronica. Uh..I kinda need to tell you something. Just don’t freak out okay?”

“Ania? Are you all right? Tell me what is wrong!”

“Uh.. I am moving!” Suddenly it all came spilling out. “I am moving to Colorado. I can’t believe it. My family is a wreck. Everyone is crying. I don’t know what to do.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Tell your mom. I want to hear her reaction.”

“O.K.”

I can hear her calling to her mom.

“Mom! Ania’s moving to Colorado.”

“Really? Are you joking, Veronica?”

“No, mom, I’m not.”

“Oh no. Tell her I need to talk to her mom ASAP!”

“O.K.”

Before she started talking, I said,

“I heard. Well, I have to go, so I will see you at school tomorrow.”

“O.K. Bye!”

“Bye.”

I called a few other people after that, but I soon went to bed.

When my mom came in to say good night, I asked her,

“Mom, we are going to take Maggie, right?”

(Maggie is our Golden Retriever that we ended up leaving in Seattle with our neighbors.)

“Yes, sweetie. Just don’t worry about it, okay. Just try to get some sleep.”

“But mom, I just couldn’t bear for..”

“Shh..just go to sleep.”

“O.K.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

As I lay there, waiting for sleep to come and take me away to a land where Colorado isn’t a state, I thought about what I had done when my dad broke the news.

I had just sat there. Not crying, just asking questions.

“Where are we going to live? How long have you known? Did you know, mom? Where are we going to go to school? Are you going to fly down there and look at houses? Would the company pay for it? Can I go?”

I was almost excited about tomorrow, when I was to tell everyone that I was moving and go to an amusement park, because I was an altar server.

Then I felt ashamed of myself. You shouldn’t be feeling like that Ania! That’s is like betraying your friends and just Seattle in general.

A month and a half later…

“Well, here it is!” My dad said as we pulled in front of a house.

As he opened the driver’s door, the Map book that we had been carrying around, fell out and dropped into the drain and was never seen again.

“Well, that’s a great sign!” he said trying to get a few laughs out of us.

“Can I stay in the car?” My older sister asked.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Good.”

My brother and I clambered out the door. As we ran around the house, I couldn’t see it being filled with all of our stuff. And we were getting so much new stuff, too. Oh well, Ania, enjoy this happiness while it lasts.

10 months later…

As I looked around the corner of the classroom in Seattle that I would’ve taken 6th Grade in, I saw my best friends lift their heads and one of them even had tears in her eyes. Their teacher took about a year dismissing them and then they came out.

And it was one of those moments that ecstasy was an understatement.

I really liked 3ways post “Why Did the Chicken Really Cross the Road?” To some people it might not be as original and funny as it was to me, but I liked it because I never really had an answer to that joke. So, I have decided to write an answer to that particular joke, too.

The chicken crossed the road, because he had a date with a particularly beautiful hen. Halfway across the street, he realized that he wasn’t wearing shoes. So, he ran back to the nearest department store and bought himself some shoes. While he was there, he saw a particularly handsome chicken wearing a very nice Archicki suit. He immediately decided he had to have one of those suits and he bought one. He then realized he had no more cash, so he ran around until he found a ATM machine. After he got some money, he passed a flower shop, so he thought it would be polite to buy the beautiful hen some flowers. Fnally, he was just across the street from the restaurant, when a very elegant limosine pull up in front of the extremely expensive restaurant. Since he knew it wasn’t “cool” to be late, he raced across the street and sneaked in the back door. He hurried over to the beautiful hen, introduced himself, gave her the flowers, and then he fainted.

An add-on to this joke would be “Why Did the Doctor Cross the Road?”

The doctor crossed the road, because an exhausted chicken had just fainted.

(Maybe someday I will do a few more add-ons.)

When 9/11 happened, I didn’t really get it. I knew something terrible had happened, a plane had flown into the World Trade Centers, (I don’t think I even knew about the Pentagon) and a lot of people had died, but I couldn’t really relate. So, I read up on it at wikipedia.com and found out more.

This was one of the first facts I read at wikipedia.com and it really stuck out for me:
2,973 people died.

Think about that.

2,973 people killed.

It’s hard for me to even imagine that many people killed.

2,602 people going to work like any old day. Plodding along to what awaits them, not knowing that what awaited them was more than just work. Not knowing that they were going to take part in a very tragic day for America.

Parents, friends, relatives, and teachers. None of them were going to be given mercy.

Trapped under rubble, hearing screams all around of people dying or trying to get out.

Knowing that you wouldn’t be able to see your family again, watch your children grow up, help support your family,

or

just

live.

By: Hanna Jansen

You read a book.

 You open it.  

     You follw its pages from chapter to chapter.  You close it afterward and think it’s come to an end.  But everything is still there.  You hold it in your hand.  And each page is available to you, each word.

     Wherever and however you want, you immerse yourself in a perception in which everything comes together at once.  The perception is less limited than the experience.

     This book is not at an end either.  You can ramble through its pages or leap, zigzagging, back and forth.  Even a bit forward, to pages that aren’t written yet!  And you can linger where you want to. 

     Sometimes I think that the history of us human beingsis only a thing in self-contained motion.  No more than a breath in eternity.  And in that, the duration of a human lifeturns out to be infinitely small.

     Perhaps there is no such thing as time at all.  In any case, not as we see it.  Perhaps there are only creation and destruction as a pair in a great whole that cannot be expressed in dimensions.

      Our own limits create dimensions, poles between which we understand the world: beginning and end.  We think, feel, and act sustained by the illusion that, exceeding our limits, we are constantly going forward.  But I think time is not a straight line.  It’s a circle.  Enclosing life and death within it: congruent. 

I wake up and smell the scent waffles wafting to my room from the kitchen. I look at my clock and find out that I have 30 more minutes until I have to get up. I read my book, which is one of the best books I have ever read, and finally have to tear myself away from the addicting content.

I walk into the kitchen with a spring in my step. My mom is at the stove, making these delicious breakfast treats. I see that on the counter island in our kitchen, there are fresh waffles, whipped cream, and berries. There is also a Vanilla Bean Frappuchino from Starbuck’s for me and other various drinks for the rest of my family. I load my plate with warm waffles, fresh berries, and cool whipped cream. I also grab my delicious drink, after thanking my mother for this scrumptious breakfast, and sit down at the kitchen table.

After I have finished my breakfast, I peer through the closed blinds. It’s snowing! “Mom, have you checked if school is cancelled? How much is out there? Should I check?” I was talking so fast, I had to stop to take a breath. “Yes, sweetie, school is cancelled. When I was on my run, there was already half a foot and that was almost an hour ago. I had to run in the rec center, because it was snowing so ferociously!” “I am going to go wake up everyone!” I yell over my shoulder as I race up the stairs. My brother is already at the computer checking if all of our schools are closed. “Are they all closed?” “Yes, and they might be closed for the whole week, and since the next two weeks after that Christmas break, we could get 3 weeks off from school!”  “Sweet!”  I screamed and raced into my sister’s room. “Hey, get up! There is a ton of snow and school is cancelled!” “Well, then I am going to back to sleep!” “Whatever!” I said and raced into my room. I get into my leggings for skiing and a long sleeve shirt. Then I put on fleece socks and quickly make my bed. I race into the bathroom, clean my face, put my contacts in, and throw my hair into a low ponytail.

Finally, I am ready to go outside. I see that there is five feet of snow and the snow is still falling. My brother and I start tunneling around. Soon my whole family is out there, since none of us have school or work. We make a fort, a maze, and have a gigantic snowball fight with almost my whole neighborhood.

Soon, we all start to get cold and hungry, so we traipse into our warm and cozy home. After fulfilling our hunger with a lunch of pizza, we sit by the fire sipping hot chocolate and reading. Then, we play a game and go back outside. We set up the ladder and jump off it into the pile of snow we made. Soon our pile is ruined and we go to our front yard. Everyone makes a snow person resembling themselves and my family says my snow girl looks the most like me.

All of a sudden, my dad says he has to go pick something up. After waiting for an 3 hours, he pulls into the garage with me two best friends from Seattle! After a few minutes of crying, laughing and hugging, my dad says he has another surprise. He leads in our golden retriever that we had to leave in Seattle. My whole family went crazy! Our dog remembered us all. While we were petting my dog, my dad told us that my two best friends were going to be here until two days before Christmas.  My sister’s best friend in Seattle was coming the day after Christmas Day, along with my brother’s two best friends from Washington.  My dog was staying forever.  He had asked our dog’s new owner’s, that are in Seattle, if we could have Maggie back.  They had agreed and they had paid for her flight here.

When it finally calmed down, we had a delicious dinner of lasagna, caesar salad, and cheesecake with strawberries on top. I gave my friends a tour of the house and then we talked into the late hours of the night. As soon as we had stopped talking, I looked outside and saw that the snow was still falling. Luckily, it wasn’t that heavy of snow and it hadn’t damaged anything, anywhere. I took out my contacts and crawled into my P.J.’s. I laid my head down on my pillow and thanked God for this truly wonderful day.  Then, I  fell fast asleep.