DC Trip (in its entirety)

Here is my United States Trip that I took this summer.   I promised to tell many of you about it, but here it finally is:

On Friday, July 14th, we left our home early in the morning.  That day we drove to Omaha, Nebraska, which ended up being a thirteen-hour drive.  The next morning we went swimming, and then we started to drive again.  

We drove to Findlay, Ohio, which is where my dad’s best friend from high school lives.  On the way there, we stopped outside of Chicago and ate a Chicago dog.  It was kind of an interesting experience because we stopped in a weird spot.  We decided to go all out and get all of the toppings, so was kind of nasty to look at, but we all just decided to eat it.  They ended up being pretty good.  We didn’t get to Findlay, which is about 1-½ hours north of Columbus, Ohio, until 4 in the morning.

The next day was my brother’s birthday.  We hung out, took a tour of Findlay, and went to church that day.  My favorite thing that we did, though, was to catch fire flies that night.  It was so much fun!!!  I think it’s so sad that we don’t have them in Utah.  It’s great fun to run around and catch as many as you can.  We filled up a mason jar with them, and then had a great time taking the jar into the dark basement and watching them glow.

On Monday, the 17th, we went to some LDS church sites.  We went to Kirtland, Ohio, and did tours of things in that area.  We had a tour in the Kirtland Temple, which was very interesting.  Towards the end of it, we got to sing “The Spirit of God” in the room where it was dedicated.  It was so cool!   Then we drove to Hirum, Ohio, where the Johnson Farm is located (Funny side note: we went to Wendy’s to eat lunch.  We did the drive through, and when we gave the lady the order, she had to keep repeating it because she didn’t believe how much food we were getting.  It made us all laugh so hard).  I really enjoyed the tour of the Johnson Farm.  I love thinking about the amazing things that happened at different places and how famous people were once standing the exact place as you are.  That night we drove to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh was a very pretty city, and I loved looking at its skyline as we drove through.  That day we drove to Gettysburg.  I really enjoyed learning about the Civil War, and it was cool to go see this site where such a crucial battle took place.  We were able to do the driving tour and walk around the National Cemetery.  It’s humbling to see how many people gave their lives so that we could have the freedoms we enjoy.  It was cool to see where Lincoln gave his speech and read the Gettysburg Address.  That night, we drove to Washington DC.  It was so exciting to see it!  We took to wrong exit, so we got to drive around by the Pentagon, and the buildings over there, that night.  We were staying at my cousin’s house in Alexandria, Virginia, which is about 10 minutes out of DC.

On Wednesday we had tickets to go up in the Washington Monument.  I think it’s so much fun to drive into the center of DC, over by the Mall.  There are so many beautiful buildings around.  We lined up, and then rode an elevator up into the Washington Monument.  We were 500 feet up and the view from the top was incredible.  You could see everywhere around DC, and it was one of my favorite things we did on the trip.  On the way down, they showed up some of the stones that different states had carved and donated to the building of it.  The ranger told us that people couldn’t walk up and look at these any more because people had been breaking and destroying them.  That really bugged me.  I just can’t understand how people don’t really have any sense.  Like, maybe they think it’s cool to have a piece of it, or something, but I can’t imagine people doing that at the cost of ruining such an important landmark.  Then, we hiked around DC.  We went over to the old Smithsonian Castle.  After that we went to the National Archives.  We listened to a fascinating exhibit called “Eyewitness.”  It had first hand accounts of famous events from people that were there.  We left that exhibit and went and saw the Magna Carta.  It was so old, and it was cool to be able to see it.  Then we lined up to see the famous American documents.  The rooms was dimmed, to help to preserve them, and it really added to the feeling of how important these things were.  We went up and got to see original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  I thought it was so amazing, and it really hit me, as I was reading them, how important they are and what a difference they’ve made in, not only my life, but also millions and millions of other people’s lives.  When we were finished there, we went back home.  That night we returned and walked the Mall.  Walking through the Mall, at night, is one of my favorite things to do.  I love having the giant, stone monuments lit up against the dark background (well, as dark as DC ever is).  We went to the Washington Monument, again, the WWII monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial.  It was kind of sad because even though it was dark and late at night, it was still incredibly hot and humid.  I love those memorials so much.  One of the best parts is reading the quotes.  I also love how solid all of it feels.  The memorials give off such a feeling of strength and stability, and that gives me great comfort.

On Thursday, we hung out at the house for a long time.  Then I went into town with my Dad, my brother, Adam, and my sister, Emily.  We went to the Smithsonians.  First, we went to the American History Museum.  We thought it was funny because the building says, “History and Technology” (or something to that effect).  We figured that originally they could fit History and Technology into one place, but now it’s just American History.  They can’t go and change it now, though, because it’s truly “written in stone.”  I love looking at the historic artifacts and reading about them.  Some of the things that people’ve kept make me laugh.  I mean, who would honestly think to stuff and save George Washington’s horse??  When we were finished there, we went to the Air and Space Museum.  That was cool, too, though it made my dad kind of freak out.  He felt so overwhelmed because there really is so much to read and see, and it’s not like they have big signs showing you where the important stuff is because it’s all really cool and has some historic value.  We then headed to the Natural History museum.  The gems and minerals are so cool!  The Smithsonians do such a good job with all of their exhibits and museums.  We wandered around in the N.H. museum for a while.  Then we went to the National Archives again.  We went back to the Eyewitness exhibit.  I can officially say that I read and saw everything in an exhibit.  I was able to get all of it done.  When we were done there, we went to go get something to eat.  We were all really tired, hungry, and our feet ached.  We realized that we had been on our feet for eight hours.  We went farther downtown and went to McDonalds.  It was an interesting experience because almost everyone in there was black.  There was nothing wrong with it, but it was a change from what I was used to.  

On Friday, we had a Capitol Tour.  That was very cool.  We had a great tour guide that showed us tons of different things and did a good job explaining everything.  There’s nothing boring in the capitol.  Everywhere you look, there’s something interesting (for example, all of the ceilings in the hallways are painted with different things about America and above all of the doorways there are quotes.)  We then met my cousin downtown and ate lunch.  Next we went to the Library of Congress.  Before going on the tour, I really had no idea what it was, but now I think it’s amazing.  We did the tour, and I learned lots of interesting things.  There are over 30 million books in that library!  It’s the biggest library, book wise, in the world, and it’s the second biggest if you add up all the other things in it (England’s is first).  We then did some more of the Smithsonians and went home again.

Saturday proved to be kind of stressful.  We had to clean up the house, and then we drove to Philadelphia.  We missed our tour, so we had to wait until later to go on the general tour.  When we first got into Philly, we got sucked into Chinatown.  It seemed like a rough, scary place, and it freaked all of us out.  Then we went over to the historic sites, and it was okay again.  We saw the Liberty Bell, which was very cool.  While we were in that visitor’s center, it started to rain like we couldn’t believe.  It down poured for about half an hour.  Then we ran over to Independence Hall.  We went into that, and we also did a tour of Congress Hall, which is the building next to Independence Hall.  I didn’t even know Congress Hall existed until we went there, but many important things happened there, such as George Washington (and many others) being inaugurated as presidents.  That night we drove to New York City, to stay with my dad’s aunt.  

We had to leave early to get to church on Sunday morning.  We went downtown to the ward that’s in the same place as the Manhattan Temple.  When we left, we had a scary experience, that made me freak out about New York.  We were walking down the street, to our car, and a true crazy lady started walking up the street, towards us.  She was already swearing before she got to us, but when she saw us, she started to yell at us.  She was screaming and cussing at us, and it was really spooky.  To have this be the first thing that had really happened downtown was not good.  Then we met up with my Dad’s other aunt, and we went midtown.  We parked our van on Park Avenue ((), and then walked over to the Empire State Building.  We waited in line, and then went up to the top.  It gave such an incredible view of New York.  We listened to “Tony the cab driver” who told you all about the things you were seeing.  That was very interesting.  When we went down, we walked all over New York.  It was the most perfect day.  There was no humidity and a slight, cool breeze blew for lots of the time.  It was incredible.  We walked up 5th avenue, from the Empire State Building, to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  We then headed over to Rockefeller Plaza.  Since my aunt works there, we were able to go up in the building.  It was very cool.  We then went and walked more of New York.  We went to Times Square and saw Broadway.  I think this was my favorite day of the whole trip.

On Monday, we had tickets to go to the Statue of Liberty.  We drove down to 19th avenue and parked our van.  We then walked through the Meat Packing District (which was a very … interesting experience) to get to the subway.  When we got there, we sat and waited for the train.  We found out that we had to be on one of the first five trains to get off at our station, so we had to run to get on.  Everything went well once we were finally on the subway, though.  We got off and went to get on the ferry.  It was very pretty to see the New York skyline as we went on the ferry.  The Statue of Liberty was very cool.  We had a tour, so we were able to go inside of it.  It’s kind of sad how much thing’s changed and how tight they have to be with security.  We were only able to go up to the pedestal on her, instead of all of the way up.  We went to Ellis Island, but didn’t get off the ferry.  We rode the subway and walked to Ground Zero.  It was very sad to think about the horrible things that had happened there.  There was a memorial for it on a fire station that was nearby.  We rode the subway again and went back to my other aunt’s house.

On Tuesday morning we drove to Palmyra, New York.  It took most of the day to get there.  During the drive, we saw some of the funniest names of places (Schenectady).  We saw the Grandon printing press while we were in Palmyra.  Then we went out to the Smith Farm.  That was amazing, and the spirit was so strong.  We went on the tour and saw their houses.  Then we went into the Sacred Grove, which was one of my favorite parts of this trip.  We also went to the Hill Cumorah.  That night we drove to Buffalo.

We went swimming at the hotel in Buffalo.  Then we went to Niagara Falls.  We brought our birth certificates, so we went to the Canadian side.  The Falls were so amazing!  It’s so big, and there is so much power there that it’s breath taking.  We then drove through Canada to get to Detroit, which was where we had to turn to get to Findlay, again.  It was kind of disconcerting to be driving on the Freeway and have it say 100 kilometers per hour.  We drove in Canada for a long time.  It was cool to see the Great Lakes.  They’re so big!!!  When we got to Detroit, it was raining VERY hard again.  We then drove down to Findlay, where we stayed the night.  

The next day we drove to Nauvoo Illinois.  We started really early in the morning (4 am).  Our main goal in going to Nauvoo was to see the Nauvoo Pageant.  We drove around Nauvoo, for a bit, when we got there.  We went to the Red Brick Store and the Smith family graves.  Then we went over by the temple.  It was so beautiful!  We did games and activities before we sat down and watched the pageant.  Though it was towards the end, the Nauvoo pageant ended up being one of my favorite parts.  It had such an incredibly message.  When it got dark, the lights didn’t come on in the temple, but towards the end of the production, the lights were turned on, and it was spectacular.

On Friday morning, my parents went to the Nauvoo temple and then did some gift shopping.  I hung out with the kids in our room.  When they got back, we drove to Lincoln, Nebraska.  We wanted to go there because it had Disney Channel, and our new found favorite show, “Hannah Montana.”  That night we had a Disney Channel marathon and watched TV until really late.  

The next morning we went swimming and watched more TV.  This was our final day of the trip, and we began our long drive home.  We drove for a long time, and then, just outside of Cheyenne, our car started having problems.  The car would lose all power and die, but when we turned it off, it would start up again.  We took it to a shop, where they worked on it for hours.  They took out tons of things and tested them, but everything seemed to be working fine, and they couldn’t come up with anything that was wrong with it.  My dad really didn’t want to miss another Sunday, but we didn’t know what to do because we didn’t want to break down in the middle of Wyoming, with no help and a van full of kids.  We said a prayer, though, and headed home.  Everything ended up working perfectly.  We got home at 5:15 am.  

So, there’s my killer trip.  Since we arrived home on Sunday, it ended up being 17 days, but we were technically gone 16 days.  It was so incredible, and I absolutely loved it!!!                                        

Forwards

I got this forward, and it made me laugh and laugh…

“Hello, my name is none of your business. I am suffering from seven rare and deadly diseases, poor scores on final exams, fear of being mauled by squirrels, and guilt for not forwarding out 50 billion chain letters sent to me by people who actually believe that if you send them on, then that poor 6 year old girl in Arkansas with a potato growing out of her forehead will be able to raise enough money to have it removed before her redneck parents sell her off to the traveling freak show.Do you honestly believe that Bill Gates is going to give you and everyone you send "his" email to $1000? How stupid are you? Ooooh, looky here if I scroll down this page and make a wish, I'll meet the guy (or girl) of my dreams tomorrow. What a bunch of junk. So basically, this message is directed to all the people out there who have nothing better to do than to send me stupid chain mail forwards. Maybe the evil letter leprechauns will come into my house and write "I'm a moron" on my forehead in permanent marker in my sleep for not continuing the chain which was started by a knight of the round table and was brought to this country by midget pilgrims on the Mayflower and if it makes it to the year 2007, it'll be in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest continuous streak of blatant stupidity. If you're going to forward something, at least send me something mildly amusing.I've seen all the "send this to 50 of your closest friends, and this poor, wretched excuse for a human being will somehow receive a nickel from some omniscient being" forwards about 90 times. It's getting old. Show a little intelligence and think about what you're actually contributing to by sending out forwards. Chances are it's your own unpopularity.THE FOUR BASIC TYPES OF CHAIN LETTERS:Chain Letter Type #1(scroll down)*************************Make a wish
************************************ ****************************
No, really, go on and make one************************************ ******************************************************* ****************************************************** ***************
Oh please, they'll never go out with you******************************************************* ***************** ****************************
Wish something else************************************ ******* *********************
No, I'm sorry, we're out of ponies at the time being******************************************************* ********************* *********************************************
Have you forgotten why you're scrolling yet?************************************ ****************************STOPWasn't that fun? :) Hope you made a great wish :) Now, to make you feel guilty, here's what I'll do.First of all, if you don't send this to 5096 people in the next 5 seconds, you will be kidnapped by ninja elves and thrown off a high building into a pile of manure. It's true Because, THIS letter isn't like all of those fake ones, THIS one is TRUE.Really.Here's how it goes:*Send this to 1 person: One person will be annoyed with you for sending them a stupid chain letter.*Send this to 2-5 people: 2-5 people will be annoyed with you for sending them a stupid chain letter.*Send this to 5-10 people: 5-10 people will be annoyed with you for sending them a stupid chain letter, and may form a plot on your life.*Send this to 10-20 people: 10-20 people will be annoyed with you for sending them a stupid chain letter and will napalm your house. Thanks.Good LuckChain Letter Type #2Hello, and thank you for reading this letter. You see there is a starving little boy in Baklaliviatatlaglooshen who has no arms, no legs, no parents, and no goats. This little boy's life could be saved, because for every time you pass this on, a dollar will be donated to the Little Starving Legless Armless Parentless Goatless Boy from Baklaliviatatlaglooshen Fund. Oh, and remember, we have absolutely no way of counting the emails sent and this is all a complete load of junk. So go on, reach out. Send this to 5 people in the next 47 seconds. Oh, and a reminder - if you accidentally send this to 4 or 6 people, you will die instantly. Thanks again.Chain Letter Type #3:Hi there! This chain letter has been in existence since 1897. This is absolutely incredible because there was no email then and probably not as many email addicts with nothing better to do. So this is how it works:1. Pass this on to 15,067 people in the next 7 minutes or something horrible will happen to you like:Bizarre Horror Story* #1Miranda Pinsley was walking home from school on Saturday. She had recently received this letter and ignored it. She then tripped in a crack in the sidewalk, fell into the sewer, was gushed down a drainpipe in a flood of poop, and went  flying out over a waterfall. Not only did she smell nasty, she died too. This Could Happen To You!Bizarre Horror Story* 2Dexter Bip, a 13 year old boy, got a chain letter in his mail and ignored it. Later that day he was crushed by an anvil that was dropped by a plane that justhappened to be flying directly above him. This Could Happen To You Too!!2. Remember, you could end up just like Pinsley and Bip. Just send this letter to all of your friends, and everything will be okay. (Assuming you have friends and they won't come after you with flaming battle axes if you do send it to them.)Chain Letter Type #4:As if you care, here is a poem that I wrote. Send it to every one of your friends.FriendsBlah, Blah, Blah,Friends,Blah, Blah, Blah.A friend is not someone who sends you chain letters because he wants his wish of being rich to come true.Now pass this on. If you don't, no one will like you for as long as you live. I mean it, as long as you live.The point being?*If you get some chain letter that's threatening to leave you friendless or luckless for the rest of your life, delete it. If it's funny, send it on. Don't annoy people by making them feel guilty about a leper in Botswana with no teeth, who's been tied to a dead elephant for 27 years, whose only chance of living is the 5 cents per letter he'll receive if you forward this mail, otherwise you'll end up like Miranda. Right?******Now forward this to 4,968,837,873 people in the next 60 seconds otherwise a couple of obese sock hungry unicorns are going to eat all your underwear tonight.~oh, and stop sending stupid forwards!!!!”

The Final (Official) Post

The year has flown by so quickly!!  

I’m very sad that this is the last blog.  I’ve had a great time writing these, and I didn’t notice, until recently, that I do enjoy writing these.  At the beginning of the year, blogs were a great stress to me.  I felt like I had to be impressive and sound like a professional writer.  As the year has progressed, though, I started to lose my anxiety, and these blogs became a great way to express my thoughts and feelings about things in my life.  Then, the best part was having people comment on them.  It always brought a certain amount of excitement to feel that someone actually took the time to read it and respond.

Even though I’ve never talked to some of the people in this class, I still feel like I’ve gotten to know them.  If this had been a real class, in school, instead of just online, it would’ve been amazing.  This class includes so many different personalities, and it would’ve been great to spend more time with the people.  

Finally, I’d just like to thank Mr. T for taking the time to do this!!  He’s been the best, and even though I’m still disappointed that I didn’t have him for English, I was glad I got him through this class.  I’ve learned a lot from him, from reading his blogs to doing his fun and exciting tutorials.

Well, I’m so sad that I won’t see many of you next year, but, anyways, have a happy life!!
  
PS- Congrats to Hailee on getting the award for this!!!!

Post-Nationals

Nationals was such an amazing experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish that everyone could be able to go because it’s so much fun.  This year, it was at Indiana University.  Getting there was very enjoyable, and I thought it was cool to see a part of the country that I had never seen before.  The university itself was very beautiful.  Everywhere you looked, you could see giant groups of tress.  These trees were so tall, and so green, and so lovely!  

The competition was great, too.  My team placed 18th (out of 60 schools), which is the second best Fairfield has ever done.  Last year, we placed 31, so we made a great improvement this year.  In my events, I really well, though I was disappointed that I did not get a medal.  My best event was experimental design.  My partners and I received 11th place.  One of my favorite parts of the trip was being with so many wonderful people.  I really began to love my team, and I’m going to miss them, when I move on next year.  We all became better friends, and everyone had a good time.  

While I was there, I went and saw practice runs at the Indy 500.  It was very cool.  I have never really gotten into NASCAR, but I can now understand why people enjoy it so much.  The track was amazing and really big, but the best part was the cars flying by.  These cars can sustain speeds of over 220 mph.  Going this fast makes them really loud, to the point that you can feel them going by.

I’m so glad that I was able to participate on the Science Olympiad team this year.  It was a great experience, especially the culminating event, Nationals.  

Nationals

Hurray!  I am leaving for my national trip in less than twelve hours.  I feel obligated to be writing this, though, because I doubt we will be home before midnight, on Sunday, and also because there is no way that I’m going to want to write it then.

I participate on the Science Olympiad team, and I love it!!  It’s a great experience.  It takes a lot of hard work, throughout the year, but, in the end, it pays off.  At the state competition, I won four gold medals (one in each of my events).  My team also won state, and now we get to go to Nationals.  Nationals is in Bloomington, Indiana, this year.  My team gets to fly out tomorrow morning, and I can’t wait to go.  It is always fun because, not only do I get to compete and interact with others from all of the states, but I also get to be with my friends while I do it.  In the past, I have not done as well I hoped.  In seventh grade, I was sixth place in an orienteering event.  Sadly, though, it was only a trial event, and I didn’t get a medal (at nationals, the top six places get one).  In other years, the best I have done is fifteenth.  My goal this year to get any medal.  I honestly don’t care what it is, as long as I get one.  I know that sounds kind of bad, but I’ve been working really hard and studying a lot.   We’ll see how it goes.  

Well, I’d better get back to packing….

Wish me (I guess, us) luck!!!!!!!!!  

Would you cross it???!

I love to play soccer.  It is my favorite sport, and I really enjoy playing on my team.  During games, I love to be forward.  In soccer, the forwards are the ones who take the ball up the field and score goals.  It is a very exhilarating experience, when a goal is scored, but it doesn’t happen very often.  I generally feel like I could score many more if people would just pass it to me.  The idea, when trying to score a goal, is take it to the outside and then cross (pass) it into the middle.  By having a player take the ball towards the edge of the field, it makes the goalie turn and scoot in that direction.  It also draws the defenders to the side.  I am generally the center forward and many times I have felt frustrated because they wouldn’t kick it in to me.  The concept seems so simple.  I am wide open.  If they even kicked it in my general direction, I could get it, but this rarely (to never) happens.  After a game, I often wonder why.

I believe the first reason that they don’t get it to me is because they get themselves into trouble.  By having defenders follow them to the sides, they now have people to deal with.  Ideally, the other forward should center it immediately, but they often figure that if they just dribble for a second more or go farther to the side, they will be able to get the “perfect” pass.  Often they lose the ball because of this hesitation.

Another reason that they don’t pass it is because they believe they are better and could make a goal more easily.  They don’t realize that by making a simple pass to me, I would be able to kick it in, without having interference from anyone (since no one ever bothers to guard me and the goalie is facing in the opposite direction).

Well, that’s all I have to say about that for now!  

Mother's Day

Have you ever taken the time to think of all the work that a mother does?  As I’ve thought about it, I can’t believe the things that my mom, from cooking meals, to doing laundry, to keeping the house in the shape, or to reading to my younger siblings.  Some people don’t think that staying at home is a suitable career, but, in my opinion, it is the most worthy of anything a woman can do.  So much is accomplished in the home and so many problems would be solved if more people took time to be their family and if more moms took a greater interest in their child.

My family always takes Mother’s Day very seriously.  We try to do everything for my mom, and, as we worked willingly, we all had a great time.  My mom took a nap and stayed in her room while my father and the rest of my family made dinner.  We laughed as we tried to make strawberries and cream for her (we tried to put a sliced strawberry on, for garnish, but it didn’t go nearly as well as we had hoped), and we all had a great time peeling potatoes and setting the table.  The reason we found it so enjoyable was because we were working together, to achieve a common goal.  It had an even better payoff to see my mom smile and be pleased.  That’s one of the best parts of serving others: the reward and feeling of self-satisfaction.  

A Different Kind of Hero (My Poetry Contest Entry)

When most people think of heroes,
They think of all the great things achieved.
Whether mountains were moved or great records set,
These things are easily believed.
But there are different heroes,
Not so obvious to the eye.
That we may each pass daily
As we hurriedly go by.
These people that are heroes can really be anyone,
From a good friend or a teacher, or a mother, a sister, a son.
These people don’t slay dragons, or sail across the sea.
They may just be a good example and treat everyone equally.
Heroes might leave kind notes to be found on a pillow late at night,
Or they teach everyone around them how to choose the right.
That kind of person becomes a hero, through actions everyday.
They slowly find a place in someone’s heart,
And then they’re there to stay.
These kinds of heroes did not become a hero deliberately.
They just lived their lives and didn’t know that they were being watched so earnestly.
To be a hero you don’t have to be the best looking on the block.
Or be the most athletic, always able to make the shot.
You just have to live your life the best way that you can,
You could really be an influence to some other boy, or friend, or man.
So when you think of heroes, do not be so quick to judge by looks
Or whether or not the hero cam out of storybooks.
Look at the people around you, and just try to see what they do.
You may find that while you’re looking, that people are watching you!

Flowers

Last Saturday, I decided that I wanted to plant flowers all around my house. To accomplish this, I weeded a couple of flowerbeds and got everything ready. My parents then agreed to my plan, and we bought five flats of flowers, which equal about 250 individual flowers. We started to plant them on Saturday, but then it got dark and we didn’t have enough time to finish. I watered the ones I had done, and then I went inside.

On Monday, we began to plant them again. I checked on the flowers that had been planted, and, to my absolute horror, they looked wilted and there were white spots on some of the leaves. I was very sad. I ran to ask my mom if she knew what the problem was. She laughed and unconcernedly said, “It’s a shock to be planted.” My mom then quieted my fears by telling me that they would be fine, and they just needed more time to adjust. I’m happy to report that they’re now looking great, but this comment has really made me think.

The phrase, “it’s a shock to be planted,” has gone through my brain many times. Not only does it apply to flowers, but also to us in our lives. In any new situation we encounter, we have to learn how to deal with the “shock.” This can be from big things to something as simple as being asked to come up to the board and answer questions. This can stretch someone (especially if they aren’t 100% sure with their answer). If the situation is handled well, a person can learn from it, even if they do make a mistake. It is better that this person took the opportunity, and failed, than to never have tried at all. This, once again, is perfectly personified in the flowers. In a greenhouse, a plant is perfectly sheltered. It sits in its small pot, which gives it plenty of room, next to people who are similar to it. The plant receives water at the same time every day and is never too cold or hot. When a flower is finally planted, I would imagine if feels slighted. How dare these people make it do something that it doesn’t want to do! Yet, if the flower were allowed to stay in its pot, it would eventually wither and die because it would have no way to get bigger and better. Planting it gives the flower this opportunity to improve itself.

In our lives we must also do this. Be willing to leave the protected shell that you live in!! Talk to different people. Try new things. At the time, it may seem like a bad idea, or it may appear that no good has been done, but slowly and steadily it allows us to become better and to grow up. Try to remember this as we start high school because you’d hate to be one of those sad adults who never learned these very basic skills.

The Way of the Movie

I wrote this poem for English, but I feel like it’s lacking something.  I would greatly appreciate commentary on it because I can’t figure out what’s wrong.  Maybe it’s just because it’s cheesy…

The people wait in silence,
Looking at a screen that’s black.
     Quietly munching on popcorn,     
And then they hear the crack.
They can tell the film is starting,
As the lights grow dim and dark.
The previews are unfolding,
Showing everything from love to sharks.
And finally, the picture is beginning.
Is it an action or comedy?
Will the actors be good or horrible?
The people wait to see.
They have all heard reviews
From critics, family, and friends.
Maybe even to a point
Some to the point that they can’t wait
To see how it finally ends.
This film happens to be an adventure.
Set far from a big city,
Found in the wilds of the jungle
In the midst of giant trees.
The characters are escaping from a threat that is unknown.
They don’t know if they’ll live or die,
Or ever make it home.
Towards the end, the hero realizes
That the best plan of attack
Is not to keep on running,
But to stop and finally fight back.
After much strife and trauma,
They finally get a way,
And for their great efforts
The main characters are the heroes today.
After the movie is over,
Everyone who leaves is happy.
And tell all of their family and friends
That it is a great movie to see.
Thus is the way of the movie,
The reason people keep going back.
All of the plots and stories,
Of which there is no lack.
People can’t wait for the next, good one
Coming to the theater to play.
So, remember the fun
And take yourself to go see one today!

The Universe

In Science, we have been focusing on the solar system.  I find it highly fascinating.  It’s incomprehensible to think about the universe and all of the amazing things contained in it.  To think that the Earth is the perfect distance from the sun, with just the right amount of oxygen, water, and other materials to sustain life.  Or how it would take 4 light years to get to the closest star, yet they have so many amazing photos of galaxies that are thousands of light years away.  What it makes the decided is how ridiculous the idea of evolution is.  How could you not believe in intelligent design when there are so many things that are so perfect?  Maybe coincidences do happy, but it would be impossible for them to occur that frequently.      

Reaching the End of the Year (a.k.a. Ashley's Venting)

I realize that it getting to the end of the school year.  I know that for some reason people just want to check out when it gets sunny and nice outside.  I admit, I didn’t want Spring Break to end, and that I felt ready to be done with school, but I am now over that.  What I really want is to still be learning something!!!

This is the worst time of the year, in my opinion.  Not only do the students want to be done, the teachers have also given up teaching (sorry, Mr. Thompson.  I’m sure that you’re wonderful and make your students continue to use their brains, but certain other members of the faculty at FFJH are not really trying any more.).  I’m really anxious to be taught something new.  Make me have to think.  Don’t give me anymore mindless worksheets to a) fill up time or b) help me “better understand” something that was so simple that it’s pathetic if you haven’t gotten it by now (now being the sixth worksheet on it).  CHALLENGE ME!  Shouldn’t this be the time that I should have to use my most creative thinking to show that I’ve learned something during the past months?  

Maybe the reason for this is many kids don’t care, at this point.  Perhaps they can’t concentrate and will just waste their time anyways, so a teacher is really being kind by not making them do anything.  Their logic may be: if they pick something up from this video, that’ll be lucky.  I don’t really care if they do, though.  There are still some of us, though, who wish to be doing something productive with our time!!  

Everyone is suffering from this, even our Honors English class. I imagine that if you’re reading this blog, you aren’t one of those people.  There are many, though, who haven’t written a new blog in weeks, some even months!!  Then, if they do actually write a blog, they write one a few words over 500 so it looks like they’re making up for the stuff they haven’t been doing.  Any time I bug someone about this, they always make similar comments.  “I’m just so busy!”, “I keep forgetting.”,  and “Oh yeah!  I must’ve posted it as a draft.” are just a few examples of responses I’ve gotten.  Do they honestly think that I’m falling for these lines?  Then if they aren’t tricking me, do they think Mr. T’s believing them too?  Sorry, I shouldn’t be judgmental because I know people really do have these problems, but I’ve got to finally write this blog because our class is starting to get pathetic.  There are very few that have posted a blog and a discussion board answer every week.  I understand that it’s human nature to forget a few times, but it’s wrong for them to not be doing any work and still be getting the credit.  Some people are very diligent on getting things done on time.  I imagine that at regular school, everyone in this class is excellent.  That’s why they even bothered to sign up for an extra, honors class.  If these students, enrolled in the online course, were giving this same level of performance in a regular class, many of them would be failing.  Then, if they weren’t failing, their grade wouldn’t be up to their usual standard.  There are many people in this class who would die to get a B, yet if this class was formally graded, they might be getting that, if they were lucky.

I just want the students to stop and think about how easy this class is.  Stop abusing how this!  All the requirements are to respond to a question and write 500 words (ONLY ONCE A WEEK!!).  Then, there are other occasional assignments, such as study guides, but besides that, it takes very little time.  I think that many more students should be appreciative and do what they are supposed to, so that those of us who have been completing everything won’t feel gypped that you are getting the same credit as us, for half of the work.          

Assigned Reading

    Assigned reading is not intended to torture or be cruel to readers.  This reading has a reason, which is generally to enhance, clarify, or teach concepts that are too complex to be taught in a classroom.  People should stop complaining about required reading and just do it.
     
Starting a new book is often the most difficult part.  The characters may be confusing or the plot may seem too hard to grasp.  These are just a few of the reasons that people get bogged down in the start.  They can’t see past the first, daunting pages, and this leads to frustration.  Once the reader gives up on a book, it is very hard to start reading again.  Thus, the first few pages can be critical, and a slow start may put a stop to any excitement that a reader may have originally had.  If reading continues, though, it becomes easier to understand.  The brain changes and adapts to the different styles of writing, and once this happens, the book often becomes hard to put down.  Once this occurs, reading is no longer a chore, but a fun and exciting pastime.  

Then, once a reader realizes that reading is enjoyable and not a problem, the requirements don’t seem so overwhelming.  No longer does a book assigned in class inflict pain.  It can now be an opportunity to try new things.  That is another perk of reading different things.  The reader experiences books that, at first glance, would be disregarded as uninteresting, but, as they are forced to read it, they learn things that they enjoy and can relate to.   Students can be exposed to a broad variety of books, and this is greatly beneficial.  

When assigned reading is completed early, the concepts learned from the book can aid students in schoolwork.  If students can remember that the book was assigned for a reason, it can help them do better.  Plus, finishing the reading earlier gives people more time to comprehend and understand the book.  If the book is not read until the last moment, many important concepts may be missed.  It is hard to enjoy a book that causes stress and makes a person stay up all night.  Too often, the stress experienced is blamed on the book.  It is not the book, nor the author’s fault.  It is the person who lazily put it off, day after day, until the deadline was upon them.  Then, the book had to be force read, which is never an enjoyable experience.  To avoid all of these problems, a book must simply be started and finished earlier.

Assigned reading is not a horrible experience.  It is a great tool to teach and expose students to new genres of writing.   It also helps students become better readers.  Required reading would not seem such a hard task, if it were begun earlier.  Students often get stuck in the beginning and give up before the book truly has time to develop. If they consistently read, even though it may seem hard, they will eventually be able to better understand and better comprehend the book.  Once this happens, they will also be able to understand concepts that are being taught in the classroom.  As students stop complaining about assigned reading, begin earlier, read more consistently, and finish the books quicker, they will not only avoid a painful experience, but, with this little effort put forth, the student may get a lot out of it.