Thursday, July 17, 2014

Summer Classes and Freewriting

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

It always feels so good to get your homework done for the week. Today I have been able to get a lot of my homework done and I feel pretty good about English for the time being. Hopefully, once I receive my final I will feel the same way! I am so glad that summer classes will be done and over with next week. I am looking forward to getting some rest and enjoying the summertime that is left before school starts back up again in the fall. It has been a good experience for me to take summer classes to learn what it will be like and prepare me for college in the fall. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have gained by taking summer classes and I hope to retain that for many years to come. I am also grateful that this is my last and final blog post. It has been a good experience to write every single day, but at the same time I am excited to not have to write every single day. This writing assignment has helped me to become a much better freewriter. In the past I had a hard time just simply freewriting. Now, it seems as though I don't have to think about things as much and I am able to write more like I talk and think. I know that the editing process is needed within essays and more professional writing in order to create a good paper, however, I have enjoyed learning the freewriting ways. Freewriting has helped me to voice myself better and has also helped me to write my essays quicker. It seems as though it has helped me quicken things in some ways. Now, there is a process to everything, but freewriting has made things a bit easier for me. Overall, this has been a good experience.

Church Camps

Wednesday, July 16th, 2014

Today I would like to write about church camps that I have been to. Over the years I have been to quite a few church camps. Where I go to church we have youth conference, which includes guys and girls; and we also have girls camp, which is just girls of course. Last year, I had the opportunity to go to EFY, which stands for Especially for Youth. Especially for Youth is held at many college campuses and is an opportunity for kids all over to gather together, both boys and girls. You can go once you turn 14. Last year was my first time going though because we didn't know a lot about it when I was younger. While I was there I was able to stay in the dorms on the campus. One of my friends and I roomed together and shared a bathroom with two other girls. One of the girls was from Peru and the other was originally from Argentina, but was residing in California at the time. It was really neat to be able to learn more about their culture and see how they lived their lives. It is amazing how different and yet how similar people from all over the world are. Both of them were able to speak English really well, so that was a good thing. I have enjoyed all of the church camps that I have been to and have learned so much from each and every one of them. The past three years I have had the opportunity to be a leader at girls camp and I have really enjoyed that. It has been good for me to learn more about leadership. I really enjoyed working with the younger girls as well. It is always fun to watch someone grow. I have had some great experiences at church camp throughout the years!

Final Blog Reflection

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

Throughout my blogging experience I have found both successes and challenges. There have been many times that I have really been able to freewrite. I have really enjoyed the times that I have been able to embrace freewritting, rather than, contemplating what my next sentence should be. As you can see, at times knowing what to write next was a challenge for me. In the beginning once I chose a topic to write about for the day I felt as though I had to stick strictly to that topic and at times it was difficult to write more on the specific topic. Throughout my blogging experience though I came to realize that within freewriting you don't necessarily stick to just one topic. I have learned how to incorporate more than one subject together. I was able to blend my subjects together to allow myself to completely write freely. I actually really liked this project for the most part. Of course, there were days that I was not exactly thrilled to have to write more, but I would say overall it was a good project for me. I have definitely seen improvement within myself. At first when you posted the project in Lesson 4 and told us that by the end we would be able to freewrite in 10 minutes or less I didn't know whether or not I would ever be able to do that. I can gladly say that I can now! I know that you don't want to just hear about the good though. I think the hardest part of this project for me was simply choosing what to write about. There were some days that I would look at the white page in front of me and think, "What's it going to be today?" I was very grateful for the discussion thread for Blog Topics. That was helpful for me to get some ideas from other students and share my own. I was able to get my mind flowing and ready to write. All in all, I think it was a good project for us and definitely for me personally. All of those times I sat staring at my computer screen have actually paid off it seems. I am grateful to say that my blogging days are done with though for the summer. I think in the future I would like to have a blog, but probably not post every day. Anyway, I'm grateful for the project and the improvement I have seen in my writing.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Friends, Family, and Memories

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

Today is one of my best friends birthdays! Sadly, I am not back home with her to celebrate with her, but I will soon. Her and I have been really good friends since junior high and even before that, but we became really close in junior high. We used to play basketball together in elementary even. We have some great memories from third grade even. We have had some crazy sleepovers over the years and always eat more food than we should when we are together. Sonic is one of our favorite places to get shakes and slushies' when we are together. I'm pretty sure everyone loves Sonic drinks though. My mom loves their ice and has even bought some bags of ice from them just to have at home with lemonade and etc. When I was little I remember going to Sonic with my grandpa and getting their grilled cheese and chocolate shake off of their kids menu. I liked to get the same thing every time I was there. My grandpa always liked to stop and get ice cream or a soda when we were driving anywhere. We could just be going into town for bread and he would let us grandkids stop at the gas station on the way back and get something. For some reason when you are little that seems like the best thing in the world to stop and get a treat. Then the fact that you were with your grandpa made it even more special. It is the simplest things that can bring us the most joy sometimes. My grandpa had a great way of making us grandkids happy. I suppose most grandparents are loved by their grandkids though. My grandparents have always lived close by so that has been a blessing in my life. I have enjoyed being with family and having fun together.

Life and Change

Monday, July 14th, 2014

I am very excited for what the future holds for me. Wouldn't it be neat to see what you will be like, where you will live, how you will dress, what you will do, and what relationships you will have in five years? I think it would be really cool to be able to see into the future to know what things were ahead and what you could look forward to. Plans are so up in the air in regards to multiple years down the road and can even be when thinking about the next week. What I mean by that is even when you think you have a plan it seems as though things change. Of course this doesn't happen with everything, but it is very difficult to plan multiple years ahead. There is no telling what circumstances you may be in or what may or may not have happened within the previous months. I love to plan ahead and know what I am doing and what to expect within the future, however, I have come to find that Heavenly Father has a divine plan for each and every one of us. We may think we have a plan for ourselves, but ultimately he is the one pulling the strings and making things happen. Things can change in a single moment and the course of your life could be different forever with that single moment. For instance, someone close in your family may pass away and completely change the course of your life. Maybe you were planning on living in Africa and becoming an archeologist, but then your dad dies from cancer and you decide to become a Dr to help others deal with cancer and gain a deeper knowledge yourself. Life is always changing, always pressing forward and never stops. This can be a great thing, and also a bad thing. There are moments in our life when we wish we could just stop time and other times when we wish we could fast forward 10 months. Life is a journey full of changes and growth.

Work, Work, Work

Sunday, July 13th, 2014

Is anyone else concerned in the slightest about this last week of school coming up? I can tell you that I am a bit concerned and slightly stressed about all of the work that lies ahead for me within the next seven days. Honestly, I would love to go to sleep and wake up and it all be over, but sadly that is not exactly how life works. I am sure that as I continue to put forth my best effort and give my studies the time they need everything will be okay. I am so excited to be done with class for the summer! It will seem like I am literally taking off the chains from being in jail. I know that sounds awful, but these classes have made summer fun nonexistent. Taking these classes has been a great experience for me and looking back I don't think I would change that, but needless to say it will be nice to not have to stress about homework, exams, and essays to write for a little bit. There is much to be done before I receive my freedom though. I must finish my What a Place essay, write my final blog reflection, and much more. It is also concerning that I don't know anything about my English 101 final. I think it will be okay though. The class that I am really worried about is my accounting class. I have 3 lessons to cover in the matter of one week. I know that as long as I keep trucking along I can get it all done though. All is well! Keeping a positive attitude is the only way to make it through this next week with happiness. Here's to the last little bit of summer classes! We are almost done guys and we can do this! Next Friday when we are all done we can breathe in the sweet air of freedom!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Editing the Essay Thoughts

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

As I read over my personal narrative/This I Believe essay for the last time before submitting it I began to wonder what direction everyone else took within their own essay. As for myself, I told a story that represented one of the things that I believe. I loved having the opportunity to edit a couple of the other students within my class's essays. There were three of us together in a group and all three of our essays were very different. We all came at different angles for this essay. It was interesting trying to compose an essay that portrayed your credo, your This I Believe statements, and an experience for your personal narrative. The other two essays that I read were both interesting to read and experience. It seems as though when you are reading something you are experiencing the work at times. It seems to be this way in particularly in stories and poems. In Chad's essay though it really seemed like a peaceful experience to read his essay, while Chelsey's differed a bit and seemed more upbeat. Both of the essays really allowed me to get to know them better and see their personalities. I enjoyed helping them edit their essays because we all make little mistakes that have to be corrected. It is always good to get others opinions and perspectives from what they have read. In high school I was able to have a very good English teacher. I learned a lot from her and enjoyed her teaching. One of the things that she emphasized was editing. We ourselves would go over our papers and edit them and then she would have us get in groups to edit our papers. I liked having an edit group with this essay as well.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

What a Place is Coming!

Friday, July 11th, 2014

Today I would like to talk a little about my What a Place essay. I have been thinking about the criteria for the essay and I have read over the description in our Lesson 6 pdf file many times. I am actually really excited about writing this essay and creating my story into writing. I have never wrote an essay like this. I have wrote a research paper before, but strictly based off of information. This essay seems like a fun, creative twist! I have decided to write my essay about my trip to Washington, D.C. last summer. Crazy as it is, I actually won the trip there. I participated in an essay contest and made it into the top ten and then from there I had to present my essay in front of a panel of judges and audience, as well as, complete a test over the subject matter we wrote our essay on. It was a bit nerve-racking, but in the end I won the trip to Washington, D.C. It was an unforgettable place and experience. I thought this was a prime place to talk about, as well as, research out. There are many things that I learned while I was there, but I am excited to continue my learning about this historical place in the United States. There is so much to learn and take in there that I just don't know it is possible to learn everything it has to offer. Within this place are several small places that I will have the opportunity to discuss too. There were many places that we were able to visit that I would like to talk about and research more about. I think this will be a fun essay to write and I am looking forward to the ending result!

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Adventure!


Thursday, July 10th, 2014

Today I thought I would tell you about one of my adventures with my family and another family that are good friends of ours. Their last name is Harris, so when you hear me refer to this family as the Harris family you will know who I am talking about. My family and the Harris family decided to take a National Park tour out in the west. We drove all over the place from Colorado to New Mexico. We started our tour by going to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Then, from there we went and saw a few places in Utah. We went to Salt Lake City and walked around Temple Square, saw the Great Salt Lake, hiked Bryce Canyon, hiked Zion National Park, and went to a small waterfall just off the highway. I would have to say that Utah was probably favorite out of all the states we visited. It was beautiful wherever you went and there was something to see all over the state. After that we went down to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We also went to Dinosaur National Park where my brothers and the Harris boys climbed all over the rocks. We went to Mesa, Arizona and visited the Harris’s oldest daughter, who lives there with her husband and daughter and soon to be son. We then went to Carlsbad Caverns and went down into the cave there. There were a bunch of bats inside the cave and it was freezing. Later, we went to White Sands, New Mexico. We actually bought some sleds and went sledding down the hills of sand. It was really fun and who would’ve ever guessed you could sled in sand? We wrapped up going through Texas and stopping to see a few miscellaneous things there. All in all it was an unforgettable trip that was once in a lifetime.

Sensory Details!


Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

Today I wanted to practice my sensory details. I thought I would answer the questions listed under our Practice Description for our What is a Place Essay. I thought I would describe my surroundings on a plane right now to practice.

I smell fizzy coke next to me and a hint of peanut from the bag placed in front of me. One of the flight attendants just walked by and there is a strong smell of vanilla perfume coated in the air now. I can smell powdered cheese from the goldfish someone just opened up to eat.

I can hear seat belts clicking on now that the buzzer has went off for us to put them on. I can hear someone shuffling by on their way to use the restroom and a child babbling along about who knows what. I hear ice being rattled in glasses and someone flipping pages in their magazine.

Right now I can see my mother sleeping beside me and my brother playing some games on the other side of me. I can see our bags in the floor and my assignment sheets right next to me. I can see lights and warning signs directly above me and a movie being played in front of me. I can see my brother’s headphones jammed into the pocket of the seat in front of him and his jacket draped on top of him.

I can feel the wind crushing into the sides of the plane and slight movement up and down. I feel a thin blanket on top of my legs and the smooth keyboard from my computer on the tips of my fingers. I feel my stomach starting to get hungry and the smooth leather pocket in the seat in front of me. I feel a slight bouncing sensation as we go through some slight wind.

Practice, practice, practice. I know that is the only way I will become better at this, but I already feel better about description.

Travel


Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

Today I am traveling with my family and enjoying the craze of it all. When you travel it is always so exhilarating and exciting, yet so exhausting and irritating at times. I really enjoy reading books when traveling, however, it seems as though movies are the replacement today. Earlier we watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier and now they have started Rio 2. I am not necessarily one for the superhero movies, but this one was actually really good. I have never seen the first one, so that probably would’ve been helpful in understanding everything, but for the most part I was able to catch on and enjoy it. Sometimes it seems like the second movie in a sequence is the best, while other times, it seems to be the first. Now everyone has their own opinion of course so that changes things as well. For instance, I love the first Home Alone movie, but I think I’d have to say that the second one is my favorite. Another thing I find interesting is how people choose their favorite book out of a series. It seems as though the book they choose always has things going the way they want them to go, such as: the guy is with the girl they want them to be with, or when they win the trophy. There are all kinds of reasons and it is always interesting to hear the different opinions and their reasoning behind their selection. I have actually seen the first Rio, however, I have never seen the second one until today, although watching that movie isn’t exactly going successful as I type. I am excited to see it though because I loved the first one. After I watched the first one I wanted to go to Rio! Movies always have a way of making you want to go wherever they take place, unless it’s Jaws or something like that. I don’t think I would want to be getting eaten! Anyway, Rio 2 I am now yours.

Personal Narrative Thoughts


Monday, July 7th, 2014

I really enjoyed going through and editing the other students’ essays within my group. I was surprised at how different everyone’s essays were, and how my group members had dwindled. I expected to have the same amount of people in my writing group as before, however, that was not the case. In the beginning my group included five students and now it only has three, including myself. I loved reading Chelsey and Chad’s essays in my group. I felt like I was able to get to know them much better because their essays truly showed their personality. It seemed as though their personalities shined through their phrasing, wording, and just plain writing. Both of the essays were delightful to read, however, they were far from alike. It seemed as though everyone had a different approach to this essay. Chad began his essay with his credo, which was wrote beautifully. Chelsey talked about herself personally and what she hoped to live by throughout her life. I myself told a personal story and incorporated my credo within it. When I read the story Casa in our book I loved how the personal narrative was created. She told a story from her childhood and incorporated her values and the things that were important to her throughout the story with great detail. After reading this personal narrative, I decided that would be my approach to my own personal narrative as well. I must admit that I have never went at a personal narrative essay quite the way I did this time, however, I felt very good about my ending result. It was amazing to me how different all three of our personal narrative essays were, yet we were all able to express our credo within the essay, although in many different ways.

Some of my Favorites


Sunday, July 6th, 2014

Today I would like to tell you a little about myself and some of my favorites. My favorite color is turquoise, but I love all bright, happy colors. My room at home is even painted in turquoise on two walls and red on the other two. My favorite color to wear would probably have to be red. I have noticed that within the past year. I have quite a bit of things red, or that go with red. My favorite type of food would have to be Italian. I absolutely love pasta! It is definitely one of my weaknesses. I really love snacks as well, such as: fruit snacks, yogurt, peanut butter crackers, goldfish, raisins, pretzels, string cheese, and the list could go on and on. I am a sucker for fruit snacks though. I could just eat them all day long if you gave me a gigantic bowel of them. Here’s your random fact of the day: I like to drink a little bit of pickle juice out of the jar once all the pickles have been eaten. My favorite pickles are the zesty dill pickle spears, but I love the classic dill pickles as well. My younger brother and I really like the dill pickle chips by Lays too. They are good to have with sandwiches in the summer time in particularly. I love the Reese’s peanut butter cup eggs that they have at Easter time. They just seem so much better than the normal Reese’s peanut butter cups for some reason. At this point I have probably made you hungry. I love all kinds of sour candy too. I am a big fan or the Warhead cubes, Sour Patch Kids, and good ole’ sour gummy worms. Now you know a little more about me, but mostly what my taste buds jump for!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Clean-up


Saturday, July 5th, 2014

My two brothers and I stayed the night last night at my Grandma’s house, as tradition. Usually we like to go night swimming once everyone has left and gone home, but this year it got really cool. We didn’t even go swimming yesterday, which is very unusual. Today we began our clean-up process at my Grandma’s house. There is always a bunch of pieces of fireworks around the yard and drive way to pick up and throw away. We took down all the decorations and put them back into their bags and put them all back into their spots for the next year. We talked about all the fun times we had yesterday and who all was there. We like to try to think of everyone that was there and make a count. This year it seemed like there were quite a few people gone out of town, but it was still fun. There are usually a bunch of left over fireworks so we like to set some off as we clean. Some people will forget their fireworks there, or leave their extras there for us too. When we were little we thought that was the best thing ever to get free fireworks. When my cousins and I were little we even made our own little pretend firework stand too. We got all of the big boxes from the big fireworks and put them on a table along with the bottle rockets and smoke bombs and all kinds of other stuff. We had a lot of fun together trading fireworks and pretending we were selling the fireworks for real. It is funny to think back on times like those when you were little and didn’t know any better. The simplest of things had a way of making you happy and creating you the most joy. I believe that the simplest of things can truly bring us the greatest joy if we allow them to.

Fourth of July!


Friday, July 4th, 2014

Today is the Fourth of July! The big day of celebration has arrived for my family. Today I have been able to help my grandma get the outdoors decorated up. We have a bunch of little American flags put up around the yard and sidewalk and a blue streamer around her front porch and the trees. We also have some signs on the front porch and the mailbox. My Grandma has been hosting Fourth of July at her house for years and each year she likes to get a new decoration to add to her collection. You can imagine how many she has collected over the years! Needless to say, it is most definitely decorated and ready for the party. Today we filled up a ton of water balloons for some of the games she has planned. We have a variety of big, long and skinny, and small balloons. My Grandma even got some water balloons called “groovy soakers.” There were different colors swirled around on them, almost like tie dye. We also had to get the pool all cleaned up and ready to swim, although we didn’t end up swimming. Usually we like to make a whirlpool to get all of the stuff in the middle and dip it out with the net. Once everyone had arrived we began playing games. We busted open a piƱata, played musical chairs scavenger hunt, raced other teams with water balloons, and had a water balloon toss. We have played all kinds of games over the years and every year they are always fun. After all of the games we have hamburgers and hotdogs and all kinds of extras. We also have homemade ice cream and dessert. Once it gets dark we begin the firework show with the big fireworks and the fountains. I love sparklers too, so I always do those at night. Fourth of July was definitely a success! It was a good time with family, food, fun, and fireworks.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Class, Work, and Baseball!

Thursday, June 3rd, 2014

First off, was it not completely gorgeous outside or what? Today was a great day to be outside, although between these online classes I am taking there is not always time to be outside. Thankfully, I am able to work outdoors this summer. It has been a blessing to be able to enjoy the outdoors as I work since I haven't had the time to do so when I am home. It seems as though when I am home I am just clicking away on my computer working on class. Along with this English 101 class, I am also taking an accounting class this summer. Thankfully, I have been able to gain a knowledge in both of these classes. I have enjoyed the classes I have taken this summer, but at times they have been rather difficult. I know that in the end they will be well worth it. Often times difficulties bring the greatest rewards. I have really enjoyed the discussions in my English class. They are full of information and learning.

Today I had a good day at work amongst the other employees and my management. I have been blessed with a great group of people to work alongside with this summer. My younger brother played baseball tonight so I was able to go and see some of the game. He actually got hit in the elbow with a ball tonight and now it is all swollen. My mom is actually debating on whether or not we should take him to the emergency room as we speak. She is concerned about it and he is the type to not say too much about pain. A few years back he was playing baseball once again and broke his thumb during the game. He played throughout the whole game and even continued playing the next two weeks before we actually took him to the doctor. He has a good way of shrugging things off and acting as though it's not too bad. Thankfully, we were able to take him to the doctor to get it cared for in the end. We shall see what happens with his elbow.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Poetry!


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Today I decided to write a few different types of poems for fun. I’m not very talented within poetry, however, when I was younger I really enjoyed writing them. I love to listen to people read them aloud. Poetry has such a beautiful flow to it and can create a beautiful picture that nothing else can. Walt Whittman’s poetry is soothing to the sole to hear and to read. While I was in Junior High my English teacher required that all of her students memorize and say a poem in front of the class each year. In 7th grade we were to memorize Oh Captain my Captain and then in 8th grade we had to memorize Two Roads diverged in a Yellow Wood. I can still pronounce some stanzas from those poems still to this day. At the time, it seemed as though it was an extremely difficult and scary task, but now I look back with gratitude to my junior high English teacher. She really helped me acquire a deeper knowledge within English and in particularly in poetry. Before her I didn’t know a whole lot about the different types of poetry. I can’t tell you all about them now, but at the time I felt like I had a good knowledge about poetry. Anyway, I enjoy poetry and even though these are just simple little ones I hope you enjoy them!

 

 

Flower Garden


Always Bright Colors

Dandelions Elegant Fragrantly Growing

Hibiscus In Journey

Kingcup Lay Meaningful

Narcissus Outrageous Poke

Quickly Radiate Shine

Together Unbelievable

Very Wacky ‘Xpressions

 Yellow  Zinnia’s

 

bears

fierce, big

devastating, menacing, threatening

mammal, warrior, protector, wasp

stinging, pricking, annoying

yellow, small

yellow jackets 

 

spring

cool, pretty

flowing, flowering growing

easter, season, Christmastime, snow

snowing, biting, cutting

cold, white

winter

 

pineapples

yellow, juicy

picking, slicing, cutting

fruit, drinkable, edible, vitamin c

growing, slashing, opening

orange, round

oranges

 

strawberries

red, sweet

dicing, gouging, splitting

fruit, vine-like, juicy, berry

popping, vining, clumping

purple, green

grape

 

4th of July

bright, elaborate

exploding, rocketing, flying

fireworks, celebration, holiday, songs

snowing, celebrating, singing

white, peaceful

Christmas

 

My Credo


Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

Life is full of trials and tribulations, but it can also be filled with joy and happiness. I think that one of the most important things we can do in life is to simply love and serve. Yes, I said simply although it is not always so simple. It can be very difficult to love others, life, your job, your struggles, your car that isn’t a corvette in prime condition, or our family members. It is very possible to love though, through diligence at times, and at ease in others. When you pair love and service together you are bound to find happiness. That is, along as you go at it with an open heart. I have found that the more I serve others, the more I love them. You could be frustrated or upset and then you go and do service for someone and it seems as though your troubles disappear and you gain a deeper love for whom you are serving. I know that this has been very true for me. Service is never a bad thing for anyone! When it comes down to it we all want to be loved and to love others. A great way to love someone is to serve them. Sometimes it is difficult to love someone and serving them is like a door opening to their heart. Staying positive through all that life has to offer sure makes your life look a whole lot more positive as well. My credo for life would have to be, “Stay Positive, Love, and Serve!”

Monday, June 30, 2014

My Grandma

Monday, June 30th, 2014

Today I was able to help my Mom and Uncle with some cleaning out. My grandma has been in a nursing home for a few years now since she had a stroke. She had to go through quite a bit of physical therapy to get her up and going again. As much as she would like to think she is just as healthy as a 22 year old, she isn't. My Uncle had moved into the home my Grandma used to live in and hadn't really cleaned any of her things out. She took some with her to the nursing home, but she has collected a lot of stuff over the years! Anyone who has cleaned out an elderly person's room can tell you all about that. She had all kinds of knick-knacks tucked away. It was amazing some of the things we were able to find, and then other things we couldn't even believe she kept. It was literally a treasure hunt! By the end of the day we were able to get through a lot of her stuff. Quite a bit of it is going to be donated and some of it we are keeping of course. We found a few things she would probably like to have with her at the nursing home so we are going to take some of that later. My grandma was actually a writer herself. She wrote a couple books and always thought it would be neat to have them published; but she never got too far along in the process to do so. I myself haven't read the books so I couldn't tell you if they were actually good or not, but she just loved to write. She said it was relaxing to her to just sit down at the typewriter. She would type a few more pages every day. Now, that's been years past, but I know that if she were handed a typewriter today she would just begin clicking away like it was yesterday. She has definitely aged, but in some ways she seems as young as ever. My Grandma has inspired me to do new things and to reach for my dreams more. She has influenced my life in the past; and I know she will continue to in the future.

Church and Family!

Sunday, June 29th, 2014

 Today my family and I were able to go to church this morning. I always enjoy going to church and getting spiritually uplifted and prepared for the week ahead. I have grown up going to church each and every Sunday and plan to continue on for the rest of my life. It has been a great strength to me throughout my life thus far. My church family has always been very loving, friendly, and supportive of me throughout the years. I have always been able to count on my teachers to teach me something new and create a positive atmosphere for me to be around each Sunday. I have been able to create long-lasting friendships and many memories.

Another tradition that we keep in my family is Sunday dinner. Every Sunday we always go over to my Grandma's house to have dinner as a family. We have been having Sunday dinner for as long as I can remember. My family, my grandma, my uncle, and my two cousins always go. Every now and then more of my extended family will come as well. We enjoy visiting with one another and laughing together. I don't mean to paint this beautiful fairytale picture, because we do have issues that must be addressed and people get on each others nerves; but we still have to love one another. I have many memories from going to Sunday dinner at my Grandma's and I wouldn't change them for the world. Some of my fondest memories as a child are from those times together.

Last but not least, we always try to squeeze in a Sunday nap. My mom and I in particularly always try to rest some in the afternoon. Sundays are my days to get rested and prepared for the week ahead, so naps can be helpful towards those efforts. It is just nice to be able to take a good nap if time is permitting. Sunday is my favorite day of the week!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

My Mom officially has her own computer!

Friday, June 27th, 2014

Today I was able to go to Springfield with my mom and my little brother. At home we use my laptop for anything we need a computer for, so it stays pretty busy! My mom really liked my computer and knew that I will be leaving soon to go to college in the fall, so she would need to get a computer for at home. She looked into which one she would want and decided that she wanted to get the same one as me that way she would know how to work it and I could help her with it. So we all got in the car to go to Springfield to get her a computer this morning. We went in and she was able to get the one she wanted for a better price than what she was afraid of, so that was a plus. Now, I have the honor of teaching her how to do things and how to use it! When she has been on my computer she gets so surprised at some of the things that it can do. It is always interesting to see her reactions to some things. She is a very cheery, bubbly person so she gets all excited about some things. My brother was excited too of course. I was also able to read more in my accounting textbook and am learning so much more than what I would've thought in that class. It can be kind of fun at times and then so frustrating other times! I can genuinely say that I have enjoyed my English class though. I have always enjoyed English throughout school; and it has always been my favorite subject. I have so much to learn within the subject though sometimes I feel like such a Rookie! I think that is how my mom feels with her computer too.

And the Fluency Journal Begins!

Thursday, June 26th, 2014

I am the type of person who likes to write some things and type other things. There are some things that are just so much more personable when written. I enjoy typing at times when my brain seems to be on a roll, but when it comes to a more sensitive topic or more personal things I prefer to write. This fluency journal is actually going to be quite interesting for me I feel like. I think I will go back and forth between writing things and then later typing them, and just typing them. In a world full of technology it is nice to just pick up a pen and write sometimes rather than click your fingers away on a computer. For me I feel like I am on my computer all the time between the online classes I am taking, so a change of scenery is nice. Recently, I have been trying to write in my journal frequently. It is relaxing in a way to just be able to write the things on your mind. I have noticed that for me sometimes when I am stressed if I will just put everything down on paper that I am worried about my mind seems so much freer, rather than, bogged down. I am both excited and overwhelmed with this fluency assignment. I know that there will be many days, such as today, when I will write rather than type and then type later. I know that this will be a good habit to get into and will help me to prepare for Composition 2 next year. I think that this will be a great thing to look back on as well. When I was in elementary and in junior high I kept a journal somewhat and some of the things I wrote are so funny to look back on and think about. I hope that this will maybe serve in a similar way. I hope to look back on this fluency journal assignment and remember some of the memories I made at this time in my life.

Fourth of July is on its way!

Saturday, June 28th, 2014

Every year on Fourth of July my family and I go over to my grandma's house to celebrate. I have a lot of extended family that live close by so we are all able to get together every year. There is usually about 50 people there to enjoy the day. As you can imagine, there is quite a bit of work in preparing for the event before it actually happens and a lot of cleaning to be done once it is over. Can you guess who gets to help with all of this? My family, my uncle, and my cousins. Every year we have to spray paint some things, clean off the front and back porch, spread mulch out, make sure the flowers look good, get the yard mowed and weed-eated, and the list goes on and on. As the Fourth of July approaches there is much to be done to get things all ready for the big day. So, what do you think I got to do today? Why yes, yes I did get to help my grandma get things cleaned up this morning. You may think I am coming off as negative about this, but in all actuality I enjoy helping her. Throughout the years it has been a great way for us to bond together. I have loved the time spent at my grandma's house getting ready for Fourth of July, celebrating Fourth of July, and cleaning up after Fourth of July. When I was little I remember the first time my grandpa taught us how to spray paint. There are five of us grandkids in total and we were all decently close in age so we all learned about the same time. We thought it was super cool to be able to spray paint! We all had different things assigned to us to spray paint. Over the years we have still kept that same object to spray paint. The clean-up was always fun for us to because we would find all kinds of left over fireworks around the yard. It seemed to always be a competition to see who could find the most. We have a piƱata every year too so we would sometimes find leftover candy for us to snack on while we picked up all the trash. We always play at least three kid games and three adult games and have a blast. I have and forever will enjoy the Fourth of July spent with family.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Know Your Audience Analysis


I really enjoyed Belinda Clark’s discussion question of, “Where are you from and what circumstances brought you to where you are?” It was so interesting to see where everyone was from and why. I would have to say the majority of the people in the class are from Springfield, Missouri expectedly, but there were some people that had lived in places such as: Italy, Germany, and Mexico. It thought that was really neat! Scott Smith even said that he had traveled the world a lot, but Springfield was his hometown and where he always seems to end up. That got me to thinking about my own hometown and whether I will be able to say that in ten years. I am just beginning my journey in life and I’m uncertain where I will end up, possibly my hometown with family.

I also enjoyed Kayla Holland’s question of whether or not we have children. I went through and counted up the responses and the people who do not are slightly ahead. There is almost half and half on this question! It was great to see the ratio of people who are younger and also older. This makes a big difference in your writing audience. There are many things young people could talk about that older people wouldn’t be interested and vice versa. It is good to know that our audience is broad!

Adrienne Lamphear’s discussion question on what our favorite season is was a great way to get to know people. The majority of the people said fall was their favorite, but summer wasn’t too far behind. I was honestly surprised at how many people said winter was their favorite season! I would have never guessed that that many people actually liked winter. It’s not that I don’t like it at all, but it’s not necessarily a season I am excited about either.

I thought it was interesting how we all had different TV shows to represent our lives and only a couple were the same. That just goes to show you how different we all are! Interestingly many of us have far different paths in life we would like to take, as discovered by Maria Whitsel’s question about the future ten years from now. Nearly everyone though had something to say about family or their spouse. I think that goes to show that no matter what family is so important and is highly valued.

Although the Jung Personality test wasn’t part of the Know Your Audience discussion board; I feel like it also helped me do just that. I liked going through some of the blogs and seeing what kind of personality’s people had. This was also a great way to get to know the students in class.

There were a lot of great discussion questions posted and I thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s responses. It was amazing to me how all over the board we are as a class. It seems as though everyone is very different and unique. Thanks for letting me get to know you, as I hope you have gotten to know me.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

This I Believe Freewrite

I believe in true happiness not temporary happiness. Some may think, "What on Earth do you mean by that?" Well, I will explain. Our world today seems to be chalked full of temporary happiness. Around every corner is the opportunity to go get drunk, break your virtue, try drugs, buy clothes that reveal everything, and the list goes on and on. These things all bring temporary happiness, the happiness that is there in the moment for a short while but do not last. These things allow you to "be happy" for a time, then end in regret or an addiction to do more, which ultimately leads you down a life of unhappiness. For instance, many think going to parties and getting drunk is fun, hip, and will bring them happiness. While they may think this in the moment, they will not think this the next morning when they are hung-over. There are so many threats to just a plain ole' good person these days it is sometimes difficult to see through the ciaos of our world. There is a lot of pressure for people to join in on these worldly things, however, that is not what brings us true happiness. True happiness comes from living by the commandments set forth in the scriptures. True happiness comes from laughing with your family and friends. True happiness is keeping the law of chastity and waiting until you are married. True happiness comes from serving others wholeheartedly. True happiness is seen in the light of someone's eye. Just like temporary happiness, true happiness comes in many ways. I strongly believe that there is a difference between the happiness the world has to offer and the happiness our God has to offer.

288 words

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

This I Believe

I believe in love at first sight.
I believe in true happiness, not temporary happiness.
I believe in service.
I believe in the power of prayer.
I believe in the wisdom of those who have passed away.
I believe in laughing until you cry.
I believe that everyone has a conscious to know that what they are doing is right or wrong.
I believe that our thoughts become our actions and the words we speak.
I believe that I can be a successful student with hard work.
I believe that next summer I will be able to enjoy the outdoors.
I believe that someday I will have my bachelors degree and maybe go further.
I believe that I will feel accomplished and happy at the end of this semester.
I believe that I will stay active even in college.
I believe that my family loves me.
I believe that Heavenly Father is real and wants the best for me.
I believe that the scriptures are true.
I believe that we can live our lives in happiness.
I believe that looking on the bright side of things and staying positive will allow you to be more happy.
I believe that in life we must go through trials, but it is how we endure them that really matters.
I believe that there is life after death and that there is much more to life than this little time we have here on Earth.
I believe that this world we live in was created by our Heavenly Father.
I believe that we can help brighten someone else's day even by smiling there way.
I believe that I will someday be a good mother and good wife.
I believe that someday my life will not consist of schooling.
I believe that I will not regret taking summer classes.
I believe that life is an opportunity we should not take fore granted.
 



Saturday, June 14, 2014

Typology Test Fascination

Welcome to my personality world of an ESTJ! This test was very fascinating! The questions that the test included really made me think and ask myself which one was true. There were some that I thought could go either way depending upon different situations, which made it difficult to decide on an answer. I really enjoyed taking this test and learning more about myself as both a person and as a writer.

After I had taken this test I was instantly interested on how I could learn more about the test and about my results. I found the same type of test on another website and found out even more. On this website the test was called a Keirsey Temperament Sorter 2. For each personality type it had two key words to describe that specific personality. My two words that went along with the ESTJ personality were Guardian Supervisor. (I suppose this is what I am called.)

My test results matched up with my personality really well after I had researched out what being an ESTJ really meant. One thing I really liked about the Typology test that we took was how it showed the percentage of each letter for you. This made the test even more accurate and easier to understand.

As for my personality I am a "Gaurdian Supervisor." The Gaurdian part of me likes to have fun with my friends, but is very serious about my duties and responsibilities. I am loyal, dependable, and believe in order and organization. The Supervisor in me will work hard to accomplish a goal. I am good at organizing, scheduling, and planning. I found out I have the same personality type as Bill O'Reilly as well. Now, there is plenty more to be said about my personality, but this will at least give you an idea of who I am.

Now that we know what we are discussing let me tell you that most everything that I read about my personality type was right. I am very serious about my duties and responsibilities. As a result of this, I have been a good, prompt student in the past and hope to continue to be throughout the future. I am not so sure my writing would be described as serious, however. My classes have always been something I hold as a high priority and responsibility; as they should be. My Chronicles teacher and fellow classmates have consistently been able to trust me and my writing abilities. As a writer for the school newspaper, I had to be prompt in turning in my stories and dependable in getting them done. I am a strong believer of organization in any and all aspects of life. I strive to stay organized with deadlines, notes and assignments, and even the outline of a paper. Everything becomes clear to me when it is in an organized manner.

In this short amount of class time we have had and with the help of the Typology test I am beginning to see that I tend to be an enthusiastic writer. Now, as a person, I have always been somewhat enthusiastic. In my writing I catch myself wanting to add exclamation points to sentences to show what I really feel, and then think twice knowing that it would be inappropriate. I enjoy writing and adding enthusiasm always makes writing more entertaining to read and people more fun to be around.

This test will definitely assist me and has already assisted me in my college writing. Knowing who you are is important in every aspect of your life, not just writing. I think if you truly know who you are and even how you are then you have far greater chances of being successful if you did not. This personality test has made me realize both who I am and how I am as a person and as a writer. I know that personality leaks through in our writing, therefore, ESTJ shows who I am and how I write.

The Typology test has filled me with fascination and curiosity. This test will be beneficial to me now and in the future as a student, writer, and person. I can't wait to learn more and grow from this knowledge!


Hello, hello! Welcome to my very first blog. I have made this blog as part of an assignment in my Composition 1 class. I have actually always thought it would be neat to have my own blog, but have never made the commitment to make one. I am excited to begin my blog and hope to have fun with it!