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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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 piñata, 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.
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!”
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