March 18,2011 Class Blog Post Assignment :)

My Favorite Quotes!

" Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

-Author unknown.

This is one of my favorite quotes. I quote it often, and use it in my daily life. It's true a person has to learn how to deal with what comes their way in life. It's an optimistic way of looking at things. You never know what is going to happen in life. Things will come and go your way. We just have to be prepared for what could happen and learn to dance in the rain for what does happen.

 Also when I think of this quote it leads to another quote that I love.

"Come what may, and love it."

- Joseph B. Wirthlin, Oct 2008 General Conference

This quote is an amazing quote! Something we really can live by. "Come what may, and love it" it is so true!  The words  in this quote say it all. Everything happens for a reason so whatever comes  your way  remember to let it and love it. You never know you may learn and benefit from it.

I think these quotes can  relate to each other and have similar meanings towards life. They are telling us to just live your life, smile, have fun, be yourself, and laugh! Whatever life throws, you can handle.

How can I encourage my friends to show pride in being an American? Essay :)

                How can I encourage my friends to show pride in being an American?  American's are really blessed because we have the opportunity to be ourselves. We have had a great foundation for freedom laid for us by our forefathers.  They thoughtfully crafted for us the Declaration Of Independence and The Constitution Of The United States. These two documents provide us a guide to maintain and safe guard  our freedoms. There are many examples of rights in America that other people in different countries don't get to experience. Many men and women dedicated their lives so that we can live, think and speak our hearts.  There were many men who gave their lives so that we could recite the pledge of allegiance at school. We possess the right to worship how we desire. The people of the United States have the choice of what religion to practice.  In America we believe that all human life is of value, we have the right to bear and keep all of our offspring regardless of gender. 

            There were many men who gave their lives so that we could recite the pledge of allegiance at school. Every day we get up and say the pledge at school. Do you stop and think what you're saying? Most teens don't. I would encourage my friends to think about the pledge and what it stands for."The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."   ( http://www.usflag.org/colors.html) If everyone could stop and think about what the flag stands for as they place their hand on their heart and recite the pledge or sing the national anthem while gazing at the flag. Americans would be more likely to be thankful for their freedom.

            The people of the United States have the choice of what religion to practice. In the constitution it states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The United States is very fortunate we have the choice to join a church or not to join at all. We are allowed to believe what we want to believe. We are not forced to believe anything. Teens should see this as an opportunity. They aren't being forced to be part of any religion unless they want to be part of it.

            In America we believe that all human life is of value, we have the right to bear and keep all of our offspring regardless of gender.  On any given day in the US, 10,657 babies are born. If my friends could realize that even though they are here today if they were born in China there is a good chance they would be in an orphanage or not be alive, especially the girls. American families have the option of an abortion, raising their child, or an adoption.  Not one is required just because the baby is a girl.

            If America still was in the time where we had slaves, where people believed blacks didn't matter, or where poor people weren't thought of as people. What a horrific world that would be. Blacks would not have the rights they have today they wouldn't get the opportunity to live a regular life. Poor people would be living rotten lives they wouldn't be treated equal at all. Little baby girls would be killed just because of their gender.

            How can I encourage my friends to be proud that they are American. American's are really blessed because we have the opportunity to be ourselves. We have had a great foundation for freedom laid for us by our forefathers.  They thoughtfully crafted for us the Declaration Of Independence  and The Constitution Of The United States. These two documents provide us a guide to our maintain and safe guard  our freedoms. There are many examples of rights  in America that other people in different countries don't get to experience. Many men and women dedicated their lives so that we can live, think and speak our hearts.  There were many men who gave their lives so that we could recite the pledge of allegiance at school. We possess the right to worship how we desire. The people of the United States have the choice of what religion to practice.  In America we believe that all human life is of value, we have the right to bear and keep all of our offspring regardless of gender.  We have the opportunity to live a wonderful life. We have so many blessings that come with our freedom. We are spoiled compared to other countries. The flag, the pledge, the national anthem, The Constitution, The Declaration Of Independence, the men who died,  a strong government and an elected President. These are just a few of the reasons we live free lives today.  We should vote, obey the law, stand up and place our hands on our heart when we see the flag, and support our troops.  These are all ways to be a good example of a freedom loving patriotic American.  I am thankful for my freedom and the life I live as an American.

           

The Taxi By: Amy Lowell.. Poem Essay :)

The Taxi

                The Taxi by Amy Lowell is a fairly straight forward poem. The poet is describing her feelings as a taxi takes her away from her loved one, at night. The evidence is her love affair, the poet is showing the unfairness that forces her and the lover to part. It is pretty clear that as she is carried away in the taxi into the harsh world, she is protesting against her separation from her loved one.

                "When I go away from you, the world beats dead, like a slackened drum."(Lines 1-3) My interpretation of this section in the poem is her feelings of her loved one departing from her.  As they leave each other "the world beats dead." (line 2) She feels lost and incomplete without her other half.  If you compare this to a drum it is like her love has no more rhythm as to a drum that has no beat. "Like a slackened drum" (Line 3) when I read this line I pictured a drum that its seams were no longer tightly stretched, and its sound was dying.  When she leaves her loved one it's like the sagging of the drum she begins to fall apart, and her beat dies.

                "I call out for you against the jutted stars , and shout into the ridges of the wind."  (4-5) The stars and the wind  are metaphors for her anger and her resentments. She cries into the stars of the night for hope to feel whole and be with the one she loves again. When she says "shout into the ridges of the wind" (Line 5) I interpret from these lines that she is upset and she is shouting but the winds are roaring and blocking her cries. Her cries to the stars shout into the howls of the wind. I think in these lines she is feeling angry like know one is listening.

                "Streets coming fast, one after the other, wedge you away from me, and the lamps of the city prick my eyes, so that I can no longer see your face." ( Lines 6-10) "Streets coming fast, one after the other, wedge you away from me."  She is in the taxi and it is moving farther and farther away and she is realizing they will soon be far apart. "The lamps of the city prick my eyes, so that I can no longer see your face." ( Lines 9-10) I think that she could be thinking two different thoughts in this line. One, that maybe she is happy that she can longer see her loved ones face so is it easier to move forward.  Or two, that she is upset about not being able to see it for one last time and that she is longing for the sight of it.

                "Why should I leave you, to wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night?" ( Lines 11-12) This line is suggesting that how can she leave this loved one, and face the world. In her eyes the world is a harsh place and she cannot face it alone. I believe it also suggests that she doesn't know how to face the world beyond her relationship.

                The Taxi by Amy Lowell is a fairly straight forward poem. The poet is describing her feelings as a taxi takes her away from her loved one, at night. The evidence is her love affair, the poet is showing the unfairness that forces her and the lover to part. It is pretty clear that as she is carried away in the taxi into the harsh world, she is protesting against her separation from her loved one. The poem emphasizes  a theme such as "jutting" stars, "ridges" of wind, streets coming "fast", "pricking" lamps as though the world outside of her relationship is too harsh and hard, and she fears and resents it.  She is struggling with the fact that they are apart from each other and that she will soon have to face the world alone.

               

The Taxi By: Amy Lowell

When I go away from you

The world beats dead

Like a slackened drum.

I call out for you against the jutted stars  

And shout into the ridges of the wind.  

Streets coming fast,

One after the other,

Wedge you away from me,

And the lamps of the city prick my eyes

So that I can no longer see your face.

Why should I leave you,

To wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night?

If Everyone Cared Essay :)

If Everyone Cared!

            " As we lie beneath the stars, we realize how small we are, if they could love like you and me imagine what the world could be." In the song If Everyone Cared by Nickelback it gives a few good examples of what our world could be like if we changed the bad to the good. Here is a few lines that fit the meaning to a better world. If everyone cared and nobody cried. If everyone loved and nobody lied. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride.

            If everyone cared and nobody cried. Think about our world today; do we intentionally do things to hurt others? Do we cause pointless drama? Instead of helping we tend to take the route that makes us cool and gives us popularity.  We don't do what the right thing is. We're high school students and especially us girls we hurt each other all the time. We forget about people's feelings. If everyone cared, if everyone tried to be nice, if everyone was equal in each other's eyes think of what a better world it would be. Our tears could be tears of joy not hurtful tears.

            If everyone loved and nobody lied. Everybody loves the feeling of knowing that someone loves them. We like the warm fuzzies, and the happy thought that you love them and even better they love you back. In the song it says "If everyone could love like you and me imagine what the world could be." I really like this phrase I believe it is true. Love can change anyone sometimes for better or worse. For example what if we were friends with everyone.  If their gender, race, stereo-type, social rank, looks, or how they acted didn't matter. If we didn't judge, if we didn't choose friends based on the cool notes drama would be minimized, people would be happy, and there would be lots more smiling faces. It's pretty sad that all the points to this song are what ifs but it is true that's our world today. Oh what a world it really could be if we loved instead of lied.

            If everyone shared and swallowed their pride. Nobody can deny it we all have pride. Pride is usually used in not a good sense. We learn when we are little kids to share but does it travel with us to our teens, adults years, and elderly years? Mom always says share your toys with your siblings, and your friends. Do you share your toys today? Our toys may not be material toys but more of literal toys. Such as a smile, a hello, a how are you, an act of kindness, lending a hand, or simply just being there for one another.

            Put it in to a sense today. If everyone was always hurt and crying what a gray depressing life this could be. If we always lied who could you ever trust? Could you tell your friends that secret? If everyone was prideful and never shared with each other how crude this world would be.

            " As we lie beneath the stars, we realize how small we are, if they could love like you and me imagine what the world could be." In the song If Everyone Cared by Nickelback it gives a few good examples of what our world could be like if we changed the bad to the good. Here is a few lines that fit the meaning to a better world. If everyone cared and nobody cried. If everyone loved and nobody lied. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride. If we all jumped in and helped each other out. If we laughed instead of hurt each other. If we cried over happy things.  If we learned to love, to share, to be honest, to swallow our pride, to care for one another all of our pointless drama that seems so important may be solved. If only we could make the what ifs true statements.

If Everyone Cared By: Nickelback Lyrics :)

"If Everyone Cared"
From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

[Chorus:]
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

And I'm singing

Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
(I'm alive)

[Chorus x2]

And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
When nobody died...

[Chorus]

We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day when nobody died

Object essay! POPCORN!! (:

Pop! Pop! Pop! Not able to  see it but can hear it. Shhh..... Listen to the sound. A drum? Fireworks? A gun? What could it be?  The heat rises, the tension builds up. Then the microwave chirps a  beep!  Smells like butter. Looks like a cloud. Tastes salty. Crunches like snow between your teeth.

                Popcorn starts as a little seed. Farmers plant it, water, and nurture the corn. It eventually grows into tall corn stalks that reach for the sky. Workers harvest the long, fat cobs of corn.  Lay the cobs out to dry the kernels. Then  shave the rows of kernels off the cobs.  Next,  apply heat to the corn kernels and it will pop into  popcorn!  Most are in favor of the wonderful flavor  of this fluffy, salty, buttery, yellow, and white treat.

                Popcorn can be compared to our future in life. We start with a goal as our seed. We plant that goal by taking action. Water it with practice. Nurture it with confidence.  Pretty soon the goal grows into a reality. Lay your accomplishments out . Harvest the skills. Then  layer by layer you have almost reached it.  Next, put it all together apply motivation. The goal has became a certainty.  Congratulations the popcorn has popped and the goal has been reached.

                Life can be like a kernel of popcorn,  some pop in to something wonderful,  some do not. Popcorn kernels are full of potential.  They either use the heat in their favor to pop or let the heat burn them .  Popcorn like people can either use the heat to help fulfill their goals and reach their highest potential in life, or they can let obstacles in life burn them.  Some popcorn kernels do not  react positively to the heat and become a fluffy treat.   Like a person not living up to their goals in life.

Huck Finn essay! Who should children be raised by?

In  the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by: Mark Twain I stuck with my opinion that it is not always good for children to be raised by their parents. Huck had a rotten father who didn't treat him kindly. Some parents shouldn't be allowed to have kids because of their everyday actions that they choose. Certain parents aren't capable of raising their children.

                Huck had a rotten father who didn't treat him kindly. Pap never really tried to be a good father to Huck. Coming home drunk, or as soon as he got money he ran out to get alcohol. sometimes he was not even home to give Huck the love and care a child needs. A fourteen year old child needs stabilization, somebody to take care of them, and a good father to love them.  Jim took over the role of Huck's father. He was a role model to Huck. Jim taught Huck right from wrong. He also taught  Huck about what was lucky and what wasn't. He comforted, helped, and cared for Huck. Jim had a relationship with Huck that he had never had with his own pap.

                Some parents shouldn't be allowed to have kids because of their everyday actions they choose. Parents who come home drunk or are drunk most of the time tend to be mean to their children. Their kids may be suffering because of their alcohol, and drug addictions. Some parents choose to abuse their children by taking out their anger on them from work, or their daily frustrations.

                Certain parents aren't capable of raising their children. Many parents aren't able to take care of their children finically.  Some children suffer from hunger due to their parent's actions of how they use their money on their addictions. Most teen moms struggle to take care of their baby. In that case adoption is sometimes the best choice for the mom and the baby. Abusive parents whether they think they are able to take care of their children or not shouldn't be able too. It puts the child's life in danger. In that case the child is usually better off away from that parent or in a different  home.

                If Huck wouldn't have ran away from home he would live a completely different life. Pap treated him rudely, and un kind. He may have abused Huck if he had continued to stay with him. Huck may have suffered from nutrition, care, and love that a father should provide for his child.

                As I have read this book and seen Huck struggle with his pap. I have came to decide and also felt this way before reading Huck Finn that children being raised by their parents isn't always the safest and best choice. Huck had a rotten father who didn't treat him kindly. Some parents shouldn't be allowed to have kids because of their everyday actions that they choose. Certain parents aren't capable of raising their children. Even though it may be hard for the parent and child to be separated in some cases it is what is best. I have great parents that take care of me and love me, and I hope to do the same for my children one day. I can't imagine the things the Huck went through he was brave little boy.  He did what was best for him he got out of a bad situation before it got worse. Jim came along to the rescue and protected and gave him the care he needed.

               

               

                 

My Favorite Scar :)

I don’t have very many scars only two. There really isn’t a cool story to them either. My first scar is on my forehead. It’s about an inch long; you have to look really close to see it. I was in about third grade when one night my mom asked me to turn on the living room lights. I ran from the other end of the house to turn them on, and there was a tote below the light switch on the ground full of markers and crayons. I stepped inside of it and slipped. I smacked my forehead on the corner of the wall. It bleed and left a big gouge, and resulted in  a scar I still have.

My second scar is on my knee its round and is a pink color. I got it in ninth grade playing volleyball. I forgot my knee pads one day for practice. The ball was spiked over the net and I was playing back row. I dived and it skinned my knee. It made a huge bruise, and was all scratched up. It later turned to a scar that I also still have.

The Sun Goes Down on Summer!

Our plane lands in Texas, and the humidity greets my naturally curly hair with frizz. We collect our luggage and head to pick up a rental car. Little did we know they didn't have a big enough vehicle for us. So we sat and waited forever for them to find us one that would fit us all and our luggage. Finally they found us a Suburban to accommodate our family. We headed for the hotel to clean up and go for a quick bite to eat.


The hotel was nice enough to make us a huge yummy breakfast complete with Texas shaped waffles! Then we headed out to Gator country. We like to watch Gator 911 on CMT so we decided to visit their park in Beaumont, Texas. We arrive and the first sign we see is "Welcome to Gator Country watch your step or you may be lunch". That added even more excitement to the adventure. We saw gators right off the bat and they were huge! We walked around a little more and the girl from the television show came up to us holding a baby gator with tape around its mouth and let us hold it. It wasn't really slimy to touch. Their skin was smooth. I wanted to bring one home! We bought hot dogs that you tie with string to the end of a stick and dangle it in the water to feed the gators. It was really fun to tease them, I got a good giggle. We all jumped in the truck that they use to go save gators in! Next, we went to a show that was put on by Gary the owner and main character of the show. We held huge pythons around our necks. Then held a another baby gator named Chubbs. Chubbs' mom had stepped on him when he was a baby so he had an injured jaw and was not able to bite. Due to his injured jaw it made him look like he was always smiling.

Next on our trip we stop for history lessons at the Alamo, the Battleship Texas, and the USS Lexington. We tour the ships and learn a great deal about them and the men that served on them. I am truly glad I didn't go through what they did, or have to live in such a small space. The Alamo was really neat, it was really amazing what they went through and had to do.

The Sea World creatures greeted us with a splash. We visited Shamu and the other killer whales. We attended all the shows and watched the sea creatures. We were able to see otters, seals, and sea lions, killers whales, and a beluga whale. We fed the dolphins fish and petted them until they were sick of us. We tried hard all day to get soaked in the splash zones. We then ran to ride the roller coasters. The crabs and sting rays tolerated us playing and petting them at the Texas State Aquarium. We stopped at the Sam Houston race track to watch the horses wiz around the track!. We learned all about space and rockets at the NASA space center.

We had an interesting experience that is not often experienced in Utah. We had played at the beach all day and it was a little stormy and windy and the waves were pretty strong and quick. Little did we know there was going to be a tornado in the middle of the night. It started pouring rain big time, and the trees were swaying as fast as they could in the wind. My mom woke us all up to watch. She went out and recorded it all. It made the power go out, and water come inside the hotel. There wasn't a whole lot of damage . It even made the news!

We visited the Botanical Gardens in San Antonio. We viewed all the pretty flowers and butterflies! We went shopping at Market Square. It is a Mexican market with jewelry, pottery, food, and millions of other things from Mexico. We got to shop around there and bought some pretty neat things. We visited a car show they were having there. I found a lime green older truck that was pretty cool looking.

We had a really great time in Texas. My parents, two brothers, sister, and grandparents all went. We enjoyed the warm weather, the beach, the sites and the great food. We had a little Mexican food, Texas Smoked meat, and barbecue. The poor Calamari ended up in our tummies. We could have stayed there all summer. It was sad to leave. We were in paradise! The hot sandy beach exfoliated my skin as it squished between my toes. The shining bright sun glowed down on my freckled nose. The palm trees swayed in the light wind. The water was just right, the waves were the perfect height. I looked back one last time, and picked up a shiny shell. We hugged Texas goodbye before it was time to go back home.

The Sun Goes Down on Summer Pictures! :)

Me and a Gator :)

Gia and I with a Python :)

Texas, The Lone Star State :)

A Pelican at the beach!

Me and Chubbs the smiley Gator! :)

Gator 911

Gator Country :)

Texas State Flag!

Me as a writer! :)

     The reason I ever found interest or fun in writing is through books. I love to read and listen to stories. When you read a good Nancy Drew mystery in fourth grade, a funny Junie B. Jones book in second grade, and the thriving Twilight Saga in Jr. high. You begin to appreciate writing. Reading sets a better reputation for writing instead of focusing on specifics and accuracy. It opens your mind to the creativity and enjoyment writing can bring.


     I don't see myself as an author now or in the future. But through my favorite authors I have been influenced to take my writing assignments to heart instead of procrastinating and disliking them. Over the years of taking an English class each year I seem to get more frustrated with writing as I go. It's great to write but even better when the assignment is over with. I don't think I am an awful writer but I don't believe I'm wonderful at it either. If you were to graph all my writing from second grade to now I'm sure there would be huge improvements as my knowledge has grown.

     My Main struggle in writing is getting started. Once I get an idea of how to start I can write my paper and its simple for me then I can write forever. I tend to talk aloud to myself as I write. I read my paper out loud to myself multiple times as I go. The only note taking I do before I write is a few ideas on how to begin my paper and the order it will go. Or just the topic sentences for each paragraph. I like opinions about my writing. I usually ask my sister for her opinion on my ideas, then start from there and hopefully end up well in the end.

      The only writing I do outside of school is in a journal. I like to write my thoughts and feelings down about my day, mainly for myself. I don't usually share my journal. I'm not the biggest fan of others reading my writing I get shy about it. I am not shy about it all the time though I do like opinions on how I can improve my paper. I would love if even the teacher didn't have to read my writing but unfortunately I have no choice about that.

       As I go back and read journal entries from when I was younger to now I notice a maturity difference in the writing. My journal entries from when I was younger are about little silly things that aren't too important. Opposing to the ones I write now that are about more important things, how I feel, and events I wouldn't mind going back and reading about later in life.

      My writing strengths depend on the type of writing I'm assigned to do. I feel stronger when the prompt lets me be creative and have fun with the piece. I don't really have a writing strategy or writing pattern I just go with it.

     My guess about the reasons why people have poor writing is due to laziness. They just don't care enough to put effort into it. If it's something out of their comfort zone, or if writing isn't their thing they loose interest. I feel that as a writer I need to practice. Be open minded and that I need to write more for enjoyment instead of just school assignments.

      I believe, the most important aspect about writing is that you put yourself into your work, don't make it so complex that you hate it! Just have fun with it and make it your own. It doesn't have to be hard it is only hard if it you make it that way!