When I walked through the doors last week, I knew that many different things awaited me. First of all it was spirit week. The week started off with "Hat Day" which wasn't to crazy, but still fun. Everyone wore their favorite hat, and it was cool to see how everyone has different personalities.
Tuesday was "Pajama Day." This was actually quite interesting. I knew that people were going to get into this one, but I don't think I was expecting them to go to the extremes that they went to. As I walked through the halls, I saw people at least 20 people in footie pajamas. I'm glad that they have the courage to wear those to school! I'm not sure I would be able to do it. That same day was "Officer-Cheerleader Switch Day" which means that you switch places with each other for a day. During homeroom, we switched our huge, comfy, soft, blanket-like jackets for their tight, itchy, "cute" ones. We proceeded to wear them all day continuing onto the game. As we waited for the game we took pictures, in hope that we would remember this moment forever. We laughed, and we cried, as we thought of what awaited us. Once the game started we got into our positions, and us officers took the cheerleaders places. It was probably quite entertaining for the crowd, because we were awful. We could hardly do the actions, but luckily we knew most of the words. We probably laughed more than we actually cheered. Believe me, there was much to laugh about. During the lovely "time-outs" the non-flexable boys would go out and do multiple summersaults and attempt to do some cartwheels. It got interesting one time-out when they went out and did the leap frog game. The clock ticked and we started to get a little nervous for our half time show. We learned "The Stomp" and were planning on performing it during half-time. When the buzzer went off indicating that it was time for our "show" we all rushed over to our places. We messed up a lot, which made it all the better. By the end of the game we were glad that it was only a one-day thing. We decided that everyone is in a certain place for a certain reason, and we were definitely meant to be officers.
Wednesday was "Ugly Sweater Day" which we were all looking forward to. The previous Saturday I went to the D.I. and bought myself an ugly sweater for this specific day. I was very excited to wear the sweater I had bought! We also had an assembly which gave recognition to the Boy's Basketball Team, NAL, and the Science Olympiad. The officers all had different parts in the assembly, whether it was advertising for our fundraisers, or announcing names, we didn't really mind because we got out of class. I had the privilege of announcing the Science Olympiad team which I found out, is very big. It seems dumb to be nervous about something like that, but indeed I was. I felt bad because I was about to slaughter all of the names on the list. No matter how much people helped me pronounce them, I still failed to say them right. While saying the names, I looked at my hand holding the list and saw it shaking like crazy. I tried to stop it from shaking, but I couldn't get it to stop. I quickly finished reading the never ending list of names and sat down before I had a seizure. All in all, It was a great assembly, and really just a great day in general. I wish that ugly sweaters were in style, but I don't think that is going to stop me from wearing one every now and again.
Thursday was "Super Hero/Villain Day." Most people just wore a Superman shirt, including me. On the other hand, there were people who wore full on costumes which were quite entertaining to look at. I was glad that people dressed up to make for an eventful day. Later we had a girls basketball game at North Layton, which we won by miles! We were very excited, and had many new inside jokes by the end of that game. Friday was "Socks and Sandals" day, an idea generated from the brain of J.R. Oldham that was also great fun!
As you can see, this week was a week full of fun and adventures!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Visit..Teen Ink Entry
As I fell to the ground, almost feeling as if it was in slow motion, I looked around myself and thought of the embarrassment that awaited me. I was simply enjoying a stroll through the hall! I was just walking! Only I wasn’t walking forward, I was walking backwards. Is it a crime to explore your imagination and have some creativity while you walk? I found out quickly that yes, it is a crime.
The minutes seemed to go by quickly after my foolish fall. I looked up as my friends stared down at me probably thinking that I was the biggest idiot alive. I had tripped on nothing! They continued to stare at me while they asked me if I was okay. “Do you think I’m okay!?!?” was the first thing that came rushing through mind. If I were okay, I don’t think I would be laying here on the floor! I didn’t want to make a scene, or create an opportunity for them to humiliate me in front of the class so I got up and walked with them to the classroom.
I tried to keep my little “accident” a secret, but my wrist was hurting beyond belief. The second the bell rang I was out of there. I ran to the car in a mad dash to hide any indication that I was in pain. I jumped in the car and shut the door behind me. I was then asked the typical question of the day, “How was school?” I was tempted to just say “Fine” and avoid getting into the big discussion that would follow, but I replied saying “Horrible.” The question that obviously came next was “Why?” I then explained the lovely day to my mother. It was at this point that I started to think of what was going to happen later that afternoon. Would I have to go to the doctor? Sit through agonizing hours of waiting? The answer to this was once again, yes.
As my mom and I drove to the doctor I started to get nervous and thought to myself “What if I really did break it?” We walked in and were “warmly welcomed” with the questions “What is your insurance?” “Oh great.” I thought, it’s going to cost my parents an arm and a leg to pay for this visit. Anyway, what kind of a welcoming gesture is that? After filling out forms, and billing information, we were finally seated to wait. It was then that we found out the exciting amount of time we would be seated there in the “Oh-so-comfortable” chairs. It would be about an hour before we would even get the privilege of going into the doctor’s room to wait again.
We sat there bored out of our minds, but trying to make the best of whatever cheesy Disney movie that was on. The movie wasn’t enough to cap my attention spam, so I slowly started to look around the room. I probably would’ve started to look around even if the movie was entertaining me, because of the hysterical baby that wouldn’t stop crying. The poor mother rocked the baby back and forth trying to quiet her so all the eyes in the room would leave them. To the other side of me was a man who looked as if he were near death. He gagged, and pleasantly surprised me with his ability to keep the vomit from exploding out of his throat. This continued for a while, but it only got worse when the coughing began. I decided that for my own health, I should probably look away. My eyes trailed back to the movie that had it’s own background music. By now years had gone by and I still sat there, unmoved, in the chair.
They called my name and I jumped out of the chair almost as fast as I ran out of the school building earlier that day. We were taken to the doctor’s office and hoped that maybe the waiting had come to an end. We were wrong. The waiting had most definitely not come to an end. It had only begun.
At least this time we were in a private room without the orchestra of crying babies and gagging men. There was also a shelf with magazines, and a box of Legos. I looked through the magazines to find that none of them interested me to the slightest. I contemplated getting the box of Legos out and playing with them when I remembered how old I was. I’m not sure what image that would’ve sent through the doctor’s head, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be a good one.
After a few more years passed by, the doctor walked into the room. We greeted each other with smiles and proceeded on to business. He asked me what happened, so I told him. I may have twisted the story a little, but that doesn’t matter. He decided that it would probably be best to get an X-Ray and told us that a nurse would be with us in “A few minutes.”
I think that the doctors should save us all grief by telling the truth. The right thing to say would’ve been “She’ll be with you in MANY minutes.”
Those many minutes passed as I stared at the Lego box in curiosity, about to give up whatever pride that was left in me. The nurse came in and we walked into the x-ray room. She took the x-rays and then we were taken back to our “second home.” This room was starting to become very dear to me. She left the room saying, “The doctor will be with you in a few minutes!” I impatiently mumbled under my breath, “in MANY minutes.” At this point we figured it would be coming to an end soon, so we quietly waited for the doctor’s arrival.
He finally walked in, said “Thanks for waiting” and then seated himself on his stool. I thought in my head “You better be thankful for our waiting.” He looked at the x-rays we had taken and came to a conclusion. He looked at us and said that it was nothing severe and just a sprain. The thoughts that came rushing to my head after that should probably be left unsaid, but I was angry. We had spent a day in there just to find out that there was nothing he could do about it.
We left our “second home” and walked past the waiting room where the gagging man still waited. It looked like he couldn’t hold it in anymore, because there were stains on the carpet, and it reeked like crazy. I wished him good luck, and said “It will only be a few more minutes” as I walked out the door and took a deep breath of fresh air in the night sky.
The minutes seemed to go by quickly after my foolish fall. I looked up as my friends stared down at me probably thinking that I was the biggest idiot alive. I had tripped on nothing! They continued to stare at me while they asked me if I was okay. “Do you think I’m okay!?!?” was the first thing that came rushing through mind. If I were okay, I don’t think I would be laying here on the floor! I didn’t want to make a scene, or create an opportunity for them to humiliate me in front of the class so I got up and walked with them to the classroom.
I tried to keep my little “accident” a secret, but my wrist was hurting beyond belief. The second the bell rang I was out of there. I ran to the car in a mad dash to hide any indication that I was in pain. I jumped in the car and shut the door behind me. I was then asked the typical question of the day, “How was school?” I was tempted to just say “Fine” and avoid getting into the big discussion that would follow, but I replied saying “Horrible.” The question that obviously came next was “Why?” I then explained the lovely day to my mother. It was at this point that I started to think of what was going to happen later that afternoon. Would I have to go to the doctor? Sit through agonizing hours of waiting? The answer to this was once again, yes.
As my mom and I drove to the doctor I started to get nervous and thought to myself “What if I really did break it?” We walked in and were “warmly welcomed” with the questions “What is your insurance?” “Oh great.” I thought, it’s going to cost my parents an arm and a leg to pay for this visit. Anyway, what kind of a welcoming gesture is that? After filling out forms, and billing information, we were finally seated to wait. It was then that we found out the exciting amount of time we would be seated there in the “Oh-so-comfortable” chairs. It would be about an hour before we would even get the privilege of going into the doctor’s room to wait again.
We sat there bored out of our minds, but trying to make the best of whatever cheesy Disney movie that was on. The movie wasn’t enough to cap my attention spam, so I slowly started to look around the room. I probably would’ve started to look around even if the movie was entertaining me, because of the hysterical baby that wouldn’t stop crying. The poor mother rocked the baby back and forth trying to quiet her so all the eyes in the room would leave them. To the other side of me was a man who looked as if he were near death. He gagged, and pleasantly surprised me with his ability to keep the vomit from exploding out of his throat. This continued for a while, but it only got worse when the coughing began. I decided that for my own health, I should probably look away. My eyes trailed back to the movie that had it’s own background music. By now years had gone by and I still sat there, unmoved, in the chair.
They called my name and I jumped out of the chair almost as fast as I ran out of the school building earlier that day. We were taken to the doctor’s office and hoped that maybe the waiting had come to an end. We were wrong. The waiting had most definitely not come to an end. It had only begun.
At least this time we were in a private room without the orchestra of crying babies and gagging men. There was also a shelf with magazines, and a box of Legos. I looked through the magazines to find that none of them interested me to the slightest. I contemplated getting the box of Legos out and playing with them when I remembered how old I was. I’m not sure what image that would’ve sent through the doctor’s head, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be a good one.
After a few more years passed by, the doctor walked into the room. We greeted each other with smiles and proceeded on to business. He asked me what happened, so I told him. I may have twisted the story a little, but that doesn’t matter. He decided that it would probably be best to get an X-Ray and told us that a nurse would be with us in “A few minutes.”
I think that the doctors should save us all grief by telling the truth. The right thing to say would’ve been “She’ll be with you in MANY minutes.”
Those many minutes passed as I stared at the Lego box in curiosity, about to give up whatever pride that was left in me. The nurse came in and we walked into the x-ray room. She took the x-rays and then we were taken back to our “second home.” This room was starting to become very dear to me. She left the room saying, “The doctor will be with you in a few minutes!” I impatiently mumbled under my breath, “in MANY minutes.” At this point we figured it would be coming to an end soon, so we quietly waited for the doctor’s arrival.
He finally walked in, said “Thanks for waiting” and then seated himself on his stool. I thought in my head “You better be thankful for our waiting.” He looked at the x-rays we had taken and came to a conclusion. He looked at us and said that it was nothing severe and just a sprain. The thoughts that came rushing to my head after that should probably be left unsaid, but I was angry. We had spent a day in there just to find out that there was nothing he could do about it.
We left our “second home” and walked past the waiting room where the gagging man still waited. It looked like he couldn’t hold it in anymore, because there were stains on the carpet, and it reeked like crazy. I wished him good luck, and said “It will only be a few more minutes” as I walked out the door and took a deep breath of fresh air in the night sky.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
What does “Hunger” really mean?...(Geography Project)
Did you know that every 3.6 seconds a person dies of hunger? I didn’t know that until I started working on this project, and I also never realized how many people are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Hunger is defined as a feeling of pain, emptiness, or weakness induced by lack of food. The definition of Malnutrition is the lack of proper nutrition, inadequate, or unbalanced diet. You might think that these things mean the same thing, but they don’t. Hunger is a painful sensation caused by a want for food, where Malnutrition is a term indicating that you lack the nutrition required for human health. Hunger can sometimes cause malnutrition, but if affected with malnutrition you will most likely die from illness, not starvation.
925 million people are hungry in our world today. It is crazy to think that so many people don’t have food to eat. I think of my family and how hard it would be to live without food, and in poverty. Our world has changed so much that we are now focused on things that don’t really matter. Instead of buying the latest electronic, we could be using that money to donate and help people who are dying from starvation.
Most hunger surprisingly comes from Asia and the Pacific. I always thought that most of the world hunger came from Africa, but that isn’t the case. In 2010, 578 million people suffered from hunger in Asia and the Pacific, and 239 million from Africa. (Sub-Saharan) There is also hunger in other parts of the world, but none are as severe as these.
I was sad to see all the pictures of people who are down-to-the-bone because of hunger. What really get’s me are the children in these pictures. Once again I think of my family, but this time my two sisters. They are lucky enough to have an education and live a happy life, but these kids in hunger haven’t done anything to deserve living this way. I imagine that the parents haven’t done anything to deserve living this way either. They are probably trying they’re hardest to get whatever they can to feed their children, and hopefully themselves.
While doing research for this assignment I watched a video about a father who worked at a fast food restaurant. He watched food get wasted, and thrown in the garbage by the costumers every day. After work he excitingly went through some of the chicken, and loaded up the garbage cans to take back to his neighbors and family. He rode his bike back to his little “village” and sat the garbage on the floor. As soon as it touched the floor, kids were digging through it, devouring whatever remained. The kids were so happy and grateful to receive the garbage scraps of the food that we eat so ungratefully. After giving these neighborhood children the garbage cans, he continued to his home where his family awaited. They had their little table set and ready for whatever he had to bring. He brought the bag of half-eaten chicken and emptied some on each plate. The family, grateful for their food prayed to bless it, and ate as if it was a normal family dinner.
Is there anything we can do to help world hunger? The answer to this is YES! Reducing food waste alone will stop world hunger. If we only bought what we needed, and avoided having left overs we could stop food from going to landfills. There are also many programs and organizations in place to help, and solve world hunger. You can be a part of something great by donating to help people in need.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The first week of 2011!
The first week of 2011 was great! I have been able to do a lot of fun things even though school has been kind of stressful. 1st semester ends this friday and I cannot believe it! Half of our 9th grade year is over! It is going by so fast! Now I want to make sure I am making the most of it and enjoying my 9th grade year. I've been slowly trying to start my New Years resolutions I made a week ago. I probably could've done better this week, but I'm just going to try harder until I fulfill my goals! This week is going to be pretty hectic with homework, so I am not really looking forward to it very much. But what I'm not looking forward to at all is next semester. I guess all of my fun electives were all put on the same semester, because next semester I have gym and computer tech. I'm hoping that I can make the most out of it, and learn to have fun by having a good attitude. It's going to be hard, but hopefully I can make it fun!
Yesterday I got to do something pretty fun! If you've read my blog before, you might have seen the post on the So You Think You Can Dance Workshop I went to a couple months ago. This is where people from the T.V. show come and teach you dances all day. There was another one yesterday with different dancers from the show. It was SO much fun!! I got to go with one of my best friends, and we learned so many cool things. The dancers that come are amazing, so it makes you want to try harder to be a better dancer. This kind of helped me to refresh so I can go back to dance tomorrow motivated to do better. What I love about the workshops is how much they challenge you. They teach you a dance in 1 hour, and then all you want to do is kill it! You have 60 girls around you that are all trying to do their best, which makes you want to try even harder. After each class we were sweating bullets because of our hard work. It was great to know that you were giving it 110% and doing the best that you could. Sometimes dance can be frustrating since so much is asked of you. They ask you to spin around multiple times, dance on your toes, be flexible, have high jumps, have good technique, and be dedicated to it. It is hard when the person next to you is doing something you've tried hard to do, but just can't get. Something that is hard for me in dance are turns. Ever since I started dance I've just had a hard time with them. Everyday I try my hardest, but it seems like I'm never going to get them. After the workshop I thought about how hard I worked, and even though some of the dances were hard, by the end of the day I could do them pretty well. Now I know that sometimes you might be working hard, but you also have to have determination in order to do something.
Anyway, I was so grateful for this weekend because I learned so much, and grew as a dancer. I love having opportunities to go and do things that challenge me, and make me better.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Bringing in a new year!
I can't believe that it is already 2011! It seems like it was just yesterday when we were celebrating for 2010. As I get older, the years go by faster and faster. It is a good thing, but at the same time I wish things would slow down a little. It's scary to think that in 3 years we will be facing the world. I can't believe that I have the option of getting my permit! (if I would just read the book;)) We are all getting older and facing new challenges that will determine our future.
Every year we all think of goals we want to set and accomplish by the end of the year. Sometimes our goals stay the same, but most of the time they change as our personalities and talents change. I have always wanted to keep a journal. It doesn't seem to difficult to set aside 10 minutes to write about you're day does it? I was actually in a very good habit of writing in my journal at the beginning of the year, but as life got more stressful with homework and projects, that didn't seem like a priority. A couple of months have passed where I haven't wrote in my journal, and looking back it makes me sad to think that I will never remember some of the things that happened during that time. As break ends and I get back into a routine, I am making a goal to write in my journal at least 3 times a week if not every day. Even though it seems like a pain, I know it will be worth it in a couple of years when I can look back and read about my life.
Another goal I want to make is to be a good friend to everyone and have a better attitude and disposition. It is so easy to get caught up in you're group of friends and to not really care about anyone else. I know that there are so many kids that would love to have someone to sit by, or a friend to talk to. I hope that as an officer I can be looked up to, and not be looked upon as a cocky or unfriendly person. I am definitely ready to go back to school ready to improve, and be a better person. I not only want to do this by helping others, but by helping myself strive to have a better attitude. If I try to have a better attitude about everything, I will enjoy life so much more, and a good disposition will come with it.
Along with these goals I have other small goals like learning a lot of hymns on the piano (and actually practicing every day!) Continuing to teach myself the guitar, learning to enjoy reading, and most of all, to get straight A's! It would feel so good to accomplish that goal and have all A's on that report card at the end of the term. I know that it isn't going to be easy, but I am up for the challenge. All it takes is hard work and effort to accomplish you're goals.
Every year we all think of goals we want to set and accomplish by the end of the year. Sometimes our goals stay the same, but most of the time they change as our personalities and talents change. I have always wanted to keep a journal. It doesn't seem to difficult to set aside 10 minutes to write about you're day does it? I was actually in a very good habit of writing in my journal at the beginning of the year, but as life got more stressful with homework and projects, that didn't seem like a priority. A couple of months have passed where I haven't wrote in my journal, and looking back it makes me sad to think that I will never remember some of the things that happened during that time. As break ends and I get back into a routine, I am making a goal to write in my journal at least 3 times a week if not every day. Even though it seems like a pain, I know it will be worth it in a couple of years when I can look back and read about my life.
Another goal I want to make is to be a good friend to everyone and have a better attitude and disposition. It is so easy to get caught up in you're group of friends and to not really care about anyone else. I know that there are so many kids that would love to have someone to sit by, or a friend to talk to. I hope that as an officer I can be looked up to, and not be looked upon as a cocky or unfriendly person. I am definitely ready to go back to school ready to improve, and be a better person. I not only want to do this by helping others, but by helping myself strive to have a better attitude. If I try to have a better attitude about everything, I will enjoy life so much more, and a good disposition will come with it.
Along with these goals I have other small goals like learning a lot of hymns on the piano (and actually practicing every day!) Continuing to teach myself the guitar, learning to enjoy reading, and most of all, to get straight A's! It would feel so good to accomplish that goal and have all A's on that report card at the end of the term. I know that it isn't going to be easy, but I am up for the challenge. All it takes is hard work and effort to accomplish you're goals.
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