Summer Fun

Camping

                Ah camping camping camping. There are so many things to do while camping. For starters you get to be with your friends and family. At night time, after it gets dark and the stars come out, you can start a fire and make s’mores. If you’re a kid like me, you will ditch the dinner and have s’mores instead. Sitting around the fire, laughing and telling stories with your friends and family is always fun and entertaining and a great way to end the day. After a long night of eating s’mores and telling ghost stories around the campfire and drinking way too much alcohol (for those over the age of 21), you go back to your camper or tent and sleep to finish the night. Then in the morning you are awaken of the wonderful sounds of the birds and you walk outside just to see the beautiful sunrise.

After sitting in your lawn chair for awhile, watching the sunrise you slowly walk over to the neighborhood breakfast. The best thing about it is the breakfast is all homemade. After getting a full belly and put your swimsuit on, you are ready to hit the water. On a nice sunny hot day there are so many things to do while camping. You can go to the beach, skiing, wakeboarding, floating and jetskiing. If you decide to go to the beach you first have to decide on how you are going to get there, by boat or by jetski. Well if you don’t have one or the other than your decision is pretty easy then isn’t it? If you go by jetski don’t just take a straight shot to the beach. Have a little fun, go off the other boats waves. Then by the time you get to the beach you will be ready to relax and catch some rays. If you go by boat then crank the tunes and cruise on over to the beach while dancing, singing, and having a blast. If you want you could also go tubing off the back of the boat and get some massive air. Then when you arrive at the beach you will be so pumped up from tubing and jammin’ out that you will still be ready to keep the party going. On the beach you can play sand volleyball, football, you can make up your own games or go floating down the  river or just lay out and get some sun. After being at the beach for a while, go out on the water and try some new things. If you have never skied before than try it. You will never know if you like it or not if you don’t try it. If it is a not so nice day and you can’t go out on the water because it is raining or about to rain you can find things to do to have fun and keep yourself entertained. For instance, you can play cards, watch movies, go get pizza up the road, play in the rain, or just talk with your friends and take random pictures because that’s always fun! Just because it’s not hot and sunny doesn’t mean you can’t change your plans from lets say catching rays to playing cards with grandma.

You never know you may find things out about all sorts of stuff in just one rainy day that you thought could only go wrong. (572)

Take your pick

Presents, Homemade or Purchased? 

Would you rather receive a handmade present or a present that was bought? Okay, granted the purchased present looks better, is better quality and is in fashion. But handmade presents mean something. Receiving a handmade present really means the world and warms your heart, knowing someone put time and effort into something for you.

It’s a lot of fun making the present too! It’s like a little craft that you get to give someone and you know they will love. To make the gift extra meaningful you can make the gift you are giving to a friend and make one for you too, that way it can be a friendship ordeal. Instead of everything being a surprise you and your friend could have a craft week where you get together and make and exchange gifts. That way you get to spend time together and have fun!

For Christmas many families get together and draw names out of hats for a “secret Santa”. This is a lot of fun especially for little kids. All month, depending on when you draw names, the kids are anxious to find out who their “Santa” is. While each person is wondering what they are going to get they are also wondering what they are going to get the persons’ name whom they drew.

Of course as a kid you want that new hip toy from the coolest store. But, looking back at it wouldn’t you have wished you got something meaningful that was handmade? I know I would. I always found it cool as a child when the neighbor girl up the street that was five years older than me, made me and her matching friendship bracelets and shirts. It made me feel special that someone who I look up to would do that for me. When she would hand me my present I would have the biggest smile on my face and would think I was dreaming.

Giving people, especially younger kids, a gift that came from your heart can make their day. You will forever be remembered as an idol to that little kid. Even though they are younger than you, you made them something and said it was a friend charm just to make them feel special.  They will never forget that, trust me I know! (388)

Dogs are the Best

Why Dogs are the Best Pets

Dogs are the best pets to have at all ages because each and every dog has its’ own unique personality. No matter what your age is as an owner you can find the most perfect dog to keep you company.

The thing about dogs is that you can find the perfect one for you no matter how picky you might be. Dogs are all different sizes, from 4 lbs – 300 lbs.  There are thousands and thousands of breads and on top of that you can get a dog with sports, patches or even just a single color.

Dogs are fun to be around also. They get very energetic and wild and then they are so worn out that they sleep for hours. Dogs are very smart and they are one of few animals that you can actually play and be active with. If you want to go to the park you can take your dog and instead of driving there you can run or walk to get exercise for both your dog and you. Once you get to the part you can play fetch, throw a Frisbee or even just let your dog run and have fun. You can also train your dog to be obedient to impress your friends. Teach him or her to roll over, sit, lay down, to shake, to stand on his/her hind legs, and even how to play dead. If you take the time any dog can do these things but make sure to reward them when you are in the process of training them so they know they are doing something good.

Dogs are especially good to have around during the winter. Because at night when you are laying in your bed freezing you can have your dog come jump in bed with you no matter what their size, but the bigger the better because when they snuggle up and lay next to you they make you so warm instantly it’s cozy. The downer about have a quite large dog that likes to snuggle is that in the summer you can get really, really hot at night it is very uncomfortable.

Dogs are also very caring and loving. They can tell when you are down because they get all worried and lay by you. It’s just amazing what all a dog can do. Just think about it, police officers have a K9 unit and the dogs not only understand English but they also understand German! That’s crazy. Those dogs can smell anything and find what they are looking for in an unbelievable time, plus they save lives.

Now after putting a ton of thought into this try telling yourself and/or others that dogs are not the best pet to have.  (462)

Where is your Safe Place...

Home

Home, what is home? Yes, it’s where you live or lived but it is so much more than that.

Home is you, as a person as a friend or neighbor.  Home is something that has impacted your life forever and made you who you are today. Home can be the time when you and the neighbor boy scared the old lady from across the street on Halloween and practically gave her a heart attack. Home is about all the memories you have or will make.  It is that place you feel safe no matter what condition you are in. You can go there and feel invisible. It’s where you can have parties for your years of aging or just for having friends and family over for a good time. It’s also a place where you get grounded for breaking the house rules, but hey that’s life. No one’s perfect.

Feel no shame and be proud of where you were born and raised in what you call home. Home is what you make it. One thing you need to know, no matter where you go, keep your heart and soul in your hometown. It’s where you learn about living, it’s where you learn about love, it’s where you learn about working hard.  Home is where you learn about Jesus it’s where you learn the values of life that you keep for the rest of your life.

Home comes in all different sizes.  Some have mansions and have pools to lay out at in the summer time and have a personal maid to clean up after them and make them food.  Others are used to not having much. They come from a different side of town and to them home is their family and everyone in the neighborhood giving a hand to help one another out.  It’s the trust between neighbors and the help of lending and borrowing.  These two life styles are very different and opposite but in another way there outcome is the same.

 In another circumstance home for an old person may just simply be sitting out on the porch in a rocking chair enjoying the fresh air on a warm day. They get to hear the joy coming from the neighborhood kids, 4-square game and it may just bring back memories for them.  For kids 13 and under home is where their guardians feed and cherish every minute of their life. To some home is that soccer field down the road that was so torn up but the kids had fun anyway because they were all together. The kids learn something new every day and when they grow old they will cherish those days.  When they are the old person in the rocking chair on a warm nice day listening to their neighborhood children they once were.

Home is also a place of wishing and dreaming. At night we dream we are the best at everything and wish we could do things that in reality we cannot.  It’s staring out into the night trying to hide the pain. Going to the place where love and feeling good don’t ever cost a thing. Going home back to the place where you belong.  Don’t regret the life god chose for you because the place where you call home will be within you forever and always.  All the faces that have ever given you a helping hand are aging and soon they will need yours.  Home is what you make it. (581)

How is your Fitness?

Fitness

What is exercise? Why is it important? The answer to these questions are really simple. Exercise can simply be walking around your neighborhood or more advanced running a few miles and doing things to make you sweat. Exercise is very important for your health, for your body and it is just a good thing to do. Everyone should exercise at least once a day. It doesn’t matter how old you are, from toddlers to grandparents exercising is good for you and easy to do.

For toddlers and elementary kids exercise is extremely important. Your body is growing and you need to be outside running around even if you are just playing tag around the playground at recess. During middle school is when kids begin to stop exercising because in middle school we no longer have recess. Unless a child plays a sport for their school they only have gym to get exercise or to exercise on their own at home. To be honest not many kids just go on a run when they get home from school as of I know, they want to hang out with friends and play video games. As we get older and enter high school the population of kids that go out for sports and stick it out for all four years is a small number. High school gym classes are a joke so the kids that have to take gym because they don’t do a sport don’t get near as much exercise that their bodies need to be getting.

Playing a sport in college is extremely rare and the kids that aren’t playing a sport are so overwhelmed with the tremendous amount of homework that they have that they don’t have time to exercise and not to mention that exercising is the last thing on their mind. This is one of the reasons for the “Freshman 15”. Former high school athletes that don’t continue to play a sport in high school are probably the ones that gain the most weight in college because there body is used to running and being at practice every day burning calories. Speaking from experience; I play 4 sports competitively all year round and when I broke my foot and was out for four months, I put on at least 15 pounds. When I came back and began playing my sports again I lost the weight I gained but every move I made was just that much harder because I hadn’t exercised in what seemed like a century. 

As an elder or being 55 or older is when your body really begins to slow down. To stay in shape and keep your health up you can exercise. It’s not a hard thing to do, just walk down the street and back to get your heartbeat up and burn some calories. It may not seem like much but it will pay off in the long run. (487)

Life is a Dance

Life is a Dance

1 There is no better way to describe life without a smile.

2 A smile is the meaning of life.

3 Everyone has a different way of expressing their description.

 4 To me, “life is a dance, you learn as you go.” (Seskin, Shamblin)

5 You can’t always determine your path of life, but you are in control of it.

6 “Sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow.” (Seskin, Shamblin)

7 “Don’t worry about what you don’t know.” (Seskin, Shamblin)

8 Your life is in your own hands, “sink or swim you gotta give it a whirl.” (Seskin, Shamblin)

9 Yet life is a bewildered knowing, there is so much unlearned.

10 Life is like the weather of Iowa, you never know what is going to happen. One day you are up       11 and the next day, BOOM, it’s like a tornado hit.

12 But it’s okay because “beautiful things never last, that’s why fireflies flash.” (Pope)

13 Be that firefly glistening in the crowd and ask not what in life you can do –                                         14 ask what you can do in your life.

15 Living is rare, most people just exist.

16 Don’t be another face in the crowd, be that person who not only has a name,                                    17 but has a reason to be remembered.

18 Life is a dance. Will you learn as you go?

 

 

Line 4 is an example of a metaphor. A metaphor is when you compare two things using the word is. “ Life is a Dance, you learn as you go”, metaphorically speaking means you just have to let life flow as you keep moving on.

Line 8 is an example of a metonymy. A Metonymy is using a single featureto represent a whole. Your hands are simply the single feature representing your life being the whole.

Line 9 is an example of an oxymoron. An oxymoron is a juxtaposion of words that seem to contradict oe another. “Bewildered knowing.” Bewildered means surprised, and knowing is the opposite, but it makes since because I was simultaneously working single handed on this poem.

Line 10 is an example of a simile. A simile is when you compare two things using the words like or as. “Life is like the weather of Iowa” just like; A.P Lang is like the death of me but helpful at the same time. They’re both bipolar…

Line 11 is an example of an onomatopoeia. An onomatopeia is the sound of saying the word and the sound it makes. The word “boom”, is being used as a transition word and theoretically, the boom is what happens when the tornado hits.

Line 13 is an example of diction. Diction is unique word choice. Although it sounds super cheesy it is a stand out word choice, considering when you are glistening you really stand out! By using this surprising word choice it really makes my tone seem joyful but calm and it flows.

Lines 13 and 14 are an example of an Antimetabole. An Antimetabole is the repitetion of words in reverse order. By having this in my poem it really makes you think, and expect more from yourself.

 

Works Cited

Pope, Ron. (2008). Fireflies. Daylight [CD]. New York, NY.

Shamblin, Allen. Seskin, Steve. (1992). Life’s a Dance [Recorded by John Michael Montgomery]. Life’s a Dance [CD]. New York, NY: Atlantic Records.

It's Breakable

Glass

            Glass is made to be millions of different things and used for millions of different reasons. Glass is very breakable as my grandma would say and she still makes me use plastic cups and plates when I am at her house. Glass is also very pretty; especially those glass paintings in the museums.

Glass is used for many things. One thing glass is used for is car windows.  Car window glass is made out of glass that shatters into small pieces so it doesn’t cut you if you get into an accident. House windows keep out the weather, the cold, the rain and the snow; you have to have glass windows in your house for your protection.  You can open and close your house windows whenever you want according to the weather. Windows keep burglars out because you open them from the inside. You would have no protection in your homes or your cars without glass. 

There are many other uses for glass; like dishes, drinking glasses, vase for flowers and some tables. The most important use is the windows in your home and vehicles. (186)

Summer Fun!

Camping

                Ah camping camping camping. There are so many things to do while camping. For starters you get to be with your friends and family. At night time, after it gets dark and the stars come out, you can start a fire and make s’mores. If you’re a kid like me, you will ditch the dinner and have s’mores instead. Sitting around the fire, laughing and telling stories with your friends and family is always fun and entertaining and a great way to end the day. After a long night of eating s’mores and telling ghost stories around the campfire and drinking way too much alcohol (for those over the age of 21), you go back to your camper or tent and sleep to finish the night. Then in the morning you are awaken of the wonderful sounds of the birds and you walk outside just to see the beautiful sunrise.

After sitting in your lawn chair for awhile, watching the sunrise you slowly walk over to the neighborhood breakfast. The best thing about it is the breakfast is all homemade. After getting a full belly and put your swimsuit on, you are ready to hit the water. On a nice sunny hot day there are so many things to do while camping. You can go to the beach, skiing, wakeboarding, floating and jetskiing. If you decide to go to the beach you first have to decide on how you are going to get there, by boat or by jetski. Well if you don’t have one or the other than your decision is pretty easy then isn’t it? If you go by jetski don’t just take a straight shot to the beach. Have a little fun, go off the other boats waves. Then by the time you get to the beach you will be ready to relax and catch some rays. If you go by boat then crank the tunes and cruise on over to the beach while dancing, singing, and having a blast. If you want you could also go tubing off the back of the boat and get some massive air. Then when you arrive at the beach you will be so pumped up from tubing and jammin’ out that you will still be ready to keep the party going. On the beach you can play sand volleyball, football, you can make up your own games or go floating down the  river or just lay out and get some sun. After being at the beach for a while, go out on the water and try some new things. If you have never skied before than try it. You will never know if you like it or not if you don’t try it. If it is a not so nice day and you can’t go out on the water because it is raining or about to rain you can find things to do to have fun and keep yourself entertained. For instance, you can play cards, watch movies, go get pizza up the road, play in the rain, or just talk with your friends and take random pictures because that’s always fun! Just because it’s not hot and sunny doesn’t mean you can’t change your plans from lets say catching rays to playing cards with grandma.

You never know you may find things out about all sorts of stuff in just one rainy day that you thought could only go wrong. (572)

Fraternal and Identical Twins

The Benefits of being a Twin

            Do you know any twins? Do they act the same or totally opposite? Are they identical or fraternal? I know a lot of twins, some are fraternal and some are identical but I have found that either way they all have something unique and different about them.

            I have a set of twins on my club soccer team that are both really close to me. Of course I can tell the difference between Kattie and Meghan, but many others can’t. For example my mom still cannot tell the difference between them because she doesn’t talk to them up close a lot. It is pretty sad actually because I have been playing soccer with them for about four years now. The method my mom uses to help her try to determine the difference between them is, she has to say their jersey number along with their name and I can’t help but laugh. My mom is consistently saying Kattie 21 and Meghan 22, and she still can’t get it right. I told Meghan and Kattie about my moms’ method and how it isn’t working extremely well and they were on the floor dying of laughter.

            I know twins that finish each other’s sentences, do the same sports, have the same friends and are with each other almost one hundred percent of the time. But I also know twins that look nothing alike, one is a little bit rounder than the other, one is a total geek and the other is an all around athlete, one has a ton of friends and the other has maybe one or two, but they get along extremely well and are good friends themselves. My point being it doesn’t matter how different the twins are or how much alike they are, they will still have that special connection between them that makes them closer than the average brother and sister.

            I have always wondered if twins split up the homework they have every night or if they have a crush on the same person, what do they do? If I was a twin I would make sure I had all the same classes as him or her, not necessarily the same class periods as them but the same classes. That way we could do every project together and work around our schedules that are a lot similar than a friend that lives across town, so we can manage our time more wisely. I would also split the homework load up each night, that way we can get to bed a lot sooner and get all of our homework done. It would also be nice to have someone at home that can help you with a subject you don’t understand and you can have a mini study session before tests and final exams. That would be very beneficial to have. Having a crush on the same person may get a little tricky, because you never want a girl or boy to get between you and your siblings. So as of now I don’t know the answer to my question but maybe I will ask some of the twins I know if they have ever been stuck in a similar situation and what they did to solve it. (546)

The meaning of a word...

Baller!

When you say the word balls, it means something different to people of all ages.

Two year olds might think of nerf balls to through around in the house.  Probably a gift from an adult so when they through it they won’t break anything. They also might use them to plan in the bath tub. They fill them with water and then squeeze them so the water comes shooting out.

Three and four year olds might think of a soccer ball. Their parents take them out in the heat, the rain and the cold just to kick that ball up and down a field to get it in a net. 

Five and six year olds and not just boys might think of a football. Boys and girls go out and put flags on and run with that pig skin ball to get a touchdown.

Okay we’ve got nerf balls, soccer balls and footballs. No let’s move on to softballs and baseballs. Kids of all ages use these balls in the summer.  Volleyballs are used in schools and on the beach by both girls and boys.  They even use volleyballs in the Olympics.

College boys like to get down and dirty while throwing that rugby ball around if they aren’t padding up and throwing the football. The basketball is another ball that is used from age three all the way through college.  Now we’ve talked about all of these different ages that play with balls but what about those adults out there.  Adult’s even grandparents enjoy hitting that little white ball into a hole. Of course they also like getting in the cart to get to the ball they just hit. Adults can play with this ball for hours. Adults also like getting exercise with the racquetball and a tennis ball. Oh yes there is another little white ball that adults like hitting on a table and that is the ping pong ball. Let’s not forget the cricket ball and bowling ball. 

What would life be like without balls? There are so many balls of shapes, size and colors and all used for different sports. Without balls there would be no school sports, no club sports and no pro sports for people to watch on TV.  Just think there would be some many less events at the Olympics without balls.

So there are soccer balls, nerf balls, footballs, softballs, base balls, racquetballs, basketballs, rugby balls, golf balls, tennis balls, ping pong balls, volleyballs, cricket balls, and bowling balls. How many different types of balls can you name? (457)  

It's the Thought that Counts

Gifts

Would you rather receive a handmade present or a present that was bought? Okay, granted the purchased present looks better, is better quality and is in fashion. But handmade presents mean something. Receiving a handmade present really means the world and warms your heart, knowing someone put time and effort into something for you.

It’s a lot of fun making the present too! It’s like a little craft that you get to give someone and you know they will love. To make the gift extra meaningful you can make the gift you are giving to a friend and make one for you too, that way it can be a friendship ordeal. Instead of everything being a surprise you and your friend could have a craft week where you get together and make and exchange gifts. That way you get to spend time together and have fun!

For Christmas many families get together and draw names out of hats for a “secret Santa”. This is a lot of fun especially for little kids. All month, depending on when you draw names, the kids are anxious to find out who their “Santa” is. While each person is wondering what they are going to get they are also wondering what they are going to get the persons’ name whom they drew.

Of course as a kid you want that new hip toy from the coolest store. But, looking back at it wouldn’t you have wished you got something meaningful that was handmade? I know I would. I always found it cool as a child when the neighbor girl up the street that was five years older than me, made me and her matching friendship bracelets and shirts. It made me feel special that someone who I look up to would do that for me. When she would hand me my present I would have the biggest smile on my face and would think I was dreaming.

Giving people, especially younger kids, a gift that came from your heart can make their day. You will forever be remembered as an idol to that little kid. Even though they are younger than you, you made them something and said it was a friend charm just to make them feel special.  They will never forget that, trust me I know! (412)

BFF

Friends

            I know some of you are reading this and thinking this is a dumb topic, but some people really don’t know how to make a true friend.

            In order to become friends with a true friend or a best friend you MUST be yourself. Don’t try to impress the person you just met by telling them little white lies about yourself because they will want to be friends or not friends with the person you are describing. You must always be honest. Tell them about yourself and ask about them, find things you have in common and things you don’t because maybe they can teach you how to do things you never knew how to do. By doing this, you will have a best friend in no time. Don’t sweat it if you find a friend that doesn’t have the characteristic that your best friend should have. Just keep that friend as a close friend, you never no someday they may turn out to be your best friend.

            Treating others the way you want to be treated is one of the most important roles of friendships and life in general. Sadly it is one of the most abused also. I don’t get what is so hard about it either. Let’s say from a friend’s point of view; you were supposed to hang out with your best friend but something came up and instead of telling the truth you lie about why you have to cancel. Would you want your best friend to lie to you? Or would you want to be told the truth? If your best friend is a true friend the s/he will understand why you had to cancel. Just be honest and don’t take others for granted. If you do all of these things you will have yourself a best friend in no time, but don’t rush it. (375)