My Own Life Soundtrack

            For some people, music is a lifestyle. To others it’s just an object, or maybe even a reason to live. We often find ourselves listening to certain music that unknowingly reflects life events, or our emotions. Music is an output, perhaps a silent scream of pain frustration, or even happiness. Music represents ourselves, our friends, family, or even life events. To me, music is an output, it’s a way of expressing my feelings when I feel I can’t tell others, or just don’t want to. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have a way to express myself through music. I’ve always been a very quiet person when it comes to my emotions, and I generally shy away from conflict. Music has always been my expressive output. Growing up with six sisters has been different, and my voice wasn’t always heard. You may think that some of my song choices are strange, or different, but this is me. Happy ‘listening’!

“Family Portrait” by Pink: My parents divorced when I was about 4 years old, and all throughout the early years of my childhood, I was kind of in the middle of everything. It was tough, especially in the last few years before my dad moved. We used to go to my dad’s house every other weekend, and it was fun, but the arguing between my parents was tough. When my dad moved to Oregon, I was really upset. I used to listen to this song all the time, when I was upset. It talks about how this kid just wants their family together again. It talks about how the kid’s parents are always fighting, and how they just want it all to stop. “You fight about money, 'bout me and my brother/ And this I come home to, this is my shelter/ It ain't easy growing up in World War III / Never knowing what love could be, you'll see/ I don't want love to destroy me like it has done my family/ Can we work it out? Can we be a family? /I promise I'll be better, Mommy I'll do anything/ Can we work it out? Can we be a family? / I promise I'll be better, Daddy please don't leave.” It doesn’t quite explain the same situation, but it’s very similar.

“Once Upon A December” by Aayliah: When I was little, my sisters and I loved to sings; especially the songs from Disney movies. One of my favorite movies was Anastasia. We used to always run around the house singing different parts of Anastasia over and over again. It’s just one of those songs that I listened to for my entire childhood. Every time I hear it, I just think about my childhood, and laughing and goofing off with my sisters. It’s a reminder of good memories.

“The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World: When I was born, I had some heart problems. All my life, I’ve had regular cardiology checkups, and at one of my appointments around the end of 2005, beginning of 2006, we found out that the problem needed surgery. Before my surgery, I was really tired and out of energy all the time. On days that my sisters would be outside playing, I would be inside sleeping on the couch. The idea of having to have surgery made me really nervous, but my mom was always right there to reassure me that it would all be okay. I was really scared to have surgery, but it went well, and 6 hours after my surgery I went home. My surgery was on the 2^nd of February 2006, and two weeks later I was back at school feeling better than ever. This song is just kind of my feel good song whenever I’m upset or worried about something. The lyrics are upbeat, happy and they sort of encourage you to keep going. “Hey, don't write yourself off yet/ It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on/ Just do your best, do everything you can/ And don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say/ It just takes some time/ Little girl you're in the middle of the ride/ Everything, everything will be just fine/ Everything, everything will be alright, alright”

“100 Years” by Five for Fighting: Leaving elementary school was a strange new thing for me, as silly as that sounds. My sisters were always telling me how much I was going to love junior high and how different it was from elementary. I was really nervous about making new friends. The song is about this guy who’s looking back on their life. Now obviously I haven’t lived that long of a life, but this still makes me think of elementary.

“I Miss You” by Blink 182: I put this song down for two events in my life. In the beginning of 7^th grade, right before school started, my great-grandma passed away. I didn’t know her very well, and we didn’t visit very often. In the few months before she passed, we had been visiting her more, and getting to know her better, the same with my great-grandpa too. A while after she passed away, my great-grandpa did too. I hadn’t known him very well either, but I respected him.

“Ordinary Day” by Vanessa Carlton: This one is pretty simple, it’s kind of for when I get used to junior high. I used to think that elementary school was the only type of schooling there would be. I had my own definition of what an ordinary day was. This doesn’t only have to be for school though, every day I have my routines, and they never seem to change.

“I Hate Everything About You” by Three Days Grace: Starting in the 7^th grade, one of my friends began to get mad at me a lot, and they stopped talking to me for long periods of time. They began to tell me that I annoyed them a lot, and to leave them alone. I didn’t know what had happened, but I left them alone. They had lied to me, and made me completely unable to trust them. I even lost the trust in other people, even though it was irrational. I was upset and mad for a long time. Now, I’m passed it, but at the time, it was a big betrayal. I never understood why we stopped talking before things got bad, but things happen.

“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers: 8^th grade was a lot better for me. In beginning of 8^th grade, and the end of the 7^th grade I was really shy, and I didn’t like meeting new people. I stepped out of my comfort zone though and I met a lot of new people. The first lyrics in the song are, “I’m coming out of my cage/ and I’ve been doing just fine.” I definitely came out of my shell in 8^th grade, and even more this year. This song has just always been one of my favorites.

“We Are Young” by Fun. : This goes along with the previous one, in a way. I met a lot of new people in 8^th grade, some of who are my best friends now. I was stepping out of my comfort zone and meeting a lot of new people. As time went on, we begun to hang out a lot more, and we became really good friends. 

“Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli: This doesn’t really fit in my life yet, because it’s for the future. This song just represents the future like high school, and college. In the past I’ve let people get to me really easily, now, and in the future, I’m not going to let people tear me down and push me around like that. This song is just really inspirational to me. “When I was just a girl/ I thought I had it figured out/ See my life would turn out right/ And I'd make it here somehow/ But things don't always come that easy/ And sometimes I would doubt, oh/ 'Cause I got a couple dents in my Fender/ Got a couple rips in my jeans/ Try to fit the pieces together/ But perfection is my enemy.”

This was a really interesting reflection on why I listen to songs, and what my meaning is, even though I don’t always know it. It was really fascinating to look and see what songs I unconsciously pair with life events. These songs represent my emotions when I’m happy, sad, anything really. If you’re actually reading this right now, thanks for taking the time to go all the way through this. I hope you enjoyed ‘listening’.

Style Analysis: Ray Bradbury

After you read a book you’ll often find yourself looking for more titles by the same author, and you may notice that even though they have completely different plots they still sound generally the same. Two of Ray Bradbury’s books, Something Wicked This Way Comes and Fahrenheit 451, sound similar because of the stylistic patterns. Bradbury has a very unique style of writing; many of his books, even in the joyful parts, still have a very sadistic undertone. Because of the uniqueness of his writing, it can make it challenging at times to analyze his style.

Bradbury’s diction is often vengeful. “Well that’s one way to get an audience. Hold a gun on a man and force him to listen to your speech. Speech away. What’ll it be this time? Why don’t you belch Shakespeare at me, you fumbling snob? ‘There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats, for I am arm’d so strong in honesty that they pass me as an idle wind, which I respect not!’ How’s that? Go ahead, now, you second-hand litterateur, pull the trigger (Page 119).” Two men, who once considered each other good friends, are now battling a war with each other. They once worked side by side, and as soon as one of them became as knowledgeable as the other about books and such, the other is threatened. With his newly acquired knowledge, Guy Montag is fighting his former friend, Beatty, for past threats, mockeries, and embarrassments. Bradbury’s choice of words, and the way he strings them together, makes for an impressive dialogue between angry characters. “‘You can’t hurt me!’ the boy shrieked. ‘Funny,’ said Charles Halloway. ‘I think I can.’ He pressed the boy, almost lovingly, close, very close. ‘Murder!’ wailed the boy. ‘Murder.’ ‘I’m not going to murder you, Jed, Mr. Dark, whoever, whatever you are. You’re going to murder yourself because you can’t stand being near people like me, not this close, close, not this long (Page 203).’” While Charles Halloway and Mr. Dark were never friends, or even acquaintances, the both were searching for the opportunity to take the other’s life. Both of these quotes show Bradbury’s unique word choice, which gives his writing an underlying tone of curiosity, but also vengeance.

The tone in Bradbury’s writing is very curious. “‘But most of all,’ she said, ‘I like to watch people. Sometimes I ride the subway all day and look at them and listen to them. I just want to figure out who they are and what they want and where they’re going (Page 30).” In Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse is just one of the many curious characters. She always wants to know why something works, or how something works. She is never just satisfied with the simple fact that it does, or does not work. She wants to diagnose it, whether it has a problem or not. Montag may not be quite as curious as Clarisse, but his curiosity was what got him in his trouble. He wanted to know about books in a world where reading them was a crime, and he had to pay the price. “‘For cri-yi, I’m froze, let’s go watch them set up!’ ‘At three A.M.?’ ‘At three A.M.!’ Jim vanished… Jim slid down the drainpipe on his house, toward the sleeping lawns. ‘Jim! Wait!’ Will thrashed into his clothes. ‘Jim don’t go alone!’ And followed after (Page 34-35).” Both Jim and Will were curious about the carnival arriving in town at three in the morning. They wanted to know why there were there, and how they set up, so they went down to take a look and watch the carnival rise from the ground. Little did they know how treacherous such a tiny decision could be. Their single decision to watch the carnival set up will endanger their lives, but they go anyway, oblivious to the danger looming ahead. Neither Jim and Will, nor Montag could control their curiosity, they just couldn’t help it.

Bradbury creates a mysterious mood by adding in little quarks here and there that are never fully explained. He likes to leave some of the thinking, the imagination of the image, up to the readers. “The mechanical hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse (Page 24).” These words, lead the reader to wonder how something mechanical can be living, at all in the first place, and then not living at all. How can it sleep but not sleep? It seems impossible, but it is a story, it is simply writing, so is anything ever actually impossible? You just can’t help but wonder. “The Illustrated Man thrust out his hands. Will’s father lurched. Tattooed in bright blue ink, Will’s face gazed up at him from the palm of the right hand. Ink-sewn to the left palm, Jim’s face was indelible and natural as life. ‘You know them?’ The Illustrated Man saw Mr. Halloway’s throat clench, his eyelids squinch, his bones struck vibrant as from a sledge-hammer blow. ‘Their names (Page 127-128)?’” Readers see a mystery. How can the Illustrated man have tattoos of Will and Jim on his palms, especially ones that look so lifelike? How did they get there? What does the Illustrated Man want to do to Jim and Will? So many questions, only creating a mystery, that doesn’t necessarily have to be solved. Both books are filled with unresolvable questions, or at least ones that don’t need to be answered, and thus creating a mystery.

Ray Bradbury has a very distinctive writing style that you don’t often see in other others. Bradbury knew the perfect combination of comedy, tragedy, mystery, and sci-fi to create fascinating, gripping stories. It may be hard for some people to recognize some of the aspects of Bradbury’s writing because of the advance style he has. Any piece of writing you read from Bradbury will seem similar to his other works because of tone, mood, and diction. The plots may change from book to book, but the author still uses the same writing techniques in all their work.

Grades, and End of Level Tests

I was asked an interesting question this week, and I'd thought I would share my response. The question basically was: "Do you think end of level tests motivate students to learn? Do you think that grades truly show what a student learned? What is the best way to measure what students learn?"
My response:

I think that end of level tests just frustrate students. I don't know anyone who looks forward to the end of levels, or anyone who really studies for them. Most people, don't study for english and science because they're usually pretty straight forward and easy, they're logical. As for math, my friends and I don't really study for it because it's mostly formulas and such. I don't really know how to study for something like that. End of levels are just basically the mandatory tests at the end of the year that every one dreads. On top of that, they're at the end of the year, when everyone is tired of school, fried, and just mentally exhausted. I'm at that point right now, and it feels like I'm in the middle of a storm I'm not motivated to study, or to do my homework. The only reason I do my homework is for the grades, as for the studying, I find that I can usually get pretty good grades without it. I just find myself procrastinating on assignments more and more, leaving less and less time to get them done. I don't want to do the work anymore because I'm so tired and exhausted. I'm just mentally fried and I feel like school is never going to end. I'm burning out I guess, ha.
I think grades are a very trivial thing. For some students, It shows what they've learned, for others, it shows their test scores, or that they do their assignments, or simply their motivation. It really depends on the class, the scores in the computers, how the class is taught, and how many assignments there are. Grades really depend on the students, and the teachers. If a teacher likes to put a lot of assignments in, then missing one or two doesn't really matter, and your grade will probably mostly rely on tests and quizzes. However, some teachers like to put 3 or 4 assignments in the whole year with one or two quizzes/tests so your grade really depends on the teacher and how they like to do things, and your own self motivation. One of the classes that bugs me the most is gym. I don't think it's fair to get graded on how fast you run, or how athletic you are. A lot of gym grades is participation, and sometimes, there are a lot of things affecting that. I, for example, haven't been running lately in gym as much because I have shin splints. It really sucks that I get graded on stuff like that when I'm injured.
I think that there is definitely a better way of evaluating what students learn in a year. They could write an essay showing what they learned, or do worksheets, for math as an example, that isn't multiple choice that covers the whole year and they have to show there work. I think that there are a lot of different ways that they could do this, they just don't.

Just 14 days of school left, and 19 days until school is out. I. Can't. Wait! :D

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

* Note: if you haven't read Divergent yet, or are in the process of reading it, don't read this review. DON'T READ IT.

Imagine a world where the community you live in was based on characteristics and values. In this futuristic version of Chicago, turning 16 has an entirely different meaning. When Tris Prior turns 16 and chooses her faction, many are shocked at her choice. Starting in the selfless faction of Abnegation, and switching to Dauntless has only been heard of one other time. Months later, on the day of the Dauntless initiation ceremony, Tris should be celebrating, but instead, war between the factions has broke out, and she's fighting for her and many others' lives. Erudite leader, Jeanine Matthews lead an attack against the Abnegation, and now all the factions are at war, picking sides. When the truth is told, and secrets are revealed, Tris may lose everything she's fought for. In the looming war, choices will become more irrevocable and more powerful, sides will be chosen, and above all, the truth will be heard.
When I first read the first book of this trilogy, I couldn't read it fast enough. I was completely enveloped in the story, and I was not disappointed to have the same experience with Insurgent. I'm always worried when sequels come out because it's usually a hit or miss with them. Insurgent however, hit the bulls-eye. I completely loved all the different twists and turns the book took, and I was not disappointed with the story at all.
The main characters are very dynamic, and fascinating. Tris, a strong-headed, brave, selfless transfer from Abnegation into Dauntless has to fight for everything she knows and loves, all because of one word: Divergent. Tobias, also known as Four, is a nearly fearless, brave, caring, and one of Tris's weak spots. The cause of the war? None other than Jeanine Matthews, a heartless Erudite representative who starts a war among the factions by turning people into mindless soldiers against their will.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "We both have war inside us. Sometimes it keeps us alive. Sometimes it threatens to destroy us." I like this quote because I think it represents the book really well, and also has a really strong meaningful meaning. My other favorite quote from the books is, " No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens." This is my other favorite quote because it's true. Even though you train something into someone, it may not work, and the only way to find out is for something drastically real to happen, like a war in this book.
Overall, I loved Divergent, and I loved Insurgent even more. I would obviously only recommend this to people who have read the first book, but overall as a trilogy, I would recommend it to people who liked Hunger Games, and really anyone in general. I could not have loved the book, and it's ending more. You never knew what to expect, there was always something new and shocking waiting on each page. This book was amazing, and I couldn't be happier with it. I can't wait for the third book to come out!

The Wind Through the Keyhole, and A Few Other Things....

In sixth grade, I was at loss one day when I had just finished my current book and I had no idea what to read next. As I couldn't think of anything seeing as how I had read just about every book my sisters had, I went to my mom. When I asked her, she thought about it, (I honestly think she might have just briefly forgotten) and then told me to go downstairs to the bookshelf and find a book by Stephen King called The Gunslinger. I thought it sounded kind of weird, and I had only ever read one or two books by Stephen King, but what I had read was good, so I decided to go along with it.
Now, if you had seen my mom's bookshelf, you would understand why I returned to her about 10 minutes later explaining that I couldn't find it. She patiently followed me downstairs and we looked and looked through the unorganized shelves until finally we found it. My first impression was that it looked really old, and that I didn't want to read it, but I figured I'd give it a try.
In the course of a year, maybe a little more, I read all seven of the Dark Tower Books, getting more and more into (not the word I was looking for, but it will work) the story. I started somewhere in the middle of 6th grade, and finished around Christmas break in 7th grade. Oh, and don't worry, there aren't going to be any spoilers on here in the pure chance that there is a newcomer to the Dark Tower books actually reading this, but it's really unlikely.
Anyway, if you are a Stephen King fan, you know that he recently, as in last week, released his new book, The Wind Through the Keyhole. I haven't read the whole thing, but I'm about 60 pages in, and I love the story. It's a Dark Tower related book, and tells yet another story from the gunslinger Roland of Gilead, and a story inside of his.
The first seven Dark Tower Books captivated me, and now that Stephen King has written another one, Dark Tower 4.5 as he likes to call it, I feel like I get to visit another part of my favorite story.Whenever I read a new book, I feel like I'm actually in the story, like I get to go on the characters' adventures with them. However, the story of Roland and his Ka-tet isn't a new one, I just get to hear a new part. :)
So basically, this long rant has been to say that I'm really excited to have something of my choosing to read, and that it's part of one of my favorite series from one of my favorite authors. In addition to his new book, I have also started reading The Stand (also by him), and I have three other books to read (one of which is for school). I LOVE having books to read, and even though it makes me feel like I have stuff to do, which stresses me out, I know that I will have reading material for QUITE a while, and that is one of my favorite things. So, if you're reading this, what is your favorite book? Your favorite author? ... I always love to hear what different people love to read, especially when their answers surprise me. :)

A Little Bit of This and That....

Well, let's just say that it's been a very interesting weekend. I know that I'm basically saying in every post that I really can't wait for school to be out, but It's true. This weekend, I got to go driving again, and lets just say that it wasn't even nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Especially compared to the first time I drove. This time, I drove to my grandmas house and I didn't mix up the gas and the break this time, luckily.
One of my favorite things to do, is read. Recently I've been having to read a lot of different things for school, but I'm finally finding a little bit of time to read what I want, and I couldn't be happier. For world book day, my mom was chosen to receive 20 copies of a book from the list. Of the books of choice, she was given her first choice, The Stand by Stephen King. Stephen King's books have always amazed me and fascinated me and now I have another one and I'm just so excited to read it. I can't wait for a new story to fall into.
I know it's sad, but once this year is over ( school year that is) I probably won't write on here very much. I know I keep saying how excited I am for this school year to be over, but I'm also really, really bummed. After this year, we'll all branch off and become either Lancers or Darts, and then well rivalry and separation will begin. I honestly love being a Falcon, and I wish that I could just go back a few months, and then just pause time. If I could do that, then I would never have to worry about losing friends, or being nervous about high school.
I know I always act like I've got it under control but honestly, I'm freaking out most of the time. I always act like I know what's going to happen because I've got 5 older sisters, 3 of which I live with so I tell people, "Oh yeah! High school will go like this... and then this." Well, you can't really say that because every group of people is different. I'm friends with completely different types of people than my sisters were, so I honestly have no idea how things will turn out. I just say what I hope will happen, "When I get my drivers license, and I can pick up other people, I'll come get you at 5 in the morning and we'll go to breakfast before school!" Yeah, now that I think about it, I know it's sad to say, but I doubt that will happen.We'll see though, I mean like I said, you never now what will happen with people.
I'm really nervous about this next year, and I don't quite know what to expect, but I' going to go into it with a positive attitude, and make the best of it.
On a completely different note, I found out the other day that something I wrote for Letters For Literature is going to the state level of the competition. I'm really excited because I've never had anything like this happen before, I guess we'll see how it goes. Anyway, it's getting late, and I gotta go to bed, so goodnight internet!

Looking Towards The Future

In the next few months, things in my life, my home, are going to change so much. I'll be driving, starting in the fall I'll be in high school, and one of my sisters might move out (I won't go into detail about that though, cause every time I think about it I end up crying). I know I've done posts before about high school, but everyday, it gets closer and closer, and I think about it more and more. Going into high school is going to be way fun, but way sad at the same time. I'm going to lose some friends who will be going to different schools, but I'm going to get the opportunity to meet new ones. Now I'm not religious, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. So if you lose a friend, to me that means that your just opening a spot in your heart and your life for an even better one to come along. Everything has a purpose, if it didn't, then what would be the point of living? Anyway, it does make me sad to think that I'm going to be losing friends, but I am going to get the chance to meet and make even better ones. The ones I don't lose, even though we'll be split apart, will be the friends that I want to keep. The ones that I really don't want to lose. Losing friends has always been a kind of sensitive thing with me, which is why this "split" makes me nervous. I just have to tell myself that if we are really close enough, then we won't let the difference of schools get between us. I've watched it happen with all three of my sisters and their friends, it makes me sad to think of who I might lose.
Now, onto driving... Well that's an entirely different thing. My family and I are very outdoorsy so I've driven four-wheelers, a boat, wave runners, etc., but none of them is like driving a car. Now, I've only driven twice since I got my permit a few weeks ago, but it's pretty hard. I can never seem to figure out how far back the gas pedal is, so I think it's a lot further back than it really is so sometimes I've hit the gas a little bit harder than I've meant to. Considering that the two times I have driven it's been in two different cars might have something to do with it, but it still makes me nervous. You kind of have to have a quick reaction time, especially with all the crazy drivers out there who don't really care about how they might possibly be endangering the lives of others. Let's just say that my reaction time isn't as fast as it should be. I'm just hoping that I'll get enough practice in before I take the test sometime later in the summer. If all goes well, I won't have to walk to school in the winter, and I think it'd be worth it to save my fingers and toes. I don't mind walking outside when it's warm, or even slightly chilly, but give me snow or huge winds and you can forget about it. I've been there, and done that, and it is not at all fun.

The Invincible Ship

History has always amazed me. Whether its a war, an explorer's adventures, or new discoveries, I am always captivated. Last week, because it was Spring Break my parents, one of my sisters, and I went on a road trip for  days. We made a giant loop from Utah through Nevada, down part of the California coast, and then back through Nevada, and ending in Utah. It was pretty crazy, and there isn't that much to talk about, so I'll spare the boring details. On the last day of the trip (Thursday), we were in Las Vegas, and had arrived the night before. On Wednesday, we had a long drive getting to Las Vegas, so I wanted something to entertain me. At one of our stops, I got two magazines, one about the Titanic, and the other about 100 important discoveries. Well, because we had been listening to Catching Fire on the stereo, I couldn't focus and actually read the article about the Titanic, so I just flipped through the magazine and looked at the pictures. Like I said, history has always amazed me, especially the Titanic. So I flipped through the magazine, looked at the pictures, and finally got sick of trying to read, and put it down. Well, when we finally got to our hotel for the final night, The Luxor, we hauled our suitcases up to our room, and then went back out for some food. On the way out of the hotel, we noticed that at the Luxor they had a Titanic exhibit on display. Really excited because I had been viewing pictures of the Titanic all day, and reading a little bit when I could, I eagerly asked my mom if we could go to the exhibit in the morning as our final activity. When she said yes, I was overjoyed.
So the next morning, we got up, went out to breakfast, and then came back to the Luxor to see the exhibit. Practically bouncing up and down with excitement I was eager to view all the artifacts and such. Imagine my surprise when I found out just before we entered the exhibit (from the handy-dandy National Geographic magazine who's article I did not read until standing in line) that they had an actual piece of the Titanic. I was amazed and shocked just to hear it, I couldn't wait to see it.
Walking in, we began to feel sorrowful as we read about many of the people who transferred to the Titanic at last minute because of many different situations. Of the 2,000+ people who were on the boat, only around 700 lived, and more than 1,000 of them perished with the boat.
Walking through the exhibit, it was dead silent, everyone very respectful of the rooms. We were amazed as we walked up to the grand staircase, well it's replica obviously. The floor was made to look like the pattern found from tiles that were actually in the grand staircase on the Titanic. We walked into a room with a replica of the promenade deck, which they had the air slightly chilled so you would feel as though you were actually outside. We walked through many different rooms, and hallways, some playing classical music, others filled with the sound of sirens, nearly silent, but like the ones that would have been heard on the Titanic that morning. Or when we would walk through a nearly pitch black hallway filled only with display cases on the right wall every few feet, and you could hear the sound of water dripping and metal groaning. It was a truly amazing affect. When we finally walked into a room that had an iceberg in it, I could not believe my eyes. Not knowing if it was real, I walked over and laid my hand on it, (as was encouraged) and was shocked to feel the cold from it. I held my hand there for a few moments, and then had to pull away from the cold, with water still on my hand. It was a truly amazing affect. In the next post, I'll tell you more about the artifacts and such. This post is getting a little long by now. :)

Road Trip!!

So, last week, I was eagerly awaiting this week, Spring Break, because  well first of all, it's spring break, and secondly I'm on a road trip! Woohoo! Our plan? It's a HUGE circle starting in Utah, going across Nevada, and then down through California and back through Nevada where we'll stop in Vegas. We're doing all of this in 6 days. It's pretty crazy, but that's us, haha! So... It's  day one, and we left home at around 10 O'clock. Right now, it's 12:10 and we just pulled into  Wendover. Today, we're going all  the way  to Lake Tahoe.  It's gonna be a whole lot of driving. After a snack stop, it's 12:30, and we're on the road once again. I just have to say how excited I am to see things like the GoldenGate Bridge, and Lake Tahoe. I just can't wait. I'm so excited. It sounds cheesy, but oh well. Right now we're also  listening to Catching Fire on an audio book.. It's been a while since I last read it, so it's really fun. 
Alright, so now it's 2:00 Nevada  time, 3:00  in  Utah I guess. We're a little over halfway through Nevada, things  are going  pretty well, woohoo. Wow, I just have to say that it's really scary to see semi trucks swaying side to side as the wind blows them. We've already seen one on it's side, and it was pretty scary.. Hopefully we don't  see anymore. And, the long car ride continues...
Okay, so it's still day one, and we've been in the car for nearly 6 hours. We just left Winnemucca ( I think that's how you spell it) and now once again, we're on the road. It's getting pretty stormy here, lots of wind. I'm gonna go find a way to entertain myself now. By the way, it's 4:00.
Now it's 5:30, and I just have to say that am really sick of the car. My tailbone hurts, and I just want to be walking around doing something fun. We're in Nevada, and we just passed Nevada mile marker 56. Woohoo!
So, now we're almost in California!!! I'm so happy! Right now, it's 8:05 Utah time, and we're still in the car. I think my parents are getting sick of us asking how far we are. Oh well, it's still fun. 10 hours in the car isn't exactly joyful. We're almost there though!
So we got to our hotel around probably 9:00 Utah time. Let me just say, that a bed feels really nice aftter sleeping at awkward angles in a cramped car. For dinner we went out to eat at this buffet which was really good, and then we came back to the hotel and went to bed.

Day 2
Okay, so right now, it's about 7:30 Utah time. I just got up, took a shower, and I am now trying to do something productive while I wait for everyone else to get up. I think that today we are driving to Eureka California. I'm also pretty sure that we're gonna see the giant redwood forest. I'm pretty excited! Tommorrrow, we're going to either see Alcatraz or go to Ghiradelli Square. (I don't think I spelled that right). By the way, did you know that it's really hard to write a blog post on an ipad? I keep pressing all the wrong buttons. It's kind of fun though too. Anyway, I'm going to split this up into at least two posts, so This is the end of blog numero uno. Bye!

Great Expectations, and A Few Other Things

Here is my book review on Great Expectations.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a classic tale written in the 1900s about a young boy and his life's story. When he was a young boy, Pip, -living with his sister and her husband at the blacksmith's forge- is suddenly brought into great wealth, his whole life changes. Pip was never in a situation like it before, so in his new life he finds himself overwhelmed and confused. His expectations change many times throughout the book a different situations unfold, and he finds himself quite different from who he once was.
I thought Great Expectations by Charles Dickens was a good book, but it was boring at the same time. I liked the overall story, and I thought it was interesting, but it moved too slowly for me. I thought it was bring because I felt like a lot if the story was just crawling along, and it was driving me nuts. I had a hard time getting though it.
The book did have a lot of detail in it but that is one if the reasons it seemed bogged down to me. I can picture things really easily, and I often found myself skipping entire paragraphs trying to get through the book faster only to have to backtrack to make sure I wouldn't miss anything.
My top two favorite characters are Wemmick and Joe. They are my favorites because they are both always really kind and helpful to people. They both do whatever they can to help Pip, no matter what the circumstances were. I also rely liked the harsh nature of Estella, but I kept wishing she would all of a sudden turn nice.
My favorite part in the book would probably be when Pip found out who his benefactor was. I liked it because it moved faster than a lot of the book, and because I guessed who the benefactor was.
Overall, I thought that Great Expectations was an okay book. It seemed a little slow to me at times, but I liked the storyline. I would only recommend it to people who have a lot of time and patience for reading books. It did teach me some lessons though, and that is always important. It helped me to learn to appreciate what I have now, instead of being upset over something I don't have.

On a side note, this has been an extremely long week, but a pretty good one. This week I saw Hunger Games, which I just have to say was freaking amazing, and has now become one of my all time favorite movies. I also got my drivers permit. The test was pretty easy, and the wait at the DMV wasn't too bad, but driving for the first time? Yeah, that was pretty nerve wracking. Overall though, it was pretty fun, and I'm pretty excited to get my actual license. Overall, I think it's a pretty good way to start off forth term, so here we go.

Anxiety Disorders

So this is something I had to write for my health class. It may be a little boring, but it's also really interesting, so have fun learning some new stuff. :)

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, 18% of U.S. population ("Facts and Statistics"). There are many different types of anxiety disorders: Panic Disorder, OCD, PTSD, and many others. Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse ("Anxiety Disorders").

Anxiety disorders affect many people, and many anxiety disorders have similar symptoms. Some anxiety disorder symptoms are back pain, body aches, burning/itchy skin, chest pain, dizziness, heart palpitations, nausea, startle easily, twitching, weight loss or gain, difficulty falling asleep, and many more as well ("Anxiety Centre"). Many people feel like outcasts because they have an anxiety disorder, but that shouldn’t be the case. There are many ways that you can help anxiety disorders.

Different anxiety disorders can be handled in many different ways, but they can be controlled. People shouldn’t have to bow down to their anxiety disorders. You can take control, and get your life back. “In general, anxiety disorders are treated with medication, specific types of psychotherapy, or both ("Anxiety Disorders").” “Medication will not cure anxiety disorders, but it can keep them under control while the person receives psychotherapy ("Anxiety Disorders").” There are many different medications that can help treat a huge variety of anxiety disorders; many medications that help people take control of their lives.

Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the U.S. alone. “Each year, they cost the U.S. more the $42 billion a year, almost one-third of the country’s $148 billion total mental health bill, according to ‘The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders,’ …” According to WebMD, “Anxiety may affect twice as many older adults as depression, according to new research. Researchers say generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) may be the most common mental disorder among the elderly, although little is known about how to treat the disorder among older adults (Warner).” “GAD affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men ("Facts and Statistics").”

Anxiety disorders may affect 40 billion adults in the U.S. but it doesn’t have to control their lives. There are many medications that can be prescribed to help control the symptoms from anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders like panic attacks, or OCD may cause people to feel like they are outsiders, but with the new medications they can help people manage their anxiety disorders. I think that if people go to the doctor for their anxiety disorders then they can get the medication or treatments they need to put them in control of their lives once again. 40 million adults may have anxiety disorders, but they can be helped, and doctors and scientists are discovering new things every day; leading us into an even more technological age where anything is possible.

Works Cited:

"ADAA."Facts and Statistics.Anxiety Disorders Association of America, n.d.

Web. 10 Mar 2012.

<http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-

statistics>.

"Anxiety Symptoms." Anxiety Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2012.

<http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml?gclid=CI7a-8X1864CFeYbQgoduxd5KA>.

"National Institute of Mental Health."Anxiety Disorders.N.p., 02, 011,

2010. Web. 10 Mar 2012.

<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/complete-index.shtml>.

Warner, Jennifer. "Web MD." Anxiety Often Missed in Elderly More Older

Adults Affected by Anxiety

Disorders Than Depression. N.p., May 22,2006. Web. 19 Mar 2012. <http://www.psychologyandwellbeing.org/pn/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=65>.

Healthier Changes

Okay, so the other day I blogged about my heart. This post was originally going to be that one, but I didn't want it to be too long, so I kind of split them into 2. Anyway, so this one is kind of a continuation of that one. A month or so ago, I had another cardiology appointment, the first one in like 2ish years. It went well, but I was told that there were still a lot of things I could be doing to keep my heart in better shape. Everything I do, I think about whether or not it is good for my heart, as cheesy as that sounds. I don't even know if cheesy is the word I'm looking for but oh well. Anyway, (I think I say that a lot, I guess that means I should stop straying from my topics) So lately my sisters and I have been going to the gym. Several months ago, my older sister started going to the gym, and since then she has lost a lot of weight, and gained a lot of self confidence. I'm so proud of her, and she is my inspiration to do the same things. So, recently I've been going to the gym and overall I'm hoping to get myself and my heart in better shape. I feel like I was given a second chance, because my life was saved, so I need to cherish it and take care of my body the best I can.
So as I said above, my whole inspiration is my sister, who has already done so much for herself. I feel like I'm starting a new journey, and as well as getting in better shape and losing weight, in the next month or so, I'll get my drivers permit. I'm really excited for the changes to come. My sister always says that you choose whether or not to be happy, and it's completely true. I hope that as I get older, I can be even somewhat like my sisters, they inspire me so much everyday, and I look up to them. Everyday, I look around, and I'm so appreciative of the life I have. I have a the best family who support me in everything I do, and try to steer me to the right way when I'm lost. I'm gonna be really sad when my sisters start moving out. I don't know what I"m gonna do without them, but they'll still be around, just not as much.
I am so excited to start this new "journey", as strange as that sounds. I think that it's going to help me become a healthier, happier, more confident person. I never used to like gym class, and so I never thought I would like going to the gym and working out, but it's completely different when it isn't forced, you do it at your time, speed, and place. Anyway, I'm excited for this new "chapter" in my life, and I think it's going to help me a lot in being even happier.

I'm Not Sure What To Call This...

Okay, I hope I get all the facts straight, but I'm not exactly positve about some of them, so sorry. When I was born, I had a heart defect called Pulmonary Stenosis. (As I was told about this) Pulmonary Stenosis, or in my case at least, is when you have a hole in your heart. Now, everyone has a hole in their heart when they're born, but as you grow up it closes. Mine didn't. Already my sister and I had broken medical records, before we were even born. Neither of us were supposed to live. My heart was failing from pumping all the blood, and she was suffering from malnutrition (or something like that). My mom was told by the doctors that only one of us could live, and that she should abort one of us. She refused. Instead, she researched for a while, trying to figure out ways to save us. Finally, she heard of an experimental laser surgery. I'm not exactly sure what the laser surgery did, but it worked. So right there is one way we had already broken a record. When I was born, I was taken to PCMC (Primary Childrens Medical Center). I had several problems going on, but the main one was my heart. One of my valves was too narrow, and I was in serious trouble. So, they had to preform a valvuloplasty. Basically, what that is, is they take a really little balloon thing, and they put it in your veins and they get it into the narrow valve in your heart, and they fill up the balloon so it will stretch the valve and make it bigger. I'm not exactly how young I was, but my mom would always tell me I was the youngest baby to have the procedure done. After all the complications, I got to go home. (I think it was like a month later, not sure though).
I grew up with a normal childhood, playing with barbies, fighting over them with my sisters, playing imaginary games. All the things little kids do now, except watch shows like Adventure Time.... That show is freaky... *Shudder*.  Anyway, so I grew up normal, except for the regular cardiology exams. Every year or so I would go in and they would run tests to make sure that my heart was doing ok. For a while it was. Around 2005ish I suddenly got really tired all the time, and really sick. I would get these horrible migranes, and I would never go outside to play with my sisters cause I would never feel up to it. My mom was getting really worried, so we scheduled an appointment with my cardiologist. All I really remember from that? A lot of tests.
Anyway, so basically they told me I would need to have surgery. Now, being a 8 year old kid and being told you need surgery. It kinda freaks you out. I never got too worried because my mom was always there teliing me that things would be fine, but still. It was kind of scary. So on February 2nd, 2006, I had my heart surgery. It was nothing too major it wasn't open heart surgery, but every surgery has it's risks. Anyway, so in the surgery, they took a device call an amplatzer, and brought it up to my heart through a vein in my leg. The device, once opened up, is kind of like a double ended umbrella, only much, much smaller (obviously). The surgery was sucessful, and after about 6 hours recovery time in the hospital I went home. After a week or two at home (during which, one day my teacher stopped by my house to bring me balloons and cards from the class, it was so sweet!), I got to go back to school, and life pretty much returned to normal, except that I was no longer constantly tired, I wasn't sick, and I didn't get migranes. Now, 5 years later and I'm still doing good. This blog post was originally supposed to be about changes I've been making in my life, but I think that would make it quite a bit long, so we'll save that for another day. I'm so grateful for everything I've been given in my life, and to all the people at PCMC for helping me, and other children.

Things Are Changing, But It's For The Better (Sorry I'm late!)

Lately, I've been having to do a lot of stuff involving high school, and it's got me really excited. I can't wait to go to a new school where I can meet new people, and do new things, join clubs, take new classes, I just can't wait. Next year, I'm going to be taking things like clothing, painting, orchestra, Spanish 2 (which I'm not the most excited about) and of course the required things. I am really excited to go to a new school, but at the same time I'm really bummed. Next year, a lot of my friends will be going to a different high school than me, because our Junior High filters into two high schools. It's a bummer really. I'm happy that they are excited for their school, but I wish that I could just take them all with me, so that we wouldn't get split up. I'm hoping though, that we're close enough that our friendships won't break, but we'll see. I can only hope for the best.
I can't believe that I'm a freshman this year, it just doesn't seem right, and then on top of that, this fall I will be a sophomore... It's Crazy! If feels like just yesterday that I was starting my 1st day of 7th grade, like only yesterday I was getting lost in an extremely simple school. I kind of miss the simpleness of it. Just 3 years ago I was in the final months of elementary. It seems so crazy to think that I've grown up so much from then. Since then, I have learned so many new things, and met so many new people. I'm so grateful for what I have today. Every time I wish things were different, that I could change something, I think about how every person who has hurt me, has made me stronger, and how I am so lucky to have the life that I do. It's hard to want something else. Yet, I still do, and it makes me feel selfish sometimes, but then I realize that it's not like I can change things, and in the end, I don't think I would honestly want to. Anyway, back to the original topic: High School.
I can't believe that this year I am going to start driving, and eventually have my license. I feel like things are changing so fast, and it actually kind of makes me laugh. I think about how silly my sisters and I used to be, and how we still are, but in different ways. It's funny to look at how much people change, and grow over such a short amount of time. Once upon a time, the biggest thing we would fight about was a plastic barbie locker, and now we all have such different schedules, that we don't often get time when everyone is home. It just amazes me how things change. Thinking about how I will be in high school later this year does make me nervous, but it makes me excited, and I can't wait. I used to be afraid of change, and I still kind of am, but this is going to be good, and if it's not, I'll make it be good. :)

3 hours in a car? No Problem!

So... I know this post is a little late, sorry for that. Anyway, today has been crazy. Everyone knows that Utah is really popular for it's ski/snowboarding resorts. Well, today just proved that to me even further. A few years ago, around 2005 my family and I went tubing for the first time. Just in case you don't know what that is, just think about it. You hop in a tube, (you know like the round circular things?), and then you go down a hill of snow. So basically it's sledding, but in a tube. Anyway, so about 6 years ago we went for the first time, and we had a blast. I even managed to loose my hat in the middle of one of the tracks, and for quite a while almost anytime someone went down the hill they would hop out of their tube in the middle of the track, and then try to grab my hat. This went on for a while, and if you've been tubing before, you know how long it takes to get to the top of the hill, and then you have to wait out the lines. So, it was pretty strange, and awesome watching all these random people jumping out of their tubes to try to grab my hat. Eventually, after a lot of failures from a lot of different people, I had given up all hope of ever getting my hat back, but one of my sisters just had to try one more time. So, standing at the bottom of the tracks, we watched her go down the hill, jump out of her tube in the middle of it, and finally my hat was retrieved. I think it was at that point that everyone started cheering. We finished up the day without any incidents, and then we went home freezing, and soaking wet. It was a lot of fun.
The next year, 2006 we decided to go again, but I couldn't actually go tubing. I was having my heart surgery in a month (a story for a different time), and so I wasn't allowed to go because I was supposed to be taking it easy. So my sisters went tubing with my step dad, and me and my mom went and sat in McDonald's. Fun right? It actually was though. If I'm remembering this right (I don't always have the best memory) at the end of the day, right before we were going to leave, my mom let me go once. So I followed my step dad to the area where you and your tube are pulled up the hill, and up we went. Once the ride was over, you know the one to get up the hill, there was still quite a hike, so my step dad, being as awesome as he is, pulled me in my tube the rest of the way because I was supposed to be taking it easy. We got to the top, I went down and it was a blast.
Anyway, so this year we wanted to go again because we hadn't gone in a long time. Well, it's a pretty long drive up there, about an hour and a half, and we were really excited to go. Sadly, we were missing three of our "troop" because they were working, and my mom has a bad back, so she decided to stay. Anyway, so after a long drive up, we were so excited to get out of the car. So we went into the resort, and waited while my step dad went to go buy the tickets, and then... Bad news. They were sold out. With one last sliver of hope, we drove down a grocery store, hoping they would have a few more tickets, but at the time, it was 2:30 and sadly they didn't have tickets with times until 5:00. So, we drove one and a half hours back home. Making a total of three hours in the car. So, we got home, removed a few layers of coats and scarfs, and decided to go to a movie. The movie? Chronicle. Let's just say it was interesting.... Anyway, I should probably wrap this up. So basically, today has been crazy. Oh, and did I mention that one of my favorite people, my step sister, came out from Georgia yesterday? Yeah, so it's been a pretty great weekend.

Sisters.... What Would I Do Without Them?

They're my best friends, my worst enemies (sometimes), and the people I couldn't live without. It has always shocked me when people say that they hate having a sister, or that they can't stand their sister. Yeah, there will always be times when you are in fights with them, or the times when you really just can't stand them, but what about all the other times? I have tons and tons of amazing memories with my sisters, whether it is just summer movie nights, childhood memories, or whatever. They're there for me when I need it most.
Just a warning, this post is going to be full of cheese, but sometimes you can't help it. One of my favorite memories with my sisters is just an extremely simple one, any of the days we spent at the park when we were little. We would run around and around the park, playing tag, pushing each other on the "merry go round", ( if you don't know what I mean, and really want to know, look up "playground merry go round". You'll quickly understand.), tossing frisbees at each other, kicking around a soccer ball, or feeding the ducks.
Now, we're all a lot older, and we don't see each other much. It's really sad, but it makes me grateful for the time we do get together. Now, it may just be 10 minutes or so in between everyone's busy schedules. However, there are nights, like tonight, where most of us are home, and we can spend hours together. Nights like tonight are my favorite, because it means that once again I get to spend time with the most important people in my life. I don't know what I'd do without them. I love nights like tonight, but they also make me wish for the times when we were little. I want to go back to when all that mattered was who had what barbie. I mean seriously, when was the last time you had a problem as simple as that? Probably a long time.
I don't always want to go all the way back to when we were little though. Sometimes I just want to go back a few years, because then was the time when we were all at "mature" ages, though we didn't always act mature. I miss when we would go on long car rides and sing at the top of our lungs to songs like Waka Waka by Shakira, The one's for the girls by Martina McBride, and a lot of others. I miss the somewhat simpler times from then. Now it's sounding like I don't like anything in my life now, and that's not true. I love my life right now. I just miss my family. I'm grateful for the time we get to spend together, and I couldn't ask for more from them right now. I can't wait for when we are all older, and we get to spend the time together then, like how we used to. I  miss the past, I'm enjoying the present, and I'm eager for the memories we'll make in the future. <3