The Soldier Down the Road

A father comes to the bus stop to get his little girl who was in kindergarten. His shaved head and muscular body shows that he is a soldier who is in the military. Shaun has three daughters and is married to a beautiful wife who he met at their school's banquet. He grew up on a farm in a family of ten children of whom he was the youngest.  He wanted to do something brave and heroic and decided to join the army as soon as he got out of high school. When he got to boot camp, Shaun realized that it was not more then just doing something great or living a dream...he realized it was more important and a whole lot harder then he imagined. Whenever someone looked at him, he would seem older then his thirty-five years due to the war he had fought in when he was younger.
That day as he was getting five year old Colleen from the bus, he knew that he wouldn't be getting her from the bus for a whole year. His sergeant had called that day and told him that he would be deployed to Afghanistan in a few weeks. He had been on two deployments already and even though he was sad about leaving his family, he still managed to have a smile on when Colleen stumbled off the bus into his arms.

Moving on to Larger Pets

Hamsters are not very reliable pets. They are vulnerable to death too easily. My family has gone through eleven hamsters because they all ended up getting sick and dying. Hamsters are prone to a disease called wet-tail which basically, apologies for being blunt, diarrhea. So, if one has it in the cage at the pet store, they all have it because they share the same waterbottle.
I am not saying I hate hamsters, but after awhile and after they keep dying, it should be clear it is time for a new pet. I can remember that one of our hamsters ran on its wheel ALL night and was dead the next morning. They didn't have one in the pen at the store, and he was obviously very exctied to have one....although the excitement cost him his little life.
Eventually we did get a cat and love having one. His name is Pooter and he is very adorable. He gets into trouble often, but he is just a young wee lad. Pooter loves to sleep on Mama's lap in the evenings and to play. He has toy that is a fish on a string and we play for a good while with it.
All in all, cats are definitely able a more reliable pet.

One of my Heros

One of my heroes is Bethany Hamilton. She lives in Kauai, Hawaii and has been surfing since she was very little When she was thirteen a shark bit her arm off while she was surfing, leaving her without much of an arm left. She lost about 60% of her blood and made a miraculous recovery. After her arm was healed, she went back and started surfing again. She had to learn how to do somethings differently with having only one arm. That's a reason she is my hero, because she returned to surfing and is very brave.
One of the reasons she is my hero is that she is a Christian too. She saw the TV interviews and publicity as a way to be a witness for Christ. Bethany said that her faith in Christ helped her through one of the most trying times of her life. People have asked her if she would take her arm back if she had the choice and she said no because she has been able to be such a big big witness for Christ in the media and surfing world. I look up to Bethany for this reason.
A movie was just recently done called Soul Surfer which is based off her story and the book she wrote. They knew that they could use this movie to share the Gospel and reach out to many unsaved people. The movie is excellent, not to mention all the surfing in it. :)
Bethany Hamilton is someone all girls can look up to as a good role model. Someday I want to surf just like her.

Something I fear

I think something I fear is being left out by others. when i first came to Shalom, people didnt seem very welcoming and i was very left out. I felt like Joseph amongst his brothers. The other kids knew i was different and didnt want to except me into their group. I ate lunch alone sometimes. I think, though, i leg myself be left out. It was my own choice and I could have interacted with people...i was just to scared.

Apples.

Apples. What do you think about when you bite into an apple? I love the fresh crisp taste I get when I take a bite out of my all time favorite kind of apple...a Granny Smith apple. One of the best ways to enjoy my Granny Smith apple is with peanut butter. I have my mama cut my apple if she is available and then enjoy apple slices dipped in peanut butter. There is no better snack, not to mention a healthy one. I also enjoy a granny smith apple in caramel apple dip to the fullest.
It seems that apples get a bad reputation in fairy tales. For example, Snow White. Her evil stepmother poisoned an apple and told Snow white to eat it. And wouldn’t you know, SHE TOOK A BITE. I like apples but if some gnarly old woman where a cape told me to take a bite of an apple, I would run the other way. I would run really really fast.
All in all, I love Granny Smith apples and really don't eat any other kind unless I have to. Pink Lady apples are quite scrumptious too but Granny Smith is my number one pick.
And now I am going to go eat a Granny Smith apple and peanut butter. I do not lie.
 
 

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Tangled-one of the best Disney movie EVER

One of my all time favorite movies is Tangled. It is a spin off of the Rapunzel story and guarantees a load of laughs. We meet up with the spunky and compassionate Rapunzel who has been locked in a tower for her entire life. An evil lady, Mother Gothel, kidnapped Rapunzel when she was a wee babe so that she could still look young. You may wonder what locking a princess in a tower would do to keep an old witch young, well, Rapunzel's hair has the ability to heal.
Along with her chameleon friend Pascal, Rapunzel is quite satisfied living in her tower until the outlaw Flynn Rider shows up. She asks him to take her to the castle to see the lights that appear in the sky each year on her birthday in exchange for the knapsack he was carrying. Flynn agrees and the two begin their thrilling adventure. They....wait....if i tell you anything else, you'll know to much. You should watch the movie. It's the best and is very cute.

                     Flynn Ride while being held hostage. Pascal woke him up with a wet willy.

The Phantom of the Opera- a message behind it

When you first think of the Phantom of the Opera, what jumps out at you? A beautiful soprano? A love story? An unknown figure that lurks around the Paris Opera house? Not only do these things stand out, but I also think there is a lesson that can be learned about judging others.
The Phantom, who wears a mask on the right side of his face, has never known anything of love. All of his life he has hidden behind a mask because of the way people treated him. They mocked him, jeered at him, and hunted him down just because his face is distorted and looks different.
Matthew 7:1 it says:
                       “Do not judge or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (NIV)

In the story, the Phantom is judged by his outward appearance alone and that is where problems begin arise. He only wants to be love and his music be appreciated. Underneath the mask and the disfiguration, is a man who has a passion for music and theater. After all the years of torment and hatred towards him, the Phantom begins to act in violent and rash ways. He falls in love with Christine Daae, a young soprano at the opera house, and when he finds out she loves Raoul, the patron of the opera house, he tries to kill Raoul. In the end, Christine is the only one, other then some others, who doesn't judge him by how he looks.
We must be careful about the way we judge other people. We are ALL made in God's image and must come to treat others like so.

Celtic Thunder Concert

On October 13th, 2011, I went to the Hershey Theater to see my favorite music group of all time, Celtic Thunder. Celtic Thunder is an Irish group that consists of five male vocalists. Since then the group has lost two members and gained a new one, but when I saw it they had all the original singers.
I was so very excited when I got home from school and discovered that there was an extra ticket because the Wingerts, who we were going with, had a stink bug infestation (I DO NOT LIE) and Mr. Wingert was not able to go. My mom asked me who we could bring with us and I instantly thought of my fellow Celtic Thunder fan, Abigail Koontz. After arrangements were made, Abigail came with us to show which made it even more wonderful. Our seats were in the Lodge section and we had a pretty good view of the stage, not to mention comfortable theater seats. We waited in silent, okay maybe not that silent, anticipation. The whole night was full of fun, laughter and music. It was such a blessing to be able to go see the lads live and I would like to again someday!

The blonde one in the middle is my favorite.

I wish I had a Million...

Sometimes I wish i had a million cats because it wrenches my heart to think of all the unwanted cats there are. I would by a big house and keep them all there, so they wouldn't be out in the cold or rain. You may be wondering ,firstly, where would you keep all those cats? I would purchase an ancient castle on the coast of Ireland and then would bring in all the homeless cats. I think it would be a fun thing to do. I would think up a whole bunch of names and name all the felines according to their personalities. It would be a nice big place for them to roam around in and I would block off any small niches that they could get stuck in.
I guess the downside to having a million cats would be trying to keep up with the messes they would make. I would need a lot of cat litter and maybe even a sandbox so they wouldn't mess on the floor. I also would spend a very large amount of money on cat food and the other things they need. Need I mention vet bills?
Maybe having a million cats is not such a good idea after all...

                                                                        My cat Pooter

Want I want to do

I love animals and hopefully, the Lord willing, would like to be a veterinarian assistant (Vet Tech). I can remember since I was little, i was facinated by the show Emergency Vets on Animal Planet. I can remember sitting glued to the television, watching the vets untwist a dog's stomach and remove a wallaby's eye that had an infection in it. I think it was then i decided i wanted to be a veterinarian, although when i got older i decided to be a veterinarian assitant.
This past summer my family started watching the BBC show All Creatures Great and Small. The series is based off the books by James Herriot who was a vet in Yorkshire, England in the 1930's. After watching the show, it renewed my desire to be a vet tech.
My uncle is a vet and each year at the beach he lets me help him when he gives Uncle Russ' dogs their shots. I fill up the syringes and this year got to help him when he drew blood from one of the dogs. I learn something each summer from him and am looking forward to the opportunity to shadow at his practice sometime next summer.
The road to being a vet tech will be hard for me because math isnt my best subject, but I know God can help me do well. I am getting better at science and am determined to do a very good job this year.
God willing, i would love to be a vet assistant and care for God's creatures.

Gymnastics

 There is nothing like accomplishing something hard or challenging. In fact, I enjoy a good challenge! I did gymnastics for roughly three years at the Wilson School of Gymnastics and Dance. A good friend of mine, Abi Van Kampen, told me about it and my mom and I looked into it. I was super excited because two of my cousins were gymnasts at Penn State and I wanted to be just like them!
I started out in the fifty minute class, but soon discovered that it was too easy and the kids in it were a lot younger then I. Mom switched me to the two hour class and I stay in that one for most of my gymnastics career. I didn’t compete but had intensive training and let me tell you, I definitely got a good workout. The coaches worked us hard on flexibility and I can still do a split!
My favorite thing about gymnastics was whenever I accomplished a really difficult skill such as a tuck jump or a handstand flat back. I would go home and email my cousin Allen, telling him what I did that night. I think he enjoyed hearing about how my gymnastics was going.
Like any sport, injuries can happen. I sprained my wrist doing a skill and then re-injured it three times because I kept going back to practice. The recovery took awhile and I absolutely hated wearing a brace on my wrist for a few months. I was able to return to gymnastics the following season and got right back into it. I still have some trouble with that hand and even got tendonitis, which thankfully went away.
I miss gymnastics a lot but am thankful for the opportunity to do the sport and to be a gymnast for three short years
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Collections

            As long as I can remember, I have gotten a new Christmas ornament each year. It is kind of a tradition here at our house and I have many different ornaments that are each hold a special memory. One of my favorite ones is the one we got in Maine when my family went to Bar Harbor. It is a little lighthouse and reminds me of the sea. I also have the ornaments from my first Christmas. It has my baby picture in it and I put it on the tree every year. There was another one that was building blocks with a toddler holding a star that is one of my absolute favorite ones. I think it is neat to see how we have grown and the different ornaments we have collected and received from Mom and Dad. I think it is cool how even my momma has ornaments since she and Daddy got married. They have the one they got on their first Christmas which takes its place in the center of the tree. Mom also has the ornaments that her students gave her when she was a teacher many years ago.

            I look forward one day to putting the ornaments I have received from my mom and day, on my own tree and reminiscing of the days gone by. Who knows? Maybe I will even do the same for my kids so that when they have their own home, they too can put up the ornaments on their tree.