Faith is a very deep topic that by some is resented, while in other cases is welcomed. In the past week or so, I have questioned the definition of faith. In some cases it is believing without seeing, believing the unimaginable, or far fetched. Faith can be what binds people together because believing in something of someone can be hard. I have heard the quote that belief is passive, but faith, faith is active. It is in theory a verb. One does not just have faith, one actions on faith, making it an action verb. In the words of Martin Luther, "one is saved by faith alone", but along with faith, one needs the deeds. Anyone could say they have faith, but are they willing to stand by it?
My mom once told me a story that there were two men on a cliff. One man had a wire going across the cliff to the other side with a barrel on top so that it could roll across the ravine. The man that owned the contraption asked his friend, "do you have faith that this contraption can work and that a person would be able to roll across?" The man looked at his friend and replied, "of course I do!" The owner then responded by saying..."then get in the barrel." The other man refused.
Acting on faith. It is easy to say that you believe or have faith in something, but to act on it and stand by it is difficult. In life, faith is important. In a way it is your last string of hope because you are believing without seeing. We have faith that air is real because we breathe it everyday. For religion it is more difficult to follow because it is more complex and bashed.
Overall, faith is a topic that most people do not like to talk about, but is something that they stand on as well. No matter what you believe, faith is vital. Faith is personal and is located deep in the heart of the person.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Family
Family according to Merriam Webster Dictionary is a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head. This definition is very vague and to me is not the true meaning. A family is so much more than a group of people living under one roof. But to be fair, I do not think that there is a perfect definition for the word because a family can be put into the category of just about anything. They are your support, the people that know you the best, the people that love you, and the people that are there for you.
In my immediate family I have my mom, dad, brother, and two dogs. My mom is a preschool teacher, my dad is an accountant, and my brother is a freshman at U of I. My two dogs are Echo and Fetlar. It has been different with my brother off to college, but when he comes home it is always fun.
On my mom's side I have three uncles and one aunt. For the most part they all live around here, but my aunt (who I am named after) lives in Arizona. I have six cousins and they live all around the country. All together they live in New York (soon to be Hawaii), Minnesota, and Springfield.
On my dad's side I have one aunt and she lives in Houston, Texas. My grandparents live in Springfield.
Overall, my family is very important to me. I love catching up with them and seeing them on the holiday. With all the years that we have spent together, there are bonds in a family that make it special. In today's society, I think that the importance of a family has been disgraced and disregarded as insignificant. In my opinion I think it is quite the opposite. The family influences so much about our lives and helps to shape who we are. No matter where you are or where you go, your family is something that you can count on. Family...irreplaceable.
In my immediate family I have my mom, dad, brother, and two dogs. My mom is a preschool teacher, my dad is an accountant, and my brother is a freshman at U of I. My two dogs are Echo and Fetlar. It has been different with my brother off to college, but when he comes home it is always fun.
On my mom's side I have three uncles and one aunt. For the most part they all live around here, but my aunt (who I am named after) lives in Arizona. I have six cousins and they live all around the country. All together they live in New York (soon to be Hawaii), Minnesota, and Springfield.
On my dad's side I have one aunt and she lives in Houston, Texas. My grandparents live in Springfield.
Overall, my family is very important to me. I love catching up with them and seeing them on the holiday. With all the years that we have spent together, there are bonds in a family that make it special. In today's society, I think that the importance of a family has been disgraced and disregarded as insignificant. In my opinion I think it is quite the opposite. The family influences so much about our lives and helps to shape who we are. No matter where you are or where you go, your family is something that you can count on. Family...irreplaceable.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Spring Break 2010!!
For me, Spring Break is the last hill to get over before the best break of all...summer. After Spring Break, you just have to toughen up and get through the last couple weeks of school. It is a good feeling, but also a bad because you also realize that finals are approaching. It is sometimes funny because Spring Break this year felt like a little taste of summer and then next thing you know, it is time to go back to school. It is like school is teasing you with a week off of school and then you get to go back. This Spring Break was different just because I had my license this year. To start off, on Thursday we had soccer practice and we had to run a 5 and 8 (five laps around the soccer field in eight minutes). For the first time ever, I actually made it. This was pretty sweet and a nice way to start my break. Then we had Friday off and I got to sleep in!! That day I basically relaxed and read. On Saturday we had a soccer game against Southeast and we won 8-0. It was non-eventful. Also on Saturday, my grandparents came over for dinner for Easter. That was fun because I don't get to see them very often and my brother was home. Being with the family is important, especially on holidays. On Sunday, I got to go see the movie The Last Song. I do not usually cry during movies, but this time I did. It was super good!! Then on Tuesday, we played Rochester. That was an intense game and after eighty minutes we tied them 1-1. On Wednesday we played the Riverton. We won 8-0 and after the game Kaylyn and I wrote in the game summary a story. It said, "Once upon a time...the Riverton hawks flew into our nest with 43 attacking. Even with the big numbers they could not defeat the almighty Cardinals". We consisted to have Thursday off, which was also very nice and enjoyable. On Friday, I got to go to a friend's house that I had not seen in forever and catch up with them. That was probably one of my favorite things I got to do over Spring Break. On Saturday we played Williamsville and that was a hard fought game and also very hot. We ended up winning that game as well, 4-1. On that night, I got to have a girls night with my friends and we went to DQ and watched a movie.
Overall, Spring Break was awesome. I had a lot of fun and can not believe that it is over. Spring Break 2010 was unbelievable.
Overall, Spring Break was awesome. I had a lot of fun and can not believe that it is over. Spring Break 2010 was unbelievable.
Monday, April 12, 2010
My Job Shadowing Experience at SHG
On March 30, 2010, the whole Junior class participated in a job shadowing day. It was an opportunity to see the line of duty you were interested in action. An experience that we could all push in our back pockets and take it out when we are trying to decide the job of our future. It was helpful to see what an average day was like. For my choice of occupation, I chose to job shadow a AP US History teacher and for the location, I chose SHG.
The teachers name was Mr. Lavin and he is a well-known teacher at SHG that is known for his wealth of knowledge in history. It was fun to watch as the class asked questions and he would either shoot back an answer, or honestly say that he did not know, but he usually gave an educated guess on the matter. Personally, I know what the teachers are like at Plains and know their style of teaching. It was interesting to see other teachers teach and what their techniques were. That is something that I won't forget. I learned things about the styles of teaching, that if I decide to teach, I can combine what I liked about the teachers and make my own unique style of teaching. While I was there, I also got to view other teachers to get a broader view. I also sat in on Mr. Bloom's AP English class. They were discussing my all-time favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice. They were reading the book for homework and then in class, they were discussing in detail the thought process of the book and what they observed or thought was interesting. In order for the students to better understand the book, Mr. Bloom would put the situation into a current day matter. He took a ball room setting with the polite manners, to what happens at prom. Techniques like relating the material so that the students can better understand, are techniques that I won't forget. Mr. Bloom was extremely nice and offered information on what type of things he teaches and how he does it. The other teacher that I visited was Mrs. Fox. She was also a English teacher and her class was discussing the book The Great Gatsby. Her teaching style was different by the fact that she used an overhead projector and wrote out questions for the class to discuss. Mr. Bloom, walked through with his students the main points and asked their opinoin on the topic. Two different styles, but both seemed to be effective.
Overall, I got to see multiple different teachers, all of which were very kind and informative. Mr. Lavin was the main teacher that I observed and I am very glad I had the opportunity to watch him teach. Also while there I got to see what it was like at a different school. There were some vast differences between SHG and Plains. I learned a lot of things by just watching what was going on around me. It was like being in a different pair of shoes. I enjoyed being there after I got over the shock of not being at Plains with my friends. It was a bit of a culture shock at first, but after the first hour or so, I got to the point where I felt pretty comfortable. I am very glad that I had this experience.
The teachers name was Mr. Lavin and he is a well-known teacher at SHG that is known for his wealth of knowledge in history. It was fun to watch as the class asked questions and he would either shoot back an answer, or honestly say that he did not know, but he usually gave an educated guess on the matter. Personally, I know what the teachers are like at Plains and know their style of teaching. It was interesting to see other teachers teach and what their techniques were. That is something that I won't forget. I learned things about the styles of teaching, that if I decide to teach, I can combine what I liked about the teachers and make my own unique style of teaching. While I was there, I also got to view other teachers to get a broader view. I also sat in on Mr. Bloom's AP English class. They were discussing my all-time favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice. They were reading the book for homework and then in class, they were discussing in detail the thought process of the book and what they observed or thought was interesting. In order for the students to better understand the book, Mr. Bloom would put the situation into a current day matter. He took a ball room setting with the polite manners, to what happens at prom. Techniques like relating the material so that the students can better understand, are techniques that I won't forget. Mr. Bloom was extremely nice and offered information on what type of things he teaches and how he does it. The other teacher that I visited was Mrs. Fox. She was also a English teacher and her class was discussing the book The Great Gatsby. Her teaching style was different by the fact that she used an overhead projector and wrote out questions for the class to discuss. Mr. Bloom, walked through with his students the main points and asked their opinoin on the topic. Two different styles, but both seemed to be effective.
Overall, I got to see multiple different teachers, all of which were very kind and informative. Mr. Lavin was the main teacher that I observed and I am very glad I had the opportunity to watch him teach. Also while there I got to see what it was like at a different school. There were some vast differences between SHG and Plains. I learned a lot of things by just watching what was going on around me. It was like being in a different pair of shoes. I enjoyed being there after I got over the shock of not being at Plains with my friends. It was a bit of a culture shock at first, but after the first hour or so, I got to the point where I felt pretty comfortable. I am very glad that I had this experience.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My Dream Car...
Probably the most amazing car on the face of the Earth is the 2010 Infiniti G37 Convertible. This vehicle has just about everything. The brand Infiniti is one of my favorite brands. It is either between the Infiniti and Ford. To be completely honest, the reason as to why I like these cars is because of the way the cars look. I like fancy and elegant cars and specifically the colors silver, white, blue, or red. Those are my favorite colors for a car.
On Infiniti USA online I built my own car. It was Pacific Sky Blue, and labeled the 2010 Infiniti G37 Convertible Sport 6MT. I installed a navigation system and a spare tire package into the car as well. Overall, the car costs $49,815. Though it is a bit expensive, I think that this car is well worth it. It would be especially great in the summer time.
I then persisted to build another Infinite car titled the 2010 Infiniti EX35 AWD. I had this car to be the color Liquid Platinum and have all the options installed that are available. Overall, the car costs $37,380.
Both of these cars would definitely be my dream cars. The first one would mostly be for pleasure and for warm days that I would spend driving around town. The second one is a type of SUV that would be nice for the winter time when it snows and gets very cold.
The car that I currently drive is the 2000 Chevy Impala. I love driving this car. It is the color gold, which is not bad. I partly like it because it was my grandma's car. It has leather seating, heated seats, and a sun roof. I think it is a very nice car for a sixteen year old to have and I am very happy that I get to drive it. I think that if I were to currently drive a really nice car at my age, I would be scared I would hurt it somehow.
On Infiniti USA online I built my own car. It was Pacific Sky Blue, and labeled the 2010 Infiniti G37 Convertible Sport 6MT. I installed a navigation system and a spare tire package into the car as well. Overall, the car costs $49,815. Though it is a bit expensive, I think that this car is well worth it. It would be especially great in the summer time.
I then persisted to build another Infinite car titled the 2010 Infiniti EX35 AWD. I had this car to be the color Liquid Platinum and have all the options installed that are available. Overall, the car costs $37,380.
Both of these cars would definitely be my dream cars. The first one would mostly be for pleasure and for warm days that I would spend driving around town. The second one is a type of SUV that would be nice for the winter time when it snows and gets very cold.
The car that I currently drive is the 2000 Chevy Impala. I love driving this car. It is the color gold, which is not bad. I partly like it because it was my grandma's car. It has leather seating, heated seats, and a sun roof. I think it is a very nice car for a sixteen year old to have and I am very happy that I get to drive it. I think that if I were to currently drive a really nice car at my age, I would be scared I would hurt it somehow.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
American Literature Site Overview
Emily Dickinson is a poet. No doubt about it. She is famous for her ability to convey her feelings by using pen and paper. Though they were discovered after her death, Emily Dickinson is probably very happy with how her works have been treated. Through this project, I have been able to get a glimpse of the life of a poet. Dickinson mostly wrote morbid and sad poems, they are beautifully written.
In doing this project, so far it has been a good experience. Working together with classmates to get a project done is not too bad. I enjoy working with others and the people I am with are good partners to have. When creating this project and fulfulling the requirements, we will have put together a series of information on Emily Dickinson and have done it all in our own work. It is going to be a long process, but one that will hopefully be fruitful. Learning about the past and maybe the theories behind the writings of Emily Dickinson should be fun. I hope to learn how to analyze poems better.
With this project, there are a lot of little things that need to be created and produced so that the bigger thing, being that of the website, can be created. That is going to be the hard part. How to portray our thoughts in a way that others can understand easily. Hopefully our project will go smoothly so that we do just that. So far, it has. We have gotten a pretty good start, and have some ideas that I think we can put together to make our website a good one. Communication is gonig to be key to getting this done, but I think we can do it. I think our next step is confirming how we are going to present our information, who is going to do what, and when things are going to be due. Another hard part is going to be getting pictures without copywriting.
Overall, I think that it has gone well and that it will as long as we stay on track.
In doing this project, so far it has been a good experience. Working together with classmates to get a project done is not too bad. I enjoy working with others and the people I am with are good partners to have. When creating this project and fulfulling the requirements, we will have put together a series of information on Emily Dickinson and have done it all in our own work. It is going to be a long process, but one that will hopefully be fruitful. Learning about the past and maybe the theories behind the writings of Emily Dickinson should be fun. I hope to learn how to analyze poems better.
With this project, there are a lot of little things that need to be created and produced so that the bigger thing, being that of the website, can be created. That is going to be the hard part. How to portray our thoughts in a way that others can understand easily. Hopefully our project will go smoothly so that we do just that. So far, it has. We have gotten a pretty good start, and have some ideas that I think we can put together to make our website a good one. Communication is gonig to be key to getting this done, but I think we can do it. I think our next step is confirming how we are going to present our information, who is going to do what, and when things are going to be due. Another hard part is going to be getting pictures without copywriting.
Overall, I think that it has gone well and that it will as long as we stay on track.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Personification and Imagery describing a being (animal)
Personification: A figure of speech in which an object or an animal is given human thoughts, feelings, or attitudes.
Imagery: The use of vivid language to represent objects, actions, or ideas
Buddy the Dog:
It was a nice summer day, the sun was hot, the breeze was cool. It was a perfect day to be outside and enjoy the nature. "Boy would it be fantastic if I could go outside..." I love feeling the wind in my face, the green grass at my feet, and the fresh scents in the air. I woner where my master is. I feel like I have been inside forever. As I have been in the house I have realized just how crazy these humans can be. The kids are constantly moving, do they know how hard it is to keep track of them? I work all day and all night to keep them safe, and all I want in return is to be feed, played with, and let out. Especially on a day like today, boy wouldn't that be great. I mean how long can one be away from home? Home is where the heart is right...?? Where ever they are I wonder if they are enjoying the nice weather. I wonder if humans realize that they use the same phrases for dogs over and over and over again. Like for example, when they get home they will ask, "Buddy do you want to go out"? OF COURSE I want to go out!! I have only been inside for eternity!! I mean think about it. They arrive home late at night and the first thing they ask then is, "Buddy you want to eat"? Noooo, let me think, no I am more of a fan of skipping a meal.
A dog can only do so much in a house with out being...what term do they use...oh yeah, disobiendent, oh no or my personal favorite, a "bad dog". How about they try to be at home for long hours with nothing to do but sleep. Sleeping doesn't make you get any younger. I wonder where my frisbee is, that's it. I will chew on my frisbee while I wait. Frisbee...outside. Wow. That's just great. My frisbee gets to bask in the warmth, while I sit and watch it. How pathetic is this. Why couldn't they just let me roam outside? As I am laying here, I contemplate the hours I spend at home. They are gone for most of the day, while I, Buddy the dog, stay here all day. The least they could do is take me with them. Waiting, waiting.
Why would you look at that, the neighbors are outside...with their poodle Diasy. This is just ironic. Is that a toy in the master's hand? Yes, I do believe it is. Oh look, the master is throwing it for Diasy, how sweet. Back and forth, back and forth. What is this like...oh yea, television. That's what the humans watch.
Honk. Honk.
Is that them?!?!
"Buddy, you want to go out...?"
"Finally"
Imagery: The use of vivid language to represent objects, actions, or ideas
Buddy the Dog:
It was a nice summer day, the sun was hot, the breeze was cool. It was a perfect day to be outside and enjoy the nature. "Boy would it be fantastic if I could go outside..." I love feeling the wind in my face, the green grass at my feet, and the fresh scents in the air. I woner where my master is. I feel like I have been inside forever. As I have been in the house I have realized just how crazy these humans can be. The kids are constantly moving, do they know how hard it is to keep track of them? I work all day and all night to keep them safe, and all I want in return is to be feed, played with, and let out. Especially on a day like today, boy wouldn't that be great. I mean how long can one be away from home? Home is where the heart is right...?? Where ever they are I wonder if they are enjoying the nice weather. I wonder if humans realize that they use the same phrases for dogs over and over and over again. Like for example, when they get home they will ask, "Buddy do you want to go out"? OF COURSE I want to go out!! I have only been inside for eternity!! I mean think about it. They arrive home late at night and the first thing they ask then is, "Buddy you want to eat"? Noooo, let me think, no I am more of a fan of skipping a meal.
A dog can only do so much in a house with out being...what term do they use...oh yeah, disobiendent, oh no or my personal favorite, a "bad dog". How about they try to be at home for long hours with nothing to do but sleep. Sleeping doesn't make you get any younger. I wonder where my frisbee is, that's it. I will chew on my frisbee while I wait. Frisbee...outside. Wow. That's just great. My frisbee gets to bask in the warmth, while I sit and watch it. How pathetic is this. Why couldn't they just let me roam outside? As I am laying here, I contemplate the hours I spend at home. They are gone for most of the day, while I, Buddy the dog, stay here all day. The least they could do is take me with them. Waiting, waiting.
Why would you look at that, the neighbors are outside...with their poodle Diasy. This is just ironic. Is that a toy in the master's hand? Yes, I do believe it is. Oh look, the master is throwing it for Diasy, how sweet. Back and forth, back and forth. What is this like...oh yea, television. That's what the humans watch.
Honk. Honk.
Is that them?!?!
"Buddy, you want to go out...?"
"Finally"
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