Traveling - Melanie Cheesman 8

If you guys haven’t noticed, I love traveling; I’ve been to 25 states. I have a trip planned for next summer to go to three different countries: Ireland, Scotland, and England. I love to travel because it’s really cool to see all of the different cultures in our country and world. For example, since Texas is so close to the Mexican border, there’s a lot of Mexican people who live there and there are more authentic Mexican restaurants. It is also neat to see the different climates in the United States. Like Colorado and Wisconsin are both really cold, especially in the winter. My family and I have relatives that live in Colorado, so we will go up there and snow ski and snowboard. There’s also a ton of different hobbies in each state. For example, in Tennessee and Kentucky, white water rafting is popular, but floating on the river is popular in Arkansas and Missouri. Another example of this is that a popular northern sport is hockey, but we rarely see schools in the south with a hockey team. There’s even different beaches in different states; in Florida or Alabama, the beaches have white and yellow sand and South Carolina has grey sand. When I go to England, I’m going to be in love with the British accents, and I would be the same way in Australia. I hope that I one day go to India and Mexico because they have different customs that are interesting to me. On my trip, I’m supposed to take a boat ride through Wales, and I am so excited to see all of the landscape because Ireland is very green and the water in Wales is very clear. Another reason I love to travel is because you get to meet people. When I go to Alabama to the beach, I always end up making friends from other states. Even the trip to other places is amazing. Going down some road, you see trees and lakes and rivers, and it is beautiful. I plan on going to every state in the United States and as many countries as possible.

Blog #7 - Grace Anne

I’m just gonna jump right into this one so yeah... I was scrolling through YouTube cause I was super bored cause my sleeping schedule is messed up. However I gotta say looking at it now I’m kinda glad it was messed up. I watch a lot of different things but I routinely watch a short sermon every morning. So there’s usually a recommendation already up so I’ll just choose it. Well as I was scrolling at 2:30 in the morning right under the latest Liza koshy video it said “stay focused” it was a sermon from a guy. For no real purpose I clicked it thinking I’ll sleep in so might as well watch one now. Basically, I’m gonna give a little run down. It was such a true and honestly needed sermon. Let’s just say so good that my dad walked into my bed room an hour later to me jamming to some Zach Williams.. btw his music solid 10/10. Anyway it really spoke and it’s still on my mind. So I just wanted to let y’all know it it’s full title is “stay focused by Steven furtick” Go give it a quick watch if you want, especially if ur a Christian that’s kinda gone off the road a-bit. If your not really certain on where u stand I recommend a little vid by Clayton Jennings called heaven *u know what cause I don’t think I’m allowed say it on here). You. It’s a eye opener too. Also I’m just gonna throw out some certain people and Church’s I watch: hope city, elevation church, Steven furtick, Jermey foster, and Clayton Jennings are usually some of my top picks. Anyway that video I was talking about earlier that’s good if u need to refocus and be better. It’s talks about who and what kind of people you should surround/let in your life. Also to finish this little jesus blog out:) ya girl wants to have a group so if your interested just met me know somehow. So yeah that’s about it I’m currently jamming to a jesus Spotify playlist running errands. So hope everyone has a blessed day or night if u even read this far. See ya next one. - Grace Anne

My Summer - Melanie Cheesman 7

Since summer is almost over I’m going to use these 350 words to tell you guys about my summer. Summer 2018 has definitely been one of the best summers yet. I’ve been to Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Missouri. Summer started off with my mom and I going to Nashville to go to the Grand Ole Opry. At the Grand Ole Opry we saw Thomas Rhett, Dan + Shay, Chris Jansen, Carly Pearce, and Rascal Flatts perform, and it was amazing. My next big trip after Nashville was a lake trip to stay in our condos in Hot Springs. Madalyn and I spent a total of thirteen hours tubing that weekend. We were extremely sunburned, but it was worth it. We spent the entire weekend with my friends from White Hall and my friend that lives in Hot Springs. A couple weeks after our lake trip, Madalyn, Steve, Carlos, Klorissa, Chloe, and I took a trip to Hardy. We stayed three nights and went floating on the Spring River. I didn’t go on another trip for a while, and I just hung out with Autumn, Ashlynn, and Carmen. When the Fourth of July rolled around, Ashlynn, Autumn, and I took another trip to the lake. We went tubing on the day of it, and we hung out with some friends of mine in Hot Springs the night of it. We also had a photoshoot with sparklers hahaha. I took another break from trips after that one and continued to go back and forth from Ashlynn’s house and Jonesboro. Then, I left for Mississippi for a week, and you guys already know that I was back with Autumn and Ashlynn as soon as I got home from there. However, like two days later I left for Kentucky; I then left for White Hall as soon as I got home from Kentucky. Once I got home from White Hall, I went to the river again with Madalyn and her family. Now here I am writing this blog with like two more trips planned before school starts. Last night I went to WalMart with Madalyn, Klorissa, and Mallory and we met a bunch of guys, and it was pretty fun. But yeah, my summer has been full of trips and my besties, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Seeing White Hall Friends - Melanie Cheesman 6

Along with seeing my Mississippi friends, I also got to go to see my White Hall friends. I was originally supposed to go to Pine Bluff to stay with my grandfather, but my mom and I both knew I would end up staying with my friends the whole time I was there. I stayed down there for three nights and four days. The typical hang out spot in White Hall is the inside of the McDonalds. Therefore, I spent a majority of my nights down there inside McDonalds. The first night, a bunch of my friends and I just hung out there and ended up riding around for a while. The second night, we rode around for a long time and went to visit people, but we ended up at McDonalds that night too. However, the last night I stayed down there we ditched McDonalds and decided to have a small get together in Redfield at a friend’s pool. He also lives on the Arkansas River, so we got to swim in the river. The best part of my trip is that the girl that I stayed with has a white Jeep. We rode with the top down every chance we got, and it was the best thing ever. I also fell in love with this pair of shoes that almost every girl at White Hall has. They’re called Jandals because they’re considered “Hawaiian Jesus sandals.” They’re the comfiest and cutest pair of sandals. I 10/10 recommend getting some, and they’re only $10 by the way. While I was down there, one of my close friends that lives in White Hall found out that her intestines are bleeding and she could potentially have Chrone’s diseases; to help her get her mind off of things, we had another small get together where we swam and watched movies. It’s always good to go down there to see everyone, especially when they’re going through hard times. I did end up visiting with my grandfather for a little while I was down there though. We went to eat at one of his favorite places. I also went swimming in his pool and got yelled at by an old lady for swimming lol..

Blog #5 Ally P

So summer is coming close to an end and I feel like it has gone by way too fast. I'm kinda ready for school to start back, but not really. It's crazy to me that we're going to be juniors. Anyway, this past weekend we had to go to Pensacola to see my step-sister because she had a baby. She had a little girl named Jakaya and she's so cute and tiny. I'm officially an aunt, kinda. But I'm super excited about it! Plus, it's another excuse for us to go to Pensacola more often. While we were down there we visited my step-sister and the baby, of course, but we also went to the beach. We weren't at the beach for very long because my mom couldn't go out on the beach with her broken foot, but it was so pretty and the water was really nice. We had a lot of fun and it was really nice down there. The car ride home was the worst, though. It seems like it took forever and our GPS was taking us through all these little two-lane and gravel roads and it was terrible. We were trying to avoid all the terrible traffic and we did so that's an upside. I still have six blogs to do and still quite a bit of work on the other half of this assignment to do and not a lot of time left to finish. I don't know what to talk about now because I don't really have a lot to talk about. It's hard to find stuff to talk about in these blogs sometimes. I still have to make comments on the blogs, too. They shouldn't be too hard though. I still don't know what to talk about but I think I am coming close to the word limit. This is really difficult sometimes and now I'm just rambling because I still don't know what to say. I hope everyone has had a good summer and is still having a good summer. Mine has been pretty good so far. I think I have got the word limit now so bye!

Blog 11 by Eli G

Well summer break is about over. I hate to say it. I hate to even think about it. I'll drive by the school and I look the other way because I don't even want to look at it. I can say that I've had pretty good summer though. It's been way better than last year. Last year I did absolutely nothing and was bored all summer long. This one I've actually been at to go places and go out of state. Yesterday I went to Hardy to mess around some. The start of summer was pretty boring because there was nothing going on except for my birthday. The middle of summer got better because I was able to go swimming, not in my pool of course because it's nonexistent. Then later on in the summer I had a small two day vacation up to the northern part of Kentucky to watch a NASCAR race and to see Noah's Ark. And of course you can't forget about the most exciting part of the summer. I got my first job. Yeah I'm joking about that being the most exciting part.

Visiting Mississippi Friends - Melanie Cheesman 5

Over the summer I got to visit both of the cities I used to live in. In this blog, I’m going to tell you guys what all I did in Mississippi. I stayed in Holly Springs for seven nights and eight days. I mainly went down there to celebrate a friend’s birthday, but I ended up staying and visiting everyone. Each night I was there, we went into the city and hung out with a couple of my friends and their families. I went to my old school, Marshall Academy, two of the days to see all of my friends that play basketball because the boys had practice everyday during the week. A couple of my friends and I went to Olive Branch to eat and shop. I was most excited about going to Velvet Cream in Hernando because all of my friends that live there always tell me that it’s the best snow cone place. Therefore, we went and got us snow cones and food from there for the first time, and it was all pretty good. We also had a photo shoot in the front with all of the signs. There was a fair in New Albany and two of my friends wanted to go, so I ended up going to my first ever fair. They begged me to ride the rides with them, but I did not end up riding any. While at the fair, I got to see a couple of old classmates barrel race. Towards the end of my trip, I ended up helping a friend of mine house sit a really big house in Potts Camp, so we got to go swimming and ride four wheelers while I was out there. For my friend’s birthday, a bunch of our friends went to eat and shop in Collierville, got popsicles at Mempops and went swimming in Byhalia. It was good to see all of my friends and some of my old teachers. Not only did I get to visit my friends, but I also met a lot of new people while I was down there.

Kentucky Trip - Melanie Cheesman 4

Over the course of the summer, I took many river and lake trips. However, the most memorable trip of all of them was the trip my mom, sister, and I took to Kentucky. My mom had just found the love for white water rafting, so we found a place in Kentucky to go white water rafting. This place was located on the top of a huge hill where we could see over a big part of the city. I had also never been to Kentucky, so I was really excited to go. We stayed in Corbin, Kentucky for three nights. The second day we were there, we went white water rafting for six hours on the Cumberland River. On this river, there is a huge waterfall, and our guide had us paddle into the bottom of it. This waterfall had a rainbow where the two surfaces of water met. We met a lot of people that were in our group and learned a lot about the activity. While we were rafting, we saw seven different bald eagles and three different waterfalls along the way. After we got done paddling down the river, we had lunch on a two-story river boat with all the guides and people in our group. We saw a big amount of Laurel Lake which is the lake that the Cumberland River flows into. Once we got off the riverboat, my mom, sister, and I headed to the private beach on Laurel Lake. We swam and layed out in the sand on this lake. We also watched a family tube, wakeboard, and ski. After we left Corbin, we headed to Lexington to see the horses there. We toured the castle right when we got into Lexington, and also saw a great amount of beautiful horses. My mom freaked out about this really old diner on the outskirts of Lexington, so that is where we had lunch before we headed back to Arkansas. All in all, it was a very fun trip, and I got to visit a state that I had never visited before and tried something new with my family.

My Last Cheer Camp - Melanie Cheesman 3

Around this time last year, I was at Arkansas State with my old cheer squad. We were attending the National Cheerleading Association’s cheer camp because it is a requirement to be allowed on the team. Little did I know at the time it was going to be my last cheer camp ever. Unlike everyone else on my team, I absolutely loved cheer camp. I liked getting to meet people, spending time with my teammates, and being pushed to the limit all day long. However, I was worried for this specific camp because I was one of the youngest on the team and my stunt group was the least experienced; the flyer was a new girl, one of my bases was a rookie, and I had not been a backspot for more advanced stunts. Because of this problem, I did not try my hardest or make the best of this camp because I thought I would have more camps in my future. My stunt group struggled through most of the camp, but we ended up improving a lot; for example, we realized what we were doing wrong and ended up hitting a lot of hard stunts. I did not get nominated for All American because I truly just did not try the whole weekend. My squad and I ended up winning first place and getting a bid to nationals, but I know that I could’ve tried harder and made a better time out of it. When my mom told me that we were moving and I decided not to cheer is when it really hit me that I would never have the opportunity to make up for that time. The moral of my blog is to show y’all not to take things for granted because anything can be taken from you when you least expect it. I would do anything to be able to go back to that weekend and make the most memories and meet more people and try just a little bit harder.

My Dad - Melanie Cheesman 2

Most people typically want to ask me about my dad, but they don’t want to make it awkward or sad. Therefore, I am going to write a blog describing my beloved dad with what I can remember. Growing up, my dad was very big into sports; for example, he coached my sister’s basketball team and my soccer team. He was always there to support my brother in football, soccer, and baseball. He also never missed mine or Michelle’s softball games or gymnastics competitions. We grew up watching Arkansas and Dallas football. We also all gathered to watch the Olympics every chance we got. He also loved taking us on the lake to tube and wakeboard. Not only did he love watching us and other people play sports, he was also a killer golfer and tennis player. I highly believe that my siblings and I got a lot of our work ethic from my dad because he was always doing something whether it was with the family or for work. My dad was also the type of person who never turned down an adventure; we were always traveling and going new places. He was also the type of person who made sure his kids and wife were on time for church on Sunday mornings, sitting with the rest of the family. Personally, I would say that my dad was my biggest fan in everything I ever did. My mom tells me stories about how him and a couple other dads would cheer for me and my friends at our gymnastics competitions when we were about 5 years old. On the days that we weren’t on a ball field or at the lake, my siblings and parents would invite a bunch of friends over and grill out by a campfire while we played basketball in the driveway. Although I didn’t have that much time to get to know my dad, I am thankful for what I know and the time I was able to have.

Blog 6 - Briley Douglas

It’s weird thinking how we only have two more years of high school. I know it’s cliche to say but it feels like yesterday I was going to open house for my seventh grade year. Lord how much has changes since then. Even though I say I’m ready to leave high school, I’m going to miss all the memories that I’ve made. Like the time that one new kid pulled his pants down on his first day, oh my lord that was priceless. Or how bad we behaved in Ms. Freeman’s class because we never listened to her despite how many times we got into “trouble”. By trouble I mean how she would try to get back at us by making a row of people stay back like 30 seconds after everyone else. Honestly I don’t know why teachers hold their class after class as a punishment, like yea we might get a tardy but it’s their fault because they held us back. I’ll miss Mr. Conner when I graduate. Makes me sad that we won’t be able to throw him birthday parties randomly throughout the year. This is for third period Algebra, y’all remember all the times Michael would do something out of no where or ask inappropriate questions. Or how many times that kid would be leaning under the table or hanging on the table like a sloth. He was something else. I’m sad that he moved mid year because I know he would have enjoyed all of our parties, though wouldn’t bring anything but that’s okay because his entertainment made up for it.  Thinking about it, it’s weird knowing that there will be some people who I see every day at school, but once we graduate I will probably never talk to them again. There’s some people I’ll be sad not seeing everyday but there’s some who I will not miss seeing everyday. In conclusion, high school has been a roller coaster for me but I know it has been the same way for everyone else. I’m just glad I didn’t have the whole drama filled school years like some people, though there’s been some juicy stuff happen. Okay I’m done with this blog, peace out. 

Blog 5 - Briley Douglas

I’m currently typing this blog on the way home from a AAU tournament in Conway. Let me tell you, I’ve never been so physically drained in my life. During this tournament I have played 10 games within the time span of three days. The first two days I felt alright though a little sore but that’s typical after a ballgame. It was the third day when I really began to feel exhausted. The third day we were able to sleep in until nine but it still felt like I could’ve slept three more days. Though the worse part of the third day was our last game. By this game everyone on the team is so tired that we could fall out any minute plus half the team had left for a tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, so that only left us with 7 players. At first we only had 5 but we managed to get younger players to move up and play with us. Let me tell you, this game felt like the longest game ever. The refs sucked and wouldn’t give us a call, we were basically playing football because the only way the other team could guard was by tackling us, and overall it was an awful game. I knew it was going to be a bad game when I went up to to tip the ball at the beginning of the game and the other girl held my jersey because she could barely jump one centimeter off the ground. Then the first possession of the game the big girls literally bulldozed over half the girls and not a single call was made. So yea, that was just the beginning of everything that went on. All of us were livid by this so we decided to start throwing elbows, pushing people down, and yea it got ugly. By the time the game was over, everyone was ticked off, tired, and ready to go home. Fast forward to the present, I’m currently sprawled out in the back seat of Coach Hoffman’s kia, eating Zaxbys, which I’ve grown to love, and about to take a good nap.

Blog 4 - Briley Douglas

So today I decided that I was officially going to start on my summer assignment because I have procrastinated on it enough. At first I thought it was going to be difficult to write blogs because I’m not good with writing or coming up with things to write about. Even though I’ve only done two blogs, it has been really easy to just write about anything because I tend to ramble and go on a on about a subject. I’ve been thinking about the future a lot and I have mixed feelings about it. I’m excited to see what is in store for me but I’m also nervous because I never know what’s gonna happen. My mom and I had a big conversation about college and what I’m going to do after high school and all I could do was draw a blank. I don’t know where I even remotely interested in going to college, I don’t know what I want to major in or what I even want to do as a job. So I’ve come to the conclusion that I am utterly screwed because I have to get my crap together and I don’t even know where to start. I have always wanted to be a Psychologist ever since I was young because I had this big dream about working in a Insane Asylum, I don’t know why so don’t ask. Though as I got older I realized that a Psychologist only make good money far away from home and I’m not into moving across the country for a job. Also I want to be able to say that I could support myself without the help of a man. Even though that field of work don’t offer the best money, I still haven’t taken that option of the table. I have also thought about going into the medical field like as a Nurse Practioner because they make good money and you can get a job quickly to be one. Besides a Nurse Practioner I have also thought about being a Neurologist. The brain and how it works has always interested me so I think I would like that job a lot. So yea the future for me is a big question mark and let’s hope I get my stuff together before senior year.

Blog 3 - Briley Douglas

This summer has been my first summer of playing aau. Since I was young I’ve always wanted to play but could never find a good traveling team to play with. Last summer I played two or three tournaments with Arkansas Sting, a team out of Beebe, and I liked the people who played and the coaches. So this summer I decided to play with them and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. I have been able to go to places I’ve never been to before. Like during June, the team played in a tournament in Fayetteville, and  I was so stoked because I had always wanted to go to Fayetteville and see the U of A campus. It was so pretty, I had my mom take pictures of Lotti and I throughout the campus. We took pictures by the basketball stadium and by the football stadium. Looking back I wish I would’ve went to the baseball stadium. During this trip I was even able to try WhataBurger, though I was a burnt out on burgers so I got chicken instead, I’m a weirdo I know. Besides Fayetteville, I have been to many other places that I’ve never been to like Conway, Hillsboro MO, and Little Rock. Two weekends ago I was able to go to Branson for a ball tournament. I have been to Branson plenty throughout my life because my dad is obsessed with Silver Dollar City and likes to go there every year. Though I was able to see new things during this trip instead, Lotti recommended going and trying this donut shop called Hurt’s Donut, and it was so good. I had an cookie and cream donut and I thought I was in heaven for sure. I also was able to view the campus of College of the Ozarks. It was so beautiful. There was a chapel on campus that was gorgeous, it had stained windows every where and old versions of bibles that I thought was interesting. Traveling this summer because ball has made me excited for future adventures and where basketball will lead me next. I hope all this traveling actually pays off and college will actually like my skills and offer me a good scholarship to a college that is far away from Caraway as possible. I’m writing this blog on my way back from a scrimmage with a college team and it made me realize how much I would love to play college ball.

Blog 2 - Briley Douglas

This summer, I have been on the move every day of the week. From traveling for basketball to family trips, i feel like i haven’t been home for more than three days at a time. Though i have been really enjoying this summer. The only downside of being on the go constantly is that I haven’t been to Riverbend as much as I want to. Riverbend has always been my favorite summer get away spot since I was a little kid. When I was younger I would go there almost every weekend with my grandparents, and sometimes I would for a week or two. I love the place so much. My favorite thing to do when I’m there is floating the Spring river. We would put our floats in on this bridge past the park and float to either the boat dock or park, it depends on how burnt or hungry we are. At Riverbend there really isn’t much to do besides floating and riding around on atvs, but when you’re with the right people it’s the best time of your life. There are a few of my friends who have places at the park too, so I hang out with them, though usually I bring a friend with me. The bad thing about going to Riverbend is that no matter what time I go to sleep, i’m always up at nine in the morning because that’s when Debbie cooks breakfast, and you can’t miss breakfast bc it will probably be the last time you eat until 5 P.M.. I mean you could grab lunch around noon but when we’re at riverbend, you’re constantly on the go. Riverbend will always be my second home. I have made memories there that will last me a life time. I can not wait for the days when I will be able to get my own place at the park and take my kids and eventually their kids to the park. I will be so happy to see my kids grow up and make memories in my childhood summmer get away.

Blog 10 by Eli G

I still don't know what to talk about. I'm just bored right now because I just got done switching rooms. I guess I could just talk about something random. Last night I was watching the Rangers. They were down 2 to nothing early on in the game. They finally tied it up in the middle innings. All of a sudden in the sixth inning they woke up and scored 8 runs putting their run total at 10. It was 10-2. By the time the 8th inning was here the Oakland Athletics had tied it up. In true Ranger fashion, they blew it. They always blow their leads. Our bullpen has actually been pretty solid here lately. Our rotation has been garbage ever since the start of last year. Our general manager, Jon Daniel's, won't ever trade anybody or sign anybody. When he does trade somebody or sign somebody, he gets people who are washed up or prospects that will never see the big leagues. Anyways the Rangers ended up losing 13-10. The A's scored 11 unanswered runs to win the ballgame. The game should have been over in the 6th but the Rangers had to go and blow it.

Blog #4 Ally P

So, here's another blog because I'm bored and there's nothing else to do. It really stinks not being able to drive by myself yet because it seems like I'm always stuck at the house. In less than a month though, I will be able to finally drive by myself. Our pool is getting super close to being done which I'm really excited about. A guy is coming over today to pour the concrete around the pool and there won't be much left to do afterwards. It seems like it has taken forever to finally get it done. One month from today I see Niall Horan with my friends in St. Louis! I'm super excited and can't wait to see him. For those of you who don't know I love all things 1D so I'm super pumped about seeing Niall. In May, I went to the same venue I am going to see Niall at to see Poison with my dad. My dad has always liked them and listened to them so I sort of grew up listening to them sometimes and I like their music. It was a lot of fun and they were really good. Cheap Trick and Tom Keifer from Cinderella were the opening acts and they were also pretty good. I think my dad and my brother and I may be seeing the Newsboys when they come to Jonesboro in October so I'm pretty excited about that. I just really like going to concerts. They're so much fun. I went to see Taylor Swift on her Speak Now tour with my mom and my mawmaw which was really fun. She used to be my favorite back in those days. I'm also thinking about starting to watch Grey's Anatomy on Netflix because I have never sat down and watched the series. I've seen episodes and stuff but the other day I watched a few episodes and it was really interesting so I'm thinking about starting it. I'm not very good at watching and finishing TV series though. I just can't keep interest in one after watching it for so long. I think that I may have the word count now so I'm gonna end this, bye!

Blog #6 - Grace Anne

Alright I’m getting really tired of these to be honest. Whatever okay so I had to get up real early this morning to drive to take my grandpa to the doctor, and usually it wouldn’t be a problem. However this made me get up at 4:30 to drive there. Anyway I woke up at 3 so you can prolly guess what happened... I didn’t go back to sleep. So I just grabbed some coffee turned on the porch light and sat there. It was so quiet and nice then Ava decided to crash my party. She said she couldn’t sleep either and so we sat and talked for about an hour in the dark outside on the porch at about 3:30 in the morning. We talked about a lot but the one thing that stuck out to me was how she said she didn’t want to go back to school.. I was just like girl same cause I thought she was joking, but she wasn’t. She said she was scared that she wasn’t smart enough, that she wouldn’t like it, and she was worried about what she would do if she wasn’t able to get on the basketball team since she’s in the fourth grade now. I was like dang... so at 3:30a.m this is a little reminder that I have her Incase someone here needs it. You are always smarter than what you think you are. If I would’ve believed that same thought I had I would’ve made it past kindergarten. I told her that school is 8hrs and you get to learn new things and learn how to deal with crap from people that you might not deserve. It makes you stronger than you already are. Grades don’t define you, a piece of paper or person can’t determ your worth. As for basketball you’re always welcome on my team and you can be as good as hard as you work. Final thing I said as I got up to leave is you’re not alone no matter what I’m here. So if anyone reading this needs someone I’m usually free, I can’t promise any good advise but I’m here that’s what matters. This was supppper long but whatever just throwing in out there. See ya later dudes.                -Grace Anne

KT Blog 9: Day6 "Shoot Me"

So, I've recently gotten into a band called Day6. They're not really like BTS or Got7, but they do come from the same company (JYP Entertainment) as Got7. They're a Korean (obviously) kind of rock/pop band. If I had to compare them to another boy band, I'd say more like 5SOS than 1D because they play actual instruments.

    Day6 has 5 members (did have 6, but Junhyeok left) Jae, Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil, Dowoon. (Like I said, I just recently learned about them, so I totally just looked up their names, but I can tell you Jae is the one with the blue hair in their Shoot Me video)

    Speaking of their song Shoot Me, it was actually the song that got me into them, including Warning. They just came out with their album Shoot Me: Youth Part 1.

    So, let's talk about their song Shoot Me! In the video it shows a guy and a girl sitting across from each other at a table in a restaurant. The first part of the song says that “It's not an easy thing. To stand in front of you. It's like a thriller movie.” As the song goes on, getting to the chorus, the girl at the table points her hand into a finger gun at the guy, the lyrics going “The way we talk to each other gets harsh and harsh.” (or sharper and sharper),

Then the chorus: “Yeah, Shoot Me. Bang, Bang” and the girl shoots her finger gun at the guy and bullet wounds form on his chest. So, if you don't get the meaning yet, that's okay! I'll explain it. I probably wasn't very good at explaining in the first place. But her finger gun and the bullet wounds are technically a visual representation of her words hurting him. Later in the video, at the end, more people join in shooting the guy with words, and finally he pulls out his own finger gun (visual representation of his words) and shoots them, but not with bullets! He shoots them with colors! (Kinda like the Kill ‘em With Kindness thing).

    Anyways, I happen to really like the song! At the end of the video there is a message saying “Vicious words hurt like a bullet” which is really true. For those of you who would be interested in giving it a listen and watching it (it has english subtitles, so you know what they are saying) here is the link: https://youtu.be/g2X2LdJAIpU .

And here's the full chorus: (in English)

Yeah, Shoot Me
Bang! Bang!
Your bullet, bullet, bullet
I'll take as many as you want.
If this is what you wanted.
Just shoot me.
Shoot me.

Aim to me.
Bang! Bang!
It's easier, easier, easier for me.
It's getting old now.
If this is gonna make you feel better.
Just shoot me.
Shoot me.

Anyways! (Hope you like the song if you listened to it)

I'm out!

~Katie Towery

KT Blog 8: BTS...again lol

Sooooo…. Looks like I'm going to talk about BTS again (This really shouldn't have been much of a surprise).

    Right now, they're on their world tour (sadly, the closest they're getting to here is Chicago) which keeps them pretty busy. But! They are coming out with Love Yourself: Answer on August 24 and I'm SUPER excited!! Love Yourself: Answer follows the story from Love Yourself: Her and Love Yourself: Tear albums.

     BTS also have a variety show on Vlive called RUN Bts! They just now finished their 2nd season and are now going to start the 3rd.

    Suga (my favorite member) has his solo career as Agust D, which many Armys speculate mean DT Suga backwards (Suga is from Daegu Town, South Korean, though all the members promote in Busan). Although, all of the members have their own solo songs in their albums. RM, Suga, and recently J-Hope have all released their mixtapes, and soon some of the other members should be releasing theirs.

    RM, the leader of the group, also sang in the Fantastic 4’s song Fantastic with Mandy Ventrice. He's also sung with Fall Out Boy with their remix of Champion!! (https://youtu.be/_YLkHCoGots) (He starts the song!) He's kind of the English wiz in BTS.

     Full names time! (For those of you who haven't seen a live performance of BTS, ARMY usually chants their names before they start singing. This is what it is):

Kim Namjoon                          - RM

Kim Seokjin                             - Jin

Min Yoongi                              - Suga

Jung Hoseok                           - J-Hope

Park Jimin                               - Jimin

Kim Taehyung                        - V (For Victory)

Jeon Jungkook                       - Jungkook

BTS!

Somewhat off topic:

Speaking of solo careers, Jackson from Got7 usually promotes in China while the other 6 members of Got7 promote in Japan.

Jackson is fluent in many different languages, but he's from China.

!!( Brittany Fulcher! And any other 1D fans I guess.. Jackson from Got7 was spotted with Liam Payne from 1D during the MTV EMA!! https://youtu.be/iUzJmU94oe8  https://youtu.be/QP3kYs7894Y ) Sorry lol, just felt like sharing that.

Back to topic:

Jungkook, the Maknae (youngest) of the group happens to be a big fan of Justin Bieber and Charlie Puth, so if you look on YouTube you can most likely find him doing covers of their songs in English. (Cover of 2U by Justin Bieber: https://youtu.be/ntHOLUPpDV4 / We Don't Talk Anymore by Charlie Puth (Jimin and Jungkook) : https://youtu.be/RbctNBlXBJc )

     Some info on the members:

(Hyung means older and Maknae means younger)

Hyung line:

Jin - oldest, vocals

Suga - rapper

RM - rapper

J-hope - rapper, main dancer

Maknae line:

Jimin - vocals, main dancer

V/Taehyung - vocals (He has a seriously deep voice)

Jungkook - vocals, main dancer

Fun facts!: BTS write many of their songs, and usually always have a dance choreography to them.

That's all for this one.

I'm out!

~Katie Towery

KT Blog 7: Big Time Rush

So, I've recently started binge-watching Big Time Rush on Hulu. It's really weird to think about them all grown-up now. But, anyways, I started watching it again (when you're bored) and realized how much I missed seeing this show on Nickelodeon. Here's the run down of the show for those of you who don't know:

    4 high school hockey players from Minnesota are recruited by the famous producer Gustavo (who has an obsession with song titles that have the word “girl” in them) to become the next big boyband Big Time Rush. The members: Logan, the brain, James, the face, Kendall, leader?/(not really) bad boy, and Carlos, the guy who likes to wear a helmet and run into things. These boys, on their way to fame, have many obstacles to overcome, while also aggravating the fire out Gustavo along the way.

    It was really nostalgic to watch the show again. It felt like I was bringing my childhood back to life. (I will admit without shame that I totally screamed along to the theme song when I started watching it. Next thing you know I'll probably be watching Hannah Montana or Zack & Cody again lol). Watching these show again also made me think about the new show on Disney: Raven’s Home. It's the continuation of That's So Raven. You know… the girl that can see the future? (That's so Raven. It's the future I can see. That's so Raven. It's so mysterious to me.) Yeah, she's now a single mom with twins (boy and girl) living with her best friend Chelsea and her son in an apartment building. (In the show, not real life lol)

    I guess the reason why I brought up Big Time Rush and That's so Raven is because it feels like my childhood was a very long time ago. I mean, were going to be Juniors in high school this year! That's just crazy! I still remember when we all first started going to the new high school in the seventh grade! It feels like that wasn't long ago, at all. We'll all be off to college in less than about two, short, years!

    Funny how old shows you used to watch as a kid really make you think about where you are now.

And…. I'm leaving it at that.

I'm out.

~Katie Towery

KT Blog 6: Thinking Out Loud

(This blog has nothing to do with the Ed Sheeran song, sorry)

    Okay, kind of serious and a little overwhelming (to me, at least) topic. I've recently watched this short video on YouTube. It was about Earth and our solar system, plus the Universe. After it, I kinda just… shut off for a moment. Kind of like when you think: Oh, woah. This is too much! And then promptly put it on the backburner to stew about later. Yeah, that explains my reaction, lol. So, I just started to actually think about it, and it really kind of opened my mind.

(I just read back over what I've wrote so far and realized how many times I've used the word kinda/kind of. Apologies now, it probably won't stop. Apparently, I'm in a kinda mood).

… Back to topic!

    The video, in really simple terms, went kinda like this: Earth > Other planets + Sun > Milky Way > Other solar systems > Universe.

    The person that made the video explained the approximate sizes of these things (Earth seems terribly small now) and practically compared us, Earth, to a tiny spec of dirt on a windshield. It reminded me of how much we still don't know about the the World… well, the Universe. For all we know, there could be another planet just like Earth in another solar system that has humans living on it, and we probably won't even know about it for a very long time.

    Lol. So this was kind of a more serious topic. I didn't know what else to write, so I was just putting what I thought after watching a YouTube video, hence the title “Thinking Out Loud”... well, not really out loud, but you get my point!

I'm out! (I don't know why I do this every time, I think I'm just making it into a signature thing, like when people who post on YouTube often usually have a closing, so I guess that's what the “I'm out!” always is [if I could put a shrug emoji here I would] Wait! Found it: 🤷 lol️)

~Katie Towery

KT Blog 5: Strong Woman Do Bong-soon

Soo… we're just going to jump right into this. One of my favorite shows of all time is Strong Woman Do Bong-soon. And not just because of the awesome opening song, although that's definitely a plus! It's the first Korean Drama I've ever watched, and is probably always going to be one of my favorites.

    Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-Young) comes from a long line of women with superhuman strength. All the women in her family are born with the power, but if they hurt an innocent person, they will lose their superhuman strength. Bong-soon is a 27-year-old who hasn't been able to keep a job since high school because she has a hard time hiding her powers. In the first episode, she ends up in a fight with a gang because they had attacked an old man, and then tried to attack her when she was trying to report them to the police. Needless to say, she totally ends up kicking their butts. Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-Sik), the CEO of the adult entertainment company Ainsoft (they made many famous video games), ends up at the scene as a witness. He testifies for her at the police station, saying it's ridiculous that a small woman could have brutally beaten seven men, saving her from a severe punishment. He then tries to hire her as a bodyguard because of the threats against his company and his life. She agrees, but proposes a deal: if they figure out who the person that is threatening him is, she gets to work in the Strategy Department of Ainsoft.

    This show is one of the funniest shows I have ever watched. It's very over-dramatic, as seems to be the trend with K-Dramas, which makes the show pretty light-hearted. Although, as you get further into the show, it gets more serious while still keeping a good amount of silliness. There is plenty of action and fighting scenes in the show, considering our main character picks a fight with a gang in the first episode. The show also has cute romance, obviously. (Love triangle: Guk-doo [the police officer that Bong-soon has a crush on] < Bong-Soon < Min-hyuk). My favorite parts of the whole show were mostly the fight scenes, along with the personalities of Bong-soon and Min-hyuk. This show will most likely always hold a special place in my heart, and if anyone thinks they'd be interested in watching it, it's on Netflix!

I'm out!

~Katie Towery

blog #6 -lexi hall

I decided to write another one while I was writing, so here goes 350 more words. As I was writing a comment a second ago, it got me thinking about how I spend my time. I mostly either am watching tv, hanging out with friends or family, or doing something that is actually productive. Sometimes I get so caught up in with what I’m doing that I forget to be thankful for the times that I should be most grateful for. If this year has taught me anything at all; it’s that we have no certain amount of time on this beautiful Earth. The average life is 79 years, but who’s to say that you’ll get to enjoy all 79 years. Events that have taken place in my life this year that I wish never would’ve. These events have shown me how to be thankful every morning when I wake up and when I lay my head down at night. I have been beyond blessed with everything that I have, even down to the floor I get to put my feet on when I get out of bed. Time is precious here on Earth, and I’m going to try to make the most out of what time I’m given. This blog is kinda sad, so I’m going to change the subject bc I don’t want it to be so sad.

This week is church camp for my church and I didn’t go this year. It’s been such a busy summer so far and it’s not even over yet. I planned on doing something already scheduled this week and then it got cancelled and it was too late to sign up for camp. It’s the first time since I was in the 4th grade that I haven’t gone to camp. Hopefully, all the kids have a great time at camp this year tho bc I know I always do. This week will be a resting week for sure, and then next weekend I leave to go to Nashville. Summers almost over, but it has been the best ever this year. I guess I’ll hop back on the time thing to finish this blog off. This summer I’ve been blessed to go and see the places I’ve seen and do the things I get to do. Most people will never get to travel the world, maybe bc of money or just bc they’re physically not able. That’s something I will never take for granted is being able to get out of bed and walk to the kitchen to make breakfast, or be able to get in the car and drive to Jonesboro. Take time to see the small blessings and don’t waste the amount of time we’re given.

blog 5- lexi hall

I just woke up and i’m sitting at the kitchen table eating some fruitloops when I decided to write a blog to get it out of the way. I’ve been chillin the past two days because it’s the first time I’ve been home in a week. Last week I left Saturday for New York, and then this Saturday I went to St. Louis for a Thomas Rhett and Kenny Chesney concert. This summer has been one of my favorite summers by far! My mom asked me to clean the house today, and tbh I just don’t want to clean. It’ll only take me like 2 hours but still I could be watching Friends instead. Friends is my all time favorite thing to watch on Netflix, besides Gossip Girl (my favorite series everrr!!!). I’ve now moved to the couch to finish writing this blog. Hopefully, this won’t take too long to write out. I’m only on number five and have six more to do, but that means I’m almost done. I literally don’t even probably have half the words I need for this and I don’t know what else to type. I’m looking forward to school this year. I’m anxious to see how it’ll be because this year is going to be totally different, but I’m excited about it. Hopefully, my schedule is mostly the way I planned it. PreCal will probably kill me this year but ya know whatevs, as long as I make it to Senior year College Algebra I’ll be fine. I’m really dreading cleaning today, but she said she’d pay me so that evens it out. I still have to unpack from being gone for a little over a week. Yesterday it wasn’t scorching hot outside for like the first time in forever. I haven’t been used to the hot because the weather when we were in New York was phenomenal. The temperature was in the low to mid 80’s almost every day except one. We were really blessed to have great weather the week we were there. Well, I have nine words left so peace out talk to ya in the next blog.

Blog 9 by Eli G

It sucks that we've only got just a few more weeks until we go back to school. It feels like summer has just blown by. The only thing I'm really ready for is colder weather. I enjoy colder weather more than I do hot weather. That's how I've always been. I really don't know what to talk about in this blog. I'm just kind of bored right now. I guess here pretty soon I need to start reading and get the other part of this summer assignment out of the way. I've been trying to avoid doing it for a while but I guess I need to be getting on that. My team the Texas Rangers aren't doing so good this year but I'm going to predict who's going to win the World Series this year. I'm going to day that the Boston Red Sox are going to win the World Series. The Milwaukee Brewers are going to go on a hot streak to end the year and are going to win their division. I'm going to say the Brewers are going to be in the World Series. It will be the Brewers against the Red Sox with the Red Sox winning it all. This is all I could think to post about.

Blog #5 - Grace Anne

The amount of time I have to finish this summer assignment has me thinking about time, and not a good time more like stress till I have grey hairs. Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I usually have really bad time management... like really bad (I just really like naps and tv so you could see where my schedule wouldn’t approve of either of those things) I promise I’m working on it:) I plan on being better though. Anyway back to time when you think about time is funny you have 24 hours in a day u spend 7/8 sleeping or if your me you’re lucky to get 3. That leaves you with 16 if you just get 8 and don’t nap. We spend 8 in school, if you play sports you lose a good 2. Then you’re either down to 8/6. We have homework and we gotta find time to eat. So maybe 3 if your lucky to do whatever you want after you’ve took care of yourself. Not a lot a time if you ask me. Which I’ve realized that them extra hours I don’t cherish, or the ones that I’m busy and surrounded with people I love. I take a lot for granted during this time... like breakfast with my sister before the day starts, or the quiet time I’m supposed to do every morning, or lunchtime where you see friends, and everything in between. We graduate soon we probably won’t see much of each other after that, and yet I don’t make the extra effort to really reach out to everyone in our grade. It’s sad that there’s so much time in a day 24 hours and yet I don’t seem to make time to enjoy the people that I’m blessed to have in it. Again like I said gonna start working on. Maybe it’ll teach me something I don’t know or someone else. So here’s to more time, here’s to spending the 24 in the best way, with people, just simply enjoying life and not taking the time for granted. Any way I’m done see ya in the next one byeee - Grace Anne

Blog #4 -Grace Anne

What’s up everyone back at it again with another blog. Can’t say I just love doing these, but I mean what can I do... anyway I just wanted to talk about something that I notice about me. do ever do something and think this ain’t right, maybe I shouldn’t do this? Yeah well sometimes I think that then I’m like well it can’t hurt is really that bad? Truth is if I even have to question if it’s not good or right it’s not. You shouldn’t have to question if something’s right cause I think it’s a way our conciseness is like please don’t do that. I think it’s with anything you do though. Like sometimes I’ll watch Netflix and then I’ll need to go do something’s for my parents. They’ll ask me when are you finished, and I’ll be like I’ll just tell a little lie that I’m busy at the moment. I know I shouldn’t , so I shouldn’t even question it. I do though. It doesn’t just apply with little things like that either. Say someone’s trying to tell you to do something but you have to question if it’s right or not it’s probably wrong. Just like if you have to question if someone is worth keeping in your life, probably not. Little story when I was like 6/7 I stayed with my cousin and my brother. When we were all together it was nothin but trouble. We all decided it was a great idea to take turns in a big cardboard building, run through and try not to get hit by a Bebe gun. I knew it was smart, but I did it anyway. Lesson learned I was the one who got hit and had a Bebe stuck in my arm. So don’t end up with a Bebe in your arm, and don’t question it if you know it might be wrong. Anyway that’s just a random thing I thought about. Just listen to you’re gut, it’s usually right. This was kinda boring but yeah...Alright see ya in the next blog shortly. - Grace Anne

Zeke Hill - 11

I'm so happy this is my last journal entry. I still haven't even started on the book part. My summer has been interesting. I've been constantly busy and haven't got to slow down yet so that's what I plan on doing the week before school starts. All I really have been doing is running everyday, then playing fortnite. Because fortnite is important. Honestly I've spent hundreds of dollars on fortnite because I don't have anything else to do with my money. I've mellowed out a whole lot this summer and have learned to relax and just let things happen. I keep being negative towards getting older but my great grandma told me something when I was young before she passed. She told me, "Getting old beats the alternative." The more I think about it, its true. I would 100% rather get older and go through everything than not be here. I'm ready to go to college and make something out of myself and make my mom proud. She's really an amazing person. Yes, she does embarrass me and have weird rules but she's still my mother. She was my father and mother when I was younger and worked night shifts and did odd jobs during the day to support me and my siblings. She would do anything for us and would struggle and always be positive while things are rough. Part of becoming a doctor is having a large salary. I really want to make things easier and buy her a 57' Chevy Bel Air. That's her dream car. Another person I want to make proud is my grandpa. He has been in rough shape for a couple years but he promised me that he would be there whenever I graduate from medical school. He really is the light in my life. He has served in the military and was a carpenter his whole life until he retired and picked up beekeeping. He has tough love and likes things done his way and no other way. He also can be pretty cruel but he knows what's best. He has taught me many things that I know that no one else would teach me. He would take everything he had and give to anybody that needs it. I honestly wish I could be like him and have some of his morals and ethics. I really just want to make sure that my life goes in the right direction and I don't fall off the track. Honestly, I love our class and I can't be more excited to be able to be apart of it. Our class has some of the most loving, fantastic people you could meet. I'll see you at school, kids.

Zeke Hill - 10

Well I have two journal entries left to do. This time I'm going to talk about music and musicians. Older music is far superior to newer music. Anybody who disagrees, well I feel sorry for you. Music back in the 20th century was real music. Everything that was produced in music in the earlier days used real instruments while today's music just use synthesizers and instruments that have been recorded and can be altered on a computer. Earlier music didn't have voice alterers like todays, what you heard on the radio was what you heard in person. We all know we have been to a concert to where they sound worse in person. That wasn't the case in the earlier days. Many musicians could play multiple instruments. There was a musician, Geddy Lee, who was the lead singer for a band called rush. Geddy could play the guitar and keyboard and sing all at the same time. He would use his feet sometimes to play the keyboard while using his hands to play the guitar all while singing. Now that's a musician. All Cardi B can do is mumble. I mean I love rap and everything because it gets everyone hyped up, but its not real music. Now some musicians today do play instruments, like Ed Sheeran, but many do not. Another great musician was prince. There are many things people don't realize about Prince. Prince's first album, For You, was a hit, but he played every instrument that was on that album. There were 27 different instruments used on that album. He also never had a producer because he produced his own music. He could play 12 instruments before he was 15 and learned his first song on the piano at the age of 7. Now I can promise you that nobody is more talented than prince. Also in the years of 1960, the Beatles happened. They were one of the greatest things that had ever happened. They were charismatic and was always moving forward and were way ahead of their time and paved a road for future musicians. The drummer of Def Leppard, Rick Allen, lost his arm in a car accident in 1984. But to defy the odds, he kept on playing and still was considered one of the best drummers of all time with only one arm. This is why older music is superior to newer music.

Zeke Hill - 9

There are many benefits of exercising whether it's running, walking, lifting weights, or simply just doing common things around the house. The reason they call walking or running, cardio, is because it exercises your heart. The heart is a cardiovascular muscle. Cardiovascular is another word for circulatory. The reason the heart is a cardiovascular muscle is because it helps push blood throughout your body. Blood that comes from the heart can give cells oxygen, amino acids, retain a good temperature, and stabilize your ph. Running or walking can exercise your cardiovascular system and help with blood flow and be able to do many things for longer times without having to catch your breath, which is very helpful if you play any sports. By lifting weights you can make any of your 650 muscles stronger or more helpful to everyday life. Lifting weights can also help lower your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol. You can even help gain a better posture by strengthening your core. There are two main types of working out. There is an exercise called isotonic, and isometric. Isotonic is when you lift weights by contracting and relaxing your muscles. Isometric is when you work against an unmovable force, such as push ups or sit ups. Walking can also help your cardiovascular muscles by exercising it while not putting as much as a strain on your body. While it may sound strange, walking is very helpful to your mental state. By walking half an hour everyday you can improve your mood, help your creativity come out, and make it to where you start to make some things into everyday things.

Blog 8 by Eli G

Well summer is about to come to a close. The highlight of my summer was going to Kentucky and watching my first NASCAR race. The only other thing that's happened is I got hired for my first job. It's probably the easiest thing in the world. Before we came home from Kentucky we visited Ark Encounter. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. It was huge. They had Bibles preserved from the AD 200s. It probably sat about a mile away from where you park. You had to ride shuttle buses to the Ark and back. Laney and Peyton were debating on whether or not we should go there. I'm really glad we did. At first I wasn't really wanting to go so we could get back home earlier. I'm really glad we took the time to go through it. I wish we could've stayed longer. Everything that we learned about the Ark was super fascinating. I don't know how I could ever repay my sister and Peyton for what they've done for me.

Blog #3 Ally P

Hi it's me, Ally P, and I have no idea what to write about but I'm only on my third blog and school starts in less than a month. Other than the cruise and the Harry concert my summer hasn't been too exciting. One pretty exciting thing that's happening though is we are putting in a pool at my moms and we're actually getting really close to being done. But we've kinda had a minor setback because my mom fell while working on the pool and broke her foot. She's okay now but at the time it was pretty bad. But we're still pretty close to getting it done. I'm so excited about finally getting it done. That's about the only other exciting thing going on. I still don't know what to write about so I'm typing this to get another sentence. My birthday is in less than a month, that's pretty exciting. I will finally be 16 and able to drive myself around. I'm really looking forward to that. I'm also going to see Niall Horan in concert at St. Louis in about a month with my friends and I'm really excited about that, too. For those of you who don't know I love Niall and Harry and all things 1D but that's beside the point. I love going to concerts in general. I love the feeling that you get right when the artist is about to come on stage and then when they do it's awesome. I love the atmosphere at concerts, everyone is so happy and cheery and I love it. I also love the loud music and the fact that you can't hear very well afterwards. Now I don't know what to talk about and I think that I'm getting pretty close to being done so I'm just gonna type sentences like this one. I hope everyone else has had a good summer, too. It seems like summer has gone by too fast and I'm not ready for it to be over. I think we can all agree with that. I think I have enough words now so bye!

Tiffany Fulcher- 6

Hey, guys! Today, I'm gonna talk a little bit about role models. Everybody has a role model. A role model is a person that someone looks up to and looks at as an example. In my life, I have many people who influence me, but I have two main role models. One of my role models is my mother. My Mom is the first person that I ever looked up to. I mean, of course as a little girl you're going to look up to your mother, but that might change for some people. I still look up to my Mom. In my eyes, she WAS perfect, did no wrong, and did all the right things. Turns out, she is not perfect, but she still does things that makes me look at her as a role model. A few reasons I look up to her is the fact that she does her best in everything that she does, she tries her hardest to provide for me and my two sisters, and she works hard to give our family a better life. I admire those things about her. Another main role model that I have is the actor Misha Collins. If you don't know who that is, he plays Castiel on the TV show Supernatural. And if you don't know what that show is and you want to know who he is, just look him up. Misha Collins inspires me to want to make the world a better place than it is now. He inspires me to do what I can do to help others and spread good around the world. He inspires me to become a better person and make the world better in the process. The reason that he inspires me to do all of those things is because he does all of those things. Misha helps others and tries his best to spread goodness around the world. He wants to make the world a better place by inspiring people to do good things. Misha started an organization that builds orphanages and schools for children in different places all of the world. He has inspired many people all over to participate in good deeds because he shows that being kind to others and spreading good will help make the world a better place. Wow, I wrote more about Misha than my Mom. Oh, well. I rambled to get enough words. Bye, guys!

Tiffany Fulcher- 5

Hey, guys! I hope your summer has been a good one so far. It won't be long before we have to go back to school, which sucks. Well today, I'm gonna talk a little bit about future plans. We all have them, well most of us have them. We have an idea of what we want to do once we are finished with high school. It might be to go to college, go right into a career that doesn't need a degree, or they might be to lay around and do nothing for a while. My plan is to go to college, get my degree, get a job, maybe get married and have a family, and live into old age. But my plans might not work out that way. Something might come up and postpone or stop those plans and change every little detail of my life that I had planned out for myself. For the past four years, I have had a plan. I wanted to attend Arkansas State University- Fort Smith, get my bachelors degree in dental hygiene, and become a dental hygienist. I have no idea why I wanted to go into that field, I just did. A few months ago, I was thinking and it hit me that I don't really know if I want to spend my life working with my hands being in someone's mouth. I have no idea what I want to do after high school anymore. It stinks that I had an entire plan made out in my head and now it's gone because I don't know what I to do anymore. It's scary to think of future plans because graduation will be here in two short years. To me, it will feel like the end of world if I don't know what I want to do by then because I'll want to have my college plans made. I have no idea what career field I want to go in and that worries me. Okay, I am really sure that this is enough words here but I don't know and I am really tired of rambling because this blog is all over the place. Bye, guys!

Tiffany Fulcher- 4

Hey, guys! Again, I have no idea what to write about so I'm going to talk about my favorite TV show. My favorite TV show is Supernatural. For you people who don't know what Supernatural is, the show is about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester. The brothers go around hunting bad creatures and monsters that lurk in the shadows. (Vampires, Werewolves, Shapeshifters, etc.) After they lost their mother to a supernatural force, Sam and Dean were raised by their father as hunters who track down demonic and mysterious creatures. Sam and Dean investigate the things that go bump in the night with the additional burdens of secrets, family drama, and bad memories. The brothers have to rely on each other as they run into new enemies throughout the show. Okay, so the first time I ever watched Supernatural was when I was around eight years old. I would watch it on TV with my older brother, Ryan. I didn't really pay attention to the storyline back then. I just knew that two guys were fighting monsters and that was one of those guys, Dean, was the hottest man alive according to my eight year old self. (He still is by the way) Well, a little over a year and a half ago, my friend Emma brought up the show Supernatural and all of my memories of watching it with Ryan came back to me. Emma let me borrow her season one DVD and I was excited to watch it because I was going to get to see Dean and because I wanted to watch the show and actually pay attention to it. I went home right away to watch it and became hooked almost immediately. Now, throughout the first three seasons, I was on the edge of my seat, crying, and all for Dean Winchester. But then in the first episode of season four, a new character came in and flipped my world upside down. Man, I thought I had a crush on Dean....Yeah. If you haven't watched the show, it's really good. Okay, I think this is enough words. Bye, guys!

Tiffany Fulcher- 3

Hey, guys! I have nothing else to talk about so I'm going to talk about spending time with my cousin. While at my Dad's during the summer and school breaks, I love to go stay the night with my older cousin, Destinee. When I'm there, me and her stay up all night either watching scary movies, watching the show Supernatural, talking about the shows The Walking Dead and Supernatural, talking about the people we want to meet one day, and we also talk about how bad we want to go to a Supernatural Convention or a Walker Stalker Convention to meet the cast of our two favorite shows. Some people might think that would a boring way to spend our time, but we can talk about those things for hours and hours and never get bored of it. A year ago, Destinee didn't watch Supernatural or The Walking Dead and our conversations back then were boring and would get old fast because we didn't really have anything to talk about. But then I introduced her to two of my favorite shows and now she loves them as much as I do. It made it to where we had things to talk about and it made us grow closer to reach other. I consider Destinee as one of my best friends because of how close we have grown since I got her to watch Supernatural and The Walking Dead. It's fun to sit and talk about the shows with her, well except for when I spoil something for her. She has caught up on the all of The Walking Dead so we can talk about anything that has happened throughout the series and can talk about our predictions for the new season that will come on in October. But with Supernatural, I have to watch what I say because she has only watched ten out of the thirteen seasons that have been released. We can still talk for hours about the show, but I have to make sure no spoilers leave my mouth, but that hasn't worked out too good so far. I've spoiled three major things for her. It sucks that she lives four hours away because I would love to get to spend more time with her and talk in person rather than over text messages. Okay, I'm pretty sure this is enough words. Bye, guys!

Tiffany Fulcher- 2

Hey, guys! I'm gonna talk a little bit about my experience in Mr. Conner's algebra two class this past school year. I'm gonna start out by saying it wasn't a pleasant one for me. I made it out with an A for one semester and a B for the other, but if it was not for the homework grades he gave us, I would be sitting in his class again next year. Let's just say, I really really really suck at math. I failed every single one of Mr. Conner's tests this year, well except for three or four. I can't remember. I'm lucky I got out of there with good grades. I struggled so much and the funny thing is that I actually paid attention in his class. I listened to every word he said about the material we were working on. I wrote down every single note that was on the board. I even studied for his tests and in the previous school years, I never studied for a math test. Somehow, even after all of that mess, I could never figure out just what the heck was going on so I would just wing everything and hope for the best. Sometimes, I thought I knew exactly what I was doing and I'd get my test and be confident that I was going to pass. Then I would look at the test questions and think, "Yep. Here's another one I'm going to fail." I would get most of my tests in his class back and they would average out to be either a C, D, or F. I wish it would have been at least a C or B all year, but nope. That didn't happen for me. For me, the second semester was rougher than the first one. I only passed one test and it was the first one we took after Christmas break. I had got confident after getting that test back and thought that the second semester was going to be better than the first for me, but boy was I wrong about that. After the first test, everything kept going downhill. I would have no idea what I was doing on most of the questions and would sit there looking around the room because I had no idea what to put. Okay, I think this is enough words. Bye, guys!

Tiffany Fulcher- 1

The most important day of my life was the day that Bailey, my little sister, was born. That day, I became something I never dreamed of. A big sister. Five short years ago, on January 9, 2013, I sat in a cold hospital waiting room awaiting the news of the birth of my little sister. At 8:25 am, I got to look into Bailey's eyes for the first time and I fell in love with her. I remember sitting in the waiting room with some of our family that was there with us. For a while, I sat there waiting on my Mom's boyfriend, Jimmy, to come through those doors and tell us that Bailey had been born. It felt like hours, but in reality, I only sat in the waiting room for an hour before Jimmy came out of the double doors leading back to where him and Mom were. Brittany and I followed him down a hallway and when we turned a corner, a doctor was standing there holding a baby wrapped in a pink and white blanket. That's when I seen her. That's the moment I realized I was big sister, when I realized that there was someone new in my life who would later be so important to me. I was excited when I learnt that I would become a big sister. Not just because my Mom was having a baby, but because I would get the chance to be a role model to someone. I wanted there to be someone in my life who looked up to me and wanted to be like me. And now, because of Bailey, I've gotten that chance. Bailey looks up to me and wants to copy my actions. She wants to do everything I do and I'm glad to have that influence on her. I tend to do what I think are good things and if she keeps following in my footsteps, she will do good things, too. With her being here, I've gained a new responsibility of taking care of and being a good role model to someone very important to me.

Zeke Hill - 8

So the world sucks now. Just in case anybody forgot. I wished I lived about 50 years ago. I understand the world wasn't the safest place but it was way better than it is now. How cool would it feel to be able to leave your window open all night and not have to worry about waking up to someone trying to snuggle up to you. That's disgusting. The cars were way better looking and were a whole lot cheaper, gas was way cheaper also. No one cared about who wore what or who did what. Everybody was always ready to lend out a helping hand. I mean I'm here for anybody that needs it but not everyone is the same. Some people just suck. But back then everybody was willing to help even if someone didn't like someone, they would help each other because that's what humans should do as a species. Maybe one day it will be like that again. I really believe if this world has a chance everybody needs to get together and make a difference. People need to stop being so greedy and spiteful and worried about other things or being ungrateful. If everyone was positive and kept moving in a positive direction the world would be a better place. Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." That statement is true. If you expect the world to become a better place but all you do is hate on people or look down on people, that isn't going to get anybody anywhere. Because if the whole world was filled with people like that we would all be trying to hurt each other. Yes you're not going to get along with everyone and some people you just might not like, but that doesn't mean you have to express it or be negative. Just go with the flow. I don't want my kids to live in a hateful world. People need to change before the world gets worse than it already is. Take a deep breath and relax kid.

Zeke Hill - 7

So now we're going into the eleventh grade. It feels really weird because last year went by so quickly just as well as this summer. Well I still haven't done anything on the book that we're supposed to do because it feels like so much. I'll just do that a week before school. Well we're getting a new basketball court floor and honestly it looks kind of dope but at the same time like there's too much going on. This year is going to be so interesting for everyone. Everybody has to start actually looking into what they're going to do and have a general idea of where they want to go all while working, playing sports, or doing homework and all that jazz. This will be most peoples first prom and everybody will be so stressed out trying to get that perfect dress and what hair they want to style it in or how they want their makeup. And the guys wont care because we're guys so we'll go spend five minutes at a store to get a tux then be on with life besides the fact of asking whoever they want to go with. But the poor girls. There are so many more girls than boys so some girls will end up getting their feelings hurt because they didn't get asked and all that hoopla. Every girl will be trying to have that perfect prom, while again the guys just wanted to go, not caring about having a perfect time. Well its been really hot outside, like can the sun just please stop with all of that. Today we had voluntary practice for baseball and of course people didn't come because they were either "busy" or just didn't want to wake up at 8:30 to come. That's guys for you. We have about 12 people on the team and only 3 showed up. We need Coach Hoffman to come out there and make people do pushups the whole time for missing practice, that would be fun.

Zeke Hll - 6

My parents are divorced. Most people think its terrible to have divorced parents. Well it is, but you also want whats best for them. I have gotten used to it since my parents have been divorced for a pretty good while. Sometimes it is tough because you sit there and think how everything could be different if they would have stayed together and what it would be like. But both of my parents are happy now and that's what I want. I go visit my Dad every other weekend while I live with my mom and my stepdad the other time. My dad lives in Leachville so its not hard to go back and forth. Its also weird having to spend Christmas morning at my moms then going to my dads for Christmas evenings, or having to split thanksgiving or even switching years on who gets what holiday. I think the most struggling part about having divorced parents is that they argue constantly if they ever talk to each other about anything. They really cant stand each other but somehow managed to have 5 kids together, now that's a dandy. Sometimes its complicated for who is going to do what but everything always works out. I think divorce is an awful thing but I also think that you should be accepting of it and support your parents through whatever they are doing.

Zeke Hill - 5

The 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star break was amazing. There were 8 home runs in the futures game. The futures game is where players who are expected to be superstars in the future play. A dodger prospect, Yusinel Diaz hit two home runs alone during the game. Also the home run derby was a blast, literally. The number eight seed Rhys Hoskins beat the number one seed, Jesus Aguilar, with a score of 17-12. The number four seed Kyle Schwarber beat the number five seed, Alex Bregman, with a score of 16-15. The number three seed Max Muncy beat the number six seed, Javier Baez, with a score of 17-16. The number two seed Bryce Harper beat the number seven seed, Freddie Freeman, with a score of 13-12. The number four seed Kyle Schwarber beat the number eight seed, Rhys Hoskins, by a walk off homerun as time expires with a score of 21-20. The number two seed Bryce Harper beats the number three seed, Max Muncy, with a score of 13-12. The finals ended up being The number two seed Bryce Harper and the number four seed, Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper ends up beating Kyle schwarber with a score of 19-18 while Bryce Harper hit 9 home runs in 50 seconds. In the all star game there was a Major League Baseball record amount of home runs. The all star game consisted of 10 home runs. Before the game the American League had won 43 games and the National League had won 43 games. Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Wilson Contreras, Trevor Story, Jean Segura, Christian Yelich, Scooter Gennett, Alex Bregman, George Springer, and Joey Votto all hit home runs. The American League bested the National League in 10 innings with back to back homers from George springer and Alex Bregman. Alex Bregman got the All Star game MVP award. During the All Star break my favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, traded 5 prospects for Manny Machado. Manny Machado is a power hitter that plays shortstop and will help our lineup tremendously.

Blog 7 by Eli G

Tuesday I didn't have to work. My aunt came and saw us and had lunch with us before her and my cousin went to Florida for a softball tournament. Later that night the MLB All Star Game was on. I sat and watched the whole entire thing. It was probably the best All Star Game in recent years. The teams went back and forth for the lead. Aaron Judge started it all off with a home run to left field. Then Mike Trout followed up with a home run of his own the next inning. After that it got crazier. The NL tied the game and then Jean Segura who plays for the Seattle Mariners hit a 3 run home run late in the game to give the AL a 3 run cushion. The NL fought back though and tied the game with Scooter Gennett's big home run. It still wasn't over though. It kept going back and forth. The game went into extra innings. Alex Bregman of the Astros hit a go ahead solo home run to untie the game in the top of the 10th. Then his teammate George Springer followed him and those two hit back to back home runs. Joey Votto led off the home half of the 10th with a solo home run. The final score was 8-6. The AL won. The most home runs ever hit in an All Star Game before Tuesday was 6. They crushed that number with a grand total of 10.

Gage’s blog 4

So this year I decided to play baseball again. My dad always loved the sport and he always coached me in little league. We were actually pretty good. He caught in high school and evidently he was pretty good at it. He always told me he was, but I just figured he was telling me that, but everyone I’ve talked to has bragged about how good he is. But anyways, I’ve caught my whole life because that’s what he’s always taught me to play, and what he’s wanted me to play. Well after my 8th grade year I quit, for many reasons. One of those was because I knew being a 9th grader and going to practices, I wasn’t exactly on par with the seniors. I knew I’d sit my little butt on the bench and not do anything but carry equipment. Also dad was always on my tail about it and I just got tired of it. Well now 2 years later I can see his feelings are hurt. He missed watching me play. So I decided to give it a new try. And with coach brown, it’s fun. I enjoy it a lot actually. I caught this summer,-!: I’m not near as bad at it as I thought I was. With a little practice, by the time seasons here I’ll be good to go. I’m glad I do it for my dad because I can tell he loves watching me play. Mom said he tells her everytime about how proud he is of me when I play.

Gage blog 3

so this week we’ve been having basketball camp at marmaduke. Let me just tell ya. I’m out of shape. We play 2 20 minute half’s and that’s about all this little white boy can take. I constantly look up at the clock to see how much longer I got to try to make it. But it’s pretty fun. We’re getting a lot better and we’re working together better. Yesterday we played marmaduke and we almost beat them but they got us by like 3, and we beat mammoth springs by 3. Today we played rector and cra. Rector is really stout and they’ve been playing all summer long and they beat us by 10. They’re pretty good. Cra is about the same as us. We had them down 5 with a minute left, and apparently a couple of us don’t know what layups and free throws is. But oh well. They got us by 1 they hit 2 threes to win it. I guess we’ll have to get them next time. Tomorrow we play Blytheville and tuckerman. Both of them are really good. Blytheville is 4a playing all of us 2a schools, and on top of that they don’t just fit in exactly if you know what I mean. But oh well guess we’re gonna give it all we got and see how we compare. Camp has taught me this year how to work hard, and I’m making myself a better player because I am working harder than I ever have before. .

blog #8 - carmen c.

im back again with another blog my girly and manly pops, hope yall are having a great day and what not. to start this blog off i just want to say i have been in a very very sad/mad mood lately and i do not absolutely DO NOTT know how to get out of it. it may because im bipolar or sum but it needs to go because my parents don't appreciate the attitude it is creating:) so just yanno leave a comment if think you can help a girl get of her shmood. anyways about the weather my folks......IT HAS BEEN SO FREAKING HOT LIKE SATINS TOENAILS HOT. but im kinda enjoying it because im tan so i mean beauty hurts ig. but anyway my computer literally just crashed and i thought i lost everything i just typed but it wouldn’t  have really mattered anyways because I can just login on my phone and fix it and that’s what I did and now I’m here sitting here hopefully thinking that this is going to be enough words because honestly I don’t know what to say but i know it’s not so ima just y’all yall about yesterday when i dropped my phone in water (it’s fine btw) so i was in jonesboro while freakin the hurricane was coming through yanno it’s pouring down rain and we’re tryna get into walmart so we did the smart thing and parked by the garden section because no one parks there and Sye says okay crack the door and on the count of three well run.....little did i know that my phone would fall out of my rain jacket and land in 6inches of water. but i saved it and it still works for the time being so everyone say a prayer for my baby:))) so that’s the story of the way i’m gonna try to finish all my blogs this week considering i only have like 3 left and write the rest of my comments later because i have like 7 more:) i’m such a procrastinator to fjen tho really it’s gotta me this far hopefully it won’t fail me now. xoxo

Blog 6 by Eli G

This past weekend had to be one of the best if not the best of my life. My sister and her boyfriend bought me a ticket to the NASCAR race at Kentucky Speedway this past Saturday. We got up at about 4:30 or so in the morning and made almost a 7 hour drive up to Sparta, Kentucky. We finally got there and checked into our hotel room. We turned right around and decided to head to the track early so we could get in easier. Some NASCAR workers drove us up to the gates at the front of the track. The size of the track was amazing. We sat in row 3 coming off of turn 4. The flyover was amazing also. Everytime the cars would come around you could feel the ground shake and then it was just a blur. Even though we didn't really see a lot of action like wrecks or spins or super close racing, it was still awesome. I won't complain though because that was probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Yesterday before we came back we stopped by Ark Encounter. It was a replica of Noah's Ark. It was huge. It was 7 stories tall with like 4 different floors you could go on. It had just about every animal Noah had on board and bibles preserved from AD 200s.

Hailey’s blog #11

So, this is my last blog and I am so excited!! I have done six blogs within a span of two hours, because I am bored and figured why not go ahead and finish this part of the assignment. Now, all I have left is to read that part of the book and take notes and then to comment on other people’s blog. I don’t think it will be to bad to finish. However, this is probably my favorite summer assignment that I have done, because I have the freedom to write about whatever I want and I actually do not have to read an entire book. The best part about the assignament is the blogs, because it actually helps you to start thinking about things like how you spent you summer and what has gone on in your life. So, I think this summer assignment is the most beneficial one that I have ever had. That’s all that I have to say, but this isn’t close to three hundred words. So, I am just going to talk about my new backpack I got from Vera Bradley. It is colorful and it has little spiral things on it. I got it at an outlet store and it was a really good deal. The outlet mall was in Kentucky. It is one of the nicest outlet malls I have been to and it had all kinds of stores. Oh, I also got Lexi B’s birthday present while I was there, so that’s out of the way. Okay. I think that is enough words, and I don’t not feel like copy and pasting this into a word counter. So, that’s it. I’m happy I’m finally done!!

Lexi b’s blog #11 - This Year’s Teachings

In less than a month, I will turn 16. This may come as a surprise to some of you guys that I am still, in fact, 15. I’m pretty much the baby of our class, but I’ve learned to live with the fact that there are kids in the grade below us who are older than me. While I prepare to take the next step of my life, I have reflected on this past year. It was long, eye-opening, hard, and wonderful all at the same time. One of the first things the 15th year of my life taught me was to always have good friends. My friends have helped me through some of the hardest times of my life, and I couldn’t be more thankful. They let me cry on their shoulder when I thought my world was crumbling apart. They gave me the best advice on everything from school to clothes to boys. Without them, my life would be miserable. The second thing I learned was how precious life truly is. For those of you who don’t know, my dad got diagnosed with a disease that affects his breathing and control over his body. It makes simple things like eating and grocery shopping difficult. He never lets it affect him, though. He always has a smile on his face and always has a joke to crack. His attitude on life made me realize that I should be thankful for my good health and wonderful life. More recently, my step dad had a heart attack. He had to have a full heart surgery done. It was unsure if he’d make it through the surgery, but he pushed through. Seeing him after the surgery made me realize how much I really did love him. Sure, he gets on my nerves, but he is my family. I now know to always cherish my family, because I never know when our last day together will be. The last thing this past year taught me was to never pass up an opportunity. If your dad wants to go get donuts at 6 in the morning like mine does, then go with him. If your mom wants you to tag along while she grocery shops, tag along! If your friends calls you up and wants to ride around town, go ride around! Life is too short to say no to things that make you happy. My motto for the past year has been, “if today was your last day, would you be happy with how it went?” Living by this made my 15th year of life spectacular. As I enjoy these last few weeks of 15, I will not forget everything I’ve learned. I will carry this on with me into my next year of life and try to make this my best year yet.

Hailey’s blog #10

I am extremely happy that this is my tenth blog and that I only have one more blog to write. I am not sure what I am going to write about, because I am running out of ideas. This summer assignment was not extremely bad. It was a lot better than having to read the Lord of The Flies or whatever that dumbs book was. That book was absolutely terrible and it should be taken off the shelves, but I guess some people like. So, have y’all seen the new lip sync challenges that the police are doing. Some of them are funny and I can not wait for our police to do one. However, ours will probably never do one because their lame and can not do anything fun. But, some of the police officers get really into the challenges and they are hilarious. They do all different varieties of songs. I have seen some with Nicki Minaj, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Drake, and Cardi B songs. They are all fantastic and if you haven’t seen them, go look some up on YouTube. I promise they are really funny. Oh, and there is a new challenge out called the shiggy challenge. That’s the one that involves Drake’s song In My Feelings. All kinds of people are doing it, and personally I will not, because I can’t dance. I am not even going to attempt it, but there are some people that did it and they did an amazing job. I personally do not usually watch the challenges that people do, but these challenges are both cool and sometimes funny. So, I definitely think you all should go watch some of them if you haven’t. I am so happy I only have one more to go. I will probably do that one tonight, even though I have done plenty tonight. But, if I stop now, I will forget about it for another week. So, that’s it. Have an amazing time for the little bit of summer left!!!

Hailey’s blog #9

I know that everyone is not as lucky as me to have an amazing big brother or to even have a big brother at all, so I thought I would inform all of you what you are missing out on. You are missing out on the amazing experiences on how you should be treated by other boys. My brother has truly blessed me and showed me how I should be treated. Which, I am extremely thankful for, because you should never be treated less than you truly are. Also, you miss out on having your older brother take you to restaurants, movies, and other places just to hang out. That also includes tagging along with him and his buddies to make amazing memories. I have made plenty of memories with him and I am extremely thankful for everyone of them. Some of those memories are the best ones that I have ever made.  Along with a big brother comes the protectiveness, he has always protected me from things that I shouldn’t see or things that I shouldn’t hear. That includes the bullies that I could not stand up to from being little and the ones that I was to scared to say anything to. Having an older brother also teaches you how to handle certain people and how to not let people bother you. That is probably the best thing that I learned from him and I use it all the time. Lastly, is the love of a bigger brother. It is the best thing to experience, because if he is anything like mine, he lets you know he believes in you and loves you at the times that you don’t believe in yourself. He helps pick you back up and and helps you become the person you should be. And he will never give up on you no matter how hopeless you are, which is the best feeling ever.  So, having an older brother is a true blessing sent from God  and I am extremely thankful for mine. I pray that my daughter will be blessed with an older brother like mine!! Sorry, if this is like a sappy post, I didn’t mean to make it one!! :)