Adore Me - Kim Wilson (5)

   {This one is also super depressing, whoops. I apologized in advance.}

 They say time heals all wounds, but I would disagree. "Everything will be okay. These things just take time." "The hurt will go away after some years." Those claims are never true. You never forget. Ever. They couldn't be more wrong. Looking at my sisters lifeless body, I didn't see how I could ever get over it. Knowing that she had breathed her last breath ever shattered me. It broke my heart into millions of pieces, pieces so small they can't be put back together again. I would never be able to forget her laugh, or how she hated bananas, or how she refused to eat the crust of bread. I will never get to drive her to her first school dance. I will never be able to be in her wedding. I will never be able to babysit her children.
    And if it wasn't bad enough that I lost my sister, it was my fault. It was all my fault. There was no one else to blame. Yeah, sure, many people tell me it wasn't and things like this happen, but it was my fault. Everything that happened that day was my fault. I was supposed to be watching her. Now she will never go to prom, never have a boyfriend, never graduate. I took that from her. It was all my fault.
             *           *           *
     "Ready. Set. Go!" yelled my sisters friend. Her name was Lily; she lived down the street from us. Since the day Lily moved to our small, boring town, they became inseparable. You wouldn't see Amy without seeing Lily standing behind her with her hands on her hips. Lily was the wilder one who always wanted to explore. Amy, however, was more cautious and kept Lily in line. Each day Lily would walk to our house and plan out adventures with Amy. Their most recent adventure was climbing the hill in the backyard all by themselves. The "hill" was just a big pile of dirt from construction. But, nonetheless, they decided it a big adventure and completed it. Today, they decided to tackle the task of riding without training wheels together. They came into the kitchen declaring they were now big girls and could ride without the extra wheels. After they proved they could, my mother, being the woman she is, forced me to sit out in the scorching sun and watch as the little girls rode up and down the street. Our street is farther out in town, so there is rarely any traffic. I sat a red seat out in the front of the yard so I could watch them zoom by. I could already feel a sunburn coming on. It was excruciating. I was supposed to be at the mall with my friends, but now I was stuck babysitting two children.
     "Lily, you can't do that! You're cheating!" Amy yelled. They were always arguing about rules. Amy felt that they should follow every rule, while Lily was perfectly willing to bend a few.
     "I'm not cheating! You're the one who didn't start peddling soon enough! Lindsey, tell her I wasn't cheating!" Lily whined. I didn't even hear half of what she said, I repeated her anyways.
      "Lily isn't cheating," I mumbled while scrolling through Instagram. Amanda had just posted a picture of them at the mall. They looked like they were having a lot of fun. I would be there if I wouldn't have to watch the brats.
      "You always say whatever Lily says. You're supposed to be my sister," Amy complained. She hopped onto her bike and started riding on her own.
      "Amy, you can't do that," yelled Lily. I didn't hear anything they were saying. All I could hear was screaming; I assumed they were playing pirates again. Sometimes they will say their bikes are the ships and try to steal treasure from the land. I had never been more wrong.
      "LINDSEY! LINDSEY, AMY IS HURT."
      It phrases like that that make you rethink life. I used to think the important things in life were how many likes I got or how many girls were jealous of my new boyfriend for the week. The important things in life are the people you love, not how Instagram famous you are.
      I wish so desperately to be able to go back. Maybe if I wasn't so focus on not going to the mall, I would have realized that it was an opportunity to spend time with my adoring, little sister. Maybe if I would have payed more attention, she would still be here. She would still be here making up new adventures with Lily and following me around because she just wanted to spend time with me; at the time, I just wanted her to go away.
      It was all my fault. Maybe you people reading this think I'm a terrible person, and I'm okay with that. My sister died because of me. I was irresponsible and I let her out of my sight. I couldn't put down the phone for two seconds to check on her. I was busy texting Boyfriend #9.
      If you're still reading this and wondering what happened, here it is: While I was being selfish and inconsiderate, a driver who had been under the influence swerved from the outside road and hit Amy. It was my fault. Amy will never get to know what it feels like to fly in an airplane. She'll never feel the excitement and anxiety of being so far above the earth. She'll never be able to see how great her life could have been. She's gone. It's all my fault.
      You guys still have time though, whoever happens to stumble upon my diary. Tell the people you love how you feel, you never know when they won't be here. Take an interest in things they do, and NEVER put anything before them. That boy can wait, you need to hang out with your sister when she asks. Skip going to the mall to hang out with your mom; it will make her day. Do whatever you want, but please appreciate your family. One day they might be gone, and it might be your fault.

a monument for my pals-sydney adams(3)

today, wednesday june 8th, is national best friend say. so, i being the cliché creature i am, will spend the next 329 words telling you about my wonderful best friends.
my friends are mean girls. and by that i mean they are members of a group self dubbed "mean girls" and happen to be quite the opposite. faith, shailey, mattie, karlee and sam (and myself) are "actually quite sensitive and opinionated and hopefully not too mean girls" as rightfully re-dubbed by karlee.
i am completely fine with and even elated that they are the only people i ever talk to -with the exception of larry and bethany (whom i also consider best friends)- because lets face it, my pals rock. you have brooks, fiery and fierce and a photoshop goddess no less! she is incredibly strong and has been by my side through everything. and shailey, this unbelievable soul who thinks deeply and appreciates the little things, who despite all odds creates beauty in everything she does. karlee, who is the kindest and most creative person you'll ever meet, my musical sugar daddy/soul mate and the most powerful person when it comes to what she believes in. sam, a nurturing and loving friend who goes out of her way to ensure we are taken care of and will come through in the clutch with some cuddles and 3 am pizza rolls not to mention how unbelievably driven and hardworking she is. and last but not least mattie, mattie is hilarious, on top of that she shares my wanderlust and desire to do something unconventionally magnificent with her life; this makes her my adventure buddy and one day we will travel world. she's my driving force when it comes to living life. she is the ellie to my carl and without her i'd be missing a lot of adventures and laughs.
so it goes without saying i have all i need. my mean girls are loving, wild, beautiful, strong, resilient women and i am ever so thankful to have them. and that i don't have to make new friends.



DISCLAIMER:WE ARENT ACTUALLY MEAN GIRLS

Badgers!

         Badgers are part of the Mastelidae family, which also includes otters, weasels, wolverines, and polecats. They can grow up to 34 inches and weigh up to about 40 pounds. The word badger is said to derived from the French 'becheur' meaning digger. They get this name because they live in under ground burrows, setts, that they dig themselves. Badgers are also know to be extremely clean for an animal. They will not bring their food into their setts, nor will they defecate (poo) in their home. They seems to have a certain place on the edge of their territory where they use as a toilet. When choosing the perfect spot for their sett, they take food into consideration. Badgers love berries and bluebell bulbs so they usually burrow near them. They aren't picky at all when it comes to meals. They will also eat hundreds of earthworms and insects a night. They are willing to eat the eggs and young on ground-nesting birds and small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. These unique animals have a very keen sense of smell which makes them good at digging up rabbit nests. Their five toes and long claws enable them to do so. Badgers are the main predators of hedgehogs in Britain and have even lowered populations significantly where badgers are numerous. They have thick skin so they are one of the very few species that are able to do this. Badgers can run as fast as 19mph for short periods of time. Badgers are protected in the UK. They mate once a year and have 1 to 5 babies at a time. Babies are kept in the setts until they are 8 weeks old. Badgers don't usually hibernate, but may sleep days or weeks in their burrows for the coldest part of the winter. The life span of a badger is about 10 years. Wisconsin has the honor of calling these wonderful creature their state animal.

                                                                                              -Samantha Lyles

Christmas #4 -Kim Wilson (4)

{ This is super depressing, sorry. PROMPT: Write a scene that takes place after a tragedy. Don't mention the tragedy.}

     The tree was absolutely beautiful. It was the same one you begged to be picked. But now it was just a glowing reminder of you and how you weren't coming home. After three Christmases, it began to grow unbearable. Sure, my parents helped me put up my Christmas tree, but it wasn't and will never be the same without you.
     I smile to myself when I see an old, rusty ornament with your name on it. But the smile plastered on my face is a lie. Seeing your name fading on that piece of simple plastic punctures something inside me, surrounding me with a weakness, a lingering feeling of hopelessness.
     Christmas is supposed to be cheerful, charging, and giving. I don't know how to be cheerful when the root of my happiness is gone and never coming back. I'll never see your warm smile or hear your heartfelt laugh. I don't know how to care when the only thing I've cared for is gone. You're gone and you're not coming back, and I don't know if it will ever feel real.
     I don't know how to give when all I can think about is giving you the words I think about every single day. No matter how hard I try, I don't know how to move on.
     Three Christmases have past and putting up this tree lowers my spirit rather than raises it. Seeing your lovely decorations help me realize the fact you're gone and you're never coming back. These decorations screamed your personality, wherever I looked. But I pray that next Christmas, these decorations give me hope, that even after you're long gone, that there's still a spark of reassurance. I pray that these ornaments will symbolize reassurance that I will be okay, even if I never see you again.

Basketball -Hattie

                I think it was inevitable that I was going to write a blog about basketball. Basketball is definitely important to me and has really had a huge impact on my life. There are so many things about basketball that I love. I love the sound of the ball going through the net. The sound the net makes is just beautiful to me. I love the atmosphere. The sounds of the fans yelling, the cheerleaders cheering, and the coaches screaming is what I live for. I love the feeling I get after a huge win. I also love being around my team. My team is very close. I mean we kind of have to be. We have literally spent the night in a gym together.  We have seen each other at our worst. We have seen each other so exhausted that we had to use our whole body to stand up out of a chair. We have seen each other cry over tough losses. The experiences I have shared with my teammates are unforgettable. They are my family and I love them. Basketball has definitely helped me build character. I have learned to be disciplined, to work hard at everything, and to always be respectful. If you don’t listen in basketball it will either result in no playing time or running until you puke. So I have learned to be a better listener and to always do as I am told. To play basketball I have to work hard in school as well as practice. If we are being troublemakers in the classroom, Coach Hoffman takes care of us during practice. One of my teammates had a C in a class once and had to run twenty laps. I know, it is crazy, but I am pretty sure that person had a B within like a week or two. Basketball has also taught me to be respectful.  I have learned to say ma’am or sir in responses to my elders. Respect is a major thing in the game of basketball. Overall, basketball is a huge part of my life. It has played a part in who I am today and I don’t know what I would do without it. 

Summer Schedule- Wesley Jordan (#5)

Most people have a idea of what they plan to do this summer. I have some major events but the most of the things that I will do will not be planned.

June 10th- The conjuring 2 comes out. I love to watch scary movies. So me and a couple of my friends are going to go watch it together.
June 11th- ACT: I am not looking forward to it at all. But my plans for the future are costly so I need to get a decent score to help out.
June 17th- The Wizard of Oz at the Orpheum: My mom for Mothers Day wanted tickets to see The Wizard of Oz at the Orpheum so that's what we are going to be doing.
June 19th- Fathers Day: We will be spending the day with my father obviously. We will most likely go out to eat and do things that he wants to do.
July 1st through July 4th- It is the fourth of July. We will be going to our camper in Mountain View and drive to our pontoon on the lake and having fun with our family.
July 9th- Birthday: July 9th is my birthday. I'm sure I'm going to be hanging out with friends and family celebrating my birthday. I may be having a birthday party but I don't know about it.
July 11th- Driver License: This is the day I will be able to get my drivers license. I can't get it on my birthday because the place isn't open on Saturday.
July 14th- Surgery Day: This is the day that will be the most scariest. I have to have surgery for the 3rd time on my teeth, but that's another story. I will not be doing anything for about a week after this date.
August 4th through 7th- Wedding: My parents friends son is getting married. We will be up where they are getting married for a little while helping them get set up and ready for it, be in the wedding, then help them take things down for them.

I will be doing fun things through the summer:
Swimming, hanging out with friends, and much more things.

The next big date will be the start of school. But it is summer so we will not get into that.

Redhead Facts - Faith Brooks(5)

1. the gene that causes red hair, MC1R, is a genetic mutation, so we're basically mutants(but in a cool way)
2. we require 20% more anesthesia and have a higher pain tolerance
3. instead of getting gray hairs when we age, red hair turns blonde then eventually white
4. acient Greeks believed that when redheads died, they became vampires, which explains the whole "gingers steal souls" joke
5. in 2001, an Irish man was on trial for disorderly conduct, and the judge used his hair color as a reason to believe he was guilty & convicted him. he openly said that he believed the man had a temper because of his red hair
6. Hitler didn't allow non-redheads and redheads to get married because he didn't want any "deviant offspring"(I don't recall any redheaded children killing 6 million Jews, but whatever)
7. Greeks and Romans also associated redheads with the evil god Seth, also known as Typhon. the people displayed their dislike for gingers by making slaves in plays wear red wigs
8. Christians used to believe that "among the marks of the devil were syphilis, gonorrhea, leprosy, birthmarks, freckles, and-of-course- red hair". they also believed that Satan was a ginger
9. Aristotle wasn't fond of redheads either, saying "the reddish are of bad character"
10. redheads are usually born with brown eyes. the rarest combination is red hair and blue eyes
11. redheads have less hair than blondes and brunettes. blondes have 110,000 strands, brunettes have 140,000 strands, and redheads have about 90,000 strands
12. gingers are pale because they have low levels of eumelanin which means they can't absorb required levels of vitamin D, but we produce our own vitamin D when we're in low-light conditions, such as cloudy weather
13. less than 2% of the world's population are redheads
14. redheads frequently have northern or western european ancestors
15. there's an annual festival in Breda, The Netherlands, called Roodharigendag, where thousands of natural redheads celebrate their genetically mutated hair color
16. bees are more attracted to redheads because of the bright color of our hair