Freewrite: November 29, 2010

So, last Friday was Black Friday. I was recently hired by Bass Pro and one of the things that I had to do was work sometime that day. I chose to work in the morning so I could get the experience of crazy shoppers and seeing what it was all about. It was crazy. I guess there were people lined up around quarter to 5, and the store didn't even open until 6. I got there around 5:15 and got ready and got to my cashier station. It was kind of stressful because my supervisors and coworkers were kind of stressed, but it was fun trying to imagine what the day was going to be like. When the doors opened at 6, people came flying through the doors. People were running from either entrance trying to get to the things they wanted most. Around ten minutes went by and I had my first customer to ring up on my own. A lot of them had vouchers for items they would pick up later, but a lot of stuff was really cheap so people would fill carts and check out. The day was insane. It went by really quickly, too. I think my highest total was around $500... something I cannot imagine spending at a store like Bass Pro, but a lot of people did it. There were tons of really good deals. I got a few breaks, but they went by really quickly and didn't really give me a break. There were lines going out to the middle of the store and people trying to squeeze in everywhere else, so there wasn't really any room for anyone else. I had a few people ask me the locations of things in the store, and I felt really helpless because as a new employee, I really didn't know where anything was! It was awful. The day ended up being really fun, though, and I was exhausted at the end. I went home and took a nap! That was my first Black Friday experience :)

WORD COUNT: 342

Freewrite: November 23, 2010

So, today isn't a freewrite day in English IV Honors, but I don't really feel like working on a paper just yet, so I'm going to freewrite. Today is the last day before Thanksgiving break and everyone knows that today is going to be a day where we do nothing. In sociology, we took a spelling quiz and just talked for the rest of the hour. In english, we are all working on our papers, so it is still a relaxing day, even though we have to do work. In band, we are going to talk about fundraisers and present the silly awards- basically nothing. Everyone is aching for a break. No one really wants to be here today, but once today is over, we have five days to ourselves. That's really exciting! Thanksgiving break is always a welcome rest from school.

Tomorrow I get to watch my baby cousin, Cylee, while her mom and little sister, Gabee, go to the doctor. Gabee just came home from the NICU a week ago, so they are going to check up on her and see if she can be visited by more people. I am really excited to get to babysit Cylee. She is adorable and I love seeing her as much as possible. It seems like everytime I see her she gets bigger and smarter and is able to do more.

Thanksgiving is going to be wonderful as always, but kind of weird, too. Kara, Gabee & Cylee's mom, will be at home with Gabee for the duration of the day. It kind of stinks because she is one of my best friends, but at the same time, I know it will be good for Gabee to not have a chance of getting sick. Cameron and I's three and a half year anniversary is on Thanksgiving this year as well. We probably won't hang out on Thanksgiving, but it is weird that it falls on a holiday.

I get to work my first real day at Bass Pro on Black Friday. I had training a couple weeks ago, but I haven't gotten to do it on my own yet, so I'm really excited that I finally get to start! I love working the register. I already encountered a lot of different types of people, so I can't wait to see what personalities Black Friday will bring out! I'm not excited about getting up really early, but that's okay.

This is a really long freewrite! Oh well. This break is going to be fantastic. I can't wait to sleep in and do nothing for most of the five days. Only 177 days until graduation!! :)

WORD COUNT: 443

Freewrite: November 22, 2010

Times in my life where I have felt joy:

• The days when my siblings were born
• When my cousin got married
• The day I found out my cousin was pregnant with her first daughter, Cylee
• The day I found out she was pregnant with her second daughter, Gabee
• The days each of them were born
• The day Gabee got to come home
• The days I got to see Gabee at the hospital and at home for the first time
• The day I made percussion in sixth grade
• The day I made drumline
• The day when I found out I would be the only girl in drumline for the 2010- 2011 season
• The day I was asked out by Cameron
• The day Cameron told me loved me
• The first time we kissed
• When our family got our dog, Polar, and our dog, Jesse 9 years later
• The day we got Jenna back
• Everytime I get to see Cylee interact with everyone
• Watching Cylee grow up
• Seeing Gabee grow bigger and stronger everyday
• Getting to work on Black Friday!
• Getting a job besides in Willard
• Getting accepted to MSU
• Getting a $5,000 scholarship to MSU
• Realizing I want to teach
• Cadet teaching at Willard North
• Realizing that teaching makes me really happy
• Figuring out that all I really want is the typical dream- college, marriage, house, kids, dog, etc. :)

WORD COUNT: 254

[Short] Freewrite: November 19, 2010

I only have a few minutes, but I just wanted to say that my cousin's baby, Gabee, who was born 7 or 8 weeks ago is now home! She came home a couple days ago. I haven't been over to see her yet, but she is almost 6 pounds! It's so exciting! I can't wait to go over and finally be able to hold her and take lots of pictures so that I can show everyone. I love you, Gabee Noelle, and you just have to keep getting stronger and bigger so you can come over on Sundays for our big family dinners. :)

WORD COUNT: 103

Freewrite: November 18, 2010

So, today isn't a true freewrite day, but I feel like writing about things I have been experiencing lately. Mostly the freedom I can see off in the distance. Okay... that sounds SUPER cheesy. But I really have been feeling that way at the most random times. I have been driving and just suddenly realized how close I am to starting my adult life on my own. Something I cannot wait to experience. Sometimes I'll just be sitting around and letting my mind wander and all the sudden I can just imagine being in college and living with a roommate and taking on all responsibilities for MY life. That sounds so weird and foreign to me. It's still hard for me to imagine being able to stay up all hours of the night or just not doing homework because I feel like it. It's hard to see that in less than a year, I will be going to COLLEGE football games and possibly performing in a COLLEGE marching band and going to COLLEGE classes whenever I happened to schedule them. If I don't want to wake up super early, I won't! I can wait until 9 AM to take my first class! If I don't want classes on Tuesdays, I don't have to schedule them then. Having the freedom to decide so many things in my life is going to be exhilirating. I know it will be scary and I will be stressed all the time, but I can't wait. I can have people over to my dorm just because- and I don't have to ask for permission. They can stay overnight and I don't have to worry. I can't wait to be able just to be who I want to be and not have people know me for who I am right now. Not that I'll be any different, but even though I'm not the most outgoing person, I can't wait to meet new people that may be my best friends for the rest of my life. I'm really excited for everything that college will bring- both the good and the bad. :)

WORD COUNT: 353

Freewrite: November 15, 2010

My cousin came here from LA this weekend! It was a surprise visit. Me and my brother got home from the band banquet around 9 PM and he was sitting in the living room. My parents had been acting kind of antsy and wanted us to be home ASAP so we nknew something was up. We were discussing what it could be in the car beforehand and we decided it was probably that he was coming to visit- we were right! He came for his birthday, which is today. He was here back in the spring, and my family misses him a lot, so he tries to come out a few times a year. On Saturday, we just hung out at my house, and then yesterday we all went to Incredible Pizza Company. It was so much fun! We played laser tag twice- I got second the first time and first the second time- it was a blast. We always have a lot of fun when he is here. While he was at our house yesterday, we started discussing future plans and college and things like that and he brought up his college experience. He went to school in Florida to study entertainment business- he works for a company that makes sounds for movies. Anyways, he was talking about their business and interning and he brought up the fact that I could come intern with them next summer before I went to college if I wanted to. I told him that I wasn't going into anything that his business would help me with, but he assured me it would be a lot of fun- and as I thought about it more, it would be! He lives in a busy city, something I have never experienced before. He meets movie stars all the time. I would get to run errands for Adam Sandler and people like that! Insane! I know it sounds kind of stupid, but at the same time, I think it would be one of the coolest things ever... I might just talk to my parents about going there for a month or so next summer! :)

WORD COUNT: 357

Freewrite: November 10, 2010

SLAM! The car door shuts, closing in the closest thing I'd ever had to a sister. I cannot remember a lot about that day, but I remember the feeling. As a foster family, my family had taken in many kids before, during, and after we had Jasmine. She had come to us when she was about two months old, meaning we had her for about a year and a half before she moved to live with her biological aunt in another state. We had many kids before that who had been there for at least that long and some even longer, so it should not have been a shock or super-emotional event when she left, but she was different. I had really bonded to her and really hoped she would be the one to stay with us. Several children had left our homes that had meant a lot to us, like Caleb (we had him for 3 years), Rebecca (we had her for 3 years also), and Bri (we had her for a couple years). When they left, it was emotional, but we more or less got over it. I guess I eventually got over Jasmine leaving, but it was the hardest departure that I had ever been a part of. However, the story gets better.

We got a call from Jasmine's biological aunt about a year later, something I didn't know about until a meeting a little while later. She had decided that Jasmine needed more extended family than she could give her, and wanted to know if we would like to take Jasmine back into our family so that she could be loved by more than just a few people. My parents considered this, and took into consideration our opinions also. They asked, "Would you like a little sister?" I said yes, thinking I would soon be getting a baby sister. I was wrong- we soon drove up to meet this family so that we could get Jasmine- aka Jenna- and bring her back home. We adopted her when she was four- she is now ten, almost eleven. She can be a little crazy at times, but I wouldn't trade her for anyone else.

WORD COUNT: 366

Freewrite: November 05, 2010

The Fall of Icarus
My thoughts on this painting... most of it is kind of ironic. It is a weird painting. Mrs. Troxell told us the story about Icarus and how he got too close to the sun with his wax wings and they melted, so I have some background to go off of, but it is still very odd and contradictory. In the story, he got so close to the sun that his wings melted, but in the painting, he is not actually that close. He is still pretty close to the front of the painting and away from the sun. It also seems like he isn't supposed to be the focus of this picture. His legs are sticking up out of the water, but he is really small compared to the two men towards the top of the hill. I'm not sure if it matters, but I would think that the focus of the picture should be on the main character- not some random people. I also am not sure why they aren't freaking out over what happened. One guy is busy plowing his field and another guy is just looking up at the sky (peacefully almost) and the last guy is kind of paying attention, but he seems to be pointing in a different direction. THE GUY JUST FELL OUT OF THE SKY! How is no one paying attention to him? He is drowning in the middle of the ocean after having his wings melt off and no one has any reaction to it! It just seems really ironic to me that no one would be watching what just happened even though that is what it is all about... right?

WORD COUNT: 283

I guess the way this painting relates to A Tale of Two Cities would be the fact that the main point isn't really too prevalent at the moment. The main point should be talking about the revolution that is brewing and being discussed, but instead the focus is on Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay getting engaged and getting married, which is a happy thing. The irony shows through to me more than anything. The book, in my opinion, should be talking more about what is getting read to happen, something that could be very tragic, but instead it is talking about a very happy and exciting event- the marriage of two good people. This is the same way with the painting- it shows perfectly normal events, but a guy just fell out of the sky!!

Freewrite: November 03, 2010

So, today, I'm going to talk about the English project I'm considering doing next semester. We have to do these big research paper project things, and I'm not very good at deciding topics/themes/purposes so I'm going to try to work on that. We are supposed to choose something that is important to us and that we want to write about and work on. Some things I'm really passionate about are teaching, kids, photography, and reading. Somehow, I'd like to put all of these together into one. I love taking pictures, so I was thinking about making a collage-type thing of my 4th grade class over at Willard North. I want to do an individual profile of each child with pictures of them doing their favorite things. I would also like to write about each child and their interests and views on things adults think are important. Something about how to solve big problems in the world (poverty, sickness, etc.) and maybe some goofy questions like their favorite things and about their friends and other things like that so that people can get to know them. Obviously I will have to have their parents' permission for this, and I'm fine with that. I am just not sure how to make this into a research paper. I would love to somehow just write about each of the kids, but at the same time, I don't think that is enough for a 10-page plus paper. I think it would also be cool to do something with teaching. I'm not sure what yet, but I really enjoy working with the kids, and I really enjoy seeing their faces light up. I would love to incorporate that in there as well. Maybe I could do something with teaching styles and learning methods? I think it would be interesting to research the different ways kids learn and how different teaching styles can affect that because I think learning about how your class learns is important so that you can teach as efficiently as possible. I think I could possibly incorporate that into my profiles somehow. This is a good start :)

WORD COUNT: 355

Freewrite: November 1, 2010

Friday and Saturday? They were epic. Oh man. You have no idea. This weekend was the last band weekend for me. Ever. It was insane. On Friday, I went over to Myranda's house to make cookies with her and Garrett like we have before every MU competition during high school. It was really fun and nostalgic, but at the same time, it was really depressing! We made cookies and laughed a lot and watched videos and played cards and laughed some more, but we all knew that the next day was the ending of something very important to all of us- it was the end of our high school band career. We would reminisce about things that had happened previously and then get all sad and then laugh about our exhaustion and then talk about the future and how our pre- Halloween cookie time probably wouldn't happen anymore. I'm gonna miss doing that with them.

Saturday was our last band competition. For the seniors, it was our last one forever. We didn't do too bad- we got second... by a lot, which confused most of us. Oh well. It was an epic performance. There was so much emotion put into it. I was almost crying throughout most of it, and then after we got off the field, I balled my eyes out. There were so many hugs being given and tears falling down faces. It was the best performance I had ever had, but at the same time, it was the saddest performance. Band had been my life for the past four years. It is my family. It has given me so many memories and friends that I would not have had, had I not been in it. It has frustrated me, lifted me up, made me angry, and helped make me into a better person. My band family has helped me become who I am. If not for them, I'm not sure who I would be. I just want to thank everyone who was involved in band during these past four years and anyone who helped with band also. You are amazing and you made this experience wonderful for me :)

WORD COUNT: 362