Freewrite: December 06, 2010

So, this weekend was cookie traying, as I wrote about last week. It went great. My biceps are a tad bit sore, but it was a lot of fun, and I have already seen the looks of appreciation on the faces of my teachers! I brought 5 in for teachers today, and I know it sounds like I'm sucking up, but it isn't like that for me. I honestly appreciate all the work they do and I really enjoy their classes, so they get cookies! :) It makes them happy, so I like to do it every year. I will also be bringing in 9 tomorrow for a bunch of friends of mine. Drumline's cookies will be here on Wednesday probably! They will attack me just like every year so far. It's a great memory of mine. So, now to go away from that topic. I have been thinking a lot about my impact on people and my legacy that will remain here at WHS when I go off to college next fall. I know that sounds kind of stuck-up, but I'm not really worried about trying to do something wonderful so that people will remember me. I've just been thinking about what people will remember when I leave. Will they think of me and miss me? Will they wonder what I'm doing? Will some freshman be impacted because I smiled at them in the hallway? I guess it just intrigues me to think about the impact that we have on people because of things we do everyday. By doing volunteer work with BBBS, I'm helping impact the life of a young girl. I don't know how big of an impact, but I do hope I can help her make better choices and strive to be a role model for someone younger than her. I don't think people realize just how much you can affect someone with the smallest of actions, and I think that we need to realize it.

WORD COUNT: 330

Freewrite: December 03, 2010

So, this weekend is the weekend of all weekends at my house. This is the weekend when all of our Christmas cookies are put onto trays so they can be given out to everyone! This is a tradition that has been happening as long as I can remember. My Mom and her best friend, Anne, get together and make thousands of cookies. Literally. There are probably 50 types of cookies and candies that we put on the trays! It's amazing. They spend so much time doing this every year and then this weekend all of it is brought to my house where I get to walk around in a circle for four hours or so. Once everything is set up and all the trays are done, it truly feels like the holidays for me. It just feels like Christmas is finally almost here. It's great. I've been thinking a lot about traditions recently and mostly holiday traditions at that. Every year, my family used to go to Exotic Animal Paradise to see the lights and animals on Christmas Eve. However, we haven't done that in quite a few years, and it makes me sad. It makes me kind of relate that to my childhood and one of the things that was a childhood tradition. I mean, I'm still in my childhood (kind of), but at the same time, it is something I won't remember doing as a teen, so it's only from when I was little. When I wake up on Christmas morning, the routine is always the same. I get up, go look at the presents, and try to find the footprints that "Santa" left from the soot in our fireplace that night. Last year, much to my disappointment, I watched my Dad put down the footprints of flour in our basement. It was really depressing. I've known Santa isn't real for quite a while, but just watching something happen that had amazed me for so many years was really sad. It kind of ruined that experience for me. Growing up sucks sometimes.

WORD COUNT: 344

Freewrite: December 01, 2010

Our question was about the human nature that Dickens describes and how it compares to modern human nature. I think that human nature both now and in the Tale of Two Cities are pretty close to the same. In TTC, the people seek revenge against those who rule over them and the country because of their horrible living conditions. I think that even now people would react like that. I think people can try to act like they don't care about something or like it doesn't affect them for a while, but when the trouble comes too close to home, that's when people get defensive. I think people will kind of put themselves out there for a cause, but will only fully commit themselves to it when it will save someone they love or care deeply about. Dickens' idea of human nature, or at least the portrayal of that, seems kind of evil and dark with a nice cover over the top. I think in his mind, some people can act nicely, but most are not and will do anything to get revenge. I'm not sure that the world is exactly like that today, but I think that people will revolt once something gets too close. A good example for me is politics and government. I think that people will take a lot of things from the government, but once something hits too close to home and affects something they don't want it to, they will revolt or fight back.

WORD COUNT: 250

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