Here's an awesome giveaway. Check it out!

www.handbagplanet.com

 

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  NOTE: I'm planning on adding more to this but decided to go ahead an post what I've written so far.

She Called Me Kiki:

Life Lessons From a Child

 

Introduction

 

            This past week while helping with the Kids Day Camp at my church, there were two little girls who sort of adopted me, and I therefore adopted responsibility for them. They’re very sweet girls, and I loved every minute spent with them, even when I had to get on to them. I love working with kids and teaching them God’s Word, showing them His love. But, they teach me a lot as well. I’ve written some funny things that these girls, Sissy and Boo, said this past week, along with things other kids have said or other experiences I’ve had. A lot of it is very funny, some is sweet and heart-warming, but almost all of it has a deeper meaning to me, or taught me something. One day one of the girls decided she’d call me Kiki, hence the title.

 

Understanding

 

            Five-year-old Boo was insistent that she could “do it herself” when she was told, along with all the other kids, to write down a question about God or the Bible on her slip of paper. Finally she handed me her paper, proudly saying she was done. I took the paper and looked at it. There were a few large letters on the paper, but they didn’t spell anything.

            “What does it say, Boo?” I asked. “What is your question?”

            Looking at me like I was out of my mind, she replied, “I don’t know, I can’t read!”

            Trying to hold back my laughter I assured her it was fine. How funny for a kid to write something down and then say they can’t read what they themselves had written. Yet, there must have been a reason she chose those specific letters.

            Sometimes I, too, do things I don’t understand. Have you ever had those times that you do something and then think “That was stupid, why did I do that,” or wonder what on earth possessed you to it? Maybe it was crazy, mean, or just plain weird.

            There are also times that I know God is working in my life, but I just don’t understand what He’s doing. For example, at youth camp last month, I had a piece of dust get under my contact and scratch my eye, and though it wasn’t seriously injured, it hurt pretty badly at times and I wore a patch over it for most of the week. It kept me from being able to participate at the ropes course or the rec games. There was a service that I was unable to enjoy much because I was in pain. I was very tempted to be mad about it, to declare it was ruining my week and wasn’t fair. The day after we got back, my eye felt a lot better and I was able to put my contact back in and it was fine. I knew, and I know, that there was a reason. I still don’t know and may never know what that reason is, but God does. Perhaps I would have injured myself more seriously had I participated in ropes course or rec, who knows. There are so many times we don’t understand why God does certain things or allows certain things to happen. He doesn’t ask us to understand. He just asks us to submit.

 

Trust

 

            Have you ever realized how trusting kids are? They pretty much believe anything you say, and do anything you ask them to. This can be a bad thing, under the wrong influences, but it’s also a crucial time of teaching and growing for them.

            Once this past week my sister had been holding a two-year-old during the lesson and she was getting fidgety. I simply motioned for her to come to me so I could take her to the nursery to play until the lesson was over, and she looked at me with her big eyes and without hesitation or protest, she walked right over and took my hand, allowing me to lead her wherever I would.

            What if we trusted God that much? What if, when He beckoned for us to come to Him, we simply walked right over, put our hand in His, and allowed Him to lead us wherever He wanted?

            We took the kids to a water park one day. Boo isn’t too great of a swimmer, so I was helping her in the kiddy pool. She would run up the ladder and get to the top of the slide. “Catch me, Kiki!” she’d call before sliding down, simply trusting that I would be there to catch her. Then she would say “Help me swim” and I would hold her up so she could “peddle” her arms and legs and “swim”. She trusted that I wouldn’t let her go. She had no reason to doubt because I’d never let her fall before.

            Why don’t we usually trust God that completely? Do we trust Him enough to dive in, not even stopping to doubt whether or not He will be there to catch us and hold us? He will. He’s just waiting for us to jump. We know He will catch us... why do we hesitate? He has never let us down and He never will. If Boo had hesitated to let me catch her or hold her, if she had tried to do it on her own, she would have suffered much more. The same is with us. If we try to go through life on our own, if we don’t ask God to help us and trust that He will, we’ll suffer a lot more.

"I’ll never leave you”

 

            A very simple statement made by Boo at the water park really touched my heart. She had wanted to go on the big waterslide, but once we got up there she changed her mind. She started with the smallest, slowest one and loved it, so she decided to try the next one, which was a little bit faster. Grinning from ear to ear as she got off of that one, she decided she’d try the big slide this time.

            “Can you go with me?” she asked.

            “No, sweetie, I can’t go with you, but I’ll go first and wait for you at the bottom, okay?” I replied.

            “Okay... I won’t be alone. Jesus will be with me.” she stated plainly. 

            Woah. Coming from a five-year-old in the middle of an activity, I was just amazed. It wasn’t Bible story time. I hadn’t asked any questions or said anything to get her to say it. She just said it.

            “That’s right, Boo. You’re so smart, and I’m very glad you know that,” I said.

            “Sissy told me.” she beamed.

            “Well, Sissy’s right,” I smiled.

            I’d been trying all week to bring what we’d learned in the lesson into everyday life application.

            “What’s our attitude supposed to be like?” I’d ask, when they pouted or fussed, and they’d always answer soberly,

            “Christ Jesus’”.

            When Sissy and Boo would argue, I’d tell them Jesus wouldn’t like that.

            In turn, when Boo took her seatbelt off too early and I got on to her, telling her she shouldn’t have taken it off yet, and Boo said seriously “I didn’t know. I’m dumb,” breaking my heart, and Sissy defended her saying,

            “No you’re not! You know things I don’t know,” and went on to remind her little sister of things that she had told her that she didn’t remember or didn’t know, I was so happy and said,

            “See, Sissy, now you’re being nice to Boo. I like that, and so does Jesus.”

            I wanted her to see that I didn’t just use that when she was in trouble, but that I would use it when she did something good, as well. I wanted to remind her that Jesus sees everything we do, the good and the bad.

            He does see and know everything we do. He is always with us.

 

Love

 

            “You’re my bestest friend ever,” seven-year-old Sissy said, looking up into my face and squeezing my arm. “And we’ll always be best friends! Even when we’re old ladies! Even when I’m your age! You’re my BFF. That means ‘best friend forever’. I love you!”

            I smiled and put my arm around her.

            “I love you too, Sissy,” I said, unable to express with words what I felt in my heart.

            The next day, at the water park, Boo said she wanted me to slide first, because “if she went first, she would drown, but if I went first, I wouldn’t drown”.

            “I don’t want you to drown,” she said, running ahead of me. “Because you’re special. You’re the specialest person I ever met!” she declared, slipping her chubby little hand into my hand and walking up the stairs with me.

            All week they wanted to hold my hand, hug me, put my arm around them, play with my hair, sit by me, take a piggy-back ride, etc.

            That kind of love, that unashamed, open, adoring affection that children give us is so sweet. It just leaves me in awe of the tenderness of these children. They’ve only known me four days. All it took was a little kindness to earn their love and trust.

            And yet, as sweet and dear as that is, God’s love is so much more. That is just a tiny glimpse of His love for us. He loved us enough to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

Obedience and Respect

 

            “Faster!” Boo yelled from above. Immediately my hand turned the wheel more rapidly.

            “Stop!” the little blonde demanded, and I came to a sudden halt.

            “Now, go!” and I was off again, spinning and spinning the plastic wheel on the play mechanisms at the park. Soon a little freckled face peeked out at me, now under the equipment.

            “Stay right there!” she commanded.

            This went on and on until she finally tired of it and moved on to something else. This time it was those metal boxes that stick out of the ground on a pole that you’re supposed to be able to talk and listen through... it’s never worked for me.

            “Sit right here,” she said. “And don’t move!”

            I sat obediently on the dirty plastic bench and waited as she ran to the other box and proceeded to scream into it, then she would run back.

            “I said, ‘talk to me!’,” she said accusingly.

            “Oh, okay,” I quickly obliged and yelled into the box. Soon I would hear her little footsteps come padding back.

            “I heard you!” she’d yell excitedly.

            A friend came over and was watching us.

            “Why do you do everything she says?” he asked.

            I shrugged. “Why not? She’s enjoying it, and I’ve nothing better to do,” I replied.

            At one point Boo got a little too excited, and turned to me and yelled for me to go to the other box. Deciding she needed to settle down a little and not talk to me like that, I gently but firmly said,

            “Hey Boo, look at me. Don’t yell at me, okay?”

            Immediately her countenance changed. She dropped her voice and calmly replied, “Okay. Will you go over there, please?”

            Wow. Not what I expected. I was pleasantly surprised and amazed. Immediate obedience. Why? She respected me, and wanted to please me. And because she obeyed the first time, I didn’t have to get on to her.

            Do we respect and love God enough to want to obey Him and please Him? He deserves it much more than I do! If we would obey God the first time, out of obedience, not obligation, He will be pleased and we will find that it pays off, that we even like, to obey Him.

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Hey everyone (if anyone still comes here),

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything on here. I've been really busy. Here's a poem I wrote the other day:

 I search for You,
I long for You,
You are everything I need.

Your will for me,
I want to see,
I pray there You will lead.

To die to self,
live not for wealth,
Submit fully to You.

To humbly live,
and freely give,
with Your light shining through.

To witness more,
myself outpour,
live daily by Your Word.

This is my plea,
please do hear me,
this is what I'm striving for.

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    Doris the cat purred happily and curled up in the sunny window. She shivered a little when she thought about how long she'd lived in the streets as a skinny, stray cat. But that was then. Now she knew she would never again choose to wander about chasing mice like she used to. It would be fancy cat food for her from now on, served in a fancy glass dish. As old Mrs. Winn patted her soft coat, Doris stretched and hoped that life would always be this good!

I color-coded my endings, too. :)

     Suddenly the big, ugly creature disappeared. Relief flooded over me as I found myself in my own bed. It'd all been just a dream. The memory of the creature's big, dark, gaping mouth opening up to swallow me and the dreadful, terrifying feeling that I was about to be eaten led me to the decision that maybe I wasn't quite ready to sleep without my night light.

     I crept into my little sister's bedroom and tip-toed to her bed. As I watched her sleeping, so peaceful, I could still see the water rushing over her head, still feel the cold shock as I jumped in after her. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. I was so relieved that she was all right.
     "I hope that taught you not to play by the lake, sis," I whispered. As I turned to go, I resolved I would watch her more closely from now on.

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Princess Diaries

Nutshell Summary: Mia finds out she is a princess and has to decide whether or not she will take on the job.
Hook: We meet Mia and sympathize because she is shy, unpopular, and generally ignore and disliked.
Problem: Mia finds out that her grandmother, whom she thinks forced her parents to divorce, is in town
and wants to see her.
Up: Her grandmother receives her kindly.
Down: Mia discovers she is a princess and leaves. Then her best friend gets mad.
Up: She explains to her best friend why she is acting differently and her best friend is excited for her.
Down: Mia goes to a party with the popular guy and he fools her into thinking he likes her when he really wants to mistreat her and become famous by being with her.
Up: Her mother and grandmother forgive her.
Down: Mia's friend Micheal is upset with her.
CLIMAX: Mia decides to run away, then finds a letter from her deceased father. She changes her mind and sets out for the ball, where she is supposed to give her decision. She gets stranded in the rain.
Resolution: Micheal forgives her. She gets rescued and goes to the ball and gives her speech saying that she will be princess.
Satisfying Ending: She heads to Ginovia to see the kingdom.

 

Marisa

Nutshell Summary: A girl is forced to leave her home in Mexico and travel with her family to America, where they rebuild their lives and learn to rely on Jesus for everything.
Hook: We meet Marisa and learn about her happy, peaceful life with her family in the beautiful Mexico countryside.
Problem: Marisa finds out that the ranch where her father and uncle work isn't doing well and that they have to move to America.
Up: They arrive safely and find the person who is to show them their new home.
Down: The place is a dump.
Up: They get it cleaned up, the kids start school.
Down: Some of the family gets sick, the government finds out that they are illegal.
Up: Marisa's aunt has a healthy baby.
Down: Marisa meets some other teens who make fun of her.
CLIMAX: Marisa feels that all is wrong and there is no hope.
Resolution: Marisa turns back to Jesus.
Satisfying Ending: The family is all well and happy.

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     "Come on," Mark called to the group still standing on the shore. "Get in, let's go!"
     Josh looked hesitantly at his friends. Travis jumped on into the raft and reached out to help Rachel in.
     "I don't know about this," Rachel said, wrinkling her forehead. "Are ya'll sure this is safe?"
     "Of course it is," Mark said, annoyed. "Hurry up Josh, we haven't got all day."
     Josh shared Rachel's doubts, but he didn't want the guys to know that. In spite of the feeling that he shouldn't be doing this, he climbed in the raft and they took off down the river.
     After a few minutes of floating leisurely everyone calmed down and began to relax. Josh leaned back and looked around him at the beautiful blue sky, the emerald trees, and the grass so green and so high that it would reach his knees. A startled rabbit disappeared into some nearby bushes. Josh closed his eyes, enjoying the warm sunshine. He reached his hand up to his face to wipe of some drops of water that had splashed up. Noticing that it was becoming a rougher ride, he opened his eyes and sat up. The river was, indeed, speeding up and getting rougher. Josh wasn't the only one who noticed.
     "Travis?" Rachel squeaked, obviously nervous. "Mark? Guys, do ya'll know what you're doing?"
     "Sure we do," Mark answered confidently. "Don't worry."
     As they went on the river continually got quicker, but Mark kept assuring them that everything was fine. Pretty soon Josh was fed up with Mark's over-confidence and was afraid that it was going to get them all in trouble.
     "Mark, have you ever been on this river before?" Josh asked.
     "What's that? I can't hear you!" Mark yelled.
     Josh repeated himself, louder this time in order to be heard over the rushing water.
     "Sure I have. What do you think I am, an idiot?"
     "Have you ever been this far?" Josh demanded.
     "Well...." Mark stalled.
     Before they knew it, there was an enormous sound of rushing water. Josh looked ahead and saw the water drop down in front of them. All at once, he heard Rachel scream, Mark slap her, and Travis yell something about the raft filling up with water, then everything went quiet as he was thrown into the water.
     Josh fought his way up to the top and gasped for air. Looking around for the others, he saw Travis pop up a little ways off.
     "Travis!" Josh screamed. "Are you all right? Where is everyone else?"
     Travis, out of breath and still coughing up water, nodded to the former question and shrugged in reply to the latter. Exasperated and panicking, Josh looked frantically around. After what seemed like an eternity, he saw Mark climb onto the shore further away. Anger for getting them into this mess and relief at seeing him collided and Josh swam over to him. Mark reached over and helped Josh to shore.
     "Are you okay?" Mark asked.
     Before he could answer the question, Josh remembered.
     "Where's Rachel?" He screamed.
     Mark looked like he would be sick. "I.. I don't.. she..." he stammered.
     Josh jumped up and grabbed Mark by the collar. Shaking him, he yelled in his face. "This is all your fault, Mark! I knew we shouldn't have come here! Look what you've gotten us into! We're wet, and stranded, and lucky we're not in worse shape. And Rachel! Rachel is..."
     Josh stopped for breath and heard footsteps behind him.
     "Hey, guys, look!"
     Josh dropped Mark and turned around to see a very wet but otherwise unharmed Rachel standing there, smiling and pointing to the deflating raft.

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Well, I actually couldn't find the perfect picture. But this is close to what my dream place to do school would look like. I can just imagine it...

Leaning back against the moss-covered rock, I would breathe deeply of the forest air, soaking in the sunshine that shines through the tree branches overhead. To my right a bird sings its own composition, sweet and cheery. I hear some rustling to my left and think it must be a rabbit or turtle. Refocusing my attention to my schoolwork, I long to be finished and go exploring through the forest.

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           If I could go anywhere for spring break, I would go up to Michigan to visit one of my best friends, Toria. Toria and I started writing letters about a year ago, and we clicked right away. Now we write letters, talk on the phone, email, blog, you name it. She is definitely one of my very best friends. I can tell her anything, and she is always there to listen, sympathize, give advice, and tease me. :) I would go up there to hang out with her and that brother of hers, meet her friends, go to her grandparents' house to play in the woods and see her ducks, and celebrate some of the Biblical feasts with them. After that (this is going to have to be a long spring break!) I would bring her back down here with me to hang out, see my animals, and meet my family and friends. It would be so much fun!

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                    "Batter-up! We haven't got all day!" Tom shouted.
                    "Stop yelling," Katie said. She grabbed the bat and scowled at her brother. He scowled back.
                    "No girls," Sean piped up from the pitcher's mound.
                    "What do you care? She's not on your team." Tom snapped. Sean glared at Katie, then shrugged.
                    "Suit yourself. But I"m not going easy on her just 'cause she's a girl."
                    "Who's asking you to?" Katie said. "Play ball!"

The only thing I had trouble with is when it said "Sean glared at Katie, etc." because I wasn't sure if I should indent and make a new paragraph, because he hadn't started speaking yet.

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My nuttshell summaries:

The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
A little girl who is haunted by her past goes on a quest to find the one who can take away her sins.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
A boy and girl are accidentally sent to a different world where they meet Aslan and witness the beginning of Narnia.

Marisa by me!
A girl is forced to leave her home in Mexico and travel with her family to America, where they rebuild their lives and learn to rely on Jesus for everything.

NOTE: Mrs. Marlow, I thought that since I already posted the rough draft of the first part of my story, I'd already done lesson 10.

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            Tears of agony stream down His face and drops of blood emerge from his skin as He kneels in the garden. “Father,” He prays, “if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will but Yours, be done.”

            Dread of what He knows must and will happen fills Him as He is betrayed by one of His own and dragged away by Roman soldiers and is tried and condemned to be crucified.

            He screams in pain as the sharp, biting objects dig into his skin and are ripped out again, tearing His flesh and causing blood to pour down His back.

            He winces as they shove a crown of thorns on His head and mock Him, laughing, slapping, spitting in His face.

            He stumbles from weakness as He carries the heavy cross down the long road, the soldiers beating and urging Him, the crowd staring and gaping at Him.

            Intense pain surges through Him as nails are driven into His hands and feet.

            He gasps for breath as He hangs on the crude cross.

            Shame comes over Him as He is displayed naked for everyone to see and He takes the sin, the evil, the darkness of the world upon Himself.

            Loneliness and emptiness fill Him as His Father turns His back on Him, unable to look upon such sin and filthiness.

            Forgiveness was granted as He looked upon the corrupted crowd, as He thought of me, of you, of every nasty sin that we would commit and said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

 

            That is a true story. This Man came to earth, lived among us, healed us, did miracles, fed us, taught us... and then we killed Him. And He took death. He could have stopped it. He didn’t have to do it. But He wanted to. He wanted to die for you. He did die for you. To take your punishment, your blame. To pay the price for your sins. He felt the agony, the fear, the loneliness, the emptiness, the shame... In our Easter Program, I play the part of a teenage girl who is caught cutting, and when asked why I do it, I say “You don’t understand! You can’t imagine how I feel! Nobody does. No one understands me. Nobody cares. I hate myself!” I think there are a lot of people who feel that way. Perhaps you’ve found yourself saying something similar to that. I have... “no one understands...” That’s not true, though. This Man, Jesus, understands. He took your pain. He died for you. But that’s not the end of the story. He was buried, and after three days, He rose from the dead! He is now alive in Heaven.

 

            He died for you. Will you live for Him?

           

            Imagine this: Someone grabs your arm. “There you are!” he screams. You look up and into the cold, cruel eyes of a soldier. “You’re coming with me!” he growls as he jerks you up and drags you away.

            What did I do? you wonder.

            You are taken to court.

            “Do you know why you are here?” You are asked.

            “N-no, I.. I don’t,” You mumble.

            “Do you remember the time your parents told you to clean your room, and you played instead?”

            “What?! That was when I was like, three years old!” You say in disbelief and shock.

            “How about the time you promised your friend you would keep their secret, and then went and told that other friend?”

            “My other friend promised, too.”

            “Or the time that you were rude to your little sister, for no reason?”

            “No reason? Yeah, right, she was being such a brat...”

            “Listen, we have a whole list here. Would you just like to see it?”

            After hesitating a moment, you slowly take the list in your hands and look over it. Your eyes widen as you scan a long list of wrong things you have done, starting from when you were very little, up to today. You can’t believe they could possibly know all those things even you had forgotten about. And did they really consider all those things wrong? You know they weren’t really right, but everyone does them! They weren’t that bad.

            “You are condemned to... death!” Your thoughts are interrupted. The judge’s words ring in your ears. You can’t believe what you are hearing. You knew you had done wrong things, but hadn’t everyone? Were they going to kill everyone? Images started to fill your mind of horrible deaths, pain, shame....

            You are interrupted from your thoughts once again by a deep voice saying, “No. Let me die.”

            Shock becoming almost a familiar feeling, you look up and see a man step forward. You’ve never seen him before, you don’t know him.

            “You would die for this girl?” the judge asks.

            “Yes, I will die for her.”

            You watch as he is put to death for you. And then you... forget about him? Stay angry at him? Resent him? Ignore him? I don’t think so! Wouldn’t you honor him in your heart, and tell others what he did for you? You would accept him and be thankful for what he did.

            Jesus did that, and more. Yet so many people ignore Him or resent Him.

 

He died for you. Will you live for Him?

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My boring beginnings answers:
2
1
5
3
9
6
7
4
8

My lifeboat beginnings:
(dialogue) Callie trotted along behind her friend Austen though the warm sand. "I see it!" Austen called to her. "It's over here!" They breathlessly arrived at their destination and stared at the old, wooden lifeboat. "Where do you think it came from?" Callie asked. After a moment, Austen looked at her with an eerie expression on his face. "I think I know," he whispered.

(a question) Where could it have come from? Callie wondered as she stood beside her friend Austen, gaping at an old, wooden lifeboat they had just found washed ashore. What could this mean? Could this be the answer, or at least a clue, to the strange things that had been happening?

 

Mrs. Marlow, you've already read the rough draft of the beginning of my story, so I'll use the beginning of a different story for this.
My story beginning:
The girl, Jessica, burst into tears and collapsed on her bed. That was the last straw. She just couldn’t take it. Why did everything have to go wrong in her life? She thought back over her day. Her older brother, Nick, had been such a jerk when he drove her to school today. She could still hear their conversation in her mind.

Hmm.... not too sure if that is interesting and "catching" enough, please let me know. :)

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CHARACTER: Francisca Gonzalez

SETTING: Sitting on a hilltop on a starry night

Francisca rubbed her eyes and leaned back. It had been a busy, stressful day, but the peaceful night sky was creeping into her and relaxing her. She opened her eyes and sighed happily as she took in her surroundings. The soft summer grass, still warm from the afternoon's sun, beneath her, the pitch-black sky with hundreds of twinkling stars, the sound of crickets singing and an owl in the distance -- it was so perfect. The only thing bothering her was the question still in the back of her mind, the thoughts going around and around in her head. Francisca lay on her back and breathed deeply of the clean night air and the scent of fresh mown grass.

 

CHARACTER: Jessica

SETTING: In a tree house during a rainstorm

Jessica sat in her tree house with her legs dangling over the edge, watching the dark, threatening clouds. Her mind was far away, though. She thought of all that had gone wrong that day. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by big, fat, cold raindrops splashing onto her face. She scowled at the sky and swung her legs faster and harder in frustration. Suddenly, whack! her right heel slammed into the rough wood on the bottom of the tree house. A sharp pain shot up her ankle. Jessica's eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip. Trembling, she drew her feet up beside her and looked at her foot. Blood already covered her foot and ankle, and the rain poured down harder and steadier, smearing and spreading the blood. Slowly she tried to stand and winced with pain. She quickly found that she couldn't put any weight on it. She plopped back down and fresh tears filled her eyes and she accepted defeat. Who knew how long it would take for someone to get home and find her out there. She lay back and cried, the raindrops mixing with her tears, and drifted off to sleep despite the throbbing pain in her foot and the cold rain which was soaking her clothes.

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Things I want to learn this year:

1. More Spanish
2. How to write better
3. More about God and His will for my life
4. To trust God more
5. To draw and paint better
6. More self-control
7. More computer HTML
8. How to bake/cook more things
9. To knit better
10. That Prince Caspian is a good movie :)

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Before: It rained all week during our camping trip.
After: The campsite was quickly turned to mud by the torrential downpours that continued throughout the whole week of our camping trip.

Before: Katie saw a scary sea creature at the aquarium.
After: Katie jumped back in terror and screamed when she saw the dark gray, slimy creature staring at her with bulgy eyes and opening its mouth to reveal rows of teeth as long as her fingers.

Before: As I entered the cave, I found the object of my seach- the lost treasure chest of the Ancients.
After: I slowly proceeded into the dark, dank cave. An overwhelming smell of dirt and stale water surrounded me. The only sounds were a farway, steady drip, drip, and bats fluttering on the ceiling. I shuddered and took another step forward. Suddenly I felt something slippery beneath my foot, and before I knew it I was flat on my back on the dirty, damp, hard floor of the cave. I reached a hand up to the back of my head, which had slammed into the rough wall when I fell, and felt a warm, sticky substance which I knew must be blood. As I blinked back tears from the pain which was throbbing through my head, I returned my hand to the ground and pushed myself into a sitting position. It was then that I felt a cold, round object under my hand. I pried it out of the dirt and grime and held it up. If only my lantern hadn't gone out earlier! Now all I could see with was a faint glimmer of light issuing from the entrance of the cave. Though I couldn't see the object very well, I grew excited. Instantly I was on my hands and knees, searching and feeling all around. Feeling the wall that I had hit my head on, something sharp jabbed into my hand and I realized it was a splinter. The "wall" wasn't a stone wall of the cave after all! I stifled a scream of pure joy. I had finally found the ancient treasure chest I had been looking for so long! I could tell by the feel of the damp wood that it had been here a long time. I quickly found the keyhole and inserted the long, awkward key I had found earlier on my adventure. Turning the key, the lock clicked and I slowly opened the lid, which let out a loud creak. I couldn't believe my eyes as I stared at the endless piles of treasure.

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Here is my really cool, very awesome, fabulous ship:

I know, the drawing isn't all that great, and it's hard to tell but this ship has some great things! So I just have to describe it. ;) It features a vine with flowers growing around and up its mast, a fairy at the masthead, a flag reading "EMY", and, last but not least, wings, to make it a truly fabulous, water or air ship!

Here are my 5 "dead" words: cool, kind, fun, funny, fine
Will those work? I found this hard to think of after all the ones that were already listed!

Here is the tour of my bedroom:
When you walk into my bedroom, the first thing you'll notice is all the bright pink! You'll blink in surprise at the pink walls and darker pink carpet. Once you get over the first shock, you'll look around and notice that the walls and carpet aren't the only brightly colored objects in the room. The bedspreads on both beds of the white bunkbed are covered in squares and flowers of pink, green, blue, orange, and yellow, with matching dustruffles and window topper. A dresser and nightstand painted white with lime green drawer fronts, whit knob handles, and flower stickers stand in contrast against the pink walls. A little old wooden desk sits in one corner with a matching chair and is cluttered with papers, photo frames, and candles. Beside the desk is a hope chest covered with a horse quilt and horse pillows and stuffed animals. Next to the dresser is a tall chevalle mirror made of dark cherry wood. You'll sweep one last glance around the room, taking in the strands of bead hanging in the tall window, the tiny rocking chair in the corner, and the small corner behind the angled bed where I keep a blue beanbag chair (ripping at the seams and temporarily mended with packing tape), a fuzzy white lamp, and my Bible, to have quiet time in each morning and evening. Well, that's about all there is to see in here. Thank you!

 

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Dear Diary,

I am so seasick today I can hardly write this. It seems I will never get used to the tossing and rocking of this ship, especially during a storm such as there was last night. I don’t think I got a wink of sleep all night, I was either up sick or clutching the sides of my bed to keep from sliding off. I have not been able to eat anything all morning, and many of my fellow travelers are in the same condition, though I don’t think neither Captain nor Cook mind that much. Rumor is going around that Captain is rather confused about our location and that he says he expected to be much further by now. Food portions have been reduced (though I don’t mind that now) and general morale is about as gloomy as the weather was last night. I think I will now try to get up and see if I can walk about the deck a bit for some fresh air.

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     Marisa rushed to her room. Her head was spinning and suddenly an overwhelming fear and confusion came over her. She collapsed on her bed and tears sprung to her eyes. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

     Jessica slumped down in the seat and rolled her eyes. She clenched her fists and felt hot tears threaten to spill down her face. Blinking away her tears, she set her jaw, pushed open the car door and trudged after her brother.

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What are the pros and cons of being homeschooled?  What do you like best? Why? What do you like least?   Why?

     I love homeschooling! I have been homeschooled all my life (I am now in the 10th grade) and I think it is great. 
     Some of my favorite things about homeschooling are that I get to sleep in, and I can be at home with my family and animals all day. I get to choose a lot of things, and can set my own pace. If I'm having trouble in a certain area, I can slow down and take more time on it until I get it. On the other hand, if something is really easy for me, I can skip lessons or do double lessons to get ahead if I want. I get to choose when I do each subject each day, and, to some extent, which subjects I do! I love reading and writing, so I do more of that. I have a literature program, a Total Language Plus program (which combines literature and writing) and I have now found this Homeschool Kids Write program and Mrs. Marlow's Reach for the Stars Writing Workshop and really enjoy both. I am also interested in learning Spanish, and have found a lot of websites and CDroms to help me with that. I get to be home with my mom and three sisters, and I like that... most of the time! I have a nice little desk in my bedroom where I do my schoolwork each day, and I like that too. I'm glad I don't have to go to public school and deal with all the kids there.
     There are a few bad things about homeschooling, such as not spending as much time with friends as public schoolers do. Also, spending a lot of time with your siblings can sometimes cause more arguments. But most of the time homeschooling is fun, and I love it.

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