Sad Story...

Eleven years ago, Brenda Heist dropped off her young kids at school -- and never returned. Not to pick them up later, and not to their Pennsylvania home. The family thought she was dead. That something terrible had happened to her. What else could explain the sudden disappearance of a woman her daughter, then 8, later described as a "great" mom? But then last week, after more than a decade, Heist turned up in Florida, revealing to police that she hadn't been kidnapped or killed. She had, she said, been stressed, says CNN.

It makes you wonder how bad can things get for you to leave your family, your children? I think this woman was a coward, her life got a little tough and she just ditched. It makes you wonder how many kids out their have and parents who have left them, I know that there are many but why? If you aren't ready to have a family than don't have one. Whats the point of having a family if you aren't going to be there to enjoy them.

I read this story and I just could not believe it so I had to share. Its sad some of the things people do these days and if I were her daughter, I don't think I could forgive her. If you would like to check out the full story click here.(138)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Where does it come from...

A new thought bloggers...

Why are there so many “new” diseases today? Or, are they not new, but just unspoken ones? For instance, migraines. It seems that in today's times, everyone and their brother has migraines! My brother gets migraines! What causes them? How do you get rid of them? Why did you never hear of migraines 15 years ago?

Maybe it's all the waves that are circulating around in the air. Cell phones, computers, radios...everything needs radio waves or what ever it is that makes them work. Is this what causes so many headaches? Children with ear infections is another item that peaks our curiosity. Years ago, when a woman found out she was pregnant, she waited 9 months and a baby was born. There was no ultrasound like there is today. Ultrasounds are sound waves. Do we have all these ear problems due to every newly pregnant mother requiring an ultra sound?

Some doctors and scientists think that the ultra sounds that are given to expecting moms could be the cause of many of the ear issues that we have today such as ear infections and ear tubes. Seem logical. Some also think that many of the vaccines that are given to children at very young ages could be the cause of the autism that some children have.

It seems that life was much easier back in the day when maybe we just didn't know. When things were just easier. Either you were sick or you were healthy. People died of unknown reasons, but when they died, they didn't know they were going to. They didn't spend their final days trying to figure out what to do and how to prolong their life. When a headache was just a headache, not a migraine. And when that headache didn't keep you from going to school or work because things had to get done. A time when if you stayed in bed all day, there was REALLY a legitimate reason, like you were on your death bed. It's debatable as to which would be easier to deal with.

Medicines were much different at well, and guess what...most of them were free. Leaves, barks, teas, mud, honey...all different kinds of medicines that took care of the illnesses of that day. Are they the same illnesses of today? And if so, why don't those remedies still work. Or do they but the pharmaceuticals companies create and advertise the medicines of this era so much so that people believe in them and forget about the past.

Who knows what the right answer is. It seems though that things continually get more and more confusing. People continue to push the envelope, creating new things daily. It's like the I phone. Just when you think you have the latest and greatest, someone creates a newer version. Sometimes it's scary to think of what the world will be like in another 50 years. Maybe everything we know today will be totally different. Maybe there won't be medicines any longer. Maybe if people get ill, they'll be shipped off to a different location where all sick people are kept. Maybe hospitals will be a thing of the past. Or maybe, since things from the past tend to resurface, we'll go back to the days of the past. It'll be interesting to see but we probably won't be around to experience it.(566)

-Ardeeemilla

Wooden-headedness

 Wooden-headedness

Today, there are many obvious examples of wooden-headedness.  Look at the divorce rate.  Divorce is an outcome in many cases of wooden-headedness.  Government is a huge example, but I would think that being in office, one would have to have a bit of wooden-headedness in them in order to survive.  Whether wooden-headedness is good or bad depends on the standpoints you take.

If you look up the word, you will find several definitions all of which basically proclaim the same definition of the word:  stupidity.  Looking further into the word from the standpoint of the author, it seems to me that what she is saying is it is ones attempt at a personal agenda, stupidly, similar to being stubborn.  Or is it a thick headedness and reluctance to people’s excuses or reasons for their sides of things.  Either way, it seems to be a mental block.

I believe that if we all sit back and look at ourselves, there is a little bit of wooden-headedness in each of us.  It is not attached to a specific trait, gender, political party or age, however it does seen that it could be argued to be stronger in the younger generations.  I believe that it is however, a learned trait.  When we are born, we are reliant on our parents for everything we need and to help us make judgments and decisions.  If our parents are wooden-headed, it is probable that we will follow in their footsteps, even so much as to have their same opinions. 

I’m always right.  That’s how it is these days.  No one apologizes for being wrong about something because they aren’t wrong.  Even if the facts are right in front of them.  For some people, wooden-headedness comes from the way they were raised, a prejudice or even a religious belief. 

Today, there are many obvious examples of wooden-headedness.  Look at the divorce rate.  Divorce is an outcome in many cases of wooden-headedness.  Government is a huge example, but I would think that being in office, one would have to have a bit of wooden-headedness in them in order to survive.  Whether wooden-headedness is good or bad depends on the standpoints you take.  An example of when it can be bad is when you know something is wrong yet just because you want to be right, you hold your ground.  Most of the time people act this way because they enjoy the fight, they are afraid of what will happen if they admit they were wrong, they could be afraid to admit the truth or they are afraid to ask for help.  All of these are examples of traits that we all should sway from.

Wooden-headedness can be good if you are on the other side of the fence. If you know you are 100% correct, why wouldn’t you be stubborn with your correctness?  However, not being open to hearing others opinions whether right or wrong is the bad part of being stubborn.  I’m right and that’s all there is to it!  That’s not going to get you anywhere in life.  In Government, it would be bad to have a leader who is not Wooden-headed and have them back out of every decision because of uncertainties and questions. Wooden-headedness may play a role in whether a leader is strong and able to stay in that role for the long haul.

So I guess what I’m saying is that it can go either way, depending on how you use your wooden-headedness.  It can be used for good in many ways but if you are like Nixon covering up your Watergate scandal, you may need to look for ways to keep your position and not be impeached!(617)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Picture frames(:

So I have been thinking of things to make my boyfriend for him birthday, we always buy each other gifts but also make each other one thing . Its kind of like that special little thing that even if it horribly made it means so much for the effort.

So I was thinking of making him a collage picture frame, where the frame of the picture is a collage and then I put a picture of us in the middle. So I went to Micheal's and bought a picture frame with a thick flat wooden frame, I bought a frame that was a bit bigger than the photo that I was going to put in the frame so that I could put a piece of white paper and have a white border in between the picture and the collage, Elmer's glue, Mod Podge, any little stickers like hearts of any thing you really want to put on it, and printed off a lot of little pictures of Tanner and I.

Take the frame and tape the glass inside of the frame so that no glue gets on it, then take a paint brush and on some glue to the frame. I would do one side of the frame at a time so that the glue doesn't dry before you get the pictures on it. Glue the pictures all around the frame just like a collage and put whatever stickers or sparkles or anything that you want on them. After you have everything situated the way that you want it take a new clean paint brush and paint on the mod podge. Let the whole thing dry over night. In the morning take put the picture in a frame with a piece of white paper behind it and close it up. Then hang it up and enjoy(: I hope he likes it!(311)

- Ardeeemilla(:

Why is gas so expensive?

I’m currently in the process of taking drivers education and am hoping that by the end of the school year, just in time for summer, that I’ll have my very own first car.  I have a job and I work hard to save my money because I know that I will need it for college.  Because college is just around the corner, I have been more aware of where my money goes and finding out how difficult it is to save up those few pennies I earn.  It’s much easier for me to say no to purchase that item that I didn’t really need.  But with having a car there comes expenses.  Insurance, oil changes and of course gas.  Why is it that we pay so much money for gas anyway, and I really don’t understand why the price of gas changes from one day to the next?  So of course, the best way to find an answer to this question is to go on line and research it.

It was difficult to find a website that spoke to me in terms that I understood.  When it comes to things that the government and financial institutions have their hands in, it always seems like the talk in ‘big words’ that makes it difficult to understand.  So first I looked for an answer to what made up the actual gas prices.  I found this:  Crude Oil + Refining Process + Retail Sales/Distribution + Taxes = Gas Price.  Makes total sense.  Without even looking this up, I assume that a big reason that the prices fluctuated so much was because of the actual gas station owners.  Gas prices are much higher now than they were back when my parents first started driving cars.  My grandparents paid about $.25 per gallon back in the 1960’s.  The reason for this?  Well, according to this site, one big reason is due to the increased demand. Large countries with big populations such as China have seen an increase in demand due to the increase in motorists.  Additionally, oil companies have had to work harder to get oil because so much oil has already been taken out of the ground causing the extraction process to cost more as well.  The quality of this oil is not as good either so it costs more money to refine it and make it usable.  Between the jump in demand and flat production, gas prices have risen.  Countries that supply oil who are in volatile situations such as Iraq and Iran can cause other countries who are in good standings to raise their prices.  They see that Iran and Iraq can tell us that they won’t send us any oil so they up their prices basically because they can.  Then you ad taxes in there….

So, I guess I was wrong.  I thought it was the gas station owners who were just playing games with each other and us but there really is more that goes into it.  Whether it is right or wrong, until we figure out another way to make our vehicles move…it looks like we are stuck paying the prices.  Someday maybe we will go back to the way it used to be.  A time when there was much less but we had a lot more…HORSES!!!!(549)

Ardeeemilla(:

Meaningful Diamonds(:

 

A few months ago, I overheard my brother say something about turning my mom into a diamond. I didn’t really pay much attention to it until today when I was reminded of the conversation. He had apparent heard a story on tv about someone turning their parent who had passed away into a diamond and that person wore their parent on a necklace around their neck. It made them feel close to their parent who was no longer with them.

As I thought of it this morning, at first I thought what a morbid idea. But as I thought longer, I wondered of the cost to do this, the process and who came up with this idea. So I got on line…and I stumbled onto a website for a company called LifeGem. This website was awesome. It went through and explained everything from what they offered to why you should consider it. Let me explain quickly.

According to this website, the process for creating diamonds has been around for many years. Apparently it was first invented by General Electric back in the 1950’s. I learned that Diamonds are “created by subjecting carbon, the primary element of all diamonds, to conditions that recreate the forces of nature.” LifeGem has recreated this natural process. The only difference is that they use “an exact carbon source” to recreate the diamonds. They collect the carbon of your family member which is then heated to really high temperatures. This is called the purification process. This process changes the carbon to graphite that has unique characteristics to create your one of a kind diamond. The longer the carbon is in the heat source, the larger the diamond. Diamonds made by this company allegedly have the same exact characteristics of natural diamonds – hardness, brilliance and luster. The final step in the process is telling the diamond cutter what shape you want your diamond to be and the color…yes they come in five different colors! That’s it! Except to pay for it which looks to be pretty close to the cost of what you would pay for a natural diamond.

It’s a thought I guess. I don’t know how I really feel about it. It feels weird but on the other hand, it is a nice idea. So what do you think... could you turn a loved one into jewelry? :/

(394)

Ardeeemilla(:

Government...

Does our government keep things from us? Lately I have been thinking and it really seems as though they do. We have so many secret things that they do and are we as the citizens of America informed about what those things are. Like why is North Korea threatening us, what going on with Iraq, and many many other things in our history that I feel like we haven't been truly informed about.It;s kind of scary to think about all of the things that we might not know, that are government is with holding. In My history class we have been discussing the assassination of JFK and it has really drove me crazy. I don't understand how their could not have been someone to truly find what happened that day and who was behind his assassination.

On November 22^nd, 1963 in Dallas, Texas a noble man was murdered, John F. Kennedy. This Day represents the madness and disconnection of America and its government. We still to this day are searching for answers of what really happened that day. We ask our selves the question, why did no one step in and find out who really was behind Kennedy's assassination? But we never know if those who tried to step in were then targeted. There were many who committed suicide or who were killed after JFK's death, Were people ever charged for those murders? It is quite obvious that when this investigation took place those in charge tried to find someone to blame and make a theory that matched instead of trying to really find what happened that day. This is truly an unexplained day of in American history.

There are files about the John F. Kennedy's death that are set to be released sometime in 2017. They said the the files would be released after all who were involved were dead but has been reschedule to be released in 2017. I guess that all we can do is hope that maybe those files will give us some answers.

So what do you think, is there things are government wont tell us?(402)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Literary and Rhetorical Techniques

1. Line 2- Symbolism-the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character-I used symbolism in this line to show how calm it is when I wake and express the comfortable happy feeling of laying in your bed. I also like comparing it to dew because that is the first thing I usually see in the morning and it is so pretty and calm just hanging on the windows.

2. Line 4-Diction-style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words-I used the word hullabaloo because it means, Disturbance usually in protest. It gives the effect of how much of a pain waking is.

3. Line 5- Metaphor-a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance-I stated my life as being a dream which gives off the idea of how I wish could stay home in stead of going to school because of how comfortable and happy my own home makes me.

4. Line 6-Simile-a figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of one thing to another of a different category, usually introduced by as or like- I used a simile to compare my hair in the morning to a lion because it is always crazy, sticking up in all different directions.

5. Line 7-Imagery-the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things,or of such images collectively- I used imagery to make the reader be able to themselves smell the roses from showering the night before and the smell of the shampoo.

6. Line 9- Paradox-a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth- I used this paradox to explain the fact that I cannot think or really start my day without my coffee. I also think the contradicting itself helps to represent kind of what goes on in my head without my coffee.

7. Line 16-Allusion- an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, orthing or to a part of another text- I used an allusion to compare my bed to the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is a place I assume most people know of. It was a place of no sin which to me represents my lovely bed where everything is perfect and nothing can go wrong.

Time Flies

Time Flies

1. Each day I rise with the morning sun,
2. My mind is calm like window dew.
3. It’s hard to wake when my bed is so warm.
4. My day has begun; what a hullabaloo.
   
   
5. My life was a dream until this day started,
6. Hair like a lion, bags under my eyes,
7. With the smell of roses from my mane,
8. Out the door I go as my puppy cries.
   
   
9. I know that I really know nothing until,
10. My large cup of java starts to kicks in.
11. Teachers walk in, I find my way through,
12. Seven hours of class;can wear me within.
    
    
13. Things calmed down once it was all over,
14. Home again, home again, I’m homeward bound.
15. The day is all over, to my room I go,
16. My Garden of Eden, my bed I have found!

Weather

Why does rainy weather make you feel like you want to stay home in bed? On days like today, I often hear my mom say she’d rather stay home from work and do some baking and put a kettle of soup on the stove for dinner. Is that just a mom/girl thing? Sometimes I hear older people say that when it rains, it makes their bones ache. Do bones really have feeling? I sat for a minute … I can’t feel my bones at all.

I was reading a story on line that said there was a slight tie between weather and mood. I tend to think that maybe they need to go back and do some more research. Personally, I think that there are many different aspects of weather that play big influences on many areas of our lives. From whether or not we go outside to how our bodies feel, weather makes a difference. If it’s humid, more people tend to stay indoors in the air conditioning and if they go outside, I know for me personally, I tend to be a little more easily agitated. Humidity causes me not to sleep as much too if we don’t have the ac on in the house. Sometimes I can even feel lazier when it’s humid.

Likewise, when it is rainy or cold, you tend to stay indoors and it makes you feel gloomy and unproductive because you can’t do anything outdoors. What you can do indoor is limited and if it’s raining…who wants to get wet every time they walk from a building to a car or car to a building! I didn’t research this but I would put my money on more births happening in the spring and summer months because it’s cold outside and not much else to do in the winter…

Every year, we change the clocks in spring and fall. When there is more daylight hours, people tend to be happier and more energetic because there is more hours for them to do things in. Sunshine always puts a smile on people’s faces. It makes you warm and fuzzy all over. So many things can be done when the weather is nice and sunny…beach time, picnic/park time, vacation time!

And wait…what about allergies!!! Who could forget that!!!

Anyway…maybe I’m not so far off. This week…I feel like doing NOTHING. Maybe my teachers will feel the same way and give us no homework!(407)

Guns Laws?

Hey Guys…

So it has been a pretty big month for many in America and especially for the family members of those who lost children in the Sandy Hook shooting. Many families who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook have been in Washington this week to lobby Congress for passage of a gun bill. They have been discussing making certain guns illegal and limiting the number of rounds you can have. President Obama, the First Lady, and Vice President Joe Biden Have all given heart wrenching pleas to convince the passing of the gun laws. CNN states, “The families sat behind him on stage and traveled to Washington with him on Air Force One to lobby Congress on gun control. “This is not about politics," the president said to applause. "This is not about politics."

"This is about these families and families all across the country who are saying let's make it a little harder for our kids to get gunned down."

These Laws aren’t about taking away people’s rights, It’s about making our country a safer one. I believe that they should pass these laws. No one needs to have those huge was machine gun like the one used in the Batman Theatre shooting, and no one needs tons of bullets. I really believe that we crack down on gun control it can make a difference.  We need to make our country safer. How many loved ones do we have to lose before we realize a change needs to take place?

We have lost so many innocent beautiful people who did nothing but be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their Families have to live with the fact that they died with no reasoning and no explanation of why.  So what do you guys think, should these laws be passed or do they take away the rights of America? (338)

-Ardeemilla(:

Seasons???

When I was little, I used to hear my mom say that when she was little, her grandmother said that things would be very different when I was grown up.  She said that she wouldn’t be around to see it, but that someday, things might just be the opposite of what they are today.  I think my great grandma Stella was pretty smart because it certainly seems like those words are coming true!

She would say things like… “Someday, I won’t be around to see it, but someday the seasons will change.  What we now know as winter months, November – March, will have a temperature change.  Rather than being the cold months, they will turn warm.  And the months of May – August will be cold.”  Each year as the seasons change, the start and end times change just slightly. When my mom was young, she said that when she went Trick-or-Treating, the weather was much nicer than it is now.  You could wear your Halloween costume and run the neighborhoods without a coat.  Now it seems that each Halloween, you have to dress really warm or you freeze.  And the costumes that they sell seem to be more for the times my mom experienced rather than we I have.  My parents would bundle me up and you could never see my costume because it was always so cold outside.

I have even noticed it throughout my life. Winter has been starting later and lasting longer than the years before. Spring???  Where has our spring been?  This year especially…I think we are going to go directly from winter into HOT summer! There really hasn’t been much of a spring with the temperatures being 30+ degrees off the norm for this time of the year.   We have so far had a few nice days but mostly rainy and warm. Again…something my great grandmother said would happen. What do you think makes these changes happen? (374)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Family Traditions

Family traditions…does your family have any.  You may think you don’t but there are many things that you do as a family that others may not.  You may think of them as normal daily life, but others might look at them as things that are out of the ordinary.  Let me give you a couple examples from my family.

I happen to have a very very close family (We are also kind of crazy, but that’s another story).  Some people consider close to be just mom, dad, brothers and sisters. But when my family gets together for anything, big or small, everyone comes.  Aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, grandparents, great grandparents, cousins…and considering that my grandmother came from a family of 12, that’s a lot of people.  We have traditions for holiday times that mostly include the range of foods we eat.  My grandmother is from a Norwegian family, my grandfather is from a German family, and with my dad being Mexican we always bring the Mexican too! For Christmas Eve, it’s tradition to go to church to watch the younger cousins perform in the Christmas program.  When that is over, the entire family goes to my grandmother’s house where she has prepared a large pot of seafood chowder.  It’s awesome, so tasty and my favorite part is probably the potato and shrimp, i always pick them out of the pot. We also through together some guacamole which is always a big hit. (: Then we open the gifts that have been put in our Christmas stockings.  On Christmas day, we have Lutefisk and Lefse for dinner which is also Norwegian.  A tradition! But i usually don’t eat the lutefisk...it looks like gross jello.

When someone in our family gets married, the whole family comes together to help do the planning.  Because my family comes from a farming community, typically at the wedding reception, there is a meal, and then prior to everyone going home, there is another small meal.  Because the party gets over usually in after midnight, and the farmers are only going to get a couple hours of sleep, we send them home with a full belly so the wives can sleep in and they won’t be hungry when they are doing their chores.  That’s a tradition!

Another is when there is a wedding, my mom gets a phone call. She makes beautiful afghans (Blankets) and is always asked by the family of the couple getting married to make one for them as a shower gift.  That’s a tradition too!

So you see…if you sit down and look at your family, you will probably notice that you too have many traditions that you didn’t even know you had.(493)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Social media

Social Medias seem to play major havoc in our lives. Whether it's the evening news, or Facebook, it influences everyone who pays attention to it. I don't know if I really think it's right or fair that a few hundred people play such a major role in our lives. Why do we let these sites make such a difference and let the things that people say on them affect our lives. The

There are times that we need the media. We need it to stay informed and on top of what are going on in the world but the news for many plays a god like role in their lives. There are some who cannot function without it...addicted you might say, and whether or not what they see, read or hear is actually the truth doesn't matter. Especially in teens, some people have to check their Twitter or Facebook before they can do anything. It takes up so much time and uses some of the time that you should probably be using for homework or studying.

The news on television has caused people to changes their views on many things, even their political party. Facebook has cause there to be many arguments because of what people post. Facebook is however a nice way to stay in touch with family and friends who may not live closes enough for you to be able to visit them when you would like to. Some people though use it in a manner to our people, talk badly about people, tell lies and cheat. Some very inappropriate things have been posted on Facebook.

On a good note, things happening half way across the country are easily shared at least 4 times a day on the news. But truth be told, I don't know that what we hear is always the whole truth because you hear one story on one channel and sometimes a different on another. I guess it’s up to us to be the judge. Don’t let social media affect your life too much. It’s something that makes life easier until not a necessity.

So what do you think? Is social media a good thing or a bad thing? Should there be limits on it? (373)

-Ardeeemilla(:

The chores of life!

Ugh...it's Saturday morning again and my mom is waking everyone up because it's time to clean the house. Why is it that 4 adults living in one small house have such a hard time keeping it clean. And why is it that my mother feels the need to wake us all up to help her with this chore. It the weekend, my sleep in time!! Let me sleep!

 I guess I can understand my mom’s frustration. Everyone in our house has busy schedules and we are hardly ever home so how does the house even get so messy? There are very few nights during the week where there is more than one person at home at a time. We are all involved in several different activities. Mom is usually running me somewhere since I don't have my driver’s license yet. My brother is in college and is always running back and forth to Mount Mercy for classes, choir or baseball practices and games. My dad is busy managing the horse ranch which means he is always on the run to the vet or taking a piece of machinery to the mechanics. I have a job, volunteer work and show choir. So everyone is usually not even home.

 What that means is that Saturday morning is the only time most weeks where we are all in the house. She wakes us up early to help her before we all scoot for the day. Usually it doesn't take too long but it's a real pain in the butt when I want to stay in bed and sleep a little longer because I had to work late the night before and get up every morning at 5:30 during the week.

She calls us from downstairs and it sounds like a siren going off! We always tell her just one more hour but it never works because she knows if she waits we will leave because we have plans. I can hear my brother across the hall way complaining too. Neither one of us are excited about getting up this morning but living in our house means that it is all of our jobs to maintain it. Not the most ideal thing for us at this age but I guess it's preparing us for the future.

So what do you do? Get up and clean messes that sometimes aren’t even yours and take all day to do, when we have other stuff to do, or find a way around it. I think I'll get a maid!!(423)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Love(:

Love…what is love really? To date or not to date. Many of us have maybe experienced those butterflies you get when you have a boyfriend. When he looks at you and all of a sudden SHAZAM…it hits you. But is that really love?? Should we really be dating at this young age?

At school we see many kids in the hallways hand in hand, making out in the corner, kissing…but is that really love? Are kids at this age able to experience what love between a man and woman is? Or are we just in lust? Why at this age do kids think that they need to be significantly attached to someone else? Why do our hormones play such havoc with us?

In a perfect world, I suppose, kids our age would have more time to work on their studies and maybe even spend time with their family. A relationship adds to the stress of homework, chores, getting a job, learning to drive, family. Maybe we spend way too much time wondering what our significant others are doing when they are not with us. So much drama in some situations. Is it really all worth it?

I guess the reason for some teenagers is because they are testing it out…the dating thing I mean. By dating, you have the opportunity to learn what you're looking for in a relationship. When you date, there are always going to be things about the person you are going out with that you might not like about them. Like maybe they don’t like the same foods as you or don’t like to go to the movies and you do. So, you learn which things you are interested in that you want to have in the one you eventually end up with. You are better able to look for someone who is a better fit for you…right? But how do you really know when you have gotten to Mr. or Mrs. Right? Maybe some do it just because everyone else is doing it and they don’t want to be looked at differently. If you don’t date, does that make you a geek or something?

Ugh!! Too much to consider. My mom says to have fun but study so you have a head start on life when you graduate. Life is short... it really is. Enjoy it while you can but remember the choices you make now will affect your future. No matter how small the choices are.

I think when you truely fall in love you will know(:

(423)

-Ardeeemilla

Marriage probs...

It seems now a days that traditional is a thing of the past. You’ve probably read in the news and seen on TV, the road that the gay and lesbian communities have been on with respect to equality and the allowance of same sex marriages. This is definitely a long journey come full circle. Prior to this debate, there were others that my family happens to be part of. In fact, two of them; interracial and divorced couples.

As you know from my previous blogs, my father is from Mexico and my mother is from here in the United States. There was a point in time where that situation was looked upon negatively. Mexicans in the United States have had a very difficult time. There were times that they were not allowed to get green cards to be able to stay here legally. There were times that the doors were open so they could enter freely. However because of the economy of Mexico, many of them still game illegally because they couldn’t afford the prices we wanted to charge them to get the legal status. Many of them came here without money and lived on the streets where they saw things that were bad. Many of them became part of those bad things thus perpetuating the bad name that they Mexicans being given.

My mother comes from a very religious family where the “D” word is a big no no…divorce. However, my mother and her first husband could not make a go of it and eventually divorced. That was a very tough time for her because she was sort of ostracized from her family for a short period of time. She was the oldest in the family and so according to her parents was not doing a good job of setting the example. Then, to make matters worse, she met, dated and married a Mexican. WHOA!!!! SHUT THE FRONT DOOT!! Yep, that’s right…a double whammy. Two examples that not only in her family, but in the media were items of debate. Interracial marriages would never work many would say. “Her first marriage didn’t work out so she must have low self esteem and this is the result”.

Those debates are pretty much long gone now. The media has since moved on to bigger and better issues, according to them. But my parents have beaten their statistics. They have now been together for 22 years. There have been ups and downs for them, just like the traditional marriages. But through it all, they have made it work.

I’m sure that the same sex couples are feeling some of the same things my parents felt back then. This issue seems to be a much larger debate, but in the end it will all work out. Just like it did for my parents.(470)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Common Core

Heyyy guys!!

Common core...have you heard of it? Allegedly, some time ago, the government started to track all of us kids in the public school system. The intent was to track children through their school age years and use the data to help parents better understand the needs of their children and to help them be better prepared for college.  But as with many things in the government, things have evolved and have changed from the original intent.   Have you ever thought about all the forms with all the blanks that you have to fill in with your personal information?  Where and who keeps that information.

Now in some bigger cities schools, they even take your photo. Who gets that?   To me it seems a little Big Brotherish. It's been said that because of Common Core, someday the government will be able to track us wherever we are. Some of those sci-fi movies may become reality. Someday, the government will be able to say exactly how many blondes there are in the school system, how many overweight kids there are, if you are from a low income or wealthy family. They may even be able to tell if you are bored in class by how much you fidget in class.   If there is such a thing as too much for our government?  Is there a point when we as people of the US will be able to say enough is enough? President Obama's administration is in favor of Common Core so it won't stop for a few more years.(322)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Media kills romance...

Has social media killed romance?

“And vulnerability is the essence of romance. It's the art of being uncalculated, the willingness to look foolish, the courage to say, "This is me, and I'm interested in you enough to show you my flaws with the hope that you may embrace me for all that I am but, more important, all that I am not."(Kutcher)

Social media has really gotten in the way of how we build relationships with other people.  Why are we using these websites for dating? I’m not saying that they don’t work or that we shouldn’t use them, I’m saying that I feel if you have a hard time finding someone those sites would be great, but not so you can have an over the computer relationship.  If you are truly looking for a relationship than you shouldn’t be hiding behind that screen embrace the true you and all that the other person can love about you. If you can’t be the real you around them then they don’t deserve you.

In today’s society many of us use texting for everything, even to say I love you. Texting is so impersonal, what happened to two people meeting for the first time exchanging numbers and waiting in excitement for that phone to go off. Then once it did talking on the phone for hours just truly being who you are. Now a days you hardly hear a couple talk on the phone and when they do it is usually a whole lot of awkward silence and running out of things to say. So, we just text. Texting takes away the anticipation and the missing of the other person. It is usually short texts and when you get a long one it’s a huge deal because they actually put effort into it. Why is it there is a difference in mood between ok…(Sad), Okay(so-so), k(mad), okay.(mad), Okay(:,We look so into detail. We text people sometimes because through text or on the computer we can be however we want to people we have just met, but is that a good thing. We should want people to love us for who we are not who we pretend to be

You may not think there is much of a difference but, write someone a letter and you watch it will make them feel special. Seeing it in the other persons handwriting makes it more sentimental, more personal.(413)

-Ardeeemilla(:

Spring!(:

Look out the window of your house or car right now.  It’s UGLY out!  The time between winter and spring is probably the worst time of the year because everything looks so dead and dirty.  All the sand and salt that has been spread on the roads over the winter builds up everywhere.  The grass has now come out from under the snow and is brown and still crunchy from the cold.  The snow is melting and water is running, or in this year’s case, flooding everywhere. 

But never fear, spring is just around the corner.  Once those leaves start popping on the branches and it warms up enough for people to start cleaning up their yards, things will start looking a whole lot better.  I love spring.  It’s one of the best seasons of the year.  My mom and I get spring fever so bad sometimes, we can hardly stand it.  We both love to plant flowers and make the yard look nice. 

We moved two years ago into a new house.  The yard needed tons of landscaping done so my family spent the first summer (we moved in July) moving things around, digging up weeds and small bushes that had gotten out of control and then purchasing flowers that we could just stick in the ground to make things look nice.  None of them were flowers that would come back the next year.  The following spring, before the planting even started, we mapped out the yard.  We spend several days researching types of flowers that would grow best in each flower bed based on soil and sun.  Then we purchased everything and planted them.  It was my brother’s graduation year so we wanted to make sure that the following year everything would have had a good year to grow and look great.

The next spring, it was exciting to see all the new plants start coming out of the ground.  There were a few that didn’t make it over winter and we had to replace them but for the most part things were looking good.  First the tulips and daffodils came up and bloomed.  We have a nice bouquet of flowers for our Easter dinner table.  By June, everything else was up and starting to flower except for the flowers that we planted to come later in summer, the mums.  Mom and I had many compliments on how nice everything looked at my brother’s graduation party.

This year will be even more interesting because each year the flowers multiply and get bigger.  Before the snow fell last winter, mom and I put fertilizer on the flowers and covered them up with leaves so this year they should be bigger and more colorful than ever.  It’s March 15th, and the snow is slowly melting away.  That means very soon, we start to see life in the flower beds…that itch is coming on full force!!!(485)

Ardeeemilla(:

Law enforcement...

Does law enforcement do enough to catch people who commit crimes?

In 2007 in Marshall town, IA, a woman had just arrived home from work late at night.  When she got out of her car a man attacked her, he beat her, stabbed her and cut her face from ear to ear. He then let her to bleed, luckily she had enough strength to drag herself inside and call 911. This man who attacked her was her husband, Luis Luna-Alvarez.  They had decided to get a divorce and he had been drinking that night. My dad’s best friend Max, (I call him my uncle) his sister was this woman (so kind of my aunt) her name is Lupe.

She has two young children with this man, who were in the house when this whole incident happened. She had to spend a few weeks in the hospital and a while in intensive care. While she was there my mom and I had to take care of the kids because they obviously couldn’t stay in Marshall town and we live about an hour away from there. We had a lot of men at our house and the kids were kind of on lock down in my bedroom watching cartoons for the first couple of days just in case Luis decided to come back for them.  Today is March 15, 2013, and they still have not found him.

Now this story could go to ways for me, either that alcohol needs to be a bit more controlled or that our police department does not do enough to find or charge people with the crimes they have committed. I am going to go with the second one for today. After this whole situation happened the police acted like they would do something to find Luis but they didn’t. It took my dad and Max driving around asking people if they had seen him to find his abandoned SUV at a gas station just outside of Marshall town.

I’m sure this case is not a one of a kind, I’m sure there are people who had a worse situation. So what do we do about it? I think all of our police forces need to learn to work together. I bet that he probably left the country so why couldn’t they stop him? If they would have worked together I really feel that they could have caught him. My aunt now lives in Idaho were everyday she has to live in fear of him coming back. No one should have to live that way. (429)

Ardeeemilla(:

Cell Phones

When I was growing up, maybe around the age of 6, it dawned on me that my mother worked for the cell phone company but she and my dad were the only ones in the house that had cell phones.  I surely thought I needed one to be able to talk to all my friends…that I had at the ripe old age of 6.  As you can imagine, I didn’t get one.  Neither did my older brother and sister.   My parents thought we were too young to get one.  “How many 2nd graders do you see walking around with a cell phone?” my father would say.

Then as my oldest sibling entered middle school, she asked again for a cell phone.  ALL of her friends had cell phones.  She was the only one who didn’t.  My hopes of having a cell phone maybe were going to come true!  “Cell phones are expensive toys” my father would say and my mother would chime in with all the phone calls she would have to take at work from customers who were upset because their child used their cell phone too much and now had an outrageous phone bill.  So, it wasn’t to be.  My mom used to get the latest and greatest cell phones from her company for free.  She typically was one who would test the new phones coming in and so often would change cell phones every six months or so.  We were doomed to carry around one of her old cell phones that looked cool but weren’t hooked up to service.

One day, my mom came home and asked us all to come into the living room for a quick meeting.  There it was…a brand new cell phone with all the bells and whistles!  We screamed!   FINALLY…I got my phone.  Better late than never I guess.  It was the coolest phone.  In reality, knowing that I know now…it wasn’t that cool at all, but we had a phone.   Year later was when the really cool ones came!  Games and everything! 

“Can you please put down your cell phone for five minutes!” my dad would say.  “All I ever see is you with your phone in your hand or to your ear. Maybe we should just have it surgically placed there!”  We would just laugh.  That was because the cell phones we had were cool and the one that my dad had was an older phone that had nothing on it but a send and end button.  So for years we listened to what we now know as his ‘cell phone jealousy’.  How do we know this???

Two weeks ago, we all went to the cell phone store and got my dad a new phone.  It was time to bring him into the current century!  A new phone for dad…and guess what…every time I turn around, the phone is in his hand or stuck to his ear!  What the heck! (490)

Ardeeemilla(:

What are we eating?

Hey guys!

So in my AP Lang class we watched a video on where our food comes from and how it is produced. Have you ever wondered what the food companies do to feed the world, or where your food comes from? In this movie it showed the filthy conditions that the cows, chickens and pigs are raised in and the horrible ways that they are treated before the are slaughtered. Many of the animals are injected with hormones that cause them to grow at such fast rates there bodies cant even keep up, and many of them die from this. There legs cannot keep up with their weight so many of the animals can't even take a few steps before the fall. Are these hormones good for us?

I personally don’t understand why it is necessary to torture the animals before we kill them. So what if they are going to die anyway no one and nothing deserves to be treated that way no matter how long their life will be. Here is a video showing the horrible conditions that the animals live in and ways the animals are treated. I warn you I find this video hard to watch, it is very sad. Just think, if the animals in the video were dogs or cats. Would you have a problem with it? What's the difference?

The only way that we can make a difference is if we find out were our food comes from. Eat Organic if you can. Don't buy from these companies because maybe if we stop buying from them they will have to change the way that they are making our food and improve America’s health every where.
-Ardeeemilla(:

Gardening is coming!!(:

Hello Fellow Bloggers! :)

So my mom has been driving me crazy about getting started with our flowers.  She starts ordering tons of seeds and plants and before you know it she has flower magazines all over our house. (Needless to say she is obsessed.) It happens every year. Spending tons of time shopping and money on some of the coolest flowers is a great way to spend your money and time and to also makes your yard look amazing!

 You probably have different flower beds in your yard, some in the front, some in the back and maybe on the sides. One of the things you need to remember or think about though is what colors you want where. Flowers come in many colors, but sometimes not in the colors you want for the areas you want to plant them. You also need to know what kinds of soil you have as well as how much sunlight you are going to get in that area. When finding plants usually on the back on the tags there is information on what helps the flowers to grow to its full potential and you always want to pick the flowers that’s needs best match the kind of area you are putting the flowers in. Yards that have flower beds with all different kinds of flowers and colors all mixed together are not very attractive. It's a good idea to plant the taller flowers toward the back of the bed and the shorter flowers in the front. Making one bed full of pinks and reds and maybe another full of yellows and oranges is a great idea.

After they are planted, all that's left is the water! They need to be watered every day. If you don’t like just soil around the flowers you can also add rocks to your flower bed or even wood chips. Wood chips come in a lot of different colors and you just have to choose by what looks better with your house. And voila! You have a beautiful garden for everyone to see, and your neighbors will defiantly be super jealous. (357)

-Ardeeemilla :)

Choir

Being part of the Kennedy music program gives me the opportunity to receive a monthly newsletter that is sent out by the Kennedy Choral League Board. In that newsletter, at times there is information that catches my eye. In this months newsletter, there was an article on the effects of music on the mind. My curiosity was peeked. After reading it, many things made sense. Let me share.

The article said that there is a connection between music and mental health. Music also apparently has power over healing or at least in speeding up the recovery of those who are ill. There are many things that music does for us that most of us don't think about. Here are a few of them.

Music helps to fight depression. Soothing music help to increase the brains production of Serotonin which helps to alleviate depression. It also relieves anxiety and sleeplessness. It calms the body nerves and soothes the mind. Music also helps in the secretion of endorphins that help in speeding the process of healing. It acts as a distraction from pain and suffering. Music therapy is recommended for patients of high blood pressure, heart diseases and even cancer.

Music has also been shown to improve learning abilities. It has been proven that music brings about remarkable improvements in the academic skills of students, who are made to listen to certain kinds of music while studying or working in the lab.

Apparently, lack of confidence and lack of desire to learn is most often the reason behind someone failing. It's not always inability. Students who get poor grades at school do not necessarily lack intelligence. It's their disinterest in the subjects or the lack of motivation that leads to their bad performance. Music lessons during school has been said to help the students fight their mental block. It caused them to believe in themselves and boosts their confidence.

Some look at music as a hobby; for some music is their passion, while some pursue music as their career. Music has a direct influence on your mood.So, the effects music can have on your mind or brain depend largely on the kind of music you choose to listen to. To experience the positive effects of music, you should listen to only good music. That's the magic of music.

What that means for me is that the next time my mom tell me to turn down or off the music that I have on while I'm supposed to be studying, I'm going to let her read this blog!

Ardeeemilla(:

(426)

Ipad vs. Laptop

So I have been thinking about getting a laptop or an I pad but I couldn’t decide which would be better to get so I decided to research which would be the best to get.

I came to the conclusion that the laptop would be better.

The iPad is extremely limited to use it is basically like a huge iPod Touch. The Ipad costs a lot more than some laptops, and is slower, it doesn’t allow multitasking and doesn’t have USB ports or SD card slots. Not only does it cost more but there are tons of other things like if you want to upload pictures you have to buy a special hook up to be able to. That is not very low price friendly and it is a hastile.

You cannot multi task on it, if you want to search on the web and type a paper you cant with out exiting one or the other. It costs at LEAST $400 dollars not including all the extra things you will need to buy. you might as well get your self an ipod touch and a laptop for the same price.

It really kinda hard to type on it, either you have to lay it flat and look down at it to type or you can again go buy a connectable keyboard thing, which again adds to the price. Apple says it is great for reading books but its bright glossy LCD screen that will probably hurt your eyes...I know it does mine.

Just because they've slapped an Apple logo on it, should people suddenly want it?

I think that I am going to get a Dell lap top. They work so well, and have USB plugs, Memory card slots, and you can type on them. If you buy a laptop, You got almost everything right there. Laptops are the better choice in my opinion no matter how cool Ipads seem.

Ardeeemilla(:

(323)

Music cures all

Being part of the Kennedy music program gives me the opportunity to receive a monthly newsletter that is sent out by the Kennedy Choral League Board. In that newsletter, at times there is information that catches my eye. In this months newsletter, there was an article on the effects of music on the mind. My curiosity was peeked. After reading it, many things made sense. Let me share.

The article said that there is a connection between music and mental health. Music also apparently has power over healing or at least in speeding up the recovery of those who are ill. There are many things that music does for us that most of us don't think about. Here are a few of them.

Music helps to fight depression. Soothing music help to increase the brains production of Serotonin which helps to alleviate depression. It also relieves anxiety and sleeplessness. It calms the body nerves and soothes the mind. Music also helps in the secretion of endorphins that help in speeding the process of healing. It acts as a distraction from pain and suffering. Music therapy is recommended for patients of high blood pressure, heart diseases and even cancer.

Music has also been shown to improve learning abilities. It has been proven that music brings about remarkable improvements in the academic skills of students, who are made to listen to certain kinds of music while studying or working in the lab.

Apparently, lack of confidence and lack of desire to learn is most often the reason behind someone failing. It's not always inability. Students who get poor grades at school do not necessarily lack intelligence. It's their disinterest in the subjects or the lack of motivation that leads to their bad performance. Music lessons during school has been said to help the students fight their mental block. It caused them to believe in themselves and boosts their confidence.

Some look at music as a hobby; for some music is their passion, while some pursue music as their career. Music has a direct influence on your mood.So, the effects music can have on your mind or brain depend largely on the kind of music you choose to listen to. To experience the positive effects of music, you should listen to only good music. That's the magic of music.

What that means for me is that the next time my mom tell me to turn down or off the music that I have on while I'm supposed to be studying, I'm going to let her read this blog!

Ardeeemilla(:

(426)

Ex-Hero

On January 14, 2013 Lance Armstrong discussed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey the fact that when he competed in the Tour de France races illegally due to having taken performance enhancing drugs. The question now is what to do with this information. Others have been stripped of their medals for similar offenses. For years, Armstrong denied questions of being involved in this. He was adamant almost to the point of getting into fights over it. Now, years after the fact, he fesses up to his 'sins'. Will the government prosecute him for the illegal use? Or will they just strip him of his medals and move on.

I'm torn on how to respond to this news. On the one hand, it's illegal. He was in these races with the backing of several different sponsors who put not only their money but their names on the line for him and his venture. Millions of people watched their idol as he raced year after year bringing home medals, only to now find out that it was all a lie. Would he have one without the drugs? Could he have been strong enough on his own...to win maybe even just one medal? We'll never know. And what about those who came in second each year. They deserve the right to have the gold they should have rightly won. It's wrong.

But, he isn't a bad guy. Since his win he has been through several different things including cancer. He has done many many positive thing for the cancer community. Things that maybe he might not have been able to do if it were not for the fame and fortune that he received from being in and winning the races.

Now, coming out about this, I hope that any others who are out there and have done the same, come clean as well. It has to be a big lie to carry. It must be difficult to live with knowing that you have to constantly be watching what you are saying to so you don't slip up.

For me, my respect for him has dropped, even though he has done so many good things. It was wrong then, it's still wrong, he knew it at the time and he still knows it. The fact that it had to come out on Oprah Winfrey only makes it worse. It glorifies the situation even more when it should be embarrassing.

Ardeeemilla(:

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