of the school year . And , as usual , I feel a mix of emotions . Happy because I will get to spend more time with my family , and I love to see my garden grow and eat fresh vegetables . Sad because I will miss all of you ! Take a minute and think back on this school year . What is it you will remember the most ? What do you think was the most important or most interesting thing you learned ? Let me know in the comments ! Ok , so I 've been thinking about the summer , and about how we all ( even me ! ) have to keep on learning , even though we won 't be in school . Here 's a little story : I attended my first piano lesson today . I 've always wanted to learn , but never had the opportunity . My neighbor is a piano teacher , and she said she would teach me . It was scary at first . Then I sat at the piano and my teacher taught me how to play not one , but FOUR scales in one day ! I can now play the C , D , E , and F scales on the piano ! I couldn 't do that when I woke up this morning , but I can now . Then my teacher had me open one of the books I had brought . It was one of my son 's books from about two years ago . . . . yes , today I began my journey in piano using the same materials my children learned from ! I was amazed to learn about so many things I 'd seen before , but never really understood . It was like learning a new language ! Or algebra ! Anyway , this summer I am going to try and practice piano for at least 1 / 2 an hour five days a week . I know it will take time and commitment , but I am willing to do it . I 'd like you to spend some time thinking about these questions . . . . . * What do YOU want to learn and practice this summer ? * What are you willing to spend time and effort on ? Because the fact is : if you don 't use it , you will lose it . You are your own best teacher . Always remember that . Read . Write . Divide . Blog . Participate . Speak . Practice . But how ? One way , of course , is to use the internetTo help you out , I have made for you a " Delicious " account ! I know you probably don 't understand how exciting that is yet , but wait until you try it ! Basically , a Delicious account is a place to bookmark websites . It 's like a giant address book of all your favorite websites , all in one place . Ok , enough explanation . Check it out for yourselves . There are bookmarks about local organizations and news sources , there are bookmarks that will take you to websites about pronunciation , there are bookmarks for math videos and math practice . There are even bookmarks to help you findPosted by This Sunday is Easter . In honor of the holiday , I would like to share with you one of my favorite things about the season : The Washington Post Peep Diorama Contest ! You know what Peeps are , right ? Those disgusting but yummy marshmallow treats shaped like chicks and bunnies that the Easter bunny sometimes brings ? Anyway , people all around the country vie for the title of TOP PEEP by building a diorama out of , you guessed it , Peeps ! ! This year , there were more than 1 , 100 entries . Then the Washington Post chooses a winner and several runners up . Even more peeps ! Which one is your favorite ? She was very sweet , lovely , comprehensive , helpful , and respectful . When I was a teenager , I moved into her house . We had hours of conversation . Cooking , making tortillas , and cleaning the house , we became to be a good friends . After a few weeks , she told me that she will be out of the town a few days . I said , " OK I 'll take care of everything . " She had two boys and one girl . Two of my brothers and two of my sisters were living there . I cooked . My sister and niece cleaned the house . When my sister came back , the car parked very close to the house . Her husband hold her , and brought her to their bed . With my mouth opened I didn 't say or ask anything . I sat down thinking why she looked yellow and tired , why she was vomiting . Later she told me she had breast cancer , and how that illness started . I didn 't know what was that , but I realized it was a bad illness in the way she looked . " She said , I was having some pain in a few months , but I didn 't worry because I thought it is normal . Because I was bleeding from one of my breast , I decided to see a doctor . " Her breast cancer level was too high . She had to have an urgent surgery . One day one of my brothers called me and said everything is ready for you to come to the USA . I was so sad to leave my sister , but I was waiting for this opportunity in months . Five years later our relatives in Mexico called us . My sister was passing out . The cancer spread all over her body . She died waiting to see us again , but the hard moment was when they told us that since she got sick , doctors gave to her no more than ten years of life under treatment . She kept this secret from us . For years I thought she was with God having a better life , but at this time I believe that being a good person is not enough . We have to believe in his son ( JESUS ) to became part of his family . My sister died thinking that there was no God to help her with all her problems . I thanks to God that my case is different , and I always share with people God 's love . I hate school . I am 27 years old and never put school first never till now . My oldest child is 14 and my youngest is 5 . I always had a good life , worked hard , took care of my kids , and had a lot of people that always loved and helped me throw right , wrong and things I just should have never done . My youngest child started school this year . For the first time in along time I was not running or cleaning or talking or feeding and giving all my time to a child . I watched TV , I got dressed , I walked around my house thinking this is just so boring I cant wait to go to work . The next day i did the same . After about a week I started to feel sad and worthless . Like all I get to look forward to is going to work . I hate my job , too . The only reason I work there is to be able to provide for my kids and now there all growing up and don 't need me that much any more and I have nothing to do . When I was feeling bad for my self and my husband was trying to make me feel better by telling me that I have already done so much in my life already and I should be proud of my self , it made me feel better . I went to the bathroom and I looked in the mirror . I realized something I never noticed before . . . . How young I really am . I still have my youth . I am still very young and have so much more to do . I enrolled back in school and today was my second day . I always love and remember my grandparents especially my grandpa . Because he was so sweet , friendly , and a man whose principles would not bend . My grandpa was a master storyteller . And he had within him a rare strength that sustained not only my sisters and me , but all the family . He always in the evening was sitting in front of the chimney and paid attention to me . He started talking about his many adventures that he had in the past . Sometimes the stories made me laugh and sent happy tears down my cheeks , or a story that made me feel very sad . My grandparents were very poor , and they had a small house with three small windows , and the floor was made of dry mud . They didn 't have electricity . The only light in the night they used was the candles , or petroleum lamps . My grandpa always took care of me . But one day he got sick , and the doctor said that he has diabetes . My grandpa was an old man and five months later he died . For me it was the most sad notice I heard , but my mom explained me , " your grandpa is in heaven with God . " I still miss my grandpa . But I gave God thanks for the time I had with my grandpa . The lesson that he showed me I will never forget . I learned to respect the past , to respect my own heritage and my self . This story I wrote is for the memory of my beloved grandpa who lived many adventures . I would like to tell you all about my story . I have an illness that a 90 - year - old woman has . It is called osteoporosis . That 's when your bones dissolve . I have had 5 operations in the past year . I will start to tell you about my surgeries . The first one was my left hip . They replaced with a metal hip on January of 2009 . The second operation was my right hip . That was only 5 weeks after the one . But on July 27 , I shattered it on the left side . Then they started doing blood tests . Then I found out that I have a vitamin D deficiency . That is when I found out my problems . Now you know most of my story . I would like to let you in life . At one time I was standing in my hallway . Then I had a terrible fall . That is when I broke my left hip , because the Doctor put it to close to the bone . The ambulance came , I could not move I was scared to do anything . So I ended up at the hospital . I was there for 6 days . The first 4 days were traction . And I was in complete MISERY . You would never like to feel the pain I did . It was so severe , they had to put an epidural in my back . That is a very uncomfortable . The reason for the traction was that they had to order the part from CANADA after the new implant . I ended in an inpatient hospital because of my new hard wear . They had a zero weight bearing on my left leg . Well to tell you what happened . The whole time I was in there , my left wrist was broken . So all I could do was lay in bed . 3 times a day a physical therapist would come in my room and do soft tissue therapy . To keep my muscles and tendons loose . Then I started weight bearing exercise . You would not understand the severe pain . Because of the new implant went all to the knee . I did a whole other month of very painful therapy . Then the therapist came to the house , to look for safety items . Starting in the bathroom , I had to have bars to put in . And then I had to make a few adjustments in the kitchen and living room . And then more of the story really begins . The whole time I was in the hospital my wrist was broken and the therapist wasPosted by Do you like living in Colorado Springs ? If you 're answer is no : Why not ? What does our city need to make it better ? What is it missing ? Or what does it have that you wish it DIDN ' T ? If your answer is yes : Why do you like it ? What are the activities that you and your family enjoy here ? And finally . . . . are there any things that would make a good city even better ? Many people around our city are thinking about these very same questions right now . And they are looking for YOUR input in answer to the question : " How could Colorado Springs rock ? " People from all over town have put down their ideas on post cards , and sent them in , and they are being posted on the web ! Take a look ! If you would like to hear an interview with one of the people who started the icoloradosprings project , and see more postcards , click HERE . This story is so long , but I will try to relate my story with possible brevity . When I finished the high school , Oh my God ! These were many time ago , I was only 17 years old . In these time I started to go to parties close to my house . German lived in the same neighborhood then in some party we met . I thought that the life was easy , but was not always like that because I was going through many changes in my life . On many opportunities all of us think that our parents aren 't best ones in the world , but the idea changes when you get a important decision . In these years German was going through a hard time because when one is young , we think we can " have our cake and eat it , too " . German suffered alcoholism for many years . He is now a recovered alcoholic since twelve years ago . When German and I made the decision to live and made a family together , Whooo ! On these moment change my life . Now we have two children , Dayana and Bryan . They are our motor , our strong to follow hard work with the God help , and the love that our family give us . We enjoy of the life , " each day as if it were our last " . I would like to say that everything in this life has its own time . Sometimes we took a wrong turn , but everyone has the opportunity to return . Enjoy your life and try to be happy . I am proud of my cars . I am proud of my cars because I have taken time to build them . I think I would have to say I 'm most proud of my first car . It was a ' 78 Cutless Supreme . I bought it when I was 16 years old . That summer I was working part time at Stratton Meadows Elementary , a school near my house . I was with my dad when I first saw her ( my Cutless ) . I told him to stop so I can check it out . My dad told me that it wasn 't worth what they wanted for it . We went home , and I was thinking about that car all night . The next day I pulled all of my money out of my bank and walked where the car was . I knocked on the door and asked if I could talk to the owner of the Cutless . The owner came out side and asked , " do you want to take a look at it ? " I looked at it from top to bottom . I asked him , " would you go any lower on the price ? it needs body work , a new battery , and so one . " He said that he had to much invested into it . Then I asked , " does it run good ? " He said , " it needs a lot of work . " I showed him the money I had and told him to give me a break it would be my first car . After a couple days he called me back , and said come get it . so that day I asked my dad if I could get it . Even though my parents were a little upset , my dad still helped me bring my car home . Every time I had spare time I would work on my car , and try to fix it . I couldn 't figure out what the problem was so I invested in a brand new motor . When I was close to my goal , I started to take out the old Oldsmobile motor . I pulled the old motor by myself with in a day . I started to clean the engine compartment and paint where the old engine was . By the time I was finished , my new motor arrived . The next day my uncle took me to the auto store to buy the last parts I needed , and that day my uncle and me dropped a brand new Chevy engine in my old Cutless . After that it didn 't give me any problems . So as a couple weeks passed I had the money to buy a system for her . All I really needed was a paint job . I was saving money when a good friend asked if I was interesPosted by His warm smile of love is that my grandpa was a very good man . His name was Tom . He was a person that you can look up to and count on . My grandpa loved to help people if they needed help . My grandpa was in the concrete work . He was a mason , a person that lays concrete and lays block . I used to go to his house in AZUSA , California to hang out or help him around the house . I used to help him with the yard , like mowing the yard , trim trees , and help him with his car . My grandma never had to work . So she just sat around watched soaps , and drank beer . I would take his car to the shop when needed . We also used to go to the park and play catch and play baseball with the other kids . I loved to play baseball when I was a little kid . I always got a lot of support from him . Then things started to slow down . He started to get sick with diabetes . He lost part of his hearing . He had to use hearing aids . He lost his hearing from the saws that he had to use to cut the blocks and loud machines . His hearing got so bad that the hearing aids did not work for him any more . It started to get more complicated communicating with him . I still kept coming over to help him around the house . Then finally they moved down to Sun City , California , and I could not get down there anymore . He got so bad that he passed . I was sad . I will always remember my grandpa as a good person . He will always be in my heart and soul . This morning I tell my selfGo ! you can do it ! fight foreverything that you want . Not all the things are easier , we haveto fight and give the bestas we can . sometimes we will feel alone and sad , but always there is someone thatwill give you help . BE HAPPY YOU ARE NOT ALONE ! The world goes around and doesn 't stopyour life stop just if you stop ityou are the only one who can finish and destroy with your life . But meanwhile things happenquickly and easily . Finally you will get a clueif you fight and grow , orleave it like you are now . 02 / 05 / 10 author : MARINA ! ! ! Cd Juarez Chihuahua , MexicoI grew up in a small town name Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua , Mexico . When I was little we always played outside . All the people sat on the porch until midnight ; sometimes we played music and danced outside my house almost every weekend . My friend 's mom Señora Chole cooked outside and made good food to sell like ( gorditas , enchiladas and tacos . ) Cd Juarez , Mx is across the border from El Paso , TX . Always my town was so quiet and a safe place to live . The streets were full of the same people that I know . It was so fun when we got all together and played football , soccer , and played music . Sometimes we threw parties at different friends houses . That was a good time . I wish that can happen at this time , but now is completely different . I know that now there is a lot of criminals . Now you can not sit outside your house because there are a lot of bad people and they came to rob you , or they attract you , or even kill you . Even in the morning they don 't care . Sometimes 10 to 20 people have been killed per day . I think is because there are lot of people from different countries or from South America . And it 's a lot of drug dealers that they killed people just to have fun . Sometimes I didn 't want to go there to visit my family because I 'm afraid that criminals rob us or even do something bad to my family . I wish the Mexican government can do something good for my country and take all the bad people and put them in prison . I wish Cd Juarez Chihuahua , Mx . could be a nice place to live , just like when I was young . That way all the people can be happy and safe . The wall of Berlin , Germany fell to give an end to socialism in that country , and finish years of genocide and cataclysm . It was just a grand day for the entire world . So we never forget freedom is the most important right for the human being . P . S . It gives us hope for a better tomorrow . ( never forget November - 09 - 1989 ) Welcome back , everybody ! I hope you had a restful time over the holidays . I know it can be crazy sometimes , but I hope you found time just to hang out with friends and family . Look at all these wonderful people : Here 's to a new year of new learning and new adventures ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! And here 's Joseph 's amazing cake : Well I Would have to say my dream job would be a top notch Game Designer / Film Maker / Comic Book Maker , all under one roof . The reason be hind it all is because me and my cousin Mike we 're complaining about things in " Brothers in Arms : Hell 's highway " , that they should stop promising to the fans about some thing so easy , but they never go through with it and that got me thinking . And what sold me on the idea was that Mike wanted to be a games designer and for some reason it stared to dish out idea for games , but a couple months later he didn 't want to do it anymore , so a couple more months later I had more ideas than i could deal with , so I thought I 'll star making the games , so from there ever thing fell in to place . I came up with ainvitational idea to do all three things because of what Marvel Comic were doing with the movie game which was there own film studios . The day I hear of marvel films is the day I became a film maker . So that is kind of my origins story of sorts and the ideas come to paper by drawing my biggest muse . Instead of where normal people would write it down , I draw it down . It is my easiest way to comprehend what I imagine . This is my most beloved dream job . I hope you got a grip on why this my dream job . The very first time I saw the ocean I felt apprehensive , astonished and shocked . I kept my mouth opened for several hours . After that my feelings are the same , but I would like to see it again . I remembered that day . I was going from my town to Jalisco . We had to pass over a mountain , and we stopped at the hill . Suddenly there was the ocean ! . It was a lot a feet down the mountain , very blue , moving back and forth . I never saw the end . It was very foggy . At that time my heart started to beat faster . Thump ! Thump ! My hands turned yellow and cold , I stopped breathing for a while , and my mind started to imagine horrible things like tsunamis . I still don 't understand why I am afraid of water ! When i was younger in school it was the eleventh grade . All that was left is one more year to go . I took a wrong turn , hung out with bad people , got into a lot of trouble . Was in plenty fights in and out of school till finally was suspended for good . My mother was very upset with my choices in life , so she said either you go back to school , or get a job . So i went to work for the first time at 16 years old as a prep cook . If i could turn back time school would have been my first choice to complete . But after all i would have never got the chance to become the great chef i am today . Now my new goal is to get my GED and go straight to college for culinary art . I really love cooking for people , i think its a real art . Plus , i want to learn everything about ice sculpting , baking fancy cakes and pies . I want to learn more of what i love to do and become one - of - kind greatest chef . Most of all want to make my children and mother happy and to be very proud of what i have done with my life . There are moments in life , when twisted turns change your life . For good or for bad , but those experiences always make you wiser . I 'm going to tell what happened to my family - ( My husband Ruben , My daughter Scarlet , My son Gary and I . About 3 years ago , some one called my husband at 6 a . m in the morning . It was my brother in law telling my husband that my father in law was very ill and he wanted to see him . he had melanoma , is a tipe of cancer , that can spreed all over your body quickly . My father in law requested that he needed to see his son , maybe for the last time , because he was the only one far away from him . at that moment Ruben , knew that he had to go to meet him . We went all the way down to Juarez , Mexico . The first thing to do is to get a permit , from the Mexican custom office . But my husband learned that , since he had only a tourist visa he could not have the permit for the two cars . He was desperate in that moment his father was dying and now this problem . But at the exit of the custom office a man started to honk his horn ; my husband stopped . He approached to us and and told him . " I can help you , I 'm a custom officer my self " . Ruben thought he was his savior . the men told us he would fix all the papers and permits that we needed . We stayed for two days in a motel waiting for him to arrived with the papers , and he did , but he send another person , it was another man , so he put the papers on the cars windows , this person , was so nervous , like he was hiding something so Ruben told him ' ' T hank 's for everything you are done for us " . The man made a face , like if he was feeling bad for us . Then he just asked for the money and left . They charged us $ 800 . 00 dllrs . When we cross , the first custom station . The officers approached to my husband by the window side , and told him , " where are you going guero " . ( that means Blondie ) . My husband answered , " To Guadalajara because my father is dying " . They looked at him with a face of doubt , and said , " Show me your permits and the cars papers " . Ruben did what he was askeWriters of the Future My dream job is a teacher because when I was young one of my elementary school teachers who inspired me . So long ago , but even today , still she is inside of my memory . She was a very young , neat , bright , sparkled , fresh , and always smelled good . Sometimes , I went to her and didn 't say anything just looked at her or sat down next to her . I don 't know why I liked her a lot , but I know one thing she was very patient and always had a good smile on her face . One day , I could not afford to have my lunch so I tried to go outside . She asked me , " Where are you going to ? " I said to her , " I just want to go out side . Then she said again , " Where is your lunch ? " I looked at her she asked me again and she came to me , held my hand , walked through her desk , then opened her lunch box , and gave to me half of her lunch . I didn 't know what to do , but I was so hungry and I looked her lunch box ; she had good food in there . I could not believe what I saw in her lunch box ! To me never ever seen all good food such dry seaweed , egg roll , sausage , etc . , But guess what ? After I had eaten her lunch , I was sick couple of days because from my house I never ate those stuff . After that happened , I liked my teacher 's kindness and thoughtfulness very much . I think she was a good role model for me and other children who saw her actions with me . Now , I am a grown person sometimes I sit down think about my old days , I can remember that day . In many times , I ask to myself if I am going to be in that situation can I do that like my teacher did for me ? Even today , I am working with children . I don 't think I have that much of patience , passion , and love . A lot of times , I think this is my job to do so I just do my work without love or careless . Also many times , I ask myself do I really want to be a teacher with all that responsibilities ? But at the bottom of my heart I really want to be a teacher because many children don 't know who is their parents or some of them are growing up with single mom or dad . Therefore , many of children are missing very important stuWriters of the Future In each different culture there is a type of Tomar . I will never forget when the doctor said . " Congratulations Lorena you are pregnant . " I felt many emotions during the first few moment , but I was mostly happy and scared . A wave of happiness crashed over me , because I could finally be able to have a little boy . ( I already had two girls ) . I was also scared because when I was twenty a horrible thing happened to me . I was pregnant with my first son and unfortunately he was born dead at eight months . Through out my entire pregnancy I was nervous . I did not want that to happen to me again . One day I came to school and one of the teachers gave me a little Virgin Mary and told me to wear it under my clothes all the time . She said that she would protect me . She also told me that everything would turn out fine . When she was pregnant , she wore it all the time . Later I put little red lace shaped like a ribbon in mi bra . Supposedly the color red is good luck for the the baby . Some people believe that it prevents the baby from having birth defects . I changed the lace every day when I took a shower . I am Catholic and believe strongly in the Virgin Mary and thank God my son is very healthy and about to turn three . I thank the Lord for everything . The same tomar that I used I gave to my friends Daysi when she was pregnant . Posted by I 'm going to tell you that maybe I took a wrong turn or maybe not in my life . Now , I am happy with my husband and my two kids . We try to have fun always , leave out of the house and travel . So I love them so much , but if God could give me other opportunity to go back to my past and take another turn , I would . Because I am not sorry for having my babies and getting married , just because I got married so young . I was only 17 . I think about all that my mother told me in all her advices . Also I could have been finished high school too , with not worries like who will take care of my kids , if I got to the school ? , or if I am in school I am thinking about them . how were they ? , will they cry or not ? and these things don 't let me pay attention at 100 % at my teacher and I can 't learn all . So other way if I would have been in my house with my mom it would have been different , no worries or distractions , but always we think when we did it , why ? I dont know . So , I know that I don 't have another opportunity to start againg . the only thing I can do is to be happy , cheer , and not to be sad and work to grow up with my own family . March 18 , 2009 was an ordinary day . In fact it was a day after my birthday . I turned eighteen on March 17 . But on March 18 , 2009 a really dear friend passed away . August 21 , 2006 , Aaron Alan Edmiston became a freshman at Mesa Ridge High School . He and I were enrolled in the ROTC program there . He loved it , but I did not . We wore uniforms that were heavy and black and we could not even breathe . He went to competition in New Mexico that same year . He told me it was so loud there and it was so cold . So cold you can see your breath . I could hardly understand him because he lost his voice . March 7 , 2007 , rolls around and it was the day of the Navy Ball . Navy Ball was an amazing dance . Hearing the music and feeling it beat your body around . From what I heard in the past the Navy Ball was way better then the Homecoming dance . Homecoming was fun but I loved Navy Ball . The downside of it was that we had to wear uniforms . But I did not care because in ten days was my birthday . I was turning fifteen so I was pretty excited . May 22 , rolls up and it was the last day of hell ( or as the teachers and the school liked to put it as , Freshmen year ) . Summer was finally here and I was so happy because I had no school and I had no job for I was only a kid . I hung out with Aaron a lot during the summer . He was so cool and everywhere we would go he 'd always wear a hat . That kid never took off that hat . But he was a great guy . He never meant to do anything wrong in his life but noone 's perfect . August 21 , 2007 comes after a long hot summer . School begins and we were sophomores . The bell goes off and the students go to class . The halls were packed full of students . The final bell rings and any student caught out in the halls or out of class would get written up . Aaron and I were in ROTC again this year . But we had fun because we went to competition together with forty more cadets . It was in New Mexico again this year . We also played pranks on all of our high ranking officers and our teachers . Wow ! You should have seen Aaron 's face when I dropPosted by I see you was talking about humanity , racism and kids . The humanity is what people can give to another . Like you gave to all the people in Korphe . The school is a place where all the people can learn . You heart is full of humanity . You also found out the racisim from thepeople in the USA . They did bad things like put the trash canover his head and slapped it because he came from Africa . You always help the kids to teach them in math . When they were sick he geve medicine . You took goodof them . I think You are a very nice person . I want to tell youthank you for sharing this wonderful story with allthe people , and you experience . I thought your book was very knowledgeable . And more people so follow that almost infant way of thinking , not say your an infant . But I mean that simple way of thought . You don 't care about what race , religion , or creed someone is for you to befriend them , you like or dislike someone on the way they treat you . And I can respect that . I 'm sorry for the lose of your sister and father . I could not imagine what pain you went through , and are still going through and losing them both in such a short time frame , my condolences . OK let 's move on to a happier note . You are doing a great thing not just for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan but for mankindand the world , who knows you could have given an education to the doctor who will create the cure for Cancer , who knows . so keep it up and hear from you soon . Your friend : Virgil P . s . : Don 't Screw Up ! , lol , jk . I am Native American Indian . Sioux ( Lakota , Hunkpapa , and Asinaboin . ) Also I am Cherokee . My family and I have many things that represent our heritage . For example , my E - Nah ( mom ) has the family crystal that has Indian carvings in it . It 's covered with a little blanket with our family tree on it . Me , I have a dream catcher that my little cousin River gave me , and a choker that my grandma Fawn gave me before she died . When my little cousin River was eleven years old , he made me this dream catcher for my fifteenth birthday present . It is a beautiful one at that . It is made out of leather ( brown ) and beads ( blue , green , yellow , and red ) the colors of the Medicine Wheel . At the end it has a feather from a hawk , and in the middle it has buffalo skin to hold the whole entire thing together . I keep my dream catcher above my head so that when I sleep , I 'll have incredible dreams instead of nightmares . It works ! ! ! ! When I look at it , it makes me smile because of who it came from , also because it makes me feel safe . The choker that my grandma Fawn gave me doesn 't do anything but remind me of our past before she had died . My favorite memory about my grandma is , she would always take me to the bead store when we had lived in Manitu Springs . She then always took me to my favorite restaurant called " The Loop " for lunch . We did this every Thursday and Saturday . They were the happiest moments in a granddaughter 's life . ( Well mine anyway ) . My choker is beautiful . It has creamy white beads along with dark brown beads and golden beads . The charms on it are golden feathers . I don 't wear it a lot , only when my family and I go to the reservations in Montana . I keep it hanging on my wall with my first teddy bear which is a angel grizzly bear . I call him Mr . Jingles . I am grateful for my heritage symbolized belongings . I miss my grandma and I love my little cousin . These two things are from the past , but still make me happy to this day . Keyonna Todd After I read your book - Three Cups of Tea - actually not finish yet . . . I was amazed many ways . First is your courage , second is your humanity , and third is your life . When I read this book , sometimes I imagine " If I were Greg . . . " . But my answer is always " No , I can 't ! " . If I belonged to your parents . . . that could be . Because your parents were great . . . like you . You didn 't command about your religion , but I could guess . They might be a Christian - kind ofministry of Africa . And their humanity could influence you . Your parents challenge to me . I want to be a great parents who has a good influence to my children , friends , and neighbors . By the way , when did you marry ? and when did you have your children ? I supposed you are single . Because you are always busy . Come and go , here and there . . . Love is great ! and you are great , too ! Haha ~ ~ I remind how powerful the American - especially English . By you building school in Korphe , theycan learn about America and speak English . How amazing ! Pakistanis can speak English . . . Near future , the English will become a common language all over the world ! Lots of American are proud of you . And many Pakistanis thank you . Dear Mr . Greg Mortenson : My name is Song . I am so glad to meet you through the book . The book 's title is Three Cups of Tea that book you wrote . When I started to read this book , I thought just one of 3rd world countries stories , so I kind of ignored it , but I was wrong . It brings my attention and challenge to me . When I was young , my dream to go out there helping people who need my help , but I did not have chance to do it . By the way , I am so proud of you and your family . Even though you want to help the Pakistan people or their children , without your family support that is impossible . However , I am glad because we have people like you , so we can change our lives better and we can teach our next generation . Also , when you went out there ( West Side Elementary School ) and gave them one hour speech that was really a success . Those children brought over six hundred pennies . you must have done a great speech , so those children opened their minds for other countries children . In my opinion , you did a great job ; therefore , you and those who helped you in the very beginning of your mission , you are a hero for all of us . You 're getting a big hand from all of us and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart ! SincerelySong Hilyard Please choose one of these topics . 1 . Twaha gave Greg a tomar to protect him on the glacier during the hunt . Do you have anything like a tomar ? What is it ? Where did you get it ? Where do you keep it ? What does it mean for you ? Write about it . Explain as many details about it as you can . 2 . Greg said that his life would have been less interesting if he hadn 't taken the wrong turn and ended up in Korphe . Have you ever taken a " wrong turn " , or perhaps had something happen to you that was bad at first , but turned out to make your life more interesting ? Write about what it is you did , or what happened to you , and explain how it has made your life more interesting . 3 . Write a letter to Greg Mortenson . You can share with him your thoughts about the book , about his life , or whatever . You can also ask him any questions that you may have . I look forward to reading your posts over the next couple of weeks ! In order to practice the art of FLUENCY while reading , I gave you all a section from Chapter 6 in Three Cups of Tea to practice , and then read aloud to the class . I was so absolutely impressed with your expression and pronunciation ! I enjoyed listening to you , instead of you listening to me ! : ) Let me know if you would like to do this activity again . This also looks interesting . Hmmm . . . . what do you think ? In addition to FLUENCY , we also practiced VOCABULARY . Before reading Chapter 6 , each group discovered the words they did not know in their text , and then had to figure out a way to teach them to the class . Here are some photos from that day ! We have been reading Three Cups of Tea in our class . Here is a picture of one of the schools that is being built , thanks to Greg Mortenson . Click on the photo to see it even bigger ! If you would like some more information about the book , you can go to Greg Mortenson 's website and look around . There are also some great photos ! He even has a blog ! When browsing through a blog or a website , make sure you take time to really look and read . I was wondering what your feelings were about the book so far , or about any thoughts you have from looking at the links above . Leave your thoughts or feelings in the comments ! The 4th of July I remember the most is in the year 1986 . That day at 5 : 00 p . m . on the 4th of July was so important because that day I got married . I remember we had a party outside my house on the street . Everybody in the neighborhood went to the dinner . We played music , and danced , and had fun . That day was also my birthday . So every 4th of July my family and I celebrate because it is my birthday and my anniversary and also my birthday . So that 4th of July is memorable to me . Hi , my name is Manny . Let me give you a little outlook of how I see things . Are you a single mother , and have applied for government assistance and got denied ? Or even had to do paper work over and over because your info got lost ? It is frustrating right ? I believe that people who really need help , who have a child or children , who can not pay bills , have nothing to eat , and have no babysitter , should have priority over someone who lives with 6 - 7 others , has some food , and has a sitter to watch their child or children to look for a job . I believe it is not fair , and action needs to be taken . I am curious what you all think . Feel free to leave a comment . The time was steadily similar to the other days . I was working at a clothing store and that days were so busy because is was Christmas time . The store was suffused with customers and I did my job hastily . This day was my birthday , but I was not waiting for something special . I knew it was my birthday , but my family didn 't have enough money to make me a party and can understand this . I not to reproach anything . When the day was over and I finished my job , I said bye to my friends . I strode on the street to reach my house . When I told to my mom , " mom I 'm here " , she asked me if I could search for something ( I can 't remember what ) in the living room . I said OK , but when I opened the door where it was , the light was off . When I put it on , there were all my friends and family and they shrilled , " Happy Birthday ! " and sang it too . My heart was quivering and I couldn 't stop crying . It was very moving and unexpected for me . It was beautiful . It was my unforgettable surprise . Yesterday , I had an appointment for an ultrasound at 12 : 15am . I was very anxious to be there . I would find out about my new baby and I was nervous too . I was seated with my mother - in - law . We were waiting when suddenly the nurse called me to go inside . We went and began with the ultrasound . The nurse asked me if I wished to know what I 'm going to have : boy or girl . Of course I said " yes " . She saw and said , " It 's a boy " . I felt very happy and I wanted to cry and this is another happy moment that I 'm never going to forget . When I lived in Mexico and I was a teen , I met with my friends in the plaza every day . We played volleyball , talked , and were around . I really miss those times in my beautiful City Carachurio . One day I remember I was mad at my friends . They were only girls so I switched to the men 's volleyball team . They were so scared , you know the men are stronger than women . For that day I felt glorious , but after that I felt sorry for my friends . However , I gave them a lesson . I wish the time never past . That was my best time as a teen . I am keeping this good times in my memory . I shared my good time in my little town to my kids . In my town it never snows and I sincerely never imagined that I would get the opportunity to see snow or enjoy it 's sensational sense . Before having the experience of seeing snow , and enjoying the glorious nature , I didn 't have any idea of how it happened , but now I can explain to my family how this happens . I can also describe the funny anecdote that happen in Colorado Springs . Something that I can 't forget is when my parents saw snow for the first time . It was on July , 2007 . We took them to Cripple creek to play in casinos . My parents couldn 't believe it so my Mom picked up a chunk of Snow to feel and let it melt in her hand . It was a special moment because it was like when a baby discovers something new . I will never forget the first time my parents saw snow . Posted by Someone will always be prettier . They will always be smarter . Their house will be bigger . They will drive a better car . Their children will do better in school . And their husband will fix more thing around the house . . . So let it go , and love you and your circumstances . The prettiest woman in the world can have hell in her heart . And the most highly favored woman on her job may be unable to have children . And the richest woman you know she 's got the car , the house , and the clothes , might be lonely . And the word says if I have not love , I am nothing . So , again love you love who you are right now and let God be your barometer . Mirror Him . Look in the mirror in the morning and see how much of God you see . He 's the only standard and even when you come up short ; He will not leave you or forsake you . Smile and may God continue to bless you . . . I am to blessed to be stressed and too anointed to be disappointed ! The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor . . . The one who kneels to God can stand up to anything . Winners make things happen . Losers let things happen . Be Blessed ladies and pass this on to encourage another woman . . . To the world you might be one person , but to one person you just might be the world . Author Unknown Does anyone have a story to publish today ? I hope so ! We need some new reading material . Here 's a little assignment for you today , if you so choose to do it . We have learned a plethora of new words over the past two weeks . ( What do you think " plethora " means ? Can you figure it out from context ? ) : - ) I 'm going to list some of them here . Choose one or two and write sentences using that word in the comments . I 'll be happy to look them over for you before publishing if you would like . crouchedindistinctlystrode onuntroddenflungglaringquiveringsuffused withwailedpatteringmaliceHave fun ! Everytime I see through window falling snow , I feel at ease like a baby is sleeping with a smile . Early in the morning , when I see the fallen snow during the night , I shout for joy , " Snow is fallen ! " Then I call all families to look at the fallen snow . I look around at my house covered with snow . All is white , calm , and peace . My mind is easy also . All the world is loneliness . I pray for happiness to my family . Last Monday the snow fell in Colorado Springs . Suddenly I thought into memory to my homeland that snow is falling . I felt homesick . But I like to see falling snow .