Journal Entry #11

School has started. I am going to a new school this year. It is a very small Christian school with about seventy students. Instead of going five days a week, I go two days a week and am given enough homework to fill the other three days (and the weekends, as I am beginning to discover). I have an assignment for my American Literature class to write a legend. I haven't been doing much writing lately, just reading, so I'm excited to buckle down and let my creative juices flow. My Literature teacher gave us five major characteristics of legends that we are supposed to incorporate into our legends: 1) Story is told as though it is true; 2) A story from the past about a subject that was (or is believed to have been) historical; 3) Contains fantasy/unrealistic elements; 4) Handed down though generations; 5) Often used to teach cultural values (similar to a fable) or explain a natural phenomenon. I'll post my legend as soon as it's finished. In the mean time, wish me luck!

NEW MOON Review

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In this sequel to Twilight, Bella Swan loses Edward Cullen, but her friend Jacob is able to comfort her and help her move on. But strange things begin to happen to Jacob, and Bella finds that she will never be able to completely get over Edward.

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Journal Entry #10

We just got back from our camping trip. There were good parts, including roasting marshmallows, spending time with friends, and hiking along a beautiful, rugged mountain trail. There were also lows, including getting lost and extremely tired on our hike and having to sleep in a wet sleeping bag. Overall, it was a pretty good experience though.

Day #1 (Tuesday): We arrived in the afternoon, set up our tents, and started making dinner. After the food and dishes had been cleaned up, my siblings and the young daughter of the people with whom we were camping roasted marshmallows for s'mores. I couldn't have any because of my braces, but I've never been a huge fan of s'mores anyway.

Day #2 (Wednesday): We all rose early, washed up, and ate breakfast. After breakfast we explored the area around our campsite. After lunch, we went on a hike down a mountain, which was beautiful. After a while, though, the trail circled around and we found ourselves trekking up steep paths. A little while after this, we discovered that we were lost, so the men (including my 13-year-old brother) hiked up the mountain to the main road while we girls drank water and ate granola bars. They eventually came back to inform us that we were roughly four city blocks away from our van. We managed to make it back to camp safely, where we ate dinner and played Taboo and Apples to Apples until bedtime.

Day #3 (Thursday): The morning went much the same as Wednesday morning, and after lunch we went fishing. After a quick trip to the visitor's center for some fishing tips, we drove to a small lake nearby. After just a few minutes, however, it started to rain, so we packed up and headed back to camp. Once we arrived, we found that there had been much more than a drizzle at the campground, not to mention hail, which had piled up all over the ground. Since it was still raining, we all headed to our friends' tent, were we warmed up, ate snacks, and played cards. After the rain, we ate dinner and played some more board games. Afterward we decided to get ready for bed, only to discover that rain had entered our tent, and most of it seemed to have landed in my corner. My duffel (which contained my pajamas and clean clothes for the next day) was soaked through, along with my sleeping bag. I ended up sleeping in my clothes.

Day #4 (Friday): We awoke to sunny skies. After breakfast, everyone started packing up. A lot of cleaning had to be done because of all the mud that seemed to coat everything. Around 11:30am, we said our goodbyes and headed home.

Journal Entry #9

Today we are going camping. Anyone who knows me well will know that I am less than thrilled. I just can't really get into the campfires and dish washing and high-speed internet-lessness. I find nothing exciting about sleeping in a cold tent on hard, rocky ground, with unknown predatory animals rustling through the bushes around me. But I am going to try to smile and make the best of it. :)

THE KAYLA CHRONICLES Review

The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
When Kayla Dean's best friend Rosalie encourages her to join a dance called the Lady Lions to prove that the dance team discriminates against certain girls, Kayla has to decide whether she wants to be like the girls on the dance team or like her best friend, who is a devoted feminist.

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