Blog #10

My Last Blog

This is my last blog for digital media. Before this class I never considered actually blogging, but I had heard of it. When we first started this blogging unit I did not want to do it because I don't really like writing. But, after doing these blogs I realized that it actually isn't that bad. Blogging has allowed me to be creative and write about anything that I want. It was fun to be able to pick any topic I wanted to write about because I don't like to write when I have a specific prompt. Blogging was overall a pretty cool unit. 

 To begin with, I never thought that blogging would ever be something that I would do. I though that it would be very boring and just a waste of my time. I realized after my first few blogs that it was fun, and I was able to share what I thought about things, and about whatever I wanted. I was able to look back on things that I wrote about that were about the past and remember them very clearly. It is very interesting and like writing a lot more because of this blogging activity. 

 In addition, blogging helped me look at my life and who I am as a person. For example, I wrote about things that happened in my life like vacations, memories, and things that I have done. I also wrote about my family, what I like to do, and things that I like. It was fun to be able to be able to write and share about all of these things that are important to me in my life. It helped me look at myself as a writer, and I think I have become a better writer because of blogging. 

 Before blogging, I never wrote anything like stories, reviews, or what I thought about things, like ever. I never wrote about events in my life, things that I liked, and my family. I think that doing this was important to me in a way because I could share anything about anything and be creative and expressive. I still don't like writing very much, and to be honest I don't think I will choose to blog after this unit, but it was a good experience. Writing can help people be who they are and to some people it is very fun, but I don't find it very fun. It was still a good thing to practice for the future, and I liked doing it for a few weeks in Digital Media class. 

 Last but not least, I now know the importance of blogging. It is a very cool activity and I'm glad that people blog because I don' think things would be the same if they didn't. If people didn't blog, there would not be reviews, stories, interesting and fun things to read about, and tutorials. These are just some of the things people blog about and if people didn't blog we wouldn't know about many things. People can learn a lot from blogs, and they can be very helpful. It is also cool to look at other people's perspectives on different things. Blogs can be interesting, fun, and helpful.

 Obviously, I think that blogging was an interesting and fun thing to do. It has helped me become a better writer. Blogging has also helped me reflect on many things, write about things that I enjoy and like, and be expressive and creative. Writing is an important thing to do and I think I will start to write more. I also think that I will read some blogs online so that I can learn new things and look at other people's opinions about things. I think that blogging is a good unit to do in Digital Media, and it was fun. 

Blog #9

Netflix

As of last night, I got a TV and Netflix in my room. Since we moved into my dad's house in July, we didn't have wifi, which means that we couldn't get Netflix or get on the internet for about 9 months. A few days ago we got wifi so then we were able to get Netflix and I am so excited.  Now I will be able to have lots of shows and movies to watch in my room, and with my family and that is great.

 To begin, I have never had Netflix in my own room before. Now, because we have Netflix I was able to make an account on the Play Station. The play station is set up upstairs but the rest of my family uses it for Netflix in the living room so my dad said that I could bring the Wii down to my room in order to set up my own account. Last night he brought it down to my room and helped me set it up. Now I have my own account on it and I can watch all of my favorite shows and movies. Because I got it last night, I was able to watch a few shows before I went to bed. Last night, I got to watch Cupcake Wars and American Horror Story.

 I just started the American Horror Story series a few weeks ago. Last night, I finished the last episode of the first season. It is now my favorite show and I watch it all the time. It's great to be able to watch it whenever I want when I get home from school. I was in my room for hours last night watching Netflix and my dad said that I barely came upstairs. I knew that I had been in there a while, and I just told him that I was happy to be able to have Netflix, because I am. I will now be able to keep watching American Horror Story whenever I want. It is very nice to be able to watch it when I want.

Also, there are many reality and drama TV shows that I like to watch in my spare time. For example, I like to watch cooking shows like Chopped, Master Chef, and Hell's Kitchen. I love to watch Say Yes to the Dress and What Not to Wear. I hope that all of these shows and other favorite's of mine are on Netflix so that I can watch them. I think Netflix is better than having lots of channels because then I can binge watch my favorite shows. Something I also love about it is that there are no commercials, and I hate commercials.

 Furthermore, you never realize what it is like to have no wifi for that long until you don't have it. I have always had cable and wifi everywhere I have lived until we moved here. It was hard to not be able to watch all of the shows I was used to watching, but I knew that we were kind of in a tough situation and my dad didn't want to spend all of his money on wifi. Now, we are in a good spot again and our family now has the privilege to have wifi and Netflix in our house. It is great to have it again. I know that I can and have lived without those privileges, but it is much better to have those again in our house.

 All in all, I am very happy and thankful to have wifi and Netflix in my room and in our house because my family and I can now spend time together by watching movies at night, and watching shows together. I am now also able to watch Netflix on my own if I want, so that I can watch my own shows and movies, and that is an advantage. Therefore, I am thankful that we have these privileges, and I am excited to spend time with my family, and because I have never had Netflix in my room before. It is all because of my dad buying these for us, and I am very appreciative of him and thankful.   

Blog #8

My Spring Break

I didn't do very much for spring break, but I still had fun and it was nice to be out of school for a while. I did some things like go to the pool, I went to a youth group meeting for my church at a park, and I hung out with my step sister and friends. It was very fun, even though I didn't do anything very exciting. Spring break was much needed because I needed a break from school, and I had a good time.

 First of all, I went to the pool at my mom's apartment. I spent most of spring break with my mom, and I loved being able to spend a lot of time with her. She lives in an apartment in Aurora, and there is a pool there. I went to the pool with my step sister multiple times during break, and it was a lot of fun. One time we went to the pool our friends came with. We were all in our clothes but then we all started to splash each other, so then we ended up just getting in and getting our clothes soaking wet. It was worth it, but it would have been better if we were in bathing suits. Going to the pool was nice because the weather was often very warm over break. I will definitely be going to the pool a lot more this Summer.

 Furthermore, over spring break I went to a youth group meeting for my church last Wednesday. It was so fun! All of the middle schoolers and high schoolers from our church got to meet at a park in Aurora with the leaders and adults from the church. We got to hang out with our friends at the park all day. They set up a volley ball net, so I decided to play. At first, there was a lot of people playing, so I didn't like it very much. But then when most of them were done playing a smaller group was started with my friends and my sister and it was great. I was very committed and I even dove for the ball for the first time. I also jumped up to hit the ball. I love volley ball and I want to keep practicing so that this Summer I can join a team with my sister.

 Also, I got to spend time with my sister and two of our friends. A couple times we got to go to South lands mall in Aurora and just hang out. We also walked around our apartment and went to the park. It was fun to just spend time with my friends. We all went into the workout room at the apartments, and to the pool. It was fun to go on lots of walks and just talk. That was probably the best part of spring break, because I love spending time with my friends and my sister. I hope that we can spend even more time together over the summer.

 Lastly, yesterday was Easter, and I had a great time. I spent Easter with my dad, and we always go to my dad's uncle's house (my great uncle). Lots of our family members were there. There was lots of food, and we also had a Easter egg hunt in the back yard. I got lots of candy. I also got money from my Aunt and my Great Grandma. My aunt Claudia and uncle Nick were there, and she just had a baby. She is my cousin and she is adorable. Her name is Cassia and she is such a sweet and happy baby. I got to hold her a lot and she kept smiling at me. She wasn't fussy at all when I held her, and my aunt took lots of pictures. Cassia wore the cutest pink dress for Easter. It had little roses all over it and she looked so cute. I got to see other cousins, aunts, and uncles as well and I had a very fun time for Easter.

 All in all, I had a great spring break and I can't wait for Summer break. I didn't do anything very special but its the little things that count, and I still had so much fun. It was great to see my family and friends and I overall had an amazing time. I got to spend time with people that are very important to me, and that means a lot. Obviously, I had a great spring break and I did many things that I enjoyed.  

Blog #7

My lizard Sheila

A few weeks ago, my mom and step dad surprised me by getting me a bearded dragon baby. I have always loved reptiles, and I had another bearded dragon that died last year, so when I saw Sheila, I was thrilled. We have an empty reptile cage in our apartment. I got to her house 2 weeks ago on Friday and I saw that there was sand, rocks, and decorations in the cage. I was looking around, and saw nothing, then I saw her. A little baby bearded dragon about 3-4 inches long, laying on a stick. 

 I was so happy. I asked my mom when she got it. She said "A few weeks ago. It has been so hard keeping it a secret from you!" I thanked her so much. She knew that I wanted another lizard. When my brother and sister saw her, they weren't as excited as I was. My mom said she knew that I would be the most excited, and that she was happy I liked her. I asked if it was a boy or a girl, and she said a girl. My last bearded dragon was a boy, so I didn't know if this baby girl was nice or not. I asked her name and my mom said Sheila. They picked the name Sheila because it is an Australian name, and bearded dragons come from Australia. I was so excited to hold her for the first time! 

 My mom and step dad said that she has to be held as much as possible so that we get her used to humans. I opened the cover to the cage and put in my hand. I was not expecting her to try and bite me! Sheila opened her mouth very big and I could tell she was scared. I was trying to make her calm down by talking to her, but that didn't work. My mom said that I had to pick her up quickly, so I reached for her and she bit me. It didn't hurt because she has tiny little teeth, but it scared me so bad that I accidentally jumped back and flung her off. I felt very bad because I thought I hurt her, but realized that she was even more mad. My step dad got her for me a few minutes later and put her on my chest. After that, she became so sweet towards me. 

 I haven't gotten Sheila out of her cage since then because she still acts like she is going to bite me. I always have someone else get her, but once I have her in my hands she is so cute and nice. I always put her on my chest. I start to pet her head, and within a few minutes she closes her eyes and falls asleep. It is the cutest thing! She loves to be held now, and I try to hold her as much as possible. Last weekend I was holding her and she was on my chest. She started moving into my sweatshirt and curled up in a little ball by my shoulder. I know that she likes me and I think its because I love animals and I am good at interacting with them. I want to be  veterinarian when I am older. 

 One of the most entertaining thing that Sheila does is eat. We get her little crickets from Pet Smart, and she absolutely loves them. She is so small, and it is so funny to watch her eat tons of crickets. She is so unbelievably fast! She will be watching a cricket, and then she just runs and gets it like lightning. Once, when she went to get one she did a flip! It is crazy to watch her "hunt". After she eats the crickets she gets very chubby. I told my mom that she got so fat after eating and she said "She's not fat, she's fluffy!" It was very funny. Sheila is very entertaining and I love her. 

All in all, I am so glad that my mom and step dad got us a baby bearded dragon. I am so happy that she is a baby because now she will know and remember me very well. She will also get to have a good and long life with us. I am excited to be able to keep interacting with her every time I go to my mom's house. I will be going to my mom's house for spring break, and I am planning on holding Sheila a lot. I am so thankful for my mom and step dad. They knew I wanted another bearded dragon, and they got one. I love Sheila and I think she is a great pet. 

Blog #6

My sister Kaitey 

I'll start by saying I love my sister Kaitey so much. She means a lot to me and I don't know what I would do without her. We have been through so much together, and right now we are going through the same situation. If I didn't have her here as my sister to cheer me up, I would be sad a lot. She is so beautiful inside and out, and I don' think I could live without her. 

 First of all, Kaitey is not actually my blood related sister. She is technically my step sister because her dad and my mom are getting married, but I don't ever call her my step sister because she feels like a real sister to me. We have known each other for a little longer than two years. Our parents have been friends for a while, but I never met her dad or her until he started to date my mom. When I first met Kaitey, I didn't think that we would ever be as close as we are now. Looking back now, I have no idea why I thought that. She is 14 just like me, but she is only a little more than a month older. I have always wanted a sister closer to my age, and I'm so glad that she is. I can talk to her about anything, and she completely understands me. We get along so well. Sometimes we get in little fights, but we always work it out. I don't even remember the last time we fought. She means so much to me and I am so glad we met because of our parents relationship. 

 Kaitey and I became close pretty quickly. At first we didn't really talk much, but now we talk every single day. It would be weird for both of us I think if we didn't talk every day. We talk about everything we are going through, and we help each other through it. Right now we are going through almost exactly the same situation. She lives with her mom most of the time and I live with my dad most of the time. We both want to live with her dad and my mom because we like it there. It would be so amazing if we both moved in, because next year we could go to the same high school as each other. I see her every other weekend when I go to my mom's house, but I wish I could see her all of the time, every single day. 

 I am so happy, because we both have spring break next week, and we will be spending a lot of time together. We are planning to do many things. First of all, we are going to go see the movie Insurgent together this Friday at the movie theater. We also got to the same church, so we will definitely be going to Starbucks and then going to church. I love the church that we go to, and is always so much fun with her there with me. They have a youth group on Wednesdays, but I haven't been able to go to one yet because the church is in Aurora, which is kind of far from here. During the summer though, I will be with my mom a lot and I am planning to go to the youth groups every Wednesday. I love being able to spend time with Kaitey at church.

 Something else I love about having Kaitey in my life is how we talk about everything. I feel like she completely understands me and she always knows how I feel. It feels like she can read my mind sometimes. She can usually tell if I am sad or upset, and then talks to me about it. I never have to hide or hold anything back from her. I know that I can tell her anything and she won't be upset. I completely trust her and I love talking to her about everything. Even when I am sad or upset, she can make me laugh. She is the funniest person I have ever met, and I am so thankful for her because she can always make me laugh. Probably my favorite thing about her is the fact that I can tell her anything. If I tell her to keep a secret, I know that she will keep it. That is such a great quality, and I love her for so many more reasons.

 To conclude, I am extremely thankful for my sister Kaitey. I hope that our parents will be married for the rest of our lives. I don't think that they will ever split up, because they have a great relationship. She has impacted my life in such a good way, and she makes things so much happier and better for me. I don't know what I would do or how I would live without her. She means the world to me, and she is the best "step" sister I could ever ask for. I know that our relationship will only continue to grow as we go through tough things together, but I know that we will also go through so many more happy and amazing things together. We will make some amazing memories together, and I can't wait. Obviously, I love Kaitey so much, and I am glad she is a part of my life. 

Blog #5

Elich's

 I have been to Elich's twice in my life. The first time I went, I was only five or six, so I couldn't go on almost any of the rides, and I also don't remember it very well at all. The second time I went was just days before school was about to start this school year. I went with my older cousins Kendra and Hunter. It was very fun, and I would love to go back to Elich's during Summer break. I had so much fun, and I'm glad that I went with my older cousins, my brother, and my sister. 

 My cousin Kendra works at Elich's. She works the ride called Twister. The reason why my brother, sister and I got to go to Elich's last Summer was because she works there and gets tickets for free because she works there. She had been saving tickets that she got from working, and invited us to go with her, so we got to go for free. It was a blast, and we wouldn't have been able to go if we hadn't got free tickets from her. At first, I didn't want to go because I had never been on a roller coaster before. I was scared because I am usually motion sick, and I thought that if I went on a roller coaster I would get sick. When I decided to go, and my cousins picked us up, I realized that I didn't take motion sick medicine, so I was nervous to go on the rides. Then, I realized that I just had to calm down and I knew that everything was going to be fine. Surprisingly, I didn't get sick at all on any of the rides... except for Brain Drain.

 Brain Drain was the worst ride at Elich's in my opinion. I loved every other ride I went on except for that one. There are a few reasons why. First of all, all the ride does is go in a circle. It went over and over, so you go upside down many times. I got very nauseous because we kept going upside down. It did the same thing too many times, so I felt very dizzy and like I was about to throw up. I also hated that ride because it felt like I was going to fall out. On all of the other rides where I went upside down, I felt very safe because it felt tight and I knew I wouldn't fall out. On the Brain Drain, it felt like I wasn't buckled in tight enough, so I thought that every time we went upside down I would fall out. That is not a good feeling. I was holding on to the handles on the side of my seat very tight the whole ride because I was so scared of falling. Obviously, I hated it, and will never go on the Brain Drain again.

 Furthermore, my favorite ride at Elich's was the Boomerang. On that ride, you sit in a long seat on the roller coaster. Then, it starts to go backwards slowly, so you are looking down, and once you are up high looking down, it releases and you zoom downward. I was so scared at first! Then, you are going forward and you go upside down through two loops. After that, you go backwards through the loops again. That was one of the first rides I went on, and it was the first roller coaster I had ever gone on that went upside down. I was always terrified to go upside down on a roller coaster, but after the Boomerang I wasn't. It was so fun and I was glad I went on it. At first, I wasn't even going to go on it at all, because it had loops that went upside down. Then, once we started going all of my fear vanished and I was having so much fun. When I go back to Elich's this summer, I am definitely going to go on the Boomerang again.

 Also, when we where at Elich's something amazing happened, and we were very lucky. We were all walking by the shops when this family of five came up to us and they said they were leaving. They had V.I.P passes, which allow you to skip in front of many people in a line for a ride. The mom asked us if we wanted them because we had five people in our group. We accepted them and thanked her very much. We are so lucky we got those V.I.P passes. The lines at Elich's are very long and you almost always have to wait in them for a while until you can get on the ride. Because we got those passes, we then were able to get to almost the front of the line on the Mind Eraser. It was very cool. We also used the passes on a few other rides before we left. My family and I were very fortunate to get those V.I.P passes from that family that day, and it was very amazing.

 All in all, I am so happy that I got to go to Elich's with my cousins during summer break last year. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have been able to go to Elich's last summer. I had such a great time! I love Elich's and I know that I would have so much fun if I could go there again during summer break. I love roller coasters now and I am so happy that I tried to go on one by going to Elich's, because if I hadn't, I still would be scared to go on one. Obviously, I would love to go back, because I had so much fun going to Elich's last Summer with my brother, sister, and cousins. 

Blog #4

My Vacations to Mexico and Hawaii

I have been on some amazing trips in my life, and it is all because of my amazing grandparents. The vacations that I have been on were completely amazing. I have been to Mexico twice and Hawaii once. My family and I got to go on those amazing vacations because of my grandparents, and we are so thankful.

 My grandpa is a doctor, and he and my grandma get to go all around the world because my grandpa fills in for other doctors in hospitals in so many very cool places. When they travel, they get time shares because they usually get to live in the place he is working for many months at a time. They got to stay in Hawaii for four months one time. I think it is so amazing. Because  my grandparents have time shares, they have invited us to go and stay with them in incredible places. The vacations I have been on were amazing, and we will probably get to go on many more in my life.

 The first time I got on a plane, my family and I were going to Cancun, Mexico. I remember that vacation so well. Some of the many things I did with my parents, sister, uncles, and grandparents were snorkeling, swimming, going to the beach, and we also got to swim with dolphins! My sister and I got to swim with the dolphins, but we weren't old enough to ride on them like my dad and uncles did. Two dolphins swam under them and put their noses under their feet and pushed them up out of the water and went very fast. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen, and I was sad that I wasn't big enough to do that. Probably in a few years, we will get to go back to Mexico, and I will be able to ride on the dolphins. Something I also did on that trip was swim with a nurse shark. Nurse sharks are not like normal, aggressive sharks. They are very calm and tame. There was a closed off part of the ocean where the people had a tame nurse shark, and my sister and I got to go in the water and pet it.  It was very cool, and I will never forget that trip to Cancun, Mexico.

 My second very memorable vacation was when I got to go to Port a Viarta, Mexico. By the time we went on that trip, my baby brother was born, so he came with us. That was the very first trip he went on. My family and I were so happy that we were able to go to Mexico for a second time, because it was so beautiful, and we were all so thankful to my grandparents. My family and I got to do so many cool things. We got to eat at vibrant restaurants, go to the city where there were tons of stores by the beach, and set free baby sea turtles into the ocean. And, of course, we went swimming a lot. The experience that I remember most was setting free baby sea turtles into the ocean. My grandparents told us about it. There were marine animal workers that put out a brochure for people to come to the beach and help baby turtles into the ocean so that birds wouldn't eat them on their way into the water. We went down to the side of the ocean and the people were there with the turtles. Everyone got to pick one, and all of my family and I named ours. Baby sea turtles are surprisingly very strong! They kept hitting us with their flippers, anxious to get into the water. We went to the side of the ocean, put them in the sand where they were close to it, and they were off just like that. It was very amazing to see that happen, and I was so glad that I was able to protect them. I will never forget the experiences I had in Port a Viarta, Mexico.

 Lastly, the most recent vacation I went on was to the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. It was absolutely incredible. I got to go to an amazing Buddhist temple, swim in the ocean, go to the International Hawaiian Market, and I also got to eat snow cones every day we were there. I hope I can go back to Hawaii some day, because it was the most breathtaking place I have ever been to. To begin, this was going to be the longest airplane ride I had ever been on. I think that it was about 12 hours. We got to stop once in LA so that we could stretch our legs. Then, we got back on and went straight to Hawaii. It is 4 hours behind in Hawaii, so when we got there it was about 2 pm, instead of 6 pm in Colorado. The airport in Hawaii is very cool. After that, we rented a car and went to the hotel on the timeshare. The hotel was very pretty and big. My grandparents had so much planned for us to do. First, we went swimming. They had multiple different pools, and all of them were awesome. My favorite was one that had a cave with a waterfall going over it. There was also a very fun slide. It was dark, and I hate dark slides, but I decided to try it and I'm glad I did. We also went to a Buddhist temple. It was gorgeous and very cool experience. Lastly, we went to the International Hawaiian Market. It was outside, and the weather was gorgeous when we went. They have so many different kinds of things, and we got to get many souvenirs. Obviously, I loved that trip to Hawaii, and I wish that we can go back someday.

 All in all, I had an incredible time on all of my vacations. Mexico and Hawaii are beautiful, and I hope that my family and I will be able to go back someday. I also hope that we can go on many more vacations in the future. I have always wanted to go to Fiji, the Bahamas, Paris, Rome, and Athens. It would be so incredible if I could go to any one of these places. I have so many great memories because of these vacations, and I would love to go and make more with my family. I am so thankful for my grandparents. We wouldn't have gotten to go on any of those trips if it wasn't for them.

Blog #3

My Choir Concert

Last night, I had my first choir concert of the year. It was very fun. Overall, I think that everyone did a  very good job, and I know that everyone worked very hard. We practiced for the choir concert for a long time, and I think all of our hard work paid off. We weren't perfect, but everyone tried their best, and it sounded good. There were many good things about it, and I had a lot of fun. 

 First of all, I love choir. I was very excited to be in choir this semester because I love to sing. I love to sing, but I don't t like to sing or perform in front of an audience, so last night I was pretty nervous. I knew that there were going to be many parents and family members there of all of the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, which I knew was going to be a lot of people. My family was very excited to go to my concert, and it was good to have them there. They were excited to see all of the music that everyone was going to sing, and so was I. I had lots of fun, and we did a good job. 

 Furthermore, we had good volume. Everyone was singing loud enough for everyone to hear. I was sitting in the very back before it was the 8th graders turn to go in, and I could hear the 6th and 7th graders songs very well. Sometimes it was a little quiet, but then they got louder. After we (the 8th graders) were done, my dad said that he could hear us well, but one thing that he didn't like was how the lights only lit up the middle people in the choir. That was a disadvantage for the people on the ends (like myself) because he said he could barely see me. Other than that, all of my family agreed that we were loud, and that we sang good songs. After I got on stage, and saw all of the people, I was nervous but then I knew that we had to sing loud and clear in order for people to hear us. 

Also, I think that all of the choirs looked very professional. Everyone was dressed up nicely and it made the choirs look very good. Something we also did that looked good was going up to get on the stage. Everyone got on very nicely and there was no pushing. People just went to their spots, one row at a time, and it looked great. It made the choirs look neat and organized, and not sloppy at all. If we had got on differently, I think it would have been crowded, disorganized, and wouldn't have looked neat. But the point is, everyone did get on good, and it looked very nice. 

 Lastly, nobody was messing around or being distracting when we were on the steps singing, and that was very good. Sometimes during rehearsal people would mess around, and I was just hoping that it would not be like that during the concert, and it wasn't. All of the people in choir got in their spots, and did what they were supposed to do, and it made it a good performance. I was also very proud of the soloists last night. There were five soloists last night, and I think that they did a very very good job. I know that I couldn't have gone up like that and sang by myself. I would have been very scared, but those girls went up there and I think that they did a good job. 

 All in all, I had a great time at my choir concert last night. I did my best, and got over my fear of singing in front of an audience. I am very excited because we are having another concert in a few months.  We are getting new songs! Today and Friday, people in band and in choir get to watch a movie and have food because we had our concert last night. It will be very fun,and I can't wait to have another choir concert.  

Blog #2

My name is Morgan Piechowski. I enjoy many things in life and like do to many things in my spare time. I also have many hobbies.  For example, I like to ride my bike, swim, hang out with my friends, sing, and go camping. I also love to spend time with my family. These things and people mean so much, and these are the things that I would like to share with you.

First of all, I love singing. I have never had a passion until I started to sing. I grew up listening to all kinds of music, and it just really interested me and made me want to start singing. I was always in music class in elementary school, but I never realized how passionate I was about music until 6th grade. In 6th grade I was able to choose my electives, so I chose choir. It was very fun, but one of my biggest fears is singing in front of people. In 7th grade I was also in choir. The school I went to in 7th grade had a great choir, and I was in it with many of my friends, so I felt like I could be myself. At that school, there was an advanced choir for the 8th graders called Knight Notes, and in order to get in you had to audition to get in for 8th grade. I decided I would audition, even though I was very nervous. When it was my turn, I walked into the choir room and my choir teacher was waiting for me. She asked if I was ready and I said yes. Then, I started to sing the best that I could, not worrying about what she thought of me. She stopped me in the middle and told me I was in. I was so excited, and proud of myself. I then couldn't wait for 8th grade. Then, that summer we moved, so I never got to be a part of Knight Notes. I was very sad, but then I realized that there were other choirs in different schools. I am in choir at this school, and I love it. I definitely want to be a part of the high school choir next year, and continue to sing for the rest of my life.

 Furthermore, I love to go camping. My family and I are very "outdoorsy" type people. Every summer, we go camping and hiking. It is one of many things that we do together as a family. When school gets out, we start to plan all of our camping trips. We have gone to some very great places. We go to different states to go camping sometimes, and I think that the road trips there are always very fun. Camping is something that I love to do every Summer, and if we don't go camping at least once a year, it is very strange. I love to just get out into nature and spend time with my family. There is so much to do. For example, we go hiking, canoeing, swimming, and once we even jumped off cliffs into a big lake. A few years ago we went to Lake Guernsey in Wyoming. It is a huge lake, and there are cliffs that surround it on almost all sides. We saw them and people were jumping off of them, and my dad has done it, so he suggested that we go and jump off of them too. We picked a 25 foot cliff, which was one of the smallest, and I was scared out of my mind climbing up the side of it. There was a hill going up it, and I finally reached the top. I counted to three and jumped. That moment was one of the scariest, but also the funnest, moment of my life. Obviously, I have many more memories of camping, and I can't wait for summer every year so that my family and I can make more together.

 Something I also love to do is spend time with my friends. I like to spend time with my friends by going to the mall, or just walking around. My best friend Peyton and I spend lots of time with each other, and we always have so much fun. Peyton has been my friend since 6th grade, and we get along very well. We don't live by each other any more, so we don't see each other as much, but when we do see each other it is great. One of our favorite things to do together is go and play laser tag. We also just hang out at each other's houses as much as possible. No matter where we are or what we are doing, we have a good time.

 Finally, my family is very important to me. I have two siblings. An 8 year old brother and an 11 year old sister. I also have two step sisters and a step brother on my mom's side, and a step brother on my dad's side. They all mean very much to me. I love my step dad and my step mom. My family and I do everything together. Without my family, I would be very sad. Spending time with my family means a lot to me, and I also think that it is very fun. Friends come and go, but I know that my family will always be there for me. They always help me in any way they can, and I know that I can count on them. I love them so much, and just being with them makes me happy. I also have some pets that are as much part of the family as my parents and siblings are. At my mom's house I have two cats (named Walter and Willow), and a dog named Otis. At my dad's house I have a dog named Sammy. They are all so sweet. All in all, I love my family and they mean so much to me.

 Therefore, there are many things in life that I like to do in my spare time. I have done so much, and I want to do so much more. I have many hobbies, and there are many things that I like to do. This was just some information about what I like to do, and who I am as a person. Life is what you make it, and you only live once, so I believe that you should cherish it, and enjoy life.

Blog #1

Dolphins

Did you know that to prevent from drowning while they sleep, dolphins sleep with half of their brain awake and half of it asleep? I bet you didn't. Dolphins are my absolute favorite animal. I think that they are so interesting and beautiful. Dolphins are amazing animals, and I know a lot about them. I also love to learn more about them. 

 I have loved dolphins for my entire life. When I am older, I want to go to college to become a marine biologist. My dream is to be able to help sea animals like dolphins. Dolphins are very interesting to me, and I think that they are one of the smartest animals alive. Dolphin brains are the second most powerful and complex brain in animals. Dolphins have large brains. Because of their large brains, dolphins generally live long lives, they form stable communities, and they live in fluid social groups. This is why they are my favorite animal(because they are so smart), along with many other reasons. They are so smart, and they are very social and friendly. I would love to share some things that you probably don't know about them, and hopefully you will see why I love dolphins so much.

 First of all, Dolphins are capable of behavioral mimicry. This means that they can copy behaviors that they see from their trainers. For example, if the trainer lifts his/her leg, the dolphin will raise its tail, and if the trainer waves, the dolphin waves its flippers. This means that dolphins can associate a part of its anatomy with the human form. Dolphins also mimic other dolphins. When one dolphin is about to do a jump out of the water, another dolphin can copy this behavior and jump at the same time. One dolphin is the "demonstrator" and the other is the "imitator". They can also demonstrate behaviors and gestures on a screen. This means that if they see something on a screen(like a tv) they can copy/mimic that too. Dolphins are one of the only animals that can do this. 

Furthermore, something I also think is amazing about dolphins is that they can recognize themselves in a mirror. They can do this by using something called "contingency testing". This means that they make movements while looking at themselves in a mirror for that same movement. They are also aware of their own behaviors, and they can copy those behaviors when asked by a trainer. Dolphins are able to maintain a mental image of the behavior that it last performed, and update that image when they do another behavior. They can then repeat that last behavior in the sequence when a trainer requests them to. 

Lastly, I want to talk about how social dolphins are. You wouldn't think so, but dolphins experience basic emotions just like people do. They get very sad and also very happy. When on of their friends dies, and also their babies, they mourn or grieve. They are happy when they play with other dolphins. Dolphins are extremely social. They travel and live in groups or pods ranging from 2-40 dolphins because they don't like to be alone. I have also learned that their relationships are almost always long lasting. For example, when dolphins meet other pods or groups, they start to participate in a greeting ceremony that we think means that they are renewing old relationships. Another example of how social dolphins are is their close relationships with other dolphins. They have close body contact with dolphins by rubbing, petting, and sometimes hitting each other. Dolphins also swim very close to each other, and sometimes rest their fins on the other dolphin when swimming. Scientists say that this indicates a close friendship. A fun fact is that dolphins have also been watched rubbing pectoral fins as if it was a handshake. All of these facts prove how smart dolphins are. 

 All in all, dolphins are, in my opinion, the most amazing animals in the world. They are loving, gentle, smart, and very fun. Studying dolphins is something I love, and I hope that when I am older I will be able to work with and train dolphins for the rest of my life. People should keep studying dolphins so that we can see all that they are capable of. Dolphins are one of the smartest animals in the world, and I believe that people still have a lot to learn about them, and I hope that one day I can be one of those people.