From the second I hit this high school my freshman year I knew my life would change and that I would be learning more then I ever imagined! Since that day on I have loved just about every minute of high school and wouldnt change anything throughout these years! After walking in to my first day of english class with Dr. B I knew I would also learn so much within my english class. Since I was just a baby, my writing had a lot of detail within it but it was never really structured or even very good. As I learned more about writing within the next three years, I learned how to add structure to my papers, and I learned skills that I will need as I move into college and have to write 20 page papers. This year thought I think I learned the most I have within these four years. This year I not only learned different kinds of writing styles, but also how to peer edit a paper and actually care about what I was writing on someone else's paper. I think this is a very important skill in life and I know it will help me to improve as a writer in the next stage of my life. I have had a really great semester and have learned things I will never forget, so thank you very much Mrs. Topham!
From, Megan
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Senior Year
Her eye was swollen and scarlet as an eggplant.
Her heart beating faster then the hooves of a horse,
Cantering through a black forest, unable to turn back,
Crunching the leaves that came with autumn,
As she felt her sweat bead under her green turtleneck
She was running to find an unseen sunshine
As the blanket of night covered the sunshine,
Her feet stumbled over the pre mature eggplants
The forest cut apart her green turtleneck
She leapt over logs and vines like a horse
Her body shook like the trees in autumn
Fighting through the painful scratches on her back
Over her shoulder she looked back,
She could see just above the mountain, sunshine,
She froze as she ran in the crisp air of autumn
Behind her the horizon looked the color of an eggplant
Her legs glided along the ground like a horses,
As her arms swung quickly in the long turtleneck
The length of material grew on the turtleneck
It stuck to her like she had pins connecting from it to her back
Her skin felt rough like one of a horse
The bright flowers on the floor were yellow, like the sunshine
She imagined her feet had begun to turn the color of an eggplant
As she ran in bare feet through the red and yellow colors of autumn
Usually her favorite season was autumn,
It was a time where she could wear her most comfortable shirts, turtlenecks,
Instead of being reminded of beautiful yellows and oranges, she only thought of the ugly purple color of eggplants.
The agonizing pain made her cry out, “ah my back!”
The only thing she wanted to do, which now seemed impossible was reach the unimaginable sunshine.
Once she was there, she would no longer have to worry and be free to ride her pet horse.
The only pet that she had ever had, and gotten when she was 5, Delilah, her very own horse.
She remembered she had to wear a jacket when riding him because it was autumn
She rode everyday into the sunshine
To keep her warm she usually wore one of the many turtlenecks she owned
Once she had fallen and hurt her back,
But she ended up being ok because she fell into a pile of eggplants.
The eggplant had saved her life, and her horse had never left her side.
Although her back hurt like crazy, she could only be happy to be riding in the amazing autumn weather.
Her turtleneck had kept her warm throughout her run and she had finally made it to the sunshine that she dreamed of.
I chose to put this in my blog for senior year because this was the first sestina I have ever written. I had actually never written anything as interesting and new as a sestina and while I was writing it I thought the structure was really awesome! Since usually you dont see people writing sestina poems everyday I thought that this was something special to put in my blog! I think that writing this poem took the most creativity out of me throughout this semester and I even ended up really liking this poem!
Her heart beating faster then the hooves of a horse,
Cantering through a black forest, unable to turn back,
Crunching the leaves that came with autumn,
As she felt her sweat bead under her green turtleneck
She was running to find an unseen sunshine
As the blanket of night covered the sunshine,
Her feet stumbled over the pre mature eggplants
The forest cut apart her green turtleneck
She leapt over logs and vines like a horse
Her body shook like the trees in autumn
Fighting through the painful scratches on her back
Over her shoulder she looked back,
She could see just above the mountain, sunshine,
She froze as she ran in the crisp air of autumn
Behind her the horizon looked the color of an eggplant
Her legs glided along the ground like a horses,
As her arms swung quickly in the long turtleneck
The length of material grew on the turtleneck
It stuck to her like she had pins connecting from it to her back
Her skin felt rough like one of a horse
The bright flowers on the floor were yellow, like the sunshine
She imagined her feet had begun to turn the color of an eggplant
As she ran in bare feet through the red and yellow colors of autumn
Usually her favorite season was autumn,
It was a time where she could wear her most comfortable shirts, turtlenecks,
Instead of being reminded of beautiful yellows and oranges, she only thought of the ugly purple color of eggplants.
The agonizing pain made her cry out, “ah my back!”
The only thing she wanted to do, which now seemed impossible was reach the unimaginable sunshine.
Once she was there, she would no longer have to worry and be free to ride her pet horse.
The only pet that she had ever had, and gotten when she was 5, Delilah, her very own horse.
She remembered she had to wear a jacket when riding him because it was autumn
She rode everyday into the sunshine
To keep her warm she usually wore one of the many turtlenecks she owned
Once she had fallen and hurt her back,
But she ended up being ok because she fell into a pile of eggplants.
The eggplant had saved her life, and her horse had never left her side.
Although her back hurt like crazy, she could only be happy to be riding in the amazing autumn weather.
Her turtleneck had kept her warm throughout her run and she had finally made it to the sunshine that she dreamed of.
I chose to put this in my blog for senior year because this was the first sestina I have ever written. I had actually never written anything as interesting and new as a sestina and while I was writing it I thought the structure was really awesome! Since usually you dont see people writing sestina poems everyday I thought that this was something special to put in my blog! I think that writing this poem took the most creativity out of me throughout this semester and I even ended up really liking this poem!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Junior Year
Moving
The idea of moving has always been an exciting idea in my mind. Having a new house with new surroundings to explore has constantly appealed to me. I have only moved one and a half times in my life, and they weren’t even really what I would call an actual big move. I will be experiencing my first real move in the coming up year and I can’t wait for it!
I moved once when I was two, from the heart of Chicago to the house that I have lived in since then. The house is in the heart of Lake Bluff, it’s in east Lake Bluff, on Center Avenue which is two or three blocks away from most of the activity within Lake Bluff. Going east three blocks you will find gorgeous Lake Michigan at your feet. Turning to go west I live three blocks away from modern downtown Lake Bluff with everything it has to offer. That house is what I think of when I think of my childhood. All of my experiences and memories are in it and the different bedrooms that I have lived in within it. I never expected to love any other house as much as that one, but during the end of fifth grade my mind was altered. In 2002 my fifth grade year, my parents got a divorce. My mom moved out of the house I grew up in, to a smaller more homely house about a half of a mile away from the Center Ave house. Although this was a new surrounding for my brother and mom, it wasn’t for me. The house that we moved into was sold to us by my best friend’s family, the O’Connors. Since I had played and had sleepovers there for years, I knew all of the little hiding spots and interesting parts of the house. My new bedroom was my best friend Maggie’s old one, so that was even less interesting. Buying a fresh bedroom set for my new bedroom was unfamiliar and exciting, but moving into the house and bedroom itself was old and boring.
I have now has two houses for six years, and one for fourteen. I love both the exact same. To me they are both home, I have so many memories and experiences in both that I will never forget. Since 7th grade though, I have been looking for a big change and a new setting. I have tried rearranging my furniture or get new furniture and nothing seems to be quite right. I think it’s finally time for my first real move, and I am glad to know the rest of my family feels the same way.
Three years ago my mom was introduced to my best friend’s father whose wife had past away. From that day on I have never seen two people more in love, or wanting to be together all of the time. My best friend Jessie and I love it since now we are like sisters! For the past three years both of our families have been getting closer and used to the extravagant idea of being together all of the time. Since our parents are basically inseparable, moving in together has turned from just a notion to a set plan. The basic plan is to sell both houses and make one roof over all of our heads. Neither of our houses has enough space to move everyone into, so we are going to start fresh with a brand new home. The idea of moving took time for every one to grasp, especially for Jessie, and her older sister Brittney. The transition to my mom becoming the main female figure in their lives was difficult when their mother was suddenly struck with colon cancer. Then a little over a year later my mom stepped into the picture. It was most essential for the girls to become comfortable with the relationship before any moving decisions were made. Now that three years has past everyone is comfortable and used to the family that has developed.
Spending time together really isn’t the main issue though. We all get along great and don’t mind sharing space, but finding the perfect house to combine our families is the much bigger issue at hand. Although we have made little effort to sell our houses yet, we are getting a jump start on finding one. We have been looking for that perfect house within Lake Bluff and Lake Forest for the past five months, and have found nothing that everyone has absolutely adored. Finding the perfect house is difficult because, all six family members have different ideas for their ideal house. When it actually comes down to picking the house we are going to live in and come home from college to, the adults, John and Carrie get to decide. All four kids have made it crystal clear that we get to have a heavy input though. Since the oldest Brittney, Jessie’s sister, is in her second year at Portland State and plans to only come home for holidays and some short visits, she doesn’t care where we live as long as she has the things she left behind in it.
Besides Brittney though, the rest of us cannot agree on any one house. It seems as though out of everyone my mom has the most input. She refuses to look at, or live in anything that isn’t to her liking. Her ideal house would be a nice ranch house with four bedrooms. She wants the master bedroom to have a huge closet for all of her clothes and shoes with also enough space to share with John. Also her ideal house would have, 3 bathrooms, a gorgeous granite kitchen with lots of storage space, a laundry room, some kind of basement whether its completely done or not at all, a dining room big enough to fit her grandfathers wood carved 9 ft table, a comfortable homely feeling living room with room for many couches and chairs that everyone can sit around in and have long conversations. Also she would love, either in the kitchen, living room or dining room a huge open window which everyone can look at us through as if we are fish in a fish bowl. She wants a big room for her office, since she works in the house it has to be away from any room that could potentially have a lot of noise in it. The space would be used by everyone though for working and homework, so it has to be big enough to have many tables and chairs. John has the second most input on the house he wants, but his lists of ideals are not half as long as my mothers. Since he is a pretty laid back guy, he mostly agrees with everyone my mom wants and is very flexible. The other things he would love are a large garage to fit at least two cars, and have storage space for all of his painting equipment. He will not move into any house without land, because he wants to be able to plant in the front and he has the idea of putting a pool or hot tub in the back. Besides that he is easy going and will agree with the rest of our decisions.
The three of us children have the most on their list of ideals but have the least amount of say in our new house. Although we agree with many things our parents like, we do have some little things that completely disagree with them also. My younger brother Bowen (14), who will be living in the house longer then any of the kids has the next amount of say in the house. Bowen is also laid back and chill, and could really care less about the house accept for his bedroom, the basement, and the land. He wants a big bedroom, since he has been stuck in a closet sizes room for years. He would love to have his bedroom be the only one in the newly done completely carpeted basement, so that he can claim the best part of the house to himself. Bowen wants to have a big backyard to either fit a pool or hot tub, but more importantly that there is room to fit his beloved trampoline. Although his list is short, it is precise and unless he gets one of the three things he asks for I know that he will be upset. He already has somewhat of a problem with moving, so he will refuse to move if he isn’t happy.
Next on the list is my best friend Jessie. Jessie takes after her father when it comes to being laid back and flexible, although she has sternly stated her wants and needs for the house. Jess completely agrees with my mom on that fact that the house should be a ranch. She loves the homely and comfortable feeling to it. Her bedroom has to be away from everyone else’s and if possible away from any big rooms where large groups of people could interfere with her space. She likes to be left alone and distant from everyone at times. Jessie would love a bedroom big enough for two dressers, her queen sized bed, a nice sized closet, and her TV. She would like a newly done kitchen with plenty of storage space and refrigerator space for large amounts of food. The basement has to be big enough to have lots of people in, and in a perfect house there would be a bar. The garage has to be able to fit at least two cars, with room to still store her junk. She would love to have a deck with a pool and hot tub on it, and a small screened in porch looking out to the backyard. The farther away the parent’s bedroom is from this backyard, the better. Besides these things, she isn’t asking for much more. Even if all of these ideals aren’t met, as long as she has a bedroom far away from everyone else’s she will be happy.
Last on the list, with definitely not the least amount of ideals is me! Although I agree with a lot of things on everyone’s list, I have many more wants and detailed ideas for our new house. Starting with the house itself, I don’t want to live in a ranch. I won’t refuse to live in one, but I would rather have a two story house instead. The more space between everyone I think is for the best. I would love to have a bedroom with space for my dresser, desk, and bed, along with a couch if I wanted to add it. Having plenty of wall space to hang countless picture frames is a necessity. To have a walk in closet with room to hang shirts and pants, and have places for shoes would be amazing. My absolute dream would be to have my own bathroom within my room. Besides my bedroom the only other most important thing to me is the basement. I have wanted a huge carpeted gorgeous basement to hang out in for years. Room to put a pool table, or ping pong table in along with a great TV is exactly what I am looking for. I know that all three kids completely agree on our ideal basement, which makes finding it a little easier. Besides that I agree with Jessie and my mom on the kitchen and really the rest of the rooms. I would love to be able to have an office space that is quite to do my homework, and a kitchen with lots of food space and a granite counter tops. Any other room that is big enough so everyone can be together at the same time is perfect in my head. That makes my mom’s idea for the living room and Jessie’s idea for the screened in porch great. Having a pool and hot tub on a beautiful wood deck would be an awesome addition to my ideal house also. With everyone having different ideal ideas makes finding one house for six people very difficult. Even though we haven’t found that exact house yet, I believe that when the time comes and we are in dire need for a house, the perfect one will be ready.
Sixteen years of my life has gone by and I have had little experience about moving. For the past five years I have been anxiously waiting for some kind of change in my life. After waiting for so long, finally being able to start a plan and express my thoughts about it is the most incredible feeling ever. Now that the time is flawless I am ready, my extreme change is going to occur and I have never been more ecstatic in my life!
I remember writing this story and just really wanting to focus on what everyone's thoughts were and how they all combined together. I think this made for a confusing piece which is something i would go back and change if I were to re-write this. After reading this story and looking at my life now, nothing has changed. I think this is funny because in this piece I talk about how excited I am to move, yet we still haven't. This piece though makes me laugh because of how exciting I was at the time about moving. Obviously I wanted to move badly enough to write a paper about all of the different ideal houses because it was on my mind so often. I think I could have focused this paper more, it is kind of all over the place and if I were to re-write it I think I would take it in a different direction and focus on myself more than the thoughts of all other 4 members of my family.
The idea of moving has always been an exciting idea in my mind. Having a new house with new surroundings to explore has constantly appealed to me. I have only moved one and a half times in my life, and they weren’t even really what I would call an actual big move. I will be experiencing my first real move in the coming up year and I can’t wait for it!
I moved once when I was two, from the heart of Chicago to the house that I have lived in since then. The house is in the heart of Lake Bluff, it’s in east Lake Bluff, on Center Avenue which is two or three blocks away from most of the activity within Lake Bluff. Going east three blocks you will find gorgeous Lake Michigan at your feet. Turning to go west I live three blocks away from modern downtown Lake Bluff with everything it has to offer. That house is what I think of when I think of my childhood. All of my experiences and memories are in it and the different bedrooms that I have lived in within it. I never expected to love any other house as much as that one, but during the end of fifth grade my mind was altered. In 2002 my fifth grade year, my parents got a divorce. My mom moved out of the house I grew up in, to a smaller more homely house about a half of a mile away from the Center Ave house. Although this was a new surrounding for my brother and mom, it wasn’t for me. The house that we moved into was sold to us by my best friend’s family, the O’Connors. Since I had played and had sleepovers there for years, I knew all of the little hiding spots and interesting parts of the house. My new bedroom was my best friend Maggie’s old one, so that was even less interesting. Buying a fresh bedroom set for my new bedroom was unfamiliar and exciting, but moving into the house and bedroom itself was old and boring.
I have now has two houses for six years, and one for fourteen. I love both the exact same. To me they are both home, I have so many memories and experiences in both that I will never forget. Since 7th grade though, I have been looking for a big change and a new setting. I have tried rearranging my furniture or get new furniture and nothing seems to be quite right. I think it’s finally time for my first real move, and I am glad to know the rest of my family feels the same way.
Three years ago my mom was introduced to my best friend’s father whose wife had past away. From that day on I have never seen two people more in love, or wanting to be together all of the time. My best friend Jessie and I love it since now we are like sisters! For the past three years both of our families have been getting closer and used to the extravagant idea of being together all of the time. Since our parents are basically inseparable, moving in together has turned from just a notion to a set plan. The basic plan is to sell both houses and make one roof over all of our heads. Neither of our houses has enough space to move everyone into, so we are going to start fresh with a brand new home. The idea of moving took time for every one to grasp, especially for Jessie, and her older sister Brittney. The transition to my mom becoming the main female figure in their lives was difficult when their mother was suddenly struck with colon cancer. Then a little over a year later my mom stepped into the picture. It was most essential for the girls to become comfortable with the relationship before any moving decisions were made. Now that three years has past everyone is comfortable and used to the family that has developed.
Spending time together really isn’t the main issue though. We all get along great and don’t mind sharing space, but finding the perfect house to combine our families is the much bigger issue at hand. Although we have made little effort to sell our houses yet, we are getting a jump start on finding one. We have been looking for that perfect house within Lake Bluff and Lake Forest for the past five months, and have found nothing that everyone has absolutely adored. Finding the perfect house is difficult because, all six family members have different ideas for their ideal house. When it actually comes down to picking the house we are going to live in and come home from college to, the adults, John and Carrie get to decide. All four kids have made it crystal clear that we get to have a heavy input though. Since the oldest Brittney, Jessie’s sister, is in her second year at Portland State and plans to only come home for holidays and some short visits, she doesn’t care where we live as long as she has the things she left behind in it.
Besides Brittney though, the rest of us cannot agree on any one house. It seems as though out of everyone my mom has the most input. She refuses to look at, or live in anything that isn’t to her liking. Her ideal house would be a nice ranch house with four bedrooms. She wants the master bedroom to have a huge closet for all of her clothes and shoes with also enough space to share with John. Also her ideal house would have, 3 bathrooms, a gorgeous granite kitchen with lots of storage space, a laundry room, some kind of basement whether its completely done or not at all, a dining room big enough to fit her grandfathers wood carved 9 ft table, a comfortable homely feeling living room with room for many couches and chairs that everyone can sit around in and have long conversations. Also she would love, either in the kitchen, living room or dining room a huge open window which everyone can look at us through as if we are fish in a fish bowl. She wants a big room for her office, since she works in the house it has to be away from any room that could potentially have a lot of noise in it. The space would be used by everyone though for working and homework, so it has to be big enough to have many tables and chairs. John has the second most input on the house he wants, but his lists of ideals are not half as long as my mothers. Since he is a pretty laid back guy, he mostly agrees with everyone my mom wants and is very flexible. The other things he would love are a large garage to fit at least two cars, and have storage space for all of his painting equipment. He will not move into any house without land, because he wants to be able to plant in the front and he has the idea of putting a pool or hot tub in the back. Besides that he is easy going and will agree with the rest of our decisions.
The three of us children have the most on their list of ideals but have the least amount of say in our new house. Although we agree with many things our parents like, we do have some little things that completely disagree with them also. My younger brother Bowen (14), who will be living in the house longer then any of the kids has the next amount of say in the house. Bowen is also laid back and chill, and could really care less about the house accept for his bedroom, the basement, and the land. He wants a big bedroom, since he has been stuck in a closet sizes room for years. He would love to have his bedroom be the only one in the newly done completely carpeted basement, so that he can claim the best part of the house to himself. Bowen wants to have a big backyard to either fit a pool or hot tub, but more importantly that there is room to fit his beloved trampoline. Although his list is short, it is precise and unless he gets one of the three things he asks for I know that he will be upset. He already has somewhat of a problem with moving, so he will refuse to move if he isn’t happy.
Next on the list is my best friend Jessie. Jessie takes after her father when it comes to being laid back and flexible, although she has sternly stated her wants and needs for the house. Jess completely agrees with my mom on that fact that the house should be a ranch. She loves the homely and comfortable feeling to it. Her bedroom has to be away from everyone else’s and if possible away from any big rooms where large groups of people could interfere with her space. She likes to be left alone and distant from everyone at times. Jessie would love a bedroom big enough for two dressers, her queen sized bed, a nice sized closet, and her TV. She would like a newly done kitchen with plenty of storage space and refrigerator space for large amounts of food. The basement has to be big enough to have lots of people in, and in a perfect house there would be a bar. The garage has to be able to fit at least two cars, with room to still store her junk. She would love to have a deck with a pool and hot tub on it, and a small screened in porch looking out to the backyard. The farther away the parent’s bedroom is from this backyard, the better. Besides these things, she isn’t asking for much more. Even if all of these ideals aren’t met, as long as she has a bedroom far away from everyone else’s she will be happy.
Last on the list, with definitely not the least amount of ideals is me! Although I agree with a lot of things on everyone’s list, I have many more wants and detailed ideas for our new house. Starting with the house itself, I don’t want to live in a ranch. I won’t refuse to live in one, but I would rather have a two story house instead. The more space between everyone I think is for the best. I would love to have a bedroom with space for my dresser, desk, and bed, along with a couch if I wanted to add it. Having plenty of wall space to hang countless picture frames is a necessity. To have a walk in closet with room to hang shirts and pants, and have places for shoes would be amazing. My absolute dream would be to have my own bathroom within my room. Besides my bedroom the only other most important thing to me is the basement. I have wanted a huge carpeted gorgeous basement to hang out in for years. Room to put a pool table, or ping pong table in along with a great TV is exactly what I am looking for. I know that all three kids completely agree on our ideal basement, which makes finding it a little easier. Besides that I agree with Jessie and my mom on the kitchen and really the rest of the rooms. I would love to be able to have an office space that is quite to do my homework, and a kitchen with lots of food space and a granite counter tops. Any other room that is big enough so everyone can be together at the same time is perfect in my head. That makes my mom’s idea for the living room and Jessie’s idea for the screened in porch great. Having a pool and hot tub on a beautiful wood deck would be an awesome addition to my ideal house also. With everyone having different ideal ideas makes finding one house for six people very difficult. Even though we haven’t found that exact house yet, I believe that when the time comes and we are in dire need for a house, the perfect one will be ready.
Sixteen years of my life has gone by and I have had little experience about moving. For the past five years I have been anxiously waiting for some kind of change in my life. After waiting for so long, finally being able to start a plan and express my thoughts about it is the most incredible feeling ever. Now that the time is flawless I am ready, my extreme change is going to occur and I have never been more ecstatic in my life!
I remember writing this story and just really wanting to focus on what everyone's thoughts were and how they all combined together. I think this made for a confusing piece which is something i would go back and change if I were to re-write this. After reading this story and looking at my life now, nothing has changed. I think this is funny because in this piece I talk about how excited I am to move, yet we still haven't. This piece though makes me laugh because of how exciting I was at the time about moving. Obviously I wanted to move badly enough to write a paper about all of the different ideal houses because it was on my mind so often. I think I could have focused this paper more, it is kind of all over the place and if I were to re-write it I think I would take it in a different direction and focus on myself more than the thoughts of all other 4 members of my family.
Sophmore Year
My Very First
The police car drove up to the front of my house, I looked out the window and there it was. I watched as the police man went to my front door and knocked. I watched him knock, but I couldn’t hear a thing. I was hiding now, I heard my mom yelling my name but I just breathed deeply and held her.
One week before-
I was walking down the block to go get ice cream when I saw a stray dog. I always thought that any dog that didn’t have a leash attached to it was homeless or lost. Since that dog was either lost or homeless it was my duty to take care of it and do whatever I needed to, to make sure it was comfortable. My whole life I had dreamed of having a dog. I would put a leash around my brother’s neck and make him crawl around the floor at times, to show my parents how much I wanted one. They always thought I was too young and not ready to handle the responsibility of a dog. I knew I had to prove them wrong. When I saw the stray dog a fire cracker went off in my head that told me, this is the time to show how responsible you are, take this dog and show your parents you can handle it. It was my first time being responsible for something, I had to make sure I did it right.
“Come here, puppy! Come here.” I said to the stray. She walked right over to me, as if she had known me for years. She let me pet her and get close to her. I could tell that she hadn’t been taken very good care of. There were chunks of her chocolate brown fur that were gone, and her light pink skin was showing. What was left of her fur was muddy and felt greasy. I had to take her into my possession and give her my love. As I started to run home she followed. She ran right up to my back door with me. I knew my mom and dad wouldn’t be happy when they saw her so I decided to put her in the garage. I laid a blanket down and said, “Don’t worry baby I will be back in a minute with food for you.” I ran into the house, trying not to be sneaky while I grabbed a couple pieces of bread. When I got back to the garage she was waiting at the door for me. I gave her the bread and she gobbled it down faster then anything I had ever seen. I sat down on the blanket and she lied next to me and put her head on my lap. I talked to her as if she was a real person. Since I didn’t want her to ever leave me I decided she needed a name. I named her Jewel after the girl puppy from 101 Dalmatians.
After being in the garage for a while, I went inside. I knew that I had to tell my mom. A rush came over me and I got butterflies in my stomach, a thought popped into my head. What if she didn’t let me keep her? I couldn’t let that happen, I told myself be persuasive. My mom was sitting in the kitchen making dinner when I walked in. “Hi mom, guess what! Today I was walking down the street and I found this puppy. I know that I should call the police but I don’t think she has a home, and she loves me and I named her Jewel.” My mom gave me a confused and disappointed face.
“Megan, that dog probably belongs to someone. Did you let her go?”
“Nope, she is lying down in the garage I gave her a blanket and everything so she would stay warm!” I led my mom to the garage where she found Jewel lying on the blanket.
“Megan, she has an owner. You can’t keep her locked up in a garage.”
“BUT MOM! She loves me, and she wants me to take care of her. Look she wants me to be her new owner!” I said as I bent down and let Jewel lick my hand.
“No, you know the rules. You are not allowed to keep dogs you find unless you are 100% positive that they don’t have an owner, and if you talk with me and your father first! Since your dad is not here, I am saying no. I will call the police right now.” Without one more word she walked out of the garage and into the house. I sat on the ground next to Jewel with her head in my lap, watching my mom from the garage while she was on the phone. I immediately started to cry. I tried to think fast, anything I could do to keep her for just a little bit longer. My mom walked back outside and I slammed the door to the garage I put the trash can in front of it, hoping that I could block her from coming in. “Megan! You are being ridiculous; the police said they haven’t gotten any calls yet so you can keep her until they do! Are you happy missy?” My mom yelled through the door. I threw the trash can out of the way and flung the door open, giving her a bear hug. “I can keep her for just a little bit longer, really!” I was thrilled! A chance to finally show my parents how responsible I can be! My mom just rolled her eyes at me and walked inside. She knew I wasn’t going to give up on this dog.
3 days went by and the police still hadn’t called about the dog. My parents were getting anxious having her around. “Daddy, do you want to play fetch with Jewel and I? She is really good at bringing the stick back!” I asked my dad as he read the Sunday morning paper.
“Sure, let’s see what this dog can do.” We went outside and the minute my dad got close to her with the stick, she started growling and barking at him. I didn’t understand why this was happening. My dad said that it was probably because her past owners hadn’t treated her nicely and they were most likely male. My dad went inside after that encountering, and not much longer did I hear…
“Meg, can your mom and I talk to you for a second? Put Jewel in the garage and come inside.” My dad yelled from our back door. I knew this could either be great news, or bad news. I prepared myself for the worst. Once I was inside both of my parents were sitting down at the kitchen counter. So naturally I sat down and they started the conversation. “Megan, over the past couple of days you have fed and cared for Jewel as your own dog. Although you have done a fabulous job, we just really feel like it’s not time for us to get a dog.” My dad calmly stated to me. I couldn’t control myself, I started bawling and screaming “No!!” My mom talked through my screaming now. “Calm down Meg, we have called the police and they are going to come get her, she is going to go to a nice house with someone who can care for her, more then we can. You can visit her anytime you want though.” I didn’t listen to a word she said, the only words I heard were it’s not time for us to get a dog. I only grasped the concept of my new best friend leaving. I ran to the garage and stayed there until my dad came to get me.
We watched from the window as the cars drove by. All of them seemed blurry. The black and white car pulled up and it was the only one on the street that wasn’t blurry. He got out of his car and I immediately sprinted up stairs holding on to Jewel’s fur.
“Megan!” Come down here! Megan!” My mom screamed my name throughout the house. I refused to answer her though.
“Come down here with Jewel, right now!” My mom yelled again. Jewel barked and ran out of my hands; she sprinted herself down the stairs and right into the arms of the police man. I ran after her screaming no! As soon as she saw me at the top of the stairs she ran back up into my arms.
“Is your name Megan?” The police officer said to me.
I replied cautiously “Yes.”
“Can you bring the dog down here?”
My mom butted in, “Megan, come down here with Jewel right now please. I promise we won’t take her from you.”
I grabbed Jewel’s fur and held her as we walked down the stairs. We stood about 8 feet away from the officer and my mom, just in case they pulled a fast one on us.
“I heard that you found this dog down the street from your house about 1 week ago…right?” The police officer asked me.
“Yes.” I replied almost in a whisper.
“We haven’t gotten a call from anyone, but your parents don’t think its time for you to have a dog, so she is going to go to an owner that can care for her. You can visit her anytime you want.” The officer explained to me.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew I couldn’t yell because he was an authority, but I couldn’t let him take her away. I knew I didn’t have a choice though. I let go of her soft fur as the officer bent down to hold her. I couldn’t move. I stood at the bottom of my stairs watching my best friend being taken away from me. I held myself back from crying until the officer was out of the house, then I ran to my room and cried for the rest of the day.
One week later-
I had accepted the fact that Jewel wasn’t my dog and that she deserved someone who could take care of her better then I could.
“Come on Meg! The car is running!” My mom yelled to me from downstairs.
I was looking the mirror making sure I had put on just the right outfit. I hustled down the stairs and out to the car. We drove into Lake Forest past what seemed to be a million houses. Finally we pulled up to a small ranch that was painted yellow. I got out with my mom and walked up to the front door. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I just wanted to see her. A lady who seemed to be about 35 answered the door. Jewel ran beside her.
“Delilah. No. They are here to see you!” The woman said to the dog. I was confused, she just called her Delilah. I named her Jewel though? I bent down to pet her and she immediately knew who I was. She licked my face and I felt at home with her.
Before leaving I gave Delilah a big hug, and I knew she was with a good owner now. I wasn’t sad that she was gone anymore I knew that I wasn’t ready for a dog like her and that her new owner would take good care of her. I visited her continuously for a year after that. I had to check up to make sure that she was doing alright. I lost contact with her owner though, and soon Delilah wasn’t the main thing in my head. After looking back on these moments I don’t regret having to give her away, because I am sure she has lived a happy life with her new owner. I am sure she is still alive to this day and still running around as she used to.
After reading this story I can remember those days like they were just yesterday. Although this story meant so much to me as a child, and even during sophmore year this is now just a memory to me and is not important enough to write a story out of. I think that I could have used different phrasing throughout this piece and added a bit of fun by explaining how much fun the dog and I had instead of focusing on points that didnt matter as much. Throughout this piece I just told the story instead of adding small specific details that would have made it more entertaining.
The police car drove up to the front of my house, I looked out the window and there it was. I watched as the police man went to my front door and knocked. I watched him knock, but I couldn’t hear a thing. I was hiding now, I heard my mom yelling my name but I just breathed deeply and held her.
One week before-
I was walking down the block to go get ice cream when I saw a stray dog. I always thought that any dog that didn’t have a leash attached to it was homeless or lost. Since that dog was either lost or homeless it was my duty to take care of it and do whatever I needed to, to make sure it was comfortable. My whole life I had dreamed of having a dog. I would put a leash around my brother’s neck and make him crawl around the floor at times, to show my parents how much I wanted one. They always thought I was too young and not ready to handle the responsibility of a dog. I knew I had to prove them wrong. When I saw the stray dog a fire cracker went off in my head that told me, this is the time to show how responsible you are, take this dog and show your parents you can handle it. It was my first time being responsible for something, I had to make sure I did it right.
“Come here, puppy! Come here.” I said to the stray. She walked right over to me, as if she had known me for years. She let me pet her and get close to her. I could tell that she hadn’t been taken very good care of. There were chunks of her chocolate brown fur that were gone, and her light pink skin was showing. What was left of her fur was muddy and felt greasy. I had to take her into my possession and give her my love. As I started to run home she followed. She ran right up to my back door with me. I knew my mom and dad wouldn’t be happy when they saw her so I decided to put her in the garage. I laid a blanket down and said, “Don’t worry baby I will be back in a minute with food for you.” I ran into the house, trying not to be sneaky while I grabbed a couple pieces of bread. When I got back to the garage she was waiting at the door for me. I gave her the bread and she gobbled it down faster then anything I had ever seen. I sat down on the blanket and she lied next to me and put her head on my lap. I talked to her as if she was a real person. Since I didn’t want her to ever leave me I decided she needed a name. I named her Jewel after the girl puppy from 101 Dalmatians.
After being in the garage for a while, I went inside. I knew that I had to tell my mom. A rush came over me and I got butterflies in my stomach, a thought popped into my head. What if she didn’t let me keep her? I couldn’t let that happen, I told myself be persuasive. My mom was sitting in the kitchen making dinner when I walked in. “Hi mom, guess what! Today I was walking down the street and I found this puppy. I know that I should call the police but I don’t think she has a home, and she loves me and I named her Jewel.” My mom gave me a confused and disappointed face.
“Megan, that dog probably belongs to someone. Did you let her go?”
“Nope, she is lying down in the garage I gave her a blanket and everything so she would stay warm!” I led my mom to the garage where she found Jewel lying on the blanket.
“Megan, she has an owner. You can’t keep her locked up in a garage.”
“BUT MOM! She loves me, and she wants me to take care of her. Look she wants me to be her new owner!” I said as I bent down and let Jewel lick my hand.
“No, you know the rules. You are not allowed to keep dogs you find unless you are 100% positive that they don’t have an owner, and if you talk with me and your father first! Since your dad is not here, I am saying no. I will call the police right now.” Without one more word she walked out of the garage and into the house. I sat on the ground next to Jewel with her head in my lap, watching my mom from the garage while she was on the phone. I immediately started to cry. I tried to think fast, anything I could do to keep her for just a little bit longer. My mom walked back outside and I slammed the door to the garage I put the trash can in front of it, hoping that I could block her from coming in. “Megan! You are being ridiculous; the police said they haven’t gotten any calls yet so you can keep her until they do! Are you happy missy?” My mom yelled through the door. I threw the trash can out of the way and flung the door open, giving her a bear hug. “I can keep her for just a little bit longer, really!” I was thrilled! A chance to finally show my parents how responsible I can be! My mom just rolled her eyes at me and walked inside. She knew I wasn’t going to give up on this dog.
3 days went by and the police still hadn’t called about the dog. My parents were getting anxious having her around. “Daddy, do you want to play fetch with Jewel and I? She is really good at bringing the stick back!” I asked my dad as he read the Sunday morning paper.
“Sure, let’s see what this dog can do.” We went outside and the minute my dad got close to her with the stick, she started growling and barking at him. I didn’t understand why this was happening. My dad said that it was probably because her past owners hadn’t treated her nicely and they were most likely male. My dad went inside after that encountering, and not much longer did I hear…
“Meg, can your mom and I talk to you for a second? Put Jewel in the garage and come inside.” My dad yelled from our back door. I knew this could either be great news, or bad news. I prepared myself for the worst. Once I was inside both of my parents were sitting down at the kitchen counter. So naturally I sat down and they started the conversation. “Megan, over the past couple of days you have fed and cared for Jewel as your own dog. Although you have done a fabulous job, we just really feel like it’s not time for us to get a dog.” My dad calmly stated to me. I couldn’t control myself, I started bawling and screaming “No!!” My mom talked through my screaming now. “Calm down Meg, we have called the police and they are going to come get her, she is going to go to a nice house with someone who can care for her, more then we can. You can visit her anytime you want though.” I didn’t listen to a word she said, the only words I heard were it’s not time for us to get a dog. I only grasped the concept of my new best friend leaving. I ran to the garage and stayed there until my dad came to get me.
We watched from the window as the cars drove by. All of them seemed blurry. The black and white car pulled up and it was the only one on the street that wasn’t blurry. He got out of his car and I immediately sprinted up stairs holding on to Jewel’s fur.
“Megan!” Come down here! Megan!” My mom screamed my name throughout the house. I refused to answer her though.
“Come down here with Jewel, right now!” My mom yelled again. Jewel barked and ran out of my hands; she sprinted herself down the stairs and right into the arms of the police man. I ran after her screaming no! As soon as she saw me at the top of the stairs she ran back up into my arms.
“Is your name Megan?” The police officer said to me.
I replied cautiously “Yes.”
“Can you bring the dog down here?”
My mom butted in, “Megan, come down here with Jewel right now please. I promise we won’t take her from you.”
I grabbed Jewel’s fur and held her as we walked down the stairs. We stood about 8 feet away from the officer and my mom, just in case they pulled a fast one on us.
“I heard that you found this dog down the street from your house about 1 week ago…right?” The police officer asked me.
“Yes.” I replied almost in a whisper.
“We haven’t gotten a call from anyone, but your parents don’t think its time for you to have a dog, so she is going to go to an owner that can care for her. You can visit her anytime you want.” The officer explained to me.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew I couldn’t yell because he was an authority, but I couldn’t let him take her away. I knew I didn’t have a choice though. I let go of her soft fur as the officer bent down to hold her. I couldn’t move. I stood at the bottom of my stairs watching my best friend being taken away from me. I held myself back from crying until the officer was out of the house, then I ran to my room and cried for the rest of the day.
One week later-
I had accepted the fact that Jewel wasn’t my dog and that she deserved someone who could take care of her better then I could.
“Come on Meg! The car is running!” My mom yelled to me from downstairs.
I was looking the mirror making sure I had put on just the right outfit. I hustled down the stairs and out to the car. We drove into Lake Forest past what seemed to be a million houses. Finally we pulled up to a small ranch that was painted yellow. I got out with my mom and walked up to the front door. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I just wanted to see her. A lady who seemed to be about 35 answered the door. Jewel ran beside her.
“Delilah. No. They are here to see you!” The woman said to the dog. I was confused, she just called her Delilah. I named her Jewel though? I bent down to pet her and she immediately knew who I was. She licked my face and I felt at home with her.
Before leaving I gave Delilah a big hug, and I knew she was with a good owner now. I wasn’t sad that she was gone anymore I knew that I wasn’t ready for a dog like her and that her new owner would take good care of her. I visited her continuously for a year after that. I had to check up to make sure that she was doing alright. I lost contact with her owner though, and soon Delilah wasn’t the main thing in my head. After looking back on these moments I don’t regret having to give her away, because I am sure she has lived a happy life with her new owner. I am sure she is still alive to this day and still running around as she used to.
After reading this story I can remember those days like they were just yesterday. Although this story meant so much to me as a child, and even during sophmore year this is now just a memory to me and is not important enough to write a story out of. I think that I could have used different phrasing throughout this piece and added a bit of fun by explaining how much fun the dog and I had instead of focusing on points that didnt matter as much. Throughout this piece I just told the story instead of adding small specific details that would have made it more entertaining.
Freshman Year
From seafood to cheeseburgers, cheesecake factory has it all! The elegant restaurant located in many different parts of the U.S, serves over 1000 people a day! The delicious warm food attracts people from all over the globe, not to mention their famous ravishing cheesecake.
Cheesecake factory is a family restaurant fro all different age groups. The wild paintings and wall designs inside grab the attention of small children. Every corner of the inside is deeply decorated with different animals and shapes.
Over the past weekend I went to this delicious restaurant with my dad. We walked into the restaurant and asked to be seated in a non-smoking section. Our waitress, Alison politely said “Come this way.” We walked through aisles of families seated and enjoying their diner, she sat us down at a window seat. She waited for us to get settled and then asked what we would like for beverages. She showed my dad the wine and beer section of the menu and me the children’s drinks. My dad ordered some red wine and I ordered a classic coca-cola. She offered to order our food right then, but we asked her to first bring the drinks. As she left I looked around first noticing the beautiful wall and ceiling structure and designs, every small design was carefully hand painted. Then I started to look downward noticing the hand stitched chairs and then at the clean kept tables. While I was looking around my dad was trying to deicide between the enormous menu of main courses. I also took a look at this big menu, but unlike my dad new exactly what I was in the mood for. Soon Alison was back with our drinks. My coca-cola was in a plastic non-breakable mug. My dad’s wine was in a clear wine glass, with small designs of grapes at the top.
Alison asked for our main course orders. I ordered the four cheese pasta, the mozzarella, ricotta, Romano, and parmesan all atop of warm sort pasta with a sprinkle of basil sounded perfect. My dad ordered his favorite, honey-maple pork tenderloin. It came with hot mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. The tenderloin had been soaked in a honey based marinade to give it its exquisite honey taste. It took about 20-30 minutes for Alison to come back with our food. By the time she was back we were starving and ready to eat! Both of our courses came on huge platters. Most of both of the plates were covered with delicious looking food. We both dove in waiting until for every bite the scrumptious food hit our taste buds.
After we were done eating our main course’s it was time for the desert. Alison waited for us to look at the menu of cheesecakes and then asked what we would like. I ordered the Oreo cheesecake. It was a delicious chocolaty treat. It had layers of Oreo on top of a thick creamy cheesecake. Around the plate was a swirl of chocolate syrup. My dad ordered the Kallua cocoa coffee cheesecake. His was creamy chocolate mousse and a chocolate gouache cheesecake covering a rich dark chocolate brownie.
By the time we were done eating all of our courses we were very full. Alison came back to collect our payment. After we had paid and left a tip on our table, we got up and walked towards the front door. Just as we were leaving the lady at the front desk said “Thank you for coming! Hope to see you back here soon!” I knew for sure we would be back within a few weeks.
Since freshman year I would hope I have learned a lot, but especially about writing. Looking back on this critique I find myself laughing at the fact that I used the word I so often instead of explaining more about the restuarant like a normal critique. I really like that I used so much detail within this piece and I will continue to use detail and description in all of my pieces. I can remember wanting to focus on the food mostly when describing this restaurant because it is all so good!
Cheesecake factory is a family restaurant fro all different age groups. The wild paintings and wall designs inside grab the attention of small children. Every corner of the inside is deeply decorated with different animals and shapes.
Over the past weekend I went to this delicious restaurant with my dad. We walked into the restaurant and asked to be seated in a non-smoking section. Our waitress, Alison politely said “Come this way.” We walked through aisles of families seated and enjoying their diner, she sat us down at a window seat. She waited for us to get settled and then asked what we would like for beverages. She showed my dad the wine and beer section of the menu and me the children’s drinks. My dad ordered some red wine and I ordered a classic coca-cola. She offered to order our food right then, but we asked her to first bring the drinks. As she left I looked around first noticing the beautiful wall and ceiling structure and designs, every small design was carefully hand painted. Then I started to look downward noticing the hand stitched chairs and then at the clean kept tables. While I was looking around my dad was trying to deicide between the enormous menu of main courses. I also took a look at this big menu, but unlike my dad new exactly what I was in the mood for. Soon Alison was back with our drinks. My coca-cola was in a plastic non-breakable mug. My dad’s wine was in a clear wine glass, with small designs of grapes at the top.
Alison asked for our main course orders. I ordered the four cheese pasta, the mozzarella, ricotta, Romano, and parmesan all atop of warm sort pasta with a sprinkle of basil sounded perfect. My dad ordered his favorite, honey-maple pork tenderloin. It came with hot mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. The tenderloin had been soaked in a honey based marinade to give it its exquisite honey taste. It took about 20-30 minutes for Alison to come back with our food. By the time she was back we were starving and ready to eat! Both of our courses came on huge platters. Most of both of the plates were covered with delicious looking food. We both dove in waiting until for every bite the scrumptious food hit our taste buds.
After we were done eating our main course’s it was time for the desert. Alison waited for us to look at the menu of cheesecakes and then asked what we would like. I ordered the Oreo cheesecake. It was a delicious chocolaty treat. It had layers of Oreo on top of a thick creamy cheesecake. Around the plate was a swirl of chocolate syrup. My dad ordered the Kallua cocoa coffee cheesecake. His was creamy chocolate mousse and a chocolate gouache cheesecake covering a rich dark chocolate brownie.
By the time we were done eating all of our courses we were very full. Alison came back to collect our payment. After we had paid and left a tip on our table, we got up and walked towards the front door. Just as we were leaving the lady at the front desk said “Thank you for coming! Hope to see you back here soon!” I knew for sure we would be back within a few weeks.
Since freshman year I would hope I have learned a lot, but especially about writing. Looking back on this critique I find myself laughing at the fact that I used the word I so often instead of explaining more about the restuarant like a normal critique. I really like that I used so much detail within this piece and I will continue to use detail and description in all of my pieces. I can remember wanting to focus on the food mostly when describing this restaurant because it is all so good!
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