MOCK TRIAL:

Mock trial practices started a while ago, but I couldn't be there because of musical practices. I started going last week, only that was to help the middle schoolers with preparing their case. So THIS week was my first week. Yesterday at practice I was told that i was going to be a witness for Macy Paul, a varsity lawyer. I was very happy with that. I love being a witness, but I have been a lawyer. Today when I came to practice, everything was changed. I am now the lawyer for Carol Lein, a freshman, portraying the role of an expert witness. It so very frustrating. You start working on your stuff, then you throw that work away, now useless, so you can start over. That is the way it is all year it seems. With Mr. Chalmers as our coach. Not to say he is a bad coach, because he is good, just easily distracted and slightly complicated. The amazing thing is our Varsity is really, really good. They go to state. Hopefully this year they can win it. We got high hopes. Who knows. Hopefully all this frustration and stress that Mock Trial causes me will pay off one day and I will get a chance to compete in state.

GIVING:

I love the topic of giving, and giving itself. There are so many kinds of giving. The thing about all of them is that you always get back. The feeling that what you give is appreciated. That what you did was good and helpful. That warm cuddly inside. Sometimes even thanks in a written letter or note. Or a big crushing hug. To me its better than getting. Another thing is that everyone can give, no matter what. It can be time, money, gifts, and so many other things! I'm looking forward to the Hero project and being able to give my time for a good cause. Time is so valuable to me and when i can give it for someone other than me, it feels pretty good. I've volunteered before, raking leaves and such, helping out at church, but when you know you are doing it because you really want to. It is so much better. I love that its the holiday season coming up to. There is a spirit of joy and giving in the air. It makes some people stop thinking about themselves for a moment. If everyone could do that a little more often, including me... the world would change. Oh how it would spin...

MAGGIE:

My sister and her boyfriend got a puppy this summer. She was born June 21. A little girl in a litter of 14.German Short-hairs. They named her Lola. They being my Dad's cousin and his family. They got her at the end of August I think. We haven't had a pet at our house since I was in fourth grade. We had a yellow lab named Ally. My mom strongly dislikes indoor pets so Ally was outside and we felt bad! When Maggie, formerly Lola came along, everything changed. There hasn't been a day that she has come over and stayed outside. Just a little sleepy bundle. She didn't bother anythings. Now Maggie is a not so little ball of energy. With her teeth and nose into everything. We all love her though! She is so funny. Maggie plus pickles equals giggles! And lettuce too! She knows when someone is missing from the family and she will go looking for them. When my dad comes home, he will talk to the dog before any of us! Haha. My mom still hasn't kicked her out yet, very surprising. The other night she noticed the deer we have mounted in our living room. That was the most anyone has heard her bark. It was so funny! She is brave when it comes to the turkey though! Its so fun to have her around. Even though she doesn't live at our house she comes to visit. Having a puppy around now is so different then it was when I was little. I miss Ally but I realize I didn't pay much attention to her then. I was so used to always having a dog around it was nothing special. So now when Maggie come to visit, we all have a lot of fun! haha.

HOPE:

The Holocaust is about hope. The people that made it, are the ones who still held on to a glimmer of hope. Hope is the reason we live. We hope for the future, the things to come. They always seem better than the present. We spend our time thinking about the future. There is not a moment in our life when we do not. We go to school so that we can get a job. We practice for sports so that we will be ready to compete. We sleep so that we won't be tired for the next day.We plan our future our whole life. Everything we do. When we loose hope, we don't have a reason to live. There is nothing to look forward to. Nothing for our future so why would we do what we do now for it? I'm sure that is all that the prisoners thought about. If they didn't have family of friends or anything to live for, why would they? They didn't think they would make it through the torture. Through the complete misery. Once they lost hope they thought death would be easier than living. No more empty stomachs, no more forced labor, no more bells, no more guards, no more pain. That sounded so much better. With no hope of a life in the future. "And these three remain, Faith, Love, and Hope and the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

TOBYMAC & SKILLET:

On Saturday the 23rd of November I attended the TobyMac and Skillet concert in Minneapolis. It was a show part of their Winter Wonder Tour. It was also the biggest show. I was there along with 12,999 other people. Every seat was full. When the performers came on stage with their grand enterance the crowd erupted in screams, shouts or any thing loud. From the stage came five pillars of fire. Skillet. They put on a great show with tons of amazing effects. Stages that move up and down, lots more fire, and lights. The typical concert. My favorite part other than the singing, was when he told stories. Before the band sang "Lucy." I wonder how many people know the story behind it, because it a pretty powerful one. A pregnant girl, a big decision, regret, counseling, death, and a name. It shows more who the people singing the songs are. It was an awesome show. Then after intermission came TobyMac & Diverse City. That was exciting. They weren't full of as many effects like fire and a moving stage, but they had moves. Most of their songs were choreographed. That looked sweet. They even took a couple break dancing breaks. They also had an acoustic set with some classics. A few hymns, Christmas songs, and D.C. Talk.  Both groups did a good job of showing off each individuals' talents. Diverse City really is a good band name. They got the classics and then some trumpets and a DJ. I guess that is what makes them interesting and a really good band. They are original. All with different styles and personalities. It was a concert I'm glad I didn't miss.

SET BACKS:

All through life we have set backs. Road blocks that we have to get around. They will slow us down, make us choose a new path, but we will always make it through them, in just enough time to meet another one. When I think of the Holocaust, I think of all of those people who met a road block, so big that most people couldn't get through it. They made it impossible. "They," who were "they"? Yeah they were the Germans, the Nazis who obeyed Hitler. But they were people. How could they have truly convinced themselves that the Jews were not people. They made all of those road blocks. They doug out their teeth with rusty spoons. They watched as people starve. They watched as babies burn, the smell of it filling their noses. They plainly murdered a life and then kept going, with an endless number of bullets, of lives. Did they have road blocks? They made the most impossible for others and went on with their lives. We can make it through the things life throws at us. They help us grow. All you have to do is find another route.

ADAPTATION:

All humans adapt. Its pretty much a fact of life. Its a natural thing to do. We all want the most in our life and we will adapt to make that happen. I think a synonym to adaptation might be tolerance. We tolerate so many things because we can't change them, so we adapt to them. The problem is that we tolerate to much. We let them go just as they are and the issue gets worse and worse. Tolerance and adaption might be the easy way out but its not always the best. I'm not saying that adaption is bad, because in many situations its not. Someone who is allergic to cats needs to adapt to living without them. It just makes sense. In "Night" by Elie Wiesel, Wiesel mentions how one day they were living in their home, the next day their friends and family were sent away, and the day after that they were forgotten. They didn't have energy or time to worry about where they had gone or if they would see them again. They adapted to their new living conditions. The human body adapts to function best. If you are cold, you start shivering to warm up. If you eat a lot of food, you have a high metabolism. That is how it works. You adapt to live. Good or Bad? True.

I CARE: HUMANITY

I care. I really really care about you. About People. Lately I have been doing a terrible job of showing that. I can get so caught up in myself. About all the stress I have. About all of the things that I have going on. About all of my problems. I have been showing that. Showing them my anger in the frustration, when that is the last thing they need. People need love. Thats what makes us so special. We all have so much emotion. We all want to feel like we have a place. That we are accepted and loved. That people care. We want to know who will be there for us when we are going through a tough time. Who is truly our friend and will never turn their back. Thats what everyone wants. Whether they show it or not. That is why we get into relationships in high school when we know they won't last. Because we would rather feel loved for the short time than be without that. We think its going to solve our problems and give us acceptance. That it will be easier. But truth is it hurts. People hurt and we have no idea. The things we go through to feel loved are to the extreme. We have gotten so good at hiding all the bigger problems to the people that care. We want to show them we are strong on our own and everything is just hunky-dory. But thats where I come in. I care. I want to love you and I won't think less of you. If we all cared, maybe people wouldn't have to feel like that. And that would be amazing!