Hot 96 (6)

This is a picture of my mom, Atom, Shawnda, and me.  It was taken at the Subway in Jasper, IN.  I heard on the radio that Atom and Shawnda were coming near where we lived for their “Nothing Ever Happens in My City” tour.  Since we usually listen to the Hot 96 radio station, based in Evansville, IN, we were informed that they would be there on Sunday, June 19, 2011.  I then went on their website to see what time they would be there.  I was planning on going by myself, but later talked my mom into coming with me.  Since she listens to Hot 96 also, we were excited to be meeting the people on the radio that we here every day.  We arrived about 45 minutes early and we were the first ones there.  The radio hosts didn’t show up until a little after 1:00.  A guy in the Hot 96 SUV showed up about 30 minutes before Atom and Shawnda and he got everything ready for when they arrived.  He started setting up the free stuff inside the Subway while playing loud Hot 96 music in his SUV.  We saw that there was a limited number of Hot 96 T-shirts and tank tops.  A mini-van pulled up next to us and we knew they were here for the same reason.  We wanted to make sure we were first in line so we got out and formed a line in front of the Subway door.  They followed and stood behind us until they arrived.  A whole line of people had formed before Atom and Shawnda even got there.  The mini-van lady’s kids were hyper and went inside to check out what the guy was setting up inside.  When Atom and Shawnda finally arrived in a hot 96 truck, the kids behind us started to get excited.  The two radio hosts walked up to us and asked how we were doing and talked about how they had to get ready in the dark because their power had went out from the storm.  When Atom and Shawnda went inside, the guy setting the stuff up came out and let us inside in groups of about 10 at a time.  The kids that were in there had stayed inside the Subway; therefore, they were the first ones to go through the line and to receive a free T-shirt.  This made us a little angry that their mom didn’t stop them and make them wait in line.  We were told to come in next and were relieved that there were still T-shirts left because there weren’t many.  We told them what size we wanted and they gave us free Hot 96 stickers.  They told us to register for the contest they had going.  My mom and I both registered for a chance to win 4 Holiday World tickets.  After receiving our free shirts, we took this picture with the two radio hosts.  We introduced ourselves and had a short conversation before leaving.  My mom and I were excited that we were the first ones in line and had gotten a free Hot 96 shirt!

Senior Year Prom (5)

This is a picture of my friend and I in our school parking lot after prom had ended.  We were waiting to go inside the school for post-prom.  The theme for this year’s after party was western.  When we were finally allowed to go in, teacher and parents asked for our names and handed us a bag full of goodies.  They put a bracelet around our wrists to signify we were allowed to be there.  We started walking towards the cafeteria where we knew there would be free food like last year.  We got sidetracked by all of the randomly placed pictures of the students on the walls.  All of them had a western border and it said the student’s name beside the picture.  We decided to find each of ours and it took about 10 minutes before we finally found one of them.  After looking at it, we decided to go eat something.  There were tons of different foods to choose from such as pizza, nachos, ice cream (with decorate-your-own toppings), cheeseburgers, and Little Debbie snacks.  After we were done eating, we decided to go explore the rest of the school.  We saw where each game or activity was set up and we began to play them.  The main game we played most of the night was where you slide a quarter and tried to get it closest to the wall.  If you got it closest to the wall without it touching, you won all the quarters on the ground.  We played it at least 20 times that night!  Another game we enjoyed playing was where there were tables set up in a square and there were 3 sets of the numbers 1-9 spread out on three tables.  You had to put your hand on one of the numbers and then the parent working spun a wheel on the wall and it landed on the number.  If you had your hand on that number, then you got a ticket to fill out.  At the end of post-prom all of the tickets were thrown together and tickets were chosen at random to win prizes.  Once it was 3 o’clock in the morning, they made an announcement for everyone to meet in the auditorium so that prizes could be given away.  As soon as people came into the auditorium, kids were obsessing over the prizes they saw.  Flat screen TVs, recliners, and Apple iPods would be given away.  While we were waiting for them to start giving stuff away, I decided to count the quarter I had won throughout the night.  I ended up with about 10 or 12 dollars in quarters!  Everyone kept asking me how I had won that many, but my only reason was because I kept playing it over and over again.  Once they started giving out prizes people were freaking out over what they were winning.  Besides the quarters, my name was drawn randomly from the senior class and I won the newest, black Apple iPod touch!  My friends were freaking out because this was the second year in a row I had won an iPod touch!  This was one of the best nights of my life and I went home to later show my family what I had won.  Since I now had two of them, I decided to give my brother the one from last year.  Hopefully my brother is as lucky this year as post-prom as I was my junior and senior year!

Pumpkin Patch (4)

              This is a picture of my younger cousin Taylor and me. It was taken in October of 2011. On a sunny Saturday, we went to visit Lark Ranch in Loogootee, Indiana. This place is huge! It has a 15 acre corn maze, hay ride, barnyard animals, pony rides, mining of gems site, and a pumpkin patch. The pony rides and extra seating/food were new this year. When we arrived, it was packed with little kids, parents, and teenagers since it is only open for the month of October. The admission cost was 6 dollars which included a hay ride to the pumpkin patch and entrance to the corn maze. Once we paid, we took in the site of everything. To our right was the corn maze and we decided to go through it first. It was in the shape of the Colt’s football team name and a picture from overhead. We were given a map of the maze so we walked cautiously through it. We soon decided it would be way too hard to go through it all and found our way back out. Since it was extremely sunny outside, I took off my glasses and hung them on the front of my sweatshirt and put on my sunglasses instead. We then walked around some more and took a few pictures. Starving, we went into the newly established food place and got something to eat. After filling our stomachs, we decided to walk to the pumpkin patch instead of taking the hay ride. We were set on finding the perfect pumpkin to purchase and take home. My cousin found hers after walking for about 10 minutes. I, on the other hand, could not find one! I bent down many times to turn pumpkins over to see if I liked them, but something ended up being wrong with every single one of them. After finally finding one, we waited for the hay ridge to come back so we could ride it back. While waiting, we took this picture with our pumpkins. Since the ride filled up quickly, we weren’t able to go on it; therefore, we walked all the way back to the barn where we had to purchase the pumpkins. After buying them, we had to leave to make it on time to see a movie that was playing at a theater about 45 minutes away. Since the sun had gone away, I decided to take my sunglasses off and put my glasses back on. When I reached for them on my sweatshirt, they were gone. Do you see the glasses on the front of my sweatshirt by my neck in this picture? I apparently still had them when we finished picking our pumpkin. So unfortunately, I lost them somewhere at Lark Ranch. I immediately panicked and didn’t know what to do. I had to drive home later in the dark and I wouldn’t be able to see well enough to get home. I called Lark Ranch while we were driving away and told them to be on the look-out for a pair of eye glasses that I lost. They didn’t find them so I had to buy a whole new pair of glasses.

Remembering (3)

               Throwing our dark green caps in the air and briskly walking out the gym doors to our school song was bittersweet.  My graduating class was one of the smartest and focused groups to go through our school.  The teachers loved us as a whole and there were very few problems throughout the four years we were there.  Knowing this day was going to eventually come, I took in the sounds and sights of that day.

                On May 28, 2011 I graduated from Forest Park High School in Ferdinand, Indiana.  My graduating class had 111 students and the gym was packed with our families and friends waiting to see us accomplish one of our goals.  The day before, my whole class had pictures and practiced for the actual ceremony.  We had pizza, chips, and drinks for lunch instead of the cafeteria food.  Since it had snowed earlier in the year, we had to come to school on a Saturday and have a “Reality Store” day where people came in to talk to us about our futures.  We had to choose an occupation, figure out the salary, and plan accordingly.  They brought in people who told us about expenses and insurance policies.  We had a group session where we listened to a lady from Jasper Engines and Transmissions who talked to us about resumes and what to (and what not to) put on applications in the future.  She gave us ideas of how to tell the employer why you want the job and what is important to wear.  This day opened many of our eyes and showed us what life would be like in the future.

                Graduation day came and went quickly.  Putting all that effort into my four years of high school made everything worth it.  I graduated with the Indiana Academic Honors diploma and received an honor medallion. I learned a lot throughout my years at Forest Park and the teachers were a big part of that.  They helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses and helped shape who I am today.  They prepared me for college well and guided me along.  Graduation day will forever be in my memory as one of the best days ever.  I, along with the rest of my class, accomplished one of our main goals:  graduating from high school.  Most of us went off to college and are going to have many more goals to accomplish as we get older.  One thing that will be bittersweet, just like high school graduation, is college graduation.  We will then finally be able to get where we were going and to find a job in our career field.

Writing and Education (2)

               As a college student I feel writing is a big part of my life.  With having to write many papers in almost every one of my classes, I know it takes up a large amount of time.  It is how I communicate with my peers, professors, and myself.  This is why I need to focus more on how I say what is on my mind so other people can understand.  In my first college English class, I learned how to write badly and to just let the words flow onto the page.  I realized I had a problem with this because I usually thought too much about the paper and what I wanted to say; therefore, I couldn’t get started.  If I let myself write whatever comes to my mind, I end up changing less when I revise the writing.  Writing badly showed me that I can get everything onto the page and then worry about editing it later.  I also learned that I need to save more time for revising my papers after typing the first draft and before turning it in.  I feel that writing is always going to be a big part of my life.  Everyone communicates through writing and speaking.  Being able to hear some of other people’s personal writings shows me who they are as an individual and how they have gotten to where they are now.  Every paper that I write in my classes helps me realize new things and what I need to change for my next writing.  I still don’t understand why we write so much, though.  I know everyone says practice makes perfect, but will there ever be a perfect paper?

                So far, my experience with education has been pretty good.  I graduated high school with the academic honors diploma and I am in my first year of college.  My teacher and professors so far have been very helpful in showing me how to change things and make certain things better.  I have learned a lot especially in my English classes over the years.  From “be” verbs and semicolons to writing badly and peer editing, I have learned many new rules.  I thought some of my English teachers in high school were strict and asked too much, but I now understand why they did what they did.  They always told us things to be prepared for college and I can actually say most of what I learned has helped me.  Throughout my years of education so far, I feel like I have learned very important things to help me in the future.  With each paper I compose, I learn more about my writing style and ways I can better the next paper I write.  I also learn more about myself through my writings.

Who are you? (1)

Most people perceive me as the shy, quiet girl.  Some may see me as stuck up or rude, but I am very far from it.  In reality I’m the girl people want to be friends with after meeting for the first time.  I care about people and would do anything not to hurt my friends or family.  I would consider myself like the fly on a wall at your local restaurant.  I observe people and how they react in situations.  I love to be quiet and laid back so I can just watch people and my surroundings.  I would really like to become more outgoing, however.  It takes me awhile to get to know someone and become very open with them.  I am better in one-on-one situations than with groups.  If I am talking to one person it seems easier to come out and say what I want or what is on my mind.  With a group, I don’t feel comfortable just blurting out what I think in front of the class.  I guess it’s because I care too much what people think about me and what I say.

                     I’m the 19 year old girl who’s in her first year of college trying her best to do what is right.  I play by the rules as much as I can.  I don’t want to be just another college student who drops out of college; therefore, I am working my hardest this year at school.  I do not usually act on impulse, but I do make wise and thought-out decisions.  I sometimes feel like I think too much about certain situations.  I worry a little too much about things that I shouldn’t.  I’m the girl who does all of her homework.  I’m one who wants to make the best out of everything no matter what the conditions. 

                     After getting to know people, I open up and I am myself around them.  Not many people get to see this side of me.  My family and close friends know the real me.  I’m more outgoing and talkative once I know a person and I say what I think.  I try my best not to hurt any feelings and I expect the same in return.  I am the type of person who loves to have fun and I usually do in just about anything I do with family and friends.  I am the type of person to forgive easily, but some people take advantage of that.  I feel like that is the reason why I am so shy.  I care too much what people think and I know what it’s like for people to betray me.  I am guarded and I just need to meet the right people who will slowly break down those “walls”.  This is who I am and I hope you take the time to meet the real me!