Hey Amanda! I could picture a shelf in a garage loaded with dusty books! I lo9ved how you gave a book review and then told what it meant to you. Although, I don't like to read nearly as much as you do, this book sounds interesting! I liked how you gave it a story of its own, being lost and found again. It all connected. I couldn't tell you how many things I've lost, and found them in a very common spot. I can’t wait to hear more from you!

Hey! I have always wondered the same things about my Great Grandma, too!
I loved how you guessed what she may have been praying for, and hoping for. I also thought it was cool how you opened us up into her life, just by giving us her thoughts. Sometimes, it’s hard to read stories about other people’s lives, but this was interesting. You did awesome! I can’t wait to hear more from you

Hey Josh! Your piece was very interesting! I know about the dangers of explosives. Pictures of the victims I've been around and seen were running through my head as I read on. I liked how you through in some minor facts to make the big ones, seem huge! I liked how he finally saw that being good, is better! I liked how this story, is about someone else. its not about you, and that made it different from everyone else! I can’t wait to read the rest of your work!

HI! This piece was so cool! i loved how you wrote it in the different times, it made it so much easier to visualize what you were describing! Also, you use some amazing words to describe everything! Even if it wasn't an extravagant word, the small words still had a way of coming off of the page. I loved how the spacing was like a book. You could be an author one day! Keep up the good work. I can’t wait to see what else you can come up with!

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I loved how open everyone can get! I liked having everyone being assigned different people, so that we can experience everyone’s writings. This projects was very cool! I love being able to write in ways that we chose because it’s what we know were comfortable with and we excel easier. I loved how McKenna made it feel like I knew her grandmother. My grandma is religious and after I read this story, I began thinking about my grandmas home and memories of her to see if we had a similar experience. Reading everyone else’s pieces either reminded me of something, or made me think of similar times. This was very cool!

I Love You Darlin

 

As the sun set, it seemed to set the sky on fire. Like a pastel painting, sending streaks of pink, orange, light blues and purples and red through the clouds. The tree lines seemed to turn black out of courtesy to keep attention set on the sky. The sound of the glowing crackling fire along with the screams of sequetas keeping you content enough to sit still long enough to adore the falling sun. The smell of the fire and the warm cup of hot chocolate keeping smiles on the faces of anyone near. Grandpa, got up from his chair to get the red Colman lantern. He came back with a smile of his face that seemed to extend from ear to ear, and asked, “Want to play Jenga?” he must have seen the confusion in my eyes, because without another word, he was dumping the blocks on the fold up plastic table and stacking them up, three blocks at a time, changing the direction with each stack.

He closed his lips and lowered his neck down below is big shoulders, pulled the small block out of the middle with his big fingers. He put it up on top and before I know it, all of the lose pieces have been removed and all that’s left for me to grab are the few blocks that are holding the whole thing together. In this game of luck, I seem to have held all of the luck to myself. The tower of blocks wobbled and shook but to my surprise, it stayed standing even though gravity was dragging it down, and trying to destroy it, the tower stood taller. Grandpa pursed his lips again and stuck his fingers into the tower pulling a block out. I’m not sure if the concentration in grandpa’s eyes tipped it over, or if gravity got the best of the shaky tower. As the tower tumbled to the table, grandpa yelled one of the most startling, loud sounds I’ve ever heard. “YAAAAAAYOOOOOOO!”  He screamed after the shock of his overwhelming booming holler, I laughed. Of course, we played all night.

 My mom appears from the camper holding my baby brother. By the way she was racing towards me, I should have known to run for the hills, but I was too busy playing. She drowned me in the nasty bug spray that smells like nothing you’ve ever smelt. The kind of spray that has the nasty sent that almost repels people as well as bugs. Grandpa, must have been bored of playing Jenga because he took advantage of the disruption. “How about a story?” I hoped up in his lap and waited for him to begin. “ four little Labradors, went to town to get ice  cream” there was something about a troll stopping them and the way the poor dogs got away by giving the troll some burnt brownies. I begged and begged him for more stories. It’s the same story he tells every time he shares one, about Indian Joe, and he jumps out of the bushes and yells. As grandpa shouts “EYE-YI-YI” he sort of threw me into the air. The later the night drew on, the quieter and more clam the stories got.

As we sat there in the blue camp chairs, the fire glowed under ash from the logs that were devoured by flame. The bugs got quieter and the lightning bugs ran out of light. The coyotes howled into the moon light as they searched for a poor lonely animal to feast on. We decided to close up camp. We folded the chairs and put away the hot cocoa mix. Before he turned off the lantern, I ran up and hugged him. He picked me up and hugged me tight against his chest into what he called a “bear hug”. Just before he set me down, he whispered into my ear, “I love you punkin.”

 

“I Am” Poem

Jumping into the cold lake at the beginning of April because someone said I wouldn’t.

Double scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream at 10 pm on a cold December night

Jamming out to one direction with my best friend because we haven’t seen each other in a while.

Late night conversations talking about everything in my life

Going into dads man cave with hot wings so that I can watch the chiefs game with him

Only eating the homemade dumplings in Nanas chicken soup

Sneaking out of the house to get donuts with cousins to get at 5am

Sinking my toes into the cool white sand after 1 year away from Destin Florida

Eating brown bear sandwiches late at night, skittles on the back of the golf cart, lasagna at the dining room table, fishing off the dock, hiking down the “secret” trail, listening to grandpas endless Indian Joe stories, watching George of the jungle and the Princess bride and having tea parties at grandma and grandpas house over spring break.

A blonde teddy bear with glittery hair, cleverly named glitter when I was 3, given to me by Grandma Martha

Making Grandma Martha proud, being able to brag about how good I’m doing, even if I had to exaggerate because I’m not doing so hot.

Driving a four-wheeler until I run out of gas, waiting on dad to bring more gas, and riding off until I run out again.

Picking up the mess of a pile of rubble that once was called a house, but was taken by a lightning strike.

Carrying around all the babies at the family reunion, constantly hearing how great of a mother I’ll be, even if I am only 14.

Playing with babies and Barbie’s all day and night long with the company of my twin cousins.

Eating DiGiorno pizza and drinking diet coke, around the table with papa playing monopoly day after day when it’s too hot to play outside

Shopping with mom to find cute dolphin glass figures, if we can afford them

Missing a car like a person, after a drunk man stole it and wrecked into a tree.

Being closer to distant family more than 1^st and 2^nd relatives and looking forward to the two days a year I get to see that family, possibly being more excited than Christmas morning when I get to see them

Bringing home a small gray kitten for mom, but adopting the cat as my own, making it my best friend, a doll to dress, even though she hated that more than anything.