Carlin

Natalie Upton

Lit. and Comp 

Per. 6

December 15, 2010

Carlin

Nine years ago, I had no idea I would meet such a significant and lifelong friend. Her faint freckles from the summer sun and childlike smile only began to describe her cheerful ambiance. Seeing each other at Sunday school every week made our friendship only progress. As our conversations became more frequent, as did our punishments for talking during lessons. 

“Everyone knows the story of Ruth in the bible correct?” asked Mrs. Burke, our Sunday school teacher. 

“I don't.” Carlin responded shyly. At that age, most children would have acted conceited because they knew what is was and Carlin did not. I felt that it was unfair to be made fun of partly because I lacked knowledge on the subject myself, and therefore decided to voice my opinion as well. Carlin's feelings of embarrassment diminished after others admitted that they did not know either. 

I have come to realize that Carlin and I have put enough trust in each other's opinions that it is unnecessary to feel embarrassment when one of us is not educated on something. I sometimes envy her ability to admit she does not understand something. Many times, I would try to avoid the subject or pretend I knew what something meant. More often than not, this merely resulted in further embarrassment. Carlin is very accepting of the way she is and from her, I have learned how to be more secure in the way that I handle these situations. I have also become more aware of how to act when someone else is uneducated in something. I admire her carefree nature, in that, her actions reflect exactly what she feels and she rarely becomes consumed in what others think.

The summer before my first year of high school, my dog, Willow began to get very sick. I continued to update Carlin on how she was doing, but things were not looking up. Throughout these worried couple of weeks, she kept an optimistic attitude and consoled me whenever I was feeling hopeless. Soon after, my parents informed me that we had to take Willow to the veterinarian for the last time. As I stood in the office, the florescent lights blinded even my shut eyes. I knew it was best to put her out of her pain. I held back my tears as my throat tightened and it became hard to swallow. I felt paralyzed; unable to move or speak. When my family trudged back to the car to drive home, I spoke. “I want to go to Carlin's”. Accepting my murmured request, my dad drove me to her house. 

I knocked lightly on the front door. Within seconds, Carlin appeared in the doorway and immediately knew what had happened. I could only compose myself long enough to be lead to her room. We crawled under a blanket and she held me as I cried. 

As many years as Carlin and I have been best friends, we are rarely confronted with sad issues that are difficult to handle emotionally. However, her personality is so fun-loving and idealistic that when facing issues such as these, her feelings are heartfelt and meaningful in consoling. It is not always easy to possess such humble qualities as these, but a great friend constantly works to achieve them. 

Y.O.W

Kayla Shewbert

La per. 5

December, 16, 2010

Y.O.W

            Most teenagers talk to their friends about how annoying or stupid their parents are; not me. My mom and dad are like my best friends, but I wanted to write about my dad, Jim. I know for sure that he isn’t like most dads. For example: when I ask for a hug, instead of giving me one, he says “ten bucks!” Eventually he will give me one, but he just likes to joke around. Or, occasionally at my soccer games he will yell at me and ill yell right back, but I still love him.

            You’re probably curious about what the title means, right? So am I.  This is one reason why I chose to write about my dad. His cluelessness about the teenage lifestyle and his sarcastic humor brighten my day. One night, my mom, dad, and I were watching T.V and when I get up I say “B.R.B.” (For those who don’t text that is: be right back). He didn’t know it stood for, so he spits out; “Y.O.W!” my mom and I look at each other and burst into laughter! What in the world does that even mean? No one knows, but someday my dad will learn.

            Another thing about my dad is that he is a workaholic. Every day he works at least thirteen hours. I know that he works to support me and the family, but he is getting pretty old, fifty seven to be exact, and his body will eventually just stop working. He doesn’t even like to go on vacation and miss work. When the family went to Victoria B.C, Canada a few years ago, we didn’t have any Canadian coins to pay for parking. My sister found an old parking ticket on the ground after my dad asked around for about twenty minutes trying to swap his coins for Canadian ones. He was so frustrated he blurts out, “Are you kidding me! I can’t use that. I knew I should have just stayed home and went to work!”But we ended up having a good time so it was okay. I tell him every day he needs to stop working so much, but he’s just like the Energizer Bunny, he always keeps going.

            One thing I will always remember is the memories we had on the soccer field. It’s very irritating when your dad is the coach because you always seem to be the one that gets yelled at the most. Sometimes he can be histrionic, but it’s nice to see him happy. I know it’s sad for him now because I play for high school and he can’t coach anymore. One soccer moment I will never forget is when I was about twelve years old. We were playing a really tough team and we were losing so my dad was obviously yelling at everyone. I finally got so fed up with it I turned around and screamed, “Shut up dad! You’re not helping!” It was almost like a dramatic pause in a movie; all the parents stopped and stared. I felt terrible after I did this but I couldn’t stop playing and go talk to him, we had a game to win! He easily forgave me, but I still feel bad about it.

            My dad is definitely one of the most inspiration people in my life. Even though everyone’s parents can get annoying at times, I wouldn’t replace him with anyone else!

"My Inspiration"

Della Norton

L.A. - 5 

December 16, 2010

My Inspiration

The fondest memories I have are with my Grandma. She always inspires me with her impeccable craftsmanship and creativity. I will never understand how she can crank out a quilt in nearly a week, or how she creates everything with such detail. Every holiday she sends me a homemade card that brightens up my day. I save all of them. 

I think that part of the reason I am such a creative person is because of her. I would have never been so interested in fashion and sewing if it weren’t for her. It started at a young age. Every time I went to her house when I was little, I would race to the top of the steps and haul down the massive suitcase full of Barbies and clothes. Most of the clothes in the Barbie suitcase she made herself!  I could play for hours with them, constantly changing their outfits. Another time, more recently, when I was at her house, I commented on a pair of colorful geometric pillow sitting on the bed. I said that they were very pretty. It turns out that she made them herself!  

We spend the most time together at the beach. She and my Grandpa built a rustic, electricity-free, cozy cabin right on the water. In late July, we scan the beach for agates while the warm summer breeze blows through our hair. She always finds the amber colored agates that are the prettiest. Spending time with her makes me thankful for my life and my family. 

In the winter we go skiing together at the Summit. To start off each ski day we do the same runs called “Sisters” and “Moms.” It’s a fun tradition that has meaning. She even taught me how to ski! This must have taken a lot of patience, given that she had to watch little Della on the magic carpet for multiple hours! 

One of her favorite things to do besides quilting and reading is traveling! She has been all around the world. Every destination she and my Grandpa reach means a postcard in the mail to Della. Even if I have no idea where some of the places they go are, I still enjoy reading of their adventures. Someday I hope to follow in her footsteps and travel around the world! Another tradition we have that goes along with traveling, is the slideshow of wonderful pictures! I get to experience lots of different cultures without ever being there! 

Lastly, I am thankful for my Grandma, because she inspires me to always try my best and be myself. The way she is always optimistic and looking on the bright side of things. Whether it’s taking a two week trip to Europe, or making a new quilt, she is always up to something new. She is everything I could want in a Grandma, and so much more. I am so proud and blessed to be a part of my family. 

Meeting Leah

Kirsten Kenny

LA, Period 6

12/16/10

Meeting Leah

The first thing I noticed about Leah was her laugh. It was like a snort and a chuckle at the same time.  When she laughed, her cheeks would flush a bright red that was really noticeable compared to her snow white skin. She had long, dirty blond hair that went down to her waist. The thing about Leah though, was that she was always laughing, whether she was nervous or happy.

   It was the first day of sixth grade and I was a nervous, lowerclassmen. I was in my first period science class when she walked in and sat at the same table as me. She introduced herself and was shushed by the teacher. She nervously laughed as she opened her notebook and started working. Over the school year, we talked and got to know each other better, but we weren’t close friends. It wasn’t until eighth grade that I would finally become good friends with Leah.

   In eighth grade, Leah and I had multiple classes together; one of them was Language Arts. We worked at the same table and started talking again. When it came time for Halloween, I was invited over to her mom’s house, for the first time, to go trick-or-treating. Her house was small cozy, with antiques everywhere. Three bird cages hung on the wall holding four colorful, squawking birds. She led me to the guest room. The small, yellow room held a purple chair, chipped white dresser, an antique mirror, and a day bed with a flower quilt. Her other friend came over and we went trick-or-treating. When we returned, she jumped on the day bed and threw her bag on the chair not taking any candy out of the bag. When I asked her why she wasn’t eating any of her candy she responded by saying that she would rather save her candy for later.

After graduation, I have lost touch with Leah. But at one of the high school football games I met her again for the first time in almost a year. Her hair was no longer long like I remembered it but a pixie cut. We talked for a couple of minutes about how hectic high school was like and other things. Then, as we said goodbye and turned away from each other, I heard her signature laugh.

Being friends with Leah really made me rethink my outlook on life. She had an easy-going, bubbly personality that I hadn’t seen in awhile. And while we still don’t talk everyday, I know that she will always have had a positive effect on my life.

Mom

Lauren Shaughnessy

Per. 6

Biographical Narrative

Due: 12/17/10

Mom

            I have always known that my mom is a very thoughtful person.  This has become very noticeable to me over the past year or two.  She to be supportive of everything that I am involved in from school to sports.  

So far, this school year has been extremely busy for me.  It seems like the homework has been dumped on.  One weekend, I had a big project due the following Monday that I had kind of procrastinated on.  I got really stressed and started freaking out and thinking that I wouldn’t finish it in time.  My mom sat me down and talked to me.  She said, “Lauren, you probably shouldn’t have waited until the last minute to do this project, but we can’t go back in time and change what has already happened.  You need to settle down and finish this project.  Freaking out and worrying won’t make it any easier to finish.”  She stood up and walked out of the room to let me get to work.  She poked her head back in and hurriedly said, “I know you can do it.”  Throughout the rest of the night, I worked on that project.  She stayed up later than her usual 8:30 bedtime to help me proofread and sculpt things out of clay.  She took a small break to make us tea and then she came back and helped me finish. 

            After that was over, it really made me think about how much my mom loves me.  It made me realize that she is very willing to give up her time to help people who she loves.

            When I was little, we never had pets, accept for fish, because my mom didn’t like them at all.  When I was in first grade, she finally gave in and let us get two cats.  It was a very selfless thing to do.  Now that I am older, I realize that she really doesn’t like animals but she let us get them anyways because she knew it would make us happy.

            She really loves spending time with her family.  This is a good thing because she is a mom.  She takes off a lot of time from work in December so that she can spend time with us.  She spends her December days baking and decorating with us which is really cool.  I can tell by everything she does that she really values family time.  I really admire her passion for our family.  I hope that when I grow up I share that passion with her. 

Sagie Boo Boo Bear

Skye Kalil

World Lit and Comp

12/16/10

Sagie Boo Boo Bear

            It all started on April 13, 1999. I wanted to go with my mom and dad to wherever they were off to, but they wouldn’t let me come. For some reason I had to go to my grandma’s house. Finally, after a whole day of waiting, my grandma took me to the hospital. When I got there, I got very worried. I thought that something had happened, but when I walked through the door, I was surprised to see someone else with my mom and dad. I had a sister! Her name is Sage Kalil, and now she is eleven and in sixth grade. Ever since that day, my life has changed. I am no longer the center of attention. I had to learn to share and entertain my self. At the time, I hated it. I loved being in the spotlight and having my parents focus only on me, but that changed when Sage came. Looking back now, I am thankful for all that she gave me; patience, caring, responsibility, and understanding.

            Sage and I don’t always get along, but we like a lot of the same things, so we are together a lot. Sage and I both play soccer on competitive premiere soccer teams. I remember when we used to go in the back yard and pass the ball back and forth, but eventually, it would just turn into us battling each other for the ball, and playing keep away. We like playing to goal better than just passing back and forth.

            Me and my sister have always had a pretty tight bond. My parents got a divorce when I was about five or six and sage was only two. She doesn’t remember much, but when my parents were apart, Sage and I were always together. I think that the fact that we see each other more than our parents makes our bond stronger, and I believe that we will always appreciate each other, even into our old age.