Our Last Day All Together

1. Tyyyleeeerrrrr, I also love Chinese food, and wanting to start adulthood, and I used to play a ton of video games also. I will always remember senior year in Mrs. Fraser's Creative Writing class.

2. I was also mistaken for Boo as a child, my middle name is Makeesha, and I am the best friend who hit you in the face with a ball. Live on.

3. Hey Winter, I am also 18 and am very closed off about my emotions too, and I have also had a concussion.

4. 
Hey Georgia, I also love Chinese food, I'm not sure how to use Tumblr either, and my mom also thought beanie babies would become collectible and kept all of ours as well.

5. Hey Bailey! I also want to fill all of the pages in my passport, I used to collect rocks when I was little, and I also love photography.

101 Things About Me

1. I grind my teeth so much that my canines are completely flat.
2. I crack my knuckles when I’m nervous or feel uncomfortable.
3. Ever since I learned about Australia in second grade, I’ve wanted to go on a vacation there.
4. I have been type one diabetic since the age of 10.
5. I broke my arm in the middle of a softball game one time, continued to play, and didn’t go to the ER until 12 hours later.
6. I believe I will always love flannels.
7. My cat, Angel, has been with me since first grade and is mine and only mine.
8. Personally, I think pens are better to write with than pencils.
9. Softball was my favorite sport from the time I was in kindergarten all the way up through freshman year.
10. I started my very first day of high school on crutches.
11. Two days after Christmas I went and got my tongue pierced without telling my mom.
12. During a soccer game, I had a player on the other team cuss me out because I stopped her from scoring.
13. I always feel like I have to be doing something productive, even though I’m only productive half the time.
14. Prom was the first high school dance that I went to… and the last.
15. I’m pretty sure my right foot is ever so slightly larger than my left foot.
16. I am ambidextrous when it comes to doing my makeup.
17. In elementary school, I was obsessed with Will Smith (don’t ask me why, I’m not sure).
18. I used to think that anything lower than an A in middle school would affect my chances of getting into college.
19. Freshman through Junior year I was dead set on going to Kansas University.
20. I can chew a single piece of gum for literally an entire day, and I have before.
21. When I was little, I was naturally a redhead.
22. My biggest fear is drowning.
23. A perfect day to me would involve good friends and the great outdoors.
24. I am a huge animal lover and would never hurt any kind of animal.
25. The first concert that I ever went to was Lady Antebellum and I didn’t know she was country until I was already at the concert.
26. My favorite concert was Three Days Grace, where I lost my shoe and got pulled to the ground by my hair.
27. When I was little my favorite color was pink because I felt I needed to be more girly.
28. I used to play video games everyday for hours on end until I got a job.
29. I hate the color yellow.
30. I am the youngest of four children and was the only planned one (and my parents wanted me to be a boy).
31. I absolutely love reading and have easily finished entire books in one sitting.
32. I qualified for nationals in FBLA and traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to compete.
33. I have been to Paris and London and have seen the Mona Lisa in person (not as extravagant as you might think).
34. I have multiple recurring nightmares involving my cat or my mother dying.
35. I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life.
36. Both of my parents grew up in dog homes, but I have never had a dog before (and have always wanted one).
37. My first home run happened at my first at bat in a game, and at my second at bat I almost hit another home run, but hit the top of the fence and bounced back in.
38. I absolutely hate small talk and any kind of meaningless conversation.
39. You couldn’t pay me enough money to wear a skirt.
40. Freshman and sophomore year I straightened my bangs everyday because I hated my natural hair.
41. I haven’t worn jeans in over a year.
42. I’ve always thought learning the guitar would be a great skill to acquire.
43. My favorite animal has been the white tiger for as long as I can remember.
44. I have gone over 100mph over a frozen lake while riding a snowmobile in upstate New York.
45. I have been snow skiing multiple times.
46. I have gone surfing once, and only got up once over a two hour period (much much harder than it looks).
47. I went through a faze where I wanted to dye my entire head blue…. I’m glad I never went through with it.
48. I love RPGs.
49. I enjoy trail running, even though I’m not the best at it.
50. I have always wondered what it would be like to have a younger sibling.
51. One time I ate an entire spoonful of wasabi… only to throw it up five seconds later.
52. If I could marry sushi I would.
53. I will never cut my hair short, and it probably has to do with the fact that my parents always kept my hair above my shoulders as a kid.
54. I am one of the most honest people you will ever meet.
55. I am constantly reminded by my closest friend of how blunt I am.
56. My first name is Irish and my last name is Polish; my grandmother wanted at least one grandchild with an Irish name.
57. My freshman through junior year of highschool I would have considered myself a metal head.
58. Growing up in Lenexa, Kansas I lived with only my brother and my dad.
59. One time while I was mountain biking my front tire hit a rock at a bad angle and I lost control, running directly into a tree. I did a front flip over my bike and broke it.
60. I used to absolutely hate reading as a child, but now I absolutely love it.

Tell Us A Story!

Mr. Sloth

Mr. Sloth is an elderly sloth of eighty years old. Being known in the jungle for none the less, being slow. His day always  starts with a hearty breakfast…. which only takes him until lunch to finish. And by the time Mr. Sloth is finished with his lunch, he’s ready for a nap. Mr. Sloth REALLY loves his naps and likes to go to new and exciting parts of the jungle everyday to get his snooze on. On Monday, Mr. Sloth packed his backpack and ventured over to the gorilla village, where he fell asleep on their ENORMOUS banana hammock. On Tuesday, Mr. Sloth took his favorite book and visited the tiger village. After reading a chapter from his favorite book, Mr. Sloth fell asleep in their GIGANTIC ancient tiger tree. On Wednesday, Mr. Sloth wanted to dream by the water, and so he decided to go visit the alligators. Mr. Sloth must have been really sleepy because the rock he decided to sleep on wasn’t really a rock! He didn’t get a very long nap that day. On Thursday, Mr. Sloth wanted to visit the flamingos, and so he packed a bag and went on his way… Only to fall asleep on the SOFT feathers of one of the flamingos. On Friday, Mr. Sloth wanted to visit the ants and fell asleep on top of one of the ant hills. On Saturday, Mr. Sloth decided to go on a long journey out to the plains to see the elephants. And with the help of one of the baby elephants, Mr. Sloth was able to enjoy a nice long nap on the back of one of them. And on Sunday, Mr. Sloth didn’t feel like going anywhere new to nap, and instead decided to fall asleep right in his own tree.

Nighthawks

Sitting alone, staring intently at a disturbingly clean countertop with a jet black cup of coffee, my mind races as my body waits. With no one to use as a distraction, my mind reaches for lost memories of my childhood. Images of family dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas begin to flash across my eyes; everyone smiling and laughing, enjoying each other's company. I imagine my mother in the kitchen cooking her famous green bean casserole, while somehow trying to do her hair at the same time, and my brother trying to sneak cookie dough while I would be baking. I close my eyes and I can smell fresh baked cookies straight out of the oven and a wave of comfort washes over me.

I have always turned to thoughts of my earlier years in times of stress; the thought of a loving family that would do anything for one of its own, never judging and never turning a shoulder. It’s these thoughts that make the night time road easier to handle, the thoughts of starting something new and of my own. Sitting alone, still waiting for someone or maybe something, my stare shifts from the counter to my coffee and  my mind continues to race.

Books for Kids

Title of Book: The Mitten

Author of Book: Jan Brett

Is there an author’s bio in the front or back of the book?: Yes, back.

What does it say about the author?: Jan Brett is one of the most popular children’s book illustrators.

Describe the cover in a detailed sentence: A bear, rabbit, porcupine, fox, mouse, mole, owl, and a badger all snuggled together in one mitten in the snow.

Number of pages: 31

List of characters: Nicki and the animals

Describe the setting(s) in a detailed sentence: An old wooden cabin isolated in the middle of a frosted forest.

Summarize the book in 3 sentences: Nicki has two mittens and drops one in the snow. A number of animals decided to crawl inside and make the mitten their home for a night. When Nicki found his mitten again it was very stretched out and too big to wear.

• Have animals as characters? Yes
• Use rhyme? Yes
• Teach a lesson of some kind? Yes
• Have monsters or creatures? Yes
• Have kids as characters? Yes
• Have adults as characters? Yes
• Use humor? Yes
• Have illustrations? Yes
• Use color? Yes
• Use actual photos? No
• Have a more sentimental/lovey tone? Yes
• Lost of words per page? No
• One word or phrase repeated throughout? Yes

What age(s) do you think this book would be appropriate for?: Six and up, I assume six year olds know how to read on a slightly higher level than beginner reading.

Is this a book you would have liked as a kid? Why?: Yes, I have always loved snow and animals.

Author's Bio

Kennis Walenczyk lives in on the south side of Springfield, Missouri with her mother and her adorable cat, Angel. As a child Kennis absolutely hated reading until her father forced her to pick up a book, and finally after many years Kennis learned to enjoy reading. Kennis has now been writing children’s books since the age of 18 and was inspired to do so by her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Fraser.

Childhood Memories

21. When I was a child, I was extremely shy. I was known as that kid in the class who didn’t say much, but somehow I still managed to keep a large number of friends. I never spoke unless spoken to first and I never ever broke any rule that was set. I was what a lot of people would call the ‘teacher’s pet.’ And this didn’t have anything to do with me kissing up to the teacher, I would just simply always get picked to do the ‘special’ little errands kids like to do so that they can get out of class. Thankfully, I am no longer known as the teacher’s pet, and can actually hold a conversation with someone now. From a child to now, I would have to say that my personality has definitely done a complete 180. I didn’t really stop being shy until my sophomore year in highschool when I got my first job (which I still have.) I also now have my own opinions instead of mirroring the opinions of my brother and parents.

22. When I was a little kid, my opinion of my parents was one that could be compared to peasants worshipping their king. I had the pretty normal standpoint of thinking my parents were absolute perfection and knew everything in the world and never did anything wrong in their lives. Now that I am older, that is definitely not my opinion of my parents anymore. I’ve come to realize that my parents are just ordinary people, with issues and mistakes of their own just like everyone else. I have also come to realize which parts of my personality come from my dad, and which parts come from my mom; which is a very fascinating realization. There are certain aspects about both of my parents that I am now aware of that have made a shift in my view of my parents, but I still wouldn’t trade them for any other set of parents either.

26. The house I grew up in as a child was not perfect, but I wouldn’t change it even if I was given the chance to. I lived with only my dad and brother for about six years and I loved every minute of it. We lived in a townhouse, which was two stories with three bedrooms; so it worked out perfectly for the three of us. We were only home for about half the time anyways, my brother and I were always playing sports with our dad pretty much always coaching, and if we weren’t at a tournament or game we were outside playing with the neighborhood kids. Life then was great, my dad is an amazing cook and would make a home cooked meal almost every night, and if he didn’t cook we either went out to eat or would order pizza. Even though my brother and I had tons of friends, we never had anyone over, we always just went over to the other person’s place and I don’t know exactly why it was always that way, but I didn’t care.