Today my only story is my emotions and they are all over the place, honestly they make a terrible story. They are love, fear, sadness, happiness and excitement. I'm sure there are a few that I missed. And they all exist in one place, my heart. So, bring on the last day of classes.

My best friend, Bethany Knibbe, made me cry today. She had me listen to "our" graduation song. It was so depressing!! I love her soo much!!
(Whenever You Remember-Carrie Underwood, just sayin)

I don't need to fall in love with the perfect guy. I found my soulmate three and three-quarters years ago, in September, on the first day of school. She's my best friend.

You can find my presentation here.

Reflection:
    What I found most challenging about this project was finding things that related to topics that I wanted to use. Even if it was something that you could find that connected the world in America, that didn't mean that you could find it in Philadelphia to take a picture and to really show that it was a part of my life. Even though I know that the world is connected, I didn't realize how much of that you could actually see or how to connect the things we saw everyday with that knowledge. To collect images I started with topics that I knew I would want to go over and then I seriously thought about where I have seen those things in my daily life. For example, I used the Salvation Army as a representation of international organizations which didn't occur to me until I really sat down and thought about organizations that I saw everyday. I had the information I needed on globalization and I had the knowledge of the things I was surrounded by, the problem was really pulling those two things together. And once I did I went around my own neighborhood and the school's neighborhood and I took pictures with my camera.
    My favorite picture is the picture of fruit from Trader Joe's because I went there in the first place because I knew that we got our fruit from other places. What I loved the most was that Trader Joe's is so out there with it, they really show you where we get our food. And the picture in the presentation shows two different foods from two totally different places in the same place. I think that once you really take a step back and look that Philadelphia has more than enough examples of globalization all over the place. Sometimes it's hard to see that because we live here, but it's so obvious when you take a closer look. And as far as Philadelphia is compared to other places, I would say that if it isn't well above other places then it is definitely even. Maybe New York has more diversity, it is a huge eastern city. I think that it's just difficult to see globalization in a place where you are so much a part of the society.

June 14th is almost here. I hope that everyone said everything they needed to say. Because for some things facebook just don't cut it and graduation isn't so far away.

Moved back in with my grandmommmmm. Going to be gone come August anyway.

Sometimes watching movies helps you realize things about your own life. It's amazing.

Today I played wiffle ball with my sister, brother, father, step-mom and my sister's friend, Sam. They put me, Sam and Giana on a team. And my father, brother who is on a baseball team and my step-mom on a team together. We lost 5-4 in the last inning. Damn.

I struggled through a death, a viewing, a funeral
Whilst being the hand that others gripped,
But didn't have your hand to hold as hot tears fell from my eyes
And sobs ripped so thoroughly through my throat that I could barely speak.
I didn't have your strong arms to protect me from violent shaking
Or your soft lips to kiss away the hammering in my head.
I was one to be had, but had no one, not even you.

Marchella made an extremely good point. It's a good thing teachers don't hear our conversations.

Today my friend told me that he wouldn't want my life because everyday I look so smiley and happy, when in reality I deal with things he could never deal with. I guess I was better at acting then I thought.

Today appears to be a bad day as far as senior attendance. I sincerely hope that this doesn't keep up because I hate to see my teachers in a bad mood.

There comes a time when we all have to learn to live life in the moment. If we live in the past we'll never truly move forward and if we only live for the future we'll never notice the joy that surrounds us in the present.

Prom wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be. ​

Having a mini-heart attack because of prom tomorrow. Plus, I still need Lat to sign my sheet. I'm totally thrown off.

If I lived in a world of my own it would be anything but a wonderland, those obviously don't work. Mine would be a heart, a pure heart, a brave heart, your heart.

 Was attacked by little people as I came into work today. I love being an associate teacher.

Today I watched From Hell​ and boy, did it freak me out. I hate horror movies based on actual events.

I think I may have broke my life... My personality goes well beyond what my parents passed down.

Today was National Kiss Day. First of all, who even came up with that? And second of all, did we really need another day to make all of the single people feel like garbage? Absolutely not. I was lonely today. However, my incredibly wonderful guy best friend made sure that I got a kiss today and hoped that I'd feel better... I do.

Today is just another day that you hold it together when you're on the verge of falling apart. Turns out, even being in school makes you stronger.

I've recently been reading Wicked (I'm half-way through it) and I feel like I'm reading about a twisted version of the world that I'm currently living in. Also, I quite enjoy Elphaba and I'm awfully disappointed in the death I read about last night. ='[

My younger siblings made confirmation today, can't find it in myself to be really proud of them.

"You're sabotaging my ferret loving!!!"- Bethany Knibbe. <3

​I'm the girl who would run to the street and dance in endless circles as the rain poured down. I wouldn't think twice about the fact that it's cold, I could catch pneumonia, I look a mess or that the world looks at me as crazy. I love the rain, but I would never wish it upon you. I'm the girl that cries through everything, anger, sadness, happiness, love, but I would never wish for any warm tears to fall from your eyes regardless of the cause. If parts of my skin become blue and purple than it's just another day living the life of a klutz and I enjoy the pretty colors that mark up the paleness of my skin because it means that I did something and had a laugh (yes I laugh at my own physical pain sometimes), but I would destroy the table that left a bump on your head even though you're the one that hit the table. If I get hit by someone that found a reason to use physical force because of a disagreement, I would accept it and walk away to avoid anymore conflict, but if you were to be hurt by anyone they would cower away from even the slightest of my touches because everyone fears the fires of hell. The world can turn against me, but as long as I have you by my side I'm where I want to be. As for you, if you should ever need me I'll never be more than a phone call, a hug, a tear, a heartbeat away.

Wherever you lead I will follow because I know the path you take leads the way home.

"Whether you believe it or not, night. Love you."
Surprisingly enough, even after all of the yelling and cursing... I did.

Sometimes what you want needs to be fought for.

​Sources:
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Images:
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Reflection:
When i was 12, I went to school and then I went to my babysitter's house and did homework and went out and later on I would fight with my mom and go to sleep. I never had to work or do anything, everything I ever needed was handed to me even if everyone else had to work really hard for it. Plus, there are labor laws and in the city it's a little difficult to have your own garden, though my neighbors form Albania tried. I don't know what I really expected from Bolivia, but I don't think that this was it. I even anticipated having to chip in to help the family out, but a child that goes right home to work when they have homework and have to study, that was something I didn't expect. How do you even do well in school when you have so much to do? And there are really, really high drop out rates which isn't good for anyone. And in 40 years they'll probably still be where they were when they were 12, only they won't be going to school and they'll be supporting they're families.

I'm just a girl living her life on autopilot. I wake up every morning and put on my smiling mask. And you'll see a girl that could go on for miles because I'd never let you see I'm just another, everyday, broken soul today.

This morning you smiled at me and all I felt was your warmth.
This afternoon you looked down at me with sad eyes and I felt your pain.
This evening you glared in my general direction and I felt your coldness.

Yesterday you held me close for a few infinite minutes and touched my forehead with your gentle lips.
Today you looked through me, turned away and kept walking in the opposite direction.
And who knows what tomorrow will bring.

You change in an instant, it never takes even a word. My very being make you run between happiness, sadness, anger and so many things in between. And eventually you'll come back to me in happiness and walk away in anger all over again. And I'll still accept you willingly and watch you leave with tears in my eyes and then I will straighten my back and keep walking through life as best I can as the cycle repeats itself over and over.

Went to Nifty Fiftys with my parents, my stepdad and my baby sister to celebrate our birthdays.. It was fantastic.

Maybe one day all of the mistakes will seem like blessings.

The first day of school after spring break, I spent the entire day wishing I had already graduated.

Last night at midnight as I began to doze off, my father walked in... And made me go get... My Easter basket.

Seasons come and seasons go, but where it ends we'll never know.

Spent the day at work and had a productive day.. now I'm going down the shore. =]

"Jen, stop being a bucket dipper!"- My little sister, Giana.

Went to a carnival the other day with my cousin and her boyfriend and his friend and my Sammie. Had a lot of fun, went on rides, watched people pole dance and my cousin's friend won me a tiger. I love good nights.<3

Our eyes met and the rain began... Guess that's an omen.

Graduation's winding closer and senioritis is kicking in, but not the lazy kind. The kind of senioritis when you realize how little time you have with the people you love before your entire life changes, you see your family less and you barely see your friends at all. The kind when you understand that your time to fix things is limited, your days to apologize for mistakes is numbered and you spend more of your time trying to get your life in order than you do on your school work. Instead of writing papers you wait for your free period the next day and you spend that night with your baby sister and your mom. Instead of working on your math homework you go out with your friends that you'll live hours away from in a few short months. As graduation comes closer I become more afraid and I let that fear alter the type of student that I have been all these years. I'm not saying this is okay, I'm just making sure it's known that I have a reason even if it doesn't seem like a very good one because the people I love come before anything and I've never been very good with change.

My benchmark is up and running and it's going okay. I'm finding that it is really difficult to write things like statuses in different voices for my characters because it isn't even like a journal where you're personality really comes out in your grammar and vocabulary. So, I'm using a lot of actions to describe characters and develop relationships, but it just doesn't feel the same. But, I'm hitting the main parts of my time line and doing okay at giving people an idea of what my characters are like. It's weird for me, I didn't realize how awkward this benchmark was going to make me feel. Luckily, the main event is coming soon so we'll see.

My benchmark is not looking so hot right now. I'm working on it. It's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be to get the characters the way that I want them and to figure out how much time to build and where to put things and I really need to get working.​

Benchmark:
View here.




Reflection:
For my benchmark I chose to research North Korea, East Asia, and the Philippines, Southeast Asia. When I started this project I chose my countries and then, starting with the Philippines, I went into the CIA Factbook. I started up a document where I took notes and kept links that I used for information. I then began researching the two countries, again with the Philippines first, based on the "five-point framework" from Collapse. I went through articles from trusted news sources, articles from big organizations, and sifted through everything. As I went I took down information that I thought would help my process and kept track of the links I used to find the information. After I repeated the process for North Korea, I went through each of the five points and considered all of the information on my document and I rated them based on the countries' issues and how well they were able to handle it, for example the Philippines got a low rating for climate change because climate change could devastate their environment and ability to maintain food sources but they weren't at the bottom because they're making efforts to solve this situation. When using the five-point framework I found myself having a little bit of trouble. I didn't want to rate too high or too low and I wanted to make sure I was honestly taking different parts of each topic into consideration and not just surface level knowledge, like that North Korea has a high rate of water pollution; I also considered the effects and the weight of those effects on things like survival, economy and trade. So, rating took a little bit of time. If I could change one thing about my product I would add more diagrams, not just information and pictures of things that are being done, but statistics, diagrams and charts because they get a lot of information out in a tiny bit of space which would have saved me some writing.

Woke up, stumbled out of bed, and got dressed in black pants, boots and the sweater he bought me. I brushed my teeth and hair and did my makeup half halfheartedly because it would be running down my face later anyway. We all left to go to my grandmom's, while there I drained a can of Pepsi because I'd need the caffeine today. I sat in the room full of people draped in black until the limo came. Then I jumped in the truck with my stepdad and little brother and made my way to the funeral home, he was exactly how we had left him last night; face stuffed with cotton, makeup everywhere, cold and hard. They made it look like he was smiling, but it wasn't his smile. The room seemed to grow smaller in the hour we all sat there, maybe 20 of us all together. We took turns going up in groups, holding his cold hands and each other's warm ones. Tears broke through everyone's blank masks, sobs ripped up the throats of the more emotional people. Everyone there held each other close while the priest spoke words of kindness before leaving to prepare for the mass we were holding at ten for anyone that happened to show up.
We all watched as they closed the casket; cue more tears and sobs, long hugs and gripped hands keeping us all connected to one another even when we were farther apart. My cousin, Patrick, and I grabbed a ton of tissues before we followed the casket out to the front where our marked cars sat, we climbed in and made our way to the church. Inside we were surrounded by statues of saints and mock-up scenery of a desert that Jesus walked through for forty days before being crucified. His casket stood in the middle of the aisle before the alter, a white sheet laid over it with golden crosses embroidered in it and a crucifix lying where his head was against the white pillow inside. I walked by to the altar to read from "The Prophet Isaiah" and again to go back to my seat to watch and listen to the rest of the mass. When the mass had ended I followed the casket back out of the church and watched as the funeral home director placed a flag over him.
We then went to the cemetery; the memorial for veterans, he fought in Korea. We sat there waiting for what seemed like hours and then followed a National Guard soldier to a small place with a white sheet overhead. We barely felt the cold wind bite at our faces as rifles rang out, every bullet piercing the heart of every one gathered there. We listened with hot tears making tracks down our faces as a soldier played Taps and a flag was presented to my grandmother. And then we left, leaving a little piece of ourselves there within a casket, within him.

When I woke up this morning I got to enjoy a hot shower, finally, with my ferret running around the bathroom floor and attacking my clothes. What a brilliant way to start the day, so why don't I feel so brilliant?

I held the girl in my arms feeling helpless as the tears poured down her face and sobs ripped through the otherwise silent room. No one was making her feel better by saying that death was better than laying in a hospital bed and suffering because she had expected him to come home at the end of the suffering. And so, speaking clearly at her ear that was covered in the hair I was trying to keep off of her hot, wet face I told her, "It's going to be okay... He's finally home. One day, that's where we'll all be; home, together the way we belong."

In the darkest night a young boy waits for sleep to take him far away to a place that he controls. As he fades out of this darkness he finds himself in a different kind. He's in the middle of a field, storm clouds fill the sky and the rain pours down in what looks like sheets. He sees a white light ahead of him and he walks towards it. He gets closer, but the light never seems to actually be closer. He stops and frowns, wills the light to come closer but it continues to stay so far away.
He lies in the wet grass with his eyes closed, the rain pelting his eye lids. He wills for her to be there; the girl with the white hair and dark purple eyes. He feels her beside him and reaches his hand out towards her and she takes it. Her skin is warm and her heart beats loudly. He opens his eyes and watches hers and then he points to the white light, but it isn't there anymore. He tries to explain it to her, but she just smiles at him and nods her head. And the longer this goes on, the more frustrated he becomes. Doesn't she believe him? Why isn't she saying anything? He becomes more and more animated about it… And then she disappears. She's never disappeared before, never left him. He stares at the space she was just sitting in and wonders where she went. he stands up to look around for her, but he doesn't see her… He just sees a white light far away from him.

Today I stayed home with a massive, pain in the butt cold and babysat my baby sister. We took like... a three hour nap. It was fun.

Tonight I lie here alone playing through memories of happier days, shared days.
Once upon a time I beat with a purpose and a fellow pulse beat with me in a lyrical rhythm.
Once I felt a warmth that shared my warmth.

They say that everything comes in twos, but hearts come in singles so that we can find the other heart in our pair. So why when I found the other piece of my pair did it go away? Had we been wrong about him, you and I? I believed I had found my other half, didn't you? Did you really believe? Did you hear me when I told you that he was the one?

I guess not, because you got rid of him. Sure, he won't be a part of us now and that's his choice. But, wasn't it the fear you brought him that keeps his beating heart from me? Aren't you the reason I beat alone night after night? Maybe one day he'll come back and we won't feel so alone and don't sit here and tell me that you don't feel alone, I can tell that you do. You should have listened to me. I never lied to you. Anytime he was around I picked up volume and tempo, anytime he walked away I screamed in agony for him to come back.

I wish you had heard me... As much as you wish you did too.

My grandparents came to see me today. This is a rare occurrence and not one that we all look forward to. However, my dad invited them over so they came and I trudged down the stairs to say hello and then I stayed down there and participated in conversation when etiquette deemed it necessary. I'm really not a bad person, I just don't exactly enjoy the company of my grandparents. I love my grandmom on my mom's side, I talk to her all of the time. But my grandparents on my dad's side aren't exactly a part of my life; they didn't come to my sweet sixteen, they didn't go to my dad's wedding and I almost never hear from them unless we go out of our way to see them. So, it's not really my fault that I have a certain... dislike towards them. Don't get me wrong, they're my family and I'll always treat them as such, but most people that are hardly close friends can be more like family. And of course, this was the first time I'd seen them since Thanksgiving and Draco comes out (if you don't remember Draco is my ferret) a little bit after they get there. Draco enjoys feet, I don't know why he just does, I love him for it. My grandfather takes his playfulness in stride, but my grandmother gets nipped on the foot and she starts telling my little love that she's going to beat him... And then he bites her hand. Normally I would scold Draco, and I did yell "Draco Malfoy," but I just couldn't put any heart into it. So, I start to snicker to myself with my face turned away... Yes, I took a little bit of vindictive pleasure out of my baby biting my grandmother. I'm going to hell, but at least I know I raised a good boy while I was here.

The best part of my day was when I got some Draco kisses... how sad..

I have a few "best friends". I have two very best friends, one guy friend and one girl friend. Everyone knows that Beth is my chick best friend and I think that most people can guess why. But this story isn't about my girl best friend, it's about my boy best friend.
I used to date a boy named Mike. He was a sweetheart, but an obnoxious flirt and he sucked at helping people out with their problems because he was far too blunt sometimes. We fought, like most couples do, but we really cared about each other. Apparently he didn't care white as much as I did, or in the same way that I did. He broke up with me and I walked away broken-hearted, shit happens.
For a few months after the break up things were hostile. We got into more fights after our break up then we did in our relationship, but we could never just give up. We worked our asses off to talk to each other and to be friends and we eventually accomplished it.
And now, we love each other maybe more than we ever did. He truly became my best friend. Whenever I need someone to talk to I go to him and he never knows what to say and we get into huge fights because we both have a temper and know how to get under each other's skin. But… We always go running back, every time. I know that he tells me what I need to hear, even if I don't like it. And he knows that i love him and I can get a tad bit emotional. You've never seen two people more like a married couple.
The only problem with this scenario is that I really haven't loved any of my friends as much as I love Mike, I've never cared about a friend like this at all. And everyday I sit here and talk to him and pretend that everything is okay because at the end of the day I'd rather have him as my friend than nothing at all. And everyday he talks to me and hugs me and sends me poems, never knowing the truth. And I can't bring myself to tell him, I can barely admit it to myself.

Click here.

In this story the following images were used:
(Flood)
(Save)
(Car)
(Global)
(Kids)

For you I'd be anything, do anything, say anything that you needed.
I could be the best friend you ever had or the lover you never really knew.
I could listen for days or tell you stories all night.
I could tell you I love you or everything's going to be okay.

For you I'd write a thousand songs if you said that's what you wanted.
I could lay by your side and hold your hand through the pain,
Hold you until all of the tears disappeared and your eyes returned to a perfect blue without red rims.

All you have to do is ask and I'll start a silly fight, make love in the rain, hide from the rest of the world under a tree.
If I could give you the moon and thousands of stars, I would lasso them all and hold tight for as long as my strength allowed me to do so.

I'd rip the heart from my chest and hand it to you if you needed it.
I'd slit my wrists and feed you blood if you needed the strength.
You can have my very soul if it'll make you feel whole.

If ever you need me, call me. I'll be there. I don't care what time it is.
If I get a text in the middle of the night, I promise you that I'll answer it.
If you pull me out of class I'll come running regardless of what I'm learning.

And I hate when you look down on yourself,
Like you're not every bit as perfect as I know that you are.

You're my best friend and I love you, I promise that I always will.

Once upon a time in a faraway land known as Northeast Philadelphia a young girl sat in her canopy bed and stared up at the seemingly endless sky. She did this many nights; stared up at the blackness and thought about her life and it's ever-changing ways. And then a knocking came on her door. It started as a tap and then it became louder. The girl jumped up and opened the unlocked door, looked down and saw the queen of the castle standing there in all her glory with gold, shining curls and big blue eyes that people got lost in, except the girl. She never truly got lost in those blue eyes even when they were brimming with warm tears and trickling down the queen's pale face. Marie Antoinette always got what she wanted, she was spoiled like all queens are, it was really the girl's fault that she acted this way. I guess that's what you get when you would do anything to keep a smile on a gentle face.
The queen stepped into the room and began searching for the sweets that were usually hidden by the girl's nightstand. However, the girl had recently run out of sweets and she tried explaining this to the queen, but the queen wouldn't listen. And then the queen gave her a very disappointed look when she did understand and the famous, heartbreaking tears were coming. So, just this once, the girl lead the queen downstairs to the kitchen and gave her some Pepsi. Maybe the girl's not so resilient when it comes to those big, blue eyes after all.

So, for the past four years I've been slowly corrupting my very best friend, Beth. Now, Beth is pretty much as innocent as they get. But throughout the years I've been slowly worming my way into her head. She picks up on sexual innuendos, says "mean" jokes like "your mom" jokes, and recently she's been cursing every their sentence... in her head. So, today we were sitting in the library and she was telling me of my own corruption and the whole thing struck me as funny for some odd reason. And so I decide that from now on I'm going to do my very best to make her curse out loud. She's only done it a few times in her life, she's never cracked yet. But for some reason I feel the need to make her curse out loud, just one time even, as long as it's a serious curse. I have not yet succeeded, but one day I will and I think I will die of laughter on that day.

Why does everyone want to fall in love? Falling sounds painful. I'd rather walk around arm in arm with my two feet on the ground and my head on my neck where it belongs.

Today I woke up, taught a Sunday school class, went to see Red Riding Hood (which was actually kind of good), visited my grandmother for a few minutes, took a shower and then I almost fell asleep while playing guitar. Pretty good day, sleepy day, but pretty good day.

I HATE, like hate, the way you make me feel.
I see you around the neighborhood and it just puts my body into shock every time without fail. And then after the initial shock passes every thing goes into overdrive; I get mad butterflies, my heart beats at the speed of sound, I can't actually speak because it comes out a squeak or a cry and my hands start shaking violently. And it's all your fault!
Before, this used to sort-of be a good feeling. I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline, but before I got to use all of the adrenaline up when I got to run up and kiss you. Before, I spent time with you. Before, we went out of our way to make sure that we saw each other. And now I feel all of the same things and feel a surge of some kind of mixture between love and hate. I love to hate you and I hate to love you. It's an extremely complicated way to live out my life.
I guess it isn't bad enough that I think about you all the time, dream of you, wish I were with you, or just plain miss you. No, we have to take it to another level. You are the last person I would want to spend a moment with, but I wish I could spend nights and days in your arms. Every time I see you I want to kiss you and simultaneously want to punch you in the mouth and walk away. You are the one person in this world I want to tell all of my problems to and you're my main problem.
So, thank you… For making seeing you so damn complicated.

Today I made a list of things I knew I had to do.
The list is as follows:
- Area Problems Part 2
- Individual Work
- Story
- Read Chapter Five
- Record Songs
- Do Experiment
- Outline

In my head, the list went as follows:
- Area Problems Part 2
- Find a way to fix this
- Individual Work
- Spend enough time with family
- Story
- Find a way to fix this
- Work on focus techniques
- Read Chapter Five
- Find a way to fix this
- Find a way to fix this
- Maybe an e-mail
- Find out if you got my note
- Learn to focus!!!
- Record Songs
- Figure out what the hell else I have to do
- Find a way to fix this
- Do Experiment
- Outline
- Find a way to fix this
- Try to stop thinking about you
- Be as angry as possible to avoid crying
- Find a way to fix this
- Don't take emotional problems out on the world
- Find a way to fix this
- Find a way not to care
- Find a way to fix this.

Thank God there's a delete button, too bad it doesn't work on life.​

Whilst listening to Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood….

There was a boy. His name was Dylan and he was the head-honcho of Shady Oaks Campground. He was blonde-haired, blue-eyed and was a comic. All of the girls liked him, including Caroline. She was new, everyone at the campground had grown up spending their summers together and Caroline felt extremely out of place. She fell in love with the campground the first time she had ever gone. She had come at night with her family, put her stuff in the trailer and spent the night walking around, looking at the stars that weren't visible in the city, and listening to the sounds of laughter and crickets. It wasn't a large campground, but it was mostly quiet and undisturbed by sounds of the city like cars, obnoxious teenagers, and shootings and she could see thousands of stars in the sky above her. She almost never saw more than two or three stars from her house in Philadelphia.

The first time she met Dylan she was sitting by the pool in a tank-top and shorts with her bare, slightly burnt feet hanging in the clear water. He called to her, which she of course didn't' pick up on at first because he said "Hey you!" It dawned on her a moment later that he must be speaking to her because she was the only person whose name he didn't know. So, she turned and faced the picnic table that he was sitting on. She thought he was cute, but wondered why he could be disturbing her when she was minding her own business. "Yes?" she asked as she took in him and his many friends. "What's your name?" Simple enough, odd that he would ask, but simple. "Caroline" she replied. He said hi and smiled at her, she waved and smiled back and then turned her back to him. Eventually another boy by the name of Shjon swam up to her and introduced himself. He was younger than her, blonde-haired, blue-eyed and completely skin and bones. He stood talking to her while she played catch with her younger brother (her brother being in the pool and diving for the ball as she threw it and then tossing it back). Shjon went to join her brother at the other side of the pool and they dove to be the first to get the ball. Then, of course, Dylan and a few of his guy friends joined in. All of the boys competed for the ball and tossed it back to Caroline so that she would throw it again.

Later that night Caroline sat at the darkened park at the front of the campground and again she found Dylan. He came and sat on the bench with her and started asking her about herself. From this close it was obvious that Dylan was a very cute boy, he was being sweet and she told herself that she would make friends with this boy. Dylan had other things in mind. They talked and flirted, Caroline in a shy way, and eventually other people came to see them; girls from the campground. They were slightly younger than Caroline and they didn't really seemed to be bothered with her, they were curious about Dylan's approach of Caroline and they weren't happy about it. Caroline assumed that the girl who appeared to be the leader of the group liked Dylan and was used to being the one that he flirted with, she wasn't very pretty but the prettiest girl Caroline had seen so far. Maybe they were like the "It" couple. But, Dylan walked away form the other girls and insisted that Caroline come with him to the other side. So, she went and the other girls followed. They worked their very hardest to get Dylan's attention so Caroline walked away to go to the back park and watch the stars. Dylan left the other girls and followed Caroline. The other girls followed but decided not to be a part of what was going on and to just watch. They eventually left Caroline and Dylan alone.

Dylan helped Caroline onto a pile of sand and they sat there talking and looking up at the sky. He eventually laid down and Caroline just sat there with her arms locked around her knees. He told her she could lay down and put his arm out for her to lay her head on. So, she laid down leaning her head against against his shoulder. They talked, flirted and she found herself crushing right away. He was charming, he was an animal person, he was a Philly fan (Eagles, Phillies, Flyers..) and he was funny.

Eventually they kissed, spent time together every time she was down the campground, and started "dating" (if you consider seeing each other once in a while during the summer dating). Autumn came, the campground closed, they talked over the phone and promised to be together over the summer. Summer rolled around they dated, Autumn came around and they split. It became a cycle. Whenever they were apart he was with a hundred other girls, when he wasn't with her down the campground he was hooking up with other girls. She knew, but she couldn't admit it. Eventually they had sex and the next morning when she woke up in his arms, she felt like an idiot. Played back memories of when she made love for the first time and how different the two experiences were. She let herself see the real him and she didn't like it. She learned her lesson and she left him. She stayed friends with him, but she learned not to trust him ever again because she would never again feel the way she did that night.

    Once upon a time in a far away land called Northeast Philly, a young family sat in the basement of their relative's home waiting for a speech to come from their leader, Mom. Mom was a complex creature, an incredibly emotional person and you had to be careful what you said to her and how you reacted to her news. She saw everything and she overreacted to everything. So, the three minions sat in patience waiting for whatever life-changing thing was going to happen this time. The eldest minion had an idea, but refused to believe that it could possibly be the reason they were gathered there. And then, Mom let the bomb drop; a baby was to be born. And Mom watched each of the minions as they rejoiced of the creature to become part of their village. And each of the minions did rejoice, on the outside.
No one's quite sure whether the youngest minions were earnest in their rejoicing or not, but some of us understand that the eldest minion was shaken to her very core about the news. If not for the fact that Mom would surely be exceedingly upset if her favorite minion began to cry, she would have been curled up and sibling against the cold, hard ground. But, every one knows that your leader comes first, always. And if rejoicing meant leaving a smile on Mom's face, then that was what her minions would do.

Story of my life...

I'm currently listening to My First Kiss by 3OH!3 and Ke$ha, so this will be my story…

Part 1: Sweet Home Alabama
I'm fairly sure that I was seven, I was in second grade and I had a "boyfriend" (You know, the little kid kind where you hold hands, really like each other and tease each other constantly). One day, I was waiting for my mom after school and my boyfriend, Charlie, and his friend, Cody, stayed with me. And Charlie and I decided that we were ready to kiss because we were in love, well puppy love. So, we had Cody be our lookout for my mom and we went and sat between the actual trailer (in our schoolyard) and the ramp that came down from the trailer. And we sat there, awkwardly, and we were both waiting for the other one to lean over that few inches and kiss. It didn't happen. He had said before that the girl should never kiss first and he wasn't kissing me. After a few minutes of sitting together Cody, who thinks we must have kissed by now, lets us know that he thinks he saw my mom. So, Charlie and I stand up and walk to the end of the ramp when Cody tells us it was a false alarm. So we stand at the end of the ramp and after some small conversation that I don't remember we decide that we're just going to do this. So we stand facing each other and he looks down at me, I was shorter than him even then, and he leans down and kisses me. It was a tap-kiss, nothing fancy, no big deal, unless you're a seven year old girl who loves this guy. The kiss couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds of our mouths just touching, but it seemed like it lasted for years. I was pretty freaking ecstatic.

Part 2: The Notebook
Years later when I was thirteen I very abruptly discovered that my feelings for this boy had not changed since I was seven (Okay, not so abruptly, I had known the whole time. Whatever.). And sometime that September, say…the 19th, I pluck up the courage (sort-of) to tell him that I like him. He calls me that night, we talk, we start dating. Needless to say it didn't take us very long to fall in love (Real love, not puppy love this time). A couple of months after we started dating he had walked me home, he did that most days and then he'd stay with me until maybe ten every night. So, we were outside and we were flirting like most couples do at first. And then he leans down and he kisses me. This one lasted a little longer than the first and we had gone past the point of tap-kissing. This was out first real kiss, my first real kiss ever.

So, there ya go. My first kiss.

Do you ever watch love movies and think of us?
Not just like, the Notebook or Sweet Home Alabama where the story line fits us almost perfectly, but like in all love movies?
Maybe Jack trembles above Rose after making love and you think of your trembles and the way I teased you?
Maybe it’s the way the very opposite Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl attract in the Ugly Truth.
I do.
Do you ever lie in bed watching the moon wondering if just maybe I am too?
I do.
Are you ever with someone, even someone you really care about, and for a moment see me instead? Maybe it was the shape of their mouth, the way their hair fell in their face, a face they made at you?
I’ve done that… seen you instead of him…
Do you ever just… miss me? Think of me?
Remember???? Do you ever ever just remember?

A wise movie said, ”Love waits on one thing- the right moment.”
So, when will ours be? Will it come in the future? Did we miss it already?
Was it that first day I stared across the second grade class at you?
Or the first time we split into reading groups?
Was it that first time we kissed by the trailer with a young lookout?
Maybe not.
Maybe it was the time we spent chasing each other around in my backyard.
Was it all the times you called me “peoples” as though you’d forgotten my name?
Or could it have been when we skated side-by-side, nudging each other softly?
Perhaps it was the day I handed you a note with my deepest secret written in code.
Maybe it was the first time we ever really kissed…
The first time I felt your lips on my neck, felt your warm breath in my ear?
Was it the first time you sent chills from the tip of my spine to my ankles?
Or maybe it was that night on the steps, making out for so long, with such intensity that we broke apart to splash cold water on our faces.
Could it have been when I went to your house when you were sick and you walked me home anyway to be sure I was safe?
Or was it when you came to see me when I was sick, dropping a kiss to my forehead that healed me instantly?
Was it the first time we made love, bodies trembling, some combination of fear and pleasure, feeling wrong but more than right?
Maybe it was when you held me while I cried about insignificant fights with my mother.
Or when we played in the sand and I watched the fireworks from the safety of your arms?
Maybe it was making love in the dark, stemming from nothing more than a kiss shared between two people in more than love.
Maybe it was waking up to you and seeing your smile.
Maybe it was falling asleep in your lap, on your chest, inside your arms.
Maybe it hasn’t come yet, maybe it never will.
Maybe our love is false, doesn’t exist. Maybe we’ll never have that moment.

Last night I stayed at my cousin, Kristine's, house. We played 500 Rummy, labeled people in a magazine after celebrities they looked like and ate. Then we went out with Mike and hung out with Mike and Paul, who we caught up with at the park, for like an hour and it was actually kind of fun. Then when we went back home we hid in her room, which is when my night got amazing!!!! (Hehe) I was lying there and my Kristine was on the phone with her boyfriend. We had her iPod hooked up to an iHome that lit up in different colors in a rhythm that was only slightly off beat of the songs that I was semi-dancing too. I lifted my blue blanket covered in clouds, stars and crescent moons and put it over my head. And then I laughed hysterically and talked about how "freaking amazing" it was that the blanket was changing color and the different pieces light up in greens and neon blue-greens. And then Kristine ducked under with me and we watched the blanket change from a night sky to the daytime in an alternate universe. It was pretty freaking amazing.

Giana woke up with the sun shining down. Today would be a good day, she promised herself that it would. How could it not be? So, she got ready for school, ate breakfast and walked out of the door. School passed by without fault, in fact she had gotten her English test back with a big, red "A" on it. She did A Cappella after school and started to head home around five. It was dark, chilly and there were storm clouds high above her. How had the day gotten so gloomy? She didn't mind, really. If it happened to rain, well, she loved the rain as much as she loved the sunshine.
Then the rain started to fall and drench Giana's clothes, bounce off of the tip of her nose and saturate her head causing her straight brown hair to wave and clump together. She looked like a wet dog; she didn't care. She strolled to the middle of the street and spun in circles, holding her face up toward the sky and smiling as the drops of cool liquid hit fell across her face and streamed down her neck and chest. She felt something. Something in her told her she was being watched from somewhere behind the trees that lined the sidewalk.
At first, Giana just didn't care. She went along her merry way, dancing and spinning on the midnight street. But she kept feeling the eyes on her and she stopped her play and looked into the line of trees. It was too dark to see anything, but she thought she saw a shadow. Perhaps it was a cat, maybe she was just seeing things. She didn't stick around to find out, she walked down the center of the street at a steady pace towards her home. A block down and she still thought she felt eyes on her, watching her, studying her.
Giana, unwisely, turned into an alley. She always did, she was close to home now and this was the fastest way to get there. Once she was towards the end of the alley she heard a soft whistle. She froze. Was this person dangerous? If they were, why had they warned her of their presence by issuing a whistle? Maybe they thought she wouldn't react quickly enough, maybe they thought she wouldn't recognize a threat and that she was a silly child. She turned and saw a dark figure who was slowly moving toward her. She couldn't tell who it was from here, but they didn't seem to be much taller than her. As this stranger came closer she saw it was a boy, he appeared to be about her age (16), and his eyes and hair were dark and sharply contrasted his extremely pale skin.
Giana caught this stranger's eyes and found herself trapped in their depths. Who was this stranger? She had certainly never seen him before. He smiled slightly at her, more of a smirk of his deep red lips. She smiled a small, shaky smile in return and asked his name. His reply was a wide smile, he was so close now that she could see every one of his flawless, white teeth… and the sharpness and length of his fangs. She shuddered and her hands began to tremble, but she couldn't find the will to move away. She was curious about this boy. She let him come within a foot of her and then stepped back. He stopped his movement forward and stared into her eyes.
And then she went blank. She couldn't speak or move; she was trapped. And within a moment he was right in front of her, his mouth an inch from hers. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered softly, "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." Well, it's not like she could do anything about it even if he were going to hurt her. She was stuck. What had he done to her? Her mind started to spin in wild directions of the things that this boy could do to her.
And then her thinking stopped, all of her thoughts ran into nothing because suddenly his soft mouth was on her neck. She felt the heat of his breath and then a sharp pain before she felt him sucking from her neck. She knew he must be taking blood, his elongated eye teeth and surreal speed before showed that he must be something more than human. Who knew he'd turn out to be a vampire? Like a real one that took blood to survive. But soon even this wonder died away from her thoughts because she was slowly filling with heat. Everything was slowly become warmer as he drank from her. She didn't have it in her to think and wonder about what was happening to her because she was floating away from herself. And then his mouth was gone, he kissed her and his tongue filled her mouth… And then he was gone.
Giana walked the rest of the way home in a daze and when she got there she went straight to her room and locked the door. She looked at her neck in the mirror above her vanity and gasped in shock at two small holes where neck meets shoulder. They were tiny and glistened slightly; she thought they were beautiful. She had never experienced anything like that before, her entire body had felt as though it was on fire. And the boy? He was beautiful. She had never seen anyone as amazing as him. She drifted to her bed and collapsed onto it and fell into a heavy sleep full of dreams of the beautiful vampire and his soft mouth.​

I had hope. He had her.

Today I went to see my Aunt Heather/Godmother in the hospital. They're pretty sure she had a mini-stroke. I hated seeing her like that, but even in a hospital gown and doped up on meds my aunt looked strong and brilliant. She kept us all laughing with stories of a "scary girl with man hands and a fanny pack" and her many stories of the horrors of showing her nipples to more people than she had in her entire life thanks to the hospital gown with a huge pocket in the center of it for all of her cords to go through. It was one of those moments where you see the true love of a family, where even in a dark moment we find ourselves laughing and smiling and I wondered to myself how I could ever live without my bright, shining, crazy aunt.

She wanted Him, he wanted some other girl.
She thinks about Him all of the time, she wants Him more than anything, so she wastes her time on distractions.
She liked a boy named Michael and he liked her too. Too bad too late she found he had a girlfriend that wasn't her. Not that it mattered because even in her most flirtatious times she thought of Him not Michael.
She moved along, still liking Mike but knowing it would never work.
She liked a boy named Billy.
Billy was nice, single and lied a lot. She ignored it for a while. She still missed Him anyway, so what was a few lies, disappointments, and broken promises? Nothing.
She decided he was a distraction she was better off forgetting because she had enough pain to deal with without Billy.
She stopped everything.
She severed her connection with Billy, who really only wanted a relationship and not a friendship.
She finally got a hold of Him and found that he had always been thinking of her, dreaming of her, and loving her for as long as she loved Him. But it would never be enough, it never had been.

Today I woke up, played with my ferret (who I named Draco) and went to my mom's house. At my mom's house I met up with my friend Elena who has been a part of my life since we were in first grade. She now lives in Willow Grove and I don't get to see her often. So, she comes over, we go to the mall to see a movie, miss the first showing and have to kill an hour and a half in an extremely tiny mall, and then we finally watched the movie (Just Go With It, it was amazing). Afterward we drove around, she did a very poor job of trying to avoid Knorr Street without me noticing because she didn't want me upset and I haven't had this much fun in a long time. I love my friends.

Life’s moments tick by quickly with no intention of slowing,
And I still miss you.
Though moments fade into weeks and weeks pass by,
Here you lay, within my mind.

My body is unwilling to forget the dancing of our tongues,
My fingers in your hair that you’ve let grow too long,
The touch of your rough fingers pulling me closer, but never close enough.
Two bodies coming together as one in a musical rhythm,
As though we could touch souls if only we were close enough,
If only our two bodies were so entwined with one another that,
We couldn’t find where one body began and the other ended.

My mind refuses to let the memory of you fade,
I’m either actively thinking of your color-changing eyes,
Or I fall unknowingly into a sleep filled with dreams of your sparkling smile,
Never escaping, never able to let go of bittersweet memories,
Heavy on the bitter because each memory brings with it a shadow of agony.

But mostly I hold on to you, keeping you here in my mind,
Because my heart holds on to you,
Never daring to let go of something that took it so completely.
I gave you my heart without intending to do so,
This organ pulsating inside of me, keeping me alive,
It belongs to you and this possession was beyond my control,
Beyond the control of a mortal mind.
And though you refuse to claim this object as yours,
It belongs to you.
You can’t refuse a child that has your blood running through it,
Your genetic make up showing itself in the child’s eyes that look so much like yours.
This piece of me that keeps me going day after day is yours,
It always has been.

And if I never hear your lyrical voice bringing comfort,
Or feel your warm skin against my chilled flesh,
I want you to know that no matter where you hide or for how long,
You will always be mine, as surely as I will always be yours,
And I hope that you keep me in your thoughts,
Because I promise you that I couldn’t lose you if I wanted to,
After all, the most important part of me is the part you hold.

Another life made better from being part of SLA Cappella.

Today, for what seemed like the first time in years but had actually only been a few weeks I chilled with my best friend after school. It lasted three hours, and it was wonderful. I had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach all day when I hadn't seen her because we had no classes together and I hadn't seen her in the morning because I had gym class downstairs. So, when I finally met her at our locker I got extremely happy and smiled my brightest grin, and then I found out she was going to spend time with me. Needless to say, I was more excited than I have been in a long time because we almost never hang out anymore. So, today was a good day.

I couldn't stand Will. He drove me crazy, smoked, cussed and was completely obnoxious. Today, he's sweet, amazing and rocks my socks daily… Yeah.

It's that day of the year again. The day where happy couples exchange presents and love, miserable couples exchange bad words and shouts, and single people walk around feeling sorry for themselves because they have no one to share the happy day with.

At six this morning a young girl of seventeen woke up feeling a lot like one of those miserable single people. She had dirty-blonde hair, green-specked blue eyes and she had dreaded waking up this morning just like every other single person in the world, not that she was like every other single person. She knew she had no right to worry about today because soon she wouldn't be single, a boy she liked wanted to be with her and she had "Valentines" so she should feel fine today, but she didn't have that boy today and her Valentines were parts of her family that were very dear to her. But the boy wasn't hers today, she had no "special someone" to share today with and at school she'd be surrounded by happy couples with their tongues down each other's throats.

And she refused to have a bad attitude because the day wasn't everything she wanted it to be, it was difficult but she kept up a smile. First her mom told her that she loved her, then her baby sister told her and her younger sister too. When she was on the road to school she got texts from friends and best friends wishing her a happy Valentine's Day and sending her love. She got a text about a love that would last forever from her very best friend, her valentine. At school she got special hugs and was surrounded by love from her friends.

So, today she's walking around with a grin on her face, a smile in her heart and she more than just a good feeling about the Hallmark holiday. She didn't need a boyfriend or a husband, she didn't need roses or candy, all she needed was her friends and family that loved her. Today is supposed to be about love, not happy couples or proving that you're a good partner… Just love.

I know a place where the grass is really greener,
There are no clouds to block the shining of the sun,
And no city buildings to block the lights of millions of stars;
It's in your arms; It's home.

For a while I moved through life seemingly happy
With fits of laughter, possibly hinting at hysteria.
I watch you walk by, your soul shining, with anger in my eyes
And a flirtatious giggle aimed at the
Insignificant creatures surrounding me.

You see this and I must be the perfect little actress
Because I fooled you into thinking I was euphoric
When in reality I was barely okay,
I even fooled myself into thinking I was over you.

But you're the true actor.
Your performance is flawless.
Where my act was given away by pain in my eyes
Yours remained empty, like your voice and heart.
If not for your indirect messages of maybe love and regret
I'd believe every sign of hate you throw my way.

Tell me the truth.
If you show no one else your true colors, show them to me.
Maybe we can both live where the grass is greener,
The sun shines without clouds,
The stars shine in the depths of both our eyes,
And we'll finally be home.​

Yes.. Every time the song comes on we:
Put our hands on our hips, bring our knees in tight and do the pelvic thrust. It's how sisters pass their nights in a way that makes us smile and forget the world.

There once was an island made of chocolate. It rested in the northernmost part of the world and the frozen milk chocolate land held itself proudly and supported the gingerbread people that lived upon it. The meager homes of the ginger-people were made of ginger-elder bodies and ice cream, which may seem cruel but was all they could do to create a shelter for the roots of the taffy trees that held jelly bean fruit dug deeply into the chocolate earth and could not be cut down. The ginger-people of this chocolate land kept up their health by drinking milk from their magical lakes and feasting on the bodies of sour patch children that were scattered along their island.These ginger-people lived in peace and happiness for hundreds of years, oblivious to the world around them.

One day years later…

A ginger-child with golden brown skin and white, creamy hair was out playing and hadn't come home. It was a Sunday and most of the ginger-people had spent the day in their homes with their families when suddenly the village could hear screams of this young child. The mother ran out of her home to look for the ginger-child when she realized she couldn't move. Her feet had stuck in the chocolate ground around her and when she realized she couldn't move she called to her ginger-husband. He stood at the door of his home and did his very best to pull her out, but couldn't manage. He went inside his home, used his magical box that connected them to world through something called the inter-web and looked for a way to save his wife and child from the embrace of their chocolate island.

He found that at a certain temperature chocolate melted! This melting was causing the softening of his chocolate earth and this is how is lover and child became caught. He also found that this change in temperature was due to a magic spell called Global Warming that was being cast by evil witches and warlocks that lived across the globe. What did this mean for his island?For weeks and weeks he researched and thought of new ways to fix this melting of his island, but there was nothing he could do. And eventually, this chocolate island melted and became nothing more than a piece of the sea and the culture of the ginger-people was lost forever.

So, today was an extremely long day. It was filled with classes, but my worries began this morning during X-Band. My best friend started shaking uncontrollably in the middle of Calculus class and it was not easy to handle. Seeing someone that I'm so close to and who generally brightens the days of many people in such a bad position made me want to cry. The only thing I could actually do was text her mom and hold her trembling hands between shudders while we waited for her mom to pick her up. And my day never seemed as long as that hour felt to me, seeing someone I love so much and having no way to help her.

Carra stood on the edge of the dog park, watching the moon shine on her favorite tree. It was large and had traces of green all around, but it had seen better days. Carra was small, blonde and had blue eyes with green streaks that reminded her of the ocean each time she looked in the mirror. It was summer and the air around her was warm, but she wore navy jeans to protect her from the attack of mosquitoes and  spiders and a dark green tank-top that matched the color of the grass under the night sky. She slowly made her way to the old tree, being careful not to disturb the chorus of the crickets hidden in the grass around her feet. When she reached this old tree she climbed into the center where the tree had split years ago and she rested there, finding comfort in the protection that the soft bark offered.
Carra often walked to this tree, maybe it was because there were no people here to disturb her, no screaming children playing on swing sets and jungle gyms, and any passerby would have to pay very close attention to the tree to see her hidden there. Maybe it was because coming here gave her an excuse to pass his house, the possibility that she might see his face… But she wouldn't let herself go down that road. She let one tear escape down her face and then she pulled herself together, closed her eyes, and let the silence engulf her. When she opened her eyes the world was brighter and so was the tree. She turned to see what had caused this lighter appearance and found that the light of the moon had been joined by the glow of a family of lightning bugs surrounding the leaves on the wilting branches.
Carra smiled in earnest at the pretty insects surrounding her place of peace and then she laughed and her laughter sprinkled across the grass and flowers of the park giving everything life. She turned towards the edge of the park and in her place stood a pale boy whose green eyes looked black and shining. Her laughter stopped as she took in his jeans and black t-shirt, his short, dark hair and his muscled arms. William walked towards her in a quick pace that made the crickets closest to the tree scatter and join their distant, singing family.
Carra stayed seated in her place, worried about leaving the comfort the tree offered her, and William climbed up and sat close to her, his position slightly higher than hers. Carra thought to herself that this could go one of two ways, either she could leave without hearing a word he said or she would stay and listen to his words that made her tremble with hurt. Maybe the tree that made her feel so safe and isolated could form a protection for her heart because she could not make herself walk away from William.
William sat and said nothing. He sat there looking down at her shadowed face, watching the soft breeze stir her hair. She turned to look away and he reached out and turned her face back to him by her chin. She shuddered, but couldn't move away from his warm hand. And he leaned in and kissed her, gently at first and then urgently as if somehow this kiss could save him. And she kissed him back, confused and hurting, but still blissfully. And then she felt as if the world disappeared from around her and she broke the kiss, feeling scared and vulnerable. She touched the bark of the tree that her back leaned against and took strength from it. She let her bangs fall in her face to create a shield to hide her face as tears crept down her cheeks and she wondered how something so wonderful could cause her so much pain. She assumed it was the same way that he was sometimes so wonderful and other times wanted nothing but to cause her pain. William went to speak, but Carra held her hand up in a way that begged him not to and he kept silent until she dropped her hand and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She breathed deeply once and then listened to him speak of his wrongs, hear him apologize in his way and then heard him accuse her of things that she knew too well she was guilty of doing.
So, she apologized as sincerely as she always did and talked to him about a friendship, maybe more. As per usual, he would hear none of it. He made his decision the first time she'd broken his heart. He would never put himself in a position to feel that pain again, he feared it more than he feared anything. And though his appearance was strong he did not have the strength to try again because his fear of being left by her far outweighed his desire to have her again. And she took one last look at the bright place of peace, drew strength and protection from the tree she loved so much and walked away with a sigh, ignoring his call to keep her with him just for tonight. And as she walked home she wondered if somehow that tree could give him the strength to overcome his fear the way it gave her the strength to overcome hers and walk away.

How You Love Me Now

L: "I'll be right here waiting."
S: "Runaway, love."
L: "You belong with me."
S: "I don't believe you."
L: "Tell me why."
S: "You already know."
L: "If I had you, I'll be loving you."
S: "What you say?"
L: "I'm yours."
S: "Between me and you, I wanna be with you."
L: "Hate that I love you."
S: "I wanna let you go.."

Love is a battlefield...

   Æ ..-.-.-++++++++.....op0;..lkul;.ko09k09iklkljy90klllllllllllk,,,,.k,.44hyyyyyyyyyyyyyytydd hbbbhhhhhhhhvbtdjhf on                                vvvvvvvvvvv          HnrNRnrr-Story by Marie

It had been a very long day full of the usual stressing school activities. My mood had been unusual and my friends were having bad day and because my Beth and I are so close the mood was affecting me tremendously and I held on to false smile that would reassure her. I went through the motions of my usual day and breathed a sigh of relief when I came home. A hot shower and lotion should have made the world a much better place, but it didn't. And then I came downstairs and found my family talking and my baby sister, Marie, laughing hysterically. She ran from her chair yelling, "Hi! Hi! Hi," and smacked right into my leg where she hugged me and ran away. I sat down with my lotion and rubbed some into my bruised leg, Marie asked if she could have some and then she rubbed lotion into her legs. And my mother and I cracked up laughing at the crazy baby. Her toenails are currently blue and her fingernails are black and after this new development in her appearance she ran to my mother saying, "Mommy! Look, my fingers pretty," in a garbled version of English. And my bad mood was lifted away and replaced with an honest-to-goodness smile.

Human Eye

The most commonly used argument against Darwinism and for Intelligent Design is the human eye and it’s complexity. How did the human eye evolve? How does this change the strength of the argument of Intelligent Design as a scientific theory?

There are currently two competing theories as to how life on Earth came about, Darwinism, evolution and natural selection, and Intelligent Design, some great architect creating life. The most promising evidence for Intelligent Design had been the human eye and the argument that the independent pieces (the retina, lens…) had to have come about all at once for organisms to see. However, scientists have a theory as to how the eye evolved, creating a disturbance in the most prominent argument of Intelligent Design.


Diagram of Evolution of the Human Eye

Here’s the theory for the evolution of the eye: the original “eye” was a collection of cells on the skin (that curved inward like an eye socket) that helped organisms to “see” light, helping it to “see” if any other organism was in that direction because of the break in the light that the organism saw. Eventually the amount of light that the cells could detect was narrowed to give organisms better direction. And from this the cells became a retina, which helped the organism see even more clearly. Finally, the eye grew a lens that helped the organism to see even more clearly. We can even see these different stages of eye development in living species today.

And so, due to evidence of the evolution of the human eye, Intelligent Design loses its most promising argument. If there had been any disagreements as to whether Intelligent Design was a scientific theory, we now see that by ripping apart it's best argument it leaves us with a new term for creationism.

For more information on the argument against Intelligent Design see:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/intelligent-design-trial.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10545387/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/change/grand/page05.html

For more information on Evolution pick up Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body- Neil Shuban.