Big Game

“Red, nineteen! Set, hike!”
Jon took the snap, and scrambled out. I stood there, on defense watching Jon and his offense run around the field. One of the receivers, Frankie, ran out deep for a pass. He was fast, and I watched him run right past me. As he ran past me, I froze. Eventually, I realized he was running deep, and I had to catch him. The cold air made it even harder. Frankie was a few feet ahead of me. I wasn’t even looking at Jon throw the ball; I was just looking at Frankie as his speed got the best of me. I noticed him look up. With that, I knew the ball was coming. Frankie started to slow down, so I knew Jon under threw the ball. I decided to use all the power I could to catch up to Frankie. He stopped trying to catch the ball, and he was a good six feet from me. Prancing vigorously, I managed to catch up to him and swat the ball. I managed to push him over, and he tried to pull me over. Falling over, I managed to reach for the ball. The ball was just in my reach, and I grabbed with one of the tightest grips I ever had. I successfully held on to an important interception.

                It was December 24th, 2009. I was at my aunt and uncle’s neighborhood, with many kids. There were sixteen kids around this neighborhood, all ages from ten-fourteen. They have eight one eight teams in football, and they take it very seriously. They have a large field, with people who ref, and even their own field goals and scoreboards. It’s amazing, and it’s almost perfect. They have strict rules and very strict game play. I admired it completely. I went to my aunt’s for Christmas Eve, and they asked me to play since I’ve played with them before and they knew of my love for sports.  I was pretty excited, and I was pumped up with the cold weather. It was snowing lightly, roughly twenty degrees. After my interception, my team got the ball back. The current score was seven-seven with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. As my team prepared for an offensive drive, we discussed the play. Soon, we lined up in a single running back formation (me at running back), and four receivers. Collin, our quarterback called for the ball, and our center, Greg, snapped the ball to him. I ran toward Collin prepared to take a handoff. One of the defenders, Eric, ran after me. He tried to tackle me, but Collin faked the handoff, so Greg released me and tried to run after Collin. Collin then threw a short pass to me. I caught it easily, and ran. Frankie, who was playing defensive-back on defense, ran after me with his speed. I saw him coming, and tried to shake him off. However, it was to no use. Frankie got me down pretty easily. Still, with being down, I gained a solid nine yards. My team called a timeout to discuss our strategy, as I was wondering how to get score

                With the clock running and less than four and a half minutes left in the game with a tie score, we set up for a play. I was lined up at slot receiver. Collin called hiked, and I ran my route. I took three steps, then ran to the right. Collin through a bullet pass to Lenny, a receiver. Lenny caught it, and ran. Lenny’s not very fast, but he’s big, so he didn’t get far. The clock continued to run, but we didn’t run too fast. After more plays going by, the clock hit two minutes and counting. We had ten yards to end zone, and Collin got the ball. I ran around four yards to end zone, and caught a short pass. As I ran to end zone, Frankie ran to my knees and tackled me down. As I started to come down, I felt the ball come loose. I knew what was coming. The ball came out of my hands, and I landed on the ground. I didn’t have possession of the ball. I tried to find it, but Frankie already got it. He started to run. He ran fast, and no one could get him. He ran back and forth trying to avoid people. All his shaking allowed me to catch up to him. I managed to tackle him thirty yards from the end zone. I felt so stupid. I fumbled the ball two yards from the end zone. I could tell the rest of the kids on my team were mad, but I had to get over it.

                I lined up at defense, in a deep coverage set up. Jon called for the ball, there was thirty seconds left. I was deeper than usual, watching out for Frankie. As I expected, Jon threw to Frankie. The ball was high in the air, and I don’t think Frankie realized I was right there. As Frankie grabbed the ball, I pushed him over, and he bobbled the ball. I managed the intercept the ball. I had to run. I ran as fast as I could. I ran past five other people, and had two kids to beat. I was ten yards from the end zone. Jon tried to pull me down, but I shook him off. I ran to end zone, and I got the touchdown. I had successfully made up for my mistake, and gotten the pick-six. There was six seconds remaining once we kicked off, and we eventually won the game. I had won the game for my team, and they were so proud of what I had done. I was proud too.

Not So Bad After All- Maggie Law

The day before Christmas, spent in the hospital. It doesn’t seem like such a great thing does it? It wasn’t actually me that was in the hospital though. My brother John and I were sledding and he always seemed to take things too far. It went too far when he decided to go down an enormous hill, head first. John was soaring down the hill, fast as lightning. Suddenly he went flying off an unexpected ramp that some hooligans had built, and just like you expected, he smashed his face so hard into a tree I swear I heard thunder crack. So this sounds like a horrible accident, right? It was for a while, when I sat in the hospital for hours waiting for results from the excessive amount of tests the doctors were taking. Eventually my parents took me to my grandparent’s house, where I had hot cocoa and watched television with them. It seemed like dandy time while I was at their house; I was getting backrubs and being treated like a princess. After a couple of hours I started to get worried. I was only six, but I still had my worries. I loved my brother a lot, and it seemed like nothing could ever happen to him, because he was my brother. Finally, after almost three hours of being uninformed, I got the news. John had to stay in the hospital for the night. Our dad volunteered to stay with him, so he wouldn’t be alone. John had jammed up his neck and damaged his spine. I was worried sick, I wanted to see him so badly and make sure he still looked like my brave, fearless brother. I was sad for him that he had to wake up in the hospital on Christmas. Although this sounds horrible, it ended up being one of my favorite Christmas’ yet. To see my brother’s beaten up face when he came home made me feel warm inside. Not that I like seeing him bruised and weak, but to see him alive. I was a young kid, so of course I thought he wouldn’t make it. I exaggerated the injury and worried more than I should have; but I was reassured when I saw his face. It was the best present I could’ve ever asked for. If I couldn’t have spent Christmas with John, I could never spend Christmas the same.

Jenna Burton- christmas cookies

No Christmas can be complete without the smell of Christmas cookies fresh out of the oven.  On December 23 the house is filled with the scent of sugar cookies, peppermint and a dozen other sweet treats.  These all are soon to be wrapped up in with big red bows and placed aside to be delivered around the neighborhood.  My brothers and I bundle up with our thick mittens and puffy coats and set out on this always cold afternoon.  For as long as I can remember, our neighbors have exchanged little candies and sweets at Christmas time.  Even this small act of kindness really brings out the holiday spirit and happiness bound to come around this time of year.  We are given specific instructions, Carefully carry these cookies to Mrs. Naubert’s house, walk very slowly to be sure and not spill and don’t forget to be extra careful not slip on any patches of ice, the repetitive warning we have heard every year.  We smile and nod along only half listening to this overused warning. 

My brothers and I set out into the snowy neighborhood and go from house to house exchanging smiles and sweet treats with some our closest friends.  After no more than ten minutes the warnings given by our mom have been half forgotten and I am scrambling to keep up.  The weight of my snow boots and the hat falling into my eyes adds a sure challenge to this otherwise simple task.  Getting to the door a mere fifteen seconds after the boys, I count this trip as a success.  The process of gathering up treats and racing around the houses is repeated many times until dark is settling in and everybody is chilly and tired.  We are greeted at the door by a gust of warm air and hot chocolate ready to be sipped.  Looking back I can only smile because I know how lucky I am to have great memories like this. 

It Was Paradise

It Was Paradise 

For me, the best childhood memory I have is going to San Antonio, Texas. Almost my whole family went. Kaila, Cassie, Kara, Camryn, my mom, dad and I packed our bags and got headed to the airport. My dad had gone on many work trips to Texas before and decided it was a great place to spend Easter with the family. My brother, of course didn’t want to come so he spent the two week at home with my aunts and uncles checking up on him periodically.

We got on a plane together in the spring of 2004. I remember sitting next to my little sister Camryn. It was her first time on a plane and she looked nervous. I handed her a piece of gum so her ears wouldn’t pop. After liftoff she was fine; we colored some pictures together and watched a movie. That plane ride seemed like the longest trip in the world! I couldn’t sit still I was so anxious for the sunny Texas weather. Once we landed, I remember getting our rental car. The man handed us two sets of keys for two Jeeps, one orange and one lime green. My dad hated it and wanted to get a new one but us girls wouldn’t let him. He drove the lime green one, my sister, who recently got her license, drove with my mom in the orange car to the hotel. Our hotel was more like a resort. The hotel was only three levels, but it went in a “u” shape. There were three walls of the hotel surrounding the outdoor pool area.  There was a bit of open land, a path, some benches and a play ground around the building as well. Right near the pool was our rooms. There was a sliding glass door to the outside area, making it easy to go from the pool back to our room. We spent a lot of our time over the next two weeks going back and forth from room to room playing in the pools and having fun.  A week into our trip my Uncle Denis and his family joined us. They got a room only two down from ours and we spent a lot of our time annoying our neighbors hanging out together in each other’s rooms. Every night after the pool closed we would play cards and occasionally order pizza. We had a great time spending time together. Over the two weeks we spent in paradise we spent every waking hour together. My family will never forget this trip when my family got closer than ever before. 

Snowballs, Chaos, and the Imaginary Medal of Honor

 Ahh, the feeling of winter as a child. It’s fun, exhilarating, but most of all peaceful. Then there’s that one little burst of madness when you seem to be enjoying yourself, then a flying white ball smacks you in the face. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, none of that can fly. You pack a ball with your gloves, you ready your weapon, aim, fire and then it’s war. Rewinding a few years back, the only thing I had to look forward to in winter was grabbing my sled, going to the highest hill in the creek, and driving down it. I had only seen snowball fights in cartoons, so naturally I wanted to be a part of one. When I was about six or seven, my brother Jack was about five and we were outside in the backyard with my dad, enjoying the winter breeze. Then three medium sized kids in winter coats, hats and gloves emerged from the other side of the creek and threw snowballs at us. I knew that at last I would experience a true snowball fight, so we took up the challenge and fired back.

     It was total chaos and we loved every minute of it, I dodged every snowball that whizzed past my head while my dad provided ammo for Jack and I as pandemonium was insured. However, while Jack and I kept firing and hitting our targets, there was one particular enemy that wouldn’t give up. He had hit us with his seemingly unlimited ammunition of snow, he had hit Dad with plenty, which limited our ammo, and I was with my last snowball. I looked at my target as he kept rushing to the left as I arched my arm and then I threw with all of the power in my arm. The snowball flew with so much speed and velocity and crashed into my target’s face! I felt like I had won the Medal of Honor, my heart jumped for joy and my mind was filled with exhilaration as the enemy retreated. We had won our first snowball fight, and the happiness was well deserved for such a great victory. 

Snow ball Fight!

When I was a kid, I remember my siblings and I going outside on a snow day. Bundled up in our warm clothes, we went out to play in the snow. Snow ball fights, building snowmen, snow angels, and even playing games where we had to dig into the snow to make a fort. But my favorite thing about a snow day was after the outdoor fun. We would go inside, put on warm clothes, drink hot chocolate and watch television. Sometimes our parents would join us and we’d spend all day watching Christmas movies. My favorite movie we watch was "A Christmas Story." Later, after we’ve had our fill of movies and hot chocolate, we all helped our mom make dinner. Then after dinner, we would all sit by a fire and talk. If we were lucky, there was another Christmas movie coming. All of these activities are my favorite thing about the holidays. Being with family, decorating, watching the snow fall at night, and playing in it the next day. Sadly, all of us are too old and no longer fit in our “snow clothes.” I still do the same things with my family, but not as much and often as we used to.

Winter Wonderland

It was a gloomy, cold winter day. The wind was blowing against the trees and the snow was glistening on the frozen ground. My dad had just gotten home from my grandma’s house and he was in a better mood than usual. It was making me a little nervous because he never acts like that. He called my brother and I into the family room and he asked us if we wanted to go the Red Wings game that night. Of course we said yes! I mean who wouldn’t want to spend the night downtown at The Joe. It made it even better because it was New Years Eve. Everyone would be downtown at parties waiting for the ball to drop and the New Year to begin. It was 4:00 and the game was set to begin at 7:00. I rushed up the stairs to get ready. I put on my black skinny jeans, my grey tank top with my red wings zip up hoodie with my grey boots. I was all ready to go when my uncle stopped by. I didn’t know that he was going to come with us to the game. We got into the car and we left Livonia and for the busy city of Detroit. When we got to the arena, we parked the car and went inside. This was my brothers first time to a Red Wings game so it was really special for him. When we found our seats my brother got even more excited because we were two rows away from the glass. He sprinted down the steps and watched in awe the players as they skated for warm-up. The crowd went wild when the puck was dropped by a former red Wing Chris Chelios to start the game. It was about five minutes into the first period when the wings scored the first goal. My brother stood up and just started screaming as loud as he could. In the second period they scored again and another right after the third period began. We left the game a little early but the wings won the game 3-0 and jimmy Howard got the shutout. We got home just in time for the ball to drop and the New Year to begin. I will never forget that New Years Eve and I know my little brother won’t either.

That Unforgettable Day

     Have you ever had that day that you know that you will never forget? Well, for me that was an amazing snow day in the winter of third grade. I went to private school from kindergarten to eighth grade, so we never got days off from school. Winter was our time to hope just like the kids from any school. Every kid has their own "superstitions" on how to get a snow day for sure. Some people put ice on their windowsill, others flush ice down the toilet, and other people even do something as simple as putting a white crayon on the windowsill and hoping for the best. Well, our way of getting a snow day was to wear our pajamas inside out. It seemed to work almost every time, so we continued to do it until sixth grade. That day little did we know how much it would pay off.

     The next day everyone was glued to the television, checking the news every five minutes while getting ready for school. When I was about to leave the house I heard a faint yell from the living room, "Justin! Where are you going? You don't have to go to school today." Was I happy? Try a grin from one side of my face to the other! As soon as I found out I called my friend Mitchell. I talked with him for a while and we came to the conclusion that I should spend the day at his house.

     When I got to his house we ran straight to the computer, YouTube marathon! Right when I thought that it couldn't get any better we decided to go outside. It was just after the snowplows cleared the roads and there was a huge snow pile right next to his house. The first thing that Mitchell said was, "Let's make a fort!" The attempt at the fort snowballed out of control, so we decided to make a tunnel that went all the way through the pile of snow. Although it took a few hours it was still well worth it. Later we went inside for hot chocolate and snacks. Now you know about my unforgettable snow day, what's yours?

Long Waited Warmth

It’s the middle of January, the coldest month of winter. I wake up surrounded in my cozy warm blankets. Essentially they protect me from the cold air that seeps through the cracks in my window, but today they suffocated me. My hair and shirt are drenched in sweat. I looked around my sunny room not knowing what is going on. Finally I decided to get up, open a window and look outside. When I do, I see actual grass!  All the snow that was built up through the winter has miraculously melted into huge puddles in my back yard.

I swing open my drawers plunge to the bottom, avoiding all winter wear and grab my beloved t-shirt and shorts. Scurrying out the door with my dog by my side we head to the ankle deep puddles. With the nice cool breeze whisking across my body and the warm sun wresting upon my shoulders I spend my whole day happy, outside with no trouble just enjoying myself while playing with my dog.

This happens to be one of my favorite memories because it was such a surprise. It was the middle of the winter, right when I start getting sick of the cold and the snow. To wake up expecting another miserable cold day but to be granted a beautiful spring day was and amazing surprise that made the whole day great. I was happy to not be cold the whole day; I like just running around barefoot all day. I felt so free to be outside and not trapped by all my clothes that keep me warm or my house that I stay in to avoid the freezing snow. Now every winter morning I wake up hoping that I will look out the window to see my adored puddle playground.

The Best Party Ever!!

In the month of February of last year it was going to be my best friend Bridget’s 15th birthday. At the end of January, Rachel and I decided to plan a surprise birthday for Bridget. The planning was a lot of fun and hard work but to see it all come together in the end was amazing. Even though the holidays were past then, it was still chilly outside and it snowed the day of the party.  When Bridget arrived at my house to go to the movies, we went downstairs to get food from my pantry; little did she know that there was going to be fifteen kids in my basement about to yell surprise! When we got downstairs, she was overwhelmed by everyone yelling SURPRISE at her! We had a cute monkey cake and a bunch of food and pop to celebrate her birthday. We all had an amazing idea at the time to go outside even though that it was like 10 degrees out. We all put our boots and jackets on and went outside. Someone through a snowball and it hit Bridget, then everyone fought back and it turned into a huge snowball fight. Then at ten o’clock at night, we decided to make a huge ruckus outside by running through the street and throwing snow at each other and screaming down the streets. We got stopped by the neighbors a lot and we ended up being so cold, we decided to go inside. We had a great party and its memories that will last forever.

Magic Boots

One of my best holiday memories was when I was about five and it was Christmas Eve. I still believed in Santa Claus, who may or may not be real according to Mason. Ever since I could remember I have had difficulty sleeping on Christmas Eve, for whatever reason I always stayed up until at least 1:00 in the morning. I was really excited on that particular Christmas because the new Barbie dream house had just came out and the mall Santa had promised he would get it for me. It’s common knowledge that Santa will only come if you are sleeping, so I had to utilize all my abilities to try and fall asleep. For some reason I was 100 percent convinced that making snow angels in my bed was the way to do it. This could be described as a flawed strategy. So I decided if I pretended to sleep I could trick him.

            About an hour later I had to go to the bathroom. I had the difficult decision of deciding to go or not, because what if Santa was right in my living room. He could’ve seen me then got mad because I tricked him. Then he would give me coal. I had to tough it out. A half an hour after that I had to go. I chose to risk it. I peeked under the door, nothing was moving. I just saw the colorful Christmas lights on our tree. I slowly opened the door, and peeked out. Besides the lights it was very dark. I could hear my parents up stairs slowly shifting around. I ran to the bathroom. I heard footsteps, coming and leaving. I tried to sneak back to my room, but when I opened the door there was Santa’s boots. I sprinted back to my room jumped in my bed and fell asleep instantly.  In the morning the boots were gone.

Back then I was convinced I had just witnessed Santa Claus. Looking back on it I now realize that my dad put his own boots by the bathrooms door, to make me go to bed. I always did think it was strange how my dad and Santa had the same boots.

Hot Chocolate and New Fears

At nine years old, sledding meant hours of trudging up the snow banks created by a plow in the empty parking lot of the nearby Welcome Center.  It meant a day of fun and cold fingers with a steaming cup of hot chocolate at the end of the day.  The day my best friend and I walked over to that empty parking with sleds in our already cooling fingers I had the same expectations.  And they were surpassed with flying colors.  My friend and I spent hours flying down the tall banks of snow and skidding across the ice coated asphalt, never stopping until our legs were too tired to carry us up those massive piles.  It was in one of those brief moments of time when we waited for our aching legs to return to that familiar blissful numbness when a brilliant idea sparked between us.

Not far from where we sat was a rather pitiful trickle of water called Bell Creek.  This creek is known to host various drug exchanges and drinking parties but being only nine I saw it as the perfect ice arena.  So my friend and I trudged through the untouched snow that covered the field like a blanket, sleds dragging behind us like dejected puppies while we chattered excitedly about our wonderful idea.  We ducked under the low hanging pine needles and dropped our sleds at the base of their trunks before running towards the ice as fast as our booted feet would carry us.  My friend skidded onto the slippery surface first, waiting until the groans of the hardened water subsided before beckoning me forward.  Being both taller and heavier than her, I should have known the end result and avoided it.  But in my haste to be a graceful ice princess, I pushed away all rational thought and stepped onto the weakest part of the already thin ice.

My foot fell through and hit the muddy bottom below with a mushy squelch but the disgusting sound was the furthest thing from my mind.  The frigid water flooded my boot, filling the very thing that was supposed to keep me warm with ice cold liquid.  I screamed and jerked back, falling onto the snowy ground in my haste to get as far away from the cold as possible.  Once I was at least ten feet away and my boot emptied of water, I realized that my friend was laughing at me.  I laughed too, until I realized that I couldn’t feel my foot.  When I tried to stand I fell back into the snow, unable to even move my toes.  My friend, realizing that my predicament wasn’t so funny, helped me onto her sled and dragged me back to her house, which was, fortunately, very close to the treacherous creek.  At the end of the day, I still had my foot and my hot chocolate.  But I also had a newfound fear of ice and a hilarious memory that I hope I will never forget.

Out of Power!

            You might think that the actual snow day I had was the most memorable, it wasn't though. The most memorable part was after I was done playing with my friends and went inside. It was brutally snowing outside, I was drinking some hot cocoa, and I was just about to start watching television with my family. Suddenly we heard a noise and following that, all of the lights flickered off, along with the television. We realized the power must have gone off because of the constant snow. My mom had got some candles and lit them while my dad had turned on the fireplace. We didn't know what to do at first, we just sat there; bored. Finally, my brother had suggested we play one of our favorite board games: Apples to Apples. We all happily agreed and I went and retrieved the game from the basement. Everyone sat comfortably on the ground on the soft carpet. We each had a snug and fluffy blanket to keep us warm. Then my family and I had started to play.

To play the game the “judge” (a chosen player) draws a green card. This card has an adjective on it (scary, crazy, round, etc.). The judge then places it face-up on the table for everybody to see. Then each person (except the judge) chooses one of the five red cards they have that they think is the best match for the green apple card, and places it face-down. The judge shuffles the red apple cards, reads them aloud, and decides which noun is the best match for the adjective. Most “judges” often choose the logical and more serious card, but we pick the card that is the most enjoyable and funny and sometimes even make no sense. This makes the game more fun that it really is. During the first ten minutes we laughed constantly, and truly were having a great time. It had gotten to the point that because I laughed so hard, tears had started to come out of my eyes. After an hour or two, the power had suddenly come back on. But instead of turning on the television and watching it, we continued to play and have my most memorable snow day that I have ever had.  

Snow Day!

Jill Wagner
Fall/Winter/Holidays/School Memory
Snow Day!
Waking up to my alarm reminded me that there was another lengthy day of school ahead of me. It was an arctic December morning, I was in the fourth grade and I felt like I would do anything to avoid school. The second time my alarm began to beep, I heard my mom come into my room. Being the young and tired girl I was, I covered my head with my pillow and acted as if I was asleep. I heard her say something but ignored it because I assumed it was about getting ready for school. When she walked out of my room and closed the door I became quite curious, so I jumped out of bed and gazed out my window. To my amazement, my entire backyard was covered in snow as if it was a winter wonder land. Filled with excitement I ran into my parents’ room and told them to look out the window. I screamed with joy, “Mom, Dad! Look outside! I bet we don’t have school!” They casually laughed and told me “We know, now go back to sleep!” I agreed but instead of going back to sleep (boring!), I tiptoed downstairs and got myself a bowl of cereal.

After a couple of hours it was about 11:30 and my parents and siblings were all awake. My sisters and I were very eager to go outside to play in the snow. Once it was noon my mom finally permitted us to go outside. After a half an hour of getting scarves, gloves, hats, and more we could go outside. Stepping out into the snow made us feel like we were on a mission to get to the top of a snowy mountain when really our main goal was to get off the deck. The snow was about half way up our shins making the experience even more enjoyable. The first thing we did was shovel all of the snow off the deck and into one huge pile. Once we finished our dad came out and packed the pile down and then poured water onto it making an amazing sledding hill. Once we began to sled my best friend came outside and ran over to join in on the fun. After a while we became uninterested with the hill and moved onto “bigger and better things”, or in other words, the rest of the backyard. We started off by rolling snow into massive snowballs and using them as the walls to our forts. As soon as our fort was finished we decided to have a snowball fight against my dad. We thought we could beat him but his perfectly aimed snowballs could not be tamed. Beginning to feel cold and tired we asked for some hot chocolate, which was quickly brought out to us by my mom. We were very thankful and the second we finished, our strength was restored and we were back to conquering the backyard.

After a few more hours had passed, we all became very cold and tired and chose to go inside. After my friend had left I decided to take a nap. When I woke up it was already morning and when I looked outside, to my surprise, it had snowed again! I was so happy to hear that we didn’t have school and that we had an entirely new day and new layer of snow to play on. Over all this is one of my favorite winter memories mainly because it is just one example of how I would spend my snow days and other cold wintery days. Although winter is not my favorite season, I still enjoy they holidays, family gatherings, and snowdays!

Winter Whoops

                BANG BANG BANG! I wake up to a loud pounding on the door that shook the entire cabin. I crawl out of bed and peek out of the window to see my friends, Jackie and Lexi, and Jackie's father standing outside with their chocolate Labrador, Dewy. I wander out of my room to go greet them and welcome them inside. When they walked in they were deck out in snow pants, gloves, jackets, boots, and hats. They ask if my sister and I will go on a walk with them and I happily agree and go get my sister.

                As we walk outside in our outerwear we see the beautiful winter day in Lewiston, Michigan. The fresh snow made the outdoors look like a winter wonderland. We start down the road and enter the forest path. The snowy branches along the path were being shaken by Jackie's dad, having all the snow fall onto us. As we reach our destination in the forest, the fallen tree that was knocked over in the summer by a tornado, Dewy is let off his leash to run freely.

                As we normally do we start to climb the fallen tree walking along the sturdy trunk. We have our normal competition to see who could walk the furthest down the tree without falling off. This was not an easy task because the further down you got the trunk the narrower the path got. When we got half way down the trunk the ice my two of us gave up and only Jackie and I was left standing. Even when Jackie gave up I still went on. As I started to walk past another fork in the branches there was a snap. I fell straight down, landed on my feet like a cat, and in shock hear everyone laughing. I only fell three feet but it startled me and ask the others asked if I was okay trying not to giggle some more, I join in the laughter.

An Exciting New Start

Every year as the countdown from Times Square drops from ten down to one, millions of people exclaim “Happy New Year!” That moment had been long anticipated. It was time to start those New Year’s resolution.  Some people across the globe might have been sharing a New Year’s kiss, others toasting a glass of wine, others lying in bed asleep. For as long as I could remember, my typical New Year’s Eve party was as lame as the last option. I am a night owl, and would stay awake until midnight to watch the ball in Times Square drop. That is standard for many people, but I would sit alone in my quiet room. It was quite dull and not a very positive way to start a new year! My parents simply couldn't bring themselves to stay awake a few extra hours to celebrate with me, I suppose. But New Year’s Eve was much different than usual for me in 2010.

I had been staying over a family friend’s house for several days to enjoy my Christmas break with their daughters Angela, Melissa, Sarah, and Colleen Kolis. I become a member of their family for the period I spend with them, and accompany them to their usual daily activities. When it came time to spend New Year’s Eve at their aunt and uncle’s house, I was invited without hesitation. I had never been to a New Year’s party, and boy was I excited for this one. All I had heard about their aunt and uncle was that they both worked in the medical field, and more specifically, her uncle was a heart surgeon. The Kolis’ were a bit notorious for being on the cheap side. Before attending the party, we drove through the McDonald’s drive through and picked up a few dozen hamburgers. Upon arrival to the aunt and uncle’s house, it was clear that those lousy hamburgers were not appropriate for this event. While I and the Kolis’ were not dressed up, it would have been more appropriate to do so. The house of the aunt and uncle was very luxurious and sizable. From crystal chandeliers to their exotic fancy cat, everything appeared as though it was expensive. Fabulous hors d'oeuvres were served along with wine for the adults.

 I mostly spent the night with Angela, and we did various things. I can only remember a few, such as watching a movie on their huge projector screen in their basement, to just messing around like the kids we were. The adults around us were enjoying drinks and the Kolis’ cousins had teenage friends over. Angela and I only being eleven and twelve years old, we felt really cool when we watched a movie with the teenagers. It was approaching midnight and excitement and anxiety filled the air. I stood in the living room, with a twenty foot tall extravagant Christmas tree beside me and people surrounding me. The luminous red ball on the sixty inch television screen dropped down from ten to the long anticipated zero. Rainbow confetti poppers burst everywhere. Drinks clinked. “Happy New Year!” everyone at the party exclaimed. This was the most exciting moment I’d had in a long time. Even though I had no resolutions myself, I could feel that the new year was going to be positive. How could it not be, with such a happy, joyful party to celebrate its arrival?

Snow Day By BreAnn

Snow Day

Winter is my favorite season and it always has been.  I love the snow and the cold and the holidays.  It’s a magical time of year that has always filled my days with hope and wonder.  I get to see my family during the holidays and during the days that are too frigid to go outside I spend my time snuggled in a blanket by the fireplace with a good book.  There's just nothing I dislike about it.  One of my very favorite things however is snow days.  The very snow itself can just make my day. 

The snow fell softly on that cold winter day and I had opened my eyes to a soft, white light that came from the window beside my bed even though it was a weekday.  I smiled knowing what this meant and when I looked out my window my suspicions had been confirmed.  It was a snow day!  School had been canceled on account of the blizzard we’d had the night before.  I hurried out of my room and ate breakfast before heading next door to see my best friend Lacey.  After a bit of coaxing we bundled up and braved the cold as we played about in the snow having snowball fights and making forts.  The snow that day was great packing snow and easily held together for our use.  We stayed out for several hours running and rolling about in the snow long after our fingers grew numb.  It got later and colder however and we eventually had to make our way inside.  We were greeted by the warm smell of hot chocolate, courtesy of my mother, and after a cup of warm liquid and some dry clothes we were toasty and warm.  We ended the day sitting in the living room watching movies with a fire cackling away in my fireplace.  It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Timber!

 

          This isn't the most happiest holiday memory I have stored in my head, but it's one I can clearly remember. About five or six years ago my family and I went out and got our Christmas tree from a place on Farmington Road. My family and I chose the perfect blue spruce , and we brought it home and put it in a tree stand. We let the tree set there for a couple of days so that the branches would return normal and, not all bunched up from the wrapping the place puts on so it's easier to take home. When my sister and I got home from school two days after we got the tree; my sister and I waited until both my parents were home and we asked to decorate the tree. When we got the "okay" from both my parents we took out all the boxes full of lights, ornaments, and the angel that goes on top of our tree.

          First, my dad put on all of the light that go around our tree and, after my dad got done putting on the lights we started putting on all the ornaments. We put on all kinds of ornaments on our tree including some that belonged to my grandma's mom who we called Nana and others that we get from Bronners Christmas Store in Frankenmuth. After we put all the ornaments on the tree my dad always put the Angel on the top of the tree. My whole family stood there admiring the tree and, then dad notice that the tree was tilting to the left a little. As my dad was walking towards the tree to fix the problem the tree fell over. For a moment my whole family went speechless and didn't say a word. Then we picked up the tree, put it back in the stand, and made sure that it was secure in there. Then it got worse from there, a lot of the glass ornaments we had put on the tree had shattered into what looked like a million pieces. I was really sad when I saw my favorite ornament, which was a yellow bulb with a smiley face on it. My mom called my grandma about the whole thing and, heard that my favorite bulb had broke. A few days later after my mom called: my grandma came over and gave me a new yellow smiley face bulb. I was so happy that my favorite ornament was going to be on the tree that year, and had no other problems with our Christmas tree.

           

Snow Time Fun

Snow time Fun Nick Koons 5th hour It was the winter of 2008. My friend Ben and I were hanging out at his house after I had just stayed the night. It had snowed a lot since the day previous. The ground was covered with a shining, glimmering sheet of snow, with only a few blemishes from animals walking on it. Ben has a pretty big back yard so we decided to make a snow fort. Now a normal fort is only a few feet high and is just on sided, but me and Ben took a square bucket and made a snow fortress. It was about four feet high and had three sides until we closed it behind us. We used about half of the snow in the entire yard to make it but it was so worth it. We hid inside it and bombarded Bens brother Stuart with snowballs. We would have played with it longer but we had to go eat lunch. So I thought I could jump over the wall and then get the shovel to break Ben out, but this was before I could jump as high as I can now. I jumped and smacked into the wall, knocking it over and faceplanted into the snow. Ben just stood there laughing until I got up and pushed him into the pile of snow I created then we were even. When I was really little about seven years old there was one day in the winter where it snowed a ton, so me and my sisters decided to play in the snow for a while. After about an hour of playing we started to get bored so I asked my mom what we could do so we could have more fun playing outside. She gave each of us a spray bottle filled with almost boiling water in it I asked, “What are we supposed to do with this?” My mom said that we could use the hot water to melt the snow enough to be able to write and draw things into it. My sisters were not enthused with this idea. Me on the other hand was super excited. I loved to write and draw on anything I could get my hands on, but I haven't ever drawn on snow before. I spent about an hour filling our yard with drawings of people, trees, cars, and rocket ships (for a seven year old this is pretty good) I also wrote words I knew how to spell. It was a lot of fun, it also was cool because when you sprayed the boiling water onto the snow, it kinda steamed I found it amusing. A few years ago when I was ten, my family and I went to my grandmas house. Now usually when we go to my grandmas house we just sit around and talk, which was always a bore to me. But that day when we went I had a lot more fun then we usually do. My grandparents have a huge tree in there front lawn and every November it dumps tones of leaves on the ground, so my Grandma called us over so we could rake them up. Even at the age of ten I loved to rake leaves. I dont really know why I do its just a lot of fun I guess. So my sisters and I got to work. We spent about two hours raking leaves up into huge piles, and into yard bags. The only reason it took so long was because I always jumped into every pile we made and scattered the leaves around the yard. For one of the piles I jumped in I covered myself with leaves and waited for someone to try and pick some of the leaves up. My sister Eryn was the unfortunate one this time, as she tried to pick up the pile I jumped out and scared her. She followed by chasing me with a rake. I think that was the most fun I had raking leaves ever.

A Snowy Adventure

We went to St. Ignace, Mi. This is the city that you are in when you are heading north and get off the Mackinaw Bridge. This bridge connects the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. Gary, my parent’s friend from work, invited us to come to his cabin in the U.P. for the weekend. This was our first time up in the U.P. We all traveled with Gary in his nice big suburban. On the way, his cousin Andrew, my mom, my dad, my brother Ben and I all enjoyed a movie during the ride. This helped time pass and make the ride seem shorter. Although we were going just for the weekend, I was super excited since I had never been up north before. Up at the cabin Gary had several snowmobiles that we were going to ride. Although my brother and I were too young to drive them, they were 2-seaters and we could ride on the back. We bundled up in layers and layers to keep us warm and hopped on. They felt very big and powerful. The fact that there were no seatbelts scared me, thinking I would just fly off. Our journey started out by going along the road to get to a snowmobile path. This path was mostly in the midst of a forest and very scenic. The snow covered pine trees sparkled in the sunlight. Amazingly, we even saw deer! Every once in a while the path would cross over a side street or it would run next to a road. After several hours in the woods, we arrived at a gas station where we filled up our empty tanks. At this point, we decided we should start heading back toward the cabin since we did not bring any food with us and it would take us several more hours to return. After a wonderful, half-day journey, we arrived back at the cabin safe and sound. Do you know that feeling that you have after getting off a roller coaster? That is sort of what I felt like. My legs were like jelly and it felt weird to stand up again and not be bouncing around. Nevertheless, it was so much fun! Once we ate, relaxed and warmed up a bit, Gary asked my parents if it would be OK to let Ben and I drive a little. To my surprise, they said yes! Gary and my Dad drove 2 snowmobiles out onto the lake across from the cabin. My Mom brought the camera. Gary then instructed me sit in front of him on one and Ben to sit in front of my Dad on the other. I was nervous that the ice was going to break underneath us but Gary said the ice was very thick and not to worry. Because the lake was frozen, snow covered, and very wide open, there was nothing for us to run into. Gary explained to me how the hand throttle and brake worked. At first, my driving was very jerky but after a few minutes, I got the hang of it. Ben and my Dad soon caught up and were riding next to us. Together we made lots of big figure eights and other different patterns in the snow. At one point my brother and I even had a race. We decided the finish was a tie. Driving these big, powerful machines was very exciting and it really gave me a thrill!

A Christmas Carol

“We have to finish practicing the play.” My sister and cousin demanded as we bustled around our basement gathering props for the play we put on for our family every year. Usually we base the production off of a classic Christmas tale and make it our own. Such as the last one we put on, A Christmas Carol, when we were seven, eight, and nine. My sister Casey and cousin Kelly acted as two young sisters who constantly argued and I was the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future; the Easter Bunny, Rudolph, and Cupid. Us three dressed into our costumes that we handmade and we stepped out into the “stage” (the living room). I introduced myself as The Easter Bunny and told the audience of the plot of the play, “In this Production Casey, Kelly, and I will be portraying the original Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol. Instead of one grouchy man there will be two young sisters who argue and are ungrateful for everything.” Kelly and Casey opened up the act by fighting over a toy after I walked off of the stage. The Play ended with laughter and clapping from the audience and bowing from the actresses. That was the last play we put on, now we tell stories of the past year and hopes for wonderful things to come in the New Year. Sometimes I wish I could bring back the play production, and go back in time to when I was younger. But now our family has more time to talk to each other and less time to watch each other and I’m okay with that.

Happy New Year!

                                                                 Happy New Year!

           

            “Five four three two, one happy New Year!”  We all cheered as the clock struck twelve.    The year was two-thousand and eight, and I was spending my new year with my family and friends at Tree Tops ski lodge.   Finally being a “big kid” I was old enough to stay up until midnight that is if I didn’t drift off into sleep.  I was prepared; I had all of the essentials for keeping up.  In other words enough sugar to give every person in the country diabetes.  My brother Stephen, our friend Jake and I were in Jake’s family’s room at the lodge while our parents were down the hall.  It was in the truest sense of the word awesome, as in to eleven year old me, I was in shock. 

            Every hour seemed as long as day and I could hear the sandman beckoning me to enter his realm of dreams.  I snapped back in to the world of the awake, trying to free myself of my comfortable prison of a bed.  “Sugar, I need sugar.” I needed to stay awake as if my very life depended on it.  The clock read ten thirty, “another hour and a half to go” I told myself.  Stephen and Jake were playing cards or something, and I was gorging on sweets like a homeless mutt in an IAMS factory.  Time passed and we made a pillow fort.  “Eleven thirty! Only half an hour left! I can do this.”  A gallon of Mountain Dew later and I was more wired than a super computer.  We turned on Dick Clark and watched the record for the longest motorcycle jump be broken.  “Just five more minutes!” I was rearing with anticipation.  I went out to the snow –capped balcony and looked out to the horizon of our little lodge town.  I saw the most beautiful lights reflecting off of the snow, I’ll never forget that image.  As I stepped back in to the room so I didn’t get frostbite, our countdown had almost come to a close.  “Five, four, three, two, one.  Happy New Year!”  Cheers erupted from all throughout the hotel.  From the guys in the hot tub outside, to our parents down the hall. 

            I’ll never forget that feeling, that feeling of pure excitement.  My patience had finally paid off; I made it to the New Year.  I think I slept for maybe an hour that night, I was so wound up from the sugar and the cheering that I couldn’t bring myself to sit still for a few minutes, let alone lay in bed for hours.  I’ll never forget that night. 

Frosty the Snowman

I suddenly wake up from my sleep. The air is numb but the sun has already risen. I frantically look at my clock and a thousand questions run through my head. How could I have overslept? Why didn’t mom or dad wake me up? Am I dreaming? As I glance out my window to see if my parent’s cars are still there I am overwhelmed by an unexpected surprise. A sheet of six inch snow glistens in the sunlight. Now my questions are answered; it’s a snow day! I run down the stairs but even before I get to the bottom I already smell the fresh baked cinnamon rolls that my mom makes every snow day. I immediately get hungry but it doesn’t matter because my mom already has one sitting on the plate waiting for me. The white sugary frosting streaming down the sides reminds me why my mom only makes these occasionally. These are probably six hundred calories alone and this is my first meal. Once I scarf it down, I quickly call up one of my best friends, Haley. When she picks up the phone she tells me that she already has her snow gear on and is heading over. It’s a snow day and I am already behind schedule!

                 

Since my sister claimed she was “too old” to go out and play in the snow, my dad, brother, Haley, Haley’s dad and I all go out without her. We first start out making simple snow angels; little did we know that we were going to end up being the creators of a giant snowman. While my brother is making snowballs and writing his name in the snow, Haley and I decide we want to make the snowman. The dads begin to make the bottom since Haley and I were still too small and weak. The bottom came together very quickly, but it was much larger then the usual bottom of a snowman. Because of the massive size of the first snowball, the middle of the snowman needed to be about the size of a normal bottom. As we try to put the middle snowball on top of the bottom part we come across a problem. The middle was way too heavy for us to pick up. Thankfully, our neighbor was out shoveling his driveway so he came over to help. He brought along a plank of wood so that we could roll the middle up the ramp. After a couple of tries, they finally got it up. Now all that was left was the head, which didn’t take that long because it was so much smaller. Once my mom sees what we have done she immediately runs out with the Snowman Decoration Kit. This kit includes the corncob pipe, the button nose, and two eyes made out of coal. While Haley and I decorate him we add our own touches of style. I add two rakes for his arms and Haley takes off her scarf and puts it around his neck. All of us step back and, after a moment of thought and a couple pictures, we realize that we will never have a better snow day then this!

                  

Hidden Talent

Hidden Talent

Emily Vincent 5^th Hour.

            I never had any musical talent, I danced but I didn’t ever play an instrument. I attempted the violin but I was horrible. Last Christmas I had told my mom that I was interested in playing the guitar. Taylor Swift had inspired me to do so, but I never thought my mom would take it seriously. It was a beautiful Christmas morning, snow had just fallen on the ground and my little sister ran into my room screaming “Santa brought a HUGE gift for you Emmy!” I jumped up and went down the stairs into the living room. She was right, there was a monstrous gift waiting for me.

            I had no idea what the gift could have been. So I just started tearing Christmas themed paper and I saw it. My mother actually bought me a guitar, and a really nice one! The wood was a beautiful espresso color and it was gleaming in the light. I was excited to get the gift but there was only one problem. I had no idea how to play it. All that morning I sat in my room trying to learn a few chords, strumming different beats, and looking on You-tube for tutorials on how to play guitar. At Christmas dinner I got a bunch of guitar picks and accessories for my guitar from my uncle. But I got very frustrated that I didn’t pick up the guitar and learn it that day but as time went on, I got better and better. The first song I learned on New Year’s Eve with my uncle it was Crazier by Taylor Swift. I couldn’t stop playing the guitar, I loved it so much! Towards the end of the winter I got so mad that I couldn’t learn the chords I wanted to so I quit playing. But then that summer I picked up the guitar and began playing again. I would play until my fingers bled, but I didn’t care I was just crazy about it.

             At this time I am still playing guitar and recently I have started singing and writing songs too. I always remember last Christmas when I got my first guitar. If I had never gotten that gift I wouldn’t see the talent that everyone says I have when I play. It was the best Christmas gift ever.