Final Reflection Post

1.      During this class, I’ve written multiple different things I wouldn’t normally write. I don’t really like narrative pieces, but we’ve done quite a few this semester. Like our six word memoirs, or the narratives inspired by Harris Burdick. I find that writing about myself is super hard to do, so this was a welcome challenge to help better my writing.  I’ve also never kept a journal that I’ve written things in, which is a new experience for me. Normally I just write down whatever I want to write, then later lose the paper. Now I’ve got most of them written down in a single notebook, so if I want to remember one of them or expand a story I can just pick it up and there they are.

2.      I’ve read a few things in this class, an article or two, a few pieces of classmates’ work. There was a reconnection with my childhood when we read childhood stories and wrote reflections about them; before that, I hadn’t even looked at a book from my childhood. I’ve looked at my classmate’s works, reading 101 facts about them or some scary-ier stories inspired by Halloween, which I found fun if only because writing lets a person’s inner ‘freak’ (if you could call it that) come out.

3.      Having a blog has actually been fun. At first I thought it was going to be lame, but it actually helps me keep my writing separated and easy to find, and other’s get to read it if they stumble across it which they wouldn’t have been able to if my writing was just kept in a notebook. My blog’s name is not creative at all, if only because I am absolutely horrible at naming things. I’m not actually sure if I’ll keep posting to this blog, or if I want to make another and just put in whatever I happen to write, or if I want to abandon it all. I’m really not too sure.

4.      Journaling is hard work, I think. I like having my pieces kept in one place where they’ll be easy to find, but I have a hard time keeping them in this one place. I write whenever the feeling hits me and if I don’t have my journal on me I can’t write them down and it will bug me if they’re not all together. So I’m not really too sure if I want to upkeep my journal or just have a blog. Decisions, decisions.

5.     

What’s your story: I brought in a package of Scrabble Slam, because there are tons of nights when my family and I would sit down and play for hours. Plus, I’m totally beast at this game. Even if I can’t spell. In fourth grade, we learned how to write our names in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Mine serves as a few different reasons; I am so proud of it, even if I made it when I was ten, and I love ancient history. I only own one picture of my family before my parents got divorced. Even though I can’t stand most of the people in the picture, it’s still important. Also, it helps me realize how much I’ve changed. My headphones are always with me. Music is a huge part of my life and I listen to it just about 24/7. Bring in my headphones was a given for me.

6.      “I’m a princess.”

A little girl, dancing joyously through the grass. Brown eyes sparkling, hair flying during twirls.

“I can do it!”

Eleven years old, trying her best to find her way. 

“School is hard.”

A middle school-er matched with a sparkly pink backpack, finding the first cruelties of the world.

“No one likes me.”

An eighth grader sobbing, begging her mom for help. 

“I don’t have any friends.”

An almost-sophomore told to join a group with someone she gets along with. 

“Maybe they’ll like me if I’m pretty.”

A senior in high school glaring at herself in the mirror wishing to change it all. 

“No dinner, not hungry.”

A young adult, worrying her parents. 

“I don’t need to eat.”

A twenty-year-old completely deaerating. 

“I don’t care if I die. I need to be pretty.”

A doctor advising her to change, to be healthy again. 

“I’m beautiful.”

A hole in the ground, a mother and father crying, and a weakened, peaceful face.

“I'll do anything to reach perfection.”

7.      In the future I think I’ll stick to fiction. It’s my best writing-category, and I like writing on my own much more than I do for school. In school though I have to turn it in by a certain point, and I am horrible at finishing the work I do on my own, so there’s that. Writing creatively works for me, it lets me express my creativity and imagination without being judged for it. Writing what I want, when I want, has always been a thing to help me calm down.

8.      For those reading this, do what you want. Don’t let others tell you how to write, what to or not to write, or who to write about it. Your writing is just that, yours. Don’t let other people make you regret or hate the things you’ve created.

9.      This is an older couple holding hand. This is two childhood friends, who found love together, lived life together, and will one day die together

101 Things About Me

 Below is a list of 101 facts about me. While I came up with most of them, the last twenty-one facts were given to me by friends and family.

1. My favorite color is purple. 
2. I hate writing in pencil.
3. I always have the weirdest dreams.
4. I know that I will be the shortest person in my entire family.
5. I actually hate driving – with a passion.
6. I want to get lots of tattoos and piercings.
7. 7 is my favorite number.
8. I have a dish named after me at home because I ate it so much as a kid. (Mashed potatoes, ground beef, green beans, and white gravy = Bethany’s favorite)
9. I love to learn.
10.  I love dinosaurs.
11.  Aquariums are my weakness.
12.  I really like superheroes. (Especially Superman, he’s my favorite) 
13.  I am some-what a secret romantic.
14.  Usually, I listen to music 24/7.
15.  When I write, I like to kill off characters. (It happens all the time, sadly)
16.  I am the oldest of 5; four girls, and one boy.
17.  I have a pet turtle names Houdini and a pet cat named Stella.
18.  Whenever I get married, if my fiancé wants an indoor wedding, it will be in December. If it’s going to be outdoors, it will be under some Willow trees.
19.  I have had 2 jobs – Subway, and Simply Yo.
20.  I really want to go to a concert but I have no idea which artist I want it to be.
21.  Adam Levine is bae.
22.  I have recently decided that I want to fix my posture, so I’m trying to my best to do that.
23.  The only actual fear I have is of El Chupacabra.
24. I used to love watching Monster Quest. (Which is where my fear came from)
25.  I really want red hair, like a deep auburn color.
26.  Surprisingly, I like to clean.
27.  When they first became popular I was obsessed with One Direction.
28.  One of these days, I am going to get a Bearded Dragon.
29.  I have only had one serious(ish) boyfriend.
30.  I tend to stick to myself.
31.  I like to think I’m good at acting, but who knows if that’s actually true.
32.  I can see the good just as much as I can the bad.
33.  I typically turn into an awkward duck whenever around groups of people.
34.  I sing all the time – I’m also horrible at it.
35.  I wish I could play a really out there instrument and will probably learn someday.
36.  I plan on learning multiple languages. 
37.  Then teaching them to my children.
38.  I want twin boys because I feel that I would mess up raising a daughter because they are hard work.
39.  I’m not really 100% sold on getting married, mostly because a majority of my family’s marriages have been horrible and I don’t want that for myself.
40.  When I sleep I like to make a nest out of my pillows and blankets.
41.  I am a huge texture eater.
42.  I don’t like pie.
43.  If presented with a paper or article to read, I can’t read it all the way through and usually skip sections.
44.  I actually have very little confidence in myself.
45.  I don’t like it when people are upset.
46.  I have kissed two guys.
47.  I have this some-what massive ‘crush’ on my one of my good friend’s older brother.
48.  Sciences fascinate me. (Especially Earth and Space ones)
49.  It’s really hard for me to tan.
50.  I need a haircut, but I’m too scared the stylist will chop it all off. I love my long hair.
51.  I am a friendly person, but I don’t like people.
52.  I tend to use jokes and sarcasm when I feel that conversations get too heavy.
53.  I can never finish a legitimate book. I’m not sure why, but I just won’t.
54.  I have a slight (-ly huge) caffeine addiction.
55.  I have an “all or nothing” attitude. I either put in everything I can, or nothing at all.
56.  I get cold super easily.
57. I hate the cold with a burning passion – snow included.
58.  I cannot narrow down which movie would be my favorite. I have too many I love to watch.
59.  Having curly hair = good. Curling my hair myself = bad.
60.  3 is my second favorite number.
61.  Hopefully I will never be one of those shaky old women that need walkers or wheelchairs, because I will freak out due to an almost-phobia of old people. 
62.  If I ever get a disease that will kill me, I won’t want to know how long I will have left.
63.  Dr. Pepper is my favorite drink. (There’s that caffeine addiction.)
64.  I love looking cute, but have next to no motivation to do it.
65.  I used to watch shark week with my dad.
66. I get jealous really easily, especially over people. Not just with boyfriends, but friends in general. It's not that they can't talk to other people, but I just feel that they will find someone better to spend their time with than me.
67.  I have pretty much disowned my immediate little sister.
68.  I prefer natural woodsy colors to bright pastel ones.
69.  My hair was black for two years.
70.  I’m not sure what I want to be when I ‘grow up’.
71.  Truthfully, I’m scared that I will never find “the one” even if I am only seventeen.
72.  When I have kids they will get spanked for punishments. It won’t be every time, but they will know that if I warn them multiple times it will happen.
73.  For some reason I love Anaconda by Niki Minaj. 
74.  I cannot stand to be around my dad.
75.  Usually I can figure out technology pretty easily.
76.  I hate wearing pants.
77.  I like to cook.
78.  Someday I want to go and climb a famous mountain.
79.  I love the rain.
80.  I like peppermint flavored things.
81.  I know that I want and I stop at nothing to reach my goal.
82.  I am very witty, and can make a comeback almost instantly.
83.  I have a great sense of humor, and can laugh at myself and just enjoy conversations.
84.  I am driven to succeed.
85.  I am fun, but also serious.
86.  I am good with people, and can talk to anyone.
87.  I don’t procrastinate and get work done.
88.  Whenever someone is a loner and has no friends, I can easily ‘take them in’ and become good friends with them.
89.  I am courageous.
90.  I am disciplined.
91.  I am self-aware.
92.  I keep my promises.
93.  I take personal responsibility and pride in my work.
94.  I am forgiving and make peace.
95. I have empathy for others.
96.  I am honest and cooperative.
97.  I am generous and respectful.
98.  I am patient.
99.  I am loyal to those I trust.
100.  I am competitive.
101. I value life, and try to live it to the fullest whenever I can. #yolo

Gluttony

I have thousands of memories dealing with food. From cooking with my mom – or dad, because he cooked a lot too – to absolutely loathing a specific type of food (I am a huge texture eater). Actually, I have gotten grounded over eating something. Basically, it went like this:

            “Beth, you didn’t eat more than two bites!”

            “Yes I did. I have five.”

            “No you didn’t. Don’t lie to me, I know the truth. And the truth is that you’re lying to me right now.”

            “No I’m not. I ate more than two bites, I swear.”

In the end, I got grounded to my room for the weekend. But, being the sneaky little kid I was (and am) I did not listen and went ahead and did whatever I wanted to do. No one punished me. My dad actually looked over at me once and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be grounded?” Naturally I said no, or that I did not care, or something to that effect, and that was it of my ‘punishment’ for lying about eating.

But the most constant memory I have is simple: I like to eat. In all of my baby pictures I have something crammed into my mouth, or clutching it in my chubby baby hands. I would not stop eating. My weight was out of control, and I was honestly on the verge of obesity. A few more years of eating like I did, and I would be there by now.

Thankfully, I had a wakeup call and got myself together. Granted it was not a very nice call, but it worked nonetheless. While I still eat like crazy (because who does not like food?) I have figured out how to balance what I eat – for the most part – and keep a healthy weight. I still eat what I want when I want, but I definitely know when to stop.

Refusing to Read (Inspired by Billy Collins)

One little girl, not knowing how to read

Sitting in class with a book on her knee

Blinking and pointing and gazing at pictures

One chubby finger guiding over black printing

Not one effort to be made to read the pages

To know and to love and adventure with words

To fall in and out of love with characters lost in pages

No cares in the world as to what might happen

Wondering simply over toys and the next cartoon session

Not one single thought on the little black print

Thinking instead about the world moving around it.

Books for Kids

The Gingerbread Man, by Carol Jones.
No information was given about the author.
On the cover, the Little Old Woman and the Little Old Man are in their cluttered cottage, door wide open, and the Gingerbread Man is jumping from to oven.
In total, the story has 28 pages.
Characters are as followed:

• Little Old Man
• Little Old Woman
• the Gingerbread Man
• Humpty Dumpty
• Little Boy Blue
• the Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe
• the Grand Old Duke of York
• Little Miss Muffet
• Sly Fox

Firstly, the story is centered in a clustered cottage with nick nacks laying around, then a kingdom with fields and woods, cottages and farms, and lastly a river in the middle of the woods.
The Gingerbread Man is born in an oven and when he is finished baking he runs off. He runs into several characters whle running, each one trying to eat him. He finally meets the fox who offers to take him across the river, but when half way across, he eats him.

• This book does have animals as characters.
• There is no rhyme.
• It does teach a lesson (not to trust strangers).
• It does not have monsters or anny other creatures.
• There are no kids as characters.
• There is no humor.
• There are illustrations.
• There is color.
• There are no actual photos.
• It does not have a sentimental/lovey tone.
• There are a decent amount of words per page.
• There is a phrase repeated throughout.

My favorite sentence is: 'Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man.'
This book is appropriate for 8-10 year olds, do to the fact that in elementary school I read this story to help master my reading.
Honestly, I did not enjoy readying this. I always hated reading time, and as this was mixed with other books to read during this time, I hate it with a burning passion. Doesn't mean I won't read it, though.

Photo Hunt

My youngest sister and I are ten years apart. Even though we argue like no other, we get along about eighty percent of the time and she manages to crack me up. #sistersforlife



When I first moved here, I thought that school would be horrible. But I had this teacher that made things so much easier, and has taught me about both education and life. #c'sgetdegrees



One of my favorite teachers at KHS. At the age she is now, she has a family and a steady career, exactly what I want by the time I reach that point in time. #gettinit

Twilight had managed to capture thousands of peoples' hearts, and I am not that ashamed to admit that I was one of those people, too. #sparkles

As a cute little red box, this love picture caught for eye to stand in for something square, and because it is just adorable. #homedecor

Sometime in my life I want to go and travel the world. Plus, it was pretty revolutionary when we discovered that the planet is actually round, not flat as first thought. #whoknew

This picture was actually taken on accident. I was supposed to be posing for another photo, and taking one of a friend in return. But while lying on the floor, I noticed the ceiling and could not resist the urge to take this. #spontaneous

My birthday just so happens to be July seventh of ninteen-ninety-seven. Seven also happens to be my favorite number (tied with three), so when I saw this I just had to take the picture. #luckiestpersonintheworld

This picture is pretty self-explainatory. Plants come directly from nature, and nature is really cool and beautiful. Also, the school is apparently turning into a rainforest. #savetheearth

In order to make this face, a little effort had to be made. Just like in real life, sometimes a little effort needs to be put forward in order to be happy. So, smile. #happytimes

Little kids typically love animals. So when I saw these tiny little paper elephants, my mind automatically thought about little kids and a few Disney movies. #dumbo

This right here, is my baby. His name is Houdidi, and he is a little turtle my dad gave me. Whenever I think about him, I remember how old I was when I got him, and how fast time flew by to reach today. In the future when I look over at him (because he will never die), I will be able to remember my teenage years, and my little baby. #fivestagesofdeath



The restrooms at this school are down right terrible. They have absolutely no water pressure, for one. How in the world am I supposed to wash my hands? Then there are those kids - the ones that shove paper towles into the sink. Um, gross. #talkaboutnasty



Most of the time when someone thinks about something beatiful, they think of  flowers or something just as pretty. Normally, I would be one of those people; this time, however, I am adding a picture of myself as beautiful. Not because I think I am above anything else - but because someone should be able to see beauty in almost everything, and everyone should think that they are beautiful. #confidence



In the future, whenever I think about my time spent at KHS, I will remember the lanyards and ID badges. Simply because they are just horribly annoying. #feellikeanofficeworker





Blackout

Everything started off just like a normal, average, everyday sort of day. The Sun was shining, birds chirping, and little cotton balls of clouds were dancing across the sky. The tall buildings that were always admired stood tall and proud, exposing themselves to everyone to gaze at.

Below the tops of the buildings, down on the streets, traffic was flowing regularly. Cars cutting each other off, pedestrians darting here and there. It was mass chaos, honestly, and those who lived there hated it. They would not, however, change it for anything. This was their city, and they secretly loved everything about it.

Slowly the bright morning turned to late afternoon. Offices were left, homes attended to, and restaurants over run. It was the perfectly average day.

It was getting rather late, but not late enough that the Sun’s rays were completely gone; they were hiding, lighting the sky an offset purple-and-blue color. People were – as usual – running around, busy doing this or that, too caught up in their selves to notice much of anything else.

It happened suddenly, and was over within five minutes. It was as if the world had stopped, and nothing was ever going to be the same again. All at once, it seemed, the lights shut off. The air conditioning stopped, the televisions no longer lit up. There was almost no noise, excluding the honks of cars and the shocked and scared screams of the residents. It seemed that the city that never sleeps, was, actually, asleep.

At some point, everything turned back on. It was a relief to everyone – the world was not in fact ending. Life went on.

But they were still out there, watching, observing the reactions. Just watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.