O Tannenbaum! O Tannenbaum!

Yesterday in my German lesson I learned exactly how kids in Germany celebrate Christmas.

In Northern Germany St Nick comes to the kids. In Southern Germany the Christ child comes. The christ child is basically Jesus. And instead of hanging up their stocking, the kids set out a plate. And on the plate, where ever they live, goodies will go. So, the plate will be filled with toys and homemade cookies. In Europe they open presents on the 24.

For Advent, instead of 5 candles they only have four. Every Sunday, in December , the families light their candles then gather around to sing Christmas carols. One of the songs is "O Tannenbaum".

The Great Wall of Portugal

I glanced up the winding path. The sun glinted off of my sun glasses. We were so close to the top of the mountain… where the proud, ancient Moorish Castle stood. I could feel the sweat on my fore head. It could get so hot in Portugal. Especially when you are climbing up a steep mountain path to reach a hundred year old castle wall. My dad paused with his brisk walking, as did I. We were more athletic than the rest of our family, so jumped ahead. I peered over the edge of the path. That's steep! And some prickly bushes to go with it. I definitely would not want to take a tumble down the cliff.

"I wouldn't too close to the edge." said my dad, warning me.

"I won't. I'm not that stupid. I wanted to see the rest of our group."

I scoured the path below me. Then I noticed a pink dot a bit farther down. That must be Maja, my sister! We continued our trek up the hill. When what seemed like hours passed, we reached the edge of the Moorish Castle, nick named "the Great Wall of Portugal". Minutes later the rest of my family arrived. Head count. All six of us: Mom, Dad, Maja, Grandparents and myself!

As we made our way to the walls, I stayed at the front of our group. I wanted to take everything in. Just imagine living here thousands of years ago! Taking refuge during raids! Scary, yet cool. Then I noticed it: at a point along the towering gray-brown wall there was a stair case leading to the top.

"Look you guys! Let's go! This will be a great time to get some pictures!" I exclaimed.

We stomped our way up. And right when I reached the main path on the top of the wall a fresh gust of sea wind blew into my face. Ah. This was the life! I could see the altitude around me. Small fisherman's villages dotted the hillside and the circular wall stretched around. "Let's get moving." 

The Secret World of Amore

There once was a land called Amora. It was like Narnia crossed with Wonderland. There was much good and happy magic. Yet there were the dark and sinister, with evil spells, ready to concoct at any moment. There were six groups in Amora:

• The Ptísi (Those who were flyers and loved the sky and wind)
• The Thànatos (The evil, bad guys, who played with sinister magic)
• The Kolympi (Those who could swim and responded to water)
• The Kípo (Those who cared about nature and plants)
• The Fotiá (Those who were associated with fire)
• The Gi (Those who were close to the earth)

Guitar, Guitar, and more Guitar

The strumming of the strings, so calming. The holding of the notes, so melodic. The ringing of the song, so beautiful. I was practicing my song on my guitar. Holding the frets, so painful. Oh, I messed up! So frustrating. It has only been ten minutes. I have to practice for at least an hour per week! I enjoy practicing guitar. I enjoy listening to the music. I like making progress. I love music, too! I closed my eyes in deep thought. I think I have practiced enough for today. After all, this isn't my last day to play guitar.

Would you Rather?!

Would you rather be a forest or a street?
I would rather be a forest, because first of all I would be my absolute favorite thing: nature. I would hold so much life in me! Provide homes for all animals and oxygen, too. But, streets ruin forest! They are like the scars from a knife. On the other hand nature fights back: potholes in the road! I would want to be a giver a life more more than a destroyer. Even though streets allow us to drive, forests allow us to see nature. The natural land that we are killing! Maybe ben one more forest could save everything?

Would you rather be a hammer or nail?
I would rather be a hammer because I would be stronger and be able to build up houses and not get "hurt" like a nail does. But the nail is what holds things together. And if hammers are used incorrectly can't they hurt someone? Yes they can! I could also be used as self defense.

Would you rather you rather be the Sun or rain?
I would rather be rain, because rain gives life to many, many parts of the world. In a lot of places rain is thought of as horrible and the Sun is better! But, rain can also be quiet, gentle and pleasing. If I were rain I would change its reputation. After all how many songs are named after the Sun?!

Would you rather be yourself or someone else?
I would rather be myself. Because no one can be like me. And no one would ever be able to replace this fabulous person (me).

Unscrable (Grammer 12-12-14)

The Eagle of the Night
But even as that thought touched his mind
his mind
he knew
that for him
to drift home
and without any stake in the
country
that had bred him

5a) I saw/ a gray-green slimy thing/ like a snail/ without its shell,/ only bigger,/ the size of the rat.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
b) The idea/ of cutting and sewing a dress/ by herself/ was novel and exciting.
.
.
Book to read:

• Bridge to Terabithia
• The Witch of Blackbird Pnd
• The Eagle of the Night
• The Animorphs

Hawks not in the Hills

I was walking out of the car of to my front steps. The usual day. I kicked at the same old dirt on the path. I looked at the same drabness of the leafless trees. Nothing special. But, I still had a good day at school. As I neared our front door my sister opened the same door, "Come on!" she said. I stepped into the house and slung my back pack down in the same spot. Right when I kicked my shoes off… my eyes focused on a brown figure in the trees. It was not a squirrel and definitely not my imagination. Now this was something different! I hastily put my shoes on. And I crept up to the figure that was in our little maple tree. It was a hawk! And because I did Wildlife Safari last year in Science Olympiad, I knew that this bird of prey was a Cooper's Hawk. It's head swiveled around like it was hungry. I rushed into my house to grab my binoculars. For what seemed like hours I looked at the hawk. I figure: This hawk surely does not see the same things every day. Especially since it isn't in the hills! I bet it got tired of seeing the same hill every day!

Favorites

Here are my favorite things, the top three.

Food
1.  Sushi
2.  Lentil Soup
3.  Watermelon

Drink
1.  Strawberry Smoothie
2.  Lemonade
3.  Soy Milk

Actor/Actress
1.  Jennifer Lawrence
2.  Angelina Jolie
3.  Kaya Scodelario

Animal
1. Horse
2. Sea Turtle
3. Dolphin
4. Cheetah
5. Bird of Paradise

Color
1.  Blue
2.  Green
3.  Purple

Christmas is Coming

Christmas Haiku:

Merry Christmas dear

Oh, the mistletoe and cheer

You better be good!

Christmas Twaiku:

Yes, the holidays are here

Happiness and love

'Tis the time to be merry!

Winter Haiku:

The snowflakes fall down

Jack Frost nippin' at your nose

The whiteness has come!

Bear Star Search

Based on a true story, my experience.

Here is Rose. She is on a camping trip with her four friends.  The five girls are in Yellowstone Park. It is night time, stars fill the sky, crickets chirp, the wolves howl while they huddle in their tent. The air is very thin which makes trekking with a heavy back pack hard, so this is their time to rest. But, here is the clearest sky Rose has ever seen. In New York- where she lives, there is a lot of light pollution. So, while on this camping trip Rose is taking the opportunity to look at the constellations. Sitting by the campfire, Rose and her friends have an idea: take a dip in the Snake River. It definitely wasn't the smartest idea but Rose wanted to go at night so that she could see the stars… one more time. So the young campers set off with there flashlights in hand. The only sounds were the noises of the sleeping forest, the nocturnal creatures, and their foot steps. But what the kids didn't see was a shadowy figure behind them. The girls continued down to the river. The shadowy figure was curiously nearing them. They reached the river and all hopped in with a splash. "What was that?" Rose said. They glanced around. The shadowy figure emerged… A bear! It was foraging on berries and had likely noticed the girls in the water. Rose wanted to run but there would be no point in doing so because you would get short of breath. But, the kids remembered that one way to stand up to a bear: was to make yourself look taller and less vulnerable. So what they did being young and athletic with a background of gymnastics… they quickly and quietly formed a human pyramid. Three at the bottom, two in the middle and Rose on top. They did it on higher ground and didn't look the bear in the eye. The terrifying bear stared at the pyramid and appeared perplexed. And then it turned around without any threats, and slowly vanished into the bushes, never to be seen again. The children remained in the pyramid for another minute. Then strength and function returned. They gingerly dismantled themselves. And silently crept back to their tent under the full moon. And they wondered if anybody would ever believe that story? Never take a selfie with a bear.

A Nasty Surprise On Your Feet

Oh, the relaxing bubbles of a hut tub. Our villa on Portugal's coast had the best view of the sunset. SPLASH! That was the sign that my sister - Maja, made it into the steaming waters.

"Ah. It's so warm." She said. The pleasure lit up her face.

The orange sky made this summer night in Europe… perfect. My mom said that she was going to go into the hot tub tonight with us. Finally! As my sister and I were swimming around I bumped into my mom. 

"Hi!" I exclaimed.

"Whew! It is so warm… and relaxing." she said.

"I have an idea I will give you and Maja foot massages!" I said.

I dove down to Maja's feet. The were soft like a babies. Her foot wiggled, like I was tickling her. I resurfaced for air then dove down to my mom's feet. I expected smooth feet from lotion and soap but instead I felt something slimy and sticky; but nothing was there! So, I swam back up.

"Mommy, there is something slimy and gross on your foot! What is it!"

She looked surprised, "It's probably sunscreen!"

I laughed at that. We spent the rest of hour evening in the hot tub, marveling at the beauty of the ocean. As the sun slipped past the horizon we went inside. Nothing unusual… yet. The three of us walked into the bathroom on the first floor to brush out our tangled hair. I kicked of my flip-flips then vigorously started brushing and combing my blonde hair. Suddenly my mom was screaming at the top of her lungs. That never happened before! Then my sister started screaming and jumped onto the table. My mom was hopping up and down like she had seen a rat. Then I started screaming from the unrest. A chorus of yelling arose from our bathroom, "Ahhhhhh! Eeeeek! Ahhhh!" Then I looked down right by my feet there was a big, fat, juicy, slimy slug! I screamed even harder! It looked like a leopard's pelt and was as big as my own foot. I realized in that moment, that slug was in my mom's sandals!

Our chorus died off. Then we all started laughing.

"Really Mommy! Sunscreen!"

"It's a slug Mommy! I think it's sort of cute now!"

"I couldn't help it Ania, it was under my foot the whole time!"

Then my dad rushed in with a plate, I carried the poor, poor slug outside.  The moral of the story is: Don't think your sandals are slimy from sunscreen at midnight! And also look into your shoe before you step into it. LOL

Locked (Chapter 3)

By the way, if you are confused with the plot in the story… just read chapters 1 and 2. They are in my previous posts.

Chapter 3 - A New Troop

I was now racing through the forest, they were trying to catch up to me. "Whooaaa-heeee! Kakaka!" The whoops and hollers from behind were getting louder. I didn't want to become one of the living dead.

Nico started to slow down, "I think we lost them back there."

"I think you're right." I said, with sort of too much sarcasm than I had intended.

I doubled over to compose myself. My vision had become a blur with exhaustion. The only noise around me was the now distant yells and chirping of birds- if there are any birds left! This part of the forest looked like a starry night sky, the forest floor was covered in sunlight dapples. It is very different compared to our previous sullen forest.

"Okay you guys," Tristan started, "So… according to my calculations we will be at the new forest in about two days.

I was confused, "What do you mean 'new forest', is there actually a fence saying 'new forest'."

Gabbi chipped in, "Actually there is supposed to be some type of fence," she paused. A look of terror spread across her face. "We have to go now. Then find a bush to hide under.

A knot spread in my stomach. The hollering group is coming closer! I slung my bag over my shoulder and started walking. Fast. Our little band of four walked silently through the dapple forest. Every time one of us stepped on a twig we all cringed.

"They. Are. Coming. Hide!" Nico whispered. He made sure to enunciate each syllable.

I got on my hands and knees- I knew the "duck and hide" drill, it's not the first time we have done it. I rolled onto my back and got under the thickest bush. Unfortunately it was prickly. The needles closed in around me, a protective cocoon. And it was sort of awkward because Nico chose the same bush and he was laying to close to me for my comfort.

"Tess…" he whispered.

"Ya."

"Give me a knife… please."

"Sure," I pulled out a hunter's knife, its blade still shone with metal that hadn't been dirtied with blood.

"Thanks."

"Now shut up!" I whispered angrily.

"Grrr-r-r-r-r-rrr. Did I sss-ssscare yooooouuuu ch-chillllldren-n-n-?" the sick man that was chasing us fell into an insane bout of laughter.

"They found us-" I slapped my hand over Nico's mouth before he could finish.

The sick man started again, "Di-did you r-r-r-eall-l-l-lllly think-k weeee-eeee would let y-yyou ge-t-t-t-t- away? My-eeee friendssss h-he-heard-d you! You! You! All of you!" More laughter, this time from more than one person. I held my breath. I looked up through the top of the bush. I could see Sick Man's knife glinting in the dapple sunlight. Crunching of leaves sounded behind our bush. Someone grabbed my ankles. I gasped, "Ahhh! Let go of me! Let go of me! You freak!" I felt a blade pushing into my leg, "Owww!"

"Let go of her, you idiot." Nico yelled.

He rolled out of the bush. And the pain from my leg escaped almost immediately. I jumped out… with my knife in hand. The second I got out a fighting frenzy broke out. "Ah" some one grabbed my arm, knocked me to the ground. Whoever did that sent two nasty kicks to my rib. The pain gave me adrenaline. I jumped up knife in my hand. The attacker- an older looking man- punched at me, I ducked just in time. Tristan ran over to me, his attacker was on the ground… dead.

"Need help?" Tristan asked. He grabbed the man and pinned him to the tree. The sickly looking man gave him a few good kicks in the groin. Tristan fell to the ground in a ball.

"Don't you dare hurt my twin brother!" I lunged at the man, he clearly wasn't expecting that. I stabbed the man in the gut, as hard as I could. I looked away. I had to kill him to survive! The man choked up blood and in the same second he grew silent.

"Tristan? Are you okay?" I asked. "Wait, are you crying?"

"Yes I am Tess, he kicked me in the pretty spot. Look out!"

I spun around just in time to duck out of the way of a crazy young girl. She had hunger in her eyes. She jumped on top of me without a second to spare. The air escaped from my lungs. She punched me five times in the face. Pain shot through me like lighting. I could taste the blood. It was my turn. I kicked as hard as I could! My attacker shrieked and flew off me. "I I I a mmmm hungry-h-h-h-hungry!" She started flailing and kicking at any part of me that she could, hit me twice. I looked down and slashed with my knife. All of a sudden she stopped fighting and ran away screaming into the forest.

"That was weird." I said to myself.

I scanned our mini war. Tristan was handling a little girl and two buff looking guys. Gabbi was having a fist fight with two girls about her age. While Nico was pinned to the ground by a fat guy. WE were never going to win. And Sick Man sat in a tree watching us.

Out of the blue, a noise I hadn't heard in years blasted near us. And Sick Man fell from his perch. Bleeding. Dying. Everyone seemed to freeze. Two more blasts rose. Nico's attacker crumbled on the ground next to him. One of the buff guys seemed to get the idea, "Run!" They all vanished into the woods.

"Who's there?" I called out. I had heard a sound on the other side.

A brunette stepped out of the woods. She was holding a gun! She blew across the tip of the barrel, as if bragging about her weapon. Then a pure white wolf- no a dog emerged from behind her.

"Please don't hurt us!" Tristan said pleadingly. He and Gabbi got on their knees as if begging. The brunette didn't look sick.

She then spoke, "The name's Eliza. You all can thank me later."

My Forensics Piece (cont.)

I have my first forensics competition of the year this Saturday. I am so excited! It is the state competition. Just to let you all know: I did NOT write it. 
This is how it goes.

(Sigh of longing)
Dad's Coming home today.

The last letter that he wrote to me said

(In dad's voice)
Dear Beautiful Daughter of Mine,
I love you and I miss you. You are the best daughter in the world! And soon, I will get to hug you in my own arms- (sigh)Yes, General Rogers. Can you give me a moment. Where was I? Ah, yes. I don't know if mommy told you, but I am coming home in 29 days. And when I get home I am going to give you the biggest hug in the whole wide world. I don't know if you remember our last hug, but, this one is going to be a bazillion times bigger. Then after our hug, I want you to tell me, face-to-face, everything that I have missed over these last 7 years.
So, make a list.
For real this time,
Love you,
Daddy

(Intro)
Growing up without a parent around can be a hard adjustment for any child. However, the adjustment to a parent returning from the service can be just as difficult. Abigail has lived most of her childhood whiteout her father. Dealing with abandonment, pride, longing, love, and hope. Abigail must decide how to cope with the possible return of her father in "Dad's Coming Home" by Joele Denis.

And then under that it says "P. S." and next to that there is a stick drawing of me and him holding hands. Sometimes, I think daddy forgets I'm not 6 years old anymore.  But I do remember our last hug though. In fact I remember everything about that day, but I have a really good memory so I usually remember everything about every day. Mom says I have a perfect image - something - it basically that I am really smart.

Ummmm… So. That day.

I didn't know what was going on, but I knew something was. Because I woke up to the sound of mom and dad fighting, and mom and dad never fought. Ever.

So I got out of bed and walked over to the door- which was already open, because I'm afraid, (half whispers) I used to be afraid of the dark. By the time I got from my bed to the doorway the fighting got even louder, but I couldn't see anything. So I remember walking out of the room and into the hallway… and thinking that the lights were really bright and I could see mom and dad's shadows. And it was weird because mom and dad were fighting, but their shadows showed mom and dad hugging. People don't hug each other when they are fighting… Right? That's just weird.

Anyway dad's coming home and I'm really, I'm really… I don't know what I am. I'm happy. I'm excited. I'm eager. But I'm also nervous… I am scared. I'm petrified.

Well- it's not that I am scared of my dad or anything. It's just that I haven't seen him since I was six. That was like forever ago. I have changed a lot since then. But he has probably changed a lot more than me. Which is weird.

That is the first 2 pages of my piece. I memorized the whole thing, in case you didn't know. ;)

My Forensics Piece

I was performing my forensics piece today along with Megan and Vivian at the showcase. Just to let you all know I did NOT write it. 
This is how it goes.

(Sigh of longing)
Dad's Coming home today.

The last letter that he wrote to me said

(In dad's voice)
Dear Beautiful Daughter of Mine,
I love you and I miss you. You are the best daughter in the world! And soon, I will get to hug you in my own arms- (sigh)Yes, General Rogers. Can you give me a moment. Where was I? Ah, yes. I don't know if mommy told you, but I am coming home in 29 days. And when I get home I am going to give you the biggest hug in the whole wide world. I don't know if you remember our last hug, but, this one is going to be a bazillion times bigger. Then after our hug, I want you to tell me, face-to-face, everything that I have missed over these last 7 years.
So, make a list.
For real this time,
Love you,
Daddy

(Intro)
Growing up without a parent around can be a hard adjustment for any child. However, the adjustment to a parent returning from the service can be just as difficult. Abigail has lived most of her childhood whiteout her father. Dealing with abandonment, pride, longing, love, and hope. Abigail must decide how to cope with the possible return of her father in "Dad's Coming Home" by Joele Denis.

That is the first page of my piece. I memorized the whole thing, in case you didn't know. ;)

Locked (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2 - The Change of Plans

"Tess! Your breakfast won't run away from you." Nico says. Ugh, Nico and his manners!
"Whoopsy, Nico. We might as well be dining with the queen." I throw every ounce of sarcasm into my words.
"You guy do realize that this meal might be our last meal?" asks Tristan. I don't answer his question. Gabbi clears her throat, "Okay, enough chit-chat time. So, umm…. Ya. After I made breakfast I sort of drew a blueprint." I raise my eye-brows, "Drew a blueprint?"
"Hey! It's not that simple!" Gabbi clears the leaves of the forest floor away, so that the dirt is visible. She draws a rectangle with her finger, "That is New York City." She now draws an 'X', "We are here- a forest on the outskirts of the city." Now three lines coming from the rectangle, "We have all concluded that the Chilled people are starting to head into the woods in search of… food and flesh. We can all prove that with personal experience. Right?" I shiver. Memories! Gabbi draws some circles to the left, "That is the un-inhabited forest. We need do go-" Tristan interrupts, "But, isn't that where some villages have started to sprout up." Gabbi starts to look unsure, "Yes villages are there, but those are healthy seeking refuge." I get it now! "So we need to go Southwest. Head for the Carolinas?" She nods, "Exactly! And what better time to start packing than now?"
"Oh, there is no time like the present!"
"Should we take everything?"
"Yes!"
We all stand up. The lack of sleep is obvious in our groggy motions. "Did you hear that?" Nico half-whispers. "Hear what?" I ask.
"From down the hill… Sort of like a yell- no, not a yell. Hollering. Catcalls." An wary silence spreads across our camp. Almost… scary.
"I can hear it, too." I say.
Tristan and Gabbi exchange a glance. "Then we'd better start packing. Fast."
Gabbi smiles hauntingly, "Or we might have some nice Chilled friends to deal with later on."
I rush to my blanket. I grab my bag. I can barely think! The sound is getting louder! Okay… in goes my knifes, my blanket, first-aid kit, canteen, and then the rest. A twig snaps behind us. I spin around. "What was that?" my voice is quivering with fear! "Better deal with it now." says Nico, "It might be a squirrel." I am screaming in my mind, 'We have our bags packed Nico, just run… too late." An insane laughter fills the trees. It's hard to see in the light of dawn. A shadow moves behind that thick oak. "Nico don't!" We yell. Too. Late.

A ragged, torn, beaten, hungry, disgusting, sick, Chilled man steps out. "He has a knife, you guys." I say. I am so scared that i am practically laughing. "Hel-l-llllo-oooo fr-rr-r-r-r-iends." He pauses dramatically, and his head tics with insanity. "Weeeee-eee m-m-missss-ssssed you in the city." Our little group of four doesn't even have a signal for when to run away. After so, so many incidents, we just… know when to… GO!!