Poetry has become more important to me lately. It's hard for me to find good poems, but when you do...it's like magic! Some of my favorite poems Theodore Roethke: If only I could nudge you from this sleep, My maimed darling, my skittery pigeon. Over this damp grave I speak the words of my love: I, with no rights in this matter, Neither father nor lover. Objects familiar to my view; The very pathway to...

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My birthday is in 6 days. I'm turning 15. Your parents say that time only gets faster. They say you look in the mirror and wonder who the 41 year old is that's staring back at you. But what if you already miss the child that you used to be? What if you already miss the days that you could be a princess, witch, vampire, and fairy all in one day. What if you don't...

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August 15, 2010 Two weeks. That's how long I had for an adventure of a lifetime. Guess what? It was worth every penny. Guess what else? It's over now, but hopefully I'll remember some of the best parts whenever I read my "adventures" series. Saying goodbye to Lizzy was harder after the fact. We said goodbye, and that was it, but now I miss her...a lot! We've gotten to know her so much better now....

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August 14, 2010 Our last day was one of the perfect endings. We stayed close to home, and went shopping in downtown Bamberg. We ate food from the market there and slurped granitas (slurpies, but different). We had dinner at a beer garden down the street from Lizzy's house. I got a tuna salad that was heavenly. Lizzy's neighbor Jason, his girlfriend and his little girl came with us. They were really nice people. He...

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August 13, 2010 Today we went to the little amusement park about 45 minutes away from Bamberg. Europeans don't really know how to do amusement parks, so there weren't very many really fun rides, but we still had a lot of fun just being together and goofing around. There was one called the Boomerang that Lizzy and I went on that was great! It was the first loop in a roller coaster that I've ever...

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August 12, 2010 I talked to the family on Skype today! It was good to see them. We're back in Bamberg, Germany (Lizzy's home). We got home, and Lizzy introduced us to one of the funniest T.V. shows on Earth. How I Met Your Mother. Check it out, it's funny. The picture is actually still back from Paris:) ...

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August 11, 2010 Do you know the difference between a Palace and a Castle? Anyone? Okay I'll tell you. It's size! The Palace of Versailles is literally enormous! If you owned that place you wouldn't even be able to walk through all those rooms in a year. They say that Marie Antoinette and her husband (the king) were executed on the grounds of the estate. King Louis XVI's rooms were elaborate. Not one inch of...

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August 10, 2010 Do you know how good Starbucks Frappuccinos are? Lizzy has us addicted I think...(not to worry, it's milk based, so I'm not hopped up on caffeine!) Today we walked around France. We waited a good 2 hours to get into the catacombs, but they were cool! Although it is a bit creepy walking through underground tunnels of bones from centuries ago... We even got to take a double decker tour bus! We...

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August 9, 2010 We really had an early morning today! At 5:00am we were out the door on the way to the airport. Lizzy lives 2 hours away, so naturally I slept in the car too. Thankfully the plane to France wasn't long at all! We took the metro to get to the block the hotel is on, and then we walked the rest of the way. Once we had checked in, we made our...

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August 8, 2010 Sunday! It felt so good to go to church today. Everything had to be translated, but it was still a very rewarding feeling, sitting among people who believe the same things you do, even if they don't speak the same language. After we got home, Lizzy, Jayden, and I watched Julie and Julia and ate taquitos. They were really good. I can't believe it's been a week already. I probably won't get...

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August 7, 2010 We got in the car at 10:00am. We got out of the car at 8:00pm. Of course we took little breaks along the way, but it was still horrible. It took 4 hours to go the 100 kilometers from Italy into Austria. Everyone in Italy is going on vacation. We finally had to find a different road because of all the horrible traffic. Fun. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. ...

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August 6, 2010 We went to Venice today (That is the one surrounded by water, right? There have been so many "V" names I'm getting confused) It was pretty dirty, like mom said. But it also had it's own distinct type of beauty. No, the water wasn't crystal clear, but it was still pretty! We climbed over bridges full of gondolas, took a ferry, and saw someone blow world famous Murano glass. Children played in...

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August 5, 2010 Okay, so I'm going to get just a tad bit girly for a minute. Bear with me... There is an Italian designer by the name of Nicoli. He designs handbags. One thing you might not know about Italians, is that they are very into "seasons". Not seasons like winter or spring, but fashion seasons. If you are one of the lucky few American's that know where the Nicoli warehouse is, you can...

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August 4, 2010 Today we went to Verona, Italy. First, the Coliseum! It was amazing to see the huge theater and imagine the Romans that watched the Gladiator fights there. We got lots of pictures, but right now the wifi is a bit touchy, so I won't risk uploading them right now. So this is the town that I was really looking forward to! The city where Romeo met Juliet (or as the Italians say,...

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August 3, 2010 So today we drove a whole bunch! Eventually we ended up in Garmisch, a city in southern Germany. King Ludwig II's castle (called Neuschwanstein) is located a little bit away from there. The Castle is only about 1/3 of the way finished, due to halt on work after the king's death. King Ludwig was diagnosed with mental illness. After denying it, he was found a short time later dead in a small...

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August 2, 2010 Bamberg, Germany Okay, so it was Sunday morning and I was ready to go! After saying goodbye to Dad and saying a family prayer, Mom and the boys dropped us off at the airport. It's so sweet how many hugs I got in the space of two or three minutes. I think they might miss me...:) It was between 2:00pm and 3:00pm when we took off (on Sunday still) and the plane...

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This has most definitely been the most amazing summer! There's something about a house packed with over a dozen people that brings an amazing sense of wonder. Mom has posted some pictures, but I thought you might want to see some more! (If you click on them, the images are clearer) Hehe, No explanation needed... I stole Forrest's Jacket; It was warm! I'm not sure if I know what this is... They tried to jump...Randy...

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Living in Alaska, you see your fair share of salmon. But when your dad brings home 100+ Reds (roughly 800 pounds) to be gutted, filleted, and vacuum-sealed—well, you get kind of tired of fish. Scratch that, you get very tired of fish. ...

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Abraham Lincoln: The Man Behind the Presidency Early American leaders are almost always known for their courage, wisdom, and compassion. As the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln displayed all of these qualities and more. Known mainly for his contribution to the reestablishment of the Union during the Civil War, Lincoln was also well known throughout the political world. But to the man known as “Honest Abe”, government was only a small part...

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Beauty Tips For attractive lips, Speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, Seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, Share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. For poise Walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, Renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw anybody out. The...

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My Aunt Laurel recently posted on her blog (By the way, it's hilarious, I definitely recommend it) that she wants to hear our embarrassing moments. So..before I start. I want to tell a story about Aunt Laurel. It's a story that I absolutely love to this day. If you know me, you know that I love Harry Potter. This sort of love is like "never missing a movie in theaters" love, or "staying up 'till...

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I wondered if I could get any good pictures with mom's Valentines Day flowers. Turns out, I like them. :) The first is my favorite. ...

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This is Mom's Blog Post. The original can be found here. I've never been to a PTA meeting since my kids started school. Frankly, I don't really have time for them and I don't have the time to be corralled into running a fundraiser or a school function. Soooo, I have just steered clear of them! (Church, Home and Work keep me plenty BUSY!) I just don't have time until...... the district decided to cancel...

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