{Post 20}

Dear Student,

         Good luck in your english class. I enjoyed this class. Truth be told it wasn't that difficult for me. The projects were all very fun to write because we didn't have to write essays all the time. We were given the freedom to pick any topic for the projects, which made the writing fun. Make sure you take your time to write good papers. The genre's are much more fun to write in than boring essays. I took the time to plan out which genre was going with what paper on the syllabus and that seemed to help me a lot. Plus, then I didn't run out of genre ideas on the last papers. My biggest downfall was attendance. Go to class! You get points for being in class, so take them. Also, participate and join in the conversation. Those points matter too. Let your voice be heard even if you may not be correct. There isn't many right and wrong questions in this class though, so speak up and participate because any points are necessary. If you go to class and write good papers, you should be just fine in this class. I would totally recommend Joe Sanders to teach you this class because he is a very good teacher. The way the class is structured is great, and he is very helpful with everything. This class has been fun, and I really like how all of my papers have turned out. Hope you find a way to make the class enjoyable and successful for yourself. Remember to be in that class chair every time the class starts.

                                                                                 Sincerely,
                                                                                        Riley Smith

{Post 19}

"For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn."

          It was a misty monday morning here in Australia. We hoped in the car to head to a doctors appointment. It was me and my beautiful, loving husband. On our way to the appointment we discussed our lives and the three wonderful children we had here in Earth still, and the one daughter who had left our side three years ago at the wee age of three. ver since our loving daughter went to heaven we wanted to have another baby. I have put myself through torture to create another little life to join our family's journey. For some unexplainable reason getting pregnant the first four times wasn't hard at all. Everything went as planned, but that was back in a normal life with a normal family. Back in the days when all four of my children were alive. It has been many years now since my beautiful mini-me died, but it doesn't seem to get all that much easier. It's a new reality in my new not normal life. Anyways back to the baby talk. I have gone through five failed IVF treatments, and I promised try number six would be my last. If it doesn't happen this time I will have to accept that it was the way it was meant to be. The eggs have been planted and now we must see if they have attached or not.
            As we approach the doctors office my mind goes to all the worst possibilities. I know that it shouldn't operate this way, but it does. My mind races and I open the doctors office door to be greeted right away, and taken back for my appointment. The doctor takes a look at the ultrasound and smiles as if it is good news. I am here to announce that yes I am indeed pregnant with baby number five. We have been looking around at shoes and little outfits for the baby. We have to stick with the neutral theme because we have no idea if our tiny human will be a boy or a girl, but as soon as we find out there will be no more yellow clothing purchased. Right now we are praying for a healthy little one with gender put aside. We are elated and can't wait to find out.
             As much excitement and pure joy that came with the story above, I am here today with a heavy heart. My heart aches for the little baby that didn't make it past week 13. It happened baby number 5 ended in a miscarriage. With all the joy, nervousness, and excitement we felt after the appointment we lost our baby. We had even bought a few pairs of little baby shoes and blankets for our precious addition that never quite made it to our world. Follow this link to check out some of the lovely items we had purchased, but no longer need: For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn. I have given up on my journey for another baby. I just can't afford more treatment and the torture that it puts my body through is too much to bare. I might have to take down one for sale item to keep as a keepsake of this precious baby who never got to meet the family. I will keep one pair of shoes, but the rest will be sold to loving families who need tiny human shoes for their little bundles of joy.
              Thank You all for the prayers and thoughts throughout this journey. We have not given up our faith and will continue to raise our three loving children who are still on Earth and keep the spirit of our beautiful angel baby in heaven alive. Thanks for everything!

{Post 18}

          The government is in control of so many things. Every law, amendment, and even social disputes in the United States must go through the government. Every branch of the government is responsible for making sure the United States is ran properly. We as citizens are expected to follow the laws and live how the government says. This even includes certain religious practices. What would happen if the government became too powerful and we as citizens tried to revolt? In the book "The Hunger Games," author Suzanne Collins depicts what happens when a colony revolts against the capitol. The book is very over-aggregated and futuristic, but the common theme of citizens revolting against the higher power is very relevant. In the book the world is split up into districts, and the capitol is the higher authority govern the districts. The districts are treated terribly and expected to be ok with all of it. District 13 began a revolution against the capitol many years prior to the present time in the novel. This did not end well for the district. After this revolution the capitol began what is now known as "The Hunger Games." The game itself is not really a game at all, the capitol picks one boy and one girl from each district and places them in an arena to fight to the death. There are 24 children placed in the arena, and only one child leaves the arena. The book shows what happened when the district revolted against the hierarchy. This book places emphasis on how powerful a government can get. Citizens had no say on how the government was ran, and they definitely had no say after the revolution. Citizens of the United States are expected to follow the law and if they do not they are taken to court and sometimes end up in jail. If they don't end up in jail they get probation and must meet with the government through a process called probation. This is just a little bit of how the government controls the citizens in today's world. "The Hunger Games" is a crazy, over the top replication of how the government could over take the community, but it shows how citizens have little say in how a country is actually ran.

{Post 15}

     My best friend's name is Jessica. She goes by Jess or J, but never Jessie. She is about 5'7" and has brown hair. Jessica loves music, her favorite singers are Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, and the wonderful Colbie Caillat. She spends much of her day listening to music. There's never a time that she doesn't have her ipod and headphones. Jessica also enjoys attending concerts, her next concert is November 15th where she will be seeing Carrie Underwood! Jessica also happens to be my roommate. She attends WMU and is majoring in Early Elementary Education. She loves children, and can't wait to have her own kids in the future. Jessica is from Kentwood, MI and graduated high school in 2011, as did I. Her parents, Kim and Tom, currently live in Kentwood with their two dogs, and two cats. Jessica has a sister, Katie, who is a year younger than Jessica. Katie attends NYU. Jessica and her sister do not get along that well, but it's nothing too terrible. Typical sibling annoyances. Jessica is my best friend, and the best friend I could ask for. She always there for me whenever I need anything. Love her and her craziness!

{Post 13}

    One of my favorite singers, Tristan Prettyman recently released a new album. This is her fourth studio album and it is titled "Cedar and Gold." Tristan is a singer/songwriter with an incredible voice. The album is all about her recent heartbreak when her fiance, Jason Mraz called off their engagement. The album takes you through the pain and heartache she gained from that experience. "Cedar and Gold" is an incredible album.There are so many well written songs. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, nothing is, but I thoroughly enjoy her type of music. She pours her heart and soul into everything she releases. Everything is also written by her, which makes the album so much more personal. Tristan takes you through a journey with every song she sings. The album has a variety of songs on it a lot of slow, calm, and beautiful songs mixed with a few upbeat, fun songs along the way.There is only about one song on the album that I am not a fan of, but that is the bonus track from itunes, so it didn't make the hard copy cut. Every album has that one or two songs that aren't as great as the others, but I believe Tristan worked hard to put out a well written and well produced album for her fans. It's been a long time since she has put out new music, so it is very exciting for TP fans! If you like singer/songwriter music, like Colbie Caillat or Jason Mraz then I would most definitely spend money on this album. I spent the money and it was well worth it! Love it!!

{Post 12}

      Children need to learn music in their lives. Music does nothing but make children smarter. If you don't expose your children to music it's basically child abuse. Why wouldn't you let them be exposed to something so influential. Schools need to get their priorities straight. They spend millions of dollars to get the newest technology  Why? Just so they can brag and pretend to be a better school because they have the newest computers. However, schools that put more money towards music are better. Teach children music or they will be stupider than children who learn music. The facts are there and can be found in so many sources that music makes children more intelligent. Not exposing children to music is neglect towards the child. Read about it, learn about it, and expose children to more music because it makes them smarter.

{Post 5}

        In life we always face tough decisions. We struggle between what is right and what is wrong. We as children are always taught to tell the truth no matter what. I have always been an honest person. I'm a terrible liar too, so that doesn't help. When I was about 14, my sister, brother, my sisters friend, and I all went to spend the night on a submarine. We hung out on the boat and on the dock most of the time, however, there was a small gift shop that was there with little gifts and candies. My sister, her friend, and I all went in the shop and were looking around. My sister and her friend didn't have any money to buy anything, so they were going to steal necklaces and some earrings. I didn't want to get in trouble, so I just went out of the gift shop.
          At first, I didn't say anything about it because I was young and didn't want to get my sister in trouble, but I felt horrible not saying anything. I knew what they were doing was wrong, and that they shouldn't just get away with stealing things. I was raised with morals and I knew what they did was morally wrong, but more so I knew that lying and not telling anything was morally wrong on my part. That night, however, I went to sleep without mentioning it to anyone.
          The next morning came around and I knew I couldn't keep it a secret, so I told my mom. I told her that I didn't want my sister and her friend to be mad at me, but I couldn't keep it a secret because they had stole about $100 worth of jewelry from this shop. Need less to say my mom was upset with them. She confronted them and made the two of them go into the shop and return the stolen jewelry. The two were so embarrassed and mortified.  Not only did they have to return the stuff, but my sister was also grounded and couldn't have her cell phone for a month.
          I know that what I did was the right thing, and that my sister would forgive me eventually. I felt relieved after I told my mom about it. I also knew that my sister needed to be a better person and not steal things. I have no idea what happened to my sisters friend. Looking back now I don't know why I just didn't tell my mom that night or why it was such a big deal, but it's done now. I believe I did the right thing.