Final Slice - The Sunset Swing

I sit next to my two friends, slowly moving up, getting closer and closer to plummeting towards the ocean. The swing gets closer and closer to the top. Once we are at the top, it is time to pull the string. We can't get it. We are hesitating. Finally, the big yank sends us sailing. We all scream at the top of our lungs. The air rushes through our hair as we get closer to the ocean. I feel my stomach drop. We dip down, than swing back up again. We keep swinging until the swing stops, hanging limply. We get in line, to do it again.

Bossypants

Bossypants
By: Tina Fey
Bossypants is a biography written by Tina Fey, describing her life in an amusing and interesting way. I would strongly recommend this book to people who like Tina Fey and funny books. I liked this book because it had pictures, which gave you more of an understanding of what she was writing about. I also liked this book because it was a bit of a break from some of the more intense and sad books that I have been reading. Overall, I thought that this book was outstanding and very funny. I would rate it a 9.5 out of 10 and would strongly recommend to anyone.

I Will Always Write Back Part 2

I Will Always Write Back, By Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda and Liz Welch.

What if you had someone in your life, someone who could change your entire world. Someone who you know, but lives on the opposite side of the world from you. In Caitlin's case, the person's name is Martin. And in Martin's case, this person's name is Caitlin.

I thought that I Will Always Write Back was a great book because it was based off of a true story. I liked that the authors were the actual characters in the book because it didn't make the book fake or unreal. I loved how even this book is a true story, it still stuck to the story and even had a little bit of a plot line. I would rate this book 9/10, for a great story that was portrayed very nicely.

I Will Always Write Back Part 1

I Will Always Write Back
By: Caitilin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda and Liz Welch
I will always write back is an amazing book about a girl named Caitlin who gets the chance to write too anyone in the world. She chooses Zimbabwe. And then she looks at everything differently.
Even Though I am only about halfway through the book, I think that this book is really well written, and really interesting because it is based off of a true story.I like how much detail the author gives us, and how well she describes each character so that you can relate to them well. So far, I would rate this book a 4.5/5.

Boats!

The boat had a calm rocking that swayed me left and right. Left and right. Left and Right. I was surrounded by the honey like sound of my family laughing and the breeze dancing in and out between the tree's. I watched the green waves roll over the smooth ocean. I watched the powdered sugar like clouds float happily in the crystal sky. I watched everything come together in this perfect moment. 

Letter

Dear Future Me,
I hope that you grew up to be a kind and beautiful person who notices the good in everyone. I hope that you learned that math isn't so hard after all. I hope that when you moved onto high school your contiuation speech was sad and beautiful and perfectly summed up your experience at Logan. I hope that every once in a while, you take a break from life stress and go on a playground and swing or put  a boa on and act like a model like what you used to do when you were little. I hope that your adventures never stop.
Love,
11 year old you.

Elsewhere continued

Elsewhere is a book about the afterlife, and Liz's special journey through it. The topic is a little bit hard to grasp at first, but once you get into it, It is a book that can change your whole point of view on what happens after you die.
I thought that Elsewhere was a pretty good book. I thought that the storyline was thought out nicely, and that it had a good plot. I also thought that the characters had strong personalities and were well thought out. I think that it would be better if the book was a little longer, because Elsewhere is a pretty easy read.

Elsewhere

Elsewhere
By: Gabrielle Zevin
"Elizabeth Hall wakes in a strange bed in a strange room with a a strange feeling."
- Elsewhere, Gabrielle Zevin
Elsewhere is an amazing book about the afterlife. It gets you thinking about what happens after you die and where you go. I think that Elsewhere was really well done. All of the characters have very individual and unique personalities, without them being to described. I was surprised at how normal the book is, considering that the main character is in heaven. I think that elsewhere has some older content, so I would suggest that middle school and over should read this. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes fantasy, and anyone who is interested in the afterlife. I would rate this book 4.5/5 stars.

Do you like baking, or cooking?

In my opinion, baking and cooking are to very different things. With baking, you get to savor the fresh smell of whatever your baking waft out the oven. With cooking, you get to add each flavor like ingredients of a potion. A little pinch of salt, and a little drizzle of lime juice. So what do you like? The sweet gooey perfection that comes steaming out of the oven, or the savory purity that you want to last for your entire life.
Let me know in the comments what you prefer. I am going to write a little pice about both, and than I will make my choice.
Baking - you almost feel dizzy because the sweet aroma is clouding up the air, making your kitchen have heavenly smells that you want to take and then put in your pocket so you can savor them forever.
Cooking - you get to improvise with your flavors, making whatever you are making your own. You bite into your creation, which is personalized for you. You feel your body overflow with each flavor.
I still can't decide! They both have their ups and downs! What do you think?

The Fourteenth Goldfish

The Fourteenth Goldfish
By: Jennifer L Holm
Ellie thought that she had an immortal goldfish. Turns out, her mom just bought a bunch of new ones.
When Ellie's grandfather shows up, she knows that something's wrong. Her grandfather had taken a potion that he discovered, thus making him 60 years younger. This book is about Ellie's adventures with her now 14 year old grandfather, and her friend that she meets along the way, a young rebel named Raj.
I thought that this book was okay, but I thought that it could be a little bit more exciting. I liked that it had some cool twist's, and the characters seemed very vivid and real. I thought that the book didn't have very much of a plot line, and so it made the book a little bit less exciting than it could be. I thought that this book was a very easy read, so I would say that this book should be saved for a busy week. Overall, I thought that this book was okay - good, so I would give it a 4/5 stars.

Nicknames!

Nicknames are made specially for you. Its awesome to have a nickname that was specially chosen for you and only you by one of your friends or family members. I have many nicknames, mostly because the name "Amelia" can be turned into so many nicknames. Here are my nicknames and how I got them.

Ketchup - My dad used to call my brother mustard, and so he started to call me ketchup. It never really stuck, but he still sometimes call me ketchup. 

Muzz - My parents always call me this, and so does my best friends younger brother for some reason. I think that Baby is not a good for babies, I think that they should be called "Muzzes"

The Muzz - The only thing that's different about this name is the "the." My dad only calls me the muzz for some reason, but it has stuck for about eight years.
Mealerz - given to me by one of my best friends, Mealerz is one of the most popular nicknames. Everybody calls me Mealerz, even some of my teachers. 

Mulya - This was given to me by the same friend, and if you say mealerz with a southern accent it kind of sounds like Mulya.

Mel Mel - This nickname was given to me by another best friend, one who I have known for all or my life. She calls me Mel Mel and I call her rley. 

Their are a lot more nicknames - these ones are just the ones that I thought are the most interesting.

Hard Candy!

Hard Candy is really yummy and super easy to make. Here is a how to on how to make Hard Candy.

FYI - this makes a lot of hard candy, so I suggest making it in half. 

You Need -

3 3/4 cup of white sugar

1 1/2 cups of high fructose corn syrup

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of any type of extract (any flavor that you want the hard candy to be, I recommend orange or vanilla)

a few drops of food coloring (that will color the candy) 

1/4 cup powdered sugar (for dusting the pan with) 

Steps -

Step 1 - in a medium - large saucepan, boil together the corn syrup, the sugar and the water. Keep stirring with a wood spoon. Wait until the sugar disolves, making it so that it turns into a syrup. the syrup should be at 305 degrees, or when the syrup is dropped into a bowl with cold water, it turns into hard brittle threads (right away.) this is when you add the food coloring and flavoring to the syrup. after you incorporate the food coloring and flavoring, you want to lay out the hard candy on a sheet, dusted with powdered sugar. the candy should become hard, and when you press down onto the candy it should break into seperate pieces on its own.

Here is how you make hard candy, its really good and easy to make. I hope that you try it sometime!

Racing!

I splashed into the cool water. I saw the smooth ripples coat my body. I started moving my arms rapidly, trying to catch up with my brother. I was propelling towards the wall, making my feet act like engines while the energy shot through them. I pictured being in an olympic race. Competing with the best of the best. Somehow I did it. I beat my brother for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Perfect

I breathed in the crisp aroma of sweet flowers. Not the store bought kind, the ones planted in the ground with roots rolling through the fresh dirt. This is my favorite time of the year to go outside and pick some flowers. When the sun is shining onto you, giving you the slightest sunburn that will make you feel refreshed. When its not to cold, but slightly breezy so that when you look out onto the meadow you see the flowers dancing in the wind. This day is going to be perfect.

Fitness

Conditioning is my favorite part in ballet. It's when you get to act all tough and athletic, while you know that the next day you can complain about how sore you are. I like to listen to the songs that they play in conditioning. Usually, they are something like "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson or something about "surviving the pain" I like the feeling of sweat. I like the sweet smell of hard work. I think I'd make a pretty great fitness teacher.

My Mother The Cheerleader

My Mother The Cheerleader
By: Robert Sharenow
Picture your mother. The one that you trust, the one that has guided you all through the windy pathways of life. Now picture someone who is upset because someone doesn't look the same as you. Is this person your mother? Because for Louise Collins, it is. I thought that this was a very detailed but good book. It gave me a lot of knowlege on the education of african americans through time. Many of these things in this book made me upset, because I noticed a lot of discrimination and rudeness. This is a great book, and I think that anyone who likes historical fiction would love this book. I would rate this book a 3.50 out of five.

holidays

I admired the festive christmas tree, with the colored lights shining and the beautiful presents arranged perfectly. It couldn't be more perfect. I was sipping on some warm milk, and I was surrounded with laughter and stories. Just the way I like it. The night was dark which made the warmth of the light even warmer. It was right then when I understood the true meaning of the holidays. Not the presents, or the candy, but the people who have been right along with you for you entire ride, sitting right next to you as you enjoy life's roller coaster.

Tagalongs

I sat in the sun, nibbling on some cold tagalongs. I watched the heavy summer air swirl around me, spiraling me up into the clear Saturday. I saw some elaborately colored butterflies and I smelled the crisp scent of the perfect Saturday. I looked back on old times, when my chubby baby feet were picking the cherries off my cherry tree. I ate the last tagalong, and went back inside, refreshed and reloaded.

cupcakes!

I pressed my face up to the cupcake case. Dozens of highly decorated treats lined the glass, making every five year old drool with ambition. My mom was wrapping up and making the last of the cupcakes. Sometimes I could help put the decorations on, or help clean the bakery. But one of my favorite parts was watching over the cupcake case. Staring at the frosting loaded onto the sweet cake. Waiting for the moment that I got to eat them.

Snow!

The snow shimmered under the sun, as I trudged through it with the foot long shoes strapped onto my feet. The snow was hard on the outside, but light and fluffy on the inside. Sometimes we would fall through, and be stuck in the four feet of snow. We had hiked up to the top, and now it was time to take the slide back down. The slide is a little pathway that they formed, where you can slide all the way back down to the bottom. I was ready to go. We zipped down the slide, and we were right back at the bottom. They should put these in all national parks.

Wyoming Part 3

We oohed and aawed at the moose in the fog, admiring it’s big and strong antlers. The fog coated the outline of the moose. The ancient wire fence was the only thing between our camp and the moose. I was stunned. Check that off of my bucket list. My camera was almost out of battery. I clicked one last photo, and then my camera was dead. It was the last picture I took on the trip, but it was definitely worth it.