alexawprms15's Blog

• Leave a comment... (0)

On Wednesday October 21st of 2009, was my school’s annual Twin Day. Everyone knows what a twin is, right? Well, on Twin Day you got to pick one of your friends to dress up exactly alike with and be like that for the whole day. Last year, Twin Day was my favorite day of the year. I got have my best friend, Grace, come to my house, go shopping with me and make matching shirts. Our shirts were the bomb, I must admit, and we also had matching socks, we wore our hair the same, the same shorts, and the same earrings! It took a long time, but it was worth it.
The whole school was watching the morning announcements the week before and the Spirit Week days were publicized on the slide show. They showed Sports Day, Crazy Hair Day, Twin Day, Clash Day, and then Red Day. I was psyched about Twin Day because I could finally do it with someone this year. My best friend, Grace, had the same idea and we decided to do it as long as it was okay with our parents. Our parents gave us the okay, and we were pumped about being twins. Our shopping extravaganza was going to take place on Saturday then we would make the shirts on Tuesday. It was going to be very fun. Grace and I would look the best for twin day, I was sure of it.
The only problem we had was that we were still not sure what our shirts should look like. I thought about doing something cute like on Grace’s shirt in glittery letters “Alexa is my Twin”, and on my shirt “Grace is my Twin.” We still weren’t sure when we went to go shopping, however.
We went to Hobby Lobby first. When we got there we finally decided to do my idea of making identical shirts but with our names on them saying who our twin was. I was very happy. Then we got t-shirts to make, glitter spray, and iron-on letters for our names and words. Also, we got rhinestone stars to iron on our shirts to give it some POP! It was really fun picking everything out. After we had decided what our shirts were going to be and we got all our materials needed, we bought the stuff and went back to the car. Now was the fun part: Shopping!
We were talking about what else we should where to make Grace and I twins. I thought we should do matching, wacky socks! My friend, Maddy, has the craziest socks you could ever imagine and she got them from the greatest girl store ever. DEB is the place Maddy got her socks and that was the place we were getting our fabulous socks. When we walked in we saw the most beautiful dresses ever! There were short, strapless dresses and long and elegant dresses for prom nights and formal dances. It was amazing! I so wanted one but they were too big and I was too little (sadly). Grace and I went to the sock wall and, I must admit, I have never seen that many crazy-cool socks in my life! Grace was just as amazed as I was. It was so hard to make a choice but we finally came to an agreement. Our socks were like gladiator socks, but the stripe was purple and then each diamond it made was a different color. The socks were amazing! Also, they would match our shirts (which is perfect). After we were done with picking out socks we got to go to my favorite clothes store in the world: Aeropostale!
We had to travel quite a ways to get to Aeropostale. But when we got there, it was very, very busy. We went get some flip-flop shoes for $4. Then we were done at Aeropostale and we went to Wendy’s for lunch. Grace and I got chicken nuggets with mandarin oranges. We also got vanilla ice-cream for dessert. After that, we dropped Grace off at her house and we planned to make our t-shirts on Tuesday. I had a ton of fun shopping with Grace.
On Tuesday, Grace came over to my house to make the shirts. The sequin letters were iron on and were very cool. Each letter was an array of blues, pinks, and purples, depending on how the light was reflecting off of the letters. My mom, Grace, and I all laid out the letters the way we wanted them. It looked really good! Then my mom took the hot iron and ironed on the letters. Then we did the rhinestone stars and put them in the corner of the words, “Grace is my Twin.” With two stars on opposite corners, it looked fancy. Then we did Grace’s shirt with the same design. Our shirts were amazing! I am so glad that we went with my idea for the shirt design. After both of our shirts were done with getting the letters and stars on, we sprayed glitter on them. They were so sparkly after that and I was really excited to where them.
I waited for Wednesday to come. It seemed to take a long time to get to that day. But I was very excited. Finally, Wednesday came. I slipped on my shirt, my awesome socks, my shoes, and did my hair just like the way Grace wears her shirt. Then when I was driving to school, I was pumped. Finally, I got into the school and put my violin in my orchestra locker. Next, I went into the auditorium to wait for Grace. Shortly after, she walked in, and we looked just like twins.

• Leave a comment... (1)

My trip to Florida was amazing! There were so many fun things we did like going Sea World and seeing all the sea animals in shows. We also went to Cocoa Beach where the sand is so soft you can barely feel it going through your toes! While we were there, we went to the to the biggest surf shop I have ever seen (I know it’s the biggest because I have never been to a surf shop). Florida was amazing and exciting and I would do anything to go there on vacation again!
When I first woke up in the morning, I was tired but excited! I was actually going to Florida, the one place I have always wanted to visit. We had to get up at 5:30 in the morning and be at the airport at 6:30. Our flight for Nashville would leave at about 7:00. We had to go to Nashville to get a flight to Florida because our plane doesn’t ever travel there. We got to the airport, checked our bags, went through security, and then finally got to sit down, waiting for our plane to arrive and for us to board it. Our plane arrived shortly after and we got on, took our seats, and then were leaving the airport and heading for Nashville.
An hour or two later our plane arrived in Nashville. When we got off I saw a ton of pictures of country music stars like Dolly Parton, Reba McIntire, Carrie Underwood, and many others I didn’t know. The Nashville airport was full of people! They were a busy as bees bustling about as to get to the place they needed to go. As we headed to our flight, I saw how everything and everybody was different from Kansans and Kansas items. People talked very different, too. Their accent was interesting to listen to and it sometimes was hard to understand. We had just arrived to our designated flight waiting spot when the plane arrived. After the people on the plane before got off we gone on and took off for Florida.
I must have slept on the plane because the next thing I remember we were landing in Orlando. The sleep left my body and I was pumped! When the wheels finally touched the ground and the plane moved to the small tunnel for the people to come off, I jumped out of my seat. For a few minutes, I was a giant jumping bean as I had to wait for the people in front of us to get off the plane. But when I finally got off and walked into the airport, excitement filled me. I was actually in Florida!
The first day in Florida was kind of slow. We went to our hotel and slept there for awhile then went out to dinner. When we came back we went straight to bed. I was beat. But the next day, we went to a really fun animal place called Sea World. I had so much fun there. I even got to pet a dolphin! There were amazing shows where the sea lions and the dolphins and whales did really cool tricks with the stuntmen. We even got to ride a few rides with the animals splashing us with their tails. It was so much fun and I will never forget how hot it was. I think if I had not had sunscreen on and water to drink, I would have crinkled up like a dried out grape in the middle of summer. But the heat was nothing. I didn’t even pay that much attention to it as I was having fun with the animals.
The next few days in Florida we went to many other places and swam in the hotel pool. My favorite place we went to in Florida was Kennedy Space Center. That place was so cool! While I was there I got to see videos of the first Apollo missions and the space shuttles that actually went to the moon! They were the much bigger in person then in videos and films. Also, I got to see moon rocks brought back from the moon by the astronauts in the Apollo ships. The rocks were surprisingly smooth and dark instead of gray and rough as I had predicted. We also got to ride in a spaceship simulation ride. In it, I got to experience what it would be like to be in a spaceship and lifting off from Earth to the Moon. It was so much fun and I got the cutest spaceship earrings from the gift shop. Kennedy Space Center was amazing and will always remember it.
After those first few days spent in the city part of Florida, we went to the beach for 3 days. The name of the beach was Cocoa Beach and that was also the name of the city which I thought was cool. When we got there we went to the hotel to put all of our bags and stuff in our room. Then we headed for the beach. I have only been to California beaches and the sand there is very grainy and very rough. Honestly, I didn’t expect the sand to be the way it was. But when I first set foot on the sand, I immediately was amazed. The sand was softer than a kitten’s fur. I could barely feel it running through my toes as I walked. The grains were so little and that’s what made the sand so soft. I could never forget it.
For those next few days, we spent lots of time and the beach. We got to hunt for sea shells, swim in the ocean, and I even saw a jellyfish! It scared me at first, but they were cool to look at. The second day at the beach we went to Ron Jon Surf Shop. It was huge. It had two levels of bikinis, earrings, clothes, and about everything involving the ocean you could think of. We got t-shirts, earrings, and the best part was yet to come. We on the second the then, the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile pulled up to the surf shop. I got really excited and we went down to see it. Better yet, I got to take a picture in front of it. The Wiener Mobile was a huge truck, basically, with a giant hotdog on top of it. It was so awesome! That was the greatest truck I had ever seen!
Florida was so much fun! My favorite part was going to the beach and looking for sea shells with my family. The sand in between my toes was amazingly soft and the Ron Jon Surf Shop was awesome (especially with the Wiener Mobile parked in front of it!) Seeing all the animals and getting to pet a dolphin at Sea World was really fun, too! The Kennedy Space Center simulation rocket ride was my favorite part about the space center. All in all, Florida is one of my best memories mainly because I got to spend time with my family and have fun at the same time, and that is what is most important to me.

• Leave a comment... (5)

He is nervous because the coming of winter means that plants die and animals hybernate. Brian gets his food from the berry bushes and when those die he will be out of berries until summer. The animals could blend in the snow and it would be harder to catch animals. Also, he doesn’t have very many clothes that keep him warm. Brian could die in the winter so that is why he is nervous. 

If Betty hadn’t come the Bear would of ate Brian. Brian would of died! But luckly Betty came and saved him.When Betty came she was just coming for the food but she is Brian’s friend she decided to help him. If Brian had lived, he would be badly injured and probably would not be able to move. Also, he wouldn’t have enough food to live on for the whole winter and would starve to death.

3.       Based on what you know about the outdoors, do the events in this story seem believable?  Explain.The events seem very believable. The outdoors are very beautiful but can be very scary. Many people die out in the woods. Bears, wolves, and other lethal animals lurk in the shadows of the trees. Any book that takes place in the woods or outdoors is most likely to have realistic events.

The theme is that Your friends will always be there for you no matter what happens. Having a friend like that is a great thing. Most friends you have at a younger age are flighty and don’t really care about what you do or what you like. Friendship is very powerful and lead you through life better than anything else. 

5.       Write a paragraph that describes what Brian’s actions in the wilderness reveal about his character.  Use details from the story to support your answer.Brian is very determined to reach his goal of survival. He does everything he can to survive. Being in the woods for a long part of the year does change a person and can really impact their character. Before, Brian was probably lazy and didn’t even think about what would happen if he got put in the situation he is now.

• Leave a comment... (0)

Introduction
Sumer is part of the civilization we call Mesopotamia. It is located in modern day Iraq in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Sumer used to be called Babylon and was home the first written set of laws made my King Hammurabi and King Nebuchadnezzar’s Hanging Gardens. The area consists of the city-states Kish, Laggash, and many more. They were the most powerful Sumerian city-states. Sumer, as a whole was an amazing place, full of inventions and historic monuments.
Origin of the Sumerians
The Sumerians go way back before Mesopotamia had even began. Before, they would travel all across Asia looking for food. When Mesopotamia first began and was growing, it used to be called Babylon. In Babylon, the Sumerian city-states consisted of Kish, Lagash, Umma, Ur, and Uruk. Those were the most powerful city-states in Babylon and they conquered many littler city-states. The city-states each had their own god, too. Sumerians believed that the gods would bring them good fortune if they sacrificed food and their possessions for them.
King Hammurabi ruled for a long period of time in Babylon, which is old Sumer. During his reign, he created a huge stele with the first set of written laws. Also, King Nebuchadnezzar had The Hanging Gardens built for his wife. It later became of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Babylon
Sumer used to be called Babylon. In Babylon, a great many things happened. The most important things were Hammurabi’s Code and the Hanging Gardens. Hammurabi’s Code was very important because it was the very first written set of laws. The Hanging Gardens were a huge part of Babylon, too. They were built for a King Nebuchadnezzar’s wife in 600 BCE. So those are two big things that were found in the city of Babylon.
Hammurabi’s Code was the first written set of laws. Before Hammurabi’s Code, government officials would go around telling people the laws by mouth. That could create problems people could keep making up laws and then it would be impossible to live and remember them all. So, in 1792 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon made a 7 1/2 foot cone stele. On this stele, there were hundreds of laws and punishments for breaking the law. This stele was discovered in 1901 by Jean-Vincent Scheil, a french archaeologist. It was an amazing discovery.
Another amazing part of Babylon was The Hanging Gardens. They were made around 600 BCE. They were built for King Nebuchadnezzar’s wife. She was homesick for previous home in the mountains. So, Nebuchadnezzar built a huge garden of hanging green plants. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Hanging Gardens became a huge part of Babylon’s history and for King Nebuchadnezzar himself.

Religion
All the people in Mesopotamia believed in multiple gods. However, each city-state had their own god that they believed to rule the city-state. Sumerians believed in an air god, earth god, sky god, and heaven god. They were believed to live in the top room of the holy temple. All Sumerians called them ziggurats. They had many levels and were home to priests, scribes, and the government rulers.
The key gods of the Sumerians were the god of earth, the god of water, the god of wind, and the god of the heavens. Sumerians gave offerings to the gods in hopes that they would be happy and give them good fortune. One god was often believed to be the king of one or two city-states. The gods were in total control of the Sumerians and the city-states.
The temple which the god lived in was called a ziggurat. It was a multi-level building with homes for the priests, scribes, and government officials. On the top level, there was one room which the Sumerians believed to be their god’s home. The ziggurat was located in the middle of the city-state. The construction of a ziggurat took a long time. It took many workers and slaves. Ziggurats were very important to the Sumerians and all of the Mesopotamians.
Daily Life
Daily life in Sumer was quite difficult. They had to control the floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but they didn’t ever know when it was going to flood. Their irrigation system was complicated, as well. Also, jobs in Sumer were amazing but little pay came in return. The women of Sumer had to do all the chores of the house and keep the family together while the men had the rights of doing real jobs. One very cool job the Sumerians had a choice of was crafting sculptures of their gods.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded all the time without knowledge of it coming. It often happened when the Sumerians just planted seeds for new crops and the rivers would wash away the seeds. But they used the canals and levees to control the amount of water their crops got. They would pull the levees up when they needed more water, then put it down when the crops had enough. Their irrigation system helped them a lot with growing crops.
There were limited jobs in Ancient Sumer. The men of Sumer could be priests, work for the king, be scribes, or be farmers. You could be a slave, too, but you wouldn’t be paid and would not have as many rights as the free people. The women of Sumer were in charge of the normal house chores. They would do the cleaning, the cooking, and be in charge of making sure the children were safe. Women did not have all the rights men did. They could be shop owners, however. But, that was the main job for women in ancient Sumer.

Inventions
The Sumerians invented a lot of interesting things that we use to this day. Sumerians invent the wheel, their own type of calendar, and the first system of writing called cuneiform. The wheel helped them with farming and irrigation. When the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flood, priests were able to keep track of it by using a calendar based on the stars. Most of all, their writing helped them communicate and keep records of important information.

The wheel was the most important invention the Sumerians created. It helped them with transportation, irrigation, and daily living. They created the wheel in 8000 B.C. and is a circle with a stick of some sort going through it. The first wheel the Sumerians invented was made of wood. The wheel helped them with their farming and irrigation. The wheel helped them with transportation, too. It has helped us with a lot of things like transportation today and it’s used on cars, airplanes, trains, and any kind of things that has wheels. The wheel improved over the years, and now it is very important in our lives. That’s why the wheel is the most important invention the Sumerians.
Another invention that the Sumerians invented was the calendar. The priests helped create the calendar. The priests kept track of the stars’ movement and then wrote the stars’ patterns down with the correlating events. While keeping track of these events, they were able to create a calendar based on the stars and the constellations. It took a huge amount of intelligence and time to create something like a calendar.
The other thing the Sumerians invented was cuneiform. The cuneiform was an important part of there history. There are more than six hundred cuneiform signs. Cuneiform consists of the different writing systems logophonetic, consonantal alphabetic and syllabic systems. Each of the encompass lines and wedges in their writing. It took a very long time to learn how to write cuneiform. Scribes used cuneiform to send messages from the king to the people. Cuneiform was very important in the history of Sumer.
Conclusion
So, as you can see, the Sumerians were amazing people. They invented amazing items we still use, they had an amazing writing system, and created a very intelligent calendar. In the history, Sumer used to be called Babylon. In Babylon, the first set of written laws were created and The Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. All in all, the ancient Sumerians were amazing and are still very well remembered to this day.

• Leave a comment... (2)

• Leave a comment... (0)

ZOOM Volleyball Team Wins First Tournament

By: Alexa

This weekend, the Gardner ZOOM 12’s team won their first tournament. They were entered by the person who started the club, Cindy, hoping they would do well and as it turned, out they did! “They did a lot better then I thought they would. There were some very hard teams and they pulled through. I’m very proud of them,” comments Cindy.

The Gardner ZOOM team is club volleyball program in the town of Gardner, KS. The age groups of the teams range from years 12-18. Their coaches are well experienced players and played college volleyball. They were hired by Cindy to coach the teams and to help them progress and learn skills they can use in the future.

So, those coaches did just that. When Cindy entered the 12’s team in their winning tournament, she entered the rest of the ZOOM teams, as well. The teams were entered in a nation-wide tournament at Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City. When they arrived, they were greeted from over 60 other teams from across the nation. The 12’s team didn’t think they would be able to win any games.

They began playing. They won their first game and that luck continued through the day. Of the two days they were going to be play, the first went well with only three losses against the toughest teams. Their coach, Sharaeah, was very proud of them. But that was only day one. There was much more to come.

The next day the girls arrive ready to play. The play some of the same teams they did yesterday and win all but one of their games. At the end of the second day, they were totally beat. They were tired and didn’t think they would be able to win another game. But then they got informed that they would be playing in the semi-finals! They were all ecstatic. Molly, a DS (defensive specialist) comments, “I really had no idea we were even going to get as far as we did. I truly thought we were done after our last game but I guessed wrong.”

As they played their game to go to the finals, they had doubts. The team wasn’t very hard but they could jinx themselves because of wanting to win. But they did great. Alexa, their setter had great sets along with an amazing back-set to her middle hitter, Kennedy. Kennedy hits the ball and the other team doesn’t return it! The crowd cheers and the team members give each other high fives. Soon after, they won their semi-finals game and headed to the finals.

They are very nervous. The other team, (you could tell) was nervous, too. They all had doubts about winning. But the game went on. It was a total battle. Both teams worked hard and fought for the win. But in the end only one team was left standing: Gardner Edgerton ZOOM!

The crowd cheers and screams. They had just won their first tournament! A crowd of parents circles the girls. Everyone was happy. Sharaeah comments, “I am so proud of my girls! They worked very hard to get where they are and they deserve to win.” The whole team got a prize and had fun! Alexa, the setter, comments, “This is a day I will never forget. It was the best day ever!” The whole team went out to have a team pizza party and enjoyed each other. It was the last time any one of them saw each other again. However, the team never forgot that memorable day.

• Leave a comment... (2)

Click on the link below to see my character profile on Meggie Folchart from the book Inkheart.

Alexa Character Profile

• Leave a comment... (0)

• Leave a comment... (1)