Our Valentine's Party last weekend was lots of fun! We had fun decorating cookies and making Valentine’s cards, and several other arts and crafts projects. I also taught some of the kids how to make duct tape roses and origami hearts. It was awesome to see the people who came get to know one another.
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Picnic in the Park June 30, 2016 by SarahRoseS
On June 18th, the weather turned cold and gloomy. Heavy rain lashed down, and I hosted a picnic in the park. Not the best timing. I rented a small building on the edge of the playground in a local park, where I brought crafts and food for everyone. The playground outside had three climbing rocks, swings, spinning ropes, and lots of space to play in. After most of the people had arrived, three other kids and I decided to go outside to play hide and seek, even though it was still raining on-and-off. A small gathering of parents and kids ate, talked, made beautiful art, walked around the park, and played outside. My picnic in the park was a definite success, and it was tons of fun to run! Only two more people before it’s my turn… I stand nervous-excitedly, awaiting my turn to break a board. My friends are scared and want me to go first, before deciding whether to have a go themselves. I glance outside to see my mom and other moms handing out donuts and lemonade. People are also getting hand massages. My friend Annie is helping out with registration.
Now it’s my turn. I am instructed to write a message on my board. I draw a heart using a Sharpie marker. Sensei positions the board on cinder blocks. I raise my hand up and bring it down hard. My board smashes beneath me. Feelings of satisfaction and achievement flood me. My friends realize that they can be successful too, and line up for their turn. It was a fun afternoon for my first fundraiser at the ZUltimate self defense studio where I learn Kempo karate. About fifty people came to break boards and we raised over five thousand dollars. People in gorgeous costumes surrounded me as I browsed the vending aisles at Everfree Northwest. My Little Pony bookmarks, paintings, keychains and more covered the vendor stands. A smile spread across my face at the sight of all the colorful equine merchandise. People think that My Little Pony is for five year olds, but I was one of the youngest there. Most of the people at this convention were fourteen to seventeen years old. I used to also think that My Little Pony was for little kids, until my friend Susan showed me some of the Youtube videos. She explained that there is a lot more to My Little Pony than people think, and that there are different generations of the show. The newest generation is really for older kids; little kids can still watch it, but will not understand the true underlying meanings. I was sad that Susan couldn’t come, because she lives so far away. She has never been to a My Little Pony convention before, and has always wanted to go. Her favorite comic artist was in the vendor room, and I talked with him about his comics and DeviantArt. He gave me the inside scoop about his new comics. I sent a message to Susan as soon as I got home afterwards. She was very excited! There were long lines for autographs from the voice actors. Kids twelve and under, like me, were called foals, and thankfully we had a much shorter line for each voice actor. I chose to line up for three of my favorites. A guitarist entertained us with requested fan-made songs, as we waited. I recently broke a bone in my wrist, and instead of autographs on paper, I ended up with signatures and sayings on my cast. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I asked my dad to bring me to my first ever convention. The ambience was happy and excited, and well-organized at the same time. In addition to teenage girls in role play costumes, I was surprised to see so many older boys and young men present. It wasn’t quite what I had imagined, but It sure was awesome! Signing cast with John de Lancie
I’ve been back in school for two weeks so far, and it is really fun. Meeting friends that I haven’t seen for the entire summer was the best part of returning. My classes this semester include Humanities, Science, Math, Tech, Spanish, Drama and PE. All my teachers are really awesome, and they work hard to make sure that I have a fabulous year and that I learn a lot. This year my favorite classes are Humanities and Drama.
7th grade is different to 6th grade in several ways. We are expected to be responsible and make our own decisions, which is good because I get more choices and freedom. Unfortunately, with responsibility comes more homework. With homework comes late nights. With late nights comes exhaustion. With exhaustion comes a weekend lay-in. With a weekend lay-in comes refreshment. With refreshment comes a new week at school. With a new week of school comes more responsibility and more homework… The pattern seems to go on and on. The last few weeks have been very busy for for me. In April, I attended a weekend Model UN conference with my after-school Model UN club, in Bellingham, WA. I represented Ireland in the Commission on the Status of Women. Hanging out with my friends was fun, and all the high school girls were super nice to us. The morning after the Model UN conference, I had to get up extra-early to go to my class Hallmark Trip. Our destination was NatureBridge, on the Olympic Peninsula, for the school week.The teachers thought we were learning the whole time, but really we were mostly having fun, and only a bit of it was learning. We all got to know each other better, and became closer friends. The sun has finally begun to shine in Seattle, and the days are longer. It is becoming way harder to spend time doing my homework, because I want to be outside with my friends. We play on my trampoline, chat, and eat popsicles. I can hardly wait for summer to come, when school is out. 🙂 I am so grateful for the wonderful opportunity I got to attend the Blind Touch Backstage Tour at Cavalia recently, through the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library. The performers who led the tour were super friendly and were willing to answer any questions I had. I loved meeting, feeding and grooming the horses. Tango was the horse who liked me the most, and we became good friends :D. I feel very privileged to have groomed him for as long as I wanted, which was a very long time. The management at Cavalia had a surprise for everyone who attended their special tour: four free tickets to watch the show. There was a photojournalist from our local TV station, Komo4 News, who took some video clips and interviewed me. The video he made is on the Komo News blog (opens in new window/tab): Komo4 News Vidoe of Cavalia Blind Touch Tour
What an amazing show! We had seats close to the stage where I could experience all the action. There was much dancing and prancing of horses, as the acrobats gracefully twirled, swung, and jumped. I witnessed amazing feats of skill, like performers with a foot on each of two horses, riding up and down the hills, or hanging upside down from the side of the horses as they galloped around in a circle. Colorful scenery constantly rolled by and costumes billowed behind the graceful riders. Enchanting live music and a singer with a beautiful voice made the show flow so smoothly. It was an awesome experience, and I would love to return. |
AuthorSarahRose The goal of my blog is to increase awareness of childhood glaucoma and other eye diseases, and to unite kids like me living with visual impairment.Archives
September 2020
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