She's The Daisy - A Short Story

    I remember turning around for the last time. Taking it all in and knowing that things will never be the same. She laid there helplessly as my dad tightly gripped my hand. The fast flowing tears poured out my face and dripped onto my tightly fit black dress. I pulled forward to yank from my dad's grip. I ran as quickly as my short legs could take me. I felt weak and helpless. Once I felt the cool, winter air on my face, I fell to my knees. All the memories had begun to flash into my head. From when I got a bruise and made her kiss it to when I had boy trouble and needed her help. She always knew what to say to make me smile. I just couldn't help but whimper thinking of her warm, loving hugs. I began to feel numb and cold. I cried out and sat there helplessly. There was nothing I could do about it. Nothing I could say would bring her back. I look down at my hands to see them stained with mascara. I carelessly wipe them on my dress and look through my blurry eyes. I see a daisy in a field of weeds.

    Every time when I was younger and I felt sad, my mom would bring me a daisy. That was her way of letting me know that things were going to be okay. The smell of the daisy always comforts me. I slowly get up and walk to the daisy. I breathe in the soothing scent. I knew that everything was going to be okay. It was going to take a lot of time, but God had plans for me. I try to remember that every time I begin to cry. He took my mom for a reason. Just like the daisy, my life would begin to grow into something beautiful.

Five months later:

    I went back to see the daisy that reminded me of comfort. To my surprise, there was a whole field of them now. The center of all the flowers was the same color of my mom's bright blonde hair. I smiled and grabbed my dad's hand. We were going to be okay.

    Hello everyone! My name is Taylor. I usually write about what is on my brain, but I decided to write a short story. I just want to let you know that it is not a true story. I happy live with a mom, dad, sister, a brother(who is off at college), two dogs, and a cat. I hope you liked the story! What's your life like? Feel free to comment about yourself and what's on your mind!

20% Time - Progress Report 2

     This week, I made flashcards with one side the English word and the other side the Japanese symbol and how to say it. I have realized that the more I write things, the more I remember them. The more that I write down the words, the more quickly I will be able to memorize them.

    

      I think it is really interesting to think that a bunch of exchange students learn a different language and have no choice but to learn. I know that it is hard learning a few words, but to learn enough to live in America? I have a HUGE respect for them after trying to learn 40 Japanese words. 

      I have also realized that learning them will be a lot harder than I expected. The difficult part is probably that you have to memorize the symbol and how to say it. The symbols are so hard to learn because they do not correspond with the English or Japanese words. I will have to study a lot more before I master the words. 

20% Time - What It Is, Why I Picked It, & Progress Report 1

What It Is:

       In English class, we are given a class period every week to work on a project that could help your life and others around you. It could be a community need, or just something that you could benefit. In my class, someone is creating stylus for our iPads to sell, some are trying to become Vine famous, and someone else is designing shoes. There are many more creative ideas, but I just named a few. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do, but I decided on something that would strech my brain and help me in the future.

Why I Picked It:

       I decided to learn 40 Japanese words and how to say them. I am half Japanese and half German. Last summer my family went to Japan. It was great, but I did not know what anyone was saying. That is where I thought of learning some Japanese. Obviously, it is very difficult to learn a new language, and I do not plan on being able to speak fluently in Japanese, just by working in class. 

Progress Report 1:

       So far I have written down about 30 Japanese words. I plan on picking out all the words, writing them down in Japanese, and then learning how to say them. It will be difficult to remember how to write it in Japanese, so I plan on writing them a lot for practice. I will probably listen to the words on repeat, because they pronounce things different from how we would think to pronounce it. I found some good websites to learn Japanese and I am enjoying picking out words to memorize. 

Self Harm

Did you know that about 750,000 people in the United States attempt suicide per year? With those results, about 300,000 people actually commit suicide, and that is only in the United States. Self harm is a big issue in the whole world. People are insecure and society lets them know it. People listen to what society says about people like them and start hating themselves for not being like a model. It sickens me to see people starve all around me and cause harm to themselves. If you look on the internet, you will see so many pictures and stories of people cutting themselves, starving, or worse. Is that what society wants?

If I could change anything in the world, it would be self harm. To me, self harm includes anything that results from the hatred against yourself. I want everyone to know that someone loves them. I want everyone to know that God made them perfectly and they can forget about what others say. I wish that there was no bullying to make people feel worse about theirselves. I wish there was a perfect loving community. I would try to make everyone find the good in each other and encourage one another. When you tell someone you do not like something about them, you are making them feel insecure. I want people think before they say. If people only thought in their head, "Oh wow. If someone said that to me I would be very offended". Instead of that, people go ahead and open fire on each other. People do not realize how valuable life is. You only get one chance on the earth. I am not trying to make you feel worse about hating yourself, but remember that God loves you and made you exactly how he wanted you to be.

If only the whole world was free from bullying, pain, and society. People should know that just because society says that you need a big butt or a lot of makeup, you really do not. The prettiest you is the natural you. The person that God made you. I want you to love yourself and tell yourself that every day. "I love me because God made ME specially". Say that to yourself every time you feel down or when you just want to hear it. If you ever see a friend down, go up to them and say, "Did you know that God loves you and made you exactly how he wanted you to be?" You never know if someone around you is hurting. They may be insecure or having a hard time. They may be taking it out on theirselves. Be there for them and listen to them. Show them that someone cares about them. You do not want to read in the newspaper the suicide that you could have stopped. If only you had helped them up when they fell, if only you had said that she looked pretty today, if only. 

I want people to know that self harm is a serious matter that is all around you. You should take charge and find a way to stop it. Stand up to the bully. Do not be a bystander. Remember that whatever someone says bad about you, the most important person in the world loves you. God loves you.

Out In the Country - Madison, WI

            So when you think of country, you think the opposite of me. I do not like the country, nor does it like me. The only problem was that my grandparents lived in the country. So we hopped on a plane and arrived at the Wisconsin airport. The airport was quite nice, but I was bracing myself for what was to come. We got my grandparents car and started driving. My allergies were already storming. As we drove to their house, I saw cows and farm houses everywhere. I was not really sure if I liked it or not. When we got to their house, I ran in and asked for the Wifi password. It turns out that my grandpa had it and he was out flying a plane. So I waited... I watched some TV. Then I ate some chips and talked with my grandma. Finally, my sister comes over to me and asks if I want to go explore the land. Explore the land? Who does she think I am? Christopher Columbus? Well I am not... but I went anyway. We both drove golf carts around the land and I actually had fun! The house had plumbing, Wifi, a television, electricity, and all my family was there. That week turned out to be the funnest week I had in awhile. Have you ever been to Wisconsin? Did you see a lot of cheese? If you are wondering why I asked about cheese, Wisconsin is known for cheese! 

Music - Music's Impact

              Music is so powerful. It takes over your mind. From getting stuck in your head, to belting out in the backseat of the car music has an impact on you. Music can impact your mood as well. If you are listening to a sad song, you usually aren't laughing. There are so many kinds of music. From pop to classical to tribal music. You can like as much music as possible and as simple as just one song.

              If you noticed lately, people make songs to get stuck in your head. Like 'Applause' by Lady Gaga or 'Royals' by Lorde. What I think is really interesting is how the singers grow up and there songs grow up with them. Such as the Jonas Brothers or Ashley Tisdale. They started off singing on Disney and have definently grown up. You can tell that they liked the attention, but they want everyone to know that they are grown up and are not a little 'disney star' anymore. I understand where they are coming from but that does not explain Miley Cyrus. I don't even want to talk about her because I just don't know what to say... 

             So of course there is always going to be music that you don't like. My best friends are OBSESSED with country music but I can't stand it. They are always screaming it into my ears and blasting it in the car. I have learned to tolerate it though. There will also be songs that you don't like, but when you here them more and more you start to like them a little more and more. There will also be songs that you just hate. You know when you really hate a song. What do you think about songs lately?

             Shoutout Corner! This week I want to know if you know any good instagrams! If you know, please leave a comment with the instagram you like! Thanks:)

City of Tokyo, Japan

           This picture is taken on the streets of Tokyo, Japan. It is a beautiful place with a lot of places to go shopping at! I took this picture with my iPhone and edited it with the app Afterlight. I tinted it but did not change too much. A city picture can be a great way to look at all of the different people who come. You can tell that there is quite a few people. My favorite part of the picture is the tall buildings and how they draw attention to them. What is your favorite part of the picture?

           I loved Tokyo! It was beautiful in the summer, but it was very hot! The food there was great if you like asian food, but if you don't I would not reccomend going. I also went to Hiroshima. It was cool to see all the history, but sad to see the outcome of that sad war. It was interesting to compare Hiroshima with Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. My grandma went with us and she used to live near Hiroshima when she was a little girl. She told us stories about the bombing and loosing some of her friends. It seemed like a sad movie, but it took some time to realize that it actually happened. It made me realize that I am very blessed right now and should continue praying for world peace and hope our countries unite. Japan was a very cool place and I am honored that I could go. 

          The shoutout this week goes to @artsytaylor ! She has the best pictures and is a pro at instagramming! She edits her pictures to look like a fantasy world and it looks really cool! Go check her out!