My student blogging challenge for the day is to list one thing that has filled me with pride or accomplishment. http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/05/01/pride-in-myself-meme/. One thing that I have done in life that fills me with achievement and pride, is when my softball team and I went to state and placed fourth out of twenty-seven teams!

It took a lot of work to get that far and it took a lot of focus and practice. At the beginning of the softball season we were talking about going to state, and our coaches heard us and their words were “Let’s focus on the this game, not the future games. The better we do now, the better we do later.” That was one my most favorite things that one of my coaches had ever said. It really encouraged my team and I to do our best and focus on what we had in front of us right then. After we found out that we were going to state softball, the cheer and excitement spread quickly! Our coaches were very proud of us. We had been working for that moment for the longest time and we had finally achieved it!

When we got down to state softball, we were all freaking out! It was very scary at first. We played game by game. We worked hard. We won. Then the unthinkable came, we lost to our rival! We shook that off and continued on our winning streak and focused. It was double elimination so we were in the loser’s bracket. We battled our way through that and got up to the top 4. The next game we played was against West Point, figures! Anyways we had lost to them before and we went and we played our hearts out, sadly we lost. We had tried our best and we placed 4th in state softball. That was a big enough accomplishment for the weekend.

Here will be the people that I would like to tag in this blog to carry on this meme.

http://alexandra110gs.edublogs.org/

http://hannah110gs.edublogs.org/

http://ellencurry101.edublogs.org/

http://dawson110gs.edublogs.org/

http://dmthelen28.edublogs.org/

http://zoeb6.edublogs.org/

http://icubednoah.edublogs.org/

http://icubedkalina.edublogs.org/

http://megan110gs.edublogs.org/

http://icubedhenry.edublogs.org/

One day there was a superhero named Christian. There has been a lot of global warming going on! There was a girl named Haley worried about what was going to happen to the penguins and the other arctic animals, so she called up Christian! Christian and Haley talked about the problem that was going on and they came up with a plan to stop everything bad that was happening. They started to put up signs saying to carpool to places with friends and family instead of each taking your own car. People could also help this cause by walking places instead of using a car to get 2 blocks! America has been getting lazy! Christian and Haley then came up with a plan to take some of the polar bears and put them in zoo’s so that the zoo could keep them safe and make it so they wouldn’t die out and go extinct! Thanks to Haley and her worrying about the polar bears and Christian helping get things under control things have been getting better and people are starting to do something to help this environment!

http://www.toondoo.com/createToon.do

The first person’s blog that I went to today was a girl named Hannah. http://hannah110gs.edublogs.org/ I commented on her page “Cody vs Justin” http://hannah110gs.edublogs.org/cody-vs-justin. The reason I commented on this post is because I like Justin Bieber and I also wanted to see other peoples responses so I thought I should comment as well.

The second person’s blog that I went to today was on a boy’s blog named Harry. http://harrymb4.edublogs.org/ I commented on his post called “My school swimming day” http://harrymb4.edublogs.org/2011/03/08/my-school-swimming-day/#comments. I commented on this post because I love swimming, and the picture really caught my eye!

The third blog of the day was on a girl’s blog. Her name was Brooke. http://brookeg110gs.edublogs.org/ I commented on her post called “My top 5 poem’s ” http://brookeg110gs.edublogs.org/2011/03/04/my-top-5-poems. I am not much of a fan for poetry, but I thought that if I read and commented on a poem post than I might start to like poetry a little more.

The fourth blog for the day was on a boy’s blog whose name is Noah. http://icubednoah.edublogs.org/ I commented on his post called “Research of the day: Bananas!” http://icubednoah.edublogs.org/2011/03/30/research-of-the-day-bananas. Oh, the reason for this comment! I commented on this one because I am always being active, play sports, swimming, or just walking around my neighborhood. Eating banana’s helps keep my body healthy and I love bananas myself! I learned some very interesting facts that I did not know from this blog!

Finally, the fifth blog of the day. One on a girls blog named Kalina. http://icubedkalina.edublogs.org/ I commented on her post called “The book thief” http://icubedkalina.edublogs.org/2011/04/06/the-book-thief/. I commented on this blog, because I would really like to know what happens in this book. I saw it at the library once, but I choose not to get it because I was not looking for a book like that! It looks like a very very good book.

Okay, so you are probably wondering why this post is named “Lunch… :/.” There is a long story behind it! Anyways so I was sitting at lunch with Bailey, Paige, Melissa, Marshall, and Amber and we had pizza or chicken sandwich for lunch today, and I got the chicken sandwich. So I put ketchup on like everything I eat like no joke. Anyways back to the point, I was eating my chicken sandwich and then the ketchup spilled ALL OVER MY JEANS! :O I freaked out. I asked the lunch teacher if ketchup stained and his exact words were “Haley, ketchup stains!” and I was like “OH MY GOODNESS!!!” He told me how to treat it when I got home from school! I was freaking out. So after I was done eating and I dumped my tray I went and sat by my 7th grade friends and they started laughing at me! :/ There meanies! Yeah, so I was like “Ahh this is horrible” and my teacher was like “Did you try putting some chocolate milk on it? That will help. Oh and some pizza sauce!” and I was like “Goodness, stop teasing me!” He just started laughing! What a teacher he is! Back to subject, after the bell rang I came up to my challenge class and I go up to my challenge teacher and I was like “I am sad! ” and she goes “why?!” and I was like “I spilled ketchup on my jeans!” Thankfully enough she has those cleaning wipe things in her class. So I took one of those and sat down in my seat and started cleaning off my jeans freaking out hoping it would come out! Now part of my jeans are wet and I smell like lemons! Wonderful!

Okay, but I just thought I should just let you know my horrible lunch story today! It was pretty bad. I do think the cleaning wipe thing got it out though! Thanks Mrs. Gentrup!

I guess that is what I get for putting ketchup on all my food! Yes, I find it kind of funny now that it is out of my jeans! :p

Lunch was still fun today!(:

• http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/viagra-eye.jpg
• http://www.kikosoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/soccer1.jpg
• http://www.thefieldhouse-indy.com/media/Courts%20around%20the%20world/basketball%20gym%20in%20sun.jpg
• http://backgrounds.picaboo.com/download/41/13/413aaea61c5e4e509c405a9a0cadda32/softball4.jpg
• http://www.integrativehearthealingcenter.com/HHC-2/_RefFiles/heart-208.jpg
• http://www.clker.com/cliparts/2/f/6/1/11949856271997454136tasto_2_architetto_franc_01.svg.med.png

The 10 apps I would like to have on my Ipad would probably have to be…

1. The Oregon Trail- This game is both a good way to problem solve and to have fun. You have to take the time to think about what you would do if you were in this situation. Having a family with you makes it a little more difficult, there is more of a chance for you to run out of food and more chance for someone to get hurt. This game really makes you think on what you have to do.

2. Scrabble- This game would help with your spelling and organization. You could have fun with trying to beat your opponent at this game. This game could get vvery confusing at sometimes with letters going every which way, but in my opinion that would help you focus better.

3. Boggle- This game would help with your organization of letters and it would help work your eyes and brain. Trying to find words with the letters that are touching. There could be thousands of words in one round of Boggle that you have never heard of before, which means it could also expand your vocabulary.

4. Monopoly- This game would help with decision making and saving and spending your money wisely. If you want to buy a house on a square and hardly anyone ever lands there, why would you do that? You have to think about where all the other people are landing and make wise decisions.

5. Geared- This game would help you with your organization and help you decide precisely where things need to be to make things work. Having the level of difficulty change could also help with focus on the game.

6. Brain Challenge- This game would help keep your brain alert with simple exercises for the brain. Having a variety of different games all in this one app could help keep your brain alert and on track.

7. Family Feud- Having this game would help you remember the important things that have happened in the world. This game would also make you think. This game makes you think and you have to think fast. If you have the answer you have to react as fast as possible to score the highest number of points to beat the other team. This game could easily and quickly speed up your reaction time and your focus.

8. Word Search- Having a word search app on your Ipad may not sound the best, but having this would help you stay focused. Also this app could help you expand your vocabulary. Some of the words may go left to right, right to left, up and down, or even diagonal. This game can also help keep your mind attentive and ready for learning new things.

8. Brain Reactor- This game is designed to challenge your attention, processing speed, mathematic skills, general knowledge, and just about everything else. This game can be one or two player. Having one player would probably be more of a challenge then two player, because you would have to beat the computer to the answer. Having two player would also challenge everything listed before.

9. The Impossible Cube- This game is designed to help you learn how to see, use, and match information in new ways. You must move, rotate, and match up all the shapes and colors on the cube to earn coins and move on to the next cube. The points you gain after you solve a puzzle can be used to buy hints and tips for the next puzzle. This game would also help your focus.

10. Sudoku Infinite- This game can help you focus on lining up numbers in columns and rows with not repeating the number in the same column or row. This game can keep you very focused on the numbers 1-10 and help your brain think of what would work in each of the columns, rows, and boxes.

Well, one day my brother, my mom, and I were in Hyvee. My brother was about four so that meant I was about six. Anyways we were walking around picking out food and my brother walked away from us. We didn’t notice until we were way far away from where we lost him at. It turns out he had been walking around, not scared and not looking for us, but he found another family and he walked around with them. They didn’t seem to care it was an elderly family. When we walked past them and saw my little brother he screamed at the top of his lungs  ”LOOK MOM I FOUND GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!” They were not really my grandparents. Apparently my little four year old brother thought they were! haha! Anyways they began to laugh when he screamed that. They bought him a candy bar (of course they didn’t buy one for me) but anyways he started bawling his poor little eyes out when we walked away from them. I don’t remember this AT ALL. My mom told us this story when we were on a trip to Illinois for my cousins graduation. It was probably the best story we heard that whole car ride. It cracked me up in the car and I just couldn’t stop laughing! My brother said “Mom, I am not that stupid! I would so not do that! Haley might, but I sure know I didn’t!” and I was still sitting over there laughing and when my brother said that I was like “Brian, your a freak you would so be the one to do that! Don’t deny it!” My mom just started laughing. That was probably one of the funniest stories that I can remember from my childhood! It pretty much made my car ride!(:

My digital footprints left behind are probably more than I have ever imagined! I have joined Facebook, Myspace, MSN, Twitter, and more online messaging sites. When joining I have given the information needed like first name, age, birthday, and sometimes even my last name. The areas with the asterisk (*) I have filled in on facebook, once or twice. I know that on facebook you can change your privacy settings, which makes me feel safer about giving out information. I have not given out my phone number or address over the computer in any form or way. I may have asked someone over the computer for someone else’s number, but I personally have not given mine out. The digital footprints that I have left behind by filling out this information have effected my life in ways and probably still will eventually. Giving valuable information over the internet could ruin your life.

When I googled my name on google. I didn’t really come up with much, which is probably a good thing. I found my facebook profile on there, but all it showed was my name and that is about it. When I looked in the picture section of google I found pictures from my facebook profile which sort of freaks me out a little bit. Also I did find one of my friends on google who has me as a friend on facebook and twitter, which doesn’t really surprise me that much but it is somewhat shocking with what google can come up with when I google my name and town. Googling my name didn’t show up that I was on a rooster for any sports teams, but I am pretty sure that I am on my softball teams rooster of last year with stats on that website. Googling myself did not bring that up though. Also it did not show that my name has been in the paper before it shows nothing besides how to contact me on facebook. I was looking through the pictures for one of me and I ran across one that was a picture of my friend from school. I don’t see where they get our names mixed up either. In my opinion with what I googled and what I have found online I am not leaving to many digital footprints behind, all I know that I am leaving behind is that I am registered with facebook and twitter. It shows nothing else though, which is probably a good thing and I guess it keeps me safer!(:

SPENT is a very challenging game. It makes you think of what you should do and when you should do it. We had to play this game in Challenge to see if we could make it through the month without losing all of our money. I ended up making it through the month with only about $100 left as a factory worker! Some of the decisions you had to make were do you want to let your friend move into your place with you? Should you get your tooth fixed? Should you buy name brand shoes for your child? So on and so forth. This game I would say takes a lot of focus and you have to be set on a goal. Another thing you had to pick was if you wanted to live far away from town and your job or close to town and to your job. I lived far away from my job so that my rent was cheaper, but that was an issue. My gas prices went sky-high! Living closer would have made my gas prices go down but then my rent would go way up! I think you should try out the game SPENT and see if you can make it through the month without going bankrupt!

If you  couldn’t already tell by my other posts my passion is softball. I began playing softball at a really young age. Everyone else in my family didn’t start playing summer sports until they were about 9! My dad played for a church league when I was little too. I would always go with him to his games and watch him and his teammates play. When I got older I would go with him EVERY game! I would sometimes have practice before him and then I would just walk from my practice to his game. I would also keep book for him so I am pretty good at keeping book now. I loved going with him just to experience the rush. The roar of the crowd as someone would hit a home-run would really get my blood pumping! I have learned almost everything I know about softball from my dad and one of my coaches, Sara! Sara is like a mom to me at times. She has one kid and I have babysat him so many times that I consider him a little brother to me. I absolutely  love being with Sara and Keigan all summer long! There like a second family to me, even though I consider my team a second family too!(: You get what I mean though. I really enjoy playing softball throughout the year my softball season is February – August! During the off season I practice ever once in awhile. With only 5 months of off season, my life is pretty much softball, softball, softball, and of course school, family, and friends! I guess if you think about it me practicing in my off season isn’t really considered an off season. I am just practicing and using all my free time so that I can get on top of my game, overcome my fears, and make my weaknesses become my strengths. My friends are pretty much with me the whole summer, which I enjoy very very much! Out of town, playing the game I love, and with my friends sure makes my summer wonderful!(: