33 FACTS ABOUT ME 

(did my own illustrations)

1. I am 17 years old.

2. I am one of the youngest in my class.

3. I did competitive cheer for 14 years.

4. I attended the world championships for cheerleading.

5. I am color blind.

6. I have had 3 surgeries.

7. I have anxiety.

8. I am named after a dog.

9. I am going to MIZZOU.

10. I'm going to pursue a nursing degree.

11. I always wanted to be a vet growing up.

12. I have been to several concerts.

13. I have a brother.

14. I have two dogs.

15. I have 6 piercings.

16. I have been on the kickapoo varsity cheerleading team since freshman year.

17. I am afraid of raggedy ann dolls.

18. I have had two jobs,

19. I am a hostess.

20. I did choir in high school.

21. My lucky number is 4.

22. I love to bake.

23. I hate hamburgers.

24. I am in love with ooey gooey butter cake.

25. I am missing part of my cheek bone.

26. I have shattered my phone 4 times.

27. My dad owns a computer company.

28. My mom works for a catering company.

29. My favorite food is pasta.

30. I am 55% Italian.

31. I have been out of the country 12 times.

32. I hate the cold.

33. I'm afraid of cats.

HOLDING A CIGARETTE = COOL

I have never thought that people who smoke cigarettes were cool. How cool is it to stick something in your mouth that will eventually kill you? If you think killing yourself is cool, then you are awesome! Even the look of smoking a cigarette isn't cool at all. A cigarette is composed of what I like to think of as dirt and nicotine. It is something you can get extremely addicted too, and could kill you; there is nothing cool about that. Tobacco is KNOWN for having serious health risks and long-term smoking is proven to lead to life-threatening conditions such as emphysema. Take it from someone who has lost loved ones to lung issues due to smoking - it’s not worth it. We’re all acquainted with the fact that it costs an arm and a leg for a pack of cigs. You work your little ass off for the money that you immediately throw towards a company that’s knowingly filling your lungs with fiberglass and chemicals - and you’re supporting it every single day. You’re practically hiring these people to do you harm. Also the smell completely blocks out any other smell that ever existed. The smell is so gross, and lingers every where you go. IT IS NOT COOL! The whole entire thought of smoking that nastiness and it slowly taking minutes, days, months, years away from your life, will never, in my opinion be cool. If you think anything about smoking is cool, think again. You're wasting a lot of money on a killing agent.

Children's Story Feedback for Friends

The monster who never missed 

page1; This is Huey, the monster who never missed.

page2; Huey never missed a day of school.

page3; Huey never missed a day of church

page4; And Huey never missed his favorite show that came on every night.

page5; When Huey got older, he got into sports, music, and all types of things.

page6; When Huey played basketball, he never missed a shot.

page7; when he played the violin, he never missed a note

page8; and when his friends needed him, he never missed a call.

page9; Everybody loved Huey.

page10; as Huey went through his life, he got use to never missing!

page11; Until the day came, that he finally missed...

page12; That day was very tragic for Huey.

page13; Huey started missing school, missing his jump shot, and missing his notes on his violin.

page13; This was very unusual for Huey. he started to notice people weren't treating him the same anymore.

page14; Huey never misses.

page15; Huey never knew why until...

page16; he noticed the missing piece, and Huey never misses.

page17.  Huey noticed when he got older he started to mislead people causing everybody to have the wrong idea of who he really was.

page18;

1. I think the use of the word "Huey" could be a little less, but I love that name and think it fit's perfectly!

2. You could always talk a bit more about what other things he missed out on, and how he fixed it!

3. Think of a good ending on how he came back from missing all of the things he did, and how he fixed it!

I loved how you made it very realistic and about things that happen in real life, and how people feel. 

I also loved how you made him a very diverse kid, who played basketball and did violin! I loved that and feel like it teaches kids they don't have to be set to a certain standard.

Peter Harp Seal

Peter is a harp seal. He loves to play with his best friend, Stella. Peter and Stella like to play pirate. Stella likes to be the captain, and wear an eyepatch. Peter likes to wear a peg flipper and yell “Arrrrrggggg.” They played pirate everywhere they went. They played it at recess, on the school bus, at Peter’s house, and they even played it at the grocery store! One day, Peter and Stella decided to play pirate in Peter’s backyard. Peter poked Stella with his wooden sword, and Stella told him to walk the plank! Just as Peter was about to jump, he noticed something shiny at the edge of his Mom’s seaweed garden. “What is that?” Peter asked Stella while pointing his peg flipper in the direction of the shiny object. “I don’t know,” Stella replied, “But we’re about to find out.” They swam to the garden’s edge, and dusted the sand off the foreign object. (I’m not sure what I want them to find yet, but I know I want them to use it as treasure in their game. I also want it to belong to another seal who doesn’t have any friends, so they end up returning it to him and letting him play pirate with them.)

1. Try to work on not making the sentences so choppy!

2. Maybe try to add another character into the story to make things super interesting!

3. Make the ending super awesome and unexpected to go along with the story!

I love how you made these two best friends and they went on an adventure. I love the imagination

CHILDREN´S STORY BOOK

10 Reasons for my Foodies 

I´m just an egg, who wants to run away,

I really hate to beg, not to be scrambled. 

So one day I left, out of the blue,

but I had to run back because I forgot my shoe.

I jumped on the bus, in a bit of a hurry,

until momma egg saw me try to scurry.

It was a success, and I was on my way,

until I became afraid of what my foodie friends would say. 

So that´s when I thought, to tell my friends why,

I knew they would be worried, that I´d never say bye.

So i came up with an idea, of ten reasons why, 

I ran away from home and was about to be fried.

 My friend tink the toast, you are number one,

I hope you know, I had no fun.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend hank the hash brown, you are number two,

and I know by the end, you will surely get the clue.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend penny the pancake, you are number three,

please don´t tell the others, I beg you, I plead.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend willy the waffle, you are number four, 

don´t let the others hear, and please shut the door.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

Mt friend sam the sausage, youŕe number five.

I wanted to leave, but you know I can´t drive.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend billy the bacon, you´re number six,

I promise I am not lying, and this isn´t a trick.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend cecilia the cereal, you are number seven, 

I beg you to hear me, I am not ready for heaven.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend freddy the frosted flake, you are number eight,

this wasn´t meant to be, it was not fate.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend bucky the bagel, you are number nine,

I was in really big trouble, and it might be a sign.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨

My friend milly the muffin, you are the last,

please don´t tell the others, about my not-so-great past.

I ran as fast as I could, in a bit of a jamble,

yelling ¨momma please! don let me scramble!¨ 

And my foodie friends, the story now comes to an end,

momma egg did find me, and told me to tell my friends.

I did run away, and I am not out of the dog house yet,

but now that I have explained, you all will forgive me, I bet.

Please be my friend, I love you all to much,

please just hear me out, I promise I will no longer be the crutch.

And that is what happened, when I begged ¨please do not let me cook¨

but all in all, this is just a book.

One door closes and another one opens,

along with another egg, who will soon be cracked open.

I want my illustrations to look something like this, but be walking with shoes on. All of my other characters will have the same face, but on their designated food. For example, pancakes, muffin, bacon, etc.

Author Bio

AUTHOR BIO

Bailey Lofaro is a 17 year old from Springfield, Missoui. She attends Kickapoo High School, and is a senior. She graduates in a month, and is excited to move on to a new adventure. She will be attending the University of Missouri, to attend nursing school. After she finishes nursing school, she will move back to Springfield, and hopefully be a nurse in the labor and delivery department at Cox Hospital. Bailey has not yet written a children's book, but has written some short stories. 

BOOKS FOR KIDS

The book I read was Hello, Fredbird! Written by Ozzie Smith. There isn't an author bio in the front or back of the book, so we don't know to much about the author himself. It does tell us some of the other books he has written, which is kind of cool! The cover of the book is a white cover with a red bottom. The top of the book says  "Hello, Fredbird!" It has the St. Louis cardinals logo, it has the mascot, fredbird, with a cardinal baseball player standing right next to him. The characters in the book are Fredbird the mascot, some of the people on the baseball team, fans in the stadium, and the concession stand worker. The setting in this book was at the baseball stadium and basically on the field the entire time. The book is mostly about Fredbird. Showing people what his job as a mascot is; and how he supports the Cards well!

There are no animals in it, no rhyming, it teaches a lesson, it has no monsters or creatures, there are kids and adults as characters, it doesn't use much humor considering it's a kids book, it uses illustration, colors, but not actual photos. There are lots of words per page, and a repeated word through the book. My favorite line in the book is "As fans admired the statue, they looked at fredbird and said "He's the real hero." I would recommend this book for 5-12 year old boys. I don't love this book because I'm not a big fan of baseball or the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hopper- Inspired Writing 

Sitting in the coffee shop I was scared. It was so late at night, I had no one it felt like. I had been roaming the streets for what felt like forever. Loneliness is painful. Without a doubt, this was the most frequently mentioned experience of loneliness. Words that have been used to describe this type of pain include, hurt, sorrow, ache, sadness, depression, torn up, bleeding, and broken. Clearly the pain is one in which the lonely individual feels damaged, as though someone their spirit was crushed. It hurts to feel lonely and it hurts even more because we don't have anyone to share it with.  This was the way I felt that night. Lonely, broken, sad, upset. I wanted to go home, be with my family, with my dog. I wanted to go somewhere I felt safe, and happy. But I found myself alone in this coffee shop at late nights and early mornings. Because I was alone, not accepted by the people that love me.              

WINDOW POEM

Out of my grandma's window I see a golf course,

I see old men playing a game of golf.

To my left I see my many houses.

Rows and rows of beautifully built houses.

Today I don't see my grandma looking out the window with me.

She always there, 

pointing out the way the moon looked,

and how it looked different every single night.

I also see many new blooming trees,

reminding me it is finally my favorite season; Spring.

In the distance I see new houses being built,

new homes that will soon be lived in, and be taken care of with love,

just like my grandma took care of hers.

MARSHALL'S HOUSE

Out of my window I see a gold course, while my Grandma

is standing next to me.

I see old men playing a game of golf.

To my left I see many houses. 

Rows and rows of beautifully built, brand new houses, soon to be lived in.

Today I didn't see my grandma looking out of the window with me, 

and that was very different.

She was always there, pointing out the way the moon looked.

I also see many new blooming trees.

Reminding me it is finally time for spring.

In the distance I see new houses being built, new homes,

that will soon be lived in, 

filled with tender, love and care, 

just like Marshall's house.

INSPIRED BY YOUR ARTIST 

Webbed together,

In many different pieces. 

Held together by many threads, 

but barely hanging on.

Trying to see through the gaps,

But it gets harder and harder.

Getting dizzy, 

it is a psychedelic feeling.

Bound together with tender, love, and care,

never to be broken again.

Bound together by wood, 

many strands of chipped wood.

Light tan color, 

refurbished and re cut.

Made with love and care,

shaped like an old time Irish hat. 

Sculpted together with hands that care, 

taking care of every sculpture in his presence.

For someone who works very heard on his art,

this sculpture might not show it.

ARTIST PROFILE

MARTIN PURYEAR

Martin Puryear was born May 23rd, 1941, and has not yet died. He was born in Washington D.C. , to the late Henri Puryear and Bertha Puryear. His dad was in the army for about 18 years, and during the time he was in the army, his mom was an x-ray technician. Martin had no siblings, and was an only child. He went to Yale University, and graduated in 1969. He is married to Martina Puryear and they have one kid together. 5 historical events that happened in Martins life was a huge house fire that destroyed his studio and a lot of his art work, he did lose his wife, he was homeless before college, and he got his best sculpture stolen. His biggest struggle was losing his wife and being homeless. He worked a lot with watercolors and sculptures, and was very famous for his sculptures. He is known for his devotion to traditional craft. Working in wood and bronze, among other media, his reductive technique and meditative approach challenge the physical and poetic boundaries of his materials.

CHILDHOOD QUESTIONS 

1. "What is your most poignant childhood memory? The one that sticks out the most? Write out as much as you can remember and then fill in the details with an elaborate description."

    My most poignant childhood memory was our house fire. It was my birthday, and my mom was getting ready to have some of my friends and family over to help me celebrate my 4 years of life. I was sitting in my high chair eating cake, smashing my face with it actually, and my mom stepped out of the kitchen for a minute. She went to light a candle on top of the TV, which was sitting next to a fake fern. The candle light had eventually spread to the chemicals on the fern, and lit the fake tree on fire. It was a pretty large plant, so it obviously caused a large fire. I remember everyone running around screaming, and me sitting helplessly in my chair. The firefighters eventually came and put the fire out. It was a very eventful 4th birthday indeed.

4. "We all have that friend we had in childhood who later moved into a different popularity scale in middle or high school. Who was that friend and what did you two enjoy so much together when you were little?

    My one friend that I had in elementary school was named Madi. She was always one of the prettier ones in elementary school, and all of are little friends were always after her. She was the most popular, and always usually got everything she wanted. And then we went to intermediate and middle school, where she actually fell down the popularity scale. We weren't as great of friends anymore, and I didn't talk to her nearly as much as i used too. I still would go to her as if she was my best friend, and I would still tell her everything. Then we got to high school, and she jumped right back up on the popularity scale. We are best friends again, and just as close as we used to be in grade school. One of our favorite things to do together in elementary was to give each other hair styles and act like we were in pageants.

12. "Describe any childhood ailments or injuries you had."

    I remember vividly the day I got this injury. I was around the age of 8, and I was at my best friend Madi's house. We decided we wanted to go outside and ride her brand new scooter she got. This was a brand new scooter that just got released, and it was a scooter that had 3 wheels, one on the front, two on the back, and did not come with breaks. So in my little 8 year old head somewhere I thought it was a good idea to wear no shoes, or a helmet, and go down her hill that was literally shaped like a 90 degree angle. I hit the curb on my way down, and started doing front flips until I eventually landed on my head, face first. I ended up with rocks and cement falling out of my head, and was eventually left with a gnarly scar. Still have that scar to this day.

9. "Is there something you know now you wish you knew when you were a kid? Is there something you've come to know you wish you didn't know?"

    One thing I wish I still believed the same as when I was a kid is definitely where babies come from. I was absolutely convinced that God put babies in the mommy's stomach, and when it was time to have the baby it came from the mommy's belly button. I never really thought it through a lot, and now that I know, it is kind of scaring. One thing I wish I still believed is in imagination. When I go places that really cause you to use your imagination, I wish i would just use it and not act like I am to old, or way to good to ever think in a non fiction sense.

32. "What did you want to be as a child when you were growing up?"

    I always, since day one wanted to be a veterinarian. I never imagined that would be something you would have to go to school too, and it would ever be something different then just petting dogs all day. I never could've imagined I would have to fix sick dogs, out them to sleep when they are ready to die, or ever have to watch and treat abused and homeless animals. I was such an animal lover, and all I wanted to do was pet dogs all day. And only dogs, no other animals at all. I didn't want anything to do with anything other than a healthy dog I could pet and play with.

"REST IN PEACE,
OUR PRECIOUS BABY"

November 3rd was the day. The day we lost our pride and joy. 

Our daughter meant so much to us. We lost our 12 year old first born in a 

tragic car accident. We believe the accident was a plot. A plot to take 

our daughter from us. She was stolen from our house,

in the middle of the night. I woke up in the morning, hoping to make her breakfast.

But she never ended up coming to the kitchen so I could make it for her.

Later that day, around 3:00, we got the news. Our baby girl was dead. We were

at a loss for words. Still are. Rest in peace our precious baby.

"DIRTY WORK SUITS YOU."

He deserved it. Everything he did explained exactly why
he has to do all of the dirty work. He took away the innocence
and dignity from an entire family. He kidnapped them thinking he would
get away with it. He didn't think he would have have to make up all that he did.
The day that he got caught, and the family was found was around 4:00 on
September 23rd. Now he is in prison serving a life sentence, and paying for his actions
every day. Doing the prisons dirty work. And complaining about it
like he didn't do anything wrong.

WRITERS AS READERS

1. When I read, I need it to be completely quiet. I need it to be dark, I need there to be a lamp on. I want to be sitting on the couch with a blanket, nobody else in the room. I might want a drink next to me, and maybe a snack. When I get distracted I have to read the passage over and over again. It takes me a while to really be able to comprehend the entire book, and really take in all of the information the book is trying to tell me. I do not really like reading, but when I do, I like to be a laid back relaxed time to myself.

2. The types of genres that interest me, is real life, non fiction, books/ writing. I like to read about things happening in the public, and in the outside world. I love to read about murder cases, injury stories, and all other types of FBI cases. Another genre I like is mystery novels. When I read, I do like to read stuff that makes me think. I love to read things that make me think about the outcomes of the book, or who will make it out until the end. Writings that keep me guessing, and never bore me.

4. My best connection and memory with a reading I have ever had is definitely reading the book Heaven Is For Real. It kept me reading, all the time. The story that they told was so amazing and definitely kept me guessing. When the little boy told us all about his encounters with God, and all of the things God told him while he was there. It made me feel like I was in the story, and I wanted him to be ok and feel better again just like his parents did. The stories he told felt so real, and really made me think about my God, and truly how amazing he is.

6. My favorite reading teacher would definitely have to be Mrs. Butterworth in 8th grade. There were no restrictions on what we had to read, and what we read was totally our choice.  I loved how she would give us as much time as we needed to read any book, and understood if we didn't finish the book in the allotted time she wanted. She always let us sit up by her desk, in these really cool couches, and she would give us candy. She really was very personable and understanding. She was amazing.

8. My favorite novel I have read would definitely have to be the hunger games series. That book really always kept me guessing and wondering. It was so exciting reading every new chapter and new book, and knowing to expect a different outcome at the end. Yes, it was fiction. I am not the biggest fan of fiction books, but this one was such a good read. It was interesting, and really kept me guessing. I loved that entire series and what it was all about.

6 WORD MEMOIRS

I can always only trust myself.

Hospice beds: you aren't my friend.

In the shadows of my brother

Hesitant stepping out of my box

REELY GOOD MOVIE QUOTES

“Maybe, sometimes, it's easier to be mad at the people you trust because you know they'll always love you, no matter what.” 

"Courage is a hard thing to figure. You can have courage based on a dumb idea or mistake, but you're not supposed to question adults, or your coach or your teacher, because they make the rules."

"You might as well tell God what you think. He already knows it anyway."

"He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero."

DAN IN REAL LIFE RESPONSES

25. “Have you ever done something to make someone else jealous?” Yes. There was a specific time I was really tying to make one of my ex best friends mad. She had completely blown me off at a certain point in our realtionship, and I felt as if it was my turn to get revenge. I went and found a different group of girls to hangout with, one of the groups of which wouldn’t let her hangout with them. We went to play put put, and get dinner and ice cream. I posted a picture on what felt like every social media I had in hopes that she would see it.

16. “Describe your perfect day.” My perfect day would definitely start at the beach, or in Los Angelos, California. I definitely would want to go parasailing, or swimming with dolphins. Or if I were in L.A., I would definitely want to visit the hollywood sign. There is so much history in Los Angelos that I would want to visit, and be able to see. It would definitely take me more than a day to see everything there that I would want to see. I would definitely just want to walk around the city, and visit different famous peoples houses.

11. “ In the movie they talk about playing hide and seek, and finding good hiding places. What was one of your best hiding spots growing up?” We had this super large linen closet that was always my go to spot. There were so many different bags, blankets and pillows, and I would just get behind all of those. No one ever thought to look in the closet, nore dig through every single one of the bags and pillows. I was always the very last one in the game, and never had to be “it.” I still to this day have not told anyone where I used to hide for hide and seek, just in case I might need to play the game and have a good hiding spot some day in the future.

12. “What does illicit love mean to you?” Illicit love has a sort of attractiveness about it that seem to be something people go after. Like people who are currently in a relationship, or the girls always like to go after bad guys because they think they will be the girl to change them. I have only had one incident where it was an illicit love kinda thing. He was in a relationship and I started to develop a crush on him because we spent so much time together. We ended up Starting to have a bit of a romance, and talking for a couple of weeks until his girlfriend found out, and then it started to get a little complicated.

13. “In the movie, they talk about being travel people. Do you think people who travel are more interesting to talk too?” I personally do think that people who are well traveled can be more interesting. At least to talk to. They have experienced so many different cultures, witnessed so many different things and see so many different places. The stories that they could tell could probably go on for hours, never getting boring. I would love to just sit down and talk to someone who has traveled all of the world.   

REEL LIFE MOVIE QUESTIONS

1. My favorite movie of all time is the blind side. This movie was so heart warming, and watching Leigh Anne care for big Mike so much was such an amazing thing to watch. She took him in as one of her own, no matter the circumstance and situation he was in. She wanted to do everything she could for him to be happy, and for him to feel at home. That was so awesome and inspiring to watch.


2. I usually don’t care a lot for action/ superhero movies. I am not very much into the fast pace type of movies, the ones that last about 3 and a half hours, an the movies with a ot of action.


3. I do not usually watch a lot of movies. I am more of a series with 6 seasons on netflix, and I love to binge watch those. When I do watch movies, I rarely ever go to the theatres. I have a hard time sitting in one spot for 3 hours, staring at a giant screen. I would rather sit at home in my bed, with a fuzzy blanket, and a snack that doesn’t cost $10.


4. When watching movies, I need to be in a super dark room. Preferebly my room, in my bed and on my couch. I have to have a blanket and a pillow, and a snack.


YOU ARE 42% EXTRAVERTED.
You are moderate in activity and enthusiasm. You enjoy the company of others but you also value your privacy.


YOU ARE 42% AGREEABLE.
You are hard-headed, sceptical, proud and competitive. You tend to express your anger directly.


YOU ARE 75% CONSCIENTIOUS.
You are dependable and moderately well-organised. You generally have clear goals and are able to set goals aside.


YOU ARE 58% EMOTIONALLY STABLE.
You are generally calm and able to deal with stress, but you sometimes experience feelings of guilt, anger and sadness.


YOU ARE 67% OPEN TO NEW EXPERIENCES.
You are practical but willing to consider new ways of doing things. You try to seek a balance between the old and the new.

5. If I were to have a movie made after me Sandra Bullock would play me. She and I share some of the same personality traits. We are very sarcastic and spunky but also super caring. We both work hard to get where we need to get and enjoy the journey it takes for us to get there. In my movie it would showcase me raising my adopted child, and trying to give him the best home imaginable. It would also showcase me graduating high school, and starting college. And then it would showcase me finding my true passion in life and pursuing it, which would be somewhere in the medical field.

FLEA MARKET PHOTOS

In the 1920’s, us women were set to a standard. There was a certain way society had perceived us, and wanted us to be. Skin and bones, pretty, good hair, good teeth, rich, good jobs. But mostly skinny and pretty. You couldn’t even get the job you wanted too, or go on dates, or really be taken seriously at all if you werent the way they wanted you to be. Me and my best friend were at the gym almost everyday, to try and prepare to get into the college we both wanted to go to. This was the reality of it; get fit and be pretty: or don’t get into the college you want. We eventually got two wooden treadmills for my house, so she came over almost everyday and ran for about an hour with me.

Photohunt + Captions + Hashtags

The plugs/ outlets on the wall resemble little faces, 
if you look closely. They almost feel like they are saying
 "No! Don't plug me in!" #walloutlets

Someone who has taught me so many things!

Mrs. Nance is a math teacher at Kickapoo,

and I have had her 4 times. #bestteacherever

In interesting angle at Kickapoo. Usually you look at
lockers head on. Not really from a bottom
angle like this. Kind of cool! #lockersareforfreshman

This is an interesting monument at Kickapoo, 

located at the very end of the science wing. 

Interesting looking dinosaur. T-rex maybe? #headlessdino

Something round. These chairs, or foot rests,

 were brand new and a gift to us when we got our

new commons area. #fullcircle

Someone who is a role model to me, and someone
I look up to tremendously. Mr. Broaddus is a history teacher,
and I had him my freshman year. #sosweet

An interesting angle here at Kickapoo.

Its our brand new huge windows in our commons

area. They are so nice! #lighttheschool

Someone who constantly makes me smile is 

my best friend Madi Stokes! She is always

saying things to make us laugh. #thosedimplesthough

Beautiful picture taken in Destin, Florida. That

place has the bluest water, and some

super entertaining attractions! #wanttogoback

MEMORABLE PASSAGE

And then the line was quite but not dead. I almost felt like he was there in my room with me, but in a way it was better, like I was not in my room and he was not in his, but instead we were together in some invisible and tenuous third space that could only be visited on the phone.

I love how self-aware, but also how unashamedly bookish, this book is.  Hazel herself states that cancer books suck. But she loves Imperial Affliction, which is a (fictional) cancer book. And The Fault In Our Stars is certainly a cancer book. But the book is also highly aware that it's a cancer book and strives (and in my opinion, succeeds) at being so much more. I also love when an author very plainly and unashamedly loves to reference and nod to literature. This book makes numerous references to great literature such as The Great Gatsby, Ulysses, many great poets, and of course Shakespeare. I have a feeling there are many references that I didn't even pick up on, as I am certainly not the most well-read person in the world. There are SO many foreshadowing examples that basically spell it out for us that Augustus will die first. He always hangs up the phone first.  Both characters press "play" on the in-flight movie at the same time, but Augustus starts (and ends) first. Hazel is our first-person narrator, and since Imperial Affliction ends with the death of its first-person narrator, it seems unlikely The Fault In Our Stars will. But I was still shocked when Gus tells Hazel about about his diagnosis. I suppose it's because I was beginning to believe, like Hazel, that they would be together until she died.

THIS IS.... PHOTO

This is me and my boyfriend jake on a very special night. This is the night we celebrated our 4 year anniversary of dating. He has been my rock, my supporter, my cheerleader, someone I can count on, and someone who understands me. This is someone who never dresses down, always wears a Patagonia hat no matter where we are, only drinks water, and never shows his teeth when he smiles. This is someone who loves to be with me, take me out, and spoil me even when he doesn't have too. He is selfless, kind, reassuring, and has a heart of gold. I really couldn't ask for anyone better than jake, and all of the things he does for me on a daily basis. This is my boyfriend jake of 4 and a half years, and I hope my boyfriend of 4 and a half more.