December 1998

Journal Entry 1 - How I Came to SCC

I attended Lyman High School located in Longwood, Florida, for four years. I graduated in 1998 and I loved it at Lyman! I had so many friends and I was even voted the funniest by the senior class.

I had a part-time job during high school and I am still currently working there. Two days a week I arrange flowers at Vi-Ann Florist in Altamonte Springs. The best part of my job is knowing that I am brightening someone's day!

I wasn't really encouraged to go to college, it was just expected of me. The biggest reason of me going to SCC is because my dad didn't want me to move away the first year. I guess that's okay, because SCC isn't expensive, it's small, and you have to get those basic classes out of the way no matter where you go. Now my mom and I have to teach my dad how to let go of me. If he had it his way, I'd never ever move out or be married or anything like that!

My major is Elementary Education. I love little kids so much, and sometimes I even think I am one! I just think that everybody should want to be an elementary school teacher. It sounds like the best job. Great hours, you get vacation the same time your kids do. If I marry a man who has a good paying job, and I don't have to work, I want to be an aerobics instructor. Because I like to work out and if I'm an instructor, I'll be paid for doing what I love to do, working out. But at least I'll have a degree in teaching as my back up.

I know about ten or fifteen people at SCC from high school, but that's all. I'm so used to walking around Lyman and knowing everybody and everybody knowing me. I'm a very outgoing person and it's really easy for me to meet new people. So I guess it'll get better as time goes by.

I really like the classes I'm taking. I like doing homework on my own, without teachers nagging me for it. I also like the freedom that we have in college.

The book I'm reading is called I Kissed Dating Goodbye. It's about young adults being involved in Christian guy/girl relationships. This book is written by an young man named Joshua Harris. There are 228 pages in the book with no pictures.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye takes a look at Christian guy/girl relationships. It's really kind of a self improvement book. The author, Joshua Harris, is a 21 yr. old young adult. I think it's really neat that a guy my age wrote this book. It makes me want to listen harder because he knows what I'm going through. The first 20 pages talks about how we shouldn't just give our love and purity away to just anybody. Our purity should be saved for marriage, and our love shouldn't be just given away at the drop of a hat.

I really think I'm going to like this book, and I can't wait to tell the whole class what I've learned from reading it.

I relate all these reading strategies to when I read my Bible. If I read something that I like a lot that applies to my life at that time, I'll underline it. So many verses are underlined and highlighted in my Bible. I sometimes write my reactions in the margins of my Bible, but I usually write them down in my journal. I reread verses all the time.

The student underlines and does a lot of circling in this essay. She circles words such as: bylines, kindling, tabulation, emergence, gender gap, unabashed, abound, etc. The student also makes a lot of notes in the sidelines. Men are talked about a lot in the newspapers. They even quote men more often in an article about breast implants!

I guess I agree with Goodman's findings, but it doesn't really affect me. I don't like it when people go around saying that men and women should be equal because they shouldn't! Women only want to be equal with men during all the good money-making stuff, but when it comes down to the dirty work, women want to be treated like women.

Mrs. Flowers is a good example for black women. Everything about her just goes together. In the story, it says that she had the grace to look cool in the hot weather. "Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged...." "...I must always be intolerant of ignorance, but understanding of illiteracy...", which means feel sorry for the one's who have a difficult time, but don't for the one's who don't even try to learn.

My dad is a major influence on me. So many different people look up to him, and he is a great example for everyone to look at. He's a great leader.

She gave her a book with poetry as a tangible gift, and she gave her advice on a lot of things. The intangible gift is the best because it will go the farthest.

A vivid detail of sight is in paragraph 3, when she's describing Mrs. Flowers' appearance. I could make a picture in my mind with her words. I can sense the tasted of the cookies when they're described in paragraph 19.

Leo means that his father was wise and street smart. He only went to school through fifth grade, so he didn't have an education. His father got smart by reading the newspapers and magazines. Leo's dad would act like he knew it all, and that there wasn't a question that would stump him. His mom acted like she knew nothing at all. They both thought it was very important for their kids to learn something new everyday.

When Leo was a kid, he thought it was stupid to go through this ritual every night. Now that he's older, he's very thankful that they did this. He thinks that this technique is good because it's interactive. It doesn't come out of a book, and it can be applied to his everyday life.

Dinnertime was always good quality family time when I was growing up, and it still is. We would never want to turn on the TV or anything. That would take away from our conversation. A lot of times, we'll go down to my grandma's house on Sundays and our whole family will eat an early dinner and fellowship.

Education is very important to me, especially since I'm planning on being an elementary school teacher. I have had a lot of awesome teachers growing up that have influenced me on my decision.

Journal Entry 6 - "Say Yes to Yourself"

The point to paragraph 1 is to prove that our thoughts really can direct our actions in a big way. I agree with this statement. So many people cut you down, and when they cut you down about a certain thing about you, you get really self conscious about it.

Suggestion #4 applies to me the most. The Bible is so true when it tell us to think of whatever is honorable, gracious, and lovely. People would be so much more happy if they walked around thinking positive. This line is very similar to the glass being half empty/ half full saying. If you're being an optimistic, you're making a heaven of hell. If you're being pessimistic, you're making a hell of heaven.

My dad is a person who always makes me feel good. He's always encouraging to me. My dad always tells me how proud he is of me, and how he's so proud to have me as his daughter. Whenever he's in a good mood, or when he says those things to me, I get really happy. His opinions affect me so much. He's just the greatest!

Journal Entry 7 - My Ideal House

My yacht is floating in the Gulf of Mexico. I am on the top deck, sipping my pina colada, watching the beautiful, bright, orange sun set. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but glossy water reflecting the setting sun. It's absolutely gorgeous outside.

The yacht is black with white trim. it's very modern styled. There are three separate levels, each level with a different theme. Since I have two kids, very opposite of each other, we gave them the bottom level and split it in two separate sections. My son is very sports oriented, so we decorated his half full of baseballs and footballs. His side looks like the football and baseball hall of fame! It's just about the neatest thing I've ever seen.

My little girl's side is pinks and purples and filled with Barbies and dolls. She even has her own inside playground. She's in love with the Rugrats, so that's how her playground is decorated.

Half of the middle level belongs to my husband and I, and the other half includes the kitchen, the living room, and the workout room. There's nothing really special about our room.

The upper deck has an Olympic size pool, a track, for running around the outside of the yacht, and more workout equipment.

Journal Entry 8 - Practice Exit #1

The incident that made me happy will make me happy for an eternity. I bet you're wondering what I'm talking about. It's my wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ saving my life and soul.

It's so amazing to try to think about living forever and ever with Jesus. I get so excited to try to picture the beautiful colors and sounds of Heaven. I have been a Christian almost my whole life. if you ask me, I wouldn't want to have lived my life any other way. I thank God that I've never been through the temptations of drugs and pre-marital sex. Because of God's perfect ways, he has saved me from a ton of heartaches.

God is so powerful and big, so I am in total awe when I think of His holiness. Sometimes when I pray, I can't even talk because of God's awesomeness. There are no words in any vocabulary big enough to describe God's amazing power. Isn't it just awesome to think about how our lifetime is only the snap of a finger compared to eternity? When I think that way, all my problems seem so small. I can't wait to be in Heaven with God and no sin at all.

Another thing that just blows my mind is thinking about the beautiful sights and sounds that we'll see and hear in Heaven. The Bible tells us about the milk and honey that will flow. Doesn't that sound so sweet and perfect? The skies will always be clear and blue with the sun shining bright. If you have trouble singing on earth, don't worry. Your voice will be beautiful in Heaven. Everybody will kneel at the throne of God and sing harmonizing hymns with the creatures, angels, elders, and saints. We will join thousands of other voices singing grateful praise to the Lord Most High.

I'm forever grateful to God, and I want to break down and cry just thinking about God sending His one and only Son to save my life. I know that the only way I can even come a tad close to paying Him back is to live the way He wants me to, according to His perfect plan for my life.

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