God, please take my pain away
Don’t feel I can last another day
Every night I pray and cry
Hoping you will take my life
This fight has gone on for years
Still, you haven’t dried my tears
How can I make you see?
How can you not hear my plea?
God! Take me! Let me die
Or are you just another lie?
Tell me, is it true you’re real?
A God with power to save and kill
Well, if it’s true,
The where are you?
I think it’s safe to say
That you couldn’t or wouldn’t stay
Sena
under
Sena.
8
comments.
Subway vs Mcdonalds
Americans love food. It’s that simple. Most Americans love take out food, which is why a lot of us are over weight. I am here to tell you why Subway is better take out food than Mcdonalds.
Did you know that only 50% of a Mcdonalds hamburger is beef? The other half is the leftover parts from animals, like what is put in a hotdog. Also, in a Mcdonalds veggie burger about half of it is meat. So, you fast food vegaterians out there are getting ripped off. At Subway it is all 100% of what it says it is. And you vegaterians don’t have to worry about any hidden proteins because you can watch the people make your sandwich. This also means that you don’t have to worry about people spitting in your food.
Freedom of choice is another thing that Americans love. At Subway you get to choose exactly what’s on your sandwich. At Mcdonalds you have to pay to take off anything that comes on the sandwich. You don’t have to worry about taking off anything you don’t like at Subway because you choose what goes on your food and it’s not like you’re going to put on anything that you don’t like.
Why does America have such a weight problem? Because of fattening, greasy foods like what places such as Mcdonalds gives you. Just about everything from Mcdonalds is deep fried. Food like that is highly likely to clog your arteries with fat and kill you. At Subway though none of the food is deep fried and you’re less likely to die from a heart attack.
In conclusion Subway is better than Mcdonalds because it’s real food, you choose what goes on your sandwich, and it’s much healthier than Mcdonalds deep fried death wish. So, eat Subway!
Sena
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Sena.
7
comments.
Drugs are bad, scary, and deadly. They can get you into trouble and you can start hanging out with the wrong people. People that do drugs or start drugs usually say that they are happy but really inside they feel like crap. People that usually start drugs end up making you start drugs or even worst, they can give you second hand smoke. Then you just end up dying early. You end up getting in trouble with the law, even if your not doing them or doing anything, but they’ll still get you in trouble.
If your getting over drugs, then you should go through the stages of quitting drugs. If you quit, you quit getting in to trouble with the law and they will have no reason to stop you, because you ain’t doing anything, but some cops will just stop you to check on how your doing. Also if you quit, you start to gain the trust you lost from your friends and family, even better you start getting the love from your family back to. One more great thing about quitting drugs is that you can go back to school and finish off were you last left.
Why you should never even start drugs in the first place, is a good way to start a good path, and also a successful future. If you never start drugs, your putting your self out there to start playing all kinds of sports. You also never lose the trust of your friend and family, even there love which you’ll never lose only if you stay drug free. If you never start drugs then for sure your going to have more open doors for your future.
Randy
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Randy.
10
comments.
Ford Mustang
Tracker, Case Worker, or Judge
Matt,
I am completely for the Ford Mustang. In my opinion it’s a great car for many reasons. In this letter I hope I can convince you the Mustang is a great car with a few of these reasons.
First, the Ford Mustang has many accessories that make it look nice. One of these accessories is speakers. Not only do they look nice, but they also sound better than stock speakers. Another accessory is the body kits. The body kits give the mustang an original look.
Second, the Mustang is a Ford product. The Ford Company cuts prices a lot of the time. Another great quality of Ford’s company is they aren’t as other, more popular dealerships such as Toyota and Corvette.
Finally, Gabe doesn’t like Mustangs. He absolutely hates Ford. He calls then F.O.R.D, found on road dead. He doesn’t like the gas mileage, but it’s great for sports and muscle cars. He complains about the Mustang’s price, but he wants a more expensive car.
Now that you know my stand on the Mustang, I hope we see eye to eye. If you agree with me then great, if not oh well. Though my recommendation is to get out there and stop complaining about Fords. So there’s what I think.
Sam
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Sam.
9
comments.
Convertible Mustang
For elementary students
Hey kids have you ever seen a cherry red convertible Mustang driving down the street? Well I have and I can remember how much I wanted one. If you have ever seen one what did you think about it? Let me tell you why the convertible Mustang is such a nice car.
The first reason I believe you should buy a convertible Mustang when you grow up is because of its convenience. The main reasons for its convenience are it has a convertible hood where if it’s a hot day you can put your hood down. It has a lot of space in the driving seat allowing you to move around freely. Its air conditioning is faster then your normal car too.
Another reason is that they are really fast. They can go zero to sixty M.P.H. in 4 seconds! Plus the wheels that come with the car are built for hard turns at fast speeds. The axle is also built for high speeds. So as you can see this car is mad for speed.
As everyone knows that has seen a Mustang they look awesome. When you go and but the car you get to chose the paint job, and personally I prefer the electric blue. Plus the Mustang is a sports car and you can’t go wrong with a sports car. As I told you earlier it also has a convertible hood so you can be riding in style.
In conclusion I would highly suggest you buy a convertible Mustang when you are older. I doubt that you would be disappointed if you did. Plus as sports cars go the Mustang is relatively cheap. So what do you have to lose?
Aaron
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Aaron.
2
comments.
Dear Friends
Which is better, Wal-mart or Target? That’s kind of a dumb question, huh? Of course Wal-mart is better than Target. Wal-mart is the bomb. Everyone shops at Wal-mart. If you don’t shop at Wal-mart then your lame. Word! My favorite color is red but when it comes to Wal-mart and Target I’m blued up from the root up. Do you want an explanation for why I like Wal-mart so much more than target? Here’s a few reasons.
Wal-mart is better than Target for many reasons. Wal-mart is just tight. One reason that I like Wal-mart is because they are everywhere. I would take an educated guess and say that there is more than a hundred times more Wal-marts in The United States than there is Targets. There is a Wal-mart in almost every town across the U.S.A. And if there isn’t a Wal-mart in your hometown then there is probably one in the town next to yours. Targets on the other hand are rare and hard to find. And one thing that makes me like Wal-mart more than Target is the fact that there is a Wal-mart in my home town, but there isn’t a Target within twenty miles of my town.
Another reason why Wal-mart is tight is because they have everything. And not only do they have everything, they have a wide variety of brands of all there products. Target usually has very small variety of stuff compared to the variety that Wal-mart has. On top of that Wal-mart is reliable when it comes to having there products in stock. I have hardly ever had an experience where I went to Wal-mart to get something and they were sold out of that product. But it seems like Target is always sold out of stuff and it takes them for ever to re-stock with there products. I feel much more confident that I will find what I am looking for when I go to Wal-mart.
Wal-mart has really good brands and yet they are a lot cheaper than Target. And Target has lame no-name brands. Wal-mart has really good clothes such as Dickies, sweats, shoes, hats, and cool logo shirts.
There is a lot more reasons to shop at Wal-mart and not Target, but I don’t have enough time to write about all of the reasons. Basically what I’m trying to say in this letter is that Wal-mart is sick. Shop at Wal-mart and not Target.
Kayden
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Kayden.
8
comments.
I feel that diet coke is not very healthy for people. My old foster mom loved her diet coke so much that she would have it with every meal and through out the day. The reason I feel this way is because it’s not a very healthy drink, it’s expensive and it defeats its whole purpose.
Diet coke is not a very healthy drink for people to drink on regular basis. One reason why is because it has artificial sweetener in it. They have said that artificial sweetener has some chemicals in it that can cause cancer. Also because it’s soda it’s not as healthy for you as lets say water can be.
It is also a very expensive drink. Over a period of time you can spend a lot on diet coke. One of the main reasons why is because it doesn’t have a generic brand so you end up paying 2 dollars a bottle. Also because it has caffeine in it, it can get addictive. So that makes it even more expensive because of the fact that you’ll want it all the time instead of just every once in a while.
My last reason for diet coke is so bad for you is that it defeats its purpose. When you drink soda you’re drinking it mostly for the enjoyment of having something good to drink. Well when you drink diet coke you’re not drinking real sugar your drinking artificial sweeteners. Another way it is defecting its purpose is because it’s low in calories many people drink it so that they can lose weight, but by depriving yourself of those sugars then you’re really doing the opposite and will end up gaining weight.
In conclusion I say that if you are drinking diet coke you should stop buying it. You should switch from diet coke to some other form of soda that isn’t so expensive, and isn’t nearly as bad for you as diet coke. Or you could just stop drinking soda all together and just start drinking water it would save you money and is a lot better for you. Over all I guess if you want to drink it then it’s your body but I personally will choose a different drink.
Brianna
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Brianna.
4
comments.
Iphone
(case manager, tracker, judge)
Buy one get everything else free? Sounds like a deal to me. Think about having your cell phone, music, movies, and games all in one. It’s called an iphone, some of the best technology available to us today. And let’s not forget about web access. Even though many phones have it, they’re still no where near as fast as an iphone. Imagine having the world wide web in you pocket.
There is a couple of reasons why I think iphones are better than most phones. Thy have a lot of memory. They’re useful and efficient, plus they have a lot of different accessories. A lot of memory is an important feature. Most phones only have the required memory, iphones aren’t just your cell phones, unlike others. They hold your music, movies, games, photos, and to top it off Internet.
iphones are useful and efficient. Now days they use a lot of technology. Imagine having your cell phone, music, movies and games all together. I know I wouldn’t mind it. Not having to carry all those items would certainly make it easier.
At the time being, iphones are pretty popular. There is many different kind of accessories which are available. For example car chargers, you wouldn’t have to worry about your phone dying. Even though iphones are fragile, they have all kinds of cases for protection. They even have some you can use while exercising. Another item would be ihomes. If you think about it, they’re very efficient. Instead of buying different cds you can just plug it in and have thousands of your favorite songs and have them just one button away.
So I’m pretty sure what you should do is obvious. It cost way too much money to buy everything individually. Hopefully I have opened your eyes, to see what a great investment an iphone is. Not only will you be satisfied, but you will save money too. So what are you waiting for?
Eddie
under
Eddie.
3
comments.
Talking to parents about payless shoes
My topic is on payless shoes. Do you know what my position is? I’m not going to go against it because I am for it. I will explain my reasoning in the next paragraphs. My reasons are…
1. The shoes are good for kids. My reason is that the kids grow out of them before they can use the shoes extensively to wear the shoes out. Payless has lots of shoe sizes; therefore, you can find your size in almost any store. They also have lots of kid sizes to adjust to the child’s needs too.
2. The shoes are cheaper than normal stores. There are the same shoes that you can have at Target or Wal-mart. You can get the same shoes at payless for equal to or less than the price at the other stores. The shoes aren’t name brand, but who needs that? Name brand just means that they are more expensive. You can get good deals at payless such as the BOGO deal. BOGO stands for buy one, get one _ off.
3. There is good availability with payless. There are lots of stores in the continental U.S. They are more likely to have your size of shoe. The store is devoted mostly to shoes, so you can find what type you need.
My conclusion is that you should shop for shoes at payless if you want to have money left over for other things for yourself or your kids. Payless is a good place to go if you want cheap stuff like socks and shoes. If you want to go to Wal-mart or Cabelas, then fine, do it your way. But I strongly suggest that you go to payless on account of that if you do, then you will be able to get that new power drill or lawn mower that you have had you eye on.
Mike
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Michael.
2
comments.
Diet Coke
Dear Mom and Dad,
I’m writing to you because your diet coke intake is unacceptable and I am finally taking a stand to show you the truth of the two-faced poison you’re drinking. Believe you me it’s not pretty, so I’m willing to go over three reasons with you that diet coke isn’t what it’s made up to be.
The first reason I have brought to the table, is that Diet Coke is more expensive than other wonderful beverages that you could be drinking like, water for instance or some kind of juice, Kool Aid, even V8 is less expensive and way better for you than diet coke (and most other sodas for that matter) which brings me to our next paragraph.
The second thing I am pulling from my knapsack is that soda in general isn’t good for you or anyone else your age and older. Soda rots your teeth, ruins your taste buds, and does so many other things to your stomach, throat, and mouth it’s really not worth it because it’s also really addicting so not only will you rot from the inside out but you’ll probably be doing it unwillingly.
You’re probably thinking to yourselves “wait there’s more?” of course there’s more, my third reason is quite simple Diet Coke is nasty its got a sugarless metallic taste and a nice cup of water or chocolate milk, it’s not a really good reason to stop drinking but hopefully it helps you.
In conclusion diet coke is not good for you it does not good taste and it’s more expensive than other drinks that are much better for you. So with that in mind please try to stop drinking diet coke.
Thank you,
Gabe
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Gabe.
2
comments.
Audience: My niece, Kendra
Dear Kendra,
Wouldn’t it be nice to have more shoes faster? What if I told you you could have that and the kind of shoes you want, all you have to give up is the Zumies brand names? Your mom and dad are right, payless shoe store is a better store. I understand that payless is not the same as Pac-sun, but if you look, it’s all the same
If you buy from payless shoes, you would be able to get more shoes. It’s cheaper than Zumies or Pac-sun. if you buy from those stores, you wouldn’t be able to get anything else. Also, if you go during Bo-Go you can get even more for even cheaper!
They have the same shoes, they’re just called something different. Payless also has more variety. The mall has only a select few styles and sizes. Payless is more likely to have the shoe you want, in the size you want. People buy from payless all the time, even I do. I do, and unless you tell them where they came from, no one even knows the difference.
Your mom and dad can’t just go out and buy 40 dollar shoes when they can go and get the same shoes for 7 dollars instead. They don’t want to drive all the way to the mall when there is a payless right there in the city you’re in. In the end, if your mom and dad say no, take no for an answer. They are the boss until you are 18 and what they say goes.
So I get that you want what’s “in” now but you can have the same shoes and more. Just think about this: You can buy those shoes you want, but what when you can’t buy that outfit you want to go with those shoes. What do you think?
All my love in the world,
Auntie C.
under
CJ.
3
comments.
My friend Terrin and I are always going out to do something fun together. One time we went out to play basketball; we were having so much fun. We were playing so hard it got tiring. We were on the same team and were playing against a couple of our friends. So we did have a lot of fun. They were barely beating us most of the games but we usually made a come back toward the end of the games. I don’t know, people sometimes get too competitive in sports and get blinded by it. Terrin and I have such a great relationship as friends that the competitiveness doesn’t blind us to the point that it hurts us. Actually it doesn’t really affect us at all. Do you have a friendship like that? Where if you do something wrong, you can be easily be forgiven again? We have been friends for twelve years. Do you have a strong relationship like my friendship? I admit I have done some really bad things but he has forgiven me and stayed with this friendship for all these years.
When I first met my friend Terrin we were just friends like every one else. Gradually, over the years, our relationship has grown stronger, long lasting, and more meaningful. He has been the leader in our friendship; he’s better at it then me. He is the great role model in my life but sometimes (most of the time) when I’m not around him I don’t follow his example. He always did better than me in school, home, and sports. We always did things to impress the other. Especially when we watch each other play or when we play together or against each other. A couple months back, we invited a bunch of friends over to play a basketball game. We went to the church basketball court. We played for hours but we lost some games and won some. They were always close games though.
This friendship that I’ve had has been good for me. It has helped me to realize that all relationships are important, because I have known him for so long and we have been such close friends. Terrin and I always did things to have fun. We always supported each other. When I went to his basketball games and also his baseball games, I went to support him. He would come to my wrestling meets and football games. He was always supportive of the positive things I did; he also discouraged the bad things I would tend to do.
From my friendship I have realized how important they can be. Because they are so much a part of everyone’s lives, a lot of the times they can be taken for granted. You don’t realize how important they can be. Terrin has taught me to be a better person because he has never judged me. He was often disappointed in me, but he did his best to help me out. Treasure your friendship because it could.
Jake
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Jake.
2
comments.
On the morning of Aug 10, 2007, I had gotten a rude awakening by the bailiff for the Ogden City Juvenile Court. He had come into my room and told me to get up, and that I was going to DT. During this time, I had felt tired, angry at my parents for calling the police because I wouldn’t wake up for court, and confused as to why my parents would call the police on me. I had complied with the officer, and got up, put on my shoes, and left with the officer, after he had handcuffed me outside of my house.
Later, he had told me that if I would have gone to court, then I would have been able to stay home with my parents instead of going into programs. He had taken me to DT, gotten me settled in, and left. I was with a bunch of people I didn’t know and who I was scared of for the next couple of days.
While I was in DT, I had met 2 kids named Dyllan and Zach. They had helped me to adjust to the program, and to learn to accept what I had done to get there. After I had told Dyllan what I had done, Dyllan had told me that Zach was in there for the same reason that I was. I had felt accepted, somewhat happy, sad to be away from home, and not alone.
When I went into O&A, I went with a kid who I didn’t like. That same day, he had left to go back to DT, and the rest of the kids in there, including me, went to a baseball game. I had asked if I could go to the bathroom and tried to run--I know, a stupid thing to do--, but they had caught me at the front gates. They had taken us back to the O&A building and asked me if I was ok or if I was going to try to run again.
Of course I would lie and say that I wouldn’t run again. I told them that I had calmed down and would stay with them. As soon as they had let me out of the van, I had bolted to the graveyard across the street and lost my shoes in the process. I had run through the graveyard, not taking care to watch out for stepping on the graves, and stopped at my scoutmaster’s house.
I had told his wife that I was running away from a bunch of mean people and asked for a ride to a friend’s house. She had kindly taken me in and gave me a ride. When I got there, I had banged on the door and told my friend what had happened. He had taken me inside and gave me a change of clothes as I was still in the O&A clothes, and gave me his bike to ride away on.
As I got on the bike, my brother drove up, saw me and spun around in a _ doughnut. He told me to stay where I was while my friend and I bolted inside. They had come and knocked on the door saying that they knew I was in there and to come on out, that they only wanted to talk. I knew better than to open the door, so I stayed with my friend in his living room and waited for them to leave.
After about 20 minutes, I had finally opened the door and got into my brother’s car because I was tired of hurting my family. They had taken me back to my house where I waited for the police outside because my parents wouldn’t let me inside for some reason. The cops drove up about 5 minutes later and took me back to O&A where I got put on run risk and slept for the night. That night, before I went to bed, I had gotten a huge 1 hour lecture on why I shouldn’t have run, where did I go, who was I with, etc.
While I was at O&A for the next 69 days, I had met David and we had gotten along pretty well. I had become his roommate about _ my stay there. We had a weird contest to see who could rip their pants first. David grabbed my pants and pulled so hard, that I fell off of my feet and hit my tailbone on the corner of my bed.
When I had gone into Pine Creek Ranch, I was nervous that all of the kids would be messed up, and mean. Later, I found out that Dyllan and David were there. I was happy that I found them both there. I had gotten along with both of them pretty well.
I have definitely learned my lesson. That lesson was many lessons combined. Some of the lessons were to not try to fix something by negative actions, to leave most things well enough alone, and to learn to love and respect my family, and to try to do the right thing for them. I definitely learned a lot of things during the past 3 years. I just hope that I don’t do something naïve enough to get me locked up again.
Michael
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Michael.
4
comments.
Gabrielle G.
February 25, 2009
4:45p.m.
How old were you when you had your first child? Do you have one yet? Well, I do and I’m not even out of high school. Having a child has turned my life upside down and backwards. When I first found that I was pregnant there was no doubt in my mind that I would keep the child but I had no idea of what I would be giving up. No more going out at night to movies, no spending time with friends after school. I spend my days changing dirty diapers and cleaning up puke.
It’s all worth it. When my daughter looks at me with those big brown eyes and smiles a smile that could make even Hades heart melt, I know that no matter how hard it gets for me the love my daughter and I share is worth every minute of it.
When I was five months along I went to the doctors to have an ultrasound to find the gender of my baby. Not only did it reveal that I was having a daughter but also that she had Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is where the spine doesn’t close all the way and a small membrane sack forms over the open area then sack fills with nerves and spinal fluid. This all forms within the first two weeks of conception.
Wednesday, February 18. My brother, Rickey, my mamma, my biological mom, and I walked into Utah Valley Hospital. I was anxious. Today we were going to find out if it was time for my daughter to be born. Because of her Spina Bifida she had to be born early and by cesarean section. Inside, they did amniocenteses to see if her lungs were ready; if they were she would be born the next day.
The test came back that her lungs were not ready so, we were told to come back in a week on the 25th for another test. Ironically, my Great Grandpa died that day from his lungs filling up with liquid. On the 25th I received another amnio and it came back that her lungs were ready but also that the sack was filled with fecal matter so we had to take her that day.
We had to be at University Hospital by two so we had three hours to get everything ready. First, I called her father and only got the answering machine. I left a message explaining to him why she was to be born that afternoon, what hospital it was at, and how she would be immediately be transported to Primary Children’s Hospital (which is in the same complex) to be treated for the Spina Bifida. While we were on our way to pick up my best friend, Katie, Gabby’s father text me back. He asked the same questions which I had already given him an answer to. Then he asked, “Do you want me to be there?” I remember being annoyed when I answered, “It’s your decision.” He responded, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it, I have work.” That’s the last I heard from him.
After we picked up Katie and gathered clothes from my house, we headed up to the hospital. On the way there my biological mom, Mandy, asked if I was okay. I said that I was because strangely enough, I was feeling rather calm the whole way there. Next thing I remember is filling out paperwork, being put into a wheelchair, and moved into the labor room. While we were waiting doctors explained about the epidural and various other shots they would be giving me. Also, more people showed up to wish me luck. When I left the room, there were nine people to see me off. None of which were the sperm donor.
The delivery room was white and cold looking. They had me lay down and role on my side for the numbing shots, then we waited for them to kick in. When it was time, they set up a green tarp to block my view and called for my papa to come in. He was who I wanted in the room during the delivery. I don’t remember much after that. From what my papa tells me, they had to fight to get Gabby out. She came out sitting up (she was breach) and that the doctor was still trying to cut the cord as they handed her off to a nurse to be taken to Primary Children’s.
Later that night, they brought my daughter into my room. She was in some sort of bubble thing which was meant to stop infection in the air from getting into the open wound on her back. I didn’t get to see her face that night, only her feet. I remember crying with joy when I touched her tiny feet and crying with an overwhelming sadness when they took her away.
What I learned from this experience is my family will always be there for me when I really need them. I also learned that giving birth to a child is one of the most wonderful things that could ever happen. Well, for me at least. I’ve also learned that I can’t always come first in my world anymore. My daughter, Gabby, does. She is the reason I’m still alive today. I love her and I won’t trade her for anything in the world.
Sena
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Sena.
5
comments.
Dart Wars
Have you ever had a dart war? Dart wars are like most gun games: water fights, laser tag, paint ball, or bee-bee guns, except not as painful as some. My friend always started our dart gun fights by saying “I’m going to shoot you in the eye” to Amber. We would grab our guns and the fight would begin. Wars only lasted about 40 minutes every other day. They were usually staff versus kids, of course kids always out number staff three or four to two. Don and Amber would battle it out with Beau, mike, me, and sometimes Monte. We lost about twenty darts between us.
Once we had our guns, we built walls of pillows to hide behind. I’d set mine up around my bed. Beau would put his on the floor in a circle around himself. All together we’d use about twenty pillows. Sometimes we’d even flip furniture, most of the time this got us in trouble. Once all barricades were up, we started to run around the house using anything as cover.
When we started to run around, darts would start to fly. The best part of the wars was Beau jumping and over everything to get away. One of his best jumps was a back flip over his pillows. He landed square on his back, knocking the breathe out of him. We all had our great jumps, but Beau’s was the best.
When Amber ran out of darts, she would go get a squirt gun. Beau would grab his bottles and they would start a water fight while mike, Don, and I would watch. One time Beau chased Amber down the stairs to the down stairs shower, AKA the syphilis shower. He turned on the water and soaked Amber.
At the end of the fight, Amber had to go home early to change. Beau and I would have to go to bed and Don had to get back to work. Our fights were always fun. Sometimes they would be long, others short. Occasionally we were even able to stay up two to three hours past lights out.
The lesson I learned from our dart wars is it’s okay to be yourself, act like a child, and have fun.
Sam
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Sam.
3
comments.
Why is everyone talking? I ask myself this knowing the answer normally. But tonight is different and will be for the next two years straight almost. Sitting on the couch thinking my heart was going to pop right out of my chest any second now. I start to pass out and I think I’m dying. I get up and crawl over to my 25 year old brother arms to try to relax and feel normal again. This was the first time I every got “high” from smoking “weed.”
It’s Friday and my brother’s friends are coming over to party all night When Steve my brothers best friend got there we took three shots each. Then we went down and smoked “weed” and I didn’t get high. I thought that’s what you felt when you smoked “weed” so I was fine to blow smoke out of my mouth with everyone. Plus I liked seeing the smoke coming out of my month.
Later on I smoked more and this time it hit me like a wall. I was “high” and didn’t like it at all. I thought I was going to die because my heart was beating super slow. My head had a mind of its own and keep drifting off and I was so out of it. At this time I was sitting on the couch and then I was in my brother’s arms. We went out side and played pass with the soccer ball.
After not being able to kick the ball anymore, I went inside and made some food to munch on. I had the munchies and I didn’t even know it yet. I think it was cereal or something like that. I had four bowls of cereal it was good stuff. Then I went and passed out on the couch. Waking up to the sound of my brother’s friends walking out the front door saying goodbye and feel better man. That was what happened the first time I smoked “weed.”
What I gained from all of this is the “Gateway” to my Career and what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have learned the skills to “spot the pot” and some what how to help people realize the damage that it dose to people and they life. I have observed the type of people that live the life style and what they do during that time. I have gained the knowledge but at the same time nothing if you know what I mean?
Mark
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Mark.
7
comments.
“Come take a ride with us” I was in my room and started talking to Cody a couple weeks before. He texted me and told me he was outside I got in his car even though he didn’t have his license. I was scared that we were going to get picked up, but than I felt good hanging out with some new friends. Instead of the same old friends since elementary.
His car was way nice and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. We started hanging out more and more. We went for a joy ride and some of my other friends were their. We went to a church parking lot, and I got pressured into smoking marijuana. I really liked it, and wanted to keep doing it since than.
When we were going home we got picked up and my friends got a ticket. My mom had to come and get me, and since then my life has gone downhill. I started changing as a person since than.
I started smoking marijuana more and more. I started Sluffing School and I changed my group of friends to people who weren’t even my friends. I just totally changed to someone that was playing sports and was doing well in school. To someone that gets in trouble and no one really trust because he is on drugs. I started getting deeper and deeper till eventually I got hooked on to heroin. My mom found out and got really scared. It tore me apart to see my families face after I went to rehab.
I think was the most important incident in my life so far that has changed me. I realized that going down this path and it only leads to prison. I am going to change so I can be better and do something with my life. Instead of being a nobody and disappointing everyone like how I have been.
Josh
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Josh.
5
comments.
Vandalism
Have you ever been chased by the cops? It such an adrenalin rush I think that you have got no idea. The wind is rushing through your hair, foot steps following at a quick pace, and your heart pounding in your chest. How about the sight of five kids running through backyards, across streets, and through parks. Wow, that feeling and experience was so fun try to imagine! Although all good things come to an end, and the day came when we had to face our actions.
It all started when I began to ramble on about being nothing to do. So what do my friends and I do make up stuff to do. Then one night we decided to stay out extra late it was one a.m. to be exact. The next thing that we know we were putting chairs, tables, benches, and orange cones in the middle of Main Street. Then we ran over to the high school and posted up on top of it. Not about five minutes later this cope comes along. He steps out of his vehicle, looks to see if any one is there, and then slowly moves every thing out of the road. After he was gone we all jumped off of the roof and put the stuff back in the middle of the road. This time tough instead of going back on to the roof we hid inside some bushes which were on the side of the school. This time it took ten minutes but he came back looking for more which he found. When he got out of the car o could tell that he gave the bushes a look like they were made of glass and he could see my very soul. I say this because he started to move oh so cautiously toward the bushes with his flash light pointed at us. So what do we do we take off running all five of us decided to run to my house. If we all got away. I ran to my house because the cop didn’t follow me. A little later my friends popped up too and we all fell asleep.
So two months went by and every night we would go do the same exact thing. This particular night my friends and I ran into some caution tape and fire crackers. Once again we blocked off the main road this time we threw in some stop signs, street signs, and directional signs. Then we lit off three bricks of Black Cats to try to get some attention from anyone that we could. The cops finally did come. Do you want to know the first place that they looked? They checked to bushes as we watched from on top of the high school. After they found nothing they proceeded to move every thing out of the road. So as you can already tell we jumped down and moved them back into the road. Although in the middle of all of this the cop decided to just pull around the corner. He threw on his lights quickly and started to chase us. The only reason we all got away because he could not get past the road block ha ha.
Last came the night that all our fun came to an end. See it was like any other night we were out and about wandering the town ready to start our routine adventure. When all of a sudden I see three kids running for their lives. See we all got split up after running from the cops. I was with one other person and the other three were the ones getting chased. The kid that was with me ran with me to get on top of the high school. If this were to ever happen we all planed to meet back up at the park. So we did only to find out that one of the cops probably saw one of their faces. We know this cause he yelled out his name. Then not even ten minutes later I get a phone call from my mother. “get your ass home now!” As I walked there I was so scared I almost pooped, pissed, and threw up on myself. When I got home my mother kicked the shit out of me. That stings just thinking about it.
Like I told you before this experience that I had was so much fun you have got no idea. As we all know all good things come to an end. The same is true for this it was only fun while it lasted. Because I had to pay $1000, Do 35 hours of community service, and write an apology letter to the city. So know I try to keep myself as busy as possible so that I don’t get bored, and do something dumb.
Jeremy
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Jeremy.
3
comments.
Going to the Beach
Sitting around the house was what we did when we got to California. Marcos and I came from Utah from a little city called Provo and we had driven all the way from Provo to East Los Angeles. When we got to Steve’s house at 7 in the morning we were tired and lazy but we didn’t let anything stop us from unpacking the car. We went inside to wake up Steve and tell him that we were here already, when he got up he looked up at us with a face that said he was still tired. When he came out we met for the first time, he helped us unpack the car. As we were unpacking the car we were telling him about our trip coming from Utah, we told him about the people we had in our crew and all the people that wanted to get into the crew.
Back in Provo we had left my best friend Kevin and Carlos, we got up and it was 2 in the afternoon. We started to drink because it was mine and Marcos last time in Provo before we left to California. We drank and Marcos told me not to get to drunk because I was going to help drive there, I ended up drinking and got drunk. It was time to leave and I went to get my mom’s car so we could leave. When I got back with Marcos after picking up his clothes, we were saying bye to everyone. Everyone was telling us to be careful and to watch out for each other. I said bye to Kevin and to Carlos. They said bye too and I got a kiss from all the girls that was there at the house with us.
Once we were on the road I started to say to Marcos “dam dawg this is my first time going to California and I’m kind of scared, but also happy that I’m going” “then wait till you get to California your going to end up falling in love with some hayna down there” all I did was just laugh. We were on the freeway and we stopped at a gas station called Flying J, we got some gas and some other stuff too. We left and once we were passed Nephi I was pass out.
I woke up around a city called Cedar City, at first I was confused and thought that we were out of Utah, but when I saw the sign Cedar City 5 miles, I knew we still got awhile before we got there. I started to say “how long do you think until we get to Vegas” “three hours till we get into Vegas, but two hours till we’re out of Utah” Marcos replied. After a moment of silence I asked him “what part of Cali are we going too” “East LA, Soto St.” We started to talk about other stuff and it made the time go by faster. We stopped at a gas station to get something to eat, on the way out of the gas station, we saw a Charger charging our way. We got scared because we didn’t have a drivers license, after he passed us we charged for the freeway, we got away and we were waiting for the cop to see if he got on the freeway to, but he didn’t so we were relaxed again. We talked for awhile which made the go by faster, because when it went quite, we saw the lights to Las Vegas, we got excited and I was saying “is that Vegas right there” “yep, we’re finally out of Utah, no more going back anymore” Marcos replied “true that” I said. “Are we going to go visit Will or just go straight to California” “I didn’t have time to call him and I don’t know where he lives, so we’re going straight to Cali” he said.
When we were in Las Vegas, I was looking at all the buildings and all the lights, it was my first time passing Vegas and I was excited. As we passed Vegas we were driving on the freeway still and I was still tired. At of no where we started to hear police sirens and they were coming towards us and they were coming fast too. We got scared again, we were the only ones on the freeway too, so we started to slow down and that cop was just charging. He got beyond us and I said “shit we’re getting pulled over” “I know and we made it this far too” Marcos said. Out of nowhere the charger just got into the other lane and took off, we just sat there and really didn’t say anything, we were just wide eyed, breathless, and amazed. “Wow that was scary” “jajaja I almost pissed my pants” we both just started to laugh again.
Randy
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Randy.
2
comments.
One day I was sitting in school it was an average day until one of the group home staff came and pulled me out and told me that he needed me to be a third while he took Mikey to the hospital because his bladder was acting up again. I said yes of course because I wanted to get out of school. So we hit the road.
The drive to the hospital was pretty much the best drive of my life because we were just relaxing, listening to music, cruising, and playing stupid little games that Mikey and I came up with along the way. We didn’t really do much besides that but it was freaking amazing anyway I had fun.
When we finally got to the hospital the first hour, literally, was spent in the waiting room, waiting for the doctor to get there and when we were finally let into the little white room we had to wait for the doctor to get all the paperwork. Mike got an IV stuck into his arm. He had tears almost busting his face open as the needle drew blood from the little vein in his arm. When that was over we all got root beer and played video games until the doctor came in and kicked out everyone but Mike.
The staff was nice enough to buy dinner for Aaron and I (Aaron was the other peer with us) while we waited. We walked around for about another two hours until the doctor told us that they were going to keep Mikey overnight. So we left and got back at around 11 pm we went to bed and dreamt about doctors and videogames.
This was a big life changing experience for me because I learned patience and empathy. While Mikey had tears busting out of his eyes I realized that others have feelings and that they feel pain as much as me and that you have to be patient with doctors. It’s not their fault their so busy doing their job!
Gabe
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Gabe.
2
comments.
Running Away
I never knew consequences could be this bad, and those couple months of fun weren’t worth this hell hole. I never thought I would end up in a place like this, as a matter of fact, I don’t think I was even thinking at all.
I knew I would get caught, eventually anyway. Running from probation really seems to tick them off. My probation officer would come collecting those three hundred hours sooner of later, so I was gone. I got all my things together and called a friend for a ride. I knew someone who had offered help and all I need was a little push. So there I was, moving into Robert Bautista’s house. To me this much freedom was only possible in dreams and fantasies. I had wings again, and nobody could ever take them away. Moving in with him was like Christmas morning, waking up to a strong scent of bacon that would only glue me to the kitchen floor. No yelling, no arguing, only a smooth running family. It was surreal, I pinched my self and nothing but a sting. I knew it. The bacon was too crispy anyways.
Time went by, and life couldn’t have been better. Most of my friends were still going to school, so I spent most mornings trying to entertain myself. One day while watching television something called my attention. Roberts skateboard, having an eternity to practice till everyone got home. I found myself waking in the mornings trying to figure out how to stop face planting the stairs.
Nights were fun, as school got out the whole world came over. It was like a down town bus stop. People were picked up and dropped off every second of the night. I had always told my self that I would never do drugs, and eventually the opportunity came up. It was late, everyone had vanished but the kids that planned to stay over. Rocky was his name, one of the biggest stoners. I didn’t have to think twice if I wanted to try it, so I took that hit. Everything started to slow down, the lights were beautiful and the music made me feel alive. It took me a while to realize that I had been sitting in the same spot for about two hours. But up to this day, I can still swear that Bob Marley poster was talking to me. My body was full of feelings I had never experienced before, all my problems had drifted away and at the moment nothing really mattered.
After a couple of months, things started to get old. I was still having fun, but I still had weight on my back. I tried forgetting, but no matter what it was still in the back of my mind. The door bell would keep ringing, until someone opened the door. That day came, I promised my self I wouldn’t cry, but they had been like a second family, better than my own. I had opened the door, and somehow I felt a lot better.
In the end I discovered it wasn’t really worth it. There is much more to life than fun and friends, and there’re many things that can blind you and prevent you from seeing that. You have to know your priorities, what really matters to you. Problems will never fade away, and they’re something you can’t get away from. Where ever you go they will follow, until you turn and confront them.
By EDDIE
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Eddie.
6
comments.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE CONCERT
“Jacque, where are you?” I was standing on the front porch of my house in a black skirt and My Chemical Romance tee shirt. “I’m almost there, I see your house.” My forever friend, Jacque pulled up in an S.U.V. and jumped out. We were headed to the My Chemical Romance Concert of the year and I did not want to be late. After the concert we had planned a party and all our friends were going to be there.
My Chemical Romance is my ultra mega, favorite band, and my forever friend had bought me a ticket for an early birthday present. I was so antsy waiting for her to show up. I had fretted all day over what to wear because it was my first concert and my favorite band so it was a big deal. I had call Jacque about 5 times in 15 minutes that afternoon to see where she was. When she showed up, I couldn’t get in fast enough.
Jacque, Britany, Zoey, Chad, Karra, Nick, Matt, Tony, And I were so stoked and couldn’t wait for the concert. We jammed to the latest MCR CD in the back of the S.U.V. and drank a ton of Monsters. By the time we pulled up to the concert, we were wired and ready to rock out.
During the concert we got stuck in a mosh pit. Jacque and I were soon the only ones from our group left clinging to the baring rail for dear life. People were kicking the crap out of us trying to make us move so they could be up front. We were close enough to touch Gerard Way’s boots. I clearly remember that it was during “I haven’t told you what I do for a living” that I had drum sticks pelted at my head. He stopped and looked and looked at a box of sticks, looked at his and he decided to chuck them half way through. They hit me square in the forehead. I kept them for three days until my step mom took them away.
Later, at the party, Jacque and I decided we’d play some games and jam out to all the MCR CDs we could get our hands on. Chad busted out some drinks and we partied for the rest of the night and well into the next day. I was so pumped I couldn’t sleep. I finally passed out from exhaustion and woke up the day in a bed and all taken care of. I’m so glad I have such great friends that they would go out of there way to make sure I’m okay and comfortable.
The next week at school, we wore skirts to show off our battle wounds. We were covered in bruises and scratches! I am just so grateful all my friends care about me. Jacque didn’t have to buy me a ticket but she knew I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. That was the day I realized just how much my friends and I mean to each other. Friends are the only family I have because my own family left my side and let me fall apart. This experience made me feel like a part of something and it felt great. Jacque’s mom even told me she saw me as part of her family. She still likes to call me her removed daughter. That’s when I knew for sure that no matter what happened, my friends will be there to help me through it and pull me up and hold me together when I slip and fall apart.
CJ
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CJ.
3
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“I’m going to return her to her parent’s custody and close her case,” said Judge Bazzle. This was one of the happiest days of my life. It meant I was finally free to make my own decisions. See this court thing has been going on since around my birthday in 2001. This last time I went into states custody they decided that I should go into foster care so I could learn how to be responsible. My mom and I both went into court expecting to go to jail and detention for at least 30 days or get some other form of punishment. I think when I went into court even though I was facing contempt that it all boiled back to me being responsible and going to school.
The three times that I have been to programs have completely changed my life. What I mean is that every new program I have been to had a different affect on me. Although I hated having to leave my home and live somewhere else for a couple months at a time I’m glad I’ve been able to go. I think that if I wouldn’t have been able to go to them that I would be a completely different person. I think that me going to programs has helped me mature and know what I want out of my life.
Even though I’m extremely happy with being free I think me going through all these things has helped my life in so many ways. It has helped me with my social and personal relations, knowing what I want, growing up, being able to be responsible, and so many more things. I think one of the most important things I learned is that being responsible even though it’s not very fun it will help me be able to succeed with what I want in my life. I’m also very glad that I was able to go through all of this when I was younger so that by the time I turn 18 I’ll be done with court and I will also know how to manage my life.
I have been in O&A, Young Woman’s Empowerment Center, and in/out of Slate Canyon Youth Center. Around last May is when I decided that my life wasn’t going the way I wanted it to. I didn’t want to be in the system anymore, and if that meant that I had to stop doing drugs, go to school, and follow everything they said I was going to. Even though I have still been in the system for a year it was worth it because this last time when I went into foster care is when I feel that I learned and grew the most. Even though it has taken me this long and has probably been one of the biggest challenges in my life till this point in my life I actually don’t regret anything that has happened.
Since April 2007 I’ve been in and out of the court system. It has been a long stressful road, but I also think it has been a very meaningful life lesson. I have been able to learn so much like being responsible for my choices/actions, also by learning how to manage my time where I can still do my homework and get everything else that I need to done. This is basically the story of how I came to be put into the court system for the last 2 years.
Brianna
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Brianna.
2
comments.
Warped Tour, the biggest concert of the year. We were both getting prepared for the event. “Push it up!” Clint yelled. I was furiously attempting to get my extremely long hair up into a fohawk. After an hour and fifteen minutes I got my hair to stay up. We were ready for the best concert of the year. We were both extremely stoked.
We arrived at the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake City a few hours later. We had to park 3 blocks away just for a parking spot. The walk seemed like it was forever just because of the sheer excitement for the concert. Clint and I met up with some of my other friends Erin, Cori, Cody, Clint, and myself. We pulled out the tickets and waited in line.
We arrived at the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake City a few hours later. We had to park three blocks away just for a parking spot. We pulled out our tickets and waited in a line that felt like a mile long. We were finally in, and we were ready for action.
The first band we went to go see was a band named Pierce the Veil. We waited in the horde of people for the fun to start. Four guys walked out on the stage. The crowed screamed and yelled, and we were pumped. The music roared, and the crowd went wild. They played their version of “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. It was an amazing show.
We set off for the second band. We were all really excited for the band called A Day to Remember. There was a ton more people here than at Pierce the Veil. When the music blared, our hands were in the air. This was the first time I saw them live, and I love their music.
The third band was called As I Lay Dying. I personally only like some of their stuff. As soon as the music started, a huge mosh pit formed. Fists were flying everywhere. I was watching a girl in the pit who got punched in the face and was knocked out cold. There was blood pouring down from her face. All in all it was crazy.
The last band I saw at the concert was a band called Protest the Hero. I had been waiting all year for this band. It was, to this day, the best concert I have ever seen. After their show, they were signing stuff. I had their CD called Kezia, and they all signed it. I took pictures with them and talked to them for a really long time. They are really awesome guys.
In conclusion I would highly suggest anyone who is into that type of music to go to Warped Tour. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I hope to go to Warped Tour every year now if possible. It’s an amazing concert.
Aaron
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Aaron.
1 comments.