Thanksgiving

This week we are celabrating a holiday dedicated to giving thanks. Many people will be traveling to share this time with family, and some will be at home hosting dinner. One thing we all have in common, is whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have something to be thankful for. Some people are bursting with thankfulness, and some are not. Yet, most everyone celebrates this day for giving thanks.
This Thanksgiving I am going to my Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner. It is going to be a lot of fun. We're going to have Wii bowling tournaments, and a lot of different games. But, at the end of the day, we're still going to be thankful, thankful for the time that we got to spend together.
Then on Friday we are going shopping, on Black Friday. What are we thinkging? The after Thanksgiving sales are crazy, and this will be my first time shopping them. I used to think that it would be a lot of fun, but the past few years a lot of people have gotten hurt, so now I'm not so sure. It will be very interesting. On Saturday I am going to the Off Broadway musical, Wicked. This will be the second time that I have seen this musical. I'm excited to compare the Off Broadway, and Broadway musicals. I'm sure they're not too different, but I'm still really excited, and my mom and sister have a chance to see it too. I think I'm more excited for them than I am for me.
This Thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for. Like the fact that I am able to go to college, in order to get a better education. And that I have a roof over my head and food in my belly, and a family who cares about me. It is at this time of year that all the food drives are starting up. So that people less fortunate than me can have a good Thanksgiving meal. I am thankful for the opportunity to help them, because someday I might be one of those people. You can never tell what will happen in the future, but it wouldn't hurt to start planning today. I hope that everybody has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Day!

New York

This past March I was able to go to New York with my high school band and choir. We fund raised for three years and were finally able to go on this trip. We left on a Monday after school, then the next day after 18 hours on a cramped bus, we were finally there. We were able to visit the Rockerfeller center, Madison Square Gardens, Ground Zero, Midevel Times, Wicked, The Blue Man Group, and the Statue of Libery and Ellis Island.

The Rockerfeller Center was really cool. We got the grand tour, and even learned how the stages worked. We got to see what it was like to have enough money for a balcony seat, equipped with a kitchenette. ANd while we were there Aretha Franklin was supposed to be there practicing! How cool! When we got to the bathrooms, most of us were taking pictures instead. The bathroom there is huge. It had a sitting room, a make-up room, a bathroom, and a washroom. My whole house could have fit inside this bathroom. It was also very intricat, with painting on the walls of women throughout the ages. We even got to interview and take pictures with a Rockette!

When we went to Ground Zero, it was a very special experience. There is an area where you can see into Ground Zero, but you don't really see much. My friends and I went into the World Financial Building across the street. We were able to go up to the second floor and see into Ground Zero. Even though I didn't know anyone personally who was lost on 9/11 it was still very emotional. We were all crying by the time we left 20 minutes later.

We went to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island by boat, I suppose the only way you can get there. Seeing the Statue of Liberty in person was so cool. In the movies the Statue always looks a lot smaller than it actually is. Then we went to Ellis Island. There are so many artifacts from when it was still open. It is fascinating to learn what happened to all of those people, it is sad too when you think about it. All of the tests these people were put through when they got to America, how horrible it must have been to arrive here and then have to hop on another ship and go back. But, the people who passed inspection had to go through a lot in order to stay. There were so many rooms, filled with facts, and beds, wheelchairs, eating utensils, and other things that these people used so many years ago.

Midevel Times was a lot of fun. Even though it smelled really bad

because of all of the horses, it was still a lot of fun. We got to watch a really funny and somewhat serious show. We had to cheer for "our" knight. And we had to eat with our hands. We got soup, half a chicken, and a dessert. By the end of dinner, I was very glad that I didn't have to eat with my hands all the time. Here is the Prince and Princess, along with the fanfare trumpeters. Those guys were awsome, I can't play like that when I play my trumpet.

The part of the trip that I liked the most was going to Wicked, we even got to go to a special workshop and learn some of the dances that they do in the musical. I'd heard a lot of people talking about Wicked, but never really looked into it. I found it very enjoyable. It was a lot of fun and, a great experience. I could watch Wicked over and over and still enjoy it. My whole trip was a lot of fun and I would go back anytime. But, I would never live there, way too much traffic and noise for me. But I had a good time.