Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is come
All is quiet and still
The wrapping is all done
The frost above the window sill

Hectic as is traveling
Joyous I will sit
Listen to sibling ramblings
Ignore the rush I've quit

For tomorrow is a celebration
Of a gift of immeasurable worth
A jubilant emanicipation
An infant savior's birth

Though if only tonight I smile
I laugh and read in quiet peace
The gift will last a long, long while
And the celebration will never cease

The Republic of the South Pacific

This is a cute little story with a moral that I wrote for an assignment~Kara

Once upon a time, the country of Amfort discovered two uninhabited islands in the South Pacific. Because these small islands were rich with natural resources, Amfort claimed them, and sent two of her best navel captains, Smith and Jones, to each colonize an island for trade. It was soon discovered, however, that by some quirk in the geography of the islands, they could not be directly reached by satellite telephone signals. Since it would take a great deal of money to run telephone cables under the ocean, it was arranged that the Amfort would send a boat every year or so with new colonists and much-needed supplies. For the first two years, trade and production were smooth, and the colonies did very well. Unfortunately, their mother country soon got entangled in a war and the colonies were isolated from the mainland by enemy lines. Amfort sent one last instructional message, however, instructing the colonies to continue trading with the reliable surrounding countries, be on guard against invasion by neighboring countries, and await another supply boat very soon. When two years had passed with no communication from the mainland and increasing coldness from the other islands, Jones decided that they were being unfairly used.

“Amfort” he said, “was unfair to dominate their trade and estrange them to the other islands. The colonies had charted, colonized, and cultivated these spits of land themselves, following all of the mainland's requests. It was mean of Amfort to get themselves into a war and desert them, while isolating their colonies from trading with the richer of the surrounding countries.” Jones' own island was, after all, twenty miles long, and he had seen smaller countries. He thus invited his friend and fellow, Smith to join him and his island in succeeding from Amfort.

Smith, in his obstinacy, refused, claiming loyalty to their mother country, pretending small part in the leadership of the islands, and doubting Jones' right to do such a thing.

Jones was indignant. “For who was to know whether Amfort had good cause for entangling herself in this war in the first place, that they should be loyal to her in their trade?” he rationalized, “Smith's sole leadership had led his island thus far so that it hardly mattered which country had founded them. As the authority on the island, he had right to do what seemed good to him.”

The islands were so estranged and separated, and the first of the islands was declared The Republic of the South Pacific. She traded with the rich surrounding countries regardless of their relations with Amfort. Became quite prosperous, she possessed trade relations in sharp contrast with the small stable islands Smith traded with. Now, as the wealth of The Republic of the South Pacific grew, so did her fame, and it soon became known to Amfort that this little colony which she had founded was a major trading hub in its region. But as the famed riches of The Republic of the South Pacific grew, her obliviousness to her surroundings grew with it. Unaware, she became a ripe prize for whomever might seize her first. Many countries deliberated over this, in particular some on her trade route that had seen her prosperity. The Republic of the South Pacific soon struggled against new invaders with little hope.

In the meantime, Amfort had not been idle; in fact, it had been little more than six months since the Republic of the South Pacific was born that Amfort contacted Smith. She had arranged a way to smuggle supples to the islands and had formed a plan for converting to island into an undercover base, which Smith, promoted to a commodore, would oversee. The base would be key to her plan to defeat her enemy.

The country which had moved against the Jones first was one of the most powerful in the area, by coincidence, the very one Amfort was at war with. In addition to that country's ambitious move, there was another nearby island which had been building up influence in The Republic of the South Pacific for quite a while. When an invasion did come, and war broke from the shores, there was then war between not two parties, but three. The soon war-ravaged little country struggled desperately. The war-torn land suffered greatly until it finally fell into the hands of Amfort's enemy. The ragged little country was quickly subdued, her ruler deposed, and the island ruled by a strong dictatorship. Jones, the Commander in Chief of the Republic of the South Pacific, soon sat in a cell, utterly defeated and awaiting his execution. But while Jones suffered, Smith was the highly respected governor of Amfort's chief base in the area.

My Undying Love Of Clocks and

Well to start this entire blog entry out, I just wanted to mention me and my name. I am new to "Written Ramblings" and my name is "Clocks". Of course thats not my REAL name.. its just a little name I came up with because I just love clocks. I really do, they are so mysterious to me. I mean am I really the only one who thinks this? I mean just think about this for a little bit, clocks are not only the only source of seeing time that we have, but look at how many numbers there is on a clock. Twelve numbers. Now think about how many numbers of minutes, hours, days, years, etc. that we have been living. Just think about that. Its a very strange thing. Truly fascinating. haha.
Off to more personal things...
Guess what??? I'm going on a road trip!! WHOO-HOO! Not today, not tommorrow, BUT I will someday. That day just happens to be the day (not a certain day, but anytime before this) or a few days before my graduating highschool. It was all Olive's idea though. Olive, Ren, Yona, and I are going to California to meet the stars, North Carolina (Olive claims that I just HAVE to go white water rafting before I die... I really don't know about that one though..), then we are going to New York City to go, thats right you guessed it, SHOPPING! WHOO HOO do I love shopping.. I'm just not that big on trying on clothes, hehe but you get me an antique shop, oh boy do I have a ball! ANYWAYS, we might be going to Washington too and the Smokyy Mountains.. I really don't know but all I know is I am getting a job next year, well all of us are, so we can save up for it. I hope it will happen, but hey plan B for me will be going to California so I can become an actress. Yes people, I have very big plans for the future... I just hope they will really become a reality. :)

The Lord of the Rings

SPOILER ALERT!

"This is a report I wrote for school on th LOTR trilogy. It is written in a required format, if the organization seems kind of strange.

It was supposed to be only a page; Oh well. So, here is a brief overview of the book, including spoilers and some really neat characters."

The Lord of the Rings

A book report by: Kara

The Lord of the Rings, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, describes the War of the Ring and tells of each of the races of Middle Earth’s part in it, particularly the Hobbits.
“When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbition…Time wore on, but it seemed to have little effect on Mr. Baggins.” This was because Bilbo Baggins possessed a Ring of Power which prevented his aging and made him invisible when he was wearing it.
This story takes place in a fictional time before the present, when earth was known as Middle Earth and Elves, Dwarves, and Wizards roamed as well as Men, when Nymphs, Ents, and little Hobbits made their home here.
This is an account of a fight of courage and bravery against incredible odds.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned Ring is an evil Ring of Power, and its evil master, Sauron, has discovered its location and is sending evil wraiths to steal it away, so that with it, he can rule all of Middle Earth.
The Lord of the Rings details the journey of Frodo, Bilbo’s young cousin, through Middle Earth to Mount Doom in Mordor, under the evil Lord’s very nose, to destroy the evil ring. He takes with him representatives of each race on Middle Earth, The Wizard: Gandalf, who seems to know everything; two Men: Aragorn, the Ranger and heir to the throne; Boromir, Captain and son of the Steward of Gondor. He takes with him an Elf: Legolas, prince of Mirkwood; a Dwarf: Gimli (son of Gloin, a friend of Bilbo); and three Hobbits: Sam, Frodo’s gardener; Merry, and Pippin, good friends of Frodo who have come whether or not he wanted them.
They travel through Moria, the "deserted" underground kingdom of the dwarves, where they are attacked and lose Gandalf, and to Lorien, stronghold of the Elves, then to Emyn Muil, where Orcs attack and kill Boromir as well as carrying off Merry and Pippin.
Here Sam and Frodo decide to leave without telling anyone and travel towards Mordor through the mountains without directions. The rest of the party go to track the Orcs; however, the Orcs have been ambushed by Men of Rohan, a neighboring kingdom, and the Hobbits have crept away unnoticed and been found by Ents, who decide to go attack a nearby servant of Mordor, whose fortress they destroy.
Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, while tracking the Hobbits, run into Gandalf, who, for a confusing reason, is alive again. They go to help Rohan in a battle, afterwards to the Ent destroyed fortress and get Merry and Pippin while they are there. However, because Pippin does something incredibly stupid, Gandalf and Pippin rush off to Gondor, where the army of Rohan will later follow them. Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and some others go to defeat another part of the enemy’s force. Sauron musters all his forces to destroy Gondor, but Rohan, and Aragorn with reinforcements show up at the last minute and save the city.
Sam and Frodo have run into an untrustworthy guide who wants the ring. Because he betrays them, Frodo is captured, but escapes and they stagger exhaustedly toward the volcano, Mount Doom. They get into the Mountain, and the Ring is destroyed while Gondor is attacking Mordor as a diversion.
Aragorn is finally crowned King and gets married, and the Hobbits defeat the thieves who have taken over the Shire in their absence. But the journey was hard on Frodo, and, at the end, he departs with the remainder of the Elves and Bilbo to Elven-home.

The characters in this book are incredibly brave and noble. Frodo sets off on a journey for which a Hobbit is seen as unfit. Gandalf guides the Company and defends them in Moria. Aragorn fights though he has been denied his kingship long. Boromir defends Merry and Pippin with his life. Legolas sets out on an impossible mission while he could just depart for the Elven-home. Gimli confronts ghosts. Sam helps his exhausted master through the land of Mordor and saves him when he is captured. Merry and Pippin come when told to stay home and volunteer for all sorts of dangerous things. Sauron has great power, and yet these people fight him. Rohan comes to Gondor’s aide with their small force. As Gandalf says,” ‘We must walk open-eyed into a trap, with courage, but small hope for ourselves. For, my lords, it may well prove that we ourselves shall perish utterly in black battle far from living lands; so that even if Barad-dur be thrown down, we shall not live to see a new age. But this, I deem, is our duty. And better so than to perish nonetheless-as we surely shall, if we sit here- and know as we die that no new age shall be”

The Lord of the Rings inspires endurance, courage, and bravery.
Tolkien’s characters are real, and have personalities and senses of humor but they can also be very grave. They are show thought and their actions follow their thought and make for believability.
Evil is shown as, well, evil; it is the very unattractive enemy, which is defeated. Tolkien mentions God briefly as the organizer of events who was making things happen.
A good theme of this book was that, “This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet such oft is the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” In other words, if there is evil, ordinary people may be called to fight against it as well as great.

William Bradford

This is an essay I wrote for school.


Nearly four hundred years ago, America wasn't similar to the nation in it's current state. Times have changed. We have a life of ease instead of hard labor. We have freedoms that other countries covet. However, freedom is not free, and does not happen suddenly. My demonstration takes us to the roots of our freedom and to the seventeenth century.
England was a nation strict on religion. Every citizen had to worship at the same church, even if they disagreed with the creed. Violators of this rule were persecuted. Enter William Bradford, son of a farmer, but without any higher education. As he matured, he distanced himself from the crowd and followed a non-conformist group.
However, if William Bradford's group was discovered, they would face being tortured, as well as the possibility of death. The non-conformists had to find a safe haven from their tyrant motherland. They fled to Holland for a twelve year period. Nevertheless, these pilgrims wanted something greater. They sailed to America for the freedom they were desperate to have.
During the voyage to the new world, the pilgrims were faced with cruel hardships. Storms ravaged their ship, The Mayflower. Once, a merciless storm hit the boat so hard, a beam used for bolster snapped under the conditions. Fortunately, a carpenter was on The Mayflower, and saved the ship by using his professional skills. With perseverance, the puritan pilgrims arrived at their destination.
Once in America, the harsh environment hit the settlers hard. Because of malnutrition and illnesses, pilgrims died in devastating numbers. Even Bradford fell to disease. However, unlike some, he conquered the illness keeping him captive. Unfortunately, disease, as well as lack of nutrition, claimed many lives in the early month's of our country. Nearly half of the puritans perished in this time period.
The pilgrims needed help adapting to their new land. However, they had company. Indians inhabited America long before William Bradford and his group arrived. These Indians knew the land. They knew what would grow and what wouldn't. Nevertheless, they were shy. They would creep around, and flee if anyone came near. Then one day, an Indian named Samoset came to Bradford's camp. Samoset spoke broken English, but gave the pilgrims a sense of friendliness. Samoset said that he knew another Indian who spoke better English that could help. His name would be Squanto.
Squanto, as well as Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag Indians, came to the settlement. A peace treaty was created between the Wampanoags and the pilgrims. Once the treaty was completed, Squanto instructed the puritans how to garden, fish, and to use the land. After harvest, fowl was abundant in the area. Therefore, wild turkeys were consumed.
As celebration to the unity of pilgrims and Wampanoags, as well as the harvest, they feasted for three days. Games were played to bring added recreation. This was the first Thanksgiving.
This story is chronicled by William Bradford in the document, "Of Plymouth Plantation". He wrote of the events for a hope for legacies to continue the puritan beliefs. Chapters one through nine were stored in the church records. However, in the Revolutionary War, the puritan church was invaded by British soldiers. Therefore, Bradford's collection was unable to be found. Nearly a hundred years later, the remainder of "Of Plymouth Plantation" was discovered and can be viewed at the Boston State House to this day.
For the freedom we possess today, our country conquered rejection, torture, and death. I only told a fraction of the story of freedom, but this small part reflects the greater picture.

sup peeps!!!!

Hey peeps!
This Wednesday, I went to youth, and it was BURGER BASH WEDNESDAY!!! I was going to be in a burger eating contest, but they didn't have time; they were to busy with bobbing for spam and other spam related games. I guess it was a good thing they canceled it, because I wasn't that hungry (I think I lost my apatite when they said they were going to give me and my competition FIVE BURGERS!!!). Next week is going to be dinner theater Wednesday, and they said it would be cool if we dressed up. I have already figured out what I'm going to wear; I just hope I'm not the only one dressed up (I would look like a total goober if I was lol). Oh,and the week after that...The week of the 50ft ice cream sundae!!!! It's not really 50ft, (I don't think our youth room is even 50 feet wide) all I know is that it's going to be great!!!!

The Treasure Hunter Skit

For my first post, I will ill-advisably post my very first (good) skit. This was originally intended for Boy Scouts.
~Kara

Written on 1/14/07

The Treasure Hunter

*Marcus, in suit and tie, walks, with obvious pride,
to center stage*

Marcus: Ladies and Gentlemen, it is I, the great
Marcus! treasure finder to the ends of the earth,
expert explorer, linguist extraordinaire! Before your
astounded eyes, I will now reveal the fine art of
discovering treasure.
To instruct you in this most noble art, my
colleague and I will venture deep into the dark,
perilous jungles of South America in search of the
legendary Nimbo-Claude Treasure.

*Crew member 1 and Marcus walk to side stage.*

Marcus: *pointing to hole* Look, -emeralds, rubies,
sapphires-these are worth millions! My friend, we have
discovered the famed Nimbo-Claude cache. We can now
retire and live out the rest of our days in ease and
luxury.

Crew member 1: *leaning over* Where,.....I don't see
any-

*Marcus pushes Crew member 1 into the hole*

Marcus:*holding wallet up* Behold, I have harvested
his wallet. Soon, by my cunning skill, my trillion
dollar fund will be complete, then I will truly be
able to retire in ease and luxury.

*Crew member 2 and Marcus are at the same hole.*
*Marcus is facing hole.*

Marcus:Look Antonio, we have discovered Aztec gold,
buried here thousands of years ago, by that ancient
empire. We are now rich men.

Crew member 2:You mean in the other hole? The large
one behind you?

Marcus: Wha- *Marcus spins around* *Crew member 2
pushes him into hole.*

Crew Member 2:Behold, I have harvested his tie pin.
Truly you should not go on expeditions into the jungle
wearing tie pins.......