Thankfulness

Hi Everybody!!

So I was thinking today, about how thankful everybody should be. We hear people complaining about not having the newest phones, or the coolest toys, or the most in-fashion clothes. It is human nature to want more and more, but come on. If you think of all the people in third-world countries struggling to have a sip of water or a bite of food each and every day, it sounds pretty selfish and, well, spoiled what we complain about here. Now I'm not saying that I don't complain and want other things. All I want is a little more than I have now, right? ;) I'm sure everybody knows about all these people suffering all over the world, but the thing is despite the massive number of people that know about what's happening, not many do anything to help. We feel sympathetic for a few days, and then something comes up in our schedule, something more exciting or whatnot, and that sympathy is gone. Just like that. It's pushed to the back of our brains. We're right back to our usual I-want-more selves. We should just be thankful that we can get clean water to drink! Imagine walking for miles with a heavy jug to fill it with muddy water from a puddle. That's right. Not a lot of villiages have wells that they can go to. But us, with just a simple turn of the tap or a push of a button, we have running water. It's so, so much easier than walking miles and miles. And we have shelter. Shelter to keep the wind and rain out. Isn't it wonderful to have somewhere to hide when it's pouring buckets of rain? Isn't it great to come inside to a warm, heated kitchen and sip hot chocolate after being outside on a cold winter day? And what about right now. You're looking at a computer screen. Isn't it amazing that we even have a computer, one where you can search anything you could possibly imagine, one where you can email people that are halfway across the world in just a matter of seconds? It's really amazing what we have here, compared to others. We have so much, so much more than we really need to survive. I just think that it's ridiculous that we're spilling over with blessings and all this great stuff but still complaining for more, while those in poorer countries are begging for food, water, medical attention, and so much more basic needs, and they don't ask for anything more than what they need to survive. Although you might not have the most fashionable shoes, or the best gadgets, you should be thankful for what you own now.

Of course everybody looks at those who have something that you don't have and think to themselves, gosh, I want that. I want it more than anything. But, when you start thinking that, think of what you have now. Think of the people that would look at you and say, I want what they have. So lets start being more thankful and think of all the things that we should be grateful for.

Thank you for tuning in once again, and I hope this post helped you to realize how blessed we are!!

The Rockies! Day 2

Hi Everybody!!
I'm back again, to tell you about my second day at the Rockies.
The Rockies! Day 2

So on the second day, we headed out from the Blue River campground after a nice, cozy nights' sleep. (It was really cozy, because it was so warm in the car and so cold outside...) We were headed towards Jasper, Alberta. We were actually meaning to get there on the first day, but we decided to be on the safe side and stay at a campground for the night. So we drove for about an hour and half until we reached Jasper. Jasper was a pretty small town in Alberta, but the town was actually really nice. The buildings were really cool, they were like wood cabins that you would see in movies, and it was a really nice, homey feeling town. The people there were pretty friendly too! You should probably stop there. There's nothing much to see, but it was still nice to have a little break as we rested there. So after stopping at the visitor information centre and getting a bunch of pamphlets and brochures and maps and whatnot, we kept going towards Mt. Robson. I really recommend that you stop there. Mt. Robson is really beautiful, and it's supposed to be one of the tallest mountains in the world!! The

 hiking trails there are pretty long. It goes from 4km to about 21km. So we didn't hike. We just ate lunch at some picnic tables (And I tried my first coffee! ... I'm never trying it again.) and then went to pick blueberries!! The have this big blueberry field and anybody can just go there, pick a few blueberries and eat 'em. So you don't have to pay. The blueberries aren't your usual blueberries, however. They're really tiny. They're like mini blueberries, but they taste just as great as the normal sized ones. So if you stop by at Mt. Robson and you see a bunch of people bending over picking at something, follow them over there and try some!!

After filling ourselves with blueberries, we drove on to Maligne Lake and Medicine Lake. It took a little while to get there, and we just drove past Medicine Lake, but they were both really beautiful. The vastness and the colour of the lake was breathtaking. You should definitely stop there. Snap a few photos.

By the time we left the two lakes, it was about time to eat dinner, and so we drived and drived until we found another campground. It was called Wabasso. (Oh and by the way, all of the campgrounds that we went to had full hook-up) Wabasso was an O.K. campground. It was pretty clean, so I liked that. There were other ones, but they were all full or had no hook up, so we couldn't go. So after getting all settled in and laying out the sleeping bags, we ate dinner and eagerly climbed into the warm van and slept a deep sleep until morning.
END OF DAY 2

I hope you enjoyed reading about the second day at the rockies, and please stay tuned for more!!

Book Review #22 ~ Savvy

Hi, folks!
So I'm back with another book review! I thought that you guys might like this book; it's pretty unique, and the writer was really creative, in my opinion.
The book I will be reviewing today is called:
Savvy - Ingrid Law

Our story is about the Beaumont family. They are quite different from ordinary families. You see, the thing that makes them special is that when the Beaumont children turn 13, their supernatural power - their savvy - kicks in. But on the eve of Mibs' thirteenth birthday, her father is injured in a terrible car accident, leaving him in a coma. Mibs and her family are absolutely devastated when they find out what had happened, and Mibs isn't sure she can get through her birthday without her father. She is no longer anticipating the moment when she will find out what her savvy will be, but instead thinks about her father every single minute of the day. Of course, she is not able to enjoy herself, what with being sick with worry for her father. But when her brothers, friends, an unusual but spunky old lady and a delivery man that is a nervous wreck embark on an extraordinary adventure, the day takes a turn... for the better or for the worse you'll soon find out. The journey is an odd one indeed, and it takes them to new places and new people; on top of all that, Mibs' savvy suddenly appears and shocks her and the people around her when she starts to act strangely. Their adventure envelops everybody in a turbulent chain of events.

I thought that this book was actually really good. It was very creative and I think that if I was writing a story like this one, I would really have to think out of the box. The story wasn't very predictable (that's a good thing - I don't really like stories where you know exactly what'll happen next) and took you through lots of different events. I thought the book was 5 out of 5 stars, and although it might be a bit easy for some, I definitely recommend that you read it.

Anyways, thanks for tuning in, folks!!

Book Review #21 ~ The City of Ember

Hello, fellow readers!
So I have just finished this PHENOMENAL book called:
The City of Ember. By Jeanne DuPrau

So our main characters, Lina and Doon, are 12-years old and live in a city called Ember. But Ember is unlike any other city. It is underground, and the city has been manmade many years ago. The citizens of ember do not know anything about the world above them. They have been taught since they were children that Ember was the only light in a world of darkness. They don't know anything about sunlight, grass, or animals. But after living in this city for over 200 years, the supplies in the storerooms that were once by the thousands are now steadily running out. But not only that, the lights that hold the terrifying, swallowing darkness back are starting to flicker. Some citizens are starting to worry about what will happen when their supplies run out completely or when the lights go out and don't come back on. Then one day, Lina and Doon set off on an adventure to find an exit from Ember, and hopefully, lead to an enterance to a better city when they find instructions on how to do so.
I found this book very intriguing, and it had me on my toes throughout the entire story. It is filled with suspense. The author is very creative, thinking of this kind of story, and the story is riveting. I wouldn't hesitate to read it twice. It's science fiction for those who don't like science fiction. :)

I'll be back soon with more posts, everyone!!

9/11

I'm sure that everybody knows what I'm talking about.

The twin towers demolished and gone, the hundreds of innocent people killed...

It was a real tragic event, and people all over the world were irate at what had happened. They wanted whoever was responsible for this horrible event dead. And so, to gain revenge, the U.S.A. sent troops out to Iraq with one plan in mind; to kill the leader of this terrorist attack. They did kill the president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, so in a way, they succeeded. But, in the process of killing Hussein, they also killed tens of thousands of innocent people. And I'm completely against the ruthless killing of innocent people. Who isn't? Yet, whenever war breaks out, it's inevitabe. Many innocent people will lose their homes and suffer many casualties. I hate to see this happen. I understand the killing of Hussein, but why must we kill all these other people? Even children, (CHILDREN!!) died from this war. Now, don't get me wrong. I do feel just as angry as everybody else that this terrorist group caused such pain and suffering to everybody. The people that were killed during 9/11 were all innocent people, people just like you and me who would've never dreamed of this kind of thing happening to them all of a sudden, out of the blue! Of course, it's not right, of course we feel vengeful. Although I am against the purposeful killing of anyone, there is such thing as commiting a crime, a crime so severe that you can only pay for the lives of the thousands who died with your own. BUT. We are miserable that these people that were in the plane or the World Trade Center died, but what about those innocent people whose lives were taken in Iraq? Does that make sense to you? It doesn't to me. Just because some horrible, terrible man came and killed all these people, does that mean that we must charge into their country and shoot all these people down just as ruthlessly? No. Just the man behind 9/11 should've paid, not all these poor people. They've done nothing wrong. A lot of them probably didn't know what Hussein did in New York and were taken aback and horrified to find the U.S. troops marching into their country.

Anyways, my whole point is, just because someone hurt the innocent ones in our country, it doesn't mean we should hurt the innocent ones in theirs back.

Alright then, let's just remember today, the lives of those that were taken, both in Iraq and in New York.

I'll be back soon with another post, readers!

The Rockies! Day 1

Hi everybody!!
So you may have been wondering why I have not been posting for the past week.

Well, I have been driving to the Rockies and back. I have been on a road trip, and boy do I have a lot to tell you.

I guess the next few posts about my trip to the Canadian Rockies is going to be kind of like a travel journal/a travel guide. I will tell you everywhere you must stop, and places that you shouldn't.

Alright then, here I go!

The Rockies! Day 1

We left for Valemount in the morning, with everything we needed packed. We had packed so much stuff, mostly food to eat for 7 days. We brought along three Iceboxes and 4 reusable green bags filled to the brim with food to eat. Confident that we wouldn't lose our way what with the new GPS that we had, we took off and started our journey for the Rockies. We drove through Merritt and through Kamloops and throughout the entire first day, we were just driving, driving, and driving. By the time we passed Kamloops, the sun was starting to set, and we were desperately looking for an R.V. Park or a Campground to stay at. We were driving for what seemed like forever until we came across a campground called Blue River Campground. By this time, we were too desperate for a place to sleep to be picky about it, so we just went in the first campground that we saw. Thankfully, that Blue River Campground was very clean and it was quite cozy. The price wasn't too bad either. (I definitely recommend the place. If you're traveling in that area, it's a nice place to sleep.) So we set up our dinner, and ate quickly as the sun shined it's last and disappeared under the horizon. We were quite down that the sun had set quickly, but soon the stars started to appear one by one in the sky. The stars, -sigh- the stars were just... they were breathtaking. It was amazing. Remarkable. Sensational.

Staggering. Stunning. Phenomenal. Extraordinary. Prodigious. I could list all the words, but you have to see it for yourself. It was about as sparkly as.. as.. as Lady Gaga's sequin dress. If you live in the country, it's even more spectacular, since you can't see nearly half-ahem- let me rephrase that. Nearly one tenth as many stars as there are in the country, away from all the lights. And then we started a campfire. The flames wouldn't catch, and time after time the burning embers would die away. But then my dad brought over a burning log from a different campfire (Thank you neighbours) and that finally got the fire going. A word of advice: don't stand directly where the smoke is coming out. I learned the hard way. I know, it is common sense, but I didn't really realize that smoke was different from steam... Anyways, just don't do it. Your eyes sting. A lot.

After about an hour of sitting huddled around the campfire in our parkas, (yes, you read it right. Parkas. In August. It was much colder than we had expected, and by nighttime, I was frozen to the bone. I'm talking four layers. So if you go near the end of summer, PACK WARM!!) we got up, brushed our teeth, washed our faces, used the washroom, washed our feet, and ran back. We ran partly because it was cold, and partly because we had washed all the bug repellent off and the mosquitos were attacking every bit of bare skin there was on our bodies. When you go, bring bug repellent. You'll need it.

I even got a mosquito bite on my butt. Yes. That deadly little sucker pierced through my jeans and my underwear and bit me.

Anyways, when we ran back, we had a warm electric mat waiting for us. Don't know what that is? It's pretty much something you put under you when you sleep, and it heats up so you can sleep without freezing to death. We didn't go in an R.V., we just went in our van, so we felt the need to bring our electric mat. So finally, we slept on an electric mat all warm and cozy and slowly drifted off to sleep.

That's the end of day one, everybody, I'll be back soon with day two!!