Did You Know?

In this story, I am going to be talking about useless facts that you may have never known. As I read more about some of these things, I thought it would be a perfect story to write about. These things grabbed my attention, and I am sure they will grab yours as well. Even though these things are useless, it is more knowledge that you may want to share with someone someday, or it may be good to just know some of these things. I hope these random facts grab your attention because I know they grabbed mine.

The first thing that I found interesting was that a cockroach could live a week with its head being cut off. Cockroaches don’t have the blood pressure that humans do, therefore they don’t have a huge network of blood vessels. After you cut their head off, their neck would close up by clotting, so their is no uncontrolled bleeding. Their brain doesn’t control their breathing, movements, etc., like the brain does to the human body. This proves why cockroaches could live for weeks without their heads.

The next thing that I found was interesting was that human thigh bones are stronger than concrete. The force required in order to break a human’s thigh bone is massive. It would all depend on how the force is applied and what angle it was applied at. Your femur is the strongest bone in your body. Therefore, since it is so strong, it takes a lot of force to break it, and even with a lot of force, it is more than likely that it will just be a fracture. The most common reasons thigh bones fracture are because of car accidents and falls from high places.

I also found that it is illegal to have a pet dog in Iceland. The reasons behind this are that they think it would be a dirty place if dogs were in the country, and it is too much of a hassle to take care of one. Of course there are exceptions to have dogs in Iceland, but they are very strict. Those exceptions are that the dog must not be used as a guard or attack dog. All dogs must be kept on a leash at all times, and they have to be cleaned up after they do their business. When you have a dog, the neighbors will also be in power. If they think that the dogs are disturbing, then they can make the dog get taken away from the owner.

The next thing that I found is something that everybody has different beliefs about. You will all be looking for when this date comes is that every month that starts with a Sunday, will have a Friday the 13th. Friday the 13th is really just a myth. It is not the date’s fault to determines whether your day is going to be doomed. Some people do believe that on this day you need to be extra careful. Some of you may take this to your advantage, and others may start trying to be prepared.

We all have different fears, and if your fear is either bees or snakes this is something you may want to know. On average, more people die from bees than snakes. Many people don’t know how affective bee stings could be. Bee stings are very dangerous and they can kill you. Depending on where you live, there are different snakes around you, and some snakes are not harmful at all. People eve have pet snakes. However, if you come in contact with a venomous snake that is when you should be worrying.

Some of you may have some serious allergic reactions, and some of you may not. Did you know that people are allergic to cow’s milk more than any other food? A milk allergy is most common in young children or infants. Some symptoms of this allergy is mild hives, and an effect would be to read all labels in every food or drink that you have. Allergies are something that you are more than likely going ot have to live with the rest of your life. Luckily enough, this milk allergy is easily outgrown.

Most of you are into watching NFL football, or you have at least seen NFL on T.V. before. It is stated that 78% of NFL players go bankrupt after finishing two years of finishing their career. It is typical for us to spend your money and buy more expensive things the more money you get. Most NFL players get into a bad habit of spending money like it’s never ending. They found this out the hard way.

What is your favorite pop? If it is Coke or Diet Coke, than this is something you may find interest to. If you put Diet Coke in water it will float, but if you put regular Coke in water it will sink. It all depends on how much dissolved sweeteners are in the drink. Regular coke is denser than the water due to the sweeteners in the soda, so that causes the Coke to sink and not the diet coke. A 12 ounce can contains 40 grams of sugar, so this is why some people enjoy diet coke more.

Have you ever seen someone that can wiggle their ears back and forth? I bet you wonder how they do it. It is true that everyone can wiggle their ears, but you must learn at a young age. If you don’t learn at a young age, the muscles will waste away and, it will be difficult for you to do it. The people who can raise who eyebrow are more likely to do this. All these things you may have known already, but some of you may not have known. Hopefully you all learned something out of this and found this knowledge is interesting.

Starting Over

Kadence was a 14 year old girl. She grew up living a difficult life. Kadence’s parents were very young when they had her, and they we left with no money. They realized it would be too much to take care of her, so they put her up for adoption.  She was living in a foster home since she was three years old with 12 other children. It was a nightmare, but it was a safe place for Kadence to stay.

She was in a foster home with other children who have been through the same thing she had been going through. Kadence hated living in the foster home because it was always so noisy, and she never had any privacy. There was only one girl that she could trust; her name was Sarah. Sarah was 10 years old, and they both arrived at the foster home around the same time. Sarah had been through everything with Kadence, and they could tell each other anything. Sarah knew when something was wrong with Kadence, and this time she could tell Kadence wasn’t acting normal.

Sarah asked,”What is going on, Kadence? You aren’t acting the same anymore.”

Kadence replied,” I hate it here. I don’t know if I can do this anymore. I have been thinking about leaving the foster home. You can’t tell anybody.”

“What about me? Are you just going to leave me?” Sarah asked with disbelief.

“I am sorry, Sarah. I am not happy here anymore,” Kadence said while tears were running down her face.

Sarah ran off to her room crying. Kadence felt awful for leaving Sarah, but she knew what she had to do to make her happier. She would do whatever it would take to get out of the foster home, even if it meant living on the streets for a little while until she found a shelter for the homeless. After dinner, Kadence went to her room and locked her room so nobody would find out what she was doing. Kadence was going to pack her things as soon as she got up before everybody would go down to the dining room for breakfast.

Kadence woke up the next morning with a little bit guilt. She felt bad for not taking Sarah with, but she was happy where she was. Kadence knew that Sarah wouldn’t do well with the challenges that she is going to have to face living on her own. Kadence walked out the door. She turned around and looked up to her room. When she looked up to her window, she saw Sarah looking down at her. Sarah had tears running down her face while she was waving. Sarah blew her a kiss as Kadence received it and sent one back to her. Kadence made her way to downtown, San Antonio.

Kadence was starting to get hungry. She had no money to buy food. She took a seat along the curb and she started to regret leaving the home. She started to think that she didn’t think her decisions all the way through. She got in her backpack for her last granola bar. Next to her granola bar she saw a picture in her bag. She pulled out the picture, and it was a picture of her and Sarah. Sarah walked into Kadence's room last night while she was sleeping and put the picture in her bag along with a note on the back of it. Kadence became very emotional.

All of a sudden things started to change. It was like someone was looking after her. There was a lady who came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. It was a very tall, beautiful woman. The lady’s name was Kim; Kim asked Kadence if she Kadence was alright. She had told her that she had just ran away from her foster home, and she had no place to stay. Kim asked her if she would like to go back to her apartment for the night. Kadence was very thankful for this opportunity. Even though Kadence had never met Kim, she felt like she had ran into her before somewhere. Kadence felt safe with her already.

When they got back to Kim’s apartment, Kadence was amazed. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. She had never seen anything like it before. She started to look around and there were picture of her when she was pregnant.

Kadence asked Kim,” Do you have a child?”

“I did, but I gave her up for adoption because my boyfriend and I didn’t have any money to take care of the little girl. I didn’t want to do it, but my husband threatened me if I didn’t give her up for adoption. After I gave the baby up for adoption, my husband left me anyways.”

Kadence replied,” Oh, I am so sorry. I had no idea.”

In the back of her mind, Kadence felt like she knew her. There was this brief thought that she was her daughter. Kim went to go take a shower because she was going to take Kadence out for a nice dinner. Once She got in the shower, Kadence went over to the cabinets next to her desk. She opened up the drawer and found a file with the adoption papers along with the adoption agency’s number. Kadence picked up the home phone and called the number.

Kadence said,” Hello, this is Kadence. I am currently living with Kim Muller, and she told me to contact you about her baby that she gave up for adoption. Can you please tell me where that child is now?”

The lady replied,” This is confidential information, so I am going to need you to stop by, so I can deliver you the information myself.”

Luckily enough the building was only a few blocks away. Kadence had told Kim that she was going to run to the nearby coffee shop. Once Kadence got to the building, she became very nervous. If Kim really was her birth mother this could change her entire life.

Kadence walked in and said,” Hello my name is Kadence; I called earlier to find out who Kim Muller’s daughter was.”

“Oh, yes! I am going to pull up the information right now. It says that the girl is now 14 years old and lives near downtown Seattle in a foster home. Her name is Kadence.”

Kadence didn’t know what to say. She stood there with shock. Kadence had always dreamed about finding her birth mother again and it finally came true. She smiled and had a few tears dripping down her face.

Kadence smiled and walked away while the lady asked,”Is that all you needed?”

Kadence went back to tell Kim everything. Once She walked in the door, Kim asked if everything had been alright because her cheeks were all red and her eyes were still glossy from crying tears of joy.

Kadence said,” Kim, I am your daughter. I confirmed it with the adoption agency when I had told you I was going to the coffee shop!

Kim ran up to Kadence and gave her a big hug while she mentioned she had been looking for Kadence ever since her husband left. They both started crying into each other’s arms.

***

The next day Kim went back to the adoption agency and signed papers for legal custody of Kadence. Kadence finally got to live the life she always wanted to live. Kim had a surprise for her while they were at the court. Sarah walked around the corner and Kadence and Sarah met eye to eye. They ran towards each other and gave each other a big hug. Kim had told Kadence that she contacted her foster mom, and she asked if Kim would be willing to adopt Sarah too. She had been lonely ever since Kadence left, and they were already like sisters. Kim had adopted both of them, and they are starting their lives over.

A New Beginning

March 2, 2016

My name is Sam, and I am 13 years old. I have a fun day planned with my best friend Presley. I was on my way to her house, and I wasn’t feeling the best. I was dizzy and had severe pains in my bones. I thought it was maybe just growing pains, so I wasn’t going to let this stop me from a great day. When I got to Presley’s house, we were both so excited for the day that we had planned. She just had to grab a few things before we were out the door. As she was in her room, I started aching and coughing blood. I started yelling for help, but after I yelled once, I fell to the ground.

The whole world was spinning. I was starting to go unconscious, but I could see Presley and her mom run up to me. They were asking a bunch of questions, but I couldn’t process them through my mind. I saw Presley’s mom on the phone, and that’s when I went blank and passed out. When I woke up, I was very confused. I noticed that I was in the ambulance. The paramedics were asking what my name is and all the basic questions they ask.

One of the paramedics asked,“How did you end up here?”

Sam, struggling to get the words out of her mouth said, “I don’t”

Sam didn’t get to finish her sentence before she blacked out again. The next time I woke up, I was in the hospital. I was hooked up to three different machines. I felt very sick and extremely weak.

I asked the doctor, “Why am I here? What is going on?”

The doctor replied , “Your body wasn’t dealing well with your sickness, so you blacked out.”

“Does this mean I am fine and get to go home?” I asked.

The doctor told me that I could not go home because I had stage four leukemia cancer. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. The doctor told me that I was not doing well, and the cancer is starting to spread. I had a small chance of living. I knew that I was going to be staying in the hospital for a long time now, and I would also be taking lots of chemo therapy. I felt like the world was spinning. My mom was yelling at the doctor because she was so angry and upset that this had to happen to me.

The doctors took my mom out of the room, so I didn’t have to see her in pain. I realized that I needed to get some rest to have some time to think about how I am going to have to battle for my life. I fell asleep for only about an hour, and then I woke up. When I woke up, I saw Presley and a few other of my friends. I started thinking about how I can not let this cancer take my life over because these people need me and I still have a long life to live.

March 7, 2016

A week has gone by, and I can tell I am getting weaker and sicker as the days go on. I am trying to be as strong as I can. The doctor had came into my room and they said they had an idea to cure this cancer. They were going to take me into surgery, and once I get out of surgery it will take a couple months for my body to heal and to see if the surgery worked. In order for me to be able to take the surgery I have to get healthier and stronger. That will be the only way it will work. I was finally starting to think there was hope.

March 10, 2016

It is my first day in chemo. I am very scared on how my body will react to it. There is a chance that my body won’t react well to it, and then I won’t be able to get healthier. The doctors will be hooking me up to the machine, and I will be in it for a couple hours. When I get out of chemo, I am going to be very weak, but this will hopefully destroy the cancer.

March 11, 2016

The treatment went well. I was very weak at first, and all I could do was sit in the bed. I was too weak and tired to walk. I never knew how much it could drain you. Today, I have enough energy to get around; I feel great! It feels good to feel like this. I am starting to think there is hope.

March 18, 2016

I found out great news today! The doctors told me I have been reacting well to the treatment, and my body is becoming stronger. I can go through the surgery tomorrow. I am so excited, but I am also very nervous. I am more nervous than ever because there is a chance this surgery will kill me. If it works, I may be able to have a normal life again. Having a normal life means no throwing up every day and being in pain. I will have the surgery in a couple days, so the doctors are prepared.

March 20, 2016

I just got out of surgery, and I am not feeling good. I am very sore and tired. The doctors said that this was to be expected. They had told me that the surgery went very well, and they said that the odds are looking very good for me. I will get the results back and take another cat scan in a week when I am healed.

March 27, 2016

I went to the doctors today and had my cat scan. When the doctors got my results back they had the biggest smile on their face. I began to break down in tears. They had told me that I was cancer free and that the surgery had worked. I had won the battle and beat cancer. There were times where I had to begun to think about how I didn’t know if I wanted to keep going and fighting. There were times where I couldn’t take the pain, but I kept fighting for my life. I can finally do the things I have always wanted to do.

March 27, 2017

It has been a year, and I am still cancer free. I am healthier than I have ever been. I am very proud of how far I have come. I have been able to take many opportunities that I wasn’t able to take when I was sick. I look at life from a different point of view now. I live every day to the fullest because you never know what bumps in the road you may meet.

History of Softball/ History of Volleyball/ History of Women's Basketball

Softball started in 1887 as an indoor game known as various names such as indoor baseball, mush ball, kitten ball, and ladies ball. The name softball was given to the game in 1926. Many people think the game came from baseball, but it actually came from a game of football. Some of you may be wondering how did softball come from the game of football? Softball has nothing to do with football, but I am going to tell you how it all started.

It was Thanksgiving Day of 1887 at the Yale vs Harvard football game. When Yale was announced the winner, a former student from Yale playfully threw a boxing glove at a Harvard supporter. The Harvard fan swung at the glove with a stick, and the crowd looked at them with interest. At the time George Hancock was was the reporter from the Chicago Board of Trade, and he jokingly called out, “Play Ball.” In 1926 Walter Hakanson put together the term “softball” at the National Recreation Congress meeting, and by 1930 the term softball was being used around the nation.

The original ball was 16 inches in circumference. Professional softball games today are played using a 10-12 inch ball in circumference. Games using the 16 inch ball is often referred to as “cabbage ball”, and they are not allowed to use fielding gloves. Women’s fastpitch softball was added to the roster of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Softball was later dropped in the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is still one of the most popular sports in the United States and 113 countries have officially joined the International Softball Federation since 1952. Many people have their opinions on which is harder between softball and baseball.

Men are always complaining that softball is way easier than baseball but in all honesty they are two different games. Softball is about speed. It may sometime seem the pitcher is standing right on top of you when she is pitching the ball. It is proven that softball players have less time to react to the ball when they are up to bat. It is easier for softball players to steal bases because the bases are closer together.

The catcher has to get out of her stance right away and whip the ball to the base as fast as she can. There are no lead offs before the pitch is released. Softball fields are much smaller than baseball fields, so the fielders have an easier time fielding the ball which means the runners need to get around the bases quickly. Everybody will have their opinions on which is harder, but it all comes down to how it all started and how much the history of softball has changed ever since the beginning.

History of Volleyball

Volleyball started in 1895 by William G. Morgan four years after basketball was invented. A graduate first designed the game to be a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. When volleyball first got started, the net was only 6’6” high, but the average American was shorter in the 19th century. In 1916, it became clear that there needed to be standard rules after watching Phillipines spike the ball.

The Philippines were the ones who demonstrated all the techniques you need to play volleyball, and that is how the rules were formed. You used to only be able to go to 15 points, but that rule was later changed to going to 21 points. In 1920 the rule of having three hits per side was originated. There are six players on the court at a time. There are three hits per side, which was normally a pass (bump), set, and a hit (attack or spike). A pass is an underhand motion with both of your arms together to try to get it to your designated setter. In a game there are typically one to two setters. A set is an overhand pass while using both of your hands to try to get it to your other three hitters. Your hitters are the ones who hit the ball and try to get a downward kill over the net to end the rally.

A while after volleyball was started, beach volleyball became a huge hit for both men and women. Beach volleyball is typically only played with two people. Volleyball is becoming a huge sport that many people are starting to take interest in.

History of Women’s Basketball

Women’s basketball was first invented in 1891 only a year after men’s basketball was invented. When it first originated, women had to wear corsets and floor length skirts. The only skin they were allowed to show was their fingers, neck, and head. Since then, the game has changed drastically.  In 1918, the rules were changed from having 11 officials, coaches only allowed at halftime, and a basket with an open bottom instead of a closed bottom opened by a chain.

Now, basketball typically has 2-3 officials. The uniforms are shorts and a short sleeved/tank jersey. The coaches are allowed at the whole entire game unless of course if they get ejected. In 1971, the 5 player, full court rule is adopted along with the 30 second shot clock. I only covered a few sports’ history, but I think we can all agree that time is changing. The history of sports is not the same, and the rules are different and modern. It is fun to be a part of something where the history behind it, is changing over time.

Into the Woods

It was the last day of summer vacation, and what better way to spend the last day with your best friend at the mall? Summer vacation went by in a blink of an eye. Saydee and I had to go shopping for some new school clothes. Once we arrived at the mall, we ran in because it was raining. When we walked in the doors, there was an unusual-looking man in the doorway. It looked like he had been waiting there for.

We continued walking because we figured he was waiting for somebody else while they were parking their car. Our first store that we went to was Buckle. We went to Buckle because we needed to get some new jeans for school. As we walked in, I saw a mannequin that looked just like me. Saydee exclaimed, Kendel, that mannequin looks exactly like you!”

I told Saydee that we needed to leave the mall right away. I was very shaken up because somebody had to have been watching us. I was just wanting to get home safely, When we got to the car, the man was standing right by the driver’s side door! The man jumped out from the side of the car and pushed me out in the road. A car was coming towards my direction, and I was still laying in the road. The car swerved to the side, and Saydee jumped out to pull me to the side. By the time Saydee pulled me to the side, the man had already vanished.

We realized we have somebody stalking us. I yelled, “Saydee, we have to get back in the mall and get help!”

This was the most terrifying thing we have ever gone through. When we got inside, Saydee grabbed everybody’s attention by yelling, “Please, somebody help us!”

The workers rushed over and called the police. The police arrived in a few minutes. The police arrived, and we told them everything that had happened. We told the police to go out to our car and check if the car was safe. The police had told us that the car was completely safe. The man must not have had much time to react so he vanished.

The police went to the security cameras and told us to pick out the man. Once we picked out the man, one of the men drove Saydee and I home. The police told us that they would take us inside and check the house to see if it was clear to go in. When the police entered my house, everything seemed to be put in place from where we left it. Saydee and I decided that it would be best if she stayed at my house tonight since my parents were going to be gone. I couldn’t stay at my house all alone after all of this.

It was a long day, so we decided it would be best to just lie down and watch a movie. While we were watching the movie, all the power went out. I said, “I’m sure the power will be back on soon.”

I tried texting my other friend, Mckenna, to see if her power was out too, but I didn’t have any service. We were both starting to freak out, but we wanted to stay calm. A couple minutes later, a brick was thrown through the window that had written on it, “You shouldn’t have told the cops”. Saydee yelled, “ Kendall, we have to get out of here!”

I grabbed a piece of large glass from the broken window and ran out the door. We ran as fast as we could to the woods. It was the only place where we could get out of sight. We ran deep into the woods.

Once we felt safe, we stopped and tried to make a plan. As I was in the middle of my plan Saydee said, “Hey Kendall, looks over there. It looks like a shed.”

We walked over to the shed and went in. We got inside and turned on the lantern that was in there. There were computers everywhere that had cameras everywhere in my house. My cell-phone was also being tracked, and it would give away my location. There were pictures of me hanging on the walls everywhere in that shed. This guy had been stalking me for months. He had been hiding out in the woods watching me and my family.

We had to find a way to get out of these woods and get to town, or at least get cell service. When we started running, the man jumped out of the woods. We ran the opposite direction until we reached the road. The man was still chasing us. When we hit the end of the wood, I pulled out my phone. We had cell service so I called 911.

After I got off the phone, I turned around and saw the man on top of Saydee beating her up. I started screaming for help. The police cars show up, and the man sprinted away. The cops got out of the car and ran after him. I saw them running away until I noticed Saydee still laying on the ground. She wasn’t moving. The medics rushed over and said she wasn’t breathing. The pushing hard on her chest and gave her a mask. Three minutes later she came back.

I was so relieved. I don’t know what I would do without my best friend. As the medics were carrying her to the ambulance, I saw the cops bringing back the man in cuffs. They finally got the guy. There was going to be nobody watching us anymore, and we can finally live without having to feel like somebody was watching us. We can go back to the life we used to live.

Time to Move On

We all have that one friend that we have known ever since we were four. Chloe and Cassidy have been friends ever since they can remember, and they aren’t just friends. They are more like sisters. They do everything together such as taking summer vacations together, shopping together, and being involved in the same sports. The longest they have ever been part from each other is a week.

Chloe and Cassidy first met when they went to preschool together. There weren’t many kids in their class. Their school is one of the smallest schools around. The school is in trouble and starting to take a turn for the worst. If the school did end up closing, they would be going to the same school because they wouldn’t be able to be apart from each other at different schools. Their parents are also very good friends, so that’s why Cassidy and Chloe have gotten so much closer through the years.

It was the last day of Chloe and Cassidy’s sophomore year of school. They have been planning a vacation for the whole year that they will be going on in two weeks. The vacation is going to be a two-week vacation to Florida. They will be spending time at the beach and relaxing. The girls were so excited because this is going to be the best vacation that they have ever gone on.

At the end of the week, Chloe got a call from Cassidy. Chloe thought Cassidy was just calling her to get the final details of the vacation. Instead, Cassidy was crying over the phone. She was very worried and knew that whatever she was about to hear wasn’t going to be good. Cassidy said with a lot of pain in her voice, “ Chloe I am so scared. I just found out my dad has cancer, and he only has a month to live. The cancer is taking over his whole body. There is nothing the doctors can do to help him.”

Chloe couldn’t believe what she had just heard over the phone. She replied, “ I am sorry!

I just want you to know that he was a great person and a lovely friend to many people.”

Cassidy thanked her and hung up the phone. They found out he wasn’t going to be healthy enough to travel all the way to Florida. The cancer has taken a turn for the worst.

She felt very bad, but Chloe wasn’t upset at all because she knows that Cassidy has to be there to support her father. She needs to spend as much time as she can with her father because they know that his days may come to an end. Now the vacation that was supposed to be Chloe and Cassidy’s families have turned into just Chloe’s family. Despite the fact that Cassidy’s family can’t go along, Chloe is still going to have fun.  She is hoping that everything will be fine with Cassidy’s family because their families are very close.

It was the day that Chloe leaves for the vacation. They were boarding the plane to Florida. When she got on the plane, she checked her phone, and it said she had one missed call from Cassidy. Chloe took her seat and called her back. When Cassidy picked up the phone, it sounded like she had been crying. Cassidy yelled at Chloe, “He’s gone! He lost his battle to cancer last night. What am I going to do? I need you here with me to get through this.”

Chloe didn’t say anything because she was in disbelief. She had tears running down her face. She felt so bad for her best friend because she knows how bad it must hurt to lose a father who made such a big impact in her life. Chloe said in tears, “ I am so sorry. I wish I could be there for you.”

She wished she could say more, but she couldn’t take the pain anymore. Chloe hung up the phone. She rushed to where her parents were sitting and sat in her mother’s arms crying. Her parents had an idea already of what happened, so they didn’t even bother asking what was wrong.

A couple days had passed. Chloe has been taking time to relax on the beach and take away all the stress. She constantly was thinking about Cassidy, but she was happy to find out that Cassidy’s mom was flying her into Florida so she could spend time with her. She was hoping Chloe would cheer Cassidy up. There was going to be no special funeral for the father, so after the private burial, she would be flown into Florida.

Cassidy was getting flown into Florida today and Chloe was so excited. She felt like she hadn’t seen her in forever. This is the longest time they have ever been apart from each other. Before Cassidy arrived at the hotel, Chloe was going to go on a boat out to the ocean. In the middle of the ocean she got to swim with dolphins and go scuba diving. Swimming with the dolphins was the most amazing thing she has ever done. They were all getting a little tired so they thought it was a good time to go back. It would give them time to clean up and get some rest.

When they arrived back at the hotel Chloe checked her phone. No calls and no messages from Cassidy. She thought this was unusual because the plane was supposed to land very soon. Chloe was going to wait about another 15 minutes to see if anything happened. While she was waiting she turned on the T.V. The news popped up, and it said there was a plane that crashed with hundreds dead. The news reporter said that the plane was on its way to Florida!

Chloe’s heart was beating so fast. She ran to her parents yelling, “Mom, Dad, hurry and come watch the news!”

Chloe could tell by the look on her parent’s face that it was no good. She then knew that it was the plane that her best friend was on. She broke down into tears. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She was praying and praying that Cassidy was not one of the hundreds that were dead. Chloe’s family called Cassidy’s mom.

By the time she had anytime to talk, she could already hear Cassidy’s mom crying. Cassidy’s mom said, “Cassidy’s plane had never landed. The police found her body on the ground. Her body was found with no pulse. Why is this happening?”

Chloe couldn’t believe that her best friend was gone. She didn’t understand why this had to happen to Cassidy. First it was Cassidy’s dad and then Cassidy. All she could think was that if they would have just stayed back to support Cassidy’s family of the loss of a loved one, then they wouldn’t have even been on this vacation. Cassidy wouldn’t even have to worry about flying all the way out to Florida, and she wouldn’t have ended up dead. Chloe’s family realized that it was time to go home because this vacation was going to be no longer enjoyable. They wanted to make it back for the funeral.

A couple days later was the funeral. At the funeral Cassidy’s mom asked Chloe to speak. She knew it was going to be hard, but she had to do it for the sake of Cassidy’s mom. It was a good way for her to say her last words about her best friend and let her go. She knew that Cassidy was in a better place and reunited with her father. This made Chloe realize that it is time to move on and realize that Cassidy and everything else will be okay.

The Life of a Foster Child

Some of you may know a foster child, or even be related to one! Most kids are in foster care to get a second chance at living a happy life, but there are also kids who don’t get that chance.  Foster children can be moved from house to house. There are 397,122 children in foster care, and only 101,666 of them are eligible for adoption. The other 32% have to wait around another year in an adoption care. Those kids don’t know what it’s like to have a stable family. Luckily, my cousin Lane was fortunate enough and didn’t have to worry about not being in an unstable family. This is the story of Lane.

When Lane was born, my aunt and uncle were called up by the adoption organization to see if they were interested in adopting my cousin Lane. At this time, my aunt and uncle had been interested in adopting for a long time. Lane was being taken away from his parents because they were not stable enough to take care of him, and they didn’t want to even have a child in the first place. They were not prepared at all. My aunt and uncle went to the hospital, and they were very thankful that they got called to take this opportunity, but they were going to have to go through a long process in court.

My aunt and uncle had faced a tough time through the adoption process before they adopted Lane; they were taking care of a little boy named Austin. Austin was a blessing to our family. He fit right in. Austin was taken away from his parents because his parents were not safe to be around. When Austin came to the family he had to leave behind his older sister, and that was a little tough for him, but he still got to see her every now and then.  Austin was a part of our family for quite some time before we got the heartbreaking news that caused sadness for our whole family.

We had to say goodbye to Austin because he was going to go back to his dad. We were all very sad and didn’t know what to think of it. From the very beginning we didn’t think it was going to be a very good idea because of all of the things that his dad did before Austin got taken away from him. We couldn’t believe he had to go back to his dad! After he was taken away, our family gatherings would always be a little different. I remember sitting in the living room with everybody talking about all the good times we had with Austin. It brought everybody to tears. My other aunt and uncle have seen him only a few times since he went back to his dad.  I recently found out that Austin’s dad took Austin and his sister to Florida. Now I’m afraid that I will no longer get to see him. Seeing old pictures of him really brought back great memories.

As my aunt a uncle were going to court to try to adopt Lane, Lane’s real name was Zachary. My aunt and uncle hated that name, so they changed it to Lane. They had high hopes for this adoption because they realized that the parents could not take care of Lane and it wouldn’t have been a stable family. Lane’s dad never came forward because the mother never even knew the father of Lane! The mother never came out and said who the father was, and to this day we still do not know, but that didn’t matter to my aunt and uncle; they just wanted the rights to adopt Lane.

We were all waiting for the call from them to let us know if the adoption went through, and it did!  We were all so excited because we all grew so close to Lane the first time we saw him. Lane and I have had quite a bond. Whenever I walk in the door, he runs up to me, and he will give me the biggest hug. I am always the first one he will run up to. He is the cutest little boy, and  he will never fail to put a huge smile on my face.

Lane has grown so much the past 5 years as well as facing many challenges. As Lane had gotten older we have realized that he gets really paranoid around cops. He will cling on to you if he sees one.

Lane will say things like, “ Are they the good guys?” or “ Will they keep me safe?”

My aunt and uncle say that the reason he says all of that is because he thinks that they will take him away. As soon as I heard that we all thought it was unusual but at the same time we all felt bad for him. We never want him to feel that way. I know my cousin Lindsey gets asked rude questions all the time by her classmates, but she doesn’t care. She will stick up for Lane no matter what.

Besides that, Lane has the most energy you could possibly have, but that is what makes him so much fun to be around. Lane loves helping his big sister with all her animals and helping out on the farm. He sometimes thinks he’s a little bigger than what he really is. Whenever I see Lane I will see him wrestling or doing flips, and he loves to drive the fourwheeler around the farm.

There have been so many amazing memories with Lane that I will never forget.  Every year when we get together for a holiday, we take a moment to pray for all the things we are blessed to have. In the middle of the prayers Lane always gets brought up about how thankful we are to have him be a part in our life. We are so proud of how far he has come. There are some children who lose all hope when they reach their teens because most parents looks for younger kids when they want to adopt.

The reason for more younger kids being adopted is because older kids often aren’t as understanding and face difficult times growing up. I sometimes wonder how my aunt and uncle are going to tell my cousin that he is adopted, and I wonder how he will react. There are kids that get very upset once they find out and they leave their parents. We all hope that is not how my cousin will react because our family wouldn’t be the same without him. That is the story of Lane.