Barnabee!!!

If you read my last blog than this next experience of mine may seem a bit odd to you! But it really did happen. It’s quite a coincidence. Today while practicing some music I need to learn for a singing competition I looked out the big window into my front yard! Literally the second I looked out a bird flew right into it RIGHT where I was looking! I than ran to the window and looked down where the bird had fallen! Less than 10 seconds after I saw the bird a chipmunk ran out of the bushes and started attacking! I then ran outside and scared the evil chipmunk away! I picked up the poor little bird and let it lay on my open hand! Then I went to my basement and found a box to put some more grass in!(Does this story seem a little familiar yet?)The Internet said I had found a red-eyed vireo! Its back is an olive green with a dark gray head, white belly, and a white strip over its eyes. The website also said they eat insects, caterpillars, and small fruit!

I don’t know if the bird I found is a boy or a girl so I decided to name it Barnabee! I named it this because Barnabee is the name my parents used for me before they found out if I was a boy or girl! So after finding out everything I could on line I decided to try to feed him! The Trouble is I don’t have any insects and I don’t know what’s considered a small fruit! I’m also concerned because Barnabee has a big bloody gash behind his left eye and is having trouble with his right leg! I don’t know what to do! I tried taking him out and getting him to Walk but all he does is stand there! The Internet also said these birds generally sing most of the time. I haven’t herd Barnabee make a sound! I feel bad cause this poor little bird is hurt and I don’t know how to help!

I sure hope Barnabee will live but if he doesn’t at least he wont be alone when it happens! I’m going to try my hardest to save this bird and I just hope that he gets better! I plan to put updates on my blog so if I find out anything else or I get him to eat I will be sure to post about it!

Annabell!

Five years ago I was practicing some music I was trying to learn. When I looked out the big window into the front yard, I saw an hawk swoop down and pick something up off the ground.  It then began to fly away, but what ever had been its mouth had fallen out! I quickly ran outside to see what the hawk had dropped, and when I looked at the ground I saw an injured baby bird! Seeing that the hawk was now flying back, I picked up the baby bird and ran! I found a shoebox in my basement and filled it with grass. I then went online to find out what kind of bird I had rescued! The website I found told me what kind of bird it was, although I can’t remember the name now. It said under the description that the bird ate worms. So I went out and bought some!

I saved that baby bird and I named her Annabel. I taught her how to fly, and find food! Then about a week later after feeding her every two hours and moving her up and down on my finger to teach her how to use her wings she finally was ready to be set free again! I brought her out to my back yard and she flew away! I then went back inside my house! I soon began to miss her. After all, I had spent a whole week with her about 2 hours total a day! To take my mind off it, I decided to read out on the porch! About five minutes into reading I heard a chirping outside the door! It was quite annoying. It just kept chirping and chirping! Finally I went to the door to scare away this annoying bird! But when I opened the door it was Annabel! She had come back! I had missed her, but she needed to fly away and be free so I tried taking her to a neighbors yard a few hundred feet away! Again I went back to read and was interrupted by chirping! She just didn’t want to leave me! So I decided she could stay just a tinny bit longer!

The next day my whole family went out to my grandparent’s house! I decided to bring Annabel so I could give her worms! When It was time to leave I was bringing Annabel back to the car, but my mom told me I should leave her at the farm cause it was so open! She said Annabel would have a better life! I thought she was right so I let Annabel out of her box and brought her out back by a tree! I then remember her flying up into the tree, and I remember my parents telling me we had so go! I said my final good bye and never saw Annabel again! I can only hope my little bird was able to make friends, fend for herself, and have a long fun life! That’s all a mother ever wants and I wasn’t any different.

Spreading the Music

Earlier this year, my Pastor at Lovely Lane United Methodist Church approached me and asked if I would like to direct the kids choir at our church! At first I didn’t really want to! I thought it would take up too much time, and I was worried the kids wouldn’t like me as much as they liked Pastor Gayle. But now I realize I was totally wrong!  Spending time with the kids has been so fun and i don’t regret my decision at all!

Three weeks ago I went and watched Pastor Gayle teach! All the children loved her and I was just hoping they would love me too! During the first rehearsal I learned about things, like the high 5! Your hand goes up and your mouth goes shut! I also learned about a wiggle minute! This is used when the kids are too wound up and need to get all their energy out so they can sing. I was really happy I got to work with Pastor Gayle first, before I went on my own because I don’t know if I would have been able to do it without a little guidance!

Now for the past rehearsals we have been working on No Mountain High Enough, and Everybody Come and See. I think the kids really like the songs and we added in some motions to make it more fun! Next week we get to start Christmas songs and they all seem really excited about it! It’s still going to take me awhile to learn names, but as long as all the kids know and look up to me, I still feel like I’m making a difference in their Sunday school experience! This has been so rewarding so far and I can’t wait for the first performance and see the smiles on everyone’s face!

He Remembered All the Words!

Have you ever looked at someone you have known for years and had no idea who they were? Have you ever had a conversation with someone and completely forgot what you were talking about only a few seconds later? Have you ever been afraid of where the water in your shower comes from, to the point where you’re scared to even take one? Well this is how people with Alzheimer's feel every day!

My grandfather has had Alzheimer's for 9 years now and in that length of time he has changed more than I ever could have imagined back when I was 8. He went from being a Lazar tag playing man that he was, to the man who just likes to sit on his porch. He has gone from taking a shower every day to taking one only 1-2 times a month, because he is genuinely scared of where the water comes from! He used to be one of the most well known, honest Realtors in Davenport. Now he doesn't even remember being married to his wife after 63 years of marriage. This is the kind of thing my family has had to watch as the years have gone by.

At first it starts slow. In the first stage of Alzheimer's, no dementia can be detected. Once you reach the second stage you begin forgetting where certain objects are and not being able to think of a word. When you reach the third stage, people start to notice. One begins forgetting names of people they have just met or they can’t remember reading something they have just read. During the fourth stage Alzheimer patients find it more difficult to remember recent personal history or have difficulty doing more complex tasks. When crossing into the 5th stage’ a person may begin to not remember things like their phone number or their address. They also cannot remember where they went to school or be able to pick out an appropriate outfit. In the second to last stage, things are very serious. At this time, patients can’t remember how to flush the toilet or brush their teeth. They may even begin forgetting their spouse’s name or people who are very close to them. When patients reach the final stage of dementia, they have trouble functioning. Things like movement begin to be uncontrollable.

My family is very lucky. When my grandpa was himself he enjoyed doing a number of things! He liked speaking German, loved his job, and really, really loved music. He even used to conduct his own orchestra!  Last Christmas when all of my family was sitting in a circle, something amazing happened, my grandfather, the man who has had Alzheimer’s for 9 years, the man who can’t even remember who I am, began singing White Christmas! We all began singing with him, so excited to see how happy he was! But just the fact that he remembered how to sing was amazing. On top of that, he started conducting all of us and he was able to sing the whole song, all the way through! HE REMEMBERED ALL THE WORDS. For an Alzheimer’s patient who is in they're 6th stage of Alzheimer’s, this is a miracle! I can’t think of a better time for something amazing as this to happen. I’m just so happy that after 9 years, the man I had nearly forgotten was himself again, and he was actually having fun. We had all missed him.

I LOVE Singing

I love to sing sooo much! At school I am involved with show choir, concert choir, chamber choir, the fall musical, and the All-state competition process. Plus on top of that, I take private voice lessons from an international opera singer, and I am currently getting ready for a national voice competition called NATS! I also try to sing at church anytime I learn a spiritual song.

None of these things would matter if I didn’t have people to sing with! Singing can be fun alone, but it’s so much more rewarding to sing with a full choir and have that beautiful four-part harmony! Plus you get to be really good friends with the people you’re singing with!

My favorite choir to be in at school is Happiness Inc. That is the Varsity show choir at Kennedy and our songs and dances are so much fun to perform! We aren’t nearly done with our show yet, but learning all the new music is just as much fun as performing it! It’s a lot of hard work and long hours but once you nail the dance move, hit the cord perfectly, or even just get to spend time with your friends, it’s all worth it! We’re not allowed to share what the songs are yet, but trust me! You are really going to want to come and watch us!

Although singing in a group is fun, singing on your own can also be very rewarding! When you sing solo, you’re able to select music that is challenging and takes forever to get right! That’s why I take voice lessons! The time I spend every day working on my songs that are written in Latin, French, Italian, German or any other languages, may take a ton of time to get down, but when you’re up on stage all by yourself hoping you nail it just right, everything is worth it!

Homecomming survival guid.

Survival topic 1.)

 Find the PERFECT dress! When going shopping for your dress, make sure you match your body type! For instance girls who would normally double up on the padded bra! Is that really necessary? NO, it’s not. You don’t have to have a girnormous bust to attract your date! So rather than finding a dress that your push up bra has to hold up, find a dress that has ruffles, roushing, or a exciting pattern, to detract from the fact that your cup size is not a DD. Secondly, make sure that when you’re looking for your dress, you only buy the one you LOVE. "Well, one thing I know about shopping is that if you don't absolutely love it in the store, you won't wear it. The store is, where you like it best. So before you choose something, think of yourself wearing it and say to yourself: Is this me?" (Blind Side the movie)

Survival topic 2.)

 Once you have found your dress, you have to accessorize! The most important accessory you can add to your outfit is SHOES! When buying your shoes make sure to check that they match! If your dress is black and white.... BORING! Try to use your shoes to add an accent color! On the other hand if your dress has too much color, or you can’t find shoes that exactly match, black and silver are always good colors! The other thing you have to worry about when looking for your perfect glass slipper is the heel! If it’s too low you’re telling people you’re mature and not a lot of fun! On the other hand, if you’re shoes are too high, you’re basically just screaming at people to call you a hooker! You must find the perfect 3-4 inch heel that gives you the look of a fun- loving, good girl. Unless you actually are a hooker... and in that case, you’re on your own!

Survival topic 3.)

 HAIR! Your hair is probably the most important thing after the perfect dress! Plus there's so many ways it could go wrong and look terrible, so this is a very serious matter! If your dress is a one shoulder or has cool looking/intricate straps, don't let your hair cover them! Secondly, if you’re wearing a big chunky necklace don't let your hair get in it’s way! Thirdly, don't do something to your hair that people already see everyday of the week! For instance, if you wear your hairs straight almost every day to school, then do something fun with it! Odds are people are bored of seeing your hair always look the same and I will bet you your hair is bored of it too! When you’re picking your hairstyle, be careful not to pick something that could easily look bad! Plus, just because you’re getting it done doesn't mean it’s going to automatically look amazing! Don't get your hopes up too high! Last but certainly not least, watch out for the poof! You make it too big, you could be looking like Snooky or getting it caught in tree branches! But if you make it too small, you could end up looking bald and I really don't think you are going to want a picture of that sitting on top of your date’s bedside table for the next month!

Hope my tips were helpful!!! :)