Highlights Of The School Year

The 2014-2015 school year is almost over. If you're like me, you're an 8th grader going into high school. Some of us are excited and happy to finally be going into high school. The others might be sad because we spent a lot of time in middle school and a lot of good memories were made. Although the school year isn't over yet, I thought that it would still be a good idea to talk about the good things to happened during the year so far.

The first month of school was exciting. My friends and I played volleyball. There was a lot of running in a sport that does not really require that much running. The practices starting during the summer. About a week before school started. Volleyball felt like it went on forever but it was about a month or two. School sports are always fun because it's a good time to socialize with others that you most likely don't talk to very often.

Top Places To Visit During Summer

Summer Break is almost here! It's almost time to break out your swim suit, stay in your pajamas all day, or do what ever it is that you do during summer break! If you're like me though, you're always looking for something to do during summer break. Face it, sitting on the couch and watching tv gets old. Something that I enjoy doing during the summer is going on summer trips. I never really go out of state though which is a little sad. There's still a bunch of things to do in Colorado though! Plus, I know a couple of things that you can do when you go out of state too.

Colorado may not seem like much but that's okay because like I said, there's still a lot more than you think here. Something that's fun that you can do is go camping. I love camping, but, if you're not an outdoor person, this isn't for you. If you don't know where to go camping at, look to west. What do you see? Mountains. And a lot of them too. There's national parks that will let you pith a tent. There's also camping grounds that they cleared out to make life a whole lot easier for you. Camping isn't staying in a cabin at a National Park. Oh no. Camping is pulling out the old tent, have fun campfires and creating new memories with your family! Don't be afraid if it would be your first time camping, it's actually really fun! However, the first thing that you want to do when you get home, is shower. You're in the wilderness, there is running water there. Unless you find a creak and bathe in that... Which probably isn't the best idea in the world. If you're worried about bears, don't be. You most likely won't run into one. If you do, don't scare it or it will attack you. I've never encountered a bear but there has been deer and raccoons. Not as scary.. Except for those raccoons.

Somewhere else that I recommend going for summer is Colorado Springs. There's a lot of fun things to do there. There's this place called "The Caves of the Wind." What is it? Well, they're caves, that are cold and windy. It could be a little scary but hey, you get a free flashlight! It's not meant for younger kids. I don't suggest taking a 2 year old in there. There's also this thing called "The 7 Falls." It's once again, what the name says. It's a place that has 7 waterfalls. You go up these rickety stairs while climbing up to each waterfall. You get super wet so take a raincoat! Be careful... It is slippery too. It's only cool when there's enough water going down to the stream that leads into the falls. I've also heard that if you make it to the 7th fall, there's a secret on down a path. It's small but it's there. Maybe. One last thing that I love to do when I go to Colorado Springs is going to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It's like the Denver zoo but on the side of this mountain. It's also so big that you can take a ski lift up and to see the zoo and the city of Colorado Springs. It's really neat. It's about 3x the size of the Denver Zoo! I love it there! You can also feed the Giraffes. Something new, exciting and probably something that you haven't done before. They also have mountain lions. The glass is kind of slanted so they seem like they're walking on top of you. You have to go there yourself to know what it's like!

 Now for out of state ideas. I haven't been to any other state other than Kansas. There's nothing to see or do in Kansas so if you're looking for fun things to do, I don't recommend going there. This summer, I'm going to Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. Yellowstone, in case you didn't know, is in Wyoming. Yellowstone is a national park so you most likely won't get any reception or wifi connection while you're there. So if you're planning on Facebooking every single day while you're on vacation, this probably isn't a good place for you to go. I wanted to go to see Old Faithful. Here's a quick fact about Old Faithful, it is one of the most easiest geysers to see when there. Park Rangers are able to easily predict when the geyser will erupt because of the fact that it's been erupting for the same regular fashion for the recorded history of the park. Did you know that Yellowstone National Park is caldera volcano meaning that it is a volcano under land. It can and most likely will explode. It's also a supervolcano. Basically meaning that when it explodes, it will be big. Colorado will get hit hard by this volcano. Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota. Everyone knows about it. It has our 4 founding fathers' faces engraved in it.

Friends

Honestly, I've been trying to avoid writing this blog. I want my  blogs to seem interesting and keep them fun to read. I don't know if people would like to hear about personal things but I'll give it a try...
Friends are good have. They're like you in almost every way! Or.. maybe they aren't. You'll still have your differences but you won't let that affect your friendship. Sometimes you guys will fight, and that's okay because what's a friendship with out a little disagreeing? I've had a lot of friends in my life and let me tell you, when I was younger, it was a lot easier to make friends than now. I used to know a lot of people and they used to know me too. I used to talk to more people than I do now. That ended when some of my "friends" started to make fun of me, they weren't what you would call, true friends.

I'll be honest, I still don't know how friendships work that well. They're kind is weird. You just find someone that you like and have things in common with and you just call them... well, your friend. I've learned some things in the past 14 years of my life about friends. This is what I've thought of when I think of friends-
Friends are people you can count on to be there for you. Bad break up? Don't cry to your pillow, call up that one person you can talk to about anything and tell them what's going. Things not going well at school? Talk to them, they'll help you. A friend is also someone who is going to honest to you. Let's say that you want to go shopping, you try something on and you ask them for their opinion and it looks bad, they aren't going to say "yep, that's the one!" Who would let their friend look bad? They would probably say "I don't think so."

A friend is also someone who you can trust. Got a deep dark secret? Trust them. If you're like me, you may have some trust issues but you can always tell that one person (or people depending if you have a group of friends.) Maybe you have a crush on someone who you know doesn't like you and you'll just DIE if anyone found out but you just need to tell someone. Maybe you've tried to write their name down 10000000 times hoping that just the thought of their name would finally end up disgusting you but sadly, Nothing works. Now what do you do? Sit there until you finally get them out of your mind? NOPE! You decide to tell your friend. You feel so much better! Funny thing about this scenario is, it's happened to a lot of people. And once you tell someone your secret, you get over them in a week!.. Maybe.

Another thing that I love to have friends around for is talking, about anything. You could be totally bored and the next thing you know, your friend calls you. ONce you start to talk to them, all of your problems seem to disappear. Maybe they know that you're stressed or having problems. They aren't going to bring those things up in a conversation. They want to give you space and when you really need the help, they'll know and can be there for you. They'll try to keep you distracted from the problem and they can do a darn good job at it that's for sure!

Everyone has a different opinion on what a friend should be and is. My opinion, shortened, is this. A friend is someone who will always be there. They're help you get through problems. They understand you. You know that you can trust them. Most of the time, you two don't even plan on meeting each other. It just kind of happens you know? All in all, a friend is someone who you can count on to be by your side think and thin. Those are the best kind of friends you can have.

Penguins!!

They're cute, adorable, when they're little babies they are so, so, SO fuzzy!! Everyone wants one! How could you not. The only downfall is that they kind of stink. They poop... A LOT! What do you expect? They're birds. These flightless birds are still fun to watch swim around when you go to the zoo.

What is there to know about penguins? Maybe the fact that they are flightless. They can't fly (a lot of birds can't. It's not something that is uncommon.) Even though that they can't fly, people say that they can "fly" underwater because they sure can swim. They glide through the Antarctic waters when they fish. Haven't you noticed that they look like they're wear tuxedos? Well, it's not for them to look snazzy, it's actually a type of camouflage called "countershading." It's like sharks. They have a darker feathered top so predators above them don't see them, and white on the bottom so fish don't see them when they look up. The white will look like the sunlight coming through the water and the darker colors will look like the water from the top. And although penguins spend most of their lives in the water catching and eating fish, they also go on land Mostly just to raise their young.


Penguins have wing-bones. It's a little hard to believe because they're very flipper-like and with wing-bones, it makes it a little harder for them to swim. However, these bones are suited for swimming. A penguins diet is mainly krill, fish, and squid. Not all penguins eat these though. Penguins that are closer to the equator will tend to eat more fish than fish that are closer to Antarctica, where the penguins tend to eat more krill and squid.

The highest population of penguins is the the Macaroni Penguin. These penguins look a little funny... They have yellow eyebrows that look like macaroni noodles (hence the name, Macaroni Penguins.) Have you seen or heard of that movie "Surf's Up?" That one penguin that wants to learn how to surf from the pro is a Macaroni Penguin. Macaroni Penguins live along the Antarctic Peninsula, Sub Antarctic Regions, South America and the islands that are around them. They prefer colder climate. The "social interaction" between each other is common, especially when it comes to the younger ones. These are a very less aggressive type of penguin, except when it comes to protecting their young, I mean, who wouldn't be aggressive them? Also, the females are known for being aggressive when they want to get the attention of a male when it's time for them to make little babies. (wink, wink.)

The lowest population of penguins is the the Galapagos Penguin. The Galapagos Penguins are small and are the only penguins that are found north if the equator and in the galapagos. The population is the lowest with under 1,000 breeding pairs, which is kind of sad. These penguins are different because unlike other penguins, they don't have a regular breeding season. They can have up to about 3 clutches of a mating "season" a year, which is 2 more than the other species. They're also the smallest penguins. They're only about 50 centimeters (19 inches.) And weigh an average of 5.5 pounds. They're so small and cute! Sadly, because they are so small, they have a lot of predators. On land, the main predator is crabs, snakes, these things called rice rats, cats, hawks, and even owls. In water, their predators are a little more scary. Because they live on islands by the equator, a lot marine life can attack. Things like sharks, fur seals, and sea lions. These poor birds, they can't really survive can they? Life is a struggle for them.

One of my favorite penguins are the Emperor Penguin. They're the biggest penguins out of 17 species of penguins. They stand to be about 45 inches tall (3.75 feet) and weigh about 84 pounds. These birds are the only things that inhabit Antarctica during the winter. They can face up to -76 degrees fahrenheit, which we, as humans, would have no chance of surviving, and blizzards that can have wind speeds that can rise up to about 124 mph. Have you seen that movie Happy Feet? That one scene when the dad's are carrying the eggs and Mambo, the one who dances, egg gets blown but the dad catches it, they were in a blizzard and that's really what it's like for these birds to endure. The only way that they are able to endure these harsh climates is by having a lot of adaptations. For example, their feathers. Emperor Penguins have 4 layers of almost scaly feathers that help them survive those harsh winters. They can also store a lot of fat to help keep them warm, it's like blubber on a whale. Not only have they found ways to adapt heat wise, but also by traveling. They don't just swim, they also have to walk you know. When they walk on the slippery ice, they use these really strong claws that are on their feet to hold on to the ice while they waddle along. They also do the famous belly slide! Their stomachs are sleek and slippery so it makes it easy for them to slide.

The Winter begins in March in Antarctica, and every winter Emperor Penguins travel up to 50 miles up ice to reach a good breeding ground. The males tend to get there first so they can get ready to impress the ladies. Some penguins will find a new mate each year or they stay with the same one. That's pretty cute. Incase you didn't know, the males are the ones to keep the egg safe and warm while the females go out and hunt for food. The males balance the egg on their feet and cover it with a think layer of feathers. They huddle together to stay warm and the male doesn't eat anything until the females come back with food.

Cupcake Wars

YUM! Cupcakes. They're delicious, fantastic and absolutely an all time favorite party food. How could you NOT love cupcakes? They're mini cakes! Portable cakes! Who doesn't love cake? Anyways, cupcakes. They're just like every other food on Earth, you can make something new with it, create your own, have some trial and error with it. On one of my favorite tv channels, there's this whole show dedicated to cupcakes. It's called Cupcake Wars. If you haven't seen it before, I recommend watching it when you can.

So what is this Cupcake Wars you may be asking. Well let me tell you:
Cupcake Wars is a show where bakers from their bakeries want to get their names out there and win money to help with their businesses. They also have celebrity judges who are either famous people from movies, tv shows or just a random person. They don't pick them randomly like a reality show, they contribute to it in a way. Say they needed to make cupcakes for a TV Series. Say, The Walking Dead. At the end of the show, the last 2 competitors will have to make something related to that. Like a Zombie Apocalypse themed display and something that will have the cupcakes look related to that. So their display can be a graveyard and little arms could be coming out the top of the cupcake to make it look like their crawling out of the dirt. The challenge will vary. If that sounds a little lame to you, here's something that will hopefully change your mind on that. The competitors will have to make their cupcakes out of strange things! Have you ever seen that show "Chopped" it's like that. The same idea... In a way.

So why do I enjoy this show so much? Cupcake Wars is a fun show to watch because you can see people's creativity while watching it. You can see their ideas come to life and watch them make these delicious cupcakes. I would eat only some of them though. In one episode, they had to make cupcakes out of SEAWEED for the anniversary for Sea World. Neat huh? The thing is that the people who win that show, they will have to take their dessert to the place that the cupcakes are made for. Say for a new movie premiere. They will have to take their cupcakes and display out to the movie premiere. Something that is related to it. Let's say Big Hero 6 (got to love that movie. Even though it's a big emotional rollercoaster ride!)

So how does this work? There will be 5 teams competing but only one team can win. There will be 3

Frozen Yogurt History and Facts

In my last bog, I talked about food that may seem a little gross and nasty but is still loved in different countries. In this blog, I'll be talking about the History of an amazing dessert. A dessert that should be known about and loved around the world! The desert that is frozen. The desert that is smooth. You might be thinking about ice cream but, I'm not. This dessert is so, so, so, SO much better than ice cream (my opinion) This amazing, fabulous, scrumptious dessert is the one. The only. FROZEN YOGURT! Amazing, I know. Delicious, of course!
Now what is the history behind frozen yogurt? You may think that it doesn't have a very exciting, interesting or cool history. Maybe someone just froze their yogurt on accident and it became a trend. If that's what you're thinking then... maybe you're right. Frozen yogurt has very short history as it was only invented about three decades ago. That, however, won't stop me from sharing it with you.
Frozen yogurt, basically the healthy ice cream. It was created in the early 1970s in New England by a man named H.P Hood. In about 1978, they started to sell frozen yogurt in tubs. After that, a popular yogurt company Dannon started to sell it on a stick under the name Danny. Another fun fact I bet you didn't know is that Frozen Yogurt was first called "Frogurt." What an appetizing name.
A lot of people didn't really like the tart taste that frozen yogurt had at the time. More sugar was added to balance out the tartness and gained popularity in the 1980s. Frozen yogurt began to become more and more popular all across America. Shops and stores started to sell for the more "health-minded" customers. Even though the popularity of the dessert increased, it was still no match for ice cream, king of frozen desserts! In the 1990s, "Frogurt" had taken 10% of the frozen dessert share. Even though in the 90s, the dessert had a steady rate of popularity, when self serve frozen yogurt machines were introduced in the 2000s, the fro-yo industry boomed with popularity. Unlike the 90s, the self serve frozen yogurt machines gave people more of choice of how they wanted their dessert. They can pick more than one flavor, they can have more toppings, it was just better than before!
With the "freedom" of having more of a choice when it came to their frogurt, the frozen yogurt shops continued to help make the franchise expand. Frozen Yogurt shops had an inviting atmosphere and made everyone feel welcomed. This helped yogurt shops get more business. It was like a coffee house, people came in to hang out and talk while having some delicious frozen yogurt. They were like meeting places. Have you ever seen that show "Friends"? When they go to the coffee shop, The Central Perk, they are always hanging out there. That's what Frozen Yogurt shops were like. People would hang out, talk, and even made it their own hangout spots.
Can you think of any cool frozen yogurt fun facts? No? Then here's some! (Be sure to tell your friends all these interesting fun facts!!)

1.) It contains helpful, "good bacteria." The bacteria that's in it is shown to help keep the digestive system healthy and the help the immune system fight infections.
2) It got it's name from the Turkish word "yogurur" which means "long life." There's been a belief that eating yogurt will give you a long life! So keep on eating!
3) Before leaning in for that one quick kiss, why don't you just go out and eat frozen yogurt before hand instead of reaching for a breath mint. Frozen yogurt has been shown to improve your breath.
4) It'll help you burn fat and lose the weight. It makes you feel fuller so if you eat it as a snack, you won't eat as much when you have your next real meal.
5) This is for if you're lactose-intolerant. Frozen yogurt is easy to digest. So even though it may have milk in it, it's easy for everyone to digest because of this one thing called the "Fermentation Process" which basically means it's a chemical breakdown.
6) Although I said that in the 1970s frozen yogurt was introduced, that doesn't mean that it was made then. People have actually been eating plain flavored yogurt for over 4,000 years!
7) In 1981, a Frozen yogurt company (like Danny) was introduced and got a way better turn out in sales than Danny because their yogurt was much sweeter. The frozen yogurt company TCBY was an arcanum and people always wondered what it was stood for. At first, it stood for " This Can't Be Yogurt" but that got changed to "The Country's Best Yogurt" and I'm sure that many people would agree.
Have you learned something new about the creamy, delicious, scrumptious frozen dessert that is frozen yogurt?! I hope you did. There are some really interesting things about frozen yogurt that I never knew and now I have better knowledge about it.