"How the Economy Stole Christmas"

The economy is in pretty bad shape which has slightly (not by much but still has) effected Christmas for me personally. This christmas my parents are more limiting on the gifts they can buy me. They say I can only get one large gift this year under the usual budget, and not as many stocking stuffers. It kind of sucks, but it's not too bad because I didn't really want anything 'super-fantastic' for Christmas anyway.
The economy also effects the gifts I give out as well. For almost every Christmas since the fifth grade, I would use my allowance to buy others gifts. But now that the economy is low (and I also because I have been grounded lately) I haven't been getting much allowance. So for this Christmas, I'm going to make most of the presents that I give out to family. I haven't made my family Christmas presents since I was 10! But I really enjoy crafting so I am looking forward to it. So in a way the suck-ish economy has made things difficult, but also has given me the chance to do something I enjoy(:

Reasons Why I Sometimes Go To Church

Church is a great thing. It's a place for people to practice worship in whatever they believe. I probably don't go to church as often as I should but here's why I go. I go to church every Christmas and Easter to thank god. I am both Christian and Catholic (I was baptised twice) so whenever I'm with my dad I go to catholic church and with my mom I go to Christian church. I enjoy going to Christian church more because we get to sing and jump around and it's more entertaining.
Reasons why I don't go to church are that I usually tend to sleep in on Sundays so I don't really get the chance to go. I also don't like going to Catholic church because its so boring. All we do is sit (or stand!) for 45 minutes. The worst part is that since I only go to Catholic church with my dad, we go to a Polish Catholic church. I speak Polish but it's difficult to understand. It's also difficult to follow along because I didn't go to caticism so I don't know what to sing or chant so I'm basically lost...

What I Am Thankful For

What I Am Thankful For

The Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For Are...

#1) My Family.

#2) Music.

#3) School.

#4) My friends.

#5) Food(:

#6) Nice house.

#7) My dogs that bark when intruders approach.

#8) My TV.

#9) My privileges.

#10) My Laptop.

Veteran's Day

I feel very thankful for the soldiers that have fought for our country, our country would not be the dominating power if it weren't for our soldiers. Our soldiers have fought for this country's freedom, independance, and safety. Our soldiers have done so much to make our country what it is today.
Our soldiers have not only fought for our country, but for our allies. They have risked their own lives to fight for other counrties and help shield them from enemies. This country has also helped out other countries with corrupt governments such as Europe and their dictator Adolf Hitler.

If I Were Rich.

If I Were Rich

If I were rich, i would do many things. For one I would buy a big house with a customized pool(: Preferably one that is incorporated with a waterfall. I would buy myself the best acting and singing coaches so that I could become famous and make even MORE money. I would also like to buy a siberian husky thats black with blue eyes and name her Juno after the movie(:
But I would also use the money to buy things for others. I would donate to a wide variety of charities, help out my family and friends, and I would also like to start my own organization to help victims of human trafficking because that is a cause that is close to my heart<3 Every year 27 million victims are trafficked world wide and they are used as if they were nothing but merchandise. Hopefully if I ever become rich, I can accomplish all of these goals(:

My Biggest Goal In Life!!!

My 'Biggest Goal In Life' is to become a successful singer(:

I know it's a stretch, but it would be so amazing if I could become a famous singer! I really love music and singing is one of my top hobbies. I also like entertaining people so if I could get the chance to entertain with music, that would be awesome! Also I really want to make a lot of money and make my parents proud so becoming a famous singer will definatley help me do that.
Becoming a famous singer would also be so much fun! I would get to tour, sign autographs and (hopefully) have a bunch of screaming fans(: It would also be amazing to know that I'm an inspiration to others(: So becoming a famous singer is my biggest goal in life even though I know it will probably NEVER happen, it's still nice to dream(:

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus is probably one of the most prestigious historical american figures ever. He was the man who discovered america and if it weren't for him who knows where we would all be living today. Columbus made his voyage to america in search of new land so that his colony could move to a better place. And when he arrived in america he would do whatever took to ensure that...

But Christopher Columbus wasn't quite the "heroic, amazing person" that we were all taught since the first grade. He was also a pretty big jerk. When he arrived here and discovered that there were indians living here, the first thing he did was try to gain their trust before wiping them out. Columbus wanted a colony so badly that he was willing to steal the natives' land! Don't get me wrong--I am very grateful that Columbus discovered america and all, but he could've done it in a more civilized, humane matter.

"The Scariest Thing That Ever Happened To Me"

The scariest thing that ever happened to me is when I became POSSESSED by a Ouija Board!!!

Okay, so I didn't become possessed but I did play the game(; One day in the 8th grade at school my friend Jenna told us that she bought a glow in the dark Ouija Board online, we'd been talking about always wanting to play it so we were super excited when she told us that she actually bought one! She said me and my friend Katie could go over to her house after school to play it. We arrived at her house and went straight to her room. We took out the board and read the intructions...

"Sit down in a circle with your knees touching.

 Then lay the board in the center and begin to play"

We rested our hands on the planchette (The triangular piece) and began to play.

"What's your name?" We asked.

We shuddered and the hairs on the back of our necks upheaved when we felt the planchette glide from letter to letter.

The board spelled out the name, "Maya."

"How old are you?" We asked again.

"39."

"Are you in heaven or hell?"

"Hell."

We looked at each other nervously.

"Why are you in Hell?" We asked boldly.

"Because I killed."

"Who did you kill?" I blurted out.

Our breath quickened as the board swifted from each letter to form the word,

"You. Good Bye."

We gasped and rapidly removed our hands off the planchette. We decided to take a break from the board for a while. We went to the kitchen and got some drinks before temptation began to set in and we started to play again.

"Maya, are you still there?" We asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

"Were you just kidding about killing us?"

We breathed a huge sigh of relief as the planchette spelled out,

"Yes."

We continued playing until we all went home. Regardless of Maya saying she was just kidding about killing us, we were still slightly worried. We went to school the next day to find out that Jenna's board had disappeared. she said it was probably just her parents...

but you never know...

Should the Government Pay for Higher Education?

Yes, I do think that the government should pay for a higher education such as College, University etc. In our country, if you do not have a college education, your chances of having an acceptable income are extremely low. Many young Americans posses the talent and skill to make it very far in life. But not all of them have the money to pay for the education.
Based on my personal observations, when a student attends College or a University, half of their pay goes toward the education while the other half goes to 'buying' a degree. In this society where a degree makes the difference between a house and no house, I believe that the government should 100% pay for a higher education. Either that, or somehow lower the standards so that employers do not base 90 percent of their decision to hire on a degree.

Economy

I think that the economy will improve in the future. Yes, the economy isn't very good right now but it also wasn't very good back in the 1930's when we had the "Great Depression". Since then the economy has improved immensely and I have no doubt that it will improve within the next five to ten years.
The economy always rises and falls right? Isn't that part of like human society, to overspend then recover and then the cycle starts all over again. So quite frankly, I'm not too worried about the 'recession' because it will get better, right? Then again what do I know, I don't work or pay bills so... 

Oil Spill

The Oil Spill of 2010 occured on Tuesday, April 20th. When A Transocean rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded and caught fire. Of the 126 people on board at the time of the explosion, 115 crewmembers were accounted for, 11 people out of the 115, were missing. I believe the person who is to take to responsibilty for this tragedy is the BP, (formally)The British Petroleum Company, PLC then BP Amoco PLC.

Oil company BP shouldered some responsibility for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster Wednesday after an internal investigation of the spill, but assigned much of the blame to contractors Halliburton and Transocean. Bad cementing, a misread pressure test and an badly maintained blowout preventer all added to the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon drill rig and led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history, BP's nearly 200-page report on the disaster concluded.

The Most Interesting Person I've Ever Met

The most interesting person I've ever met is the very first American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson! I met her at her concert in December of last year in New Mexico when she came to perform. Kelly was peforming songs from her newest album, All I Ever wanted and classic songs from previous albums. It was mind blowing!

It was a chilly winter day when my mom told me that Kelly was coming to New Mexico to perform. We bought tickets two days before the concert and somehow managed to get a decent seat. When we arrived, we walked past the copious amounts of people, got settled in and watched the opening performances. I wanted them to end SO badly so I could see Kelly. Finally when Kelly came out, she rocked it! Her voice serenading the audience was amazing. Albeit it came to end, but it left me with a memory to last a lifetime.

About me(:(:

Hi(:
     My name is Nicole, but some people call me Nikki[: I was born here in El Paso Texas. In the sixth grade I moved to Florida for half a year because my dad lives there and I wanted to experience living in a different enviornment. But as of right now I'm back in El Paso living with my mom and step dad and my step siblings who come over every so often. I visit my father about every three months whenever we have a school vacation. In Florida I live with my dad, step mom, step sister and my new beatiful baby half brother. Over the summer, I visit my paternal grandparents in Poland. I also needed to learn the Polish language because my grand parents don't speak a work of English.
     My hobbies are singing, crafts, making videos, and traveling. Making videos is one of my favorite things to do. I like to make videos using video clips from tv shows and adding music to them. it may sound like a simple music video but with the right song and effects it can be pretty tight[: The program I use is called Sony Vegas Pro 9. I spend a lot of time on the computer and can usually figure things out(: