Brad R. - "The Day I Went to the Rose Bowl"

The day before I went to the rose bowl I was so excited. I had my Wisconsin football rose bowl t-shirt, my Wisconsin football hat, and my Wisconsin sweatshirt.

The next day was the day of the rose bowl. We had to get up early to drive all the way to the Pasadena train station so we could get good tailgating spots and could avoid the crowded parking. Since I was at my grandma’s house in Cerritos we didn’t have to drive far, it only took 30 minutes instead of the 2-3 hours to get there from Visalia.

When we got to the train station we went to the drop off section and I got out with my dad. The train station was really chill looking. It had two escalators one on one side and the other on the other side. We went down on the escalator on the left.

We walked through the hallways to reach the train. Once we got on the train we saw a variety of Wisconsin fans and TCU fans, but it was mostly Wisconsin fans surprisingly. It was surprising because TCU is closer to Pasadena then Wisconsin is. About five minutes into the ride we heard these people on the train shouting “Go Wisconsin”. The ride was so much fun. Once we got to the tailgating area we started looking for our friends. Once we found them the Fikkert’s gave us something to drink and some snacks. Then, we searched for the TeVelde’s motor home. At their site, some of people were TCU fans (losers) and some of them were Wisconsin fans (awesome sauce)! Once we got there I sat down and played a board game with Jaclyn, her brother Simon, and one of Jaclyn’s friends. The game was pretty fun, but the only bad part about it was that I lost.

After I played a few more rounds we went inside and played a game that I can’t remember, it was a game where it would say something like apple and you would have to describe it and whoever got the right answer got to describe the next one. After we were done playing that we ate some mini slices of brats for a snack. After I ate some brats, I had some tacos for lunch.

Minutes after my dad and I devoured the tacos we headed over to the football field. Once we got there we got a book about the Rose Bowl. It talked about Wisconsin and TCU. It also talked about the founder of the Rose Bowl and what number Rose Bowl it was and lots of other things.

When we got past all the ticket people we went to our seats. Our seats were the best seats ever! We were on the fifty yard line and just rows up from the field! Out of the blue, these jets flew over the field and after that about three or four people with parachutes landed on the field.

Before the game started we had some people take some pictures of my dad and I. During the game there were some good plays and some bad plays and Wisconsin wasn’t playing well at all. So in the end TCU ended up taking home the trophy and I was very sad.

We had to walk all the way from the field to the train, which was a very long walk, since I was depressed. Once we got on the train I could tell that it would be a long, sad ride home. Once we got back to the train station I went back up the escalator and waited for my grandpa and my mom to pick us up. Overall, the day was great. The loss was bad but I’ll always remember the day my dad and I went to the Rose Bowl.

Penelope E. - "Flight 93"

All was as it should have been that very September day. No one on flight 93 knew the price they had to pay. In the sick twisted mind of the terrorist, killing someone is so called good. Everyone knows that killing someone is wrong even though sometimes we should.

The passengers were all brought and locked up in the back, so the Muslims could continue with their sick and deadly game. All the people aboard the plane made use of the time in the back, they all thought together to stop the terrorist attack.

When they summed up a plan in the plane in the air, one man led them in a very meaningful prayer: “Our father who art in heaven hollowed be your name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive are debtors. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.”

And as they all said amen, they knew they were to die, yet all of them were strong so not a tear fell from a single eye. They all knew what they were leaving behind back at their homes as the person in charge of all the passengers said, “Let’s roll!”

They stormed into the cockpit to retake the flight 93 plane, for the terrorists didn’t know what to do so they continued with their sickening game. They crashed the plane in a field ten minutes from Washington D.C.

Now everyone wants the terrorists to pay for their sins, and I’m sure there souls are now burning for the terrible killers they have been. All of the people that gave their lives there on flight 93. Those are the people we ought to be…full of strength, courage, and bravery.

-My dad was in the Air National Guard so he had to report to Fresno. Now I was only two years old when all of this happened. But, I certainly remember all the details on the news. They kept showing replays of the plane over and over again on the television. I do remember the look on George W. Bush’s face when that man told him what had happened. It was as if a black shadow of fear, anger, and confusion was swept right over his face. Thousands of people lost their lives on that day. 9/11 was certainly the saddest day in America’s history.

~WE WILL NEVER FORGET~

Courtney B. - "Jesus is my Best Friend"

Even though I go through tough times with Jesus, he always helps me to get through it. My life revolves around Jesus and his resurrection has hugely impacted me. Jesus is the light of my life and he gives me strength and acceptance for whatever I do. Whatever I do, I make sure that it is serving him.

Jesus is the son of God, an extreme gift, and my best friend. Jesus has definitely been the biggest and most important person in my life ever since I was little. I learned of him as a baby. As a baby, I got baptized but I never really knew what it meant. When I was little, I thought that Bible stories were just made up bedtime stories. Now that I am older, I understand that everything in the Bible actually happened. It was real. Jesus is real. I used to think that these miracles he made could only happen in Bible times and these amazing people were only in Bible times but that isn’t true! I learned recently from my sister that this type of thing still happens today. Caitlin went to Papua New Guinea and she came to the blind and touched them and they were healed, just like Jesus. I know that every step I make, every word I speak, and every move I make, Jesus is watching and looking over me. He can do all things.

My life with Jesus is spectacular and I can’t picture my life without him for a second. If I were to even think about going through life without him, I cry because he is everything and anything. If I do anything without him I feel weak and that I am missing something. Sometimes I gossip and I am mean. I do not like this kind of attitude and personality. Sometimes I am mean to my own best friend! This makes me so sad. I wish I could be a better person and be more like Jesus. He has done so much for me and it is so sad I can’t make it up to him physically. Jesus doesn’t want us to make it up to him. He just wants us to spread his word and go out into the world and make disciples. Even though I sin and make bad decisions sometimes, Jesus still loves me and watches over me throughout everything I do. If I do anything I regret, I just pray to him and he will forgive me.

Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. Back in Bible times, the people used to have to sacrifice animals to wash away their sins. Then a man named Jesus came along. He was nailed on his hands and feet to the cross. He wore a crown of thorns which caused him to bleed heavily. Jesus was in so much pain. He took the place of all of those animals. He is the ultimate sacrifice. He then was placed inside a tomb. Shortly after, the tomb was empty. It was impossible to have someone steal the tomb because the cloths that were wrapped around him were never unwrapped. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and made a promise to forgive every sin. His resurrection has hugely impacted me because just knowing that he went through so much pain to make us forgiven makes me so full of joy and I wish I could be more like him. Jesus is my best friend.

Alyvia V. - "My Condolences"

“…ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred! Ready or not, here I come!” I heard my friend say as I ran through the hall, still searching for the perfect hiding place.

“I see you Claire!” she yelled at me as I turned the corner.

“Well you’ll never catch me! I’m too fast for you!” I huffed. Suddenly, she sped up to me and tapped my sleeve. I was so disappointed. “Looks like I’m it everyone! One, two three…” I began. I heard all of my friends rushing to find a new spot. I finished counting and I went outside, into the frozen snow, to look for them and an unforgettable sound rang through my ears. It was a sound that you might hear when a car skids on black ice, when your foot thumps on the ground so hard that it hurts, when it’s too late.

“Jamie!” I ran out to her as the car sped away. “Are you hurt? Talk to me Jamie!” I commanded frantically.

Her eyes looked like exceptionally bright seas of blue. She was breathing slowly and steadily. One of my other friends, Terrie, went to call 911. All of a sudden, flashing lights flew around the corner. It was an ambulance, here to take Jamie away. “How could I have let such a thing happen to my lifelong friend? Could I have done anything to spot this from happening? Would she ever recover?” These questions flooded my mind throughout the rest of that week.

Our families kept in contact and every day I would ask Jamie’s mom if it was okay to go see her and every day, she said no. I didn’t think I would ever see her again. Finally, one day, after asking about a million times, she said that Jamie was ready to take visitors and I was overjoyed. I was going to be able to see my best friend again! When I walked into the room where my friend was staying, the joy that had once filled my soul decreased. There she was, lying in the hospital bed. I greeted her with a friendly hello, expecting one back, but instead I got nothing except a jumbled up slur. I noticed that this was because her mouth was covered by an oxygen mask.

I didn’t go to the hospital to see Jamie for a long while because the one time that I did frightened me to such an extent that I couldn’t. Time went by and her condition worsened. Her family began to prepare for the worst until one faithful day when all of her relatives, and me, came to her bedside. She explained to us that she was protected and that she was never going to truly die because God was with her. Then, she closed her eyes and fell “asleep”.

I stood there for a minute and then I realized that life as we know it can change in an instant. Never overlook the privileges you have because they can easily be taken away.