Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Christmas on the Sea
I just got home from the best vacation of my life! For Christmas, I had the opportunity to go on a cruise in the Caribbean with my family and my dad's best friend from college and his wife. Not only was it warm outside, but the sites that I saw were absolutely gorgeous. I have never seen water so clear in my life and trees so green and lush. We started the cruise in Puerto Rico then preceded to St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Croix, St. Thomas, and then back to Puerto Rico again. The islands were spectacular.
Eventhough the islands were amazing one of the best parts was the food. Everywhere I turned there was food, not just any food but delicious food. I don't think I have had that much steak in a row ever. There was no limit to what type of food was offered and how much offered. You name it they had it. Food from all over the world, food I had never even heard of. They didn't just have all these weird foreign foods but they also had American favorites like burgers and pizza and icecream. Yet, I never ate any of that because I knew I could have that as soon as I reached the states.
Not only was their food and incredible views but there were countless things to do while on the boat. There was ping pong, mini golf, basketball courts, pools, arcades, clubs, a movie theater, a theatre for live performances, a casino, pool tables, jumbo checker boards and more. Yes more. I could live there forever and never get bored. There were nemerous events you could sign up for too, like the belly flop contest. The first day we were on the boat, Christmas day, there was a contest to see who could make the biggest splash. My dad signed up. Boy, was that embarrassing! Five big men jumping in a pool with their bellies out. Before they jumped each was introduced and did a little something. Personally, I think that my dad had the best and most creative dance, but I won't go into much detail. He was introduced last as the one wthat would make a tsunami, and he was pretty close to doing just that. Sadly, he lost to the guy with a santa beard, but he really had the best jump. The only reason he lost was it was Christmas, but he is still bitter that he lost.
Lastly, there were incredible people on the ship. I met so many new people that I would now consider friends. Every person that worked on the ship greeted you with a smile and asked how your day has been. Personally, I said hi to everyone that I made eyecontact with, and most of the time that went over really well. I met people from all over the globe. I met friends from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Canada, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Chile, and so on. Everyone was so happy to be living and enjoyed the experience. If anyone ever gets the chance, I definitely recommend going on a cruise for a week. It will be an experience you will never forget.
Eventhough the islands were amazing one of the best parts was the food. Everywhere I turned there was food, not just any food but delicious food. I don't think I have had that much steak in a row ever. There was no limit to what type of food was offered and how much offered. You name it they had it. Food from all over the world, food I had never even heard of. They didn't just have all these weird foreign foods but they also had American favorites like burgers and pizza and icecream. Yet, I never ate any of that because I knew I could have that as soon as I reached the states.
Not only was their food and incredible views but there were countless things to do while on the boat. There was ping pong, mini golf, basketball courts, pools, arcades, clubs, a movie theater, a theatre for live performances, a casino, pool tables, jumbo checker boards and more. Yes more. I could live there forever and never get bored. There were nemerous events you could sign up for too, like the belly flop contest. The first day we were on the boat, Christmas day, there was a contest to see who could make the biggest splash. My dad signed up. Boy, was that embarrassing! Five big men jumping in a pool with their bellies out. Before they jumped each was introduced and did a little something. Personally, I think that my dad had the best and most creative dance, but I won't go into much detail. He was introduced last as the one wthat would make a tsunami, and he was pretty close to doing just that. Sadly, he lost to the guy with a santa beard, but he really had the best jump. The only reason he lost was it was Christmas, but he is still bitter that he lost.
Lastly, there were incredible people on the ship. I met so many new people that I would now consider friends. Every person that worked on the ship greeted you with a smile and asked how your day has been. Personally, I said hi to everyone that I made eyecontact with, and most of the time that went over really well. I met people from all over the globe. I met friends from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Canada, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Chile, and so on. Everyone was so happy to be living and enjoyed the experience. If anyone ever gets the chance, I definitely recommend going on a cruise for a week. It will be an experience you will never forget.
Dear people who...
Dear people who claim that they passed the second grade,
Eventhough you claim you passed it, you clearly do not show it in writing. Honestly, it is not that hard to spell simple words like "to." I would think that after years of schooling we should be able to make our second grade teachers proud by knowing the difference between homophones. I would also gladly appreciate that people never use "texting" language outside of texting. It should even be used at a minimum when texting.
Just in case people still do not know how to use everyday homophones I will give you a quick rundown.
Their: shows possession
There: refers to a place
They're: contracts 'they are'
Two: a number
To: Can be used as a preposition of movement
Can be used as a preposition of direction
Can be used in conjunction with times
Can be used to mean 'receive'
Can be used as the first part of an infinitive
Too: Used to mean 'more than sufficient' or 'very'
Used to mean 'in addition to' or 'also'
Your: means belonging to you
You're: contracts "you are"
Now that you know all of this I hope that some of you could integrate this into your own lives. Also, please save the texting chat for texting, even then don't use it. It saves no time by say plz instead of please, ok two letters, big whoop. Itz hard 2 take some1 seriously wen dey tlk like dis 2 sve 1 ltr. It makes me think that you are stupid and have not been educated at all. Honestly, it is not any cooler; it makes me look down on people that talk like that because they cannot use proper spelling or grammar.
It also shows me that anyone who uses this language is lazy. If you cannot take the extra .005 of a second to type in an extra letter or figure out the difference between the most common homophones, what will you do when a tough, time excrutiatng task is at had? Will you take the time to finish it the right way? Or just blow it off and do an awful job? When people talk like this I lean toward the latter. So please think 2x b4 u start 2 tlk like dis homie g sizzle.
Cordially,
Heather Hynick
Eventhough you claim you passed it, you clearly do not show it in writing. Honestly, it is not that hard to spell simple words like "to." I would think that after years of schooling we should be able to make our second grade teachers proud by knowing the difference between homophones. I would also gladly appreciate that people never use "texting" language outside of texting. It should even be used at a minimum when texting.
Just in case people still do not know how to use everyday homophones I will give you a quick rundown.
Their: shows possession
There: refers to a place
They're: contracts 'they are'
Two: a number
To: Can be used as a preposition of movement
Can be used as a preposition of direction
Can be used in conjunction with times
Can be used to mean 'receive'
Can be used as the first part of an infinitive
Too: Used to mean 'more than sufficient' or 'very'
Used to mean 'in addition to' or 'also'
Your: means belonging to you
You're: contracts "you are"
Now that you know all of this I hope that some of you could integrate this into your own lives. Also, please save the texting chat for texting, even then don't use it. It saves no time by say plz instead of please, ok two letters, big whoop. Itz hard 2 take some1 seriously wen dey tlk like dis 2 sve 1 ltr. It makes me think that you are stupid and have not been educated at all. Honestly, it is not any cooler; it makes me look down on people that talk like that because they cannot use proper spelling or grammar.
It also shows me that anyone who uses this language is lazy. If you cannot take the extra .005 of a second to type in an extra letter or figure out the difference between the most common homophones, what will you do when a tough, time excrutiatng task is at had? Will you take the time to finish it the right way? Or just blow it off and do an awful job? When people talk like this I lean toward the latter. So please think 2x b4 u start 2 tlk like dis homie g sizzle.
Cordially,
Heather Hynick
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Risks
I really haven't taken too many life altering risks during the course of my years. Sure, whenever on vacation I ask anyone who I make eyecontact with "Hi! How are you?" Of course I get a lot of weird looks, but it is all in the act of being friendly. Yup, I go jetskiing with my dad on a regular basis over the summer. You may ask how exactly is that risky. Trust me it is, he is a crazy jetskier, he will try everything to throw me off the back. I have also broken the rules a few times, but that isn't really life changing. Sure, my parents will yell for a few minutes, but then life is back to where it is. The most risky business that I have really been through was when I was 9 and my family decided to move to Minnesota.
On the surface this may not seem to be very risky, but it absolutely was. My family and I had moved a few times throughout my life, but it would always be in the same town, just to a bigger house. At the time, my dad had been travelling five days a week since I could remember. He was just given a promotion in which he could work permanently at the corporate offices of Dairy Queen. It seems simple, drop everything and move from Massachusetts to start a new life in Minnesota. But it really isn't. All of my family lives back east, I typically would see my grandparents 2 to 3 times a week, and my cousins once a month. Moving to Minnesota would mean seeing my family once a year, maybe twice if we were lucky.
We would be moving to what seemed then like a freezing foreign country because of my dad's job. All we knew was eachother. We would all be leaving all of our friends behind too, of course we could write letters and email eachother (but that lasted like one month.) Before the move we had to weigh the benefits and the bad concepts of us moving before we made our decision.
Well, we obviously decided that moving was the best option for us. In Massachusetts we had everything, friends, family, home, nice teachers, my mom had a job that she loved. The only thing that was missing was my dad. My parents decided that my brother and I would be needing our dad to be there as we grew older. I truly believe we made the right decision, we were able to start with a clean slate, and maybe that was bst for us.
Now, almost seven years later, my dad had the opportunity to go back into operations, which means he will be back travelling again. He took the job for the sake of staying with Dairy Queen, and I am not sure if it was the right decision. I will miss him a lot, and these are my last years in high schiool. He will pretty much be gone for the entire month of January (my birthday month) and thatr means he will miss my birthday. That is not too bad, hopefully I will have many birthdays left, but what really makes me sad is it reminds me of when he was travelling a lot when he was little. I am worried for him. The real questions are, is it worth it? What's the risk? Without risk, there will be no reward, so hopefully this risk pays off in the end.
On the surface this may not seem to be very risky, but it absolutely was. My family and I had moved a few times throughout my life, but it would always be in the same town, just to a bigger house. At the time, my dad had been travelling five days a week since I could remember. He was just given a promotion in which he could work permanently at the corporate offices of Dairy Queen. It seems simple, drop everything and move from Massachusetts to start a new life in Minnesota. But it really isn't. All of my family lives back east, I typically would see my grandparents 2 to 3 times a week, and my cousins once a month. Moving to Minnesota would mean seeing my family once a year, maybe twice if we were lucky.
We would be moving to what seemed then like a freezing foreign country because of my dad's job. All we knew was eachother. We would all be leaving all of our friends behind too, of course we could write letters and email eachother (but that lasted like one month.) Before the move we had to weigh the benefits and the bad concepts of us moving before we made our decision.
Well, we obviously decided that moving was the best option for us. In Massachusetts we had everything, friends, family, home, nice teachers, my mom had a job that she loved. The only thing that was missing was my dad. My parents decided that my brother and I would be needing our dad to be there as we grew older. I truly believe we made the right decision, we were able to start with a clean slate, and maybe that was bst for us.
Now, almost seven years later, my dad had the opportunity to go back into operations, which means he will be back travelling again. He took the job for the sake of staying with Dairy Queen, and I am not sure if it was the right decision. I will miss him a lot, and these are my last years in high schiool. He will pretty much be gone for the entire month of January (my birthday month) and thatr means he will miss my birthday. That is not too bad, hopefully I will have many birthdays left, but what really makes me sad is it reminds me of when he was travelling a lot when he was little. I am worried for him. The real questions are, is it worth it? What's the risk? Without risk, there will be no reward, so hopefully this risk pays off in the end.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Monster Jam
Alright, so yesterday I went to Monster Jam for the first time. It was probably one of the most entertaining shows that I have ever been too. Most of you probably have no idea what Monster Jam is. You're not alone! I didn't know what it was either until my dad said he got tickets to the event from work. He explained to me that it was a monster truck show. I know what you are thinking... pretty redneck huh? Well, that is exactly what I was thinking when I got there.
I assume that that was the only people that would come to this show. Boy, was I wrong. There were people of all kind there. Big, small, short, tall, red, green, white, black, hairy, bald, ugly, pretty. Okay, you get the point! Anyway, tons of people came to the show, and I can absolutely see why: it was AMAZING!
Not only did they have monster truck races, they also had ATV races, and freestyle competitions. There is always something to watch. The monster truck drivers are incredible! One of the drivers saved himself from flipping a few times. Yet, many atimes they couldn't stop the trucks from flipping, and the trucks got smashed, only a frame was left. Have no fear, the drivers are always fine because the show takes many precautions. Not to mention, the drivers all wear seatbelts, and big motorcycle helmets and the trucks are surprisingly safe, eventhough sometimes the truck completely falls apart after it flips.
The races consist of only two trucks starting on opposite sides of the huge track, then they go off of the same jumps, just on different sides of the dome. Whoever crosses the line on their side first wins.
It is really interesting what the trucks can do with only a mound of dirt and a few beat up cars. They do wheelies, and jump over cars. They catch so much air it is crazy! During the freestyle, one of the trucks ran right through an RV and destroyed it. There was barely even a scratch in the monster truck! I wonder how they got into this crazy business! I am scared for them! As one of my friends told me today, "you pay for the whole seat, and only use half of it!" They come back in January! If you have never gone, I absolutely recommend it!
INTENSITY!
I wish I could do that!
I assume that that was the only people that would come to this show. Boy, was I wrong. There were people of all kind there. Big, small, short, tall, red, green, white, black, hairy, bald, ugly, pretty. Okay, you get the point! Anyway, tons of people came to the show, and I can absolutely see why: it was AMAZING!
Not only did they have monster truck races, they also had ATV races, and freestyle competitions. There is always something to watch. The monster truck drivers are incredible! One of the drivers saved himself from flipping a few times. Yet, many atimes they couldn't stop the trucks from flipping, and the trucks got smashed, only a frame was left. Have no fear, the drivers are always fine because the show takes many precautions. Not to mention, the drivers all wear seatbelts, and big motorcycle helmets and the trucks are surprisingly safe, eventhough sometimes the truck completely falls apart after it flips.
The races consist of only two trucks starting on opposite sides of the huge track, then they go off of the same jumps, just on different sides of the dome. Whoever crosses the line on their side first wins.
It is really interesting what the trucks can do with only a mound of dirt and a few beat up cars. They do wheelies, and jump over cars. They catch so much air it is crazy! During the freestyle, one of the trucks ran right through an RV and destroyed it. There was barely even a scratch in the monster truck! I wonder how they got into this crazy business! I am scared for them! As one of my friends told me today, "you pay for the whole seat, and only use half of it!" They come back in January! If you have never gone, I absolutely recommend it!
INTENSITY!
I wish I could do that!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Who is this man??
I have to bring the boy to Sunshine's Daycare before 11:30. It is 11:15 now and the daycare is roughly 15 minutes away. I should be able to get him there before my meeting at 11:45. Let's just hope Alex and I don't get stopped along the way. Then I should be able to pick my baby back up around 5:30, then we can get back home by 6, and I can make it home in time to feed Alex, give him a bath, and then put him down to rest for the night. Finally, I can have some alone time with my husband, Sam, for once. Having a baby takes up a lot more time then Sam and I first thought. Don't get me wrong I love Alex, I am just swamped and it feels like I never get a break. WAHHH!! The sound of Alex wailing brings me back to reality.
The sounds of the New York streets are pounding my head. There are cars buzzing all around us like Santa's workshop during holiday season. "It's ok baby we are almost there" my soothing voice hits the frigid February air with a bang. He responds with "mama" and I keep pushing him along until we reach the corner of 25th Ave N. and 34th Street. As we wait for the cross walk sign to flash to the white person, my gaze wanders to the thousands of different people around us. One man in particular catches my gaze, he is a lanky man, who looks as if he has seen better days. His dread locks are tied back into a messy pony tail at the base of his neck, as if he wants to forget about it altogether. The man's pants are too baggy to fit him correctly, and the stains present throughout the legs indicate that they have not been washed correctly. The man's beard is graying, maybe not because of old age, but from sheer abandonment and lack of nutrition. His entire demeanor seeks help. Who is this man? I may not know him, but by the way he walks with a limp, as if it pains him to take another step, and his appearance, I can already make an entire story in my mind. Don't call me judgemental, because I am not. Who am I to say if this man is good or not? I am sure he is incredble in his own way. I am simply mustering up a story that could fit his life.
The interesting man walks toward my son with pure curiousity. He stares intently at my son, not in a creepy way, but as if he is interested in my son's story as well. I won't lie, the man is intimidating, but I feel as if he couldn't hurt a fly, let alone my dearest son. As time ticks by, the cross walk sign flashes the man walking, and the tons of people around me start to move. Yet, the man staring at my son has not moved an inch. I am short on time, but I do not think I am afraid. Yes, I would not leave my son alone with this man, and I wouldn't invite him for a cup of tea, but he seems innocent enough to let him look at my son. I rummage through my purse and find what I am looking for a crisp, clean twenty dollar bill. I place it defiantly in front of the man's face. He looks at it curiously for a second or two, then snatches it from my hand. The man darts off without a look bad. Was he thankful? Possibly, but who is to say for sure. I mean, who wouldn't be thankful for extra cash, even if it isn't very much. At least it is something.
I'd like to think I was put in that position for a reason. Many others would have just chued the man off without another thought, but I didn't. I have no idea why not because, I didn't feel any special connection to the man. I can't even be sure that he is going to use my money for good. But one thing I am absolutely positive of is that everyone needs a second chance, including him. Maybe that money will be wasted, or maybe it was the push he needed to turn his life around. I have no idea of knowing, but somethings are better left to dream about. This is one of them. Hopefully this story has a happy ending like I dreamed it to be.
The sounds of the New York streets are pounding my head. There are cars buzzing all around us like Santa's workshop during holiday season. "It's ok baby we are almost there" my soothing voice hits the frigid February air with a bang. He responds with "mama" and I keep pushing him along until we reach the corner of 25th Ave N. and 34th Street. As we wait for the cross walk sign to flash to the white person, my gaze wanders to the thousands of different people around us. One man in particular catches my gaze, he is a lanky man, who looks as if he has seen better days. His dread locks are tied back into a messy pony tail at the base of his neck, as if he wants to forget about it altogether. The man's pants are too baggy to fit him correctly, and the stains present throughout the legs indicate that they have not been washed correctly. The man's beard is graying, maybe not because of old age, but from sheer abandonment and lack of nutrition. His entire demeanor seeks help. Who is this man? I may not know him, but by the way he walks with a limp, as if it pains him to take another step, and his appearance, I can already make an entire story in my mind. Don't call me judgemental, because I am not. Who am I to say if this man is good or not? I am sure he is incredble in his own way. I am simply mustering up a story that could fit his life.
The interesting man walks toward my son with pure curiousity. He stares intently at my son, not in a creepy way, but as if he is interested in my son's story as well. I won't lie, the man is intimidating, but I feel as if he couldn't hurt a fly, let alone my dearest son. As time ticks by, the cross walk sign flashes the man walking, and the tons of people around me start to move. Yet, the man staring at my son has not moved an inch. I am short on time, but I do not think I am afraid. Yes, I would not leave my son alone with this man, and I wouldn't invite him for a cup of tea, but he seems innocent enough to let him look at my son. I rummage through my purse and find what I am looking for a crisp, clean twenty dollar bill. I place it defiantly in front of the man's face. He looks at it curiously for a second or two, then snatches it from my hand. The man darts off without a look bad. Was he thankful? Possibly, but who is to say for sure. I mean, who wouldn't be thankful for extra cash, even if it isn't very much. At least it is something.
I'd like to think I was put in that position for a reason. Many others would have just chued the man off without another thought, but I didn't. I have no idea why not because, I didn't feel any special connection to the man. I can't even be sure that he is going to use my money for good. But one thing I am absolutely positive of is that everyone needs a second chance, including him. Maybe that money will be wasted, or maybe it was the push he needed to turn his life around. I have no idea of knowing, but somethings are better left to dream about. This is one of them. Hopefully this story has a happy ending like I dreamed it to be.
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