Please Pray

Hi, guys! I just want to ask you all to pray for one of my dad's coworkers. He's in the hospital at the moment, and he's in a coma with no brain activity. My dad and mom are really upset by this, and I am too. Please pray!!

GRYFFINDOR!!!

I just want to say one teeny tiny sentence. Ready?

GOOOOOOOOO GRYFFINDOR!!!!!!!!

Touching Tuesday

One of the most touching stories I've read about lately (in this case I saw her movie first) is of Winter the dolphin. 

  "Winter is an almost 6-year old sub-adult female bottlenose dolphin who was born around October 2005 off the coast of Florida. One day on December 9th, 2005, Winter found herself entangled in a blue crab trap in Mosquito Lagoon near Cape Canaveral, FL while playing with a buoy on the surface of the water. She would remain trapped for the next 36 hours. Then, the next day, Winter was saved by the rescue staff from the Harbor-Branch Oceanographic Institute and the Hubbs-SeaWorld Institute the next day on December 10th, that same year. The rescuers arrived after receiving a distress call from a local fishermen who found Winter entangled in the fishing gear. When she was freed, Winter was in serious condition that she was not expected to survive. She was then sent to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, FL four hours later. There, her rehabilitation began. With blood cut off as a result of being in the trap for so long, Winter lost both her entire tail and two vertebrae a few days later.
  Most dolphins who get entangled in fishing traps often die either during the process or shortly after getting trapped. Winter on the other hand, despite the prediction that she would not survive her ordeal, her condition later began to improve. But, this was only the beginning of an amazing story of survival from the dangers that many dolphins face as a result of human activity.
  In the Wild, dolphins having no tail can lead to either serious injury or even death. Winter on the other hand, was now in human care but still had to learn how to swim in a very different pattern that is similar to that of fish and snakes. She had now adapted to this swim pattern as well as eating on her own for the first few days of her arrival, she was hand fed by the vets and volunteers who rescued her. They used a tube to feed her. In 2006, CMA announced plans to create a bionic tail for Winter. So for several months, people everywhere collected money for the project. In August 2007, Winter was fitted in her first artificial tail that was created by Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, Inc. Winter would only become the second captive dolphin to ever receive an artificial tail.
  Over the course of a number of months, Winter had to learn how to use the correct body position to be fitted for the stretchy plastic sleeve. This is the one that is mainly used for human prosthetics. Her trainers have also created one that is more form-fitted version of this sleeve. The sleeve will probably have to be adjusted as Winter gets older. So far, she has had 16 tails over the course of her lifetime.
  The tail fluke acts as a dolphin's power house. The dolphin uses it to swim at the fastest of speeds, and to sometimes defend themselves predators such as sharks and killer whales."

Hello, Monday!

Good morning! It's Monday, June 11th and its the FIRST day of SUMMER!! This reminds me of a song from High School Musical 2 (if you've seen it, you'll know which one I'm talking about ;] )...

Anyways, I'm pretty happy it's summer. Summer is awesome! It's nice and warm, we can do stuff with friends 'cuz they're out of school, I'm doing a play this year (my first since I was 6!), and we're just going to hang out together as a family. And plus, I have two cuddly bunnies to play with, two fun brothers to play with, and two awesome parents to play (games like Catch Phrase, Parcheesi, and Monopoly Here & Now) with!

Welcome back, Summer! We missed you! 

Short Story Sunday

Lionel woke up and stretched. For a little kitten that was only 6 weeks old, sleeping was boring. He wanted to play! He wanted to run and jump and catch butterflies and stalk ants and—

Oof. He ran into his mum and plunked down, looking up at her with wide eyes, knowing what comes next. She started licking him.

“Honestly, Lionel! You can’t go out with your fur looking like that!”

“Aw, Mum! No, ouch, gerroff!”

Finally she was done. Lionel shook himself while his mum surveyed his fur.

“Hmm… Well, it’s not perfect but it’ll do. Go ahead and play.”

“Yes! Love you, Mum!” Lionel shouted as he raced out of the barn and into the green grass. Oh, smell the beautiful summer air! A light breeze ruffled his fur and he flipped over onto his back, rolling in a fresh patch of dirt outside the barn door.

Standing up again on his soft little paws, Lionel spotted an ant and crouched. The ant scurried here and there, carrying a big piece of leaf back to the anthill.

“Meow!” Lionel said as he pounced (unsuccessfully) on the unsuspecting ant. He rolled in the long grass and batted playfully at some butterflies. He spotted a pair of the farmer’s shoes and snuck inside one, peeping out at the beautiful rolling hills of England. He breathed in and out, happy to be such a little kitten in such a beautiful land.

Saturday Sweetheart

(this was inspired by my mother, you can visit her blog here)

  Okay, so the other day I was just starting school when I heard my little three-year-old brother telling himself a story based on a book he and my dad like to read at night, called "Mutt Dog."
  The book is about a dog who is is brave and fast and gentle and loyal and smart and also hungry. He doesn't have a home, but one day his luck changes, and he at last finds a family. Ethan really likes this book, and so he makes up a lot of stories based on it but this is the funniest I've seen so far.

Friday Funny

My brother, Edward, and I like to watch Phineas and Ferb on Disney. They normally sing songs in the episodes, and this is one of our all time favorites. 

Lyrics: 

Bāchan Hirano: Hey everybody, Phineas and Ferb are here!

Phineas: Wow, Stacy sure has a lot of cousins!

Cousins: Welcome to Tokyo

Being glad that you are here

You can visit 10 delightful us

Welcome to Tokyo

Phineas: Hey, do you guys have any vegetable oil we can use? We need to refuel.

Cousin: Oh, sure. Bāchan owns a tempura restaurant. 

As for a list of exotic amusements

We choice between the summer there

Is here we look at baseball

Like the fact that it does

As some people the fact

That volleyball is done and is enjoyed

When it's hot we spin in water

Like the fact that it goes

Phineas: Thanks a lot! We'll say hi to Stacy for you! Man, Tokyo's a fun town.

Candace: I have no idea what just happened.