My Superhero

My Superhero

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue.  Destroy means to put an end to the existence of something by damaging or attacking it. Cancer destroys, but very often people destroy cancer.  Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those stories.

Luke was an eight-year-old boy with dreams sparkling in his eyes.  His smile lit up every room he walked into, until he found out the only room that he would walk into for awhile was a hospital room.  His dreams crashed right before his parents as soon as they were told that Luke was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma, but Luke didn’t care.  Actually, it meant nothing to him.  He didn’t understand his family’s tears.  He didn’t get why his parents would tell him to be strong and fight through it.  None of it made sense.  He was told cancer is a bad thing.  That it is inside of him, but it didn’t seem like a big deal to him.  

Superheroes were one of Luke’s favorite things, and it wasn’t hard for anyone to figure that out.  He had superhero everything.  He sleeps in Hulk pajamas, and his favorite blanket has a Captain America shield covering it.  

“Doctors are superheroes too.  They are like Hulk or Iron Man; they don’t need a cape to work miracles.  They will save me.  I promise,” Luke once whispered to his mom when he caught her crying by his hospital bed late one night.

Luke had the most positive attitude any eight year old could have that was battling cancer.  He loved all the attention, but he got sicker and sicker every day.  He couldn’t go to school anymore, and his parents had to work to pay the hospital bills, so they couldn’t always be with him. He missed playing with his friends on the playground at recess and fixing things with his older brother and sister after school.  They were almost always at some sort of practice.  He had visitors almost daily.  They brought him all kinds of things, from stuffed animals to candy.  

The support effort made by the community helped the family a lot, but no matter how happy he was, the cancer was still killing him from the inside out.

Luke was told he only had a ten percent chance of living.  Luke did know what that meant.  He wouldn’t get to grow up.  By this time, he was getting so much treatment it was hurting him, so they entered him into a program in Seattle, Washington.  Once he got excepted, it was a huge deal.  Not very many people make it into this program.  They told his family he was almost guaranteed to live.  There was a 97% chance that he would survive.  He got to come home one last time before they headed off to Seattle.  Everyone was hopeful this would be it.  The little boy everyone looked up to for his fight and optimism was about to be done with suffering.  At least that was the goal.  Nobody had ever thought that it wouldn’t work.  Maybe that’s why it made it so hard to hear bad news when they got back.  It about kills you when they say it’s all over.  All the tears come back to the family that had been suffering for so long.  

His 13-year-old sister once said, “When somebody in your family gets cancer, you all get it.  It’s not something you can run away from because you have to fight with him.  It’s not easy to see your younger brother in so much pain.  Sometimes I wish I could switch spots with him, so I wouldn’t have to see his tears anymore.”

Luke was the three percent that the treatment didn’t work on.  At this point, you could say that they had tried everything.  Luke couldn’t stand the pain anymore.  The little boy with the laughter that filled the room was no longer smiling, and yet he was still the happiest of all his family.  He was the one telling his parents that it would be alright.  His dad promised him that once he was done with all of his shots that he could give his dad a shot.  That’s just what he did.  They had never seen him so excited.  He thought that being done with shots was a good thing when everyone else knew it meant something else, but surely enough he gave his dad a shot.  

Later that week, Luke’s family decided they didn’t want to see him suffer any longer.  They made a very tough decision to send him home.  They would stop the treatment altogether.  They brought him home on a gloomy afternoon.  The sun hadn’t shone for days.  He started to drive by the school on the way to their house.  Luke didn’t want to, but his mom talked him into it.  The entire student body and staff of his school came outside and waved to him while he was passing by.  Luke didn’t want to wave to anyone until he saw his best friend.  Luke rolled down the window and waved to him.  Then, he rolled it right back up.  For that short time he drove by the sun came out. Luke took one last smile at his best friend.

Sadly, this wasn’t a made up story.  It was based on the story of Kellen Morrison, an eight-year-old boy from Logan-Magnolia school.  I didn’t know Kellen extremely well, but I did get the privilege to meet him several times.  There is no doubt that Kellen will leave a lasting impression on you from the first time you see him smile.  You couldn’t help but laugh when he did.  He battled cancer for months, but he unfortunately couldn’t finish.  Kellen woke up on the morning of May 6, 2015 very sick.  He could barely breathe, and his lips were turning blue.  Julie, his mom, told Kylie and Kolby to leave the room because she didn’t want his siblings to see him suffer.  Julie quickly picked up her phone in an attempt to call Kellen’s hospice nurse, but there was a problem with her phone.  As soon as she turned on her phone, music started playing.  It was the song, The Best Day of My Life.  This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but Julie doesn’t have any music on her phone, nor does she know how to play music on her phone.  It was really loud, and it wouldn’t shut off.  Kelly, Julie’s husband, set his hand on her shoulder.  

“Don’t shut it off.  Just listen to the words,” Kelly whispered to her.

As soon as the song started playing, Kellen opened his eyes and shut them again.  He made his way up to heaven.  I believe it was a miracle.  The first words of the song are, “I had a dream so big and loud; I jumped so high I touched the clouds.”  Kellen will be remembered forever, but not for having cancer.  He will be remembered for being a fighter.  Kellen was my superhero, and as he once said, “Not every superhero always wears a cape.”

 

Remember Me

Remember Me             

I slowly opened one eye.  The sun was creeping through a crack in the space where the curtains met each other in front of the window.  I stretched my arms way above my head and let out a loud yawn.  I jumped out of bed, eager to get to school. It was the last day until summer break. I couldn’t wait to spend the long summer days at the pool in the warm sun.  I quickly changed into my favorite outfit and rushed down the stairs.  I could smell the strong scent of pancakes and bacon.  I sat down at the kitchen counter.  My dad was sitting on the chair in the living room.  He was lounged back, drinking his coffee, and reading the newspaper. It was just like every other morning.  He tipped his glasses on his nose and looked at me over the newspaper.

“How’s my darling girl?” he asked without any hesitation.

“I’m great actually,” I  replied.

“Do you need me to drive you to school? I am always willing to drop you off myself,” he jokingly insisted.

“I’m alright. Thanks for the offer, though. I can drive myself.” I said, grinning back at him.

I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.  The birds were chirping; the sun was shining.  I got into the driver’s seat. I immediately put on sunglasses to block out the blinding sun.  I slowly backed out of the driveway. I had four minutes to get to school.  I also lived on the other side of the city.  My school has several hundred kids there.  That means that a couple hundred teenagers will be pulling into the parking lot between eight o’clock and a quarter after eight.  If I don’t hurry, I could possibly get stuck in traffic.  Then, I would be incredibly late for first hour.  I stomped on the gas.  I had to speed and hope that the police wouldn’t be out this early.  I didn’t even think about checking my speed.  It wouldn’t make a difference anyway.  If the police pick me up, at least I have an excuse for being late.  Otherwise, I’ll probably get a detention on the last day of school.  I came into town. Two minutes left to spare.  I came speeding around the corner.

Then, everything went black.  My head jerked to one side.  It felt like an explosion hit me.  My shoulder slammed into the passenger window.  My whole body rolled into the back seat.  I hit the ground.  I felt like I had been snapped in two.  I screamed out in pain.  I couldn’t feel most of my body; it had all gone numb.  My eyes were nearly swollen shut.  I heard crying and yelling on my right side.  A deep voice praying to God was whispering in my ear.  A breeze blew by.  I definitely wasn’t in my car anymore.  Instantly, everything turned white; it all went silent.  Not a single scream or cry could be heard.  It was peaceful.  I had no doubt that I was in Heaven.  Two flashes covered my eyes as I jerked them open.  The screaming continued, and the cries went on.  I opened my eyes to see a dark red liquid dripping from my hair.  My leg was nearly split in half.  I struggled to catch my breathe.

“Call 911! Hurry!” A voice insisted. I knew it was coming from somewhere near, but it sounded like a mile away through my ringing ears.

“Talk to me, please! Say something,” someone said into my ear, but I couldn’t.

My mouth opens, and I force air out, but no words come with it.  I try so hard; I just can’t.  I struggle to take a breathe.  As I gasp for air, I roll onto my stomach.  I begin to hear someone cry when I flip over.  I didn’t know what it was though.  A pain shot through my upper body.  I knew my back hurt, but everything else did too, so it didn’t make a difference.  Everyone was yelling at me not to move.  I continued to just stare at the sky.  I could feel a pool of blood around me, and I was already very light headed from all the missing blood.  All of a sudden, I heard sirens coming up next to me quickly.  Everything after that happened in a big rush.  It was all so silent.  It didn’t take long before I was already at the hospital.  My mom ran up next to me.  She was sobbing; I could barely understand what she was saying.  The doctors told her over and over to calm down, but it scared her that I was so calm.  

“Ma’am, please move out of the way,” a doctor urged her on.

They quickly rolled me into room with no hesitation.  The door was shut behind us, leaving my mom crying with her hands against the glass.  She hit a fist against the glass in frustration.  Then, she slowly slid her back down the door until she was completely on the ground with her hands covering her face.  I knew my mom well enough to know that she was praying as much as she can.  It’s what she always believed in and taught me from a young age that if you pray to God, he will make all things right and whatever happens is for a reason.  I had to keep telling myself that.  It was just so hard.  I could feel myself breathing heavier and heavier.  There were nearly ten doctors in the room quickly working to save my life.  I knew though that there was nothing they could do.  I could hear the singing of angels all around me.  The sun creeped through into the room lighting it up with joy.  Music played loudly.  Suddenly, nothing hurt anymore.  I could still vaguely see the hospital room.  My mom was standing by my bedside.

“Trust me, it’s okay to leave now,” my mother leaned down and whispered into my ear.

A tear hit my cheek.  I gave her a reassuring smile back and one last hug.

“Just promise me that you will remember me until I see you again,” I whispered as I gently closed both eyes and took my last breathe.

Her Future

Her Future

It was a bright, sunny Friday morning.  Elizabeth rolled to one side of her bed. She slowly creeped the blanket off.  She dreaded the day that was going to come.  She had a long meeting in her office firm today.  She let out a loud groan and began getting out of bed.  She slowly got ready and went downstairs to eat breakfast.  She was just about to start her coffee when she noticed a note taped to the front of it. “Don’t start your coffee. Here’s ten dollars. Go to our favorite coffee shop. Love, Andrew.”

She ran upstairs to get dressed. It took her no more than five minutes to get ready.  She rushed out the door.  As she was getting into the car, she noticed another note on the dashboard.  It read, “Don’t worry about speeding to make up time, I told your boss the circumstances. Your meeting is cancelled today. Love, Andrew.” A bright smile covered her face; she continued on her way to the local café, where she first met Andrew. That’s where their story started.

She pulled up into the parking lot of the café. She hurried out of the car. As she walked through the door, a bell rang over her head. A waitress came out quickly with a steaming cup of coffee just how she always gets it. She sat down in a small booth. She glanced to the left and noticed a framed picture. It was of her and Andrew sitting in the exact booth she was in. They were in middle school. A tear started to flow down her cheek. She couldn’t stop smiling; feelings overwhelmed her.  She studied the picture for awhile. She started to feel something on the back. There was another note, “I know I never told you my wish when I threw my coin. I was afraid it wouldn’t come true. I promised someday I would tell you. Go to the park wishing well where I took you for our first date. Love, Andrew.”  She still remembers that day when they threw their coins at the same time. They had walked around the park for hours. He took her out for dinner first. It was dark when they got there. White, twinkling lights were strung in the trees.  It was completely silent with the exception of a little bit of talking. They walked up to the fountain. He dug into his pocket until he found two coins. They both made a wish. He wouldn’t tell her what he wished for. He swore it wouldn’t come true if he told her.

She made her way to the wishing well. The same twinkling, white lights were in the trees. It was just as she remembered it from their first date.  She took little steps as she tried to take it all in.  There was dozens of red roses laying all around.  Water was shooting up from the center of the dazzling fountain. It looked like she was an angel in a dream.  She waited a couple seconds in silence for Andrew to come out, but he never did. She walked over to the next note which was tied to the end of a balloon that was stuck in a tree.  It said, “I have loved you for many years, and I want to love you for many more. I’m dreaming of the day that God accepts us as one. Please, meet me at the church. Love, Andrew.” She ran as fast as she could back to her car. She quickly drove to the church that she grew up in. A memory flashed back in her mind of when she first brought Andrew to her church. It was Christmas Eve. Her entire family was with them. She said she was kind of cold, so Andrew reached over and wrapped his coat around her.  She knew right then that she never wanted to lose Andrew.

She pulled up to the church. There was only one car there, and she was sure it was Andrew’s. She slowly opened her car door and stepped out.  Red roses covered the church steps. As she opened the two white doors, she noticed it was pretty dark in there. She closed the door behind her, trying not to make too much noise. There was a bit of a glare coming from the window to give her a little light. She continued to take small steps until the heel of her shoe stepped on something.  She looked down to see another red rose.  There were several more leading her somewhere.  She followed them down a familiar hallway.  They stopped when she reached two more sets of white doors.  She knew that they led her into the sanctuary with the alter as the focal point in the very front.

She creaked the door open just wide enough for her to look one eye in.  The sight amazed her.  She could hear a quiet version of the song that her mom and dad first danced to at their wedding.  It has always been her favorite.  She took one step in and stopped.  One tear slowly creeped down her cheek.  There were candles lighting up the aisle with a faint glow.  The pews were covered with the most beautiful white cloth she had ever seen.  There were pictures of every moment she could remember being with Andrew hanging from the edge of the pews.  Rose petals were lightly scattered down the center of the church.  The most important part was that the love of her life was standing at the front waiting for her.  She walked towards him taking in all the surroundings.  She didn’t even know what to think of it all.  It was so overwhelming.  She stood in front of Andrew facing him.  Their eyes met as soon as she looked up.

“You look so beautiful,” Andrew stated, as he stared her in the eye.

“Thank you,” she barely got the words out before Andrew dropped to one knee.

“I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone other than you.  You mean the world to me.  I could never forget the first day I saw you.  You caught me staring at you.  You looked over and grinned.  It changed my entire life.  Your laugh brightens up my day.  It would be an honor if you would marry me,” He said while pulling out the ring.

Elizabeth stared in disbelief.  Another tear rolled down her cheek.  Andrew stood up and wiped it off with his sleeve.

“I… I…” she stumbled. “I can’t marry you.  I think I’m in love with your brother.”

The Last Day

The Last Day

Maria Tancos was an average 15-year-old girl.  She lived with her dad and her little brother.  She was told that her mom died of stage three leukemia cancer, but she was only two years old, so she didn’t remember it.  She went to school everyday and played volleyball, basketball, and ran track.  Well, at least she did.  That was before she was murdered.

***Two days earlier***

“Are you going to the basketball game tonight?” Maria asked her best friend, Mackenzie, as they strolled down the hallway.

“Well, I was thinking about it, but I’m not really sure yet,” Mackenzie explained.

“You should. I get to play varsity tonight. I need to run home quick. See you later!” Maria rushed.

“Well then, of course I’ll come and watch you! Good luck!” exclaimed Mackenzie.

Maria quickly walked out of the school.  She got into her car and started it. Fog covered her windshield.  There was a blanket of white on the ground around her car. It was rusted everywhere. The blue paint was chipped all over the front end.  She waited for her car to warm up. Then, she started on her way home.

She pulled into the driveway just as her dad came running out of the house.  He was holding Jack, her younger brother, by the shirt collar.  His face was bright red, and his eyes were puffy. He had tears streaming down his rosy cheeks.  She jumped out of her car.

“Stop! You’re choking him! Stop, now! He can’t breathe!” she screamed.

He dropped him. Jack laid on the ground, gasping for air.

“You’re late,” he demanded.

“Forget that. What were you thinking?” Maria questioned.

“He deserved to die. Just like your mom.” he uttered, rage filling his eyes.

She looked at her brother. Then, she looked back to her dad.

He killed her, she thought. He killed my mother.

“She never had cancer. Did she?” demanded Maria.

“That’s not what I meant. Maria, darling, you know I didn’t kill her. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just caught up in the moment.”

“And you were caught up in the moment when you killed my mom, weren’t you? You didn’t even have a funeral for her,” Maria interrupted. “Just admit it. You killed her, and now you are going after my brother. What were you planning on telling me? That he had cancer too!”

“You shouldn’t have said that, Maria,” he continued.

He grabbed the sleeve of her sweater and yanked her inside. She began kicking, but she couldn’t get loose. He was 250 pounds of pure force; she was nothing against his strength. It was like fighting a baby rhino. He grabbed the side of her head with a tight grip and slammed it against the wall. Then, everything went black.

She slowly opened one eye at a time. Nothing looked familiar. It was almost completely black other than a faint glow from the lamp in the far corner. She could hear footsteps and screaming above her. It was Jack.

“What is he doing to him?” she panicked.

She started throwing her fists against the wall in an effort to get someone’s attention, but there was nobody to save her. All of a sudden, the screaming stopped. A body slammed against the floor above her and didn’t move. Fear ran across her mind. It can’t be Jack. It just can’t, but it was. He was clearly dead, and her dad was the killer.

Before she knew it, hundreds of tears were covering her eyes.  She could hardly breathe. Her brother was all she had.  She grew up without a mother and about half a father. Now, she had nothing.

The stomping continued. Except, they were coming closer. They were coming down the stairs to this unknown room. They had lived in this house since she was born. How did she not know about this room? The door soared open. A big figured stood in the doorway. The light shone on him just right.  His skin looked dark, and his eyes were glowing like a cat under the moon light.

“You know too much, and now there’s nowhere for you to go,” he said, as she crawled back.

He grabbed the collar of her sweater and yanked her to her feet. She felt a hand slap against her face. Her cheek felt warm. It felt as if a bee had stung her.  He threw her against the wall. She slipped down until she hit the floor.

“Please, just tell me what happened to my mom. I have to know,” Maria begged.

“I beat her. I beat her until she died,” the words stumbled out of his mouth. “She begged and pleaded, but once I started, I couldn’t stop.  I was furious. She was crying and had bruises everywhere. I couldn’t see her like that, so I had to finish it. I shattered her skull against the wall right where you are,” her dad told her as a single tear ran down his cheek.

Maria was shaking in fear. She was huddled in a pitch black corner. There was a blanket to her left. She began to crawl under it. She covered her face in the rugged fleece fabric. There was something with her under the blanket though.  She slowly ran her fingers along the carpet until she felt the touch of a dead body on her finger tips. She didn’t panic. She knew who it was. She wrapped the body’s arms around her body as tightly as she could. Her eyes closed tightly. A sweaty palm began to get tangled in her hair. He began to move her head away from the wall. Then, all at once he shattered her skull against the wall. She was left there to die in her mom’s arms.

Dance Moms

Dance Moms

They started with eight.  Now only five remain.  Out there lives a world where it’s one against many, and everybody fights for themselves.  They fight for their life and career.  You can’t care about anyone else, or you won’t survive.  This world lives in one reality tv show.  This world is Dance Moms.

If you have ever watched this show you would know that Abby Miller is the ruler of the dance studio.  The dancers must attend several hours a day.  Sometimes from early morning hours until late into the evening.  There is no time for public school.  Most of them must be homeschooled.  At this studio hundreds of young girls and boys someday hope to perform on Broadway.  I’m going to introduce you to the girls that the show is all about.  They are also known as “The Originals.”  

Some of you may know Maddie Ziegler from Sia’s famous music videos.  She is the dancer in the song “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart.”  Maddie is currently 12 years old.  Although, she began dancing at age two.  She is definitely Abby’s favorite at the studio.  She gets the most solos because she is, in my opinion, the best dancer.  Her mom, Melissa, is on the show just as much as Maddie.  Melissa causes all kinds of drama with the other moms.

Maddie has also made guest appearances on Drop Dead Diva, Austin and Ally, Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Dancing with the Stars, and Good Morning America.  She has her own fashion line, and she models when she isn’t dancing.

Maddie also has a younger sister, Mackenzie Ziegler.  Mackenzie is ten years old.  Outside the show, Mackenzie doesn’t dance with the Elite Competition Team.  Her mom wanted Mackenzie to be seen on the same team as Maddie on the show.  Mackenzie’s song “It’s a Girl Party” hit number one on the iTunes pops chart in 2014.  Mackenzie barely gets any of the praise from her mom or Abby.  She is compared to Maddie all the time.

Nia Frazier is 13 years old.  She has been dancing at Abby’s studio since she was three years old.  Holly is Nia’s mother.  Holly isn’t in a lot of the drama.  I think she is the nicest of all the moms.  Abby barely gives Nia any attention, but she doesn’t give up.  She is hardly ever at the top of the pyramid.  The weekly pyramid is how Abby rates the girls.  They have a competition every week, so if they don’t do well, they get ranked at the bottom of the pyramid.  Only one girl gets to be at the top.  

Before I move on to the next dancer, you need some background information on Candy Apples.  Candy Apples Dance Center is the rival of Abby Lee Dance Studio.  Candy Apples is in Ohio, and ALDC is in Pennsylvania.  Cathy Stein is the dance teacher.  Her daughter Vivi-Anne used to be a former dancer at Abby’s studio.  All of the moms hated Cathy.  She was extremely rude.  Cathy then took Vivi-Anne back to her own studio in Ohio.  Since then, they have competed against ALDC in several competitions, but they lose almost every time.  

Kendall Vertes is the next dancer.  She is 12 years old.  She began dancing at 18 months.  Kendall danced at ALDC.  Her mom, Jill, claimed that she wasn’t getting the respect she deserved.  Soon after, they left and went to Candy Apples.  Cathy used Abby’s choreography and costume to get Kendall first place.  Cathy then lost interest in Kendall, and they went back to ALDC.  It took awhile before Abby gained her trust back.

Kalani Hilliker is the last of the five dancers still at ALDC.  She is 14 years old.  She met Abby on AUDC.  Abby fell in love with her dancing.  She started at ALDC in season four.  She was asked back for season five because they only had four girls on the Elite Competition Team.

Brooke and Paige Hyland are no longer part of ALDC.  Paige is 14 years old.  Brooke is 16 years old.  They are former ALDC dancers.  They left right after their mom, Kelly, and Abby got in a fight after a performance.  Kelly pulled Abby’s hair, and Abby scratched Kelly across the face.  Brooke was Abby’s favorite until she got older and decided dancing wasn’t her thing.  Paige now goes to therapy.  Abby traumatized her with all of the yelling.  She will not return back to the show.  They went to court and later sued Abby for emotional damage.

Chloe Lukasiak, like the Hylands, is no longer a part of ALDC.  She is 13 years old.  She was Maddie’s main competitor.  She was normally right in the middle of the pyramid.  She went to Studio 19 soon after Brooke and Paige left.  She will never return to ALDC.  Her mother, Christi, was very good friends with Kelly.  Christi often got in fights with Abby because Chloe was always compared to Maddie.

Other dancers such as Payton and Asia were often on the show, but were not part of the Elite Competition Team.  Payton Ackerman is 17 years old and has been at ALDC since a very young age.  She appeared in the show when she auditioned to fill Vivi-Anne’s spot, but Kendall got it.  Her mom, Leslie, got very upset and yelled at Abby, but that happens a lot.  

Asia Monet Ray is not part of the Elite Competition team.  She is nine years old.  She began being a part of ALDC after she got third on AUDC.  She now has her own reality tv show called Raising Asia.  She is very sassy.  She isn’t the best dancer, but she is quite the little performer.

As you can see, these people come from a totally different world than us, or so we think.  We fight just like they do.  We want the best for our future.  We aren’t much different than them.  This is Dance Moms.

Minneapolis 4-H Trip

Minneapolis 4-H Trip

I have been in 4-H for six years now.  With 4-H, comes many different opportunities including the chance to go to Minneapolis this past year.  I made the decision to go during late winter.  I knew that it would be a totally different experience going to another state without my family.  I did bring along one of my close friends, Josie Denning.  We planned and packed months ahead of time, even though most of our schedule was already planned for us.  Only kids in grades seventh and eighth could attend, and you had to be from region 17.  

On day one, both of us went to school until about 12:30.  My dad picked us up from school and took us to Wings where the charter bus was picking us up.  There were several kids there, but only three from Avoca.  Council Bluffs, Underwood, Neola, and Minden kids were already on the bus.  Harlan and Oakland kids also got on with us.  We knew it would be a long ride, so we brought along electronics, blankets, and snacks.  There were televisions on the bus, so we watched a lot of movies!

When we first got there, we went to the Science Museum of Minneapolis.  We stayed the night there.  It was amazing! There was a 30-foot tall dinosaur sculpture and lots of different modern art sculptures.  The giant room quickly filled with the salty smell of freshly popped popcorn.  We had about two hours to just explore.  We took pictures of practically everything! I didn’t think I was going to like this part, but I ended up really enjoying it.  We had to wake up really early the next day.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t really hard because the floor wasn’t a very comfortable bed.  We all prepared ourselves; we knew we had a long day ahead of us.

After we all got ready, we headed downstairs to this huge room with a stage.  There was a lady on the stage with a lab coat and goggles on.  We watched a video about tornadoes.  Soon after she told us she was going to make a tornado.  Surely enough, she did.  Next, she proceeded to make lightning.  She had volunteers hold metal rods.  All of the kids had these special yellow gloves on.  They stood about eight feet apart from each other, and the lightning transferred throughout all of their poles.  She also made a very bright rainbow appear on the wall.

After the show, we got back on the charter bus and headed to the Mill City Museum.  When I first stepped into the building I remember it smelling really old and dusty.  All of the walls were made out of wooden boards.  We went on an elevator tour, which was kind of cool.  It showed us the history of the museum.  There were lots of loud parts when I jumped out of my seat.  We were really high above everything.  It felt like we were above the whole city.  They told us all about the history of the city.  It got kind of boring after awhile.

            Then, we headed to our hotel.  It was probably about 12 stories high.  There was a beautiful, tall waterfall in the middle of the main floor.  They had a huge pool and even a Starbucks in the lobby area.  Everybody that walked by us was wearing fancy business suits.  There were four glass elevators that took us up to our room on the ninth floor.  There were two bedrooms, a living room area, and a kitchen in our room.

            We got about a half an hour to spend at the hotel before we headed to Mall of America.  We quickly had to decide what we wanted to do at the mall because we only had two hours.  I had never been there before, so it was really overwhelming.  There were people everywhere.  There was a roller coaster and lots of other rides.  We were on the second floor, and we could see a flash mob getting started below us. There were probably 100 people dancing.  They had the music really loud.  Everyone was looking at them like they were crazy.

            We didn’t get back to the hotel until about 10:00 p.m.  I went straight to my room and went to sleep.  The next day, we woke up bright and early.  This was our last day in Minneapolis.  I went downstairs to smell the aroma of breakfast being cooked.  They had everything you could imagine.  There were pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, ham, fresh fruit, eggs, toast, hash browns, yogurt, French toast, doughnuts, bagels, and lots of other stuff on the buffet.  You could also get made-to-order food.  It was so yummy!

            Next, we headed to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory.  We quickly walked through the plants first.  Different smells filled the dome shaped room.  After we walked out of there, we went to see the gorillas, giraffes, zebras, and lots of others.  There wasn’t near as many animals as our zoo has, but it was a nice little zoo.  The polar bear was my favorite.  He could do tricks.  The whole time we were there, he was doing back flips against the wall.  I put my hand up to the glass to compare his paw with my hand.  His paws were huge!

            After the zoo, he got back on the charter bus and headed home.  I slept most of the way home because I knew we had school the next day.   It was around 6 p.m. on Sunday when we got back to Avoca.  We had to drop a couple of people off on the way.  Overall, I had a blast.  It was one of the best experiences I have ever had.  I would go back to Minneapolis in a heartbeat.  It was an amazing trip!