PARCC vs. ISAT ♥

     No matter where you live, chances are that you've had to take some kind of standardized test. Two examples of incredibly tiring tests in my area are the PARCC Test and, what came before that, the ISAT Test. Comparing two major evils isn't going to be easy, but here goes.
ISAT TESTING
-Pros
  -The multiple choice questions didn't require much time and were effortless
  -The passages were much shorter
  -For extended responses, there was just enough space, not too much or too little
-Cons
  -Extended responses, for math, felt really unnecessary and stressful
  -The science test was based more off of general knowledge, instead of reasoning based on already existing knowledge
  -Poorly timed
  -Didn't feel challenged
PARCC TESTING
-Pros
  -Questions did require more thinking, but there were less of them
  -Passages had much more information in them
  -Timing was better
-Cons
  -Insufficient space for responses
  -Questions AND answers poorly worded
  -Too many passages
  -Requires much more thinking, becomes too overwhelming and tiring

     So, overall, there are components I feel like the ISAT and PARCC could merge, to make the ideal test, in my opinion. Though the ISAT was too easy, timing and spacing was perfect. I felt like the PARCC Test had to lay off a little bit, three long passages in a row are VERY consuming and tiring.

Happy testing season!

When a Scene Ends, a New One Begins ♥

     With Summer Break approaching near, students are either completely ecstatic or brutally terrified. Excitement or panic all comes from only 37 days to either perfect their middle school experience, grades and all, or fear of what may come in high school after the three months of break.
     Personally, I hope to end and leave middle school successfully and remembered. I do feel that I've made a mark on my school, whether it was with the community or the actual school itself. These four years have been filled with amazing memories and stupendous grades, of which I'm both proud of. School life has had its ups and downs, with drama and all, but overall has been wonderful.
     Now, what do I look forward to next year? Just about everything. I'm looking forward to meeting new classmates and teachers, learning new things, sharing my passions with a new environment, and having a clean, fresh, new start. I'm a little bit nervous about experiencing the new ethics, but I'm sure I'll be well-accustomed to how things work soon enough.
     Although, in the middle of an abrupt ending and a sudden beginning, there needs to be a pause. That very pause is Summer Break! During this time, I'll be recapitulating my years in middle school, what I liked and what I didn't, and taking that information into thinking about what my high school experience should look like. I will also spend the break with, well, a break! Video games, Netflix, food, and music all day! I'll finally have a chance to truly kick back and relax, without any stress cluttering my mind.

     How do you want to end this school year and begin the next? What do your Summer Break plans look like?

My Millennium Park Field Trip ♥

     Allow me to tell you a fabulous story about my fabulous self in the third grade. The date is June 3rd, therefore my birthday. I was super-duper excited about this date because my classmates and I were going to go on a field trip to Millennium Park in Chicago! Honestly, what's a better birthday gift than skipping school to go to an amazing place?!
     Anyways, being my nerdy, young self, I didn't have any phone or camera to take pictures. Would you like to know what I took with me? Be prepared to cringe or laugh. I took my DSi. Yep, I was that one geeky kid. Oh well! I took some pretty amazing pictures on that thing, considering it wasn't any type of "professional" camera. Go photographer Mer! (For those wondering, I had a blue one).

     After the painfully long bus ride of anticipation, we exited towards boats, which would take us to the park. Passing by people waving definitely boosted the morale of the group, making us all even more excited to arrive at our final destination. 

     Now, I don't have that many memories of this lovely day, unfortunately, so I'm just going to describe the four that I remember.

1) Taking a Photo Under the Bean.

     For those of you that don't know what the Bean is, it's a huge statue of this metallic-silver bean at the opening of the park. My friends and I wanted to take pictures, under, not next to it. It was a truly beautiful and trippy experience, especially when I accidentally bumped my head! Oops! Clumsy, 10-year-old me. 

2) The Face Fountain

     The next amazing attraction at this park was the Face Fountain. Needless to explain, it's literally a giant screen that displays portraits of people spitting out water. Now that I think about it, it's kind of gross. But who cares when you're 10 years old? You want to play in the water with your friends! That's exactly what I did. 

3) Matching Tie-Dye T-Shirts

     The day before, all of my classmates and I skipped some classes to make tie-dyed t-shirts. My wonderful friend and I decided to make matching ones so we could always find each other and be the coolest twins ever. I still have the t-shirt to this day, and it's dyed red and yellow. 

4) Buying My Own Ice Cream

     When you're 10 years old, chances are your parents buy things for you. With just the point of a finger, you could get a  delicious candy bar or shiny, new pencil. Buying something on your own was a huge step into what we used to call "being an adult", and my mother gave me some money to buy my own ice cream cone. It was a pivotal moment in my life, seeing that I was able to order my very own cookies and cream cone.

     That's all for today, my friends! Tell me about one of your field trips!

Dear Diary ♥

     Monday, March 7th, 2016.
Dear Diary,
     Between last Friday and today, my English/literature class watched a documentary called "I'm Still Here" (creepy title, ikr), reading the diaries of Jewish Holocaust teenagers, whether they survived it or not. We were told to take a couple notes on each person, so we remember who they were, and what they were like. It was very interesting to see how each person lived their lives, and what they wrote about in comparison to others. I thought I'd talk about a couple of them, if not all (they inspired me a lot!)
     The first boy's name is Klaus. He wrote a lot about the segregation of Jews and many other people. He also gives details about Kristallnacht, the night of the broken glass. For those who don't know, on November 9th and 10th, 1938, Nazi storm troopers (no, not like Star Wars) went through towns and murdered Jews in their own homes or workplaces. They also boycotted Jewish stores by breaking the glass windows, and burned down synagogues (places of Jewish worship). Klaus finally talks about the time when his parents got arrested, and how his family departed.
     The next person who talks is Peter. He dedicated his diary to his parents, and seems to have a very hopeful tone in his writing. He mentions that he was baptized as a Catholic but still considered a Jew, so he went into hiding and wrote to his parents every day. Suddenly, his parents stopped writing. In the end, Peter escaped a tragic death.
     Now, we hear Elisabeth. For being a girl, I found that she was very defiant and courageous. She states that she's not afraid of the war and bombings. She calls the whole situation "unfair". She lost her mother when travelling, but then found her. She warns the reader of how cruel the Germans are.
     Next, Dawid's diary is read. Yes, his name is correctly spelled, for those wondering. At the beginning of his diary, he explained that watching soldiers pass through his village was fun, but he later finds out how evil they were, causing him to live in fear, along with the rest of the town. He also reports news around him, especially of people dying for no reason.
     This diary entry is getting awfully long, I'll pick up where we left off tomorrow.
~Mercedes

Erika's Quote - Daniel's Story ♥

"We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place. And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault, that we did our best, and that we can go to our deaths in dignity... I want you both to live... And to remember... You must choose love. Always choose love."

~Erika , to Daniel and Rosa, Daniel's Story (by Carol Matas)

  This powerful quote is from a historical-fiction book, that takes place during World War II, Daniel's Story. In a quick sentence, the short book tells a story about a Jewish boy, Daniel, and his family persevering on with the struggles of being a Jew, concentration camps, and many more hardships. Erika is Daniel's younger sister, and Rosa is Daniel's "girlfriend".

I decided to take this quote and break it down, piece by piece, and explain what it means to me. It may mean something else to you, and I'd love to hear ideas.
"We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place."
In my opinion, this all means that each and every one of us have a purpose in life. Everyone has a reason for being alive, and living on this planet. As life goes on, we each have an impact on the world, whether it's minuscule or immense. The best thing to do is to change the world for the better, overall.
"And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault,"
If you dedicate your life to doing good, it shouldn't be your fault if you die. The concept of good karma supports this - if you do good, you will receive just the same.
"...that we did our best, and that we can go to our deaths in dignity."
     Of course, you would've tried your best when doing amazing deeds for the world. If you made an impact on the world, wouldn't it be wonderful to leave it knowing that you did something to make a positive difference? This way, you can die with dignity and pride - you didn't waste your life.
"I want you both to live... And to remember... You must choose love. Always choose love."
     Here, Erika is speaking directly to her dear brother and friend. She doesn't want them to die, but she insists on remembering to choose love, over all. I don't necessarily agree with this, I would definitely choose love over any form of hatred, though.

     There you go! Bam! Broken down! I'd love to hear anyone's own ideas about this topic down below!

The Art of, Well, Art ♥

     Before I start this post, I'd like to wish you all a happy Leap Year Day (idk, is it called that?) Also, to all those people whom are either lucky (or unlucky, I guess) enough to have their birthdays on this special day, happy birthday.
     I'd typically write something about how time flies by so fast, but I wanted to discuss something more dear to my heart, art (wow omg that rhymed). Art really isn't just a physical thing. If you have the right mindset to it, it can be more of a concept. Whether you're amazing or terrible, the idea is that you're transforming and molding your thoughts and feelings into something that someone can physically see.
     Another lovely thing about art is that you have an infinite number of mediums (supplies). You can work with anything, from paints to plastic bottles.
     Also speaking about choices, you can draw, sculpt, compose music, etc. All it takes is a thought, image, dream, or inspiration, and something to make it real.

     Now, I could really go into details and details about why I love the concept of art so much, but I'll leave that to you. Yes, you! Imagine and create, my friends!

Suddenly... [A Short Story Based on a Prompt] ♥

[Unfortunately, the picture is unavailable]

     Before I begin, I'd like to tell you a little bit about this weeks assignment. We were assigned to find an interesting picture and write anything you'd like about it. I chose the one above. If you enjoy writing, I encourage you to visit this website and try it out yourself! Anyways, here we go!

-*x*-

     Driving is terrible. It really is. I despise it with a strong passion. Today is a particularly horrid day to be driving, as well. It's 8:00 AM, the sky has just stopped pouring it's heavy tears onto the barren ground. Stick your nose out, and you smell the stench of damp and dank wood. The road is slippery - one wrong move could send someone spiraling off. One needs to devote all of their attention to the scenery in front of them, just in order to survive the gruesome task that is indeed, driving. 

     What is this! I got distracted, and some jerk in a truck carrying lumber cut me off! That jerk! I started off in a bad mood, but this guy passed the drawn line!

     Abandoning all principles of safety, and slammed on the acceleration pedal. My mind went blank and focused on the path in front of me. I was going to teach this guy a lesson. I kept getting closer.

     150 yards.

     100 yards.

     50 yards.

     50 feet.

     At 30 feet, I slammed on the brakes. So much angst and rage swept over me that I hadn't realized some of the wooden logs from the truck had fallen off and were hurling towards me. The brakes didn't help, nor did the slippery road. I braced myself for the worst.

     Then I woke up.

Science Class: Meiosis and a Baby ♥

     These past weeks, in my science class, we have been learning about the process of meiosis, and how it compares to mitosis, which we learned the previous year. We used slips of paper to represent chromosomes, and acted out the process of meiosis. Then, with another group, we traded our gametes to make a baby. My group's turned out.... interesting?

     This is Sally. Her characteristics are listed below.
-Circle head
-5 fingers
-2 toes
-Knobby knees
-Round eyes
-Pig nose
-Big belly
-Long arms
-Fat lips
-Eye lashes
-Little ears
-Long neck
-Big feet
-Long hair
-Big thumb
-Eyebrows
-Curly hair
-Horns
-Tail
-Halo

     Sally is rather different. She might get picked on in the future, but I hope she'll remain strong and have a lovely life.

How to Make the Yummiest Scrambled Eggs ♥

     Hello friends! The cooking side of me is here, with a cute cooking tutorial! Today, we will be making scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs are probably one of my favorite breakfast foods, mostly because you can do whatever you want with them! Also, they're super simple to make, and taste so good.
     Let's go over the necessary materials!
     -Eggs (any quantity, I usually make 2-3)
     -Frying pan
     -Oil/butter (optional)
     -Non-stick spray (optional)
     -Any meet or vegetables (things you may want to put in, optional)
     -Salt (optional, but I recommend it)
     -Spatula
     -Whisk/fork
     -Plate
     -Bowl
     First, you want to get out the number of eggs you'll want to. Disclaimer! The more eggs you use, the larger the frying pan you want. I'll explain why this is later, if you don't understand. As stated earlier, I typically prepare 2-3 eggs.
     Second, break your eggs, both yolks and egg whites, into a bowl.
     Third, (this part takes a little bit of getting used to it) take a whisk or a fork and whisk the eggs, similar to how it's done in this gif.

     Fourth, once your mixture looks like a yellow-like goo, set it down. Now, spray your frying pan with non-stick spray, and place it on your stove top. Optionally, pour a little bit of oil or butter on the pan, and heat the pan at low-medium heat. Once the oil starts sparking a little bit, like the Fourth of July (sick Fall Out Boy reference, me), you're ready to start cooking.
     Fifth, pour your eggs into the frying pan. Let them sit and cook for a little while, 20-40 seconds. This will let the bottom of the eggs to cook slightly, making the next few steps easier. Now would also be when you toss your delicious deli meats or vegetables into the pan.
     Sixth,, take your spatula and start to break apart the eggs. Feel free to be slightly sloppy, but don't send any eggs overboard!
     Finally, once your eggs look amazing, turn the heat off and serve them!
     Enjoy!

P.S. I am totally the most amazing scrambled eggs chef, just sayin' *wink*

Panic! At the Disco: Death of a Bachelor Review ♥

     Hello friends! Today, I bring to you something that is very dear and special to me. On January 15th, 2016, the band Panic! At the Disco released their next studio album: Death of a Bachelor. I have decided to rate each and every song (buckle up)!
1. "Victorious" ~ This was the second single released early, and I loved it so much. I would listen to it on repeat every day. The music video has to be my favorite part of it. It showcases Brendon, the lead singer, winning at everything he does, whether significant or not.
2. "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time" ~ When I first listened to this track, I automatically jumped into the chants "alright, alright, it's a hell of a feeling though!" The lyrics are truly hilarious, telling a story of a crazy night of getting drunk, then the aftermath to it. My favorite quote? "I've told you time and time again, I'm not as think as you drunk I am."
3. "Hallelujah" ~ This was the first single of the album released early. The chorus wasn't my favorite, but the verses definitely were music to my ears. Who knows, maybe I've listened to it so many times that I'm used to it. All you sinners stand up, sing "hallelujah"!
4. "Emperor's New Clothes" ~ This song gave me major chills down my spine. It was the third single released, though the full music video was what got the fans. Brendon sings about "taking back the crown" and his place in royalty. The chorus is so catchy!
5. "Death of a Bachelor" ~ Ahh, yes. This was the song that really sparked my interest into the new album. The track wasn't ever officially released, it was just played on an iTunes Radio broadcast. Brendon truly embraces his "Frank Sinatra" side and explores his vocal range (which, without a doubt, is astonishing). Love it.
6. "Crazy=Genius" ~ THIS IS MY FAVORITE TRACK, NOT EVEN KIDDING! Let me explain. It's very up-beat, and talks about how being crazy and off is truly genius, and if it's true, then you can be like Albert Einstein. I get up and start dancing to it, whenever it comes on.
7. "LA Devotee" ~ This special track talks about all the lovely things in LA. My favorite part of the song is definitely the chorus - "The black magic of Mulholland Drive, swimming pools under desert skies!"
8. "Golden Days" ~ When I first listened to this track, nothing seemed special about it. Then, suddenly, BAM! The chorus hits you with Brendon's extraordinary voice. If I were to be drinking something while listening to it, I probably would've spit out my drink in surprise and shock. Listen to it. Witness the amazing-ness.
9. "The Good, the Bad and the Dirty" ~ Similar to "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time", I jumped into the intro of the "oh's". So catchy, I swear. I'm running out of compliments for this album, it's so wonderful.
10. "House of Memories" ~ "Promise me a place in your house of memories,". I couldn't agree more. Whenever I make friends, I hope that they'll always have a part of me in their memories, and I relate a lot to this song.
11. "Impossible Year" ~ This has got to be my second favorite song. Just like "Death of a Bachelor", Brendon tests out his vocal range, sounding similar to Sinatra. It's truly beautiful.

     This concludes my tour of the new album. My realistic rating of this album would be a 9.5/10. The fangirl in me rates it as 128973/10. Truly amazing. Listen to it. Now. 

Movie Review: Big Hero 6 ♥

     Hello friends! Today, I have decided to write a review on my favorite movie of 2015, Big Hero 6! This fabulous, Disney animated film is filled with hilarious moments, suspense, touching scenes, and plenty of adorable surprises (see the gif below, so cute!) Just as well, it has memorable characters that you can get attached to right away!
     Let's talk about the plot. The main character is Hiro Hamada, a child genius, who participates in robot fights. His older brother, Tadashi, encourages him to use his brain for something else, and apply to the Institute of Technology.
     SPOILER ALERT!
     He makes it. Then, Hiro meets Tadashi's team, which is truly another set of lovable characters. Next, Hiro meets Tadashi's latest project - a healthcare companion/robot. His name is Baymax, and he resembles a fluffy marshmallow with the cutest facial expression.
     When a villain up-rises, will Hiro, Baymax, and the rest of the team be able to defeat this mystery villain? What will happen in the end?
Overall rate: 15/10. Seriously. Watch the movie, if you haven't.

     

My List of Do's and Don't's For 2016 ♥

Do's

- Focus on school, pass classes

- Graduate 8th grade with straight A's

- Improve art skills

- Be nice and positive to friends, try to gain more

- Enjoy music, especially new albums

- Pass my two piano exams

- Get prepared for high school

- Write and compose an original song (why not)

- Enjoy and appreciate the new year

- Attend at least one concert

Don't's
- Procrastinate on important things
- Rush growing up, life is amazing
- Give up on improving
- Lose friends
- Ignore new musical opportunities
- Stop practicing, until perfect
- Waste summer break worrying
- Spend most of summer break alone
- Let the new year intimidate me

- Spend money away

Shout-out to my fam, Ariana Ruts (is nuts).

One of My Favorite Christmas Gifts Received ♥

     Christmas is coming up soon! In fact, it's just next Friday! Wow, I can't believe how much the year has gone by! Last year, I remember receiving one of the best gifts ever! Now, this may sound lame to some of you, but it was and still is amazing to me. I got a huge box of 150 Prismacolor colored pencils. I basically have every shade in the rainbow, that you can think of. I'm super passionate about art, so I was hyped for this. With 150 colored pencils, you can draw or color just about anything! Honestly, it's so hard to choose between colors sometimes, they're also so beautiful and vibrant.
     With art, you put your imagination on a paper, for whomever you want to see. Everyone perceives art differently, and that's what I think is so beautiful about it. If you give me even a blank piece of paper, I will love it to death until the last moment that I use it, or even look at it!
     What's your favorite Christmas gift?

My Debate Topic ♥

     Scrolling through some topics to debate for school, one of my friends came across a very interesting one: should bullies be held legally responsible (death penalty or jail/juvenile) if their bullying results in the victim's death (by suicide)?
     My first instinct, was to say yes, because the bully basically would've taken the victim's life. Then, I thought about it a little bit more, and came to the point where I was arguing with myself. Never would've expected that in my life!
     Turns out, this debate topic goes far deeper than ever imaginable. In class, we held this type of poll, where people would answer what they think and why on a piece of paper. My classmates' responses were ALL OVER THE PLACE. This pondering question basically split the class in half.
     People said yes for the same reason as I thought. The bully bullied a victim so much to the point that the victim broke and killed themselves. The bully should pay, for technically taking a life. That was the main reason.
     As for no, people believed that the bully shouldn't at least have a death penalty, because they didn't necessarily choose for the victim to commit suicide - it was the victim's choice. Jail or juvenile is always an option because the bully bullied in the first place. Taking another life wouldn't help the case of cruelty in our world.
     I'd like to hear about your ideas! Post in the comments below! Should bullies be held legally responsible if their victim commits suicide?

My Life Quotes ♥

"The sun will rise, and we will try again."

     ~Tyler Joseph

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     This first quote means a lot to me because it basically means that if you have a bad day, tomorrow is another day, and you can always start over. The next day is always going to be a new chance to have a clean slate, and try to make your life as wonderful as possible. Be your best self. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So what if I'm crazy? The best people are."

     ~Melanie Martinez

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     This next quote defines me a lot. It basically means that if there's something off about you, it doesn't mean that you're a bad person. The best people aren't your average people, they have very special qualities about them that makes them so amazing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll soon forget the color of your eyes, and you'll forget mine."

     ~Vic Fuentes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     This quote means a lot to me because it basically says that you will meet people in your life that will really mean a lot to you, but eventually, you may lose them or forget about them. It's a huge grasp on reality that nothing gold can stay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Just for the record, the weather today is slightly sarcastic with a good chance of good chance of:

A. Indifference or

B. Disinterest in what the critics say."

     ~Brendon Urie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     I really love this quote because it tells you to be you, and not to care about anyone that judges. Don't give up on something you love just because someone else judges you for it or hates you for it. Life is doing what you love, and loving what you do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You are what you love, not who loves you."

     ~Patrick Stump

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     This last quote just as well influences the phrase "be who you are, and do what you love,". Just like some of the others, this tells us to do and be what you love to be or do, no matter what anyone else thinks or says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things I'm Thankful For ♥

     Alright, Thanksgiving is coming up soon, so I'm going to write a little about the things I'm thankful for!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Of course, I'm thankful for having a roof above my head, being able to go to school, having food on my plate, and for the luxuries that my family and I have. I'm especially thankful for my mother, who pushed me extremely hard to get to high school, in an honors math class. I'm just as well thankful for both the family and friends that I have, and how they stay by my side. I have many musical or art-wise influences, and I'm thankful for those people or ideas pushing me forward.
     I'm also very grateful for the talents and hobbies that I have, that I probably do daily.
     Now, let's get into the less serious things I love.
     I'm of course thankful for amazing things like candy, video games, artsy markers, Nutella, books/authors, movies, tv, Netflix, etc. These are all probably things that the typical teenage girl would be thankful for, but why exclude them? Every little thing makes up a part of me, and I love all of me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~