You can see a quick template we made here for a message with Mr. Potato head. This easily goes with the idea of how the parts of the body work together. Kids could print this out and make their own faces, which turns out to be a lot of fun.
Madison is officially done with her autobiography, and we'll have that printed below - it's been something she's been working on for a few weeks now, and is finally finished. It turned out well, but unfortunately, her teacher that assigned the project has abruptly retired. Madison was just getting to know her, and she seems like a nice lady. We're not sure if she was retired, or retired herself, but we'll certainly miss her.
We've got a busy season looming ahead, with conflicting plans involving birthday parties and church conferences and field trips. It's a bit stressful if you start looking at things at the whole. Best to do what Jesus said and let tomorrow worry about itself. We've got enough to think about right now.
Madison went to bed early tonight. We all did - we're getting up at 5am tomorrow to get ready for a field trip. So we're cutting this entry short. To make up for that, here below is Madison's autobiography (minus the forward), in its entirety.
Chapter 1- Trip To The Past
“You shouldn't wait for other people to make special things happen. You have to create your
own memories”- Heidi Klum
I was only 4 years old when all the memories began. I was so young then. Sometimes I wish I could simply travel back in time to relive those times. There are several unique moments that we have when we are younger. We’ll have so many types of memories from the happiest ones to the scariest ones and the cutest ones.
One of my very first memories was going to church, and I was excited. It was one of my happiest memories. I was about 4 years old then. I must’ve not been to a complete church service beforehand. Of course, I had something nice on for church. I was wearing a pretty African dress to church that day, and I was wearing it rather proudly. I thought I looked very nice in it. Anyway, I was walking beside my father, and it was quite crowded as each Sunday was. We were going to a hallway where all the children that do not attend school (younger than kindergarten) go to. I had spent the last service in the office with my father, so I was quite enthusiastic about what would occur that day. I was going to watch a church service that day in KP Discovery, where I would go.
A few weeks later on July 30, we officially got the house we have now. I was so excited that I was running around the new house and exploring it. I had so much energy then, that if I had that much energy currently, I would be so crazy right now. I had never seen a house like that before. Since we would be moving to the house in September or so, that meant I’d have to get very used to being far away from my parents’ room, and I was very scared. My first night there, I was whimpering. It was such a big place for me. I had never lived in any other house until then.
That also meant that I would be living farther away from my grandparents’ house, too. I wasn’t ready to leave my old house, but I got used to living where I do now. I wasn’t ready to sleep farther away from my parents either. It was super hard for me since I was very young. My old house was the only one I'd ever known to live in for my whole life in the U.S.A. I knew though that it was going to be exciting, despite everything.
After a few weeks in our new house, I became comfortable there. It really felt like home. On August 12, 2012, one of my cutest memories occurred. My first tooth was very wiggly that
morning. I had told my parents I was so excited that my tooth was wiggly. A little later, my dad went to work, while I stayed home with my mom and that wiggly tooth. I was playing with it a lot. Later on, my mom helped me pull my tooth out. It had hurt a bit, but I was very thrilled about it. When my dad came home, I showed him my tooth. I couldn’t wait for the “tooth fairy” to come and give me money for that tooth. The first tooth I lost was my very bottom tooth. The very next morning, I had found a note from the “tooth fairy” under my pillow, along with about a dollar or two. I was very delighted because I had never gotten money for losing anything before.
After a few weeks in our new house, I became comfortable there. It really felt like home. On August 12, 2012, one of my cutest memories occurred. My first tooth was very wiggly that
morning. I had told my parents I was so excited that my tooth was wiggly. A little later, my dad went to work, while I stayed home with my mom and that wiggly tooth. I was playing with it a lot. Later on, my mom helped me pull my tooth out. It had hurt a bit, but I was very thrilled about it. When my dad came home, I showed him my tooth. I couldn’t wait for the “tooth fairy” to come and give me money for that tooth. The first tooth I lost was my very bottom tooth. The very next morning, I had found a note from the “tooth fairy” under my pillow, along with about a dollar or two. I was very delighted because I had never gotten money for losing anything before.
Chapter 2- My Biological And Adopted Family Tree
“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life”- Richard Bach
Family is one of the best and most important things in life, even if at times it doesn’t seem like it. Family isn’t always related by blood, but instead by the memories we make with each other. My family that I have isn’t my biological family, but we’ll always be connected with respect, joy, and love for one another.
I was born in the province, Guang Xi, China (in the southern part of China), on June 15, 2006, but my adopted family doesn’t know when I was actually born. My name was Long Mei Yang. When I was almost 1 year old, I was left at an orphanage called the Cangwu Social Welfare Institute. No one claimed me, so the orphanage took me in. They assumed that since I had teeth, I must be about 1 year old. I spent about one year at the orphanage, while my parents were getting ready
to adopt me.
On June 30, when I was 2 years and 15 days old, my parents finally adopted me. I was so frightened because I had never been with anyone but the orphanage caregivers. Of course, almost all the other babies were crying, too. After a little while, we made the trip to my new home in the United States. It was a whole new world to me, but I got to meet my new family. The first family members I met
were my mom, dad, and grandparents from my father’s side. I just knew life would only be getting better for me, and it did. To this day, I’m very grateful that I was adopted into my family. I’ve never known anything about my biological family, not even now. But perhaps someday I will, and someday I can return to China to visit the country I was born in.
My mother’s name is Zena Georgina Green, now Cypher. She was born in New York, New York, on May 8, 1956. She moved to Roswell, Georgia, in 1986. My mom was a nanny for a while before she got married to my dad. My mom has a brother named George, who now lives in Ohio with his wife, Heidi, and one of their two sons, Brandon. My mom is the one who usually cooks. She prepares a lot of good meals for us, like tacos and chicken tikka masala. She also frequently makes sweet tea for us, or even water infused with oranges, limes, cucumbers, and/or mint from our garden in it. She makes a delicious watermelon sorbet! Since neither my dad nor I know how to do the laundry, she does the laundry, too. Just before adopting me, my mother was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer. It was something she had to spend a lot of time fighting. She went through radiation treatments and chemotherapy, and says that her dreams of adopting me were one thing that helped her win her fight against cancer.
I’ve only met my Uncle George, Aunt Heidi, and cousin Brandon once, and that was in 2017. They were really nice. We played a few vicious rounds of Uno one day, and Brandon had ended up with twenty cards by the end of the game. Brandon is going to college to be an engineer, and dreams of working for NASA. Their other son, Mark, has a job with the Air Force. Uncle George is a pilot, so it seems as if working with airplanes runs in the family. Before they went back to Ohio, they gave me a pink bracelet with a turtle on it, and a blue turtle made of glass. I was very happy to meet them.
My mother’s name is Zena Georgina Green, now Cypher. She was born in New York, New York, on May 8, 1956. She moved to Roswell, Georgia, in 1986. My mom was a nanny for a while before she got married to my dad. My mom has a brother named George, who now lives in Ohio with his wife, Heidi, and one of their two sons, Brandon. My mom is the one who usually cooks. She prepares a lot of good meals for us, like tacos and chicken tikka masala. She also frequently makes sweet tea for us, or even water infused with oranges, limes, cucumbers, and/or mint from our garden in it. She makes a delicious watermelon sorbet! Since neither my dad nor I know how to do the laundry, she does the laundry, too. Just before adopting me, my mother was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer. It was something she had to spend a lot of time fighting. She went through radiation treatments and chemotherapy, and says that her dreams of adopting me were one thing that helped her win her fight against cancer.
I’ve only met my Uncle George, Aunt Heidi, and cousin Brandon once, and that was in 2017. They were really nice. We played a few vicious rounds of Uno one day, and Brandon had ended up with twenty cards by the end of the game. Brandon is going to college to be an engineer, and dreams of working for NASA. Their other son, Mark, has a job with the Air Force. Uncle George is a pilot, so it seems as if working with airplanes runs in the family. Before they went back to Ohio, they gave me a pink bracelet with a turtle on it, and a blue turtle made of glass. I was very happy to meet them.
My grandmother from my mother’s side is from England, and my grandfather is from New York. My grandfather was in the Air Force and worked for an insurance company before retiring to live in Florida, where they live now. They used to live closer to Orlando, Florida, at a golf course. We would go to Disney World and Disney Springs a lot each time we visited. Now, they live in a Daytona Beach Shores condo right on the coast. Every time we visit them, we are able to go on the beach almost every day.
My father’s name is David Patrick Cypher. He was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on October 31, 1970. He has a sister named Shain Cypher. They moved to Cleveland, Georgia, in 1983. After high school, my dad went to college to become a teacher. When he finished college, he was offered a job to work at the church I go to now. My dad accepted the offer, and has been happy there ever since. My dad is usually the one that teases around with me a lot. He also reads each night to me. We play a lot of video games together.
My grandparents on my father’s side live in Hall County just off of Browns Bridge Road. My family used to live nextdoor to them before moving to where we live now in Forsyth County. My grandfather was in the Navy, serving aboard a submarine. My grandfather’s ancestry is largely from Ireland, and Germany as well. One of his ancestors was a deacon at a church in Sleepy Hollow during the time that Washington Irving wrote his famous story about the Headless Horseman. Quite a few of our ancestors are buried in the cemetery at the old church just past the covered bridge that Ichabod Crane tried to make it across safely. Our grandparents have 3 dogs, but they used to have about five. They absolutely love animals. They also have a cat that sleeps on their front porch. Inside, they have fish and birds that they also have to take care of.
My father’s name is David Patrick Cypher. He was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on October 31, 1970. He has a sister named Shain Cypher. They moved to Cleveland, Georgia, in 1983. After high school, my dad went to college to become a teacher. When he finished college, he was offered a job to work at the church I go to now. My dad accepted the offer, and has been happy there ever since. My dad is usually the one that teases around with me a lot. He also reads each night to me. We play a lot of video games together.
My grandparents on my father’s side live in Hall County just off of Browns Bridge Road. My family used to live nextdoor to them before moving to where we live now in Forsyth County. My grandfather was in the Navy, serving aboard a submarine. My grandfather’s ancestry is largely from Ireland, and Germany as well. One of his ancestors was a deacon at a church in Sleepy Hollow during the time that Washington Irving wrote his famous story about the Headless Horseman. Quite a few of our ancestors are buried in the cemetery at the old church just past the covered bridge that Ichabod Crane tried to make it across safely. Our grandparents have 3 dogs, but they used to have about five. They absolutely love animals. They also have a cat that sleeps on their front porch. Inside, they have fish and birds that they also have to take care of.
My Aunt Shain married a man named David Berry. A few years later, my aunt had 2 sons, Jonathan and David-Austin Berry. In 2002, my cousin, Hannah Berry, was born. She was born on July 2. I would be so excited when I saw Hannah coming over. We were best friends. A few years later, when I was in 3rd grade, my uncle passed away. We were all very sad when that happened, especially our cousins and aunt.
My parents met when they were going to bible college. My mother’s birthday was coming up, and she had no one to take her out to celebrate, so my father arranged a special evening at a nice restaurant in Atlanta. Sometime after that, they started to date. In 2000, my parents finally got married. For their honeymoon, they went to Hawaii.
Both of my parents help at my church, Free Chapel. My dad does many things there. He speaks to large groups, does graphic designs, and acts on stage. He also writes the skits, devotionals, and sermon booklets. He is also the head of the drama crew, which I’m part of now. My mom is a photographer and creates costumes and props as well. They both work in the kids department of the church, a place called KidPak. One reason they both began working there had to do with me. They were planning to adopt soon, and wanted to spend more time in the nursery. One of the staff members there had seen them and asked them if they’d like to work in KidPak instead of the nursery. My parents said yes, and now they work with children from kindergarten to 6th grade.
Through those years, I’ve enjoyed going to church, and loved being with my family. We’ve had many happy memories together, all of them connected with respect, joy, and love. Though I’m not related to them by blood, they are in every way my true family, and one of the best and most important things in life.
My parents met when they were going to bible college. My mother’s birthday was coming up, and she had no one to take her out to celebrate, so my father arranged a special evening at a nice restaurant in Atlanta. Sometime after that, they started to date. In 2000, my parents finally got married. For their honeymoon, they went to Hawaii.
Both of my parents help at my church, Free Chapel. My dad does many things there. He speaks to large groups, does graphic designs, and acts on stage. He also writes the skits, devotionals, and sermon booklets. He is also the head of the drama crew, which I’m part of now. My mom is a photographer and creates costumes and props as well. They both work in the kids department of the church, a place called KidPak. One reason they both began working there had to do with me. They were planning to adopt soon, and wanted to spend more time in the nursery. One of the staff members there had seen them and asked them if they’d like to work in KidPak instead of the nursery. My parents said yes, and now they work with children from kindergarten to 6th grade.
Through those years, I’ve enjoyed going to church, and loved being with my family. We’ve had many happy memories together, all of them connected with respect, joy, and love. Though I’m not related to them by blood, they are in every way my true family, and one of the best and most important things in life.
Chapter 3- Making My Path Ahead
No matter what, time will keep going, and the future will come closer. You may lose friends, and you may gain friends. Still, time will stop for no one, even if you wish it would. The future can be good for you if you make the right decisions, but also bad for you should you go down the wrong road. Our decisions now will affect our futures, so we need to be careful.
This year, I plan to make the best decisions. I plan to make it on the honor roll this semester, and hopefully the next as well. I’ll also have more homework in ELA than any other classes that I have! My friends and I will have just a few more inside jokes than we do now, ones that no one else will get. When the Marvel movies and Star Wars movies are released, we’ll be talking and talking and talking about them afterwards.
When summer comes around, I’ll make some fun decisions. I’ll invite friends to my birthday party. Some will be from my church, some will be from school, and some will be from my taekwondo classes. In July, I might be going to my first Forward Conference, a major church event.
Next year, when I’m in 8th grade, I’ll be in mostly advanced classes, as I am this year. I’ll make A’s and B’s on class tests and end up with an A or B average for both semesters, and the whole year. I might not join journalism that year because I’ll already have a lot of classes after school, with tests to study for. Journalism just adds a whole lot more work to school, with tight deadlines that could be stressful. I’ll probably have another year of gym in every quarter once again. I’ll be playing basketball a few times a quarter just for the fun of it, and I’ll be doing dodgeball that year as well. In the mornings on Fridays, I’ll be enjoying my time in art club again. I’ll still be friends with Sophia H, Ava L, and Maddie G. Some of my friends will still be debating which band instrument is better, or if band is better than chorus.
Once my final year of middle school is over, and it is summer again, I’ll be helping with my church more. I’d like to do more photography, and be performing on stage with larger roles as I improve with acting. When Summer Xtreme (a church event, and yes, it is spelled that way) comes around, I’ll probably be a helper for a small group of younger children. In July, I’ll be going to Forward with some of my friends. I’ll also be doing art camp for a week, doing more advanced art projects like the one shown here. It’s a block print that we created at the Quinlan Arts Center in Gainesville.
When the summer ends and the time to attend high school comes, I’ll be going to East Forsyth High School. This school is being built very close to my neighborhood, and should be
completed by the time I’ll be a freshman in high school. If it’s not ready yet, I’ll be going to North Forsyth High School. My friend, Maddie, might have moved to my neighborhood by then. Almost my whole group of friends will be there. That group includes Maddie G, Sophia H, Ava L, Christina Q, and myself so far. We’ll all hopefully have one class with one another, at the least. On the weekends, we’ll have a few hangouts with each other every once in a while.
When the summer ends and the time to attend high school comes, I’ll be going to East Forsyth High School. This school is being built very close to my neighborhood, and should be
completed by the time I’ll be a freshman in high school. If it’s not ready yet, I’ll be going to North Forsyth High School. My friend, Maddie, might have moved to my neighborhood by then. Almost my whole group of friends will be there. That group includes Maddie G, Sophia H, Ava L, Christina Q, and myself so far. We’ll all hopefully have one class with one another, at the least. On the weekends, we’ll have a few hangouts with each other every once in a while.
We’ll text each other on Google Hangouts and possibly use FaceTime to talk with each other. If there’s an art club or a Live to Give club, I’ll be joining one or both of them.
Outside of school, I’ll still be playing the piano, and also possibly playing a new instrument, the guitar. I will be continuing to practice taekwondo with my other friends, and plan to be a black belt just before high school. I’ll be 15-18 years old during my high school years. If all goes well, I’ll get my driver's license on my first or second time attempting to pass that test. At home, I’ll be playing a lot of video games, and maybe still watching a lot of YouTube videos. I’ll be able to cook more recipes than I do now, with the help from my mom.
After high school, I want to go to a good college with a drama and theater department, or possibly my church’s college. I don’t really know what college I want to go to yet, but I think it would be great if it has a theater program in it. I might have to attend taekwondo classes less than I currently do. I’ll still try to go to another church if I attend a college that is out of state. I’ll do about 4 to 6 years of college.
After college, I want to be married to a wonderful man that I can trust, with at least two children, one boy and one girl. I want to be married when I am between 25-28 years old. I hope to be living in Gainesville, Georgia. My dream home will be a two-story house in a good neighborhood. I’d like there to be at least 3 bedrooms on the top floor. I’ll still go to Free Chapel in Gainesville, the church I attend now. I’ll be acting somewhere in Georgia. For vacations, I would visit Florida and/or Tennessee almost every year. I’ll still be in contact with some of my friends. We’ll talk to each other, but just not as much as we would in middle school or high school. Some of my friends I’ll be acting on stage at church with. We’ll have a few hangouts every few months and some parties. For holidays, I’ll invite a lot of friends and family over.
Outside of school, I’ll still be playing the piano, and also possibly playing a new instrument, the guitar. I will be continuing to practice taekwondo with my other friends, and plan to be a black belt just before high school. I’ll be 15-18 years old during my high school years. If all goes well, I’ll get my driver's license on my first or second time attempting to pass that test. At home, I’ll be playing a lot of video games, and maybe still watching a lot of YouTube videos. I’ll be able to cook more recipes than I do now, with the help from my mom.
After high school, I want to go to a good college with a drama and theater department, or possibly my church’s college. I don’t really know what college I want to go to yet, but I think it would be great if it has a theater program in it. I might have to attend taekwondo classes less than I currently do. I’ll still try to go to another church if I attend a college that is out of state. I’ll do about 4 to 6 years of college.
After college, I want to be married to a wonderful man that I can trust, with at least two children, one boy and one girl. I want to be married when I am between 25-28 years old. I hope to be living in Gainesville, Georgia. My dream home will be a two-story house in a good neighborhood. I’d like there to be at least 3 bedrooms on the top floor. I’ll still go to Free Chapel in Gainesville, the church I attend now. I’ll be acting somewhere in Georgia. For vacations, I would visit Florida and/or Tennessee almost every year. I’ll still be in contact with some of my friends. We’ll talk to each other, but just not as much as we would in middle school or high school. Some of my friends I’ll be acting on stage at church with. We’ll have a few hangouts every few months and some parties. For holidays, I’ll invite a lot of friends and family over.
The future is in our hands and we are the ones who decide where we will go. Even our smallest choices will affect the future we want to head towards. No matter what, there’s always a road ahead that each of us chooses to follow. Hopefully, my choices will lead me in the best direction.
Chapter 4- Friendship is Forever
“And as the years go by, our friendship will never die.”- “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”, by Randy Newman
Friendship is one of the most important things you could ever have in your life. Your friends will be there when you need them. They also help make the good memories in your life. Even when the years go by, the friendships you made will never die. Distance won’t even separate strong and wonderful friendships.
One of my oldest friends that I still talk to and often see is Sophia. We’ve known each other since about 2nd grade. She is a really nice friend. Sophia is also one of my closest friends I have. She was one of my first friends that I made when I had moved to bus 9. She is in about half of my classes right now. Sophia is in most advanced classes. For our Connections classes, she has both band and chorus. She is deciding to quit band though. She is also a soprano/alto in chorus. After school on certain days, she does drama. She actually has a part in the fall play this year.
Maddie is one of my newer friends. We met probably at open house when we were first coming to Little Mill Middle School. I have no idea how we started talking to each other though. She is a somewhat shy person, but she is really funny. She does band and plays the saxophone. We have many similarities such as liking Marvel, Star Wars, playing an instrument, and sharing inside jokes. The jokes are usually jokes we’ll understand. Some jokes have us saying things like, “#ForeverAlone” and “#Depression.” Of course, we would only just be joking because we are friends and we’ll have inside jokes that no one else will get right then and there. We have a lot of classes together. Maddie’s locker is really close to mine, so I’ll talk to her when I’m getting my binders for the next periods. I help her bring her binders to her E & D class, Mrs. Satterfield’s classroom. She might be moving to my neighborhood based off of what she said, so she might be going to East Forsyth High School like me.
Preslie has been friends with me for so long. It’s been about five years since we’ve known each other. In 3rd grade, she took a picture of us on the bus before she moved for a year. I looked so energetic in the picture as you can see to the side. I’ve seen Preslie a few times during our Halloween trick-or-treating when I was younger. She moved back to my neighbourhood in 2017 for 5th grade. We became closer friends in 6th grade, since we had more classes together. We talk to each other a lot when we can, like during gym or on the bus. I had invited her to my 13th birthday party this year in June. She is really nice. She lives on Woodland View Dr. in my neighborhood, coincidentally very close to a house that we almost moved to. Since she is in my neighborhood, she’ll be going to East Forsyth High School.
I met Jackson in late February. When he first tried to talk to me, he said, “Do you remember me?” I was trying to get to the gym as soon as I could, so I said no and ran into the gym. That was not at all a good first impression! I didn’t know what else to say since I was in a rush. Later that day, I remembered him from my bus. Earlier, I really don’t know why I didn’t stop and think for a moment. Jackson was on the same bus as I am, and I realized who he was. He sat behind my good friend, Jaycey. He also used to live in the same neighbourhood as I do, and go to the same church. He was really nice. Jackson has a younger sister named Layla Grace. His sister is right now in 5th grade. For some reason, Jackson and I would talk to each other at church mostly.
I met Jackson in late February. When he first tried to talk to me, he said, “Do you remember me?” I was trying to get to the gym as soon as I could, so I said no and ran into the gym. That was not at all a good first impression! I didn’t know what else to say since I was in a rush. Later that day, I remembered him from my bus. Earlier, I really don’t know why I didn’t stop and think for a moment. Jackson was on the same bus as I am, and I realized who he was. He sat behind my good friend, Jaycey. He also used to live in the same neighbourhood as I do, and go to the same church. He was really nice. Jackson has a younger sister named Layla Grace. His sister is right now in 5th grade. For some reason, Jackson and I would talk to each other at church mostly.
I never really talked to him at school, but I think I was pretty shy around newer people that I know. He plays the saxophone, football, and basketball. He also was in baseball tournaments. At church, he was in Generation Praise, our church’s children’s chorus. Now, he lives in Alabama. I don’t know where in Alabama he lives, though.
Jaycey also goes to my church. She is in 8th grade, and is involved in drama. Jaycey and I have known each other since I was in 3rd grade. She has one brother and a sister. Jaycey lives on Stone River Drive too. She does drama at both school and my church. She got a part in the fall play this year and she also got a solo in chorus. Jaycey is a very good singer. At church, she volunteers and acts on stage. My father usually invites she and her family to a pumpkin carving party in October. She couldn’t come one year because her brother had a soccer tournament. Hopefully Jaycey can come this year. She might also be acting more at my church, along with many others.
I met Jeremiah at rank camp this past summer. He is in 3rd grade now. He is a nice boy. At rank camp, he got his green belt. We were in the same group a lot of times during that week. After that, at a church event called Summer Xtreme, I noticed that he actually went to my church also. I didn’t think he went to my church at all! Ever since then, we’ve been talking to each other. I have named my stuffed dolphin after him. I’ve only known him for about 3-4 months. I usually tease him about Jeremiah the bullfrog because we both laugh about that. It started about a month or two ago.
Evan does taekwondo with me, too. He is a very nice person. He is in 5th grade and is a red belt. Evan and I talk a lot together. We met this year around January at a taekwondo class for both of our belt ranks. Like me, he likes acting on stage. Since he goes to my church, he does an
acting class called “Acting Up”. He has been on stage in many skits my dad wrote with me. He likes Marvel just as I do, but I’m probably a bigger fan than he is. He is right next to his sister in the picture below.
Ella is Evan’s sister. She has a twin brother named Alex. She is a really nice person once you talk to her. Like her older brother, she is a red belt. She went to Rank Camp with me during the Summer. Rank Camp is where we advance to our next belt rank within a week. She was one of the main people that I hung around with. Ella also goes to church with me and acts, too. She doesn’t go to the same school as I do, though. She is also in 3rd grade, like Jeremiah. She is the girl in the middle of the group with brown hair. For some reason, I thought that she was in 4th or 5th grade, like her older brother was. Ella is in the same taekwondo class as I am, since January. She’ll be acting in more skits at church soon. She seems to really enjoy acting, taekwondo, and spending time with her friends and family.
Rennell is a yellow belt right now. He has been for almost a year. Like a few of my friends, he goes to taekwondo and church with me. He also has a sister named Ortez. I have known his sister longer than I’ve known him, I think. After he got his yellow belt, he hasn’t been to enough classes to get his next belt, a camouflage belt. He would be in my class. At church, he volunteers to help with 3rd grade like I do. Rennell is also interested in acting on stage. He’ll be acting in a Christmas series when December comes. He might even be in the next few skits on stage with me soon.
Ella is Evan’s sister. She has a twin brother named Alex. She is a really nice person once you talk to her. Like her older brother, she is a red belt. She went to Rank Camp with me during the Summer. Rank Camp is where we advance to our next belt rank within a week. She was one of the main people that I hung around with. Ella also goes to church with me and acts, too. She doesn’t go to the same school as I do, though. She is also in 3rd grade, like Jeremiah. She is the girl in the middle of the group with brown hair. For some reason, I thought that she was in 4th or 5th grade, like her older brother was. Ella is in the same taekwondo class as I am, since January. She’ll be acting in more skits at church soon. She seems to really enjoy acting, taekwondo, and spending time with her friends and family.
Rennell is a yellow belt right now. He has been for almost a year. Like a few of my friends, he goes to taekwondo and church with me. He also has a sister named Ortez. I have known his sister longer than I’ve known him, I think. After he got his yellow belt, he hasn’t been to enough classes to get his next belt, a camouflage belt. He would be in my class. At church, he volunteers to help with 3rd grade like I do. Rennell is also interested in acting on stage. He’ll be acting in a Christmas series when December comes. He might even be in the next few skits on stage with me soon.
Gabriel is a photographer at my church. I met him last year, also during taekwondo. When I met him, I felt like I had seen him before but didn’t know where and when. It might’ve been someone that looked just like him. In October, during our belt testing, he didn’t have enough days to get his next belt, so he was a rank behind. Now he is about 2 to 3 ranks behind me. Gabriel is the boy on the far right standing up. In this photo, he is a white belt He is also in the same grade as I am. He really is
nice and fun to hang around. Gabriel went to something called Edgestravaganza, a Christmas event that happens at the dojo, where we do taekwondo. When the instructors were getting ready to read a modified version of “The Night Before Christmas”, he said he was too old because he was 11, but I told him I was 12, and pushed him into it! Later that month, he went to a winter rank camp, and earned his yellow belt during that week. I’ve continued to talk to him, and sometimes, I’ll call him Gabriella just to tease him. To be honest, he deserves it sometimes! In return, he calls me Madilynn because I go by the nickname Maddie, which is short for both Madison and Madilynn. This past summer, he also went to Summer Xtreme. Since Gabriel is in my grade, we were on the same team. When we were in our room, we were playing a game called Ninja. In this game, you have to hit (not too hard) the other player’s (1 at a time) arm from their elbow down to the wrist. You have to get both arms out for that player to be completely out. I should’ve expected this, and I didn’t move fast enough, but instead of hitting my arm, he hit me in the face by accident! Gabriel and I were laughing, and he was out for that. He also went to another church event called Camp Alive and said it was fun. Gabriel is so much taller than I am.
Jesse and I met each other at taekwondo about a year ago, too. We both have been about the same rank as each other. We also started pretty much at the same time. I don’t really know exactly how we met, but we became really good friends after a month or so. Last year, I went to a trunk or treat at our taekwondo place, and he was there. Since he was pretty much one of the only kids I knew there, I was hanging around him a lot that night. One of the funniest things I heard said that night came from someone he knew there. While we were talking, this person interrupted us and asked if we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Of course we said no because we had only known each other for two months. I’ve always been a rank ahead of him until December. In December, he went to a winter rank camp, which is during school for me. For a while afterwards, we’ve been the same rank. We’ve been partners a lot, too, but that’s been less and less often as the months go by. Even while this time goes by, we’ve talked more and more during it. This past summer, we both went to rank camp, where we earned our next belt, purple decided, within a week. We were hanging out a lot then, too. On Friday of that week, we got our next belt, as shown in the picture beside this paragraph. I broke out laughing after this photo was taken, and I think it was because when I was trying to get my friend to smile, he would smile at me and not the camera. After everything we did that day in camp, I went rollerskating with him and a few other friends that night too. Jesse is a really nice friend. He is a good person, and has a good heart. The following week, he went to Summer Xtreme and he was in Team Shark (5th grade) while I was on Team Raptors (6th grade). We played around with each other that week. Summer Xtreme is a competitive week, so we were competing against each other. I’m hoping that soon, he’ll come back to my church again, which is very likely.
This year, he started his first year in middle school, and I really hope he likes middle school. Since he’s claustrophobic, I hope he is doing well with the crowded hallways and students at their lockers very close to one another. I just hope for the best for Jesse this year.
You never let go of any friendship because your friends will always be in your heart, even when they’re not with you. It’s so important to have friends in your life, even if you want to be alone from time to time. True friends will never leave your side, never abandon you, and will always want to help you. Even when years and years go by, your friends will still be there for you, and your friendship will never die. No matter the time or distance, friends will always find each other, even in the space between.
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