I figure that since nobody really reads my blog anyway, i can post pretty much anything I want. This is my online journal. I speak what i feel. Most will probably find it boring-- but that's my life. So ya.....just thought i'd say that. seeing as how i don't have a viewing audience anyways.... lol

Well, it's official. My life is full of drama! It's funny because i can't seem to get away from it-- even when i have no part in it. Somehow it always comes back to me. But i have to thank God for all of my family, even through all of the drama. Yes drama SUCKS, but drama is apart of life, and a part of family. There is no such thing as a happy family. A perfect family is boring-- so I am happy for my family and the imperfectness of it.

That's my little rant for tonight... oh, and my glasses broke so now I have to go get new frames to stick my lenses in. Isn't that just lovely? I have no money. I'm a broke college student. haha but such is life.

Tata For Now.

Well... it has been such a long time since I have blogged. It's now summertime and I need to get back to writing. I don't have anything left to do now that school is out. When the fall semester starts I will only have one more semester left and then I will be a college graduate! But don't ask me what I will do with my life after graduation.. because I have no IDEA! I just thought I'd stop by and say hi, I will post again tomorrow... ta ta for now.

Perfection

Here's an exercise I wrote on weather. Enjoy!

Perfection

The golden sun beamed down on Brooklynn Ann as she relaxed in the fresh field of wildflowers. It was a lovely summer day, and she was surrounded by God’s breathtaking creations. The sun, high in the sky, shone hot against her pale skin yet it was perfect in its glory. The clouds above her were as white as cotton, shaped to perfection. Shifting with the breeze the clouds continuously gathered throughout the sky.  As Brooklynn Ann lay there silently, she sought to understand how God could create such a magnificent piece of artwork. Brooklynn Ann enjoyed long walks by herself; it gave her an opportunity to set out on her own and enjoy the views, taking in every aspect of the wilderness surrounding her.

 Off in the distance she heard flowing water. She wanted to find it, to see what it was. The sun was still shining and there was a breeze in the air surrounding her. The wind moved through her auburn brown hair as she listened for flowing water coming towards her.

 The locations that her family chooses to venture to never disappoint Brooklynn Ann. She continued to be amazed at the landscapes and views that she finds on each trip. This trip’s sensation was unlike any other for her. She felt a connection with her surroundings, like it was a part of her. She could feel God around her as she wandered, mesmerized by the beauty of the whole experience.

Brooklynn Ann found the music she had been searching for. Thirty feet away from where she stood, a fresh crystal stream flowed elegantly with the breeze. She slipped off her sandals, and slipped her feet into the icy water. It was a refreshing feeling and brought chills to her soul. She slid deeper into the water and the tiny bumps continued to rise on her skin. Brooklynn Ann closed her eyes and took a deep breath, bringing fresh air into her chest. 

Brooklynn Ann stepped out of the chilling water and sat upon a rock. She looked up into the sky, and noticed that the sun was beginning to fall. It was getting colder and she needed to head back to the campground. Brooklynn Ann did not desire to leave the place that she was in. She wanted to stay there forever, amazed in the glory of God’s creations.

She slipped her sandals back on and made her way to her family’s camp sight.

“Where did you run off to?” Her mother asked.

“Just walking… I took a book and read in a daisy field nearby for a few hours and soaked my feet at the creek.”

“Sounds lovely, darling.”

Lovely doesn’t even begin to explain it, Brooklynn Ann thought. She sat herself in her favorite chair by the campfire as the flames grew bigger and brighter. Above her, the stars were beginning to peek their way out of the dark sky.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it, mom?” She asked.

“What’s that?”

“The stars, the sky, the wind, the fire… It’s all so beautiful.”

Laughter

Heres a little exercise I did on laughter; Please Enjoy!!

             It was a perfect night, as the wind echoed around us. I missed these times, when Nat and I could come together and enjoy quality “sister-time”. Times like these were rare, as I had moved three hours away. She was my best friend, the one I confided in about all of my secrets, the one who stood by me through everything. We were enjoying the gorgeous spring air around us as we lay on a quilt in the grassy field watching the brightness of the stars in the dark charcoal sky.

“Do you remember those times when we use to spend hours locked outside of the house, bored out of our freaking minds, and all we could think to do was to pour sand into Spark and Lady’s noses, just so that they would sneeze?” Nat giggled. It was more of an evil cackle though, rather than an expression of amusement.

 I remembered all too well. We must have been eight and five at the time; we would scoop up the grains of sand into the palms of our hands and then one by one, let the gritty specks fall into the noses of our Bloodhound pups as they were sleeping on the concrete.

A loud guffaw began to escape from inside me. I couldn’t even help it, as it escaped my pursed lips. Nat’s laugh was contagious, and with my sudden bursts of laughter added in beside her we sounded like a roaring pack of hyenas.

“What about when we went out to dinner with mema and papa, and I was trying to teach you how to wrap your spaghetti around you fork, so that you wouldn’t get in trouble for using your fingers” I squawked loudly, “and then as you tried to do it yourself you dropped the noodles onto your lap!”

“I got in so much trouble for that. Papa yelled at me in front of everybody.” She was cracking up now, as tears filled her eyes. “I was humiliated!” She tried to gather her composure, which only resulted in more hilarity.

“Remember when we would sneak into papa’s room and steal his honey roasted peanuts when he went outside?”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Yes, we would run down the hallway at a sprint, grab a handful of peanuts, screw the lid tight, and rush into our bedrooms into our closet and eat them.”

Nat exploded into hysterics as she laid her head on my stomach. “And then when he came inside he would say ‘who got into my peanuts?!?’ and we would act as if we knew nothing. But we knew that he knew we had snuck some. He always knew!”

We lay there together not as sisters, but as best friends. Staring into the sky I began to realize that it was times like these that we had to hold on to. I looked at Nat; she looked at me. We erupted once again as our laughter floated away into the starry black sky.

IM ENGAGED!

SO.. i know, it's been too long since i've written, yet again. But I thought I would stop by to tell you some Big- i mean MAJOR news. The title pretty much says it all, but I'm going to tell you again. Im Engaged (as of Saturday January 21,2012.) EEEEK. I couldn't be any more happier than I am right now to know that in a few years I will be marrying my prince charming. Yes, he is my prince charming. He is everything I could have ever asked for in a man- and God chose him for me!

I'll post pics of the big event so you can all see what went down last weekend. We took the pictures ourselves, so they aren't professional or anything, but they certaintly did capture the moment! Everything about that day was absolutely perfect!

Stay tuned for wedding planning stress as well as new bits of fiction i'm working on!

Keeping Love Alive

If you're tuning in on my blog, yesterday I posted about a new bible study/devotional that my boyfriend and I have started. Its titled "Devotions for dating couples" and is guided towards long lasting/engaged couples looking to better their relationship with God together, as well as their relationship together with God as their foundation. I have enjoyed the first three days so far.

Day 3's main goal asked us to make sure that we have a daily "quiet time" set up with God- for prayer and worship, and i realized that I am doing that already by involving myself in this daily devotional and by starting and ending my day in prayer. It posed a question: "How often do I talk with God?" and I realized that I do not do this as often as I should, which is a bit humiliating... God has not been my main focus. Honestly, my relationship with my boyfriend has seemed to come first and the closeness I had with God was dwindling. That is something I am going to work out in the days ahead; getting my relationship with God back on track, loving Him first and foremost, with everything I have. That doesn't mean my relationship with my boyfriend needs to be less than it is, by any means. We, together, just need to set God as our foundation,and all will be well again! Our love for eachother should not come before the love we have for God.

The first commandment says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind." God must always come first, in everything.
 XOXOXO -Shannon

What is love?

My boyfriend and I started a couple's devotional, and I have to say that even though I am only on Day 2, I am absolutely LOVING it. I'm getting new insight on love that I have never really thought about before, when I should have been all along. My heart isn't where it should be right now, and I am learning that. Although I love my boyfriend, and he is my pride and joy, I have to put God first in everything, including my love. This last year or so, I have forgotten that the only reason I know "love" is because God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross- without that sacrifice I would not know love and I would not be able to experience it's glory each and everyday. I've also learned that putting God first in my Love, will allow me to love that much more-that much harder! Isn't that exciting? Haha. Well i think it is, so from now on I am going to Love God first, with everything I have, because God is the only reason I know the love that  I get to experience; because he did the unthinkable, and sacrificed his own son so that we could live and love. Thank You GOD!

Tomorrow is Day 3, Week 1 of Couples Devotional... stay tuned to hear more great things about God's love!

P.S. I love you Earl.

Mmm Mmm Mmmmm

I love to bake. Just so you know. Last week I made Zucchini bread, and it didnt turn out very well in my own opinion. Tonight I made banana nut- chocolate chip muffins/ bread. Let me tell you they turned out fantastic. Because the weather is so darn hot (100 +) I waited to do my baking after 10 pm. This bread made a great 11pm/midnight snack! I'm sure it will be gone very soon haha.

On a different note, I think I found the topic for a story I wanna write. It's been right in front of my nose allll along, and I just didnt see it. It's gonna be the story of how I found "true love". I dont know if it will end up like I wanted it to, but who knows what will happen; it could be good. I'm gonna give it a whirl tomorrow and see what comes out of it.

Thanks for viewing! Talk more tomorrow...

So earlier I posted how I was feeling frustrated with my own memory and feeling frustrated with others because I can't remember properly...
Here is a poem on memories. Keep in mind though that it's been awhile since I've written a poem. I'm a bit rusty on technique. Hope you like it!

“Mine”

July 23, 2011

I think often of the days gone past
Deep in my memory where I know they will last.
I want so bad for them all to be true,
So sit here quietly as I walk you through…

I lift up my face to the suns golden rays.
My memories, they will always stay.
With a light happy step and a big wide smile,
Let’s sit, let’s talk for a long, long while.

My memories are wonderful of days gone past.
Lets sit as I share them with you at last
Just know that these memories that are floating on by,
Are those that I have come to know in time.

Some may say that they are of false meaning,
But that’s just them, now please listen to me.
My memories are mine, however wrong they may be
My memories are mine, no matter how other’s see.

Hello All,

I am anxiously waiting to start school again. I'm more so excited to move into my new apartment and meet all of my other room mates. I don't move in until August 19th unfortunately.

I'm getting bored of summer... there's never anything to do. It would be nice to curl up with a book, or a notepad and pencil to just write, but it seems that i have a blockage because I cannot seem to write anything worth sharing. I've tried so many times to sit and write about stuff, but i end up crumbling up the paper and throwing it away.

I have been thinking alot about memories; Moreso the difference between memories and what was said to have happened. I am struggling alot with this idea, because I seem to remember one thing, but  i find out that my "memory" ceased to exist or it was altered in one way, shape or form. It saddens me so much because I cannot seem to clue into what really happened or wat I was remembering to have happened. Get what I am saying? I'm rambling now, and you are all probably really confused. I'm sorry! haha. maybe I will write something about memories and remembering things... I'll try; I will let you know how it goes...

Tata for now!

The time has come..

Hello! Just an update.. I cut my hair. Yup...4-5 inches off. It now reaches just under my shoulders. It was pretty much an impulse thing. I had wanted to cut my hair for awhile, and yesterday seemed like the perfect time to do it. So I went to SuperCuts, and had 2.5 inches cut off, then I came home and decided I wanted more off and had Earl's mom (my mom too) cut 2 more inches off! It's a nice summer cut. I am happy with the results.
 - talk soon, Shannon

Long Time, no talk...

Wow... it sure has been an awfully long time since my last post... not that too many people follow my blog. I dont know why I havent been posting.. To be perfectly honest, for awhile I forgot about my blog. There has been so much going on this first month of summer. I turned 21! yay! I went to vegas with my boyfriend for 4 days to celebrate... It was definately memorable trip. I posted a pic of us on the pedestrian bridge. If anyone is interested I can post more pictures of our trip.

This last week I was a leader at my church's Vacation Bible School. The theme was Pandamania! The other leaders and I had so much fun with our little two and three year olds. They had so much fun (and I think we had just as much fun as they did).

Hmmm. I had the flu these last couple of days. That was not so fun... no sickness ever is. But I am all better now, thank the Lord. I am such a baby when I get sick haha. I am definately glad that the virus has left my system.

I guess that is all for now--
Lots of Love XOXOXO, Shannon.

Spring Break!!

Hello everyone! So, its been a couple weeks since I have been on here. I have no real reason as to why I have been writing. I know I should be journaling everyday, even if it's just a little note. But-- don't be disappointed in me. I come bearing good news! Easter is coming!! Next sunday. I am excited. I love Easter. It reminds me that Jesus died, and three days later he rose again.

Hey Guess what? I got a hair cut! I will post a picture of the new hair-do.

And my birthday is in 12 days. I'm gonna be 21!

So sorry for not writing for the last week. I don't know why I havent been on my blog, but I just haven't. Just got back from church, and I am sitting down eating a toasted Tuna sandwich.. YUM. We talked about the 4th commandment; which is to keep the Sabbath day holy. I learned that Sunday does not have to be the Sabbath day, but we just need to set aside one day during the week to rest- mentally, physically, and spiritually. Keep it in mind as you go on throughout your week :D

Saturday...

I woke up this morning to RAIN.  again... Had a really yummy breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and half a bagel YUMMY. Now, it's time for homework, i'll get back to you later.. Toodles.

SO... Just got back from dinner with Joey. We had Bobby Salazars! Yummmy. His parents are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning, at like 3 am. That is crazy. Then they are heading to LA- then Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas Baby. lol Me and my bro will be home all by ourselves, we're gonna party it up... jk. (maybe). It's gonna be a fun weekend. :-D

I hope everyone is enjoying this fine friday afternoon. I'm so glad that the rain has passed and the sun is shining outside! I also hope everyone has enjoyed my story/essay posts. Let me know what you think of them please, so that i can improve my writing skills and get an overall idea of what you do or don't like about what i'm writing. Hope you have a great weekend! I for one am excited for the weekend because I am staying with my lil brother Joey (he's 14, not so little). But to me he is still my younger brother. We are going to have lots of fun this weekend!!! <3

"Remember the Smile"

Here's yet another creative non fiction piece, but it's a bit longer than the other posts. It's still a work in progress...hope you like it.

Remember the Smile

My senior year in high school was one of the most memorable years of school for me. That year, so many things happened, that allowed me to get a new perspective on life. First off, I won a scholarship that gave me over $20,000 for college (including a Dell laptop, and separate money for my book expenses). I was also elected to be one of the board members for my school’s newspaper. I have always had a passion for writing, and being on the newspaper staff would give me more experience in the area that I needed most help in, that would also help me in the future.

 I took writing very seriously that year, and still do. Writing is a major part of my life; after all it is a serious matter. I loved getting caught up in my articles, even when they weren’t interesting writing topics. Often times I would have to write about petty things, such as the color of graduation gowns, and getting new computers in the library, but I still loved the excitement that came when writing my articles. Seeing my name in print on the newspapers gave me much hope that one day, I would see many more published works with my name on them. My writing was someday going to take me somewhere. I just knew it.

I remember one night; I was in my room working on some brainstorming exercises for an article that was due that week. My door was shut, as I always enjoyed doing my homework with no disturbances.  I heard my grandma call both my sister and myself for dinner. I could smell the aroma of the hamburgers my grandma had made, even with the door shut tight. I never liked my grandma’s hamburgers. They were never seasoned properly, and they were always overcooked. I don’t like my beef to “moo” but I don’t like it when it’s burnt either, it needs to be just the right amount of red in order for me to actually enjoy it.

As we sat around the dinner table, we often talked about the day’s events. It was usually boring conversations, about the weather or maybe something that happened at school that day. I noticed that as my grandpa came and sat down to join us, he forgot to turn the television off in the living room. I could hear the news as it played in the background. My mind kept going from the dinner conversation, to the breaking news stories on ABC.

I remember my sister was informing us of something that had happened at school that day, but I was really only half listening. I was trying to listen to the news, because something had caught my attention. The name Krista Pike, and a picture of her now 18 year old self, lay across the screen.

“Natali—can you be quiet for just one minute please?!?!” I asked, not meaning to bite her head off. Something about that name sent a chill through my body that made me burst from my chair, and up from the table into the living room.

I turned the TV up, and listened with full attention. “Family and friends of a young North Valley woman who was murdered this week are saying their goodbyes today. Krista-Rae Pike’s body was found on Monday inside the Madera home she shared with her fiancé and his father. Action news reporter Laurie Penco shows us how people are remembering the victim…”

It was January 16, 2008, two days after the brutal attack on my friend. News of her death was just reaching the community. My knees collapsed from underneath me as I fell to the floor. I could not control the salty tears that fell down my face. My younger sister got up from the table and sat down beside me.

“Sis, did you know that girl Krista?” she asked.

“Yeah… I did… we were friends in elementary school, and junior high. But I haven’t seen her in years.  She switched schools before we went into high school”.

“Oh…Are you going to be ok?” she asked, concerned.

“Ya… It’s just… I’m never going to see her again.” I realized. I got up from the carpeted floor, “Can I be excused, please? I’m not hungry anymore”, I asked my grandma as I went to my room. I really didn’t wait for her to answer; I just left, and shut my bedroom door behind me.

            As I lay in my bed that night, in my own little world of memories, all the details of our friendship came back to me clearer than ever before. It’s not that we were best of friends, or even really close friends. After all, I never really went to find her after she left our school. I never had her phone number, and she never came over to my house for sleepovers. The idea of not being one of her best friends didn’t seem to matter anymore, because she had impacted my life, just by being a friend. These memories that I had collected, even though they were small, and unimportant to someone else, were all that I had left of her. I was never going to be able to run into her at the store, or see her around town, because she was no longer alive… I was never going to see her again.

            That night, I cried with some of my friends on the phone, who shared other memories that they found comforting. Together, we cried, as friends often do. I fell asleep that night with thoughts of Krista in my mind…

I remember the day I met her. She was in Mr. Eicholtz’s 4^th grade class, same as me. Her name was Krista Pike. There was just something about her that I didn’t have. The way that she smiled, the way that she laughed, the way that she walked with confidence… There was a glow about her; a glow that I wish I had. And even though I didn’t know everything there was to know about her, she stood out to me as someone I wanted to be friends with, because I wanted to be like her, full of happiness and joy. That same year, during lunch hour in the cafeteria, I sat next to her, and in that moment we became friends.

In 8^th grade gym, we had to run the mile.  In order to get a passing grade of “c”, we had to get a ten minute time. My teacher Mrs. Wood, had told us earlier that week that we needed to find a partner, so that we could help each other finish the mile, and encourage each other along the way.  On the day of the mile, I hadn’t yet found a partner. I was on my way over to the gym locker rooms to change when Krista caught up to me. She hadn’t found a partner yet either, so she asked me to be hers. In that moment we became each other’s encouragement.

As we were heading to the gym together, Krista asked me to read a story that she had been writing, about her best friend. For a moment, I thought maybe that friend was me. But really, after I thought about it for awhile, Krista and I were not the best of friends. We were just friends, good friends.

As I read her story, I came to realize that her best friend was her dog. Her dog was always there for her to talk to and he was the best listener when she needed him. At the end of the story, I came to know that her dog had just died… and she felt that she had lost her best friend. When I was done reading, I looked up at her, and I remember telling her that she would always have a friend in me, and that if she ever needed anyone to talk to, or lend an ear, I was there for her. I remember telling her “Even if you just need a shoulder, I’ll be there to give you mine, and together, we can cry”.

When Krista and I ran the mile that day, we completed with an 8 minute, some odd second finishing time. Together, we got an A. We finished the mile with a good time, and made it through. I realized though, that as we passed the finish line, Krista was in pain. She fell hard to the black rocky asphalt, her pale face stained with tears. She couldn’t breathe. She gave me her locker combination, between gasps for breath, and I ran as fast as I could, to retrieve her Albuterol inhaler, before things got worse.

As I came back, I saw that she was crying from the pain that resided inside of her. I felt like such a horrible friend. Tears began to stream down my face as well; I was feeling guilty for pushing her too much. What have I done? I had never even realized she was having trouble breathing; she just kept going as if she were having no trouble at all getting through the run. But there she was, lying on the ground, suffering because I kept telling her “Come on Krista, we can do this” and “We’re almost there, we got it”, encouraging her, as was the purpose for having a partner in the first place.

Later that day, in Mr. Archer’s history class, Krista kept reassuring me that it wasn’t my fault for her asthma attack. She was great at that; always being optimistic about everything, even when her friends (like me) had caused her pain. Krista was the kind of girl who never let things get her down. That’s how I always saw her, in good spirits, always happy and smiling, looking at the good stuff about life, rather than the bad things.

Sometime later that same year, I went to the girl’s bathroom during my lunch break. I remember it was a stormy, rainy day. It looked as if the night had taken over the day; the light had disappeared from the sky. It was gloomy outside, as the rain poured down from above. I always dreaded these kinds of days, as it made me sad and gloomy seeing no sunshine in the sky.

As I was doing what people normally do in the bathroom, I heard a voice in the stall next to me, crying. I could tell it was Krista. But she was crying… a side of her I had never seen before; as I was sure it wasn’t something she liked to let show. I asked her if she was alright, and was given the reply “Go away!” I knew she didn’t really mean that. After all, I was her friend. So, I did what any friend would do in this situation. Instead of leaving the bathroom, I went and sat on the counter until she came out of her hiding place. As I waited, I wondered what was wrong with her that caused her such a meltdown.

Once she came out, she filled me in, as friends often do. She told me that her and her boyfriend, who I have forgotten the name of at the moment (after all it was over 7 years ago), were fighting and she feared they were breaking up. I sat there with her on the bathroom counter, as she cried on my shoulder. When we heard the lunch bell rang, we walked to class together, and sat next to each other as well, so that her boyfriend wouldn’t try to sit in the no longer vacant seat beside her.  

When I got to school the next day, everything looked as it had the day before. Nothing had changed. I thought things would be different. I remember when Donovan, a fellow classmate and victim to a car accident, had died the summer before my senior year. And when everyone went back to school at the beginning of the year, everything was different. But today, nothing seemed to have changed as I had expected they would.

            Going into the journalism room that morning, I noticed one of my journalism teachers, Tyler Takeda, in the back of the room by the computers, reading the Fresno Bee. He turned his head, and looked at me as I stood by the door. Our eyes met, and we clicked for a brief moment. I felt as if all the other students in the classroom were staring at me, but I knew they weren’t.

“Tyler…..” I said slowly.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I think I may have found my story…” oh great, here come those salty tears again! I couldn’t stop them. I had no control over the wetness that trailed down my face.

“You sure?” was all he said. Was I sure? Not really…

“Yes… no...” I hesitated. “But it’s a story that needs written… and I think I should do it- For Krista”.

            I went to my desk, and took out a pencil and paper, two main ingredients that all writers need to complete the perfect recipe. I jotted down my working title. “Krista Pike: Murdered at 18”. I sat there for the entire period, staring at my blank paper that consisted of nothing but a title. Could I really do this? I would need contacts and references, and facts. I would need to talk to Friends who knew Krista, and who could justify the great friend that she was. Could I handle the pressure?

As I contemplated how to even begin such an emotionally consuming article, Tyler came and sat down in the vacant desk next to me. He took out his own red pen, crossed out my too blunt of a title, and created something magnificent. It was just what I needed to create this memorial piece: “Krista Pike: Remember the Smile.”

New story!

Sorry I haven't been on since Monday. I have been extremely busy writing this week for my classes. I've had midterms and exams, and essays due. Aside from that I was sick for a few days, and slept most the time. But I do have some goodies to post for you. Firsto off, is a short lyric essay I just finished. Enjoy! <3

White Fluffy Goodness

White and full of life, these fluffy puffs of goodness fill the sky as I lay on the cement ground that is warmed by the rays of the sunlight beaming down on me.

They take on many forms: dinosaurs, castles, animals, people, but they only take form to those who believe in their magic. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder; the viewer only see’s what they want to see when it comes to these cotton puffs.

They look like cotton candy with no food coloring- just pure white cotton puffs that surround the blue sky above. The viewer sees cotton candy in the sky because she wants to- but really clouds have no resemblance to cotton candy whatsoever. We always seem to see things the way we want to see them, even if what we see isn’t really the reality. Someone looking at a cloud and seeing a white sheep, see’s a white sheep because they want to, not because the cloud really takes that form. It all depends on the person viewing the cloud, and the mood that they are in.

Clouds take many different forms. You have only to look up into the sky to try your luck at weather forecasting to see the different forms. Clouds give us a clue about what is going on in our atmosphere and how the weather might change in the hours or even days to come. Each type of cloud forms in a different way, and each brings its own kind of weather. 

Clouds are water. We can find water in three forms: liquid, solid and gas. Water as a gas is called water vapor. Clouds form when water vapor turns back into liquid water droplets. This is condensation. We get a sight of condensation when looking at a cold glass of water. Unlike the drops on the side of your glass though, the droplets of water in a cloud are so small that it takes about one million of them to form a single raindrop.  Most clouds form this way, but the cooling comes not from ice in a glass, but as the air rises and cools high in the sky. Each tiny cloud droplet is light enough to float in the air, just as a little cloud floats out from your breath on a cold winter day. 

When I look into the sky and see a ball of puff, all it really is, is water. When I was eight, I learned that clouds weren’t the cotton candy I thought them up to be. My imagination came crumbling down, all because of a road trip I took with my family. We were heading up to the mountains, and we were at a high enough elevation to where we were surrounded by thick patches of fog. I remember, as my grandpa was driving he told me “Shannon, you see that? We are high in the clouds.” From that day on, I thought that my mind was faulty because I had always thought that clouds were made of cotton.  The whole trip home I was in a state of sadness because my imagination had tricked me into thinking that clouds could really be made of cotton.

Twelve years down the road, I still view clouds as being white fluffy goodness in the sky. I love letting my mind wander through the sky, finding a cat reading a book, or the Kellogg’s frosted flakes tiger doing the same thing I was-- lying down, staring up into the blueness of the sky in search for characters changing forms. But really-- the sky isn’t blue is it? No, our eyes just perceive it to be that color. That’s a completely different story all together; let’s not get ahead of ourselves.