This Summer by Mitchell Lawson

This is my truck after the whole ordeal.
It was pretty scary.

This summer was fun but also scary at some points. My summer started out with spending a school day in the AG shop working to  finish end of the year projects. After school me and a buddy went to some ponds and fished. 

The next morning my summer took a turn for the worse. We got up to go fishing at Lambath Bridge. It was perfect morning not too hot and just a light breeze. We loaded up the truck to go fishing as we headed down the road the road started to kick up a lot of dust and the truck started to slide I said some words that I can not repeat considering this a school blog. 

Then there was aloud bang and the next was my buddy screaming get out and me yelling back I can't then he came back to the truck and pulled me out the truck. Once everything calmed down and Dad got there, me and my bud looked at each other all beaten and bloody and couldn't help but laugh we had just been through "Hell on Earth" and were still here the rest of the summer. 

He and I fished almost every weekend at that bridge and every time we pass those scarred up trees it reminds me how fast my life could have ended and all the things I would have lost. 

It makes me wonder why I'm still here. It reassured my faith and got me to take a look at my life choices. The wreck was a horrible tragedy but also I believe  a blessing in disguise.

Summer Time Jobs by Michael Plaster

Me in my suit shirt and tie

     This last summer I thought that I wouldn't work, really enjoy the last summer before adulthood. However, things changed around the beginning of the summer. I needed a job and I needed one fast. I asked my friend to help get me on board at Arby's.
     Soon I was working most nights down at Arbys. I got to thinking one day that since i was already awake during the day hat i would try to find a job during the day too. I went to my dad for help and he said that I could probably find a job down at Passport Transport.
    I went to work at Passport Transport as a collections agent. This was eye opening to me on the bahavior of adults. That's when I realized that adults enjoy a game of telephone tag. The plus side of the situation was that I had a good boss to work for.
    I really enjoyed working two jobs this summer. It was a joy getting to know so many wonderful people. I consider last summer one of my greatest learning experiences. 

To Be Jordan by Jordan Oberbeck

Me and my sister Britten

To be Jordan is to be many things. I am a writer, I am a singer, I am a dreamer. I am scared of many things. Sometimes I cry, sometimes about happy things. I am blessed.

I was born in March of 1995, in Lake of the Ozarks. My mother and father loved me, but not each other, as is the case of many.

I grew up wanting to be an artist, but never, and still never, knowing what kind. I loved music. Every kind of song that spoke words that touched me, I loved.

I loved many things. I loved the general, given things that are taken for granted, such as family, and friends, and my animals, but I also loved more. I loved color. I saw colors differently than people around me. They blended and moved to make totally different hues that most people could never see. I loved movies, and the way some of them brought feelings that real life didn’t.

I love who I am, and who I still strive to be. I love God and everything he has done for me. I love life, with all its beautiful bitterness and chaotic colors. This is me. 

We Ate McDonald’s for, like, the Entire Week by Kaylee Crawford

I tried real Japanese sushi, but I didn't like it!
I'm eating Edamame instead -- Japanese soybeans.

My biggest dream was fulfilled this summer -- visiting Japan. Japan is the country I have loved since I was a small child, and now that my sister lives there (she teaches English to middle school students), we took the chance to turn my dream into a reality. My mother and I flew across the world to visit her.

            The plane ride, close to 12 hours, was quite miserable. Mom and I both have problems sitting still for long periods of time, and the food we were saved made everything even worse. Luckily, it was worth it. Upon first setting eyes on the bright city lights of Tokyo, a sense of accomplishment filled my heart.

We found a really cool waterfall
in one of the parks!
It was a great place to take
a lot of pretty pictures.

            For the first few days of our week-long stay, us girls all stayed in Tokyo, visiting different districts each day. I have too hard of a time choosing a favorite district; I love them all so much! The Akihabara district held “Electric Town”, home to all things anime and cosplay. The Shinjuku district held lots of shops, like the one where I bought a replica of the ring from my favorite anime. The Harajuku district was also a favorite. Since that’s the fashion district, I bought dresses of my favorite Japanese street style -- Lolita!

In the city, wearing my new brand-name
Lolita dress and carrying around my alpaca.

For the rest of the week, we stayed in my sister’s apartment with her boyfriend. Since she lived in a much less busy part of the country, we got to look at lots of temples and parks. However, I’m more of an urban person, so I was happier when we visited a nearby city. We went to lots of places there: a few shops, a restaurant, a museum, and a couple of arcades as well. We played the famous U.F.O. Catchers, which are similar to American claw machines. We won my favorite “Arpakasso” plushies! Arpakasso is Japanese for alpaca, and those stuffed animals are so cute!  In total, we won seven of them. People stopped to watch and cheer us on, and while it was really silly, it was really fun as well. I was also wearing one of my new Lolita dresses, and lots of people were calling me “Kawaii,” which means cute. It made me want to live there even more.

This was one of the silly purikura pictures
I took with my sister. I
t's so silly and cute!

            Another thing I loved doing was taking Purikura -- Japanese photo booths. They blow up your eyes really big, like how they would look in an anime. I took so many because I loved taking them so much.

            When it was time to come back to America, I was a bit sad, but I believe I’ll get to visit Japan again. It’s my plan to live there after college, after all. This trip was just like a little taste of everything I’ll get to experience.

Flying and Freshman by Nick Palilla

Nick Palilla on a pilot lesson
with instructor, Jay Foster

     This May I went to Disney World in Florida with the Lebanon High School Band. When I returned from Florida, I started taking pilot lessons as a birthday gift and preparation for college.

     My first lesson consisted of a walkthrough and inspection of the plane I was going to fly, which is a Piper PA-28 Warrior, a single engine, private plane. After checking everything, I got in the plane and Jay took off. It was an exciting experience, and he let me fly it myself. We did several touch and go's and flew to the Lake of the Ozarks.

     This summer I also worked at Elm Street Eatery a lot. When I wasn't working or flying, I spent my time playing video games, hanging out with friends, and preparing for college. At the end of the summer I went to Freshman band camp as a section leader and prepared the freshman for football nights and competitions, then the next week attended full band camp. My summer went by very fast, and I was disappointed to have to return to school.

My Summer by McKenna Ming

My friend and I just goofing around. 

     This summer was, by far, the best one yet. No, I didn't go on any fabulous vacations, stay in a fancy hotel, or eat anywhere out of the ordinary. I simply made the most of what I had--my friends. 

     I decided that I wasn't going to waste a precious moment of the break by sulking around waiting for something or someone to pop up and spark my interest to do something fun. I planned something fun every week and never had a dull moment this summer. 

     We went to the river at least a hundred times; that seemed to be our infamous hang out spot. I had a sleepover with my best friend at least once a week, and I spent a lot of quality time hanging out with my boyfriend and his family. There wasn't a day that went by that I sat at home and claimed that, "I have nothing to do." 

      This was the first summer that I actually looked back and wished it had never ended.

My 2012 Summer Vacation in California by Vanessah Zavala

A rollercoaster at Six Flags Great America with a beautiful view of the palm trees in California.

Vanessah, her sister, and aunt with
Tasmanian devil at Six Flags.

      At least one month out of every summer I go to California to visit my dad, family, friends, etc.. This summer was more special than any other because I got to spend more time with my dad than usual. He was working less which means more time that I was able to see him. My dad I went out to eat, went shopping, and had a lot of fun together.
     The highlight of my summer however, was when I went to Six Flags: Great America with my sister. The Six Flags in California seemed big and had a lot of rides, roller coasters, and shows. Some rides at Great America resemble those of some at our Six Flags here in Missouri. 
     Although it was the beginning of July in California, it was quite chilly. The cold, however, did not stop us from having fun. My sister and I rode more than 10 rides that day and had blast. As my trip to California slowly came to an end, I packed up all my new memories that I had made and brought them back with me. It was a great summer.