My Trip to Trier

This was a while ago (meaning when we first got to Germany) but  while going through my old school papers I found an essay on it so here it is. It's about Trier, which is in Germany.

      Yesterday, I went to Trier. my family and I walked through a large gate to find bunches of             
  shops, restaurants, ice cream shops, and bakeries. We walked down many streets to the town square. We
  had our Rick Steve's Germany book to guide us. I found out that Trier was the capital of 1 of the 4
  quadrants of the Roman Empire. We walked through many cathedrals, or churches. We stopped at a park 
  for my 5 younger siblings to play at. We ate at the bakery. It was real tasty. On the way out we had ice cream. It had been a real fun, exciting, and tiring trip.

 

Family Expectation

This is a list of things I expect from my parents…

· Happiness
· Love
· Forgiveness
· Privacy
· Praise
· Kindness
· Rules and Structure
· Faith
· Caring
· Direction and Guidance
· A good attitude

This is a list of things my parents should expect from me…

· Happiness
· Love
· Repentance
· Privacy
· Thankfulness
· Kindness
· Respect
· Faith
· Helpfulness
· Obedience
A good attitude

My Most Embarrassing Moment

I was 8. My heart was pounding. I was holding the ball. I ran up the basketball court, dribbling occasionally. I was drenched in sweat. Someone was yelling at me. I couldn’t hear them over the loud pounding of my anxious heart. None of my teammates were beside me, probably because I was faster than they were. I got to the basket and shot. Score! I put my hands up in the air, shouting for joy. I imagined having millions of people screaming my name. I noticed my teammates. They were staring at me oddly, but I was too happy to worry about it. My coach ran up to me probably wanting to say “You were amazing out there. You are a great basketball player!” but instead he said, “You shot in the wrong basket!” Suddenly everything reversed. My happiness turned to embarrassment. Then I noticed that not only was my team looking at me strangely, the crowd was too. So the other team got a point from me. I was devastated. I sat out the rest of the game. The other team made fun of me. Some cheerleaders were giggling together and pointing at me. I sat on the bench until it was time to go. My family was the first family to leave. I walked out the door and to my car. I didn’t talk to my family on the way home even though they were trying to cheer me up. Once we got home I laid on my bed glad the game and the torment was over.

That was my most embarrassing moment.

Sensory Images

I could smell the Christmas tree. It smelled like cinnamon and fresh pine. I put down my cup. I could taste that last drop of delicious creamy eggnog. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it. I could even hear it. It was Christmas Eve. I ran to the window and looked out into the dark sky. I saw shining stars. They were small but bright. I heard everyone (including myself) talking about how excited they were. I looked over to the brick fireplace and saw the red stockings all hanging up in a row. I went to look under the Christmas tree. “I wonder how many presents I got,” I thought as I felt the presents and hoped they were good. I always got excellent presents. I went into the kitchen and got out a big plate for Santa. I put on some crunchy carrots for the reindeer. My kind sisters made sugar cookies topped off with white icing and green sprinkles. The smell of the sweet cookies made my mouth water. We ate colored candy canes as we listened to the beautiful Christmas music. We did a fun play of the nativity. I touched the baby doll that was Jesus. When the nativity was finished I opened the one present that would have my Christmas Jammies. It was tradition. Mine were plaid written all over them. They felt wooly. When my mom told me to go to bed I happily went because I was so excited. I love Christmas Eve.

Cheer Yourself Up

A list of a few things I could do to cheer myself up and distract me from my troubles…
· Take a nice hot relaxing bath and play with my baby brother’s bath toys
· Give my mom a hug every hour for twelve hours straight
· Practice back flips on my trampoline
· Bang at the wall for no reason
· Tie my sisters hands together
· Rearrange my room
· Make a maze on paper and see if my dad can get through it
· Put my clothes on my little brother and see how big they are
· Talk to my baby brother and see him smile for no reason
· Watch a movie with my parents and see them laugh at non-funny parts
· Put on my dads shoes
· Listen to music and do weird dances
· Take a picture of the lizard that lives under the barbeque
· Run in my clothes in the rain
· Break a bunch of sticks for no reason
· See how many starburst I can eat in a row
· Make a light saber out of wrapping paper rolls
· Perform a circus with my sisters
· Get a jar and pull all these ideas out randomly to see what to do

Telling Tales

This story has been told in my family for a long time. It is a story about me when I was 2. The first time I heard it I laughed my head off.

I was having a great day. The sun was bright. I was playing a game while my mom was working upstairs. I played and played… until I decided to try to open the fridge. I pulled and pulled and finally was able to yank it open. Wow. I looked at all the yummy foods. I thought, “Should I take the berries or the yogurt?” Then my eyes were caught by a big bowl full of red jello with floating mandarin oranges in.

Meanwhile, my mom was upstairs thinking of how awfully quiet it was downstairs. She decided she would go downstairs after she finished her scrapbook page.

I stuck my hands in the jello and ate every one of the mandarin oranges from the jello. And then I thought of a new game. “Hmmmm.” I thought about it, and then I did it. I put…

She finally finished. “Now I can check on Ryan.” She took a step down the stairs.

I was having a blast. This was so much more fun than that other game. I heard a footstep. It was coming from the stairs. I put on my innocent face.

The first thing she noticed when she got to the bottom step was my innocent face. That face told her something was seriously wrong. She ran into the kitchen to find …

“Red jello all over the walls and furniture!! R Y A N ” she said very slowly. I cried as she put me in timeout. My mom had to scrub the couches, the stairs and the walls, and of course my hands and hair. I apologized to my mom that night. “Sowey, mommy.”

I Am Poem

I am a nice boy doing my best.
I wonder if I’ll ever finish my test.
I hear my parents talking to me.
I see in the future how great I will be.
I want to be happy my whole life long.
I am a nice boy doing my best.

I pretend I’m in Disneyland riding fun rides.
I feel tired.
I touch the piano keys playing a song.
I worry if something will ever go wrong.
I cry if I’m sad.
I am a nice boy doing my best.

I understand my brothers.
I say I am hungry.
I dream some bad dreams.
I try to be happy.
I hope I am smarter than I think.I am a smart boy doing my best.

Who am I

I am a person of many selves. Here are some of my main roles.

I am a Brother. I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters. I am the oldest so I try to set an example for them. I want my brothers to grow up to be just like me. I think being the oldest brother has made me a responsible person. I’m proud to be the big brother.

I am a Reader. Anyone who knows me knows I read ALL the time. I always have a book with me in the car, at school, or anywhere else I go. I love Fantasy/Adventure books. Some of my favorite series are Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Lord of the Rings and the Eragon series. Once I get hooked on a series, I have to finish it before I start another one. Some people at school tell me I read too much. I think reading has made me smart.

I am an athlete. I love to play Sports like soccer and Basketball. I can run really fast. I also love to golf. I golf with my dad. Several times a week I’m doing something athletic. I enjoy playing with other athletes who are good. It helps me to get better. Playing sports makes me feel strong and good about myself.

I am a scout. I am in an organization called Boy scouts of America. We camp, learn fun things and earn merit badges. Merit badges show that we have worked hard on many topics and have accomplished them. I love being a scout because it makes me feel proud to be learning things.

I am a piano player. I love playing Piano. I don’t know many hard songs, but I am getting better. I try to practice 30 minutes a day. Someday I will be as good as my dad. It is fun to play things that I’ve learned. Playing the piano makes me feel relaxed.

Extended Metaphors

If I were a day of the week I would be Sunday. Sunday’s at my house are peaceful. They are quiet and happy and refreshing. It is a day to do quieter activities like spending time with family. I am also quiet and happy. I try to be peaceful around my family and friends. Sundays are also reverent. They are not as crazy as others days. I am reverent and respectful too. Sundays seem nice. Sundays are not rough or bad. Neither am I. Sundays are stress free. You can just relax. You don’t have to worry about much at all. I am easy-going and don’t worry about much. I like Sundays.

If I were a natural phenomenon I would be a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms are random because they strike at really random places. I do really random things. I am bright just like Thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are bright because they have light. I am bright because I am smart. Thunderstorms are loud just like me. Thunderstorms are interesting. I think I am interesting because I read a lot, I’m smart, and I’m involved in a lot of different things.

Personal Metaphors

Animal: If I were an animal I would be a Cougar because I’m fast, athletic and I’m a BYU Cougar fan.

Car: If I were a car I would be a green Volkswagen because I’m small, fun and cute.

Article of Clothing: If I were an article of clothing I would be pajama pants because I’m comfortable, warm and relaxed.

Day of the Week: If I were a day of the week I would be Sunday because I’m peaceful and happy.

Food: If I were a food I would be Spaghetti because I’m messy and thin.

Color: If I were a color I would be orange because I am exciting and adventurous.

Movie: If I were a movie I would be Harry Potter 6 because I am cool and inspiring.

Fragrance: If I were a fragrance I would be grass because I play soccer.

Type of Building: If I were a type of building I’d be an apartment building because I have room for so many people in my heart.

Plant: If I were a plant I would be a blackberry bush because I’m sweet, and most people like me.

Musical Instrument: If I were a musical instrument I would be a piano because I’m complicated most of the time.

Geometric Shape: If I were a geometric shape I would be an octagon because I have many sides, many interests and skills.

Piece of Furniture: If I were a piece of furniture I would be a sofa because I like to relax and be with other people.

Song: If I were a song I would be Joy to the World because I’m happy and I like Christmas.

Season of the Year: If I were a season I would be spring because I’m awake and full of energy.

Television Character: If I were a television character I would be Justin from Wizards of Waverly Place because I’m smart and I annoy my sisters.

Cartoon or Comic Character: If I were a cartoon character I would be Goofy because I’m forgetful and silly.

Appliance or Machinery: If I were an appliance I would be a freezer because I’m so cool.

Natural Phenomenon: If I were a natural phenomenon I would be a thunder storm because I am random, bright and striking.

Word: If I were a word I would be the word ‘laugh’ because it’s a fun word, and everything makes me laugh.

Likes and dislikes

Likes - Dislikes
Books - Ants
BYU - Being bored
Diet Mountain Dew - Brussel Sprouts
Family - Cleaning my Room
Friends -Home work
Graphs -People that smoke
Jello - Princesses
Middle school - When I have to go to bed
Movies -Sleeping with a shirt on
Piano -University of Utah
Roller coasters -When my Dad has to go to work
Scriptures - Spiders
Soccer -When my sister sucks her thumb
Spaghetti - Shopping
Wakeboarding - Some types of fish
Wii - Grumpy people
Playing at the beach -Sponge Bob

Personal Alphabet

A – Active (I am full of action, quick and busy.)
B – Brave (I like to try new things.)
C – Careful (I am watchful and exercise care.)
D – Daring (I am adventurous.)
E – Easy-going (I am happy to do anything)
F – Forgetful (I don’t remember things.)
G – Goofy (I’m funny and silly.)
H – Handsome (I look good…. my mom says.)
I – Intrapersonal (I know myself very well.)
J - Joyous (I have a good attitude and I’m cheerful.)
K – Knowledgeable (I am intelligent.)
L – Likeable (People like to be around me.)
M – Messy (My room is not very organized. )
N- Nice (I’m pleasant, kind and good.)
O – Obedient (I obey my parents willingly.)
P – Peaceful (I am relaxed and happy.)
Q – Quiet (I am quiet)
R – Respectful (I respect my family and other adults.)
S – Smart (I’m intelligent and get good grades.)
T – Thankful (I am appreciative of what other people do. )
U – Understanding (I am good at learning and thinking.)
V – Vital (I’m an essential part of my family. )
W – Willing (I am happy to try things. )
X – eXcitable (I get excited easily.)
Y – Youthful (I am young and full of energy.)
Z – Zany (I can act crazy sometimes.)

Are you hungry?

“Dinner!” my mom yells. I run into the kitchen to find MY FAVORITE MEAL, spaghetti with marinara sauce, fruit salad, and lemonade.

My mom and I make spaghetti together as much as we can. It’s one of the first meals I learned how to make. Thin spaghetti noodles boiled and drained, red marinara sauce with ground beef topped off with Parmesan cheese, and a lot of salt and pepper. Spaghetti is delicious.

Fruit salad is a great side for Spaghetti. My family’s fruit salad has juicy apples, beautiful fresh strawberries, ripe blueberries, a can of mandarin oranges and scrumptious pineapple chunks. We use pink lemonade powder mixed with water and Sprite to make refreshing pink lemonade, which completes this tasty meal.

Whenever we have this meal we have it as a family, at our big square table that can fit all eight of us. My whole family likes spaghetti just as much as I do. “Thanks, Mom” I say as we sat down to eat.

I have always been a messy eater. “Slow down” my dad says. “Can I get thirds?” I ask him in return. My sisters and I keep on thanking my mom. At the end of the meal I go into my room, lie on my bed, and think of how full I am and how delicious it was. I hope I will be able to eat it again soon.

What's in a name?

My name really fits me. It’s just who I am. I couldn’t imagine having a different name. My name is Ryan Christopher Johnson.

My first name, Ryan is a great name. My Mom and Dad were looking at a book with baby names in it just after they were married, and once they spotted the name, Ryan, they were hooked. I think I would have been too. They weren’t even expecting a baby at the time, but they thought, ‘if we have a boy, we’ll name it Ryan.’ In Irish my name means ‘kingly’ or ‘little king’.

My middle name is Christopher. That’s my Dad’s first name. My dad and I are so alike. I look a lot like my Dad when he was little. When he was little he was very short, just like I am. We both love soccer, ping-pong and basketball. We both love football as well. I plan to go to Brigham Young University when I grow up, just like my Dad. It’s really neat to be named after my Dad. Christopher is Greek and means ‘Christ-bearer’. When I have a son I will continue this tradition and give him ‘Ryan’ for his middle name.

My last name is Johnson. It’s a really common last name, but it’s just perfect for me. I love all my names.

Spaghetti, Books, and Thunderstorms

Spaghetti, Books and Thunderstorms might sound like a strange title for this blog post so I'll tell you why it's called this... This is the title of my Autobiography. It's a project we had to do in Language Arts. It was actually really fun. I had to do a front cover, a title page. I didn't have to do a back cover but I thought it would be cool. I decided to put pictures of throughout my life.

Prologue

The title of my writing portfolio, “Spaghetti, Books, and Thunderstorms” is foreshadowing. This project has many topics and the title gives you clues to a few of them. I think it is an interesting title that will hook you and make you excited to read this and learn a bit about me.

Just so you know, my name is Ryan Christopher Johnson and I have a great life, which you will soon learn from my book.

This writing project is a bunch of individual writing topics to show my life and feelings. It has many purposes. First it will help me with narrative writing. Second, it will help you understand me and get to know me. Third, it is a fun way to express my feelings about life.

A Letter of Introduction

Dear Reader,

My name is Ryan Christopher Johnson. I am a person who plays many sports, who reads a lot and is very smart. I like golfing with my dad. I also like eating (Spaghetti most) and playing the piano. I love playing videogames. I have a DS and a Wii. I love playing with my baby brothers. I love playing on my trampoline. I have a happy family and a good attitude. That is all I need to live a great life.

I am the oldest of 6 kids. I have three beautiful sisters and two playful little brothers. The youngest one is a baby only 4 months old. My sisters are all in elementary school though none of my brothers are yet. My dad has a job as a radiologist at Martin Army Community Hospital. My mom was a second grade teacher until she started having kids. All of her students loved her. I have the greatest family of all time.

I love my middle school, Blackmon Road. My Favorite subject is Math. I find it fun to solve problems. I also like doing big projects like this autobiography. (Even though they are tiring.) In this autobiography I have many topics. I really hope you enjoy reading about me.


Sincerely,

Ryan C. Johnson

First day at Middle School

I woke up at about 6:30 then fell back asleep. My mom woke me up at 7:00. I got all ready for Middle School. When I was dropped off I went into the gym. Everyone was seated around and then each group was called to go to their classrooms. I opened my locker and put all my stuff in there. I didn't have any trouble opening my locker. It's just easy. I went to my homeroom, Mrs. Walker's classroom. I looked at the schedule up on the board and it said that lunch was after Science. (My mom thought it was after Social Studies). On my desk I found a sticker with my name on it. I had to wear it so that it would help my teachers remember my name. There was a bunch of paperwork to show to my Mom that she has to sign.

I have two binders. One for my classes before lunch and one for after lunch. I got my first binder from my locker and went over to Art class. In art, instead of doing Art, we were taken to do a music tour to see if anyone wanted to join Chorus, Orchestra or band because they needed more students. We sang a few songs in Chorus, then we went to Orchestra. Someone was asking about the violin so the teacher asked if they wanted to try it. Then everyone tried it. It was very fun. In band we saw people play some instruments. They were really good. Then we went back to our art class to collect our things.

My next class was Social Studies which was in my homeroom. We learned about all he school rules and Eagle Success Cards. If you do something good for the teacher they will give you signatures for you Eagle success Cards. If you fill up enough cards then you get to go to the party at the end of nine weeks.

Next I went to Earth Science. We got all our stuff in the classroom and then my teacher, Mr. Ingram, took us to lunch. I sat by my friend who was in my class in fourth grade. My mom left left a note for me that said, "I love you. I hope you are having a good day." ... and I was. After I ate all my yummy food we went back to our Earth Science classroom. That day we learned about the lab rules and procedures. He told us to study the notes for a test that was coming up next week.

Then I went out to my locker and got my after lunch binder and went to Adv. Language Arts. My teacher's name is Mrs. Bousch. She told us that everyday we'd start out doing our bright light. Our bright light is the work we have to do that she puts on the tv screen. After that we learned class rules and then we watched a video with pictures of people in her last year's classes. She asked us if we recognized anyone. She gave us an 'About Me' sheet to finish as homework.

After the long Lang. Arts I went down to Honor's Math. First he told us to do the work on the board. It was a hard problem. It took me a while to figure it out. Then we were told about a test on the computer we cold take to see what types of intelligence we have. That was our homework. The teacher, Mr. Dobbins, gave a few people the chance to take the test there. I took it at home.

Then we went back to our lockers and got all our stuff in our backpacks and waited in our homeroom class until our buses would be called. I noticed that I had forgotten my bus number. I thought it was the same bus number as last year but it wasn't. They ended up having to call me through the speaker... 'Ryan Johnson, come down to the bus area.' I got on my bus, sat with Emily and did my homework as we went home. (The girls get on their bus and it comes to my school to pick me up.)

At home I told Mom that it had been a wonderful day and I ate the cookies that mom had made. Then I did my math homework. My intelligences were Logical Intelligences (numbers) and Intrapersonal Intelligence. (self smart)

Mamoth Caves

I had a fun time taking pictures in the cave. I took 203 pictures. It was amazing. They even turned off the lights once. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I love the caves. Another fun thing was that I was spending time with the Waltons. Here are some pictures.

Cool Rocks

Girls

Boys

There were lots of stairs in the caves.



The Sign

The Waltons

Me on the sign.

Stalagmites, Stalagtites, and Cool Columns

The Social Science Fair

As a school assignment I had to do a project. We got to pick any subject as long as it was in the six categories they assigned. I picked 'Economics' and my project was called "Are Credit Cards good or bad?" and it was all about credit.

During our winter break, judges judged all the fifth grade projects and picked several people from our school to go on to the district fair. I was chosen.


Last Saturday we had to go to the Columbus Museum to drop off my project and then after the judging we came back to get it. I got a 'second place' award and a certificate. Only those with first place winners (and there were two in the category of Economics) get to go on. Maybe next time.

My Project

My project is a Pueblo. It's a house that the Hopi Indians used to live in. They lived in the north east part of Arizona. To get into their houses they have ladders. They climb up a ladder to get onto the top of the house and then use a different ladder to get into their house... as you can see in the picture. They would pull up the ladder when they saw an enemy. I had fun making this project with my Mom. We used paper and sticks and toothpicks.