Childrens!

This is a random picture post! -of pictures I take when I am babysitting or just that I take of kids. I love babysitting! Kids in my ward and cousins included.

Cheaters...

Well...if I ever let you know about a competition this year between all the classes, remind to not to try to win. I have learned the hard way that , at least at Cottonwood, the Seniors cheat at every single thing just to win. The amount of money I personaly put into Penny Wars, the seniors had no chance of winning. Not to mention all the other money from everyone else. Not only did they cheat, but they won't admit that they cheated. I even took a picture of their bucket earlier in the competition, and the last day, the day when we counted money, all of their negative dollars that I put in their were mysteriously gone and my bucket mysteriously had more. Wish I didn't think I had a chance, cause then I wouldn't have scrounged around everywhere for coins.
I have been like Mr. Crabs in spongebob, when I hear a coin drop at the store or in the parking lot, it's like my ear zooms in on it and I have to go find it. Not to mention I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of ways to win. Well...Oh Well!!!! All the money goes to charity anyway, so it really doesn't matter. Must be my competitivness. My SBO adviser said "If there was ever a doubt that Annie was a Cowden, it came out in Penny Wars."

Ensign Article from 2002

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.
Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning—with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most. 2 " Howard W. Hunter, Ensign 2002

Forgotten Carols

I don't know if any of you have ever seen Forgotten Carols, but you need to! I had to be there a few nights this week to get donations for Eagle Eyes. We just sit out in the lobby and have a table set up and information about our charity. We get most of our donations after the show, because we have the main guy announce it and then people donate. Well I stepped in the back of the auditorium for the last 5 minutes. It was insane. He had everyone singing this little tune while he was on the piano-the whole audience was linking arms. It was so cool. The last show is Monday the 12th. If you can't go, you must see it next year!!

Penny Wars.

I think I briefly described Penny Wars earlier. It is a competition between soph. jun. sen. to get the most pennies.
1 penny = 1 point
1nickel=-5 points
1dime=-10 points
1quarter=-25 points
1 dollar=-100 points

So, my original plan of attack, was to try to get people to put all their "bad money" into the senior's bucket. But as I got to thinking, I know they are going to cheat somehow. I don't know how, but I can't help them win. They could cheat by taking the quarters ,etc. out of their bucket and going to get it exchanged for pennies.

So I am walking around at lunch with a big brown envelope, asking people if they would like to get rid of their change and donate it to charity. This is not technically part of the competition...but it's definitely not against the rules! So some of the juniors and seniors are like, "is this for penny wars?" And I said....It's for the charity. :) But I am going to take all the money I get and go to the bank and get pennies in return.

It's not like the seniors aren't going to cheat in some way. I even emailed Jake and asked him how I should win Penny Wars. While on his mission he told me to take bad money out of my own bucket and turn it in for pennies at the bank. Guess he hasn't changed that much if he's telling me to cheat! Cause that is like the main rule...you can't take money out of the buckets once they are in.

So if you have floating change in your house/purse/wallet/car, you can give it to me and help me win Penny Wars! A few coins add up quick in this. Plus you will be helping a good cause.

Another Eagle Eyes video!

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=18288431

Eagle Eyes

This year, the charity my school is sponosoring is called Eagle Eyes. My student government class actually got to go to a school and see it being used. Watch the video for more information.



This was crazy to watch. It's incredible that their eyes control the cursor.

We are raising money sevral ways. Every 2nd period on B days we go around class to class asking if anyone has donations. We also have something called Penny Wars.

Penny Wars: There are 3 buckets. A sophomore, junior, and senior bucket. Pennies are worth positive points. Everything else (nickels, dimes, quarters, dollar coins, and all dollar bills) are worth negative points. So basically, I want to put all my pennies in the sophomore bucket, and everything else in the senior bucket. Nobody really has to worry about the juniors, they are always in the middle. So as you may know, I am a pretty competitive person in most cases. I guess all my brothers are as well.

Everybody kept telling me how last year during penny wars, Jake cheated (surprise) by taking the bucket with him to the bank, and got $100 dollars worth of pennies for his bucket. There are more rules this year like, (the bucket can't leave school grounds). But I still super badly want to win, but not by cheating. I think Penny Wars is a good idea, cause I definitley will be donating more this way, than by just donating. I will put as many dollars in the seniors bucket as I have to so they don't win.

If you would like to keep some change aside to donate to this charity, and also help my sophomore class win that would be just swell. Even if you give me 5 pennies, it will help.