My Cousin Nate/Mickey

I will be talking about my cousin Nate lofton. He has a lot of nicknames. My favorite nickname of his is Mickey.  He lives in Pittsburgh and has a wonderful family and siblings. He is a wonderful cousin, we have a lot of wonderful memories together. I love visiting Pittsburgh I get to see all my family and cousins. He has a wonderful personality. He is a very good speaker, he is very smart.  He is also a teacher and coach. We are related through my Aunt Alice that is his beautiful mother. I will share with you the memories I have with my cousin Mickey, a first fun memory I have Is when my mom and I and went down to Pittsburgh to visit everyone and say hello, I haven't seen my cousins in a while so it was good to see them they were surprised about how old I was because they haven't seen me since I was a younger age.

 They were really happy to see me we had a little family reunion. They live really close to each other, each house is next to each other so all you have to do is walk to the next house to see another family member I think its cool that they all live next to each other because then they become closer as a family and get to spend more time together. Another fun memory I have Is when we went down there for a family reunion, My mom, my grandfather my brother and me all went, It was a fun family reunion. They cooked out and we played different games and talked, we saw how everyone was doing. My Grandfather was really happy to see all of the family and was happy that we were visiting everyone. There was a fun event that they planned for the kids.We went to KennyWood Park we all had so much fun! The next day we all went to church together, and then we all went out to eat at a restaurant as a closing event to the family reunion.

 We took pictures together to remember the good time we all had together. 

Another fun memory I have Is When Mickey and my aunt Kim came up to see my Grandfather while he was in the hospital and to help out my mom because she was going back and forth between the house and the hospital.  My mom and I decided to make a visit to the hospital to see my Grandfather and see how my Cousin and Aunt were doing so we made it to the hospital, Mickey saw me from a distance, my aunt was already outside me and my mom were talking with her, I was so excited to see Mickey, so right when I saw him I started running towards him and he started running to me both of our arms stretched out open wide and the biggest smile on our faces! We gave each other the biggest hug ever. I love him so much, He has a lot of nicknames for me, my favorite ones are child and honey. He always gives me good advice and makes me laugh.

He has a really big and caring heart. He's very wise and very good with words. When I talk to him on the phone, My heart feels very excited and I always have a smile on my face after I finish talking with him. Another Fun memory I have Is when I was in high school, I was involved in Chorus, we had a concert, I had texted my cousin Mickey and my cousin rhonda and told them I am coming down to Pittsburgh for a school concert. They surprised us at the hotel we were staying at and we got to visit with them that was a enjoyable time. The next day my cousin Mickey took my mom and me out on a tour of Pittsburgh that was fun! He took us out to lunch at subway and we got the chance to talk and catch up which was nice. He also took us to see a beautiful fountain, It was next to a very big building.  We then had to say our goodbyes and say see you soon!

 We really enjoyed ourselves. I chose to write about my cousin Mickey because he means a lot to me, he has a fun personality and gives the best hugs. My favorite thing about my cousin Mickey is his big smile and heart.  The last time I saw my cousin Mickey was during my grandfathers funeral which was in October 2012.I hope to see him again soon! I am so happy and blessed to be his cousin! He is a lot of fun and very Jovial and the life of the party! I love him very much, I hope to see him again soon! He is special to me because he always supports me, encourages me, always there for me and gives me a hug when I need one.

My Popa Dodge

My Grandfather Dodge Simmons was and is a very special person. Everyone loved him, I have a lot of wonderful memories with him. He was born in Albany Georgia, he had a very serious and jovial personality. He always had the biggest smile on his face and would always help out his neighbors whenever he could or when they would call him. His neighbors would all always call him Mr.Dodge! He was a sibling of 8. And His mom Annie bell and his dad Nathaniel had a total of 9 children. He loved his siblings and family. He also loved Albany Georgia. They had a lot of good food and fruit down there.He loved the Georgia Peaches. He had a lot of different phrases that he would use a lot of the time. He was a wonderful father to his kids. His kids loved him a lot. He was also in the army for quite a while, He was an outstanding solider and he loved serving and protecting his country. 

I would love when my mom, me and my brother would go down to Orlando Florida to visit him, I would give a big bear hug, he loved bear hugs. He also lived close to Walt Disney World, He had special connections so we would be able to go into Disney World for free, We would have the most wonderful time. Sometimes My mom would leave me and my brother down in Florida to visit with my Grandfather a little more and we would go on road trips then, and go to different states and see family. When we would get hungry,  He would say that we would always want Mcdonalds chicken nuggets every time. We had a lot of fun together. When I was involved in chorus in high school, we went to Virginia beach to sing, and My Grandfather and mom decided to come down to virginia beach to surprise me and watch me sing. We were getting ready and then I hear my name being called and I look over, I see my grandfather sitting in one of the chairs for the concert. I was so surprised and elated to see him.  He was my best friend and would always know how to put a smile on my face. He would call me his little emerald. A special memory I have with him is when I was moving from eight grade to ninth grade, He came and celebrated with me. That was a special moment in my life. I was so Happy he was able to share that moment with me and be able to come to my transfer. 

A funny memory I have is we went to red lobster to have lunch, He saw that I was getting the captains meal, It is a very large meal, we decided to share it together. Every time  I go to red lobster I always get the captain meal in memory of him because thats the last meal we shared together.  I will hold this memory in my heart forever, he gave me a special music box that plays you are so beautiful to me. He gave it to me because he loved having me as a granddaughter and I was very beautiful to him and he loved me so much. We had a very special relationship, he gave me a lot of good talks and advice that I will always remember and keep in my heart.

I chose to write about him, because he was an amazing and uplifting person, he lit up the world. He would put a smile on anyones face and make their day, He loved God and his family. He was a big family man and always stayed in touch with family. He would be called Mr.Dodge by friends, and Family would call him Uncle Dodge or Daddy Dodge. He treated everyone very good and respectfully. The last time I saw my grandfather, was when he was in the hospital, he had gotten very sick, I will always remember the last words he told me, he was in the elevator on his way down to surgery, and I was in the hallway looking at him, he saw me and said go ahead lynne, he sometimes called me lynne or em, he said your popa will be ok. I love you. 

My favorite thing about my Grandfather was his smile and voice, I loved hearing his voice, It would bring a smile to my heart. I miss him so much, I know he is watching over me and the family. He is always in my heart. Family is very important to me too, I love my family, they mean everything to me. I love them with all my Heart. He is inside all of us. He always kept the faith. 

The Greatest Showman !!!!

Hey Everyone, I love musicals especially the greatest showman. It is about a young boy who has a dream about performing in the circus. And he wants to have a better life for his family then he had when he was a child. He meets the girl of his dreams in his childhood, her name is charity and his name is  PT. Barnum, they get married and have two beautiful girls, there names are Helen, and Caroline. P.T doesn't like the current job he is working at it makes him feel closed in and he doesn't feel like he can express himself in the way he wants to. He decides to open a museum and put a lot of interesting and fun stuff in it for people to come and see, they then can get more money and be able to get more stuff for themselves and be happy and excited. His daughters give him some advice one night about the museum, they tell him that he should make the museum seem more alive and fun! More people will come to the museum then and see how fun and exciting it is. It will seem very realistic to them. P.T then goes out on the town and starts to look for people to add his show, he then gets the idea to have a circus. He sees a Young Business man that puts on plays for people to come and watch. His name is Phillip Carlyle, he asks him to be his business partner and help him run the circus. He at first hesitates and then agrees to be his business partner in the circus, they get a lot of entertaining  people and different acts for the circus. And his business partner falls in love with the trapeze girl. Their story unfolds in the movie. 

I decided to write about the Greatest Showman today because I love the movie so much, It is very inspiring and touching. There is something in the movie for everyone to enjoy, the kids and the adults. It has a lot of good points in the movie, It teaches you how to believe in yourself and not to be ashamed of who you are. It teaches you to be proud of who you are, and it has amazing songs in the movie. It has beautiful colors in it also. What I love about the Greatest Showman is the story and how it shows P.T. following his dreams he had from when he was a little boy and then becoming a man, adding his wife and best friend Charity, his kids in his dreams along with him. He tells them to always believe in their dreams and to never give up on them. 

You will see in the movie. He starts to have a little trouble with his family and starts to neglect the circus and his business partner because he thinks he does not need the circus or anyone because he thinks he is a big shot. You will see a happy ending in the movie. I did enjoy the first time I watched the movie, I got all the songs stuck in my head after I left the movie theater. That was how good and amazing the movie is. My favorite song in the movie is this is me. It is a very powerful song it talks about how even though you are scarred and bruised. If you have been hurt a few times in life you are still you and you can stand up for yourself, be who you are meant to be. My favorite Character in the Movie is Zac Efron. His character Philip does an amazing job in the movie. He helps Pt with the circus and he puts his life on the line for a girl he loves and met while he was in the circus. He sings incredibly in the movie. 

You feel like you are part of the movie. I think I can relate to the bearded lady in the movie that sings this is me because she has been through a lot of pain and struggles, she is brave and bruised she is still saying this is me even through all of this and what has happened in my life. I would recommend this movie to everyone, It is a fantastic movie that will blow your mind! It is really a fantastic story that will impact you and your family. I have seen the movie a few times,I have seen it enough that I know all the words to the songs from the whole movie. I love the Greatest Showman!  I think you will love it too when you see it!

My Aunt Erica

I will be talking about my Aunt Erica today. She is a beautiful woman! I have known her my whole life. She loves her family and friends! And loves to cook, She has always been there for me and we have a lot of fun memories together. We have had enjoyed family reunions together, and parties. When it was time for my Cousin Devin to graduate from High School, my Aunt Erica did my hair and helped me pick out an outfit to wear to his graduation. At his Graduation Party, She taught me how to do the wobble and a couple other dances.  I chose to write about her because she has an amazing heart and personality, It always shines through every time I visit her in EL Paso. She has an awesome laugh too, I can hear her laugh in my head and it brings a smile to my face. One of my favorite fun memories is when My Cousins Devin and Eric and My Aunt Erica came up to visit us and we went to Hershey Park and had a fantastic time, I hanged out with My Aunt Erica the whole time. My mom and I, Aunt Erica went on the ferris wheel and we ended up getting stuck on the ride that was a little scary. We ended up getting unstuck and able to get off the ride. 

My Aunt Erica helped make my Birthday very Spectacular, She made sure I had everything I liked at my party. And Everything was so Beautiful! It amazed and blessed me so much.  We are related through my Uncle Deric. She is very special to me because we had a special moment together in my room, She asked me a question about herself and what she should do. I told her my answer and she said that she would do it  because she loves me and I said it. She makes amazing Enchiladas and tacos. She can make you feel like the most important person in the whole world. She is very Compassionate and Jovial. She loves Devin and Eric with all her heart! She is an amazing mother and I am so Happy to have her as my aunt! I love her so Much! My favorite thing about Aunt Erica is her smile and Hugs!

My Cameo Experience Anthony Evans

 Hey Everyone, I recently had an exciting experience! Anthony Evans is my favorite gospel singer, he has a wonderful and beautiful family! He has an outstanding singing voice too. I have all of his albums. His music calms my spirit. My exciting experience was sending a request to Anthony to do a cameo for me and to give me a pep talk, he really encouraged my heart and spirit. He told me to keep my head up, and told me that god is going to bless me in a miraculous way. He sang my name in a couple of his songs, that made my heart beat very fast and excitedly. 

The way I decided to request my cameo is I asked some of my family members
and a couple of my friends which song they think I should do, I was thinking about fighting for us or watch what he will do. I told my mom that I was going to do those songs and then she said you should request to Anthony to pick a song to sing to you to encourage your spirit. So I decided to ask Anthony to pick a song in my request to encourage me in my cameo. I sent him the cameo request, a few minutes later I get a notification that says my Cameo is ready. I was so excited I couldn't wait to see what he did in the cameo. I did the cameo on Friday night and I decided to open it on Saturday so then I could dress up and make myself presentable for my reaction video. Saturday afternoon came, I opened the video and there was Anthony giving me a pep talk and giving me encouraging words and advice. He said to always keep my head up! He is very appreciative and grateful that I am a supporter and fan of his. He appreciates my encouragement to towards his music. It made me feel so much Joy and Happiness inside. I was in the dining room watching Tinker Bell on my iPhone when I received the video. I showed my family and friends the video they were really happy and excited for me! I am very blessed and glad to have Anthony as one of my friends! He sang the songs that were exactly on my Heart ♥️! God blessed me in a miraculous way !!

My Peer mentor Madison Heider

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well! I decided to do something new! I did a question and answer interview with my mentor from Penn State Harrisburg. Her name is Madison Heider, she is my mentor from Penn State Harrisburg, we first met during orientation I was looking for somewhere to sit for orientation and she offered for me to sit next to her. She is an excellent mentor and kind person with a big heart! I chose to write about her because she is a wonderful person with a great story to share and she is really good at what she does. She loves her job and loves helping people and loves to help them achieve their dreams. I was really blessed to have her as a mentor, and I am glad to have her as a good friend! I chose this style of Interview because I thought it would be a fun and creative thing to do! And I wanted to do something different and exciting! 

Emerald Gray: How long have you been a mentor at Penn State Harrisburg? What is your favorite thing about being a mentor?

Madison Heider: I have been a mentor at Penn State Harrisburg for three years and my favorite part about being a mentor is making friends with everyone in the program,

Emerald Gray: Were you a college student at Penn State Harrisburg?

Madison Heider: Yes my major is rehabilitation and human services

Emerald Gray; What is your favorite memory from being a mentor at Penn State Harrisburg?

Madison Heider: One of my favorite memories was going to the Dream Partnership events.

Emerald Gray: How was it training your dog Chowder and bringing him to school everyday?

Madison Heider: It was fun, challenging at times, he learned a lot.

Emerald Gray; What is your favorite memory with Chowder?

Madison Heider:  I think it is hard to pick a favorite memory, but having him meet people and showing them his good behavior is pretty cool.

Emerald Gray:What is your favorite thing to do with Chowder?

Madison Heider: Currently, We like to play outside and snuggle.

Emerald Gray: What are your career goals?

Madison Heider: I think I want to work as a behavior analyst, I am not a hundred percent sure.

Emerald Gray; What is your Biggest Goal you want to achieve in life?

Madison Heider: Thats a hard question, I think I Just want to be happy- so always doing something I love.

Emerald Gray: What is something you learned from the career studies program?

Madison Heider: I learned about a lot of cool people! Including You!

Emerald Gray;What is your dream Job?

Madison Heider: I think I want to be a professor.

I am happy and excited with the way the interview came out. I was excited to do an interview about my mentor. I benefited from knowing now how to do an interview questionnaire. I like this style, It's fun. I would do another interview. I am glad that Madison Heider let me interview her and let other people get to know her better and see how amazing and fantastic she is.

My Uncle Deric 🤗

Hey everyone! I am going to write about my Uncle Deric. He is a fun and loving uncle, we have a lot of fun memories together. He has been there for me my whole life. I will share a few favorite memories I have with him. One of them is during my family reunion we all met in Albany Georgia and we had arrived before them, my mom then got a call on her phone and she told me that they made it. I was so excited to see my uncle and aunt and cousins, we all had such a wonderful time. Another fun memory I have Is when we went to Orlando Florida to visit my grandfather and he lives to close to Walt Disney World,so we went to Walt Disney World as a family! That was so much fun! My Uncle Deric is very Kind, Passionate and loving. He loves his family and friends.  When we went to El Paso for My grandfathers birthday we first stopped at Andress High School that is where my mom and uncle Deric went to school when they were younger. They were having a pep rally when we arrived my cousin Devin came over and said hello, then we went up to the bleachers to watch the show, and the funniest and most surprising thing happened during an exciting point in the pep rally a piece of candy flew into my moms eye. My Uncle Deric said oh no Renee are you ok? He was concerned about her and wanted to make sure that she wasn't hurt after the piece of candy flew in her eye. She said I am fine thank you for checking! 

I chose to write about him because he is a very special person in my life and one of my favorite family members. He always knows how to make me feel better if I am having a bad day. He knows how to make me smile and laugh. And gives me very good advice and great life lessons. I have a wonderful time every time I visit my family In El Paso, The part I don't like is when it is time to leave because I don't like saying goodbye, I don't know when I will see them again. He gives me wonderful Hugs. It makes me forget all my troubles and what I am stressing about. When I was a baby They gave me a blanket as a gift it says bless this child. They have blessed me so much in my life! I love My Uncle Deric and My Aunt Erica and Cousins Devin and Eric with all my Heart. He is related to me through my mother, he is my moms little brother. Another fun memory I have is when my Uncle Deric and Devin came up for my High School Graduation,They came all the way up from El Paso to celebrate my special day with me. They also  came to my Graduation Party, We danced together at my graduation and at Devins high school graduation. 

The last time I saw my Uncle Deric was for my 23rd birthday in March, They planned a wonderful birthday party for me and a big celebration. My favorite memory from that is dancing with my family, we danced to a couple of songs. And we did a couple of solo songs. My Uncle Deric and me danced to Micheal Buble  save the last dance for me. Thats my favorite song by him I always envisioned dancing to that song with my uncle, I danced to Ellas song cheek to cheek with Devin. My favorite thing thing about my Uncle Deric is his smile and personality. He always gives me a big smile on my face! I love him very much and I happy to have him as an uncle and I am very happy to be his niece.