My Birthday

My birthday is coming up on Oct 29. I want all my family to come to party. I want an Ipod touch for my birthday. I want my birthday to be at the zoo. I can't wait till my birthday!

School

Guess what! I am getting straight A's so far. I attend St. Ignatius of Loyola school and it's the best school ever . We have a really cool principal. I do a lot of things there like band. I play the drums and percussion. I am also joining chess club. I'm really good at chess! My favorite subjects are science and social studies. When I grow up, I want to be a shark expert or a snake expert. My favorite TV channel is Animal Planet.

I am Like a Dragon

I wrote a poem for school and my teacher entered it in a poetry contest. Guess what? I was selected as "one of high merit and chosen for publication." My poem will be published in a hard bound anthology called A Celebration of Poets. My poem will now be entered into a final competition where I can win a final award for the contest. Here is my poem:

I Am Like a Dragon

I am like a dragon

Strong and I never give up

I reach many heights I never thought I could

I stand alone in a dangerous fight

The fire comes out of my mouth

And guides me through the darkness of the night

I fly high to catch my dreams

I fly much higher than it seems

I swoop down and catch my prey

I am like a dragon

A Sick Tic

Lately, I have been having a stomach tic which causes me to throw up. I threw up about every 15 minutes for 1 1/2 days. It was horrible. My mom thought that I was going to have to go to the hospital to get an IV in my arm. Luckily, I feel better today. So, I'll tell you more about having Tourette Syndrome. It is very frustrating at times. It is sometimes embarrassing to be in public when I have tics. I feel like people are looking at me and laughing. But, I don't pay attention to them because this is the way God made me special.

Home Again

I am back home in Ohio with my mom, my cats, fish, hamster, and hermit crabs. It was fun at my Aunt Cathy's but there is nothing better than "Home, Sweet Home." On the way home, my Aunt Cathy had a tire blowout. It was totally shredded. It was a little scary but we got home safely. It took us 4 hours to get home. Now I look forward to more of Grandma's home cooked dinners. She is a really good cook!

If I had $100

If I had $100, I would put $10 in the bank and I would love to get a dog. I would probably get a male beagle. I would name it Ben. It would give me somebody to play with because I am an only child. I would buy it a bone and play fetch.

away from home

ive been away now for 3 days . its hard for a 11 year old boy to be away from home for so long whenever i have to hang up with my mom i cry. i have not been home alone for so long in my whole life.

Visiting Kentucky

This week, I will be visiting and writing from my aunt's in Kentucky. We are in the third day of this adventure on the farm. So far, we've gone to see a movie, we drove the tractor around the yard, I reluctantly helped shovel manure, I've fed and held the chickens, I ran around with the horses, watched TV with William (my younger cousin) and watched Anna (my older cousin) paint this wonderful portrait. I spent time with my uncle. We sat in the hot tub, but I got light headed because it was 102 degrees!

Today, I will be volunteering with my aunt at the thrift store.

Tourette's Syndrome

I am Joey and I was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome by second grade. Tourette's Syndrome is when your body moves without you wanting it to. It can hurt sometimes, but I think of it as God wanting me to be a good example.

My experience with Tourette's Syndrome: I have two tics, with head jerking and mouth jerking. I experience headaches all day. I'm on several medicines to help my tics. If you've ever had a migraine, I get them every day.

It is hard living with tics, but I live every day the best I can. I am a kid with Tourette's and I'm proud.

Hunting Adventure with Uncle Joe

We were sitting in a tree stand one night. We were hunting for deer with a cross-bow. We were up there for an hour and out of the corner of my eye, a squirrel under us chewing on the corn we set out. I asked my uncle if I could shoot it and he said, "Go ahead."

I loaded the cross-bow, pulled back the string. My heart pounded harder and harder. The moment had finally come: my first squirrel. I aimed the sight at the squirrel, slowly pulled the trigger, and there it was. The squirrel was dead. My uncle and I started jumping up and down. He said, "Shooting a squirrel with a cross-bow is almost impossible."
Änd I said, "I did it on my first shot!"

A rush of happiness went through me. We climbed down the tree stand, grabbed the squirrel and brought it to the house. I ran inside and left my uncle in the woods. I showed my aunt and my mom and Grandpa my squirrel. They gave me a "high five" and were happy for me. My first squirrel. That was my lifetime adventure. But, squirrel season is next week and I'm going to have another lifetime adventure!

Drawing by Joey