Story: Ester

Authors Note: So this story is based of the story of Ester. A girl who was raised by her uncle. She was then taken from her uncle to be prepared to meet the king. The king was looking for a replacement queen. Once she had been fully prepared, she got to meet the king. The king loved her, and asked her to be his queen. Her uncle worked at the palace that Ester was queen of. Haman was one of the kings top men, one day Mordecai angered Haman by not "respecting" him because of his beliefs. Haman then went to the king and asked for there to be a decree to kill out the Jews. The king agreed, and Haman sent out his decree. Ester was worried and her uncle Mordecai went into mourning. Ester went to the king and asked to have dinner with him and Haman and they agreed. Then at that dinner she asked if they would come to dinner the next night that she had prepared and they agreed. At that dinner she asked the king to revoke the decree because it was killing her people. The king agreed, he then found out that Haman had planned to kill Mordecai by hanging him by the palace gate. The king had Haman hung on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai. Then Mordecai made a decree that allowed the jews to go after anyone who were killing Jews. This scared people and a lot of people changed their faith.

 Ester was living with her uncle Mordecai when there was an invitation to Ester to come to the king’s palace. After she arrived at the palace the king fell in love with her. The king ended up making her his queen. As the years passed by a man name Haman worked his way up in the king’s guard. While he was working his way to the top Mordecai got in his way during an attack on the palace. Mordecai ended up saving the kings life and that made Haman furious. Once he made his way to the top he decided it was time to go after Mordecai for getting in his way. One day on his way into the place he noticed that Mordecai didn’t bow to him. Haman asked Mordechai, “Why do you not bow when a royal walks by?” Mordecai answered, “I am of the Jewish faith, it is against our religion to bow before anyone but our God.” Mordecai was once again furious. He then used that knowledge to lead his attack on Mordecai. Haman decided that he was going to go to the king with the thought of a decree that would allow the people to kill the Jews because of their faith. After Haman made the decree allowing all races to kill the Jews, Ester and Mordecai were scared. Neither one of them what they were going to do. Ester realized the only way to face this problem was to go to the king herself. She went in to the throne room and kneeled before the king. The king asked, “My dear queen, what brings you in here?” Slowly and softly Ester answered, “My king, I know this is none of my business, but I was wondering if you would mind changing the decree that Haman has made about killing the Jews. Sir, those are my people, the people who look up to me when thing get tough. Please my dear think about it.” After he heard this the king was aggravated he threw his scepter at her screaming “Why did you hide your faith from me?”. He was so outraged that he called his guards in and had Ester taken to the dungeon. Ester pleaded to the king apologizing for keeping this hidden from him. The king went through a major breakdown unsure of what his next move was going to be. What is he going to do about Ester? Should he recall Haman’s decree? Should he put Ester in harm’s way and allow her to die? He stayed in his royal bedroom for 2 week pondering these questions. After the weeks had passed the news of what happened between the king and Ester had finally made its way through the grapevine to Mordecai. Once Mordecai found out that his niece was in trouble he knew that it was his job to go save her. Mordecai headed towards the palace on a mission to save his niece. When he got there Mordecai had to wait two days before the king would see him. Finally, after waiting the king welcomed Mordecai with open arm, “Mordecai, my friend, what brings you to the palace?” Mordecai answered, “My king, you have my niece in your dungeon, I was wondering what it would take for you to release her?” The king answered, “For you I would do anything.” Mordecai got an idea and he and the king agreed that Haman’s decree was too harsh, he told Mordecai that he could not withdrawal the decree but he could write another decree. The king and Mordecai agreed that Haman was in the wrong, together they planned their revenge for Haman. Mordecai released a decree that stated if you hurt a Jew you were then opening up yourself to allow Jews to kill you. It also state that the Jews had royal authority to kill Haman, who would be trapped in front of the palace gates. This decree scared many people and they decided to change their beliefs. The king apologized to Ester for locking her in the dungeon for so long, she accepted his apology and they went on to live happily ever after. 

Bibliography

Ester, The Bible, Ester

A Fight for freedom,

By:Last Man Link

Reading Notes: Bible Women, Part B

The story that stood out to me for these parts of reading was the stories of Ester. The one that really caught my attention was the third story. I think that it must have really been love for the king to be willing  to give Ester whatever she might want without even knowing what she was going to ask for. I also wondered when I was reading what all Haman had to go through to get the position of where he was. I also wonder what all acts it took for the king to trust him enough to make proclamations. Along with the fact that he didn't even question why Haman truly wanted to make the proclamation. So a couple ideas I had would be that the king would question why Haman would want the Jews killed, making him go into more detail that he had already given. Another twist would be whenever Ester and her uncle sent out the amendment to the kings previous ruling that along with giving the Jews the right to kill anyone who might hurt them, that they would also get the right to kill Haman who set a bounty on their heads!

Haman meets his fate, by Normand

Link: Ester

Bibliography:

Bible Women Unit, Ester, King James Bible

Ester Link

Reading Notes: Bible Women, Part A

When reading part A the stories that really caught my attention were the stories of Rachel and Leah. Jacob worked for 7 years to have Rachel as a wife, in today's society I don't think there is a guy out there who would work for 7 years to marry a girl, if there is there aren't very many guys who would be willing to fulfill the commitment. A good plot twist here is when their father gives Jacob Leah instead of Rachel Jacob gets angry and rushes out the door. I was thinking for a plot twist to this story that Rachel should not be "in love" with Jacob. It would be kind of like a love triangle but there are also the two maidens. I was surprised that Jacob had 4 "wives". I didn't know that back in those days that was something that could happen. I was also surprised by the fact that not only were the sisters okay with sharing a husband but their father agreed to the deal. For another plot twist I could make it were Jacob couldn't produce any kids, or if he did have kids that they would go against him and his beliefs. Therefore, they would produce all females instead of mainly males and one female.

The Relocation of Jacob, his wives, and children.

Picture by Von Carolsfeld. Link: Story of Leah

Bibliography:
Bible Women, Stories from the Bible, author not sure
Link: Bible Women

Growth and mindset

Before this class I had never heard of Carol Dweck or Growth and mindset. From her videos I learned that if I don't do well on a test don't see it as I fail in that subject, it's the fact that I don't understand that subject yet. It made me feel stupid when I wouldn't do as well as my friends on tests. In my experience I have not done well on tests. After the first test I didn't do well on I didn't think I could do well in the class much less on the next exam. After watching this video i look at those exams as subjects I didn't understand. I just needed to get a better grasp of the information. If I would have had this mindset before now I might have been able to do better in some of my classes. Her second video reminded me of high school. In high school I took AP classes but to me the classes I was taking were just a waste of time because I really wasn't learning anything. When I got to college I really regretted the fact that I didn't ever study in high school. I think these are things that high school kids should watch. I really can't wait to learn more about growth and mindset. I hope to use this process in numerical methods because I am really worried about this class.  

Which road will you take?

Link: Photo Credit: Dror Helper's Blog

How I am starting the semester!

When I am organizing the due dates for all my classes I use a big planner. My planner has a monthly calendar and a weekly calendar. On the monthly calendar I put events that I have to go to such as organization meetings, social time, and family events. I also include testing on the monthly calendar so I don't plan to go to anything around those days. On the weekly calendar I put all  my school work and workout routines. In each section of my calendar I use different colors for different subjects.That way I not only know what class I have homework it but it also makes my agenda look happier!

So much to do so little time.

Link:Wikipedia

Reading Option choices for this semester

When given the list of stories I could read for this class it was really hard to pick just a few out to read this semester. For the second week of class I took the selection that really stood out to me which was Bible Women. This was a pretty easy choice for me because I am a woman and these are the ladies that gave women a start to where we are in the world today. I have always wanted to read about the women of the Bible, so this just gives me a reason to read about them. Another that I would like to read is Europa's Fairy Book. I would love to know where some of my favorite fairy tales come from. For the same reasoning I would like to read about Andersen Fairy Tales.I know that fairy tales are different from culture to culture. That is why I also chose Jewish Fairy Tales, these however are about animals instead of princesses and love stories For the rest of the semester I think I will have fun with the tons of different choices I have to pick from. One that stood out to me the most was Jamaican Stories. This series stood out to me because I have been to Jamaica before, while I was there I loved learning about the culture and some of their history. A couple of years ago we toured Rose Hall which is haunted by the white witch. I was intrigue hearing stories about that plantation and would love to hear more about Jamaica.

"The Ballard of Annie Palmer"

Photo:Wikipedia

"Tale as old as time"
Photo:BlogSpot

My story book favorites.

When looking through the storybooks all of my favorite choices ended up being about fairytales. I love the way some people can take fairytales and turn them into a brand new story. The first story I picked was the Fairytale Case Files. This is a topic that I have never read about any place else. It is a very interesting idea. Reading the introduction really intrigues you to read the story to learn more about Wolfgang Forrester. The introduction does a great job of catching readers attention. The design of the website really fit the type of story that the author is going for. Wolfgang Forrester lives in the shadows, so it is fitting that it’s a dark themed site.

The next storybook I looked at was Mermaid Tales of the World. This is an entirely new topic to me. The title did do a good job of letting you know what the storybook was about. While the introduction did do a good job of explaining the topic it really didn’t intrigue me to read the rest of the storybook. The layout of the page seemed a little weird to me when it was on full screen of my computer, however, when I used split screen it looked a lot different and actually was more intriguing. There weren’t any images on the introduction page. It might have been more intriguing if there was a “picture” of Nerissa the mermaid that was writing the letter. To me the introduction page compared to the rest of the introduction pages was missing something.

The third storybook I read was Forgotten but Not Gone . This I think would be a good twist of Princess stories. I liked the fact that it wasn’t about Princesses who are “perfect” it is about princesses that have been exiled because of the way they act in public. I always felt like girls are expected to be “perfect” and act like princesses, while this book tells stories of princesses who are not perfect. This introduction made me want to finish reading the storybook because it was so unique and different. I think the layout of the page was very useful. I like that they split their introduction into paragraphs and made it actually feel like you were reading a letter. Something I might use for my storybook.

In the shadows of the night.

Photo: Wikipedia 

Introduction to a Mechanical Engineer

My name is Ashley Hannah. I am a Junior Mechanical Engineering student. The coolest thing about my major is the possibilities that I can do with my major. There are a lot of different options that are opened when you study mechanical engineering. The best class I took last semester was a Solidworks class. Solid works is a computer program that is used to design and build parts and prototypes. I hope that when I finish my degree I can be a drafter for a company and use the skills that I have been working on since I was in high school. In my spare time I love binge watching Netflix, some of the series I enjoy are Arrow, Flash, Friends, and One Tree Hill. I grew up watching One Tree Hill and Friends but now that they have come to an end I have started watching Arrow and The Flash. I am a huge fan of Country music. My favorite songs right now are a tie between Tuxedo performed by Claire Dunn and Middle of a Memory by Cole Swindell. I also love most of Sam Hunt’s songs no matter if they are ones he sings or ones that he has wrote. If you didn't see my post from below the Grand Old Opry is like a home away from home to me. Growing up I wished I had the talent to perform on that stage. So many people have performed on that stage that have made not only a huge impact on country music but an impact of the world we live in today. I love cooking, I normally have my friend group which is around 15 people over to eat dinner 2-3 times a semester. I learned to cook from my Grammy when I was younger. During the summers she would cook the grand-kids lunch and I would always go help her in the kitchen, since then I have loved cooking. I really want a dog but I don't have any pets right now. Growing up I had a dog named Lucky for 17 years.I also have 3 fur nephews, Yogi, Benjamin, and Clifford. 

When Lucky won't leave me alone to pull weeds because she wants to play.

Personal Photo of my dog Lucky June 2013

 

Time to play fetch! 

Personal photo of my fur nephew Yogi July 2014

 

Will you share your food with me? PLEASE!

Personal photo of my fur nephew Benji.

 

I am tired of your craziness.

Personal photo of my fur nephew Clifford.

The story of Josh and Lilly's vacation they'll never forget.

One-day Josh and Lilly decided that they needed a vacation. They couldn’t decide on where they wanted to go, Josh wanted to get away from people and go camping, while Lilly wanted to be on a beach somewhere in Mexico. After talking it through they decided to compromise by going to a cabin. They went online and found a great place that was in the middle of nowhere. They both agreed this was the place they wanted to spend their vacation. They packed their bags and headed toward the Cabin. Once they got to there they were surprised to see that the cabin was pretty much deserted. It was covered in cobwebs and there was dust on all of the furniture. It looked like there hadn’t been anyone there in a few years. After finding the key that was hidden in a flowerpot near the front door they took their bags inside, packed some lunch, and set off to explore the property. They headed off to find the perfect place to have a picnic lunch, they found a big empty space that would be the perfect spot for lunch. They sat down and started eating, then all of a sudden they heard something coming up behind them. Before they knew it there was a bear coming towards them. They took off running and ended up finding what looked like another abandoned building. They quickly got inside and barricaded the door so the bear could not come in. Once they felt safe they started exploring the building. They walked into the first room and found a Bunsen burner going with some kind of chemicals boiling. Then Josh said, “Hello? Is anyone here?” while looking around to see if he could see anyone. There was no answer so they kept walking to see what else they could find. They walked into the next room to a desk full of blueprints that were of the county jail. They were surprised to see such elaborate plans in such an unordinary place. They were looking at all of the details leading to an underground tunnel leading to a cell in the jail when someone jumped out from behind them and hit them over the head with a baseball bat, knocking them unconscious. When they woke up they found that they were chained to chairs in another room with two guys staring at them. Lilly asked, “Where are we? Who are you? And Why are we chained to these chairs?”. One of the guys named Luke answered, “You don’t need to know who we are, you just need to know we have one rule. That rule is you stay quiet.” Then they turned around and left the room. After they left Josh looked around the room for any details of where they might be when a poster on the wall caught his attention. It was a picture of what looked like Luke when he was a little bit younger, after seeing the picture he noticed that not only was it a picture but it was a wanted poster for a murderer. He nudged Lilly and motion with his head toward the sign. That was when they realized that they were in a serious situation. Josh knew he had to get Lilly out of there and protect her from whatever their plan was. Josh studied the room carefully, he noticed that there was a knife on the table to his right and an air vent that lead outside right in front of them. He slowly started inching the chair towards the table so he could retrieve the knife, once he got the knife he used it to pick the lock that was on the chain. Once he freed himself he freed Lilly. He got the vent open and when they got out side Josh whispered to Lilly “Lilly I love you, but I need you to run back to the cabin and call 911.” She tried to get him to come with her but he told her, “I needed to find out more information about Luke and his friend.” He took off to see if he could find out where the guys went. When he looked around he noticed that they weren’t in the abandoned laboratory anymore, he was at another building. This building didn’t look like a shack like the other buildings they had ran into before, this place was taken care of. All of a sudden he heard Luke talking and he was about to come around the corner. Josh found a tree and quickly scrambled up the tree so he would not be caught. Luke and his friend came around the corner and sat on the porch. Josh soon realized that this place is their criminal hideout. After dark Luke and the other guy headed off to what Josh guessed was the abandoned laboratory. After he was sure he wouldn’t get caught Josh took off toward the direction he thought the cabin was in. After a couple of hours of wondering around in the Josh found the Cabin. He walked inside to find Lilly who had an arrow aimed towards him, after Lilly saw it was him she put the bow down and ran up and gave him a hug. Shortly the cops showed up at the cabin and Josh lead them to where the criminals hideout. They found Luke and Greg and made a surprise attack ending with them being hauled off to jail. Josh told them about the blue prints that they had found in the abandoned laboratory. When the cops were done questioning Josh and Lilly they thanked them and told them to enjoy their vacation. When they got back to the cabin Josh and Lilly decided that they didn’t want to stay there anymore. So they packed their bags and set off for Mexico.

The layout of the property the story is based off of.

Author's note: I used the Map of the Area Surrounding our Holiday Home by Tom Gauld to build my story. I used motifs from the map to help plan out and set events that happened within his settings. 

Bibliography: Map of the Area Surrounding our Holiday Home, by Tom Gauld. Map

Favorite Places

A Family tradition. Taken by Nancy<I'm gonna Snap!

Source: Flickr

My home away from home. Taken by Ken Lund.

Source: Flickr

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