Blake’s New Email

Just in Case you guys don’t know this already we (the triplets) got a new email for our birthday and here they are:

Blake – bwd.dean
Tanner – tnr.dean
McKenna – mbd.dean

Busch Gardens Pictures

Busch Garden Pictures

Here’s some pictures from Busch Gardens today:

Mrs. Tredway on Carousel

AWESOME Ride!

Group Picture

Me and Lions (In Background)

Wall that looks cool.

Yet Another Group Picture

…and another

Over all Busch Gardens was great, but one thing we discovered…..rides are better the first time you ride them.

Awaiting (from 2009)

I’m Anticipating Christmas but at the same time dreading it. You may be thinking how can you dread Christmas of all things!!!!!! Well, there’s a couple of reasons 1) I want everyone to really like my presents. They all put a smile on and say thank you, but there’s always the question in the back of your mind saying “DO they really Truly Like it??????” and #2) is I don’t want to be just focused on the presents that I’m getting. I also want to be focused on the true meaning of Christmas. Christ’s birth!!!! But on a happier note Andrew Clements’ new Book cover has been revealed and I’ll put it with this post. If you go to keepersoftheschool.com you will be able to read the 1st and 2nd chapter!!!!!!! I’ll see what I can do I might put it in a later post or in this one IDK!!!!!!! Right below this is the cover!!!!!!! Looks awesome!!!!!

Here’s a summary of the book off of Andrew Clements’ website:

Benjamin Pratt’s school is about to become the site of a new amusement park. It sounds like a dream come true! But lately, Ben has been wonder if he’s going to like an amusement park in the middle of his town—with all the buses and traffic and eight dollar slices of pizza. It’s going to change everything. And Ben is not so big on all the new changes in his life, like how his dad has moved out and started living in the marina on what used to be the “family” sailboat.
Maybe it would be nice if the school just stayed as it is. He likes the school. Loves it, actually. It’s over 200 years old and sits right on the harbor. The playground has ocean breezes and the classrooms have million dollar views…MILLION DOLLAR views. And after a chance—and final—run-in with the school janitor, Ben starts to discover that these MILLION DOLLAR views have a lot to do with the deal to sell the school property. But, as much as the town wants to believe it, the school does not belong to the local government. It belongs to the CHILDREN and these children have the right to defend it!
Don’t think Ben, his friend Jill (and the tag-along Robert) can ruin a multi-million dollar real estate deal? Then you don’t know the history and the power of the Keepers of the School. A suspenseful six book series, book one, We the Children, starts the battle on land and on sea. It’s a race to keep the school from turning into a ticket booth and these kids are about to discover just how threatening a little knowledge can be.

~Bwdlake~

Awaiting Fufillment

As you all know I am going to All-State, you might say I’m “over-posting” but still I am really excited and awaiting the fulfillment of the excitement. We are leaving Tues.. after-school!!!!! i am Seper excited, that’s all I gotta say. And I am done posting.

~Blake Dean~

Re: Be the Chicken Nugget in the Bag of Vegtables

So, I was going all over the web for a new and interesting blog and I found one that is really good. Amazing writing and perfect grammar, which half I do not have (perfect grammar). Check this article out: (link: click here)

Its called be the Chicken Nugget in the Bag of Vegtables. This article was found from sharilopatin.wordpress.com

My boyfriend found a chicken nugget in his bag of frozen vegetables the other day.
And just to make sure it was a chicken nugget, he popped the frozen mound into the microwave. Sure enough, it emerged crispy and delicious. Like McDonald’s.
Concerned that perhaps the workers at the packaging house were rebelling, and some poor vegetarian would end up with the same fate from another bag, my boyfriend called the company.
“Are you sure it wasn’t a carrot?” the manager asked him, after he explained his immaculate discovery.
“Of course I’m sure,” my boyfriend replied. “I think I’d know the difference between a chicken nugget and a carrot.”
Though laughing hysterically, this got me thinking. The odyssey of his chicken nugget was so outrageous, that it became contagious.
So here’s my question to you: When you write, are you being the chicken nugget in a bag of frozen vegetables?
Make Your Writing Stand Out
I struggle with breaking free of clichés, as does every writer. But whether you’re a journalist trying to engage the public, a creative writer encouraging people to buy your book, or a corporate writer building your company’s brand, you won’t get anywhere if you don’t stand out.
Besides writing about the unexpected, consider these tips to transform yourself from a frozen carrot into that chicken nugget:
The Curse of Knowledge: A communications coach from my work once fed me this term. Are you so embroiled in your area of expertise, that you forgot what it’s like to be an outsider? Think: what would excite an 8-year-old to read your story?
Humor: Of course, this depends on what you’re writing, and for whom. But while making people cry takes talent, making people laugh takes true genius. Ask yourself: am I laughing as I’m writing this?
Your Personal Voice: Don’t you want to slap those teenagers who try on new identities as easily as they change outfits? With writing, you need to let your unique voice shine through. Don’t try to be anyone else, except you, even if you’re writing for a company (yes, I said it!).
OBSERVE: Admittedly, I’d forgotten this tip lately. My boyfriend had to remind me that the best writers observe the world around them. Are you stepping back and just looking? Seinfeld was insanely successful for a reason.
Realism: I don’t care whether you’re writing about a real person, or a character you developed. That person, and his or her story, better be realistic and believable. If people can’t relate, they won’t care. Which leads me to my next point . . .
Conflict: We’re all drama kings and queens at heart. Without conflict in a story, we’re bored! Build the tension of conflict, whether for a novel, article, or short story. In the corporate world, you can do this too. Established a new process? Interview an employee and learn how hard their job was before the new process kicked in.
Considering this is probably the longest blog I’ve ever written, I’ll stop here. But make yourself that chicken nugget in the bag of frozen vegetables—and surprise the world!
Like the advice I offer? Subscribe to my free blog (upper righthand corner) for email notifications on new writing tips, short stories, and media lessons. As a professional writer/editor, journalist, media strategist and communications consultant, I enjoy sharing my expertise to help others grow.
found from sharilopatin.wordpress.com

I just thought that finding a chicken nugget in a bag of veggies was HILARIOUS!

~Blake Dean~

Before All-State

Before I go to All State next Tues. I just wanted to tell you guys that I am going to be blogging during All State. I’m going to be posting pictures and stories and information. I am leaving on the 11th and coming back on the 15th I can’t guarantee I will be posting every day, in fact I can tell you right now I won’t be able to.

~Blake Dean~

New “Face” of Bwdlake

Now, when I say “face” I mean a new name. I am going to change to address I’ll also change the name on the Home Page. If you have a suggestion, comment below.

~Blake Dean~

Review: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Yesterday, after church our youth group went to go see “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”.

Negative Elements:

– Violence
– Creepy Looking Monsters
– Loud Sounds
– Dryads swim in the water, they are shiny and translucent

Personally the things listed above I think might be just scary for little children. There is no drugs or alcohol.

Spiritual Elements:

This movie was full of`spiritual content.

– Lucy, Edmund and Caspian went down into a cave, in the middle was a gold pool which was one form of temptation, greed. Temptation.
– The Crew of the Dawn Treader followed a Blue Star to find Aslan’s Table, much like the Star that the shepherds followed to get to Jesus
– Lucy prays to Aslan to help them and he does.
– In the Movie Eustace turns into a dragon and Aslan changed him back.

Spiritual Quotes:

– “No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t do it by myself, but Aslan did it.” (Eustace talking about him being changed from a dragon back into a human)
– “I was focusing on what was taken away, not on what was given to me” (Prince Caspian talking about why he wasn’t going to go into Aslan’s country)
– “I have another name in your world” (Aslan talking to Edmund and Lucy about how they would see him again)
– “Knowing me here for a little will help you know me better in your world” (Aslan talking to Lucy and Edmund about why they came to Narnia in the first place)

I will be posting a post on “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader:” later.

~Bwdlake~

Day of Books (and other Problems)

Last Night I went to Barnes and Nobles and saw a lot of people I knew, but while we were walking out the door we saw a familiar family and after we left this is what happened: (From The Mom’s Blog)

So today was a really rotten day as far as being a mom goes. In fact, shortly after the day began, I put this on Facebook
First day out of school for Ryan. He’s been up less than 2 hours & has already pitched a fit over a toy, screamed at Alex, punched Alex, thrown a fit over losing toy above due to hitting, pushed his brother, thrown a fit over Alex taking a turn with a game, & hit him one more time. So I was trying to get us all ready to go swim, but now Ryan will be sitting in his bed alone while Alex and I pray for patience!
The day got slightly better from there. I took Ryan to the pediatrician for a splinter that had gotten infected in his foot. He got the splinter Wednesday, but we were not in a place where I could look at it and take it out when he told me about it. It also seemed tiny, so I didn’t think much about it. Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, I noticed a red stripe on his foot and immediately realized that the splinter was getting infected. It took about ten minutes of kicking and screaming, but I got it out, put some medicine on it, and put them to bed. This morning, I put some hydrogen peroxide on it. When it didn’t look any better, but continued growing, I called the doctor. And the point of all that is that when I got there, the boys were very well behaved, but the nurse chastised me like a child for not getting Ryan in sooner! The way she spoke and looked at me, I felt like she was waiting for me to apologize! Since I had gotten him there as soon as I realized it was getting bad, I didn’t apologize. I said, “Okay,” and stared back at her waiting for whatever else she felt compelled to say.
I won’t go into every detail, let’s just say getting the prescription, having lunch with Daddy, and the trip to the grocery store were less than ideal, but much better than I have seen from other families! So I am thankful that my boys are at least fairly well behaved when we are out and about.
Nap time was a nightmare. For me. The house rule is that you stay in your own bed and you stay quiet. Books and quiet toys are allowed. Sleep is not mandatory, though Alex usually still sleeps for a little while. Today Ryan followed remained within his boundaries. Alex was out of his bed more than in it. He tried repeatedly to get up into Ryan’s bed and no punitive measures seemed to help! My constant battle with him meant that I did not get any of the housework I wanted done — or even begun. Walking the dog, preparing dinner, and eating dinner were slightly better, but I still felt completely drained.
I had planned to make my Wal-Mart run tonight. (The previous trip was Winn-Dixie for the big sale items.) But I was so frustrated that I, with my husband’s encouragement and blessing, took the boys to the bookstore instead. This is nearly always a joy for me. I love the atmosphere. I love being in the middle of thousands of books. And I love my hot white chocolate mocha (with raspberry when I’m really treating myself!). This time we ran into several friends from church, including our worship pastor, Carey, and his boys. His youngest son is 4. My boys love to play with him. Ryan sometimes calls Corban his “best friend.” My boys ran around a corner into the kids’ section to talk to Corban. Carey stopped and spoke to me as he headed out. A moment later one of the older sons brought Corban around the corner. While we said our farewells, I felt confident that my boys were being good in that back corner — as they usually are extra well behaved when we are at the bookstore. Imagine my surprise when I walked back to that little corner to find about 8 books flying through the air (and even had to jump back, sloshing my coffee, to avoid one)!!!
It was one of those tall carousels that holds the thin, square paperback books that kids this age like — the way that the Berenstein Bears is usually published. Alex, 3 years old, was spinning the carousel as hard as he could. The books wereeverywhere! My guess is that there were twenty to thirty books on the floor. It was everything I could do not to scream when I said, “STOP!” Alex did stop and very innocently looked up at me.
As I began to chastise Alex for his behavior, Ryan spoke up in his defense. “Well, Corban did some of it.” (Gee, thanks Carey!)
I, in motherly cliche fashion, replied, “If Corban jumps in a fire, should I let Alex do it, too?”
LOL… Ryan just stared at me, as if to say, “What does jumping in a fire have to do with these books?” Even as I sat there, the hilarity of the situation hit me. I wish I had taken a picture! After Alex cleaned up the mess (with my help) and sat in time-out a while, I allowed myself to laugh. Out loud. And we enjoyed most of the rest of the time in the bookstore! Now maybe I’ve regained a modicum of sanity and can deal again with retraining the behavior of two boys who suddenly seem to have forgotten their boundaries!!!

~Bwdlake~

The Present

Why in today’s society does every other song or commercial have to be so digustingly wrong or just disgraceful? Is this what we want our Society to be like? I mean if I go to a different country and they ask where I am from and I say The U.S What will they say? Well to be completely honest you can’t be for certain, but let’s rephrase my last question…. What do we want them to think? We have 2 options: 1) “Oh those Americans the nasty, dirty minded heartless people!” or 2) “I sure wish I could live in the U.S. in seems like a good place to raise my kids and a place to settle down!”. The future Americans are the kids in school right now, We have to teach them what’s right and wrong, how to dress and how not, what to sing and talk about and what not! Just Something to Think About!

~Bwdlake~