Tag Archives: 2018

My Adventure To Surprise Part 2

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Hey, everyone! I went to Surprise, AZ for the end of May/beginning of June with my grandparents (also known as The Romano Duo). I would just like to share my adventure with you. By the way, some of the times aren’t accurate. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

May 26th, 2018: 

I woke up at 7:00 am that day giving me enough time to get ready to go and eat some of my breakfast. After I got almost halfway done with my morning routine, Patty went outside and said she saw donkeys (burros) across the dirt road eating grass at an empty park.

Patty wanted to know if I wanted to see the donkeys and I said sure. And sure enough, I saw the donkeys. Anyway at 10:00 am PDST, Frank of the Romano Duo (my grandfather) and Patty, as well as me, were ready to be on our way to Surprise again.

So we got back in the car, I was mostly quiet but when we passed Las Vegas and Hoover Dam Frank said, “We’ll be passing the Nevada border soon.” I said, “Yes, I know.” as I already been through there twice.

Around 12:15 pm (my preferred lunchtime) to 1:00 pm, we stopped in Kingman, AZ to go to the restroom in Burger In-N-Out and Patty had Frank go get me some french fries. After he was done, Frank drove over to the nearest gas station so Patty could get the rest of the food for me and get gas for Frank and Patty’s car.

After 13 minutes, we were in Arizona desert. Eventually, at 1:27, I asked Patty and Frank for the estimated time we had left and Frank said, “At least 2 hours or 1 and a half hours.” At that point, I mentally started a time check and looked out the window for the first sign of Surprise, AZ.

Around 2:44 pm, I asked again and Frank said, “Less than an hour.” as 3:00 pm was getting closer and I was very excited. At 2:50 pm, there were only 16 minutes left until we arrived. At 2:58 pm, there were 10 minutes left. At 3:00 pm, I was looking out the window at Surprise, AZ.

At 3:10 pm, we arrived in Surprise, AZ. My calmness returned when I stepped into Patty’s and Frank’s house but I needed to go to the restroom so I had Patty show me the master bathroom.

Anyway, when I was just talking to Patty in Patty and Frank’s bedroom, my uncle Robert  (who I never met) walked in to say he needed to go to the grocery store. Finally, he noticed and Patty introduced us.

I was kind of shy at first (I usually can be but it doesn’t last long). Fortunately, Patty had to go to Trader Joe’s to find the stuff on the list and I volunteered to go with them. So we all got in the car to Trader Joe’s and Wal-Mart (don’t really care for Wal-Mart).

Surprisingly, we were back at the house in 30 minutes. Anyway, I asked Patty for her laptop so I could easily code and look at Accuweather. Of course at 4:00 pm or more, Patty and Frank started making dinner. We had dinner at 7:00 pm though.

After the dinner, I decided to chill out and rest some while talking to Patty and Frank. After some time had passed, I went ahead and got ready for bed. Of course, I stayed up late (that happened the whole time). Once, I got into bed I read and played games on my phones until 12:30 am when I got up to put my water away.

After I turned out the light and my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep immediately.

I borrowed the photo from Google Images… A burro in Beatty

See part 3 here…

My Adventure To Surprise Part 1

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Hey, everyone! I went to Surprise, AZ for the end of May/beginning of June with my grandparents (also known as The Romano Duo). I would just like to share my adventure with you. By the way, some of the times aren’t accurate. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

May 25th, 2018: 

Once my grandparents and I left Reno, I felt very active and I started talking about stuff like the conference, places, cities, Surprise, AZ and thinking of silly names for cities.

For example, Surprise was Palm Tree Land while Reno was Tree Land. Anyway, we stopped in Hawthorne as a rest stop and get my lunch out (which was prepared by Camilla before we left). After we left Hawthorne, I continued talking and eventually offered my grandmother Patty of the Romano Duo to help me guess what word the 2 pictures were (it was a game I downloaded on to my phone before I left).

After a little while, I got bored so I took a lot of selfies. I also found out that their car had a GPS built into the car and a little cord you could plug up an old GPS with.  Anyway, around 4:43 pm PDST we arrived at Beatty, NV. We spent the night at Death Valley Inn & RV Park which was nice.

After dinner, the sun was still up so Patty and I decided to have a walk around the hotel. After the short walk, we decided to see if they had any fruit juice liked at the Family Dollar Store across the dirt road.

Oddly, they had fruit juice among other things too. After we finished there, we went back to the hotel (more like a motel) and started my night time schedule. After Patty went to sleep, I went to sleep around 12:30 am (yes, I know that can be late but it helped me get up at a certain time) that night.

One of the selfies I took.

 

The second selfie I took.

Another rose in Beatty.

 

Rose In Beatty

Beautiful Sunset colored flower

Yellow flower.

Beautiful rose

Beautiful roses!

Gorgeous tree!

Pretty pink rose!

Yellow rose!

The sign of Death Valley Inn. Don’t the palm trees look like arms?

See part 2 here…

The Hummingbird Fairy Wings

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Hey, everyone! I got the idea to write a story about a hummingbird when my grandmother Patty of the Romano Duo remarked,”The hummingbird wings look like little fairy wings.” in Surprise, AZ when I was visiting Surprise, AZ. Thank you, Patty! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Once many years ago, there lived a hummingbird named Abby who was very curious. One day, Abby wondered, “Why do I have such small wings?”. So Abby asked her mother and her mother responded, “Well, there was a fairy named Rebecca who was very curious just like you, Abby.”

Abby’s mother paused for effect. Abby’s mother continued her story,”One day, Rebecca saw some flowers that had delicious nectar and she starting eating nectar. Suddenly, Rebecca noticed a sudden tingling coming from her wings. ”

Abby’s mother smiled and stopped to catch her breath. Abby said impatiently,”Hurry up, mother! I want to hear more of the story.” Abby’s mother said, “Ok, I was just catching my breath.”

“Rebecca wondered what was happening and asked her mother what happened. And like me, her mother told her the answer through a story. By the time her mother finished the story, Rebecca turned into a hummingbird.”, said Abby’s mother knowingly.

“So Rebecca went to a wizard to get a special spell that would allow her to swap back and forth between a fairy and a hummingbird. And she still can be found today as a fairy and hummingbird.”, explained Abby’s mother. After Abby’s mother finished her story, her mother asked, “Would you like to know a secret?”.

Abby said excitedly, “Yes, please!”. So her mother said, “I am Rebecca. That is my secret now.” Rebecca laughed when Abby said, “I knew there was something magical and musical in you.”

If you see a hummingbird, that may be Rebecca or Abby flying by. Anyway, that’s the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed!

How Donuts Came To Be

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Hey, everyone! As you know, summer is coming up (for some) so in honor of National Donut Day and First Day of Summer, I’ve decided to create a special summer story. I hope you enjoy!

Once there lived a donut named Sprinkles who loved to play in her huge backyard. Meanwhile, there lived a popsicle named Lemona who loved to drink lemonade and sing all day.

One day, Sprinkles invited Lemona to her backyard for a summer party. Sprinkles had also invited her donut friends.

Lemona arrived first to the backyard shortly after Sprinkles had sent out the invitation to Lemona. Sprinkles was very surprised when she saw Lemona coming to the backyard.

“Am I early to the summer party?”, asked Lemona. “Yes, you are early. I suppose I could use some help and a friend too.”, said Sprinkles truthfully.

“Sure, I would love to help you set up your summer party. “, said Lemona honestly. After a hour had past, Sprinkles’ donut friends started to arrive. A couple minutes later, Lemona’s popsicle friends started to arrive as well which was a big surprise for Lemona.

Sprinkles’ friends commented, “What an awesome party! We should come to your parties more often, Sprinkle!”. Sprinkle said, “Thank you! I couldn’t have done it without Lemona.”

Lemona’s friends remarked, “I agree, what an amazing party! We should go to parties all the time.” Lemona said, “Thank you! I’m the one who set up the party.”

Unfortunately, the fun had to end too soon. When Lemona hugged Sprinkles, chocolate got on her icy dress. While Sprinkles got lemon juice on her, she was happy that her party was a sucess. So if you see a donut that tasted like a popsicle, that might be Sprinkles and Lemona.

That’s the end of the story.

20180601-105613.jpg

How To Do A Criss Cross Braid

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Hey, everyone! I recently have been doing a hairstyle that I like to call the Criss Cross Braid but it’s called the Waterfall Braid too. You are about to read the tutorial for the Criss Cross Braid. I hope you enjoy!

What you need:

Time
Hands
Elastics (if you want it to stay in longer)
Bobby Pins (if you want it to stay secured)
Rat-Tailed Comb
Mirror
Hairspray or Water (if you want the loose hairs and volume to flatten)

Instructions:

  1. First, part your hair along the main part line with a rat-tailed comb. If you don’t have a rat-tailed comb, you can use your finger (just be gentle and cautious doing it).
  2. Second, take a section of hair. It doesn’t matter how thick the section of hair you selected is, just so long as it’s not too thick.
  3. Third, start braiding the section of hair. By braid, I mean a simple basic braid that’s easy to do.
  4. Cross one part of the section repeatedly until near the end. If you want to use elastics (use the elastic to tie off the braid).
  5. Gently let go of the braid (if you chose not to use an elastic). Otherwise, you can let the braid drop gently if you used an elastic to tie off the end.
  6. Repeat steps 3,  4, and 5 one or 2 more times depending on your braids and how messy you want your criss-cross braid to be.
  7. After you are finished braiding, you will take your 2 or 3 braids and tie them together, so it will look like you will have a braided beard.
  8. Next to last, you will find yourself holding the braid so just flip the braid over the back of the head.  Although, you might want to tug the braid a little to decrease the extra volume.
  9. Lastly, spray water or hairspray on your hair. This step is optional.

Tips:

Try different types of braids like a simple twist or a loose braid.

Try braiding every piece of your hair.

Try having someone else do the braid for you.

That’s the end of the tips. Anyway, please let me know if you have any tips you want me to add.

Queen Of Earth

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Hey, everyone! On April 22nd which was Earth Day, I felt inspired to write a story about the Earth. Here are some related stories: https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/04/23/the-back-of-black/, https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/04/17/why-ladybugs-wear-black-and-red/, and https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/03/23/why-trees-dance-in-the-wind/. I hope you enjoy!

Once long ago, there lived a girl named Alana who loved to smell the Earth and talk to the Earth. Her parents were King Hendricks and Queen Dahlia. Her parents reigned the Earth together.

Many years went by and Alana grew into a young lady. One day when Alana was picking flowers and the Earth spoke.  Earth asked, “How would you like to be my queen like your mother when you’re older?”.

Alana said, “Yes, Earth!”. A couple more years went by, and Alana was now the queen of Earth. Alana’s queen name is Queen Eve but her real name was still Alana for non-formal events.

Alana married Stellen a couple of years later and the Earth even invited him to be the King like Alana’s father years ago. So Alana and Stellen reigned the Earth just like Alana’s parents did many years ago.

Stellen’s king name was Marthur but just like Alana, his real name was still Stellen for non-formal events. A year passed and the couple had a baby. Her name was Lalani. The Earth liked Lalani’s name.

Lalani lived the same life as her parents and her grandparents before her. So if you hear voices inside the Earth, that might be Latani and her family. That’s the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed!

Earth

The Back of Black

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Hey, everyone! On the night of April 18th when I was trying on under clothing that was a sparkly black color, I said to myself,”Is this the back of the black?”. Then I realized it would be a great story. Anyway, here’s the related stories: https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/04/12/starry-life/, https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/03/19/what-if-rainbows-were-magical/, and https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/03/20/how-flowers-got-their-color/. I hope you enjoy!

Once long ago, there was a side of planet Ventura that was a dark black and a bright side that was a neon white. The bright side of Ventura was actually the back of the black (as it is known today).

Long ago, people who lived on Ventura didn’t realize that there were 2 different colored sides of Ventura until 2 girls were born. The 2 girls names are Savannah and Aurora. The sisters grew up to be very smart people who studied Ventura from outer space and on Ventura.

One day, the sisters made a remarkable discovery. The sisters spread the word and soon everyone knew. The discovery was indeed that there were 2 different colored sides of Ventura. Everyone had always suspected something but they were equally shocked at what the sisters had discovered.

So they honored the sisters with a museum named after them. The sisters were so pleased that they nicknamed themselves The Ventura Sisters. The mayor of Ventura asked, “What do we suggest we do about this 2 sided different colored planet?’.

The sisters said, “Just leave the planet like it is and also call today of every year Ventura Sisters Day or Ventura Day for short.” The mayor agreed and announced today Ventura Day.

The Ventura Sisters were very happy. As the years went by, the Ventura sisters got married. Savannah got married to Merc who was the owner of Adventura which was the grocery store in Ventura.

While Aurora married Assesa who was the Ventura writer, Savannah had a baby who’s named Gelica was known as Stella later in life. Aurora had a baby too a couple years later. Aurora named the baby Meloniclia who was known as Penny later in life.

So if you see Venus, that is the remains of Ventura and maybe the Ventura sisters live there with their family along with the rest of the former Ventura people. That’s the end of the story! I hope you enjoyed this story.

Why Ladybugs Wear Black And Red

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Hey, everyone! I got inspired on April 10th when my mother Camilla Downs saw a ladybug in her hair. Here are some related links: https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/04/16/why-butterflies-float-in-the-sky/, https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/04/13/why-flowers-dance-in-the-wind/, and https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/03/23/why-trees-dance-in-the-wind/. I hope you enjoy!

One day long ago, there lived a ladybug named Spotty (nicknamed Oreo) who loved to eat Oreos. Her mother even teasingly joked that if she didn’t stop eating Oreos, she would turn red and black all over.

Little did Spotty know, there was an evil wizard hiding behind a huge bush who planned to turn Spotty and future ladybugs red and black all over. So one day the wizard disguised herself as an aunt to Spotty.

The wizard asked, “Can my favorite niece stay over at my home?”. Spotty said, “Sure thing, Angelina (the name of her real aunt).” Boy, Spotty was surprised when she saw a wizard’s lab instead of a cozy home with 2 beds.

The wizard took off the disguise and secretly did the potion. After she was done making the potion, she disguised herself once again as an aunt. “Spotty, my dear. I have some of your favorite fruit juice”, said the wizard.

Spotty said, “Thank you, Angelina! I was thirsty.” As soon as Spotty took a sip of the potion, Spotty said, “I feel funny.” “Keep drinking the juice, it will help you feel better”, said the wizard knowingly.

So Spotty continued to drink the juice until the cup was empty. When she looked in the mirror and saw her reflection, she gasped. She was red with black spots all over.  The wizard walked in not wearing the disguise.

Spotty said, “I knew it, you are a wizard. You aren’t my aunt.” Spotty flew all the way home. Luckily, the wizard’s potion didn’t affect most ladybugs. So if you see a red with blacks dots, it might be Spotty.

Ladybug

Why Butterflies Float In The Sky

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Hey, everyone! On April 9th, I saw a butterfly flying across the sky and I got inspired to write a story about the butterfly. Here are some related stories: https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/04/12/starry-life/, https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/03/22/how-the-sea-expanded/, and  https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/04/13/why-flowers-dance-in-the-wind/. I hope you enjoy!

Once in a land far away named Blossomia, a butterfly named Orchid Rose (nicknamed Rose) hoovered low over the ground as she flew. Suddenly, Orchid gasped as a thought came to mind and landed on the ground safely.

Orchid slowly went to go ask her friend Lemona the Yellow Butterfly (nicknamed Lemon), Orchid said, “Hello, Lemon! I just got a really good idea. Do you want to help me get started with the idea?”.

“Hello, Rose! Sure, can you tell me the idea though”, said Rose.  Orchid said, “Sure.” So Orchid whispered the idea into Lemona’s ear. So Lemona got a balloon and a fan while Orchid got a butterfly vest and an umbrella.

Orchid put on the butterfly vest and opened the umbrella. Lemona blew up the balloon and turned the fan on high and facing the sky. Orchid flapped her wings and took off. Orchid was amazed that she could float.

“Lemon, fly up to the sky and float like me.”, shouted Orchid. Lemona said, “Ok, Rose.” So Lemona flew up to join Rose. So to this day, if you see a butterfly floating in a sea of sky chances are it might just be Lemona or Orchid. That’s the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed the story!

butterflies flying

Why Flowers Dance In The Wind

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Hey, everyone! I saw some daffodils blowing in the wind on April 9th and got inspired to write a story about flowers. Here are some related stories I’ve written: https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/03/23/why-trees-dance-in-the-wind/, https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/02/26/why-trees-sparkle-with-water/, and https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/03/20/how-flowers-got-their-color/. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Once long ago, there lived a daffodil named Sunny. She loved the way the sun felt on her petals. At the same time, Sunny wondered why the wind was making her sway from side to side.

So Sunny went to her friend Rosetta the rose to ask why the wind was making her sway. When Sunny got to Rosetta, Sunny got to experience Rosetta swaying in the wind gracefully.

Sunny observed Rosetta for an hour before leaving to ask Dandy the dandelion the same question so she could find out the answer. Sunny said, “Hello, Dandy! Why do I sway in the wind from side to side?”. “Hello, Sunny! You move side to side in the wind to make room for more flowers to move the same way”, explained Dandy.

Sunny thanked Dandy and went to go talk to Rosetta. Sunny asked, “Hey, Rosetta! How do you sway from side to side so gracefully?”. “Hey, Sunny! I sway like this”, said Rosetta as she demonstrated.

So Sunny thanked Rosetta and did what Rosetta had demonstrated at her own home. So if you see a daffodil swaying from side to side gracefully, chances are it could be Sunny swaying among her daffodil friends. That’s the end of the story. As always, I hope you enjoyed!

Daffodil