Our Learners Write

The past Saturday, December 19th, my eight-year old daughter, Judith, took a plane to Mexico, and I felt that half of my heart went with her. I was sad, but I was sure she was going to have a wonderful time. A few weeks before we bought the plane ticket, I received a call from my mom. She told me about my dad's health. The doctor said he has Alzheimer disease. I felt so sad and I thought that was a good reason to let Judith go to Mexico.
The time went so fast, and now Judith is back home. She said she was so happy there, and here are some of her adventures.
When she arrived in Guadalajara airport, my sisters were waiting for her with balloons and welcome signs. That night she went to her first Posada. The next day, she said hello to all her relatives there.
She went to Guadalajara to the "Trompo Magico." It is an amusement park. She played with her cousin Emmanuel. They played being doctors, farmers, chefs, etc.
Christmas was special because she stayed with her dad's family. She has ten cousins.
After Christmas, Judith and my family went to the beach for four days. She collected shells and played in the sand.
When they came back from the beach, they went to Michoacan, Mexico to see the Monarch butterflies. Judith said it was amazing to see thousands of butterflies together.
She wants to return to Mexico soon.
Now I'm happy to have her back, I hope the next time I can go with her.

Playing cards takes a good shuffle. Split the cards into two stacks and fan them together into one stack. After shuffling, you divide and restack. You must cut the cards in the game. In Texas Poker, you deal two cards to each player. Everyone must put money on the table to win. After betting, the dealer puts a card on the table and you check your cards to see if you can make a match. If you think it is a good hand, you make a bet on your cards. You show your cards. If you have a good hand, you win and get all the money. A good hand is two aces or having three, four or five of the same suit; a straight is five cards in a row. Having Aces, Kings, and Queens are really good too.

Yes, I have a wife. Her name is Marisela. We have three daughters. Their names are Marisol, Cintia and Aidee.
I have a brother. His name is Juan. He lives in Detroit. I have a sister. Her name is Patricia. She lives in Mexico.

The Thanksgiving dinner that we had was an exciting one. We went to my sister Bridget's house to have the Thanksgiving dinner. It was my sister, my Dad, my brother-in-law Eric, my nephews Eli and Evan and also me. We went to the Henry Ford Museum and spent a fun filled day. It was very expensive there and we saw many interesting things. It was a cold day. We also watched Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving on the television. There was a lot of food to eat. We almost went to see Santa Claus, but the line was too long to go into see him.

The person who has inspired me and I admire is my father. His name is Ramón Garcia. He tells me to have goals in my life and to work hard to achieve them.
My father inspires me to have a more advanced education. He tells me that without it, it's very difficult to find a good paying job. Since he did not have the opportunity to go to school, he knows how hard it is. All he wants for me is to have an excellent future.
I admire him for his hard work, for his effort, for everything that he has done to give his family the best in life. My father is my hero. I love him.

The most important person in my life is my wife because if I have a problem she always is there. She tells me don't worry honey, everything will be OK. When I'm sick, she takes care of me. When she is sick, I take care of her. We have lived fifteen years together. We have lived in sadness and happiness, but together. That's why, and much more, I love my wife.