Amykins's blog: "Amy's ramblings"

I'm writing a lesson plan for one of my classes. It is set in the reciprocal style of teaching. To put it simply, the students are in groups of 2 or 3 and one student performs the task while the other observes and provides feedback.

I need help coming up with basketball tasks for the students to perform. So far I have dribbling with a defender, so that means they will need to be in groups of 3.

I need two more tasks. I've thought about doing something with shooting. Keep in mind most of these students are very poorly skilled so a free throw is probably out of the question. I need something fun, simple, and easy to observe for the students to do.

Thanks for any help!

I was bored and trying not to dwell on my boyfriend moving away. So I decided to bake. I made brownies yesterday and chocolate chip muffins today. I've made brownies a million times, but I've never made muffins. These chocolate chip muffins turned out AWESOME! I'm going to bake cookies tomorrow. Then I'm going to figure out how to package up a few of each and mail them to my boyfriend. I already bought a house warming card to mail him, so I'll stick it in the package too. I can't wait. I love doing little things like that. I also bought an "I miss you" card. Most of them were way too sappy, and I mean WAY too sappy.

Well I guess I'm done rambling about my baking adventures. Oh yeah, I need to lose the 4 pounds I gained last month and this baking isn't helping. lol

I went to a random mumm and tried to comment, but I got the error that I'm blocked. I don't even recognize the kid who posted the mumm. So weird. I piss off people and don't even realize it. Is that a good or bad talent?

Know anyone that needs ability points spent on them to level? Well send them to me! I'm trading and selling my pimp outs to help them as well as help myself. I have a little something planned, hehe.

Thanks friends!

It's long. Suck it up. READ IT!

Benning honors Medal of Honor recipient, Army's birthday
Benning posthumously honors Medal of Honor recipient

By Lily Gordon lgordon@ledger-enquirer.com

On Dec. 4, 2006, a 19-year-old Army private named Ross McGinnis threw himself upon a fragmentation grenade that an insurgent had tossed down the gunner’s hatch of the Humvee in which he was riding during combat operations against an armed enemy in Northeast Baghdad, Iraq.

McGinnis pinned the live grenade between himself and the vehicle, absorbing all lethal fragments and damaging effects. That courageous act cost the young soldier his life, but saved four men from serious injury or death.

For his gallantry that day, McGinnis, who was promoted posthumously to specialist, was awarded in 2008 the nation’s highest medal for valor in combat, the Medal of Honor.
 
Robin Trimarchirtrimarchi@ledger-enquirer.com Retired Staff Sgt. Ian Newland, left, and Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas were saved by Spc. Ross McGinnis.

A plaque in memory of McGinnis was unveiled during a ceremony Friday evening at the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Patriot Park. The ceremony also doubled as a celebration marking the Army’s 234th birthday, which is Sunday. Coincidentally, June 14 is also McGinnis’ birthday.

Fitting tribute

Among the hundreds of guests that gathered in the museum’s grand foyer for the emotional unveiling were McGinnis’ parents, Tom and Romayne McGinnis, as well as other family members, friends and members of his unit, including two of the soldiers whose lives he saved.

Post commander Maj. Gen. Michael Barbero and National Infantry Foundation Chairman retired Maj. Gen. Jerry White also attended the ceremony.

Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas was one of the four men riding in Ross McGinnis’ vehicle the day he died. Following the ceremony, the 33-year-old Longview, Texas, native said it’s appropriate his friend’s legacy will endure in the very place built to honor the acts and sacrifices of great soldiers.

“The unveiling, seeing this soldier being the first one honored at the National Infantry Museum, it’s heart-stopping,” Thomas said. “And I know that it’s always going to be here and I can come back 50 years from now and see that.”

Tom McGinnis said it’s important that all soldiers, especially new infantrymen, reflect upon the stories and histories of those who gave everything for their country so that they can fully understand and respect the tradition of which they are a part of.

“All the infantryman are going to see Ross,” Tom McGinnis said. “They’re going to see his plaque and they’re going to be able to see what they might possibly be asked to do some day. And they’ll know what kind of commitment they’re making when they go into the Army.”

Son, friend, warrior

A native of Knox, Penn., Ross McGinnis was a loyal friend, brother, athlete and warrior. His mother said he had a fantastic sense of humor and was always looking for a way to make his friends and family laugh.

“Ross was a jokester,” Romayne McGinnis said. “He loved making everybody laugh, but he found his calling in the Army. He loved it. He loved the discipline. He loved the PT, the camaraderie with the other soldiers.”

Retired Staff Sgt. Ian Newland, who served with Ross McGinnis in Iraq, also remembers his friend as the kind of person who would do anything to elicit a laugh. Newland, who was injured in the 2006 blast and now walks with the assistance of a cane, said his whole life changed the second that grenade found the hatch of their Humvee.

“His sacrifice changed absolutely everything,” said Newland, 29, of Denver. “And I think it did for a lot of people, too … This kid was 19 years old and scared like the rest of us and able to stand up and use his bravery to show the nation how strong soldiers can be.”

Thomas, who remains on active duty, agreed with Newland. “It’s life-changing,” he said. “You live your life totally different after an act like that and you know living through something like that it’ll change your life, how you live your life.”

Medal of Honor

Ross McGinnis joined the Army through the Delayed Entry Program on June 14, 2004, at the age of 17. After completing his initial training at Fort Benning with the 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in Schweinfurt, Germany. The unit deployed to Eastern Baghdad in August 2006,

Because of his proficiency in weaponry and marksmanship, Ross McGinnis was chosen to serve as a gunner for his unit. He was doing his job while on a mounted patrol in Adhamiyah, Iraq, to restrict enemy movement and quell sectarian violence the day he made the decision that cost him his life.

According to the Medal of Honor Web site created in Ross McGinnis’ honor, an unidentified insurgent positioned on a rooftop near Ross McGinnis’ vehicle threw a fragmentation grenade into the Humvee. Without hesitation, Ross McGinnis yelled “grenade,” allowing his crew to prepare for the blast. Then, instead of leaping from the gunner’s hatch to safety, Ross McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.

“It’s still painful every time we go through that story I have a little problem holding back,” Tom McGinnis said at the ceremony. “But with time it does get easier.”

The plaque honoring Spc. Ross McGinnis will be placed on the museum’s wall.

I love my parents with every ounce of my being. No matter how rough things get I know they will have my back. My dad and I have our negative past, but I think the future looks bright.

"Don't worry. We'll get it figured out."

Easier said than done, but I trust him. We will figure everything out and everything will be okay.

*deep breath*

I need to find some peace and solace to get me through these next few months. I know things are looking up, but it's just a matter of getting through the rough times.

If anything ever happens to me and I didn't get the chance to say it enough, I love you Mom and Dad from the bottom of my heart. Even if I'm gone, these words will forever reign true.

I'm going point whoring tomorrow. I have autos, from a sexy Ninja, and a bomb to use too. I'm trying to decide if I want to buy myself a one day blast for the occasion or a small bling pack. It's such a tough decision. I need help fu-friends.

So help me decide. And don't say both, obviously I can't get both hence the decision. 

Oh, and if there's any angels out there that want to pimp me out tomorrow, I will "pay". hehe