It is going to be my father's birthday. What can I give him? I don't have much money. I have looked all through the stores, and I have not found anything that I think he would like, or that I can afford. I have thought very hard about what to buy for him. I thought that he might like some candy, but my father really doesn't eat many sweets. I thought that he might like a new shirt, but he has lots of clothes. I can't afford a new car or computer for him. I was watching him on the weekend. He cut the grass, washed the car, took out the garbage, weeded the garden and watered the plants. I got an idea. I went to my room and took out some paper. I cut out pieces of paper, and I wrote on them. I wrote on one piece of paper that I would wash the car every weekend for the summer. I wrote on another piece that I would take out the garbage every week for the summer. I also wrote that I would cut the grass, weed the garden and water the plants every week for the summer. I made a birthday card for my dad, and I put the pieces of paper inside it. I went downstairs and gave my gift to my dad. My dad thought that the gift was very thoughtful. He said that it was a gift from the heart. I did all those things for my dad all summer. He said that he had a lot of free time because I helped him so much. My dad and I are good friends. I don't mind doing things for him because I know that he is always there to help me out. A good gift doesn't have to be something that costs a lot. My dad says that the best gifts are the ones that show how much you care for the other person. I'm glad my dad liked his gift.

On New Year's Day people start a new year. Many people make resolutions. They resolve to be better people. Some people decide that they will lose weight, so that they can be healthier. Some people decide to give up smoking. They also want to be healthier. There are all kinds of resolutions that people make. Some people try not to lose their tempers. Some people say that they will work harder. There are people who try to give up bad habits. Every year, my brother says that he will stop biting his nails. He stops biting his nails in January, but by February he always starts again. That is the thing about New Year's resolutions. People seldom keep them. Everybody starts out with good intentions, but it is very hard to stick with them. I don't make New Year's resolutions. I find that I just break them. I just work day by day to break my bad habits. I know that I eat too many sweets. Every day, I just try to resist them. I think that every day is a new day, regardless of whether it is New Year's Day or not. Bad habits are hard to break. The best thing is never to start any bad habits. I don't know if my brother will ever stop biting his nails, but I know that each January he intends to stop. Maybe one of these New Year's Days he'll get over that habit.

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer
Eighty percent of success is showing up
I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge
The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails
If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a big mistake
You can never get enough of what you don't really need
Insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody

Joe is 18 years old. Joe works at McDonald's. Joe saves all his money. Joe has 2500 dollars in the bank. He wants to buy a sports car. Joe starts to look for a new car. Joe looks in the newspaper. Joe looks in magazines. Joe finds a car he likes. Joe goes to see the car with his dad. He really likes it. Joe doesn't have enough money. Joe's dad tells him to keep saving his money. Joe wants this car a lot. Joe asks his dad to help him. Joe and his dad make a deal. Joe's dad will lend him the money. Joe must work hard. He must pay the money back to his dad. Joe is very happy. Joe owns his first car.

Samantha is going to an Easter egg hunt. Tracey is going to an Easter egg hunt. The Easter egg hunt is at Sydney's house. It is going to be fun. Sydney's mom hid chocolate eggs. Sydney's mom hid chocolate bunnies. Everybody is here. Everybody has an Easter basket. The Easter egg hunt can start. Everybody must close their eyes. One two three go. Samantha finds an Easter egg. The Easter egg is behind a table. She puts it in her basket. Tracey finds a chocolate Easter bunny. It's under the couch. Tracey puts it in her basket. Sydney finds a chocolate Easter bunny too. It's in front of the television. She puts it in her basket. Everybody finds lots of chocolate. Everybody shares their chocolate. Samantha Tracey and Sydney love Easter.

Mark's favourite sport is hockey. He is 15 years old. Mark practises three times a week. Practices are two hours long. Mark plays one game a week. Mark is a good hockey player. He plays on Friday nights. Friday night hockey games are popular. Mark's family watches him play. Mark's friends watch him play too. There are always many fans. Tonight is the big game. Coaches are coming to watch Mark play. Mark wants to play in the National Hockey League. Mark wants to make a lot of money. It is very hard to play in the NHL. Mark's parents want him to go to college. They want him to have an education. They want Mark to be successful. They want Mark to be happy.

Jennifer Smith is a firefighter. She is one of the first female firefighters. Jennifer works hard every day. Jennifer exercises every day. She lifts weights. She wants her muscles to be very strong. She saves people's lives every day. She is very strong.

Jennifer is married. Her husband is a school teacher. Jennifer's husband is proud of her. Jennifer is a mother. She has two daughters. Jennifer's daughters are proud of her too. Jennifer is happy being a firefighter. Jennifer is happy being a wife. Jennifer is happy being a mother.

My name is Sarah. I am 14 years old. I have a pet cat. My cat's name is Milo. My cat is black and white. Milo's paws are white. Milo's body is black. She is very cute. Milo's fur is very soft. Milo was a very small kitten. Milo is a very big cat. Milo can not have kittens. She is fixed. Milo likes to eat. Milo likes to play outside. Milo likes to hunt for birds. Milo likes to hunt for mice. She likes her ears scratched. Milo likes to sit in my lap. Milo likes to sleep on my bed. Milo is a good pet.