multimodal mitch reynders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs1aMMZL9hY

Brittaney Martell- This Is Bliss

https://vimeo.com/77701982 

New Link

Brittaney Martel

First Year Writing 1150

Instructor Charteris

Personal Narrative

This is Bliss

            I stood there preparing to jump, gazing down upon the luminous Adriatic Sea, crashing against the base of the cliff twenty feet below me. My eyes were glued to the alluring water. The constant motion of the waves began to alter my perception, causing my stomach to churn. I felt the sea begin to inch towards me, faster and faster; it consumed my courage with the rest of my comfort. I stumbled back from the edge envisioning the water chasing me. My restless thoughts had conquered me again. I could no longer jump.

Earlier that day

            The Hvar Island partiers were drunkenly wandering back to they’re hotels, or as close to a bed as they could get- the beach sufficed for some, when Grace and I awoke to watch the sunrise that morning. We found our way to an inlet nearby and sat perched on a small dock, awkwardly lying parallel to the beach, watching the drunks stumble by.  As each would pass I wondered who they were, what they were thinking, and where they were headed. I tried to read each ones’ expression, looking to find if they seemed happy or sad. I wondered how the happy ones did it, how they stayed that way, and if they truly were. 

As I lost my self in thought and dusk arose I realized we would not be able to see the sun rise from this side of the island. Neither of us knew of another location, but Grace spotted a road that appeared to stretch over one of the many giant hills that formed the mainland of the island. Feeling impatient to see the sunrise, and curious to see the other side of the island, I suggested we see where the road goes.

            The road was longer than expected, hill after hill, lined with only locals’ villas.  We had no idea where we were headed, and dawn was beginning to paint lavender and pink colors in the sky. I was getting so anxious to get somewhere, a feeling I despised but had become familiar with in the past year. My thoughts began to cloud. Are we lost? Would we miss the sunrise? Grace was perfectly content, but I could tell she was beginning to note the concern on my face. We had been walking for at least an hour, and although it was not visible to us, it was obvious the sun had already broken the horizon; then, we saw a sign pointing towards a small dirt trail that read, Milna Beach. 

            Relief flushed through my body as we began our walk down that dirt trail.  

Only minutes later, we reached a clearing. Grace and I both had to pause in astonishment, for this was the most beautiful place we had ever laid eyes on. To the left, we saw luscious rolling green hills, and to the right, a blissfully blue inlet lined with rocky-whitewashed cliffs and a sandy beach. A cloudless sky, masked by the softest shades of the unfinished sunrise, sat above the water.

            After rushing down to the beach and admiring the serene surroundings, we wondered onto the rugged and sharp cliffs that surrounded the sides of the inlet. Walking on them was quite the endeavor, but curiosity had taken over, and we no longer cared. Between the rows of cliffs, we found one that looked flat enough to stand on.  This is where we decided to cliff dive.  In our first attempts, neither of us could do it, although for different reasons. Grace was coated in the fear of death, and I, the fear of losing control.

            After both of our failed attempts to jump in, I began to re-conquer my thoughts, along with a strong sense of determination and courage. If I was in the middle of the Adriatic, on this once-in-a -lifetime morning hike, it would be a mistake not to jump. We checked the depth of the water and the landing for any rocks. We reclaimed our emotions and prepared ourselves to jump. This time, I would do it. I would let go.

            I stood there preparing to jump, gazing down upon the luminous Adriatic Sea, crashing against the base of the cliff ten feet below my feet.  I squeezed my eyes shut tight, took a step back, and ran forward, leaping into the alluring sea. The fall seemed to last for centuries, but as soon as I hit the water a sense of refreshment, revitalization, and serenity flooded over me.  I conquered my restless thoughts, and jumped.

3,000 Miles Apart- Katie Thermos

3,000 Miles Apart from Katie Thermos on Vimeo.

March 5, 1995; to the world it was just another day, to my parents it was a miracle, as for myself, it was the beginning of my life. I was born at 10:56 a.m. with my twin sister Emily following at 10:58 a.m. We were born two minutes apart, and inseparable since then. But it is not only that, it is not just that she has been there for me since birth. She has been there for me since the moment of my existence, from the exact time of conception. We shared a womb, a room and most importantly a bond unlike any other. My twin sister and I are as opposite as could be. Emily being the athletic, shy, left brained one and myself being the outgoing, artistic and right-brained one. It is as if we complete each other. Where one lacks, the other one exceeds. We shared our room for 18 years, we may have had some fights; she was the clean one I was the messy one, but nothing could come in between what we meant to each other. Senior year approached and we started applying for colleges, in search of the place that would lead us in the path of success for our future careers. We both considered in and out of state colleges but I was more set on staying in state than she was; in fact I was about 95% decided on CU Boulder from the start of the process. Emily was more indecisive. We both applied for scholarships but Emily went after a very prestigious one, the Daniels Fund, which gives the student a full ride scholarship to the school of their choice. My sister in hope of receiving the Daniels fund applied to Hawaii Pacific University. She also applied to University of Northern Colorado and other schools where she could pursue nursing. No surprise, she received the Daniels Fund and she deserved it. She was in the paper and even on Jay Leno for it. She had worked so hard for it and everyone was thrilled, including myself. However deep down, I could not help but become sad. I knew the outcome of the reward; she would be going to school in Hawaii. How could this possibly be bad, why would I be so upset? She would be going to school in one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was on my own selfish accord that I did not want her to go, I wanted her to stay in Colorado with me. How on earth would I ever be able to survive without her, and her without me? I was excited for her and praised her with everyone else but I never came to my full emotions until the day she left. I left for school on August 22nd and she planned to leave on the 23rd so that she could move me into my dorm room. The night before I left we were both unable to sleep. Emily, our dog Henry and I all spent the night in her bed for one last time. We cried ourselves to sleep knowing the next time we would see each other we be Christmas Break. With only a few hours of sleep we got up the next morning and began our drive to Boulder. It was a little stressful moving in, and getting everything into my dorm room. Once it was done, we looked at each other and realized it was time to say goodbye. We hugged each other and cried; there were no words that could have described our feelings. We both knew that. Our tears, just like our feelings were running together, not distinct from one another. She left with my parents that day, and the next day she was off to Hawaii and off to her future. It was not just that it was painful for her to leave; it was painful knowing that things would never be the same again. We would never be living in the same room again, going to the same school and having the same routine. That is the hardest part of growing up, change. Change is meant to be embraced because resisting it will only set one back in life. So that is my plan, to embark on my journey as an advertising student while she goes on hers in Hawaii as a nursing student. I miss her more and more every day but it would be selfish of me to wish she were home. There is a quote that goes “missing someone is not about how long it has been since you’ve seen them or the amount of time since you’ve talked. Its about that very moment when you find yourself doing something and wishing they were right there by your side.” Walking through campus, on a hike or even in my dorm room I wish she could be here with me. She is now 3,000 miles away, but she’s never been closer to my heart. I wish her the best of luck and sit here today knowing that there are 110 days until December 17th, when she comes home for Christmas.

Israel- Ma'ayan Levy

https://vimeo.com/78254670 (Hopefully this link will work!)

Me at CU Boulder - Nic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRZTuuyHE1w&feature=youtu.be

Into the Desert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycjvddFOr1w

This Is Bliss- Brittaney Martell's Multimodel

Video Link: http://vimeo.com/77688503

Brittaney Martel

First Year Writing 1150

Instructor Charteris

Personal Narrative

This is Bliss

            I stood there preparing to jump, gazing down upon the luminous Adriatic Sea, crashing against the base of the cliff twenty feet below me. My eyes were glued to the alluring water. The constant motion of the waves began to alter my perception, causing my stomach to churn. I felt the sea begin to inch towards me, faster and faster; it consumed my courage with the rest of my comfort. I stumbled back from the edge envisioning the water chasing me. My restless thoughts had conquered me again. I could no longer jump.

Earlier that day

            The Hvar Island partiers were drunkenly wandering back to they’re hotels, or as close to a bed as they could get- the beach sufficed for some, when Grace and I awoke to watch the sunrise that morning. We found our way to an inlet nearby and sat perched on a small dock, awkwardly lying parallel to the beach, watching the drunks stumble by.  As each would pass I wondered who they were, what they were thinking, and where they were headed. I tried to read each ones’ expression, looking to find if they seemed happy or sad. I wondered how the happy ones did it, how they stayed that way, and if they truly were. 

As I lost my self in thought and dusk arose I realized we would not be able to see the sun rise from this side of the island. Neither of us knew of another location, but Grace spotted a road that appeared to stretch over one of the many giant hills that formed the mainland of the island. Feeling impatient to see the sunrise, and curious to see the other side of the island, I suggested we see where the road goes.

            The road was longer than expected, hill after hill, lined with only locals’ villas.  We had no idea where we were headed, and dawn was beginning to paint lavender and pink colors in the sky. I was getting so anxious to get somewhere, a feeling I despised but had become familiar with in the past year. My thoughts began to cloud. Are we lost? Would we miss the sunrise? Grace was perfectly content, but I could tell she was beginning to note the concern on my face. We had been walking for at least an hour, and although it was not visible to us, it was obvious the sun had already broken the horizon; then, we saw a sign pointing towards a small dirt trail that read, Milna Beach. 

            Relief flushed through my body as we began our walk down that dirt trail.  

Only minutes later, we reached a clearing. Grace and I both had to pause in astonishment, for this was the most beautiful place we had ever laid eyes on. To the left, we saw luscious rolling green hills, and to the right, a blissfully blue inlet lined with rocky-whitewashed cliffs and a sandy beach. A cloudless sky, masked by the softest shades of the unfinished sunrise, sat above the water.

            After rushing down to the beach and admiring the serene surroundings, we wondered onto the rugged and sharp cliffs that surrounded the sides of the inlet. Walking on them was quite the endeavor, but curiosity had taken over, and we no longer cared. Between the rows of cliffs, we found one that looked flat enough to stand on.  This is where we decided to cliff dive.  In our first attempts, neither of us could do it, although for different reasons. Grace was coated in the fear of death, and I, the fear of losing control.

            After both of our failed attempts to jump in, I began to re-conquer my thoughts, along with a strong sense of determination and courage. If I was in the middle of the Adriatic, on this once-in-a -lifetime morning hike, it would be a mistake not to jump. We checked the depth of the water and the landing for any rocks. We reclaimed our emotions and prepared ourselves to jump. This time, I would do it. I would let go.

            I stood there preparing to jump, gazing down upon the luminous Adriatic Sea, crashing against the base of the cliff ten feet below my feet.  I squeezed my eyes shut tight, took a step back, and ran forward, leaping into the alluring sea. The fall seemed to last for centuries, but as soon as I hit the water a sense of refreshment, revitalization, and serenity flooded over me.  I conquered my restless thoughts, and jumped.