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    In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.

    My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.

    Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic－and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No.3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.

    You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo－a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college fulltime. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.

    The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.

    In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!

    I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside, it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day. It's a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.

    Leaving Hanoi on a fiercely hot summer day,after an hour by air,Luang Prabang gradually appears below our airplane wings.From a few hundred meters above,my first impression of this UNESCO-listed heritage（遗产）is an area of green land and mountains,surrounded by snaking rivers.

    Encircled by mountains,the former royal capital of Luang Prabang is more than just the country's picture-perfect showpiece.

    Travelers will be attracted to Luang Prabang by the city's timeless peacefulness with its shiny Buddhist temples, French colonial architecture and friendly people.

    Tourists visiting Luang Prabang shouldn't miss the chance to see one of the most sacred（神圣的）Lao traditions, tak bat,or the Buddhist almsgiving ritual（仪式）,which dates back to the 14th century.

    As the sun rises in Luang Prabang,hundreds of Buddhist monks depart from their temples to gather their daily offerings,which most commonly are rice,fresh fruit and traditional sweet snacks.The daily alms gathering begins on the main street before spreading to all the side streets.

    Our group of six got out of our comfy beds at 5 am to join other local residents and tourists to offer alms to the monks.We kneeled by the roadside in front of the 3 Nagas Hotel on the main street with big baskets of steamed sticky rice,waiting quietly until monks of all ages passed by to accept our gifts.

    The daily ritual gives you a wonderful opportunity to experience an ancient Lao tradition.However,there are some strict rules if you wish to join the event.

    Firstly,shoulders,chests and legs must be covered in modest clothing as a mark of respect.You should also remain a suitable distance from the monks.Photographs may be taken,but from a distance and never use a camera flash.The ritual has to be performed in silence.Talking to or touching the monks at any time,even when making an offering,is not allowed.

    Another must-do morning activity is to visit the local market,where you can see the generosity that Mother Nature offers this dreamy land.While walking through the morning market,located within a long and narrow hamlet,I was excited to see all kinds of products from the nearby river and jungle: some ill-fated squirrels lying next to fresh bamboo shoots,different kinds of wild mushrooms and vegetables displayed on banana leaves and giant river catfish in baskets.

    Although Luang Prabang is small,there are many things to see here.Active travelers can get up close and personal with Laos' gentle giants at the elephant conservation camp or take in some scenes of riverside life with a cruise or kayak excursion on the rivers.Two waterfalls that are perfect for picnicking in the foothills nearby,and classes are available in traditional crafts.

    Joanna Cole, born on August 11, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, has been credited to be one of the most popular children's authors of all time. She has written over 250 books and is famous for writing one of the most popular children's book series. She knew as early as 5th grade that she was interested in writing and science. Cole has owed a large part of her passion to one of her elementary school teachers.

    Joanna Cole continued her education by attending the University of Massachusetts and Indiana. She would eventually earn a bachelor's degree in psychology from the City College of New York in 1967; after graduation Cole decided to take some education courses to become a librarian at a Brooklyn elementary school in 1967. Eventually, she would take jobs working for Newsweek, Seesaw book club.

    Cole's passion for writing and science was still alive and well during this time. In 197l she decided to write her first book, Cockroaches. She did some research and discovered there had never been a book written for children about cockroaches. So she thought she would be the first.

    Cole struck gold when she wrote the first Magic School Bus in 1985. The book would go on to be published the following year and quickly became book series and cartoon series due to its success.

    Cole continued to write both non-fiction and fiction books for children. She writes in a way that will hopefully inspire children to think like a scientist. She does this by writing ideas instead of just facts. She also tries to ask questions in her books that require children to think and discover the answers as they read. This creates an engaging experience for children, so it is no wonder why younger readers are hooked on her books.

    They train four hours a day, often waking up at 4:30 or 5:00 for before-school practices. Their evenings and weekends are eaten up by twice-weekly travel games. Every day is the same; there's no break. No, these aren't Olympic athletes; they're kids.

    The benefits of sports are obvious. So, it's not surprising that, according to CNN, 41 million American children play competitive sports. But when does this become too much of a good thing?

    Seven years ago, a survey in Sporting Kid magazine found 84 percent of athletes' parents had observed belligerent behavior in other parents at games and that 80 percent had been targets of this behavior. What does this say about sports culture, and our culture as a whole? Some parents have become so crazy about their children's winning that they don't stop to think about what example they are setting.

    If athletes are constantly surrounded by adults who scream at coaches and attack sports officials, they may think that this is acceptable behavior. They'll try to win at all costs. In other words, they won't know how to accept defeat, and learn from it.

    The amount of time some athletes spend practicing can be dangerous. According to Sports Illustrated, over 3.5 million athletes younger that 15 suffered from a sports-related injury—that's nearly one in ten! Many injuries cause permanent（永久的）damage if not treated.

    So what can we do about this situation? Some argue that there is no problem, because sports has always been and will always be competitive. But did your grandparents spend hours each day practicing tennis or volleyball? No, they probably played with the neighborhood kids after school, not worrying about winning. All they wanted was to have fun. And that's what we need to change in youth sports—focus on enjoyment.