Essay procrastination.

I'm currently writing an essay based on a piece by Annie Dillard. No offense to her- I highly enjoy her excerpts. I just hate the prompts I get about them.

So. I'm currently 100 words short and not wanting to finish! WOO! Yay for procrastination. Oh and did I mention that I got this prompt a month ago? Oh yeah- it's also due tomorrow. And I started three hours ago.

You probably think I should just finish it. I probably should. I simply have a hatred for this type of writing.

Why do I dislike it so? I'm a creative writer. I write to please, I write to entertain, and I write for my own enjoyment! I like to use pretty words, extend my thoughts, typical writing stuff.

What do I not like? Guidelines. Exact guidelines. Writing tight. Writing 'right' according to AP standards. I honestly do not care how Dillard's diction contributes towards the title of her piece! Do you?? NO!

Sigh. I'll finish at some point or another. I'd say I'm hoping for an ice storm tonight so it won't be due tomorrow. But I can't even hope for that since we turn essays in online.

On a lighter note, I just got a little modeling job! Not a big deal- actually for a children's company but the owner is hoping to extend to teens. My favorite part? I get to keep everything I model with! The company is called 'Woobie Wear'- their website is woobiewear.com. Check it out! I'll make sure to put up a few of my first pictures once they're taken!

I think I'll get back to writing that pointless essay of mine. Sigh. I'm ready for senior year already!!

Going Crazy

I strongly dislike school. -.-

I loved it back in the days of elementary school. I hate it now in the days of two hours of homework a night highschool. Combined with two hours of soccer practice. Plus dinner squeezed in there somewhere.

So my current schedule??

6:30-Wake up
7:45- Leave for school
8:30- School starts
3:30- School's released
4:00- Soccer practice beings
6:15- Soccer ends
7:00- Dinner and shower
8:00- Homework

And then bed whenever the latter is finished. Gah! It's a pile up! The class currently killing me is AP Language. It's a college level writing course that you think you're plenty prepared for until you take it.

Lets just say average scores in this class currently should be a 3 (The highest you can get is a 9).

A 3 is a D.

I'm currently holding onto a 4.0. So when papers are handed back with a 3 written on the top?! Yesterday we got back our first essay and I got what was basically equivilant to a 79%.

Which is considered good. Which is hard for me to deal with. Gahhh!

On the better side of it I have some pretty good classes. People Assisting the Community (PAC), is a favorite because it's really helping me get set up for college as well as do interesting things. Currently we're designing a 'living funeral' to go along with a book we're reading.

Child services- My focus program- is another favorite. I mean come on. Who doesn't love working with 4 and 5 year olds for two hours every other day? :]

And of course. BioChemistry. :] Call me crazy but it's a love. We just finished inorganic and are back on to organic, which I understand so well. Currently we're naming conbustion alkane reactions. Sound like fun??

All in all I'm a little stressed. Extremely busy. Hoping to post more when I get a chance?? Homecoming was last weekend and this weekend I'll be hitting the football game tomorrow and working at an auction on Saturday.

However no school tomorrow. I love 3 day weekends.

Back to school... FASHION EXTRA!

Haa. Couldn't resist. I am my mama's fashion designer. So on today's episode, I'll give you a peek into my wardrobe! :P

Tip number 1- If you're trying it on in the store and you have that 'eh..' moment once it's on. Do. Not. Buy. It. Trust me on this one. You can have the 'eh..' moment while it's still on the hanger, but if you experience it while the item is on, you don't love it. Therefore it is not worth your valuable money. (Or your mom's...) Otherwise here's what happens to those clothing items...



And they stay on that shelf!

Tip number 2- If it doesn't fit quite right, don't get it! If you want to buy it because you feel like it'll fit better in a few weeks when you lose those summer couch potato pounds, resist the urge. Uncomfy clothes are definitely not worth it. And if in those few weeks you do manage to lose those pounds, go get it then- when you deserve it!

Tip number 3- Is it really worth the money? And I mean this quite honestly. It's okay to splurge on items that you will wear repeatedly for more than one season. I ask my self 'Will I wear this for as many days as it is dollars?'. And in addition to this, look for something similar at a cheaper price.

My favorite stores? Forever XXI, Target, and Old Navy. Adorable clothes for ridiculously cheap prices.

Here's a few of my deals for back to school:



$22



$12



$15



$8

Oh. And one more little tip.. So I don't make myself sound so hypocritical. It is okay to buy something a little crazy and fun. Even if you know you'll look a bit ridiculous. That just makes it all the more tempting right?? But only do this oh so often!

When I saw the boots I couldn't resist.. despite that they really don't match anything.



But the satisfaction of wearing them around Party City today?? Priceless. :]

I love

Blow out football games.

27-0 last night. :]

Boo.

I'm taking a break from all this boring school work! I have one more assignment but I really just have no motivation to finish it. Ha!



There's the first of four pages of my essay which is thankfully finished!

Sooo. Since it's my break I decided to do a back to school post! Yay! Today was Freshman Orientation day. We welcomed them wearing colorful 'Hello my name is...' t-shirts and then split off into groups with themes. My group's theme was.....





Wizardsss! I'm fairly sure those hats we wore provoked at least a few laughs from our quiet group of kiddos.

However tomorrow is my first official day of school. While I was always a child that loved school, once I started coming home with assignments that involved more than writing one page or connecting the dots my love faded. I still do enjoy it- especially the social aspect. And at the end of the year, I feel accomplished for what I achieved. However, the school year for me seems to be full of constant stress, procrastination, and lots of days spent miserably sick at school because I have classes I'm unable to miss.

So tomorrow I begin day one of my most rigorous year of highschool. I'm entering myself into a year of one AP class and 3 honors courses. But school supplies wise my mommy has prepared me well!



Okay. You can laugh a bit. I can't help it; i'm a child at heart! I love pulling out my cars notebook on the first day of school and walking into the classroom with a Go Diego Go backpack on. They're conversation starters! So as I head off to school tomorrow wearing an elementary school kids backpack on my back, remember something. Sometimes to get through all the stress of life you've got to be able to laugh a little. So add a funny keychain to your key ring! Don't be afraid to have a little fun!

Where's Waldo?

Well. Where have I been is more like it! I can't even come up with excuses for not blogging lately. I've just been gone everywhere!

The last few weeks I've been going to soccer practice. Note that last time I blogged I was going to volleyball practice??

Well. I played soccer from third grade on with the same girls, up until eighth grade where I played rec with my team, indoor two weeks after, classic a week later, and highschool just a few weeks after that! Mind you it starts to wear you out after awhile! So last year I made the switch to volleyball but the sport was never quite the same for me. So after discovering a brand new mysterious pair of cleats in the attic I'm back out on the field coming home once more covered in turf and bruises and I am loving it!

Additionally, the last few days have been filled with my procrastination. So here goes!

AP PROCRASTINATION SCHEDULE!

-Friday: Begin reading one of the two books which I have had all summer to read and start analyzing it. Handwrite out 'One-Pulse Words' short essay(Describe August 8th using only one syllable words).
-Saturday: Read 'Living Like Weasles' by Annie Dillard and follow through with the Summary, Translation, and set of 10 questions (Which took me 4 hours). Make sure to finish book started (Doing School) and start on Umbrella topics in relations to that. Read 'Z' story and write the responding 'E-E-Easy does it' short essay(One where you must describe elephant without using the letter E) Also print off e-mail from teacher due on the first day of school.
-Sunday: Read Jonathan Kozol's short story and do responding SOAPSS and DIDLS charts. Write 5 paragraph essay on Charity: Is it right for teachers to use as a bribe? Finish Umbrella topics response to 'Doing School' and read 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' as well.
**NOTE on sunday- Don't forget- Target school shopping with mom and go and buy theme items for Freshman orientation on Tuesday.

Monday- Finish whatever I don't really do on days planned!!


Okay. It's my fault that I waited so long. I got the assignment in June. But what teenager wants to spend there summer reading about how humans should live like weasels and books on punctuation and why school is stressful?! Not me!

So here's what my day consisted of today.


(Two of these)


(Seven pages of this)


(And reading these!!)

However. Only 5 things left to be checked off!! :D



On a lighter note, we had our first football game on Friday night! Despite the fact that we lost it was just fun to be around so much energy and spirit again and see my boyfriend play! :]

I love getting dressed up for the gamesss!



Well. I'm off to go do more AP homework. Yayy for my procrastination!!!

Yeehaw!

My aunt and uncle hosted a wonderful 'Hoe Down' party in celebration of their 20th wedding anniversary. I have to admit-- me and the girls had quite a time starting up the line dancing!



I was also able to meet many cousins, second cousins, great aunts, uncles, etc. that I had never met before which was awesome! Though I'm fairly sure I missed out on like a family gene. I mean seriously- my hair is died blonde right now.. but amidst all these blondies I sure look like I have dark hair again!



Overall it was great getting to see so many family members and just spend hours dancing to a live band with everyone from my papa to my cousins! I can't wait for the next time we're able to get together again. :]



I'd blog more but I'm off to clean more house before our house warming tomorrow! Woop de doo!

I Promise

I'm not relapsing into my old blogging habits! I'm still here!

I've been at a hoe down, volleyball practice, babysitting, and my big camping trip for the year. Oh and hanging before me still is an upcoming party and a two packet AP assignment. AH.

So things will be a little out of order but in this post I'd like to share something very important.

Through NHS, I was asked to work at a benefit concert supporting finding a cure for JM. I went into this honestly having no idea what JM was or how we were connected with it.

The concert was amazing. And my heart goes out to the little boy named Mason who was able to attend. Mason has been battling JM for a few years now and has made some great steps recently. At the end of 2008 he could no longer control his wheelchair. Last night he was able to thank us for helping and was once again in control of his wheelchair. He's going home from the hospital in two days.

JM is Juvenile Myositis. It is a disease that affects muscle control, causes lung and heart problems, and severe fatigue. You can read up more on it at it's website- CureJM.com

There are also two heart warming songs located in the Right column. "Hope and Prayer" is sung by a girl I use to go to school with, and "Miracle" I heard preformed last night and it was very heart touching.

So here's to Mason, our hopes and prayers for this boy who is a living miracle.

View his story here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1T86xM3RFw

Pick me up!

Ah. Lovely Summer mornings. A light breeze coming from open windows and a soothing fan blowing in my ear. The perfect way to wake up. Oh wait. HA! This morning I was woken to a little boy throwing off the covers and climbing out of my bed. Wait a minute, isn't this the boy who normally sleeps in later than me?



It figures that the one morning he wakes up at 8 AM is the morning after he slept in my bed. And despite my love for my new bedroom, the many windows are a curse at those early hours in the morning. They let in a wee bit of light.



That's thrilling to wake up to! So. The combination of going to bed at near midnight and being woken up at 8 AM (Not enough sleep for a teenager!) leave me in dire need of a summer pick me up!!



(So I sleep in my Gryffindor shirt... shush.) Therefore the decision was quickly made. I needed to go get coffee. Ah coffee. Such a beauty, love, adoration. And as of lately my favorite is Dutch Bros! It's a drive thru and despite that it's a little farther than the Starbucks located around every corner, it's well worth it. The people that work there are energetic and funny and their coffee is cheap. Today they asked me a set of comical questions.



1. Does your van ever end?

2. It seats HOW many people?!

Ah the joy of seeing the boy working there lean out the window to hand my my White Mocha Freeze, pause, and look back to see that my car (which I was sitting in by myself) took up their entire painted Drive Thru lines.

Oh the wonders of coffee and how it can make you go from drab to fab!



Disclaimer- Coffee does not cause fixed hair and a change into nicer clothing. However it can cause hyperactivity which can also cause confidence boosts. WOOOOOOOOOO!

Summer lovin' !!

I spent the day today at my summer "job"-- the sweetest thing alive. I get to spend a few days each week babysitting two kids at the perfect ages for fun activities! While the morning hours are exhausting to wake up to, the afternoon ones are exhausting to come home from. However well worth it.

Today, after sitting around and reading at their house until the kids woke up, we made blueberry pancakes with their massive amount of blueberries. I've never been a huge blueberry fan but those pancakes were good! And due to my miscalculation of how much batter I was pouring into the pan I managed to make a big fluffy pancake the size of the plates we were using, which had us laughing for a while. I'm pretty sure the boy managed to eat about a third of it.

Afterwards, we went on a bike ride around the neighborhoods and wound up going at least two miles. Okay okay, it's not a ton, but hey- that's some nice excersise for the day. Made me feel rather accomplished actually. And after that we swam in their pool for awhile. I'm actually starting to achieve a rather decent tan. Which, considering I got my mama's skin tone, is a big thing for me.

So now, after a little nap to make up for the energy I spent today, I'm off to hangout with my boyfriend. I'm loving summer '09. :]

Small things.

I spent the evening tonight at the dinner table for 2 hours with my family and our company; my little brother Patrick's godparents. The best part of it? We spent the entire time uninterrupted by the advances in modern technology. No cell phones, no TV on, etc.

Now in my mother's defense- we do sit down for homecooked meals quite often. In general though, someone is impatient to get up and go do something and that person is generally me! It's part of being a teenager, I always have somewhere to go. Tonight though, we had the young kids sitting in the kitchen, and us adults (which while I am not legally, I've entered the age where I can sit at the big kids table at Thanksgiving) sitting in our nice dining room. And it was nice having no one in a hurry to leave. We were able to discuss everything from boys to moving to prospective colleges in mine and Will's future.

After the death of my older brother and uncle, I constantly reminded myself that I needed to view the smaller things in life with more detail. I believe that I'm finally maturing enough to be able to truly appreciate those things. Maybe not in the full, but to a much higher extent then I would have experienced just a few years ago.

So this weekend I will be far away in a place where a cell phone tower doesn't exist and I think it will be good for me to spend a few quality days with my entire family- extended and all! I'm greatly looking forward to seeing my cousins and Aunt T and Uncle C from the east coast! As well as my cousins K and R along with their adorable daughter and son.

I'm excited for a weekend made for enjoying the little things in life that I haven't been paying attention to in my whirlwind of highschool.



My beautiful Ethiopian cousin I'll be seeing in just three short days!

Change

I have come to see as good.



From wild and crazy:







To a little more mature:







Calm down. I'm still the same wild child I always have been. My first sleepover in this new house?











Oh and while I'm blogging, since I don't seem to much-- Any other raving Harry Potter lunatics out there? I had forgotten my longtime "boyfriend" until the new movie came out and my love has began once again. Ah the boy with the messy dark hair and glasses. Though I was always partial to Sirius Black myself. ;) I remember long hours spent curled up with those books. I'm telling you. I could read more than one in a day--and I did so more than once.



My Aunt T began my obsession back in Kindergarden and I began reading them myself a year later. And mind you, it was love after that first page turn. My books went everywhere with me. At least one on every vacation, every sleepover, every camp, etc. They hold my tears, my laughter, and probably some food crumbs from many years ago. My bedroom was full of posters, calendars, and lifesize cardboard cut outs that most likely I pretended to kiss.



It grew to be not only a book series that I read, but my childhood. I spent afternoons on the playground acting out the stories with my best friends, pretending that the swings were our broomsticks. I was always Hermione of course, as I did have the bushy hair.



I felt dissapointment upon reaching the age of 11 and not receiving my letter to Hogwarts. If I recall my Pajama pants created static with my comforter that night and I thought I was a witch. Oh the mind of an 11 year old.



And then, slowly, as years went on the love softly faded. Middle school introduced a whole new world and distracted me from what was once my life. Though there was still a fan written story my friend Abby and I composed together. Shall I share the link??




Then the love diminished. High School entered me into a whirlwind of boys, drama, love, heartbreak, friends, laughter, and essential craziness which I still face on a day to day basis. While I did attend the midnight book release of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, it just wasn't the same love as I once held inside my heart.



So upon waiting in line for the release of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince movie, I felt excitement growing in my chest in a way that hadn't been present for a very long time. I was pleased with the movie- While it left out much(which can only be expected), the new director balanced things very well and showed character growth just as the book did. And after the movie, I came home and unpacked my books which are falling out of their covers due to love. Each has rips and tears and notes written inside and just make me smile looking at them.



Harry Potter was the love of my childhood. :]





(Book release)











(Movie)







So here's to childhood loves!







(Yes that's book 7 :P)

Okay okay..

Okay I'm not very good at keeping up on posting!! But track has been keeping me extremely busy right now and there hasn't been all too much excitement to blog about.



I'm went to a district meet two weeks ago to compete in a 4 x 100, 100, and long jump. Longjump I'm still struggling with due to a sprained back but I managed and placed 7th out of 16 girls- jumping a 13 ft 10 1/4 inch jump.



This past friday I went to another invitational to compete in the 4 x 100, 100 dash, 100 meter hurdles, and longjump. Full schedule causes a very tired me! Anyways, despite not placing the best at this meet, I managed to get a new personal best time in hurdles and long jump, breaking 14 ft this time! Wooo!

This weekend is jam packed with babysitting for some family friends, but it's nice to have some money. Maybe I should get a job soon? Haha.

Anyways. I'm running out the door in ten minutes so I just thought I'd put up a quick update. I'll post pictures soon I promise!

The Notebook

I was sitting watching The Notebook, a wonderful movie that I can't seem to get enough of, when I decided I may as well blog and get something productive done while sitting on my butt!

I'm currently in the process of moving into my own room since my older brother moved out a few weeks ago. While I was quite looking forward to being able to have some space to myself, the process of doing so is rather tiring! I'm close to being done now- just a few more things to go through in my old room I shared with my sister and I'll be done!

During this tiring excercise of moving piles of pure junk around and deciding what to keep and what to throw away, I found some memerable notebooks in my closet. For one I discovered I have far too many for any person, but the more I flipped through them the happier I was that I had kept them. I was able to laugh at my tragic handwriting of the 5th grade and my misspelling of the word 'which'. I was able to read over stories I had written pretending that I was in the world of Harry Potter(my obsession from about 2nd grade through 7th).

All in all when you brush the dust off the past it can actually be rather rewarding. :)

I have some pictures to show too!!


A sneak peak at my new bedroom. :]


Taken on my sixteenth birthday. Yes we're still together! 14 months!

And on a very high note- my climax of the day...

*drumroll here*

I made varsity for our track team! So far all that's been announced is our 4 x 100 relay team, but the three girls I'm running it with I already have an amazing bond with and we've only been in track for three weeks! I'm absolutely thrilled.

Been awhile...

So I'm making an all new resolution to get in a habit of writing on this occasionally. Though I did in the past and look how it followed through. Oops?

After an exciting past few weeks I decided that I'd update!

For one I'll ask for prayers for a little boy by the name of Bryson. He recently underwent surgery to correct his feet and there were some slight complications. He's finally home and doing better but the poor boy still needs prayers to help him cope with his pain. And prayers that he will be able to walk!

Our school basketball team went to playoffs once again this year and we got farther then my school has ever gotten before, actually playing for the state title tonight. We lost-- but hey, second in state is great! There was a big fight in the opposing school's crowd which led to a ten minute delay in the last half of the game. Half of their students and cheer leaders got escorted out and we had to be escorted out to avoid their students trying to hurt us.

I turned 16 a little less than a month ago. It's a little strange. Failed my drivers test, but hey. Most people seem to. I'll retake it eventually. :]

Anyways. Long day and it's late. I'm exhausted so I think I'll go curl up in my new bedroom. (I'll post pictures soon!!)