Saturday, December 22

I'm typing in a really random and off the wall title just to see if anyone even notices. If you did, congratulations! You win nothing at all! And seeing as it's going to be crazy long compared to all of my other titles I feel confident that everyone will. Drop a comment below if you noticed! :)

Dear readers,
I am very sorry for my unexcused absence over the last week.
My life has been crazy nutso busy. SO! Some interesting things I have learned this month!

1. The world is full of creepy people. Thankfully I always run into them with my friends. :)
2. The VAST majority of people are decidedly not creepy. Be friendly. But be careful, cuz I love you and I don't want you getting hurt...
3. Starbucks is amazing....but the Drowsy Poet is better.
4. Being decorated like a Christmas tree isn't all that bad.
5. You can fit more people in one mini-van than you might think. Note that I did not say it would be comfortable/legal/safe/any of that good stuff.
6. I love Reese's.
7. Be careful when posting vague status updates on Facebook. You can scare your friends and family.
8. Santa is not real. :(
9. Tumblr is seriously addicting. Dangerously so.
10. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one of my favorite pieces of music ever ever.
11. Never EVER say, "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I can hold it!" when there's a bathroom available. Always go pee when you have a chance.
12. If your hands are turning purple, take a break from handing out water.
13. Homeschoolers can have fun with nothing but wooden spoons and taco shells.
14. Spanish Gru is ridiculously annoying.
15. Sarah J. draws excellent mashed potatoes.
16. Sometimes when you volunteer, you get free beanie babies.
17. Pensacola has some of the weirdest weather in the planet. Seventy degrees one day, thirty the next. Wut...
18. I have the best friends in the world. Yes, you. You too. Stop blushing!

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post over the rest of break...but I do hope that in the spirit of the season you can find it in your hearts to forgive me! <3
Merry Christmas everyone!

Thursday, December 13

Wednesday, December 12

On swag bro


So you think you've got swag?
Indeed...people like to get all up in my face with t-shirts, bracelets, and hats telling me all about their swag.
Which is fine, of course...but I must ask :
Do you even know what that means or where it came from?
Since obviously you DON'T, please allow me to educate your face.

Definition of Swag
Noun
An ornamental festoon of flowers, fruit, and greenery: "ribbon-tied swags of flowers".
Verb
Arrange in or decorate with a swag or swags of fabric.

Let me get this straight...you've got an ornamental festoon of flowers, fruit, and greenery?
Well...to each his own, I suppose.
What's that you say? Swag is but an abbreviation of a more appropriate term - swagger?

Definition of Swagger
Verb
Walk or behave in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way: "he swaggered along the corridor".
Noun
A very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive gait or manner.
Adjective
Denoting a coat or jacket cut with a loose flare from the shoulders.

(Thank you, Google)

Seriously? You want to be "arrogant" and "aggressive"?
Since I assume that when you tell me you've got swag, you are not referring to your jacket, I must believe that you wish to be arrogant and aggressive.
Now comes the fun part.
I have heard several things about when the word "swag" came into use these days, and I have decided to ignore all of them.
I don't care how it came about. It's awesome because William Shakespeare invented it.
Yes, Shakespeare made up the word swagger, along with over 1700 other words.
And my dear readers, I must say it.
Yes, I got swag.
Shakespeare swag.
I'm actually kind of upset at this...nobody remembered that my favorite candy is Swedish fish!! :'(
It's only my most favoritest candy ever on the whole planet!!!
However, most if not all of you did know that my favorite color is pink, which is good since I only talk about it all the time. It's nice to know that people listen to my bloviations. <3

Monday, December 10

On Talking

Have you ever thought about how awesome communication is?
I don't mean email, texting, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger, Storylane, iPhones, Facetime, Skype, Oovoo, Instagram, Flickr, and Google+ either.
No, I speak of the old-fashioned method.
I don't mean telephones, letters, telegraphs, or the Pony Express either.
I mean the OLD-fashioned method.
I'm talking about talking.
It's one of those MONDO blessings that God has given us that we take for granted. The ability to express our thoughts and feelings to other human beings and to receive such expressions of their feelings is truly amazing!
And don't ya know, there's one very interesting thing about talking. And that thing is WE ARE EXTREMELY UNORIGINAL.
Of course, we can't be completely blamed, considering that the English language itself takes many if not most of its words from other languages.
But the people we hang out with also affect our speech.
I know I've picked up some sayings from my friends, as have they from me. (that's not really proper grammar there but it sounded funny!!)
There are some things that my friends say that I just intentionally start doing, because my friends are awesome and I want to be just like them when I grow up. All of them at once.
Examples : YOLO, like a boss
And then there are the things I start saying unintentionally solely because I hang out with people so much.
Examples : calling people "love", "darling", etc... (which was a bad habit to get into, a fact a certain random UPS guy I encountered one day can attest to), calling my guy friends "son"
And then there are the things that I intentionally DON'T say because I think they're dumb, or stupid, or inappropriate, or just for the principle of the thing.
Examples : donesow (just typing that made me want to facepalm), fail, EPIC fail, BLONDE JOKES IN GENERAL
By the way, did anybody else notice a trend in the last category there? Just me? Okay...
I have picked up a LOT of stuff from other people, and probably more than I can remember because I've been saying it so long that I now think that it's a part of my own vocabulary.
What words/sayings have you picked up?
I pity anyone who has gleaned  any of their everyday vocabulary from my interesting terminology.

Monday, December 3

Just clicked over to my blog.

Me: I wonder if I have twelve thousand pageviews yet?
Thing: 12,001
Me: OOH YEAH! SCORE!!!!


Winter decorating is done!
On my blog, anyway....

The answer to your questions

Things are happening lately. Lots of things.
Growing up things.
Some stuff I like, some stuff I don't like.
And I can't do anything about it.
We're growing up, people.
People are graduating and going to college, girls and guys are pairing off, and I think one word can sum up this whole sticky situation.
Questions.

Some of the questions I like:

What will I do this weekend?
I like this one because it implies that I have friends and a social life.
Really it just means will I clean or will I sit on the couch all day.
Sorry.

When is the time to study and when is the time to play?
Time to study : night before test.
Time to play : anytime else.

Where will I go to college?
This one is fun because you can torment your friends and make them think you're leaving when really you plan to go to college here in town, if you go to college.
Only now that might not work so well...

Who will I marry?
Duh. I'm a girl. This is fun. Duh.

Who will my friends marry?
Duh. I'm a girl. I have friends. We like to tease. We also like guys. Duh.
Duh.
Duh.
(any of my guy friends who are reading this - despite the fact that I don't think any of you DO read this - don't worry, we mostly leave you alone)

But for every good there is an evil to counteract...

Some of the questions I do not like:

Who will I be friends with?
I want to be friends with everyone. Really. But I'm supposed to hang out with people who are going to build me up and not tear me down. People who encourage, enlighten, and edify me. And that means that sometimes I have to make decisions I don't want to make. 

Why do I have to say goodbye?
People leave, people die, people move on...it's hard to accept. I like things to be constant, but that's not the way God designed things. If there were any person or thing that was truly constant, we wouldn't need to rely on God - He is the only one who will be perfectly constant.

Where will I go to college?
Big decisions, people.
Once in a lifetime decisions.
NOT FUN WHEN YOU'RE FOURTEEN.

It's hard. I don't like questions (unless they're on tests...I love tests) But I'm surrounded by people who love me and want the best for me, and I have a God who loves me and gives me direction and wisdom; in fact, He gives my life purpose. 
As scary as growing up is at times, I really don't think I have anything to worry about.

Wednesday, November 28

A Story by Geoffrey


Roger never spoke with punctuation.
Makin’ a sandwich?”
Hhrg”
What kind?”
Human pancreas”
Not much to say to that. Pliny crossed the room to their imperious sofa and jackknifed backwards into its pompous folds, spreading his arms companionably over the couch back and whistling loud and hearty.
Do not” Roger turned from his nascent sandwich and used flamethrower eyes on Pliny. Pliny raised his eyebrows and the pitch of his whistling.
Roger left the kitchen, crossed the room to Pliny and threatened him with a mayonnaisey spatula. “Stop yourself and your whistling or I will stop yourself and your whistling and then of our faces yours will be the more shredded”
Pliny furrowed his forehead, which suddenly felt imperiled. “Mr Kapt took from me my badge,” feeling in the sofa for a pen, “so I must lift my spirit from the muds somehow.” He removed an encruddened pen.
Roger felt pity but didn’t recognize it. So he chose rather to be witty. “Maybe the muds would be a better place for your whistling than for your spirit”
Pliny did not like Roger’s wit. “I think the muds should be removed from the picture entirely and replaced by properly fertilized potting soil, wherein could grow the velvety velvet blooms of opportunity and joyings.” He waved his excavated pen around.
Pliny got very boring to Roger when he said things like this, so Roger returned to his sandwich while Pliny was still speaking. He had been trying to cut the sandwich lengthwise, holding it up on its end and sawing at it with the spatula, but he now saw what he had to do. He got out a sharper knife, impaled the sandwich through the center, and walked over to the sofa. He stabbed the ensemble into the couch near Pliny, and mayo squished sickeningly. Pliny recoiled, violently spasming over one arm of the sofa.
My spirit nearly departed me!” he yelled at the sandwich-knife. Then he turned on Roger. “EXPLAIN?”
I wondered if that would raise your spirit from the muds wherein it is beprisoned”
NO.” Pliny reclaimed his bum’s own and resettled in the sofa. He tried to remove Roger’s sandwich-knife, which the sofa refused to give up. So Pliny gave up. “Anyway, now to talk about: me.”
Roger bespoke his disapproval without words; Pliny did not hear the words that Roger did not say.
Mr Kapt has little Consideration for Those Beneath Him,” began Pliny, prepared to continue for hours, “and those beneath him have little consideration for him. So my opinion is: that we should replace all positions of authority in the organ-I-zation” (That’s the nominative case of the first-person pronoun in there, which speaks eloquently of Pliny.) “with positions of impotence and leave ourselves to our own demises.”
I agree completely Pliny” Roger’s wit made him feel more intelligent than Pliny. This is why he exercised it so often.
Furtherfore, I don’t know why there are so many small departments in our large company. It seems unto myself that a large company should have somewhat large departments, in order to preserve its prosthetic unitication.”
It was about at this point that Roger realized Pliny had no idea what Pliny was saying. He tried to guide Pliny back to the narrow path which Roger perceived that Pliny had left. “Should a small mind be paired with a small mouth because that would be very pleasing and convenient to others”
Pliny thought about this, but not very hard and not very long. “Yessolutely.”
It was about at this point that Roger realized Pliny had no idea what Roger was saying. So he stole his sandwich back from the couch and began to eat. Pliny finally heard Roger’s unsaid words; he unsaid a few of his own.
I need company in the muds, Pliny thought to himself; it is lonely here. So I will attempt to submerge Roger also, and then it will be equally bad for each of us therefore I will be less relatiftly unglad.
Pliny began to be friendlier than normal. “Hello, Roger,” he said friendlily.
Roger looked at him, annoyed. “You have been here for several minutes Pliny that hello was massively superfluous”
Pliny was disappointed. His deceptive friendliness had not really deceived at all. “Well, I had not yet greeted you, and I wished to comedy that situation.”
You cannot help doing that Pliny” Roger realized that he greatly preferred the company of his sandwich to that of Pliny, especially this new and eerily friendly one.
Why, thank you, Roger!” Pliny exclaimed loudly. “How KIND OF YOU!”
Roger stared for a few seconds at Pliny, who smiled gleefully. Roger frowned very hard and got up to leave with his sandwich.
Well, this is a tragedy!” said Pliny, pretending to be saddened by Roger’s departure. “We had just started having such a debilitating time!”
Exhilarating is I believe your intended term and we really had not” Roger obviously wished to leave with his sandwich.
Well, exhilarating is futile without inhilarating—and both are necessary to physical life’s continuity,” declaimed Pliny, kindly attempting to chat about something he knew nothing of. He also made a point of ignoring Roger’s idiotic slip of the tongue: Roger made them all the time, and Pliny had grown acrustomed to them.
Ex or in”— Roger sounded tired— “hilarity will follow you wherever you go” He again began to walk toward the kitchen.
It is being successful, Pliny said to himself, he is starting to trust me. He remarked on and was impressed by my melisma! Soon I can befray his trust and catapult him headlong into the deepest towels of the muds—ha, ha, ha.

Monday, November 26

What would I do without my giggle buddy? ;)

Tuesday, November 20

Yes...yes, I'm there. :)

Saturday, November 17

Prayer Warriors

Am I a prayer warrior?
This is something that's been on my mind a lot lately...
What does it mean, anyway? Well, you don't have to agree with me, but I thought I would give my thoughts.
These are what I think are the characteristics of a prayer warrior.

1. Trusts God in the big and small things.
2. Is not ashamed to pray in public.
3. Is not too shy to ask for prayer or tell people they're praying for them.

Of course there's more but I'd like to cover these few things in greater detail than I could with lots of topics. :)
Trusting God...this is so easy to say but hard to really do. And I don't know if I'll ever fully understand the depth of how greatly we can trust God...He literally could kill me whenever He wanted. I guess the realization of that is what creates fear of the Lord...which by the way, I don't think means being scared of God. It means realizing exactly what He could do to you and knowing that He doesn't because He loves you. 
But back to trust...I've been learning about this really in the past week. There are so many terrible things happening in our lifetime...and we need to pray about those. But what I've found has really been helping me to trust God in my life is praying for the small things. Even seemingly insignificant things - finding a lost pair of keys, getting a parking spot, having a good piano lesson - praying about stuff like that and seeing God answer it right before me is so awesome (and I mean that in the strictest sense of the word) Seriously, try it! I challenge you - see what happens! God will show Himself to you if you ask Him. :)
Praying in public...wow, this can be hard. I know that I get so caught up in the mob mentality that it's very hard to be the only one praying...BUT YOU CAN CHANGE IT! I know that I have a tendency to forget to pray over meals and such when I'm out with friends, but if I see someone else doing it, I'll remember! Be the one who reminds everyone else! We're not supposed to blend in, we're supposed to stand out from the world : in it but not of it.
Lastly, if you're praying for someone, tell them! It could be exactly the encouragement they need! You never know what people are going through... :/ And asking for prayer is totally the norm among Christians. If you are ashamed to ask your Christian friends for prayer, you should maybe do some thinking about your own spiritual life (and I'm no expert...this is just my personal experience) Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (KJV)
I challenge you to think about this.
I challenge you to be unashamed.
I challenge you to pray.

Thursday, November 15

How well do you know me?

I've done this before, but I think it'll be fun to do it again...

And no mothers, fathers, brothers, or siblings. Thank you, and enjoy!

1. Where was I born?
2. What is my absolute favoritest candy?
3. Do I drink coffee?
4. What is my favorite color?
5. Am I loud or quiet?
6. What instrument do I play? (besides piano...and actually there are two)
7. What kind of dog do I have?
8. What color are my bedroom walls?
9. What is my favorite subject in school?
10. How many siblings do I have?

0-2 correct : we're basically strangers.
3-5 correct : acquaintances
6-8 correct : FRIENDS!! <3
9-10 correct : BESTEST FRIENDS!!! <3 <3

Wait for it...wait for it...wai - BAM!



We switched sports at PE again, and you all know what that means - BLOG POST!
This month we're playing kickball. 
I'll be completely honest and say that I think kickball is a juvenile sport.
...
So yeah, I love it.
Anyways, even though I am by no means a perfect kickballer, and really not even very good, here's some things that I have learned in my many years of playing kickball. (Don't laugh, I've been at it since I was nine.)

Just because you were the best kickballer in the 8-12 year old group does NOT mean you will be ANY good in the teenagers group. 
Sorry, this really can't be helped. I was pretty much a kickball legend at PE when I was younger. Turns out, it's easier to be a legend when you're at the top of your group than the bottom. When I first started playing in the teens group, it was a smack in the face. I was probably the worst kickballer there. Which, when you have such a big group, is saying something. Fortunately, over the...um...year, I have gotten better, and I'm not the worst anymore. Just wait - it'll probably all come out okay.

Harder is not always better.
Kickball might seem easy. You kick the ball when it rolls to you and you run.
But no. Kickball is actually a game of strategy, to some extent. (most games are) Oftentimes when you kick the ball as hard as you can, all it will do is fly up...and yes, it may go far, and yes, sometimes it will work out okay. But there's a good chance that you will be caught out. So look for a hole in the outfield's defense and aim for it.

Pay attention.
Please please please...no getting hit in the face, or tackled, or yelled at for missing a ball, or getting out cuz you forgot to run...please.

Catch the ball.
This is the best way to catch a kickball.
Don't try to grab the ball...your chances of getting the ball in your possession are greatly decreased with this attempt.
Also, remember that it's easier to run forward than backward. Back up maybe a little farther than is completely necessary, because you never know how someone will kick.
And play backup. Don't always be leaving your position, but if it's a particularly hard catch and you don't know the person will get it, run over behind them just to be sure. Better safe than sorry. :)
(Also, this is my 300th post! Yay! *streamers, confetti, lame party sounds* Okay, I'm done.)

Wednesday, November 14

So, all you people whom I know personally (which is pretty much ALL of you...),
You should really go check out Andrew's blog! Both of us would really appreciate it! <3
(And yes, it has fire, yes, it's a little scary and pretty much the complete opposite of my blog...but seriously, go follow him!)
Looking at my Tumblr always makes me smile like an idiot. :)
Happy birthday Cameron!
You are one of the most stubborn, annoying people I know.
But you're also one of the sweetest...and you're the best little brother I've ever had!
Keep doing your thing, except maybe annoy me a little less...have a wonderful birthday little brother! <3
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Monday, November 12

Le Change

I'm only fourteen...I don't leave my town very often. There's not much I can do to "change the world", so to speak.
But I can change other people's worlds, and that's what I try to do. A smile, a hug, a prayer, a little gift when they don't expect it, even a quick "Hey, I was thinking of you the other day." Things like that can make a bigger difference than you might expect. And I suppose that if I can change their world, they might change someone else's world because of my actions.
I'm only fourteen...I don't leave my town very often. I may not be able to change the world, but I can change other people's worlds.  

Being tired

There are lots of different types of tiredness.
Because our lives are incredibly busy (typical homeschool stuff),  I am frequently pooped. So here are my thoughts on the many ways you can be plum tuckered out.

In case you are interested, currently I have to say that the last form applies best to me right now. :)

(Also, I own a copy of Gray's Anatomy - like the medical book...not the TV show. Just wanted to tell you that.)

Physical tiredness - This occurs generally when you have been out and about all day, or have been running around like crazy at a friend's house, or after an exhilarating game of anything. Often when you are physically tired, your muscles may feel weak and possibly sore, and you will rarely have any desire to do anything.

Mental tiredness - This happens most often after a particularly challenging day of schoolwork. Occasionally, this will also happen after taking an important test such as the SAT. When you suffer from mental tiredness, you will probably find it difficult to motivate yourself to do anything but sit and watch TV.

Relieved tiredness - After an important event has taken place, you may find yourself feeling tired, even if you don't feel there is any reason to be so tired. It has been my experience that this happens because you devote yourself to whatever the event is so wholly that when it is over, you feel a sort of emptiness inside. This is one of the most irritating and also one of the best forms, as relieved tiredness will often result in new plans and goals.

I just woke up tiredness - Does this even need an explanation? No, it doesn't. Duh.

I just had the AWESOMEST time tiredness - This is actually a combination of physical, mental, and relieved tiredness. When one has spent nearly six hours with friends, playing, talking, playing, being crazy...you will experience this. As in...it's impossible to avoid.
(Although I'm not sure it can really be called tiredness. 'Tis a hard feeling to describe!)

Wednesday, October 31

Changsha

This word has caused a very small stir since I've started using it.
Mainly because nobody knows what it means. (including me)
SO leave your comment below on what you think it means, cuz honestly I'm getting a little sick of using a word and I don't even know what it means.

I think it could be used sort of in the same context as "YOLO" only instead of meaning "You only live once" it would just mean like "awesome" or something. Why not just say awesome then? You need a new word every once in a while.
For example, if you do something really stupid and someone asks for an explanation, just say "Changsha!" :D

Dancing Elephants, Politics, and Masks

Today, I saw an elephant in a tutu.
I know, it's only nine in the morning, and already something crazy is happening.
But it is true. (Mom can vouch for me...and SURELY my dual-enrolled friends saw it too)
But not only was the elephant in the tutu real, somehow it related to politics.
Now, I'm no politician, but I know that the elephant represents one of the two main parties...I think the Republicans.
Which makes sense, because there were also two WOMEN out there wearing MITT ROMNEY MASKS.
I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. (Please note that I did not call them "ladies". There is a difference, ladies.)
So there were about five things wrong with this scene...
1. An elephant.
2. The elephant was wearing a STINKING TUTU.
3. There were women wearing Mitt Romney masks.
4. Mitt Romney masks even exist. (seriously, why?)
5. One of the women was checking her phone WHILE holding her sign. (really committed, aren't we?)
I'm pretty sure they could have caused a car accident because you just have to stare at them. It's called "train-wreck syndrome". You know it's going to be awful but you can't tear your eyes away.
So yeah, actually kind of glad I was pulled out of bed at the very last minute at seven o' clock this morning in the cold weather without time to get ready at all or even put on shoes.
WORTH IT.

Tuesday, October 30

Gracie

0.
l6+555555

My dog can blog too. :)

Monday, October 29

This is so cool...
Also, I done a little fall decorating....let me know if you like it! ;)

Pros and cons of fall

I like fall. I'm pretty sure I already said this in a previous post, but fall is my favorite season.
So, here are my goods and bads of fall. :)


BAD
Chapped lips
Colds
Flyaway hair (although in my case, this happens year-round)
Getting antsy for the holidays
Having to do school in the beautiful weather
Leaves all over
Losing the flip-flops
Not being able to go anywhere without a coat
Things turning brown


GOOD
Cooler weather
Changing colors
Fuzzy socks
Hot chocolate
Listening to Handel's "Messiah"
Long sleeves
Mashed potatoes with butter dripping down the side (no drooling on the keyboard, now)
Pie
Sitting wrapped in a blanket with your friends
Sweaters
Thanksgiving

Now, while these lists are actually pretty equal, I think the good outweighs the bad...especially if you do it on a point system. (scale of 1 to 10)



BAD - 30
Chapped lips - 3
Colds - 3
Flyaway hair (although in my case, this happens year-round) - 4
Getting antsy for the holidays - 5
Having to do school in the beautiful weather - 2
Leaves all over - 2
Losing the flip-flops - 3
Not being able to go anywhere without a coat - 5
Things turning brown - 3


GOOD - 58
Cooler weather - 6
Changing colors - 3
Fuzzy socks - 3
Hot chocolate - 3
Listening to Handel's "Messiah" - 4
Long sleeves - 4
Mashed potatoes with butter dripping down the side (no drooling on the keyboard, now) - 7
Pie - 5
Sitting wrapped in a blanket with your friends - 8
Sweaters - 5
Thanksgiving - 10

Fall rocks.
Audrey: I feel like a waffle!
Cameron: Do you mean you have dents in your face?
Audrey: No...light and fluffy...

Monday, October 22

I went in a cornfield on Saturday...



I did not meet Akbar...unfortunately. However, it was still quite enjoyable. (To find out who Akbar is, click here)
I think that I should tell you just in case you don't know/haven't observed this, but I absolutely LOVE fall. It seems like we trade out the green of the plants in the summer for the intense blues of the sky (Has anybody else noticed that the color intensifies here in the fall?) and the beautiful reds and yellows of the few changing trees. Although sometimes it seems that everything just goes straight to brown.
I'm getting off topic.
ANYWAY...
We went to a corn maze in Milton, FL with our amazing homeschool group on Saturday. Even if the maze had been lame, just the fact that my friends were there made it automatically okay; however, that was not the case.
Although the corn in the maze was a little bit thin (we could see the really tall guys' heads over the stalks), and we might have accidentally cheated a little bit, we did eventually make it out! I can't really say that I enjoyed it, but I think that's just cuz I really wanted to play Frisbee/chat with my friends/do anything but run around like crazy people in a maze. Sometime I'll have to try again when I'm not impatient to get out.
Anywho, the irony of the situation is that the corn maze wasn't my favorite part of the corn maze field trip...it would be hard to pick just one thing as my favorite. But I would have to say that I really liked the hayride. It was shorter than most hayrides I've been on before, but I believe in quality, not quantity. (Twist that statement around till it makes sense here.)
And since it was short, I rode twice, once with my friends, and once with a little boy bouncing on my knee as we sang,

The wheels on the tractor go up and down,
Up and down, up and down
The wheels on the tractor go up and down,
All through the cornfield!

You get the idea. The stars were showing their brilliance too, and all these things combined with the chilly air and the pleasant company formed a perfect fall fantasy.
Only it was real. 

Tuesday, October 16

INSERT ATTENTION-GETTING TITLE HERE

You, my loyal readers, have been waiting for a week for me to say something and I have remained silent.
I don't intentionally shun you...really.
My brain is just hard at work on...anything but composing a blog post.

Random tidbit: Our Frisbee has a crack in it. I am very sad as it is clearly no longer the best.

But when I sit down at the computer, it's like all of a sudden my creative juices freeze.
Even as I speak, I'm having to force the words to come...why do they despise me so? Why must they run from me? All I ask is a few paragraphs - sentences, even...just enough to keep my four or five readers happy for another few days.

Also, I like fish.

Nearly every time I sit down at the computer, I ask this question: "What should I blog about?"
(If you don't believe me, I have witnesses.)
Oftentimes I pick a random topic that seems somewhat relevant to my life and bloviate for a while.
I use big words, impressive words, blunt words, made-up words - anything to make it seem like I thought this through.
Separate lines after every other sentence; it creates the illusion of an epic poem or some such long literary labor worthy of high praise.
Add in some sarcasm and a pinch of random and you have one of my typical posts.
Ta-da.

By the way, CHANGSHA. <3

Tuesday, October 9

PIZZA.
Nuff said.

Monday, October 8

What's kickin

This is just a quick update on what's going on in my life, even though most of you are a big part of it and already know these things anyway.

What I'm currently excited about
1. Writing my first essay in my World Lit class, suuuuper stoked! I love writing papers!
2. PE. I love PE so much and it's finally started up again. So pumped! Can't wait for co-ed volleyball! Gonna kick those guys' butts! (Caution : I have mixed feelings about co-ed vball, so you can expect me to come back tomorrow and say I'm dreading it.)
3. Saturdays.
4. My friends!
5. Ultimate Frisbee cuz I'm doing better every time! And I can catch that ridiculous hammer throw!
6. Thanksgiving and Christmas
7. Cooler weather!!!!!

What I'm currently dreading
1. The SAT.
2. Geometry
3. Finding out my Spanish test grade. I really really really want to get the top grade. Like a lot.
4. My piano teacher's studio recital next month. Also the sonata contest next month.
5. Jesse during Ultimate Frisbee. If you are unfortunate enough to have witnessed this, you know what I mean.

What I'm plugging (I don't know what that really means, so I'm just going to list the things I have been loving lately because I don't care)
1. Wearing less makeup. It's boss.
2. Going to the beach when it's cool out.
3. Drinking more water. I'm kind of obsessed with water lately...partially because I have a pink water bottle.
4. Going outside and moving around! This is never ever a bad thing when the weather is so beautiful.
5. Slenderman
6. Drawing in World Lit class....I mean paying attention in World Lit... :)

What I want
1. To get better at everything.
2. The Maybelline Baby Lips lip balms. Peppermint and Pink Punch.
3. To get the highest grade on the Spanish test.
4. To never have to say goodbye.
5. If you've already actually read this far and not gotten bored and left, I love you.
6. Cookies, hot chocolate, and a snuggle buddy. (any volunteers?)

Volleyball - a few words of wisdom

I don't like to admit that I have faults. (who does?)
However, when I'm playing volleyball, my weaknesses are so obvious that I figured...why not blog about them? Everybody already knows anyway!
So here are a few of the things I STINK at in the game of volleyball.

1. CONTROL - Yes, this is the first and most GLARING error. And sadly, this is the key to being a good volleyball player. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't control the ball. I found it surprising how little you actually have to swing to propel the ball upward. I've been doing my research, and it's positively delightful to find that the things that I've noticed from the times I've played volleyball are actually supported scientifically. And there are people who have written equations for it. I'm planning to check some of those out soon. I hate it when I can tell that there's something wrong with the physics of my play but I don't know how to fix it. Hopefully this will help me a little.

2. Being a ball hog - Here's my tip for you if you share this problem: DON'T DO IT. It will only frustrate you and others. Your team is there so you don't have to run around like a crazy person and get every ball, so trust them, okay? Okay.

I really thought the list would be longer. Ah well. 'Tis a fine problem to have.

Wednesday, October 3

Finding your inner hardcore

There are lots of things that can be done "hardcore". I'm going to talk a bit about one of my personal favorites...you all know how much I love it...Ultimate Frisbee...or anything Frisbee-related.
I like to be the best. But since I can't be the best at everything, I at least want to feel like I'm doing everything in my power to be the best I can possibly be. So for Ultimate Frisbee, I sorta kinda sometimes go hardcore. Unless the ground is a little muddy and slippery and I really don't want to make an idiot of myself by falling...in which case I will tone it down a lot.
My version of hardcore is different from yours, and yours is probably different from Little Joey's over here. (Little Joey isn't real...shh, don't tell him that!)
I do a lot of prep work to make sure that I can go hardcore when I play. I love to play Frisbee, so whenever I can, I like to grab my brother and go practice. Currently I'm trying to perfect the basic things - throwing, catching, general control. Control is key in Ultimate Frisbee, something I've learned only after screwing up thousands of times cuz of a wild throw. Sometimes it'll work if you're throwing to a guy who's super-fit and about 6' 10, but normally, I don't recommend it. A crazy, random throw is definitely a last resort. (Seriously, as many games of UF as I've played, it has worked twice. The odds are not in your favor.)
And all of my practice is paying off! I can actually catch the Frisbee now...which is generally a good thing. 
Yes?
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I try.
Anyway...when playing any sport - or doing anything, really - you have to experiment to find what works for you and then when you find what works....wait for it....DO THAT THING! Yes! Do it! Do it again and again until it's practically perfect in every way!
If you've ever played UF with me or watched me play UF, you know that my specialty is playing long. Right after the throw-off, I get my little buns over to the end zone and wait. Sometimes it works and my teammates can get the Frisbee to me, sometimes it doesn't work out that way. That's part of the game. What's important is that I'm doing what works for me, and I hope I do it fairly well. I'm always pushing to do it better, though. 

Tuesday, October 2

What are you shining for?

I enjoy helping out. (usually)
And one of the things our homeschool SGA does is community service. So if I can, I like to volunteer as much as possible!
I think it's important to get out in your community and volunteer...especially for us as an organization of Christian young people...homeschool Christian young people. And when we do go out into the big scary world, it's important for us to have a good testimony. I think we would be surprised and probably startled to find out that people may form their opinions of homeschoolers, of our SGA, and of Christians because of our actions. I know my light is shining for something...but what? Would Jesus be proud of my example?
So I try to act like a normal kid...who likes to work and is respectful of...well, everyone. (that's normal, right?)
It can be hard when you're out doing something with your friends to remember that people are watching you. And it can be kind of creepy to think about it if you do remember it. But when I'm wearing that SGA shirt that proclaims to the whole world, "I'm homeschooled and I am a Christian!" I represent all of SGA, my family, and Christian kids. How scary is that? Anything that I do could be judged and used against me and others like me. Is my light shining for Him or for something else?
I think the point of this post was to say...be careful. Know what you represent. Know that people are watching you. We are supposed to be the light of the world...shine for Jesus.

Wednesday, September 26

Freaking out

Wow...over ten thousand page views on my blog since that life-changing day, July 15, 2011.
So...um...thanks guys! Wow...I never would have expected that anybody would actually read my blog when I first started...except for Sarah, who inspired me to do it in the first place! Boy...this is crazy. I feel like I actually have an obligation to post stuff now. One year, two months, eleven days, and ten thousand views later...here I am.

Video Games

Most of you probably know that I like to play video games.
And not happy little pink unicorn video games either.
No, I always go full-on hardcore. Although I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this one hippie game called Flower....
TOTAL TREE HUGGER GAME
It was just so pretty!!! Calming...and the music was pretty cool too. :)
But generally, I stick to Call of Duty, Battlefield, and the like. Anger management, you know. There's nothing for it like blowing people's brains out. (With the blood and gore setting on low, of course, since clearly I have low tolerance for violence.)
I'm also currently a fan of DC Universe, a game where you can create your own superhero (or villain) and save (or bring to ruin) Metropolis, Gotham, and Metropolis again. Apparently Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman weren't good enough.
Thank goodness for my little brother or I would probably be stuck on Level One of every video game I've ever played. Nearly every time I get to a boss fight, I freak out, start hyperventilating, and have to call for help...much like the helpless citizens I'm supposed to be rescuing.
So yeah...I guess maybe you could call me a half-hearted gamer girl. Although really, as fun as video games can be, playing outside is better. Even working outside is better. Especially when the weather is this nice. :)

Dictionary of Meredith

I like to think that for the most part, I'm a pretty honest, sincere kind of person.
I'm going to wait for the laughter to die down before I continue....thank you.
But let's face it - I don't always mean what I say. And sometimes it could be a little confusing...so I, being the sweet, helpful person that I am, am going to try to enlighten you and inform you of what I really mean when I say something.

What I say: What's up?
What I mean: I have NO clue how to make conversation with you.

What I say: I'm kinda tired.
What I mean: I'm just waiting for someone to pull out a Frisbee.

What I say: REALLY??
What I mean: I think you need to check your sources.

What I say: I'm not really in the mood for that.
What I mean: I despise that with every particle of my being.

What I say: I didn't do very well on that test.
What I mean: I got an 85. (which is basically failing, right?)

What I say: I really want to play Ultimate Frisbee!
What I mean: I really want to play Ultimate Frisbee!

What I say: Cool!
What I mean: Cool story, bro...tell it again.

What I say: :)
What I mean: This conversation is finished.

:)

Tuesday, September 11

How Much Land Does a Man Need?

In my World Literature assignments for the past week, one of the stories I was required to read was "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" by Leo Tolstoy.
I pulled out my enormous blue zippered binder and opened it. Flipping past "The Ransom of Red Chief" with a chuckle as I remembered the humorous story, I turned to the day's assignment. When I saw the title - and the author - I groaned and immediately flipped to the end to see how many pages...too many.
I was admittedly a little squiffy, as I knew that Tolstoy is not known for writing "candy" books; however, I had to read it, so I dove right in.
The story started out fairly boring, undoubtedly due at least partially to my cynical attitude regarding this particular piece of literature.
"Just as I expected. Booooooring."
I sighed and turned the page. But much to my surprise, the story became suddenly (Gasp!) interesting. As much as I was trying not to like it...I was starting to anyway.
Yes, it was longer than most of the short stories I had read previously, but I didn't mind. In fact, I wanted it to be longer. I was so caught up in the misadventures of Pahom the greedy landowner that I never wanted them to stop. Of course, I knew they would, and Pahom would probably end up dead as well...after all, when the devil decides he's going to get you, it can be hard to resist him. (At least when you're a fictional character who clearly can't see that what you're doing is wrong in every way imaginable.)
And who would have thought that a story about some dude trying to get more and more land could actually become suspenseful? As the story started to end though, I actually realized that my heart rate was up, and I was reading faster and faster...
And the story ends with a dead guy.
Throughout the whole story, the protagonist is trying to get more and more land, and no matter how much he has, he's never happy.
In the end, all he needed was six feet.
Shazam.
I loved it.

Wednesday, September 5

Boring? Mebbe...

While I was gone, lots of stuff happened.
Not really.
I just like to imagine that there's something about my boring life that makes it interesting to you reader people.
My boring life, which is about to go from boring to slightly less boring.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
August 31st was my big brother's birthday and I didn't even think to write a blog post for him! It's not like I was a little busy or anything...but anyways, happy seventeenth birthday Geoffy!!! I know you had a great day so yeah...ending belated birthday wish now.
And the next day was Joel's birthday. I'm sure he had as good a day as a hobo can have! I bet it was filled with lots of....whatever it is hobos do. And I feel terrible cuz I forgot to call him and say happy birthday, okay?? I'm suuper sorry!!! :'( Okay...just clearing that up. </3
Saturday night I had Ashley over and we baked friendship cookies and played video games and ate burritos. It was awesome. Steve and Phil had lots of fun. But we missed Bob. <3
Nothing interesting happened on Sunday.
Nothing interesting happened on Monday.
Tuesday I had a double piano lesson and got in a lot of good work with Mr. Nagy on my Mendelssohn concerto. If you want to listen to this song that has been the cause of much personal grief, click on this linky thing. Even though I have had a lot of trouble with this song, it's finally coming together. Which is good because I need to have it down by Tuesday so I can record it and enter a competition. Maybe some time I'll actually have a piece ready more than a week before I have to perform it. (Then again, maybe not.)
And today was Wednesday. It was an exciting day because when we came on campus at PCC, there were actually STUDENTS there! It was amazing! It felt like the Discovery Channel or something! :D
And as I sit here, Dad is making potato soup and filling the whole house with a pungent, oniony smoke that burns my eyes.
Life is good....I can't complain.

Wednesday, August 29

Hurricane Isaac



There are lots of awesome things about living in Pensacola.
Like this...
And this...
Yeah...it's pretty cool. 
But there are also some pretty not cool things about living here too.
Like this...
Yup...that's the biggie. The beach and all the beautiful stuff is awesome, but there's that certain time of the year that's known as "hurricane season" that's not so awesome.
Of course, you all know me and I HAD to take pictures of all the weird weather stuff. :)
 The clouds on Monday morning, before the hurricane hit. It was starting to get really windy, but it calmed down enough for us to get the hurricane shutters up, which was a huge blessing. :)
 More clouds...there were so many different kinds and they all looked so cool!!
 Monday afternoon...things are starting to get going!
 The hurricane shutters.
Over our fence and across the common area. I almost got blown off the fence cuz it was so windy. :) 
Never you fear though, even though those clouds look a little daunting, there is basically no problem with this hurricane for us. I can't speak for those in New Orleans or anywhere further west of us, but all we've suffered from this storm is a blustery, wet day...which is normal in Pensacola. 

This is a scam....not really. :)

Hey you!! Yeah, you with the face!!
I know that I don't have very many followers, but if all...er...twenty-seven of you guys could go to this website and vote for my cousin Allison's essay, it would mean a lot! Just go and click VOTE and VOTE for HER essay The Written Dream! And if you like you could even, maybe...I don't know, read it....just a possibility. :)

Click, go, VOTE! Thanks!! <3
The Written Dream

Friday, August 24

Life is fabulous!!

Okay...this post will contain some of the things that have happened to me recently...and some things that WILL be happening soon.
So...first off....I don't remember what happened first.
I do believe it was the Pride and Prejudice sleepover with my friends. And what we originally thought was a bad thing...wasn't. In fact, the alternative was much better than we could have thought. Essentially, Giggle Fest 2012 (like all our sleepovers).
Then Geoffrey and I played an offertory in church. Normally, this wouldn't be a huge thing, but this was our first time and since our church is pretty big. It was a fairly intimidating thing. Fortunately, I had Geoff right there with me, so I was pretty chill. I knew that even if I messed up, I could at least try to pin it on him.
And then we started school.
Fun.
We taught our friends a new game, which we learned from OUR friends, and they taught our other friends. Now we all know how to play! And I'm going to try my hardest not to break anyone's hand next time.
Then me and Batman went out to lunch and went shopping.
And then came Spanish class...and the saddest day of my life.
And we planned our SGA year a little more.
On to future events....
Tomorrow is the WFHESL opening picnic and I am incredibly excited to see my friends again after a week of school. Love you guys!
AND two of the guys I met at camp are coming here for college VEEERY soon and I'm quite excited to see them! As long as they don't have Altoids in church...
Anyway, that's what's been up with my life lately!!! I hope this wasn't too incredibly boring... <3

Friday, August 10

AlphabeDewey

My trip to Mississippi was fun! Of course it was nice to see my grandparents, and there were lots of other fun happenings...that happened...so yeah.
I volunteered at the library there. Most of you probably know that I volunteer at the library here, and my grandma works at the library there, and they needed help there, so I came and worked for a couple hours. It was different than our library. Some of you may be saying, "How could it be? A library's a library!"
But oh, my friend, you are mistaken.
The DVDs in this particular library were not only Dewey system but also alphabetized. It was weird...but I got used to it fairly quickly. Although I imagine I looked like a poor lost puppy the first couple of DVDs.
Still, I do not approve of the AlphabeDewey system.

Wednesday, August 8

Sitting still

I'm sitting here pondering my summer.
For those of you who know me, even just the thought of me sitting still probably blows your mind, not to mention me actually being serious.
But it's true, I am. A lot happened to me this summer. Some of it I was kind of expecting, and other things were pleasant surprises.
One of the big things is that I got a lot closer to all of my friends, thanks to some things that had seemed terrible at first. Looking for the good things in life has really changed the way I look at my situations.
Another thing I learned is that algebra is not as hard as I thought it was. Difficult, yes; annoying, absolutely; but by no means is it impossible.
Another thing I learned is that it's a good idea to keep track of where the dog doo was when you're playing Ultimate Frisbee barefoot. This is a wonderful example of hands-on learning, (or should I say feet-on?) in my opinion.
Another thing I learned is that my cousins are some of the most amazing people in the world. No matter what we were doing, as long as we were together it was fun; from singing to tipping canoes. Sometimes I almost wish that I had nasty mean cousins so that I wouldn't miss them so much the rest of the year...but then I think about how LAME our family reunions would be then and I change my mind. I love them the way they are!
And of course, all the things I learned at camp, and to quote the book of John: The which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.
So, all things considered, I think this summer was a pretty good one. 
Now I suppose I'm ready for school to start...

Friday, August 3

Songs in the Park

Last night was the last Songs in the Park ever EVER!!! :'(
As sad as that is, I have to say that it was a FABULOUS last night! I really couldn't have asked for a much better night! Except that I might have asked for it to be a little cooler...but oh well. The Frisbee game was awesome!
 The Frisbee is my best friend...


 I was Dad's official corn-buyer. I was walking through the park carrying this giant corn on the cob and I felt like I was carrying the Olympic torch or something.
 The tree just looked like it needed a hug.

Thursday, August 2

Baking

Man, it's been a long time since I posted! Sorry...
Anyways, I did some baking today!
The first thing I made was Italian cream cake. I had never made it before, and I rarely bake cakes from scratch, so this was kind of a big thing for me! It had lots of ingredients...
So after a lot of measuring, mixing, and scratching my head in confusion, I came up with this.
 When I bake stuff, I'm normally so excited to eat it that I tend to rush things and mess it up.
Every other time I've made a cake from scratch (not in my EZ Bake oven), things look beautiful until I have to frost it. And then, all of a sudden, the cake collapses under the weight of all the frosting I put on there (what? I love frosting!) and it's a terrible scene...I think this time, the cake was so sturdy that it could handle the frosting and it stood up just fine. Add chopped walnuts, and you have a work of culinary art.
 It tastes good. :)
I made brownies too, but as they're from a mix, there are no interesting stories there. But they taste really good too. :)
I'm really going to try to post more, but there hasn't been that much happening lately! Hopefully when school starts back up there will be stuff to talk about that won't have you snoring. 

Saturday, July 21

Some things I learned at camp

This was my first time at camp, and there were a couple of things I learned that I want to tell you guys about. Maybe it'll help you get a little taste of the mistakes I made at camp...

1. Don't sit by yourself at lunch and get mad if nobody sits with you.
2. Talk to people. They're nicer than you might think, and never EVER judge someone until you get to know them a little.
3. Always bring cookies.
4. Make sure you can take pictures and videos somehow, cuz you're never gonna want to forget the memories you'll make.
5. Don't forget your ID card or you can't get in for lunch.
6. If you want people to sign a shirt for you, buy one right away or they'll be all gone.
7. GO TO BED AT A DECENT TIME. No matter how much coffee you drink, you can't make up for four missed hours of sleep.
8. If you ask a guy to smile for a picture, unless you're in it with him, he will not smile.
9. Bring tissues and waterproof eye makeup because you WILL cry on the last night.

This is all I thought of right off the top of my head. Maybe I'll think of more and post them!

Music Academy

Even though this is going to be a super-mega long post, I don't care because this was probably the highlight of my summer, if not my whole year.
Went to camp, made friends, fell in love...
Well, maybe not that last part. But still, it was fun!
 Our team was called the Staff Infections. We were awesome. Here we are in our team meeting, working on our assignments for music mania. First we had to do a poster for our team, which is pictured below. Artwork on the poster by Raymond. Concept by Gabe. Then we had to do a cheer, which was definitely interesting! Sidney was the best though, and she came up with an AWESOME cheer! <3
We also had to do something called community instrument. That meant that we had to have more than one person playing on one instrument, and we had to play a certain song. The song was Amazing Grace. I was a pedal pusher on the piano, in case you were wondering. One guy was strumming a guitar and blowing a trumpet at the same time, and it was really cool!
 Our team color was green, and since we were the Staff Infections, and somehow there was a medical tie-in, we all wore surgeon masks and gloves. We also had green face paint, which some people were a little more liberal with than others. Michael just slathered it all over. :)
 Playing Ninja in the day room! xD

 Me and my awesome roommate Jessica!! She was the one who made me get out of bed in the mornings and was cheerful to me even when I was the one who kept her up until one in the morning! <3
 The lovely and talented Miss Rachel!
 Nicole, who read me to sleep on Lord of the Rings several nights. She also tried to kill me when we were playing Mafia, but anyway...
 There's a big tree right near the campanile on campus and it was so gorgeous that I had to take a picture of it!
 I do believe this is a crepe myrtle tree in bloom...
 Technically, Bradley Tower was my home on campus, but if you go off of where I spent the most time, this place would be it. Whenever I wasn't at meals or chapel or sleeping, I was hanging in here. And practicing, of course.
 I accompanied my beautiful roommate Sarah for her recital and she was GORGEOUS!!! xD
 Me and Jessica and Sarah...and Audrey...and cookies. The guys we were sitting with got very helpful all of a sudden when the cookies showed up...
"That box looks really heavy - do you need help with it?"
 Wacky Tacky Tuesday at the Sports Center! The music campers got together and decided to go tacky at the Sports Center and scare the other camps to death. Funnest time at the Sports Center EVER!!!







 Me and some of my fellow choir members. :)
 Geoffrey getting his shirt signed.
 The gala concert was amazing. The choir songs were wonderful and the orchestra was stupendous. The choir even got to help out a little on the orchestra part of the performance! ;)
 After the concert was terrible for me...I was crying like all of my friends were leaving me. :P
Me and Pixie!!! ;D
 I totally got a picture with our future President! This will be worth millions some day.
 Me and Charlie!! He cracks me up - particularly when I'm trying to sing in choir.

 Our counselors were really quite serious and solemn.
I think this is most of the music camp people, I know some had already left but lots were still there. It was a really emotional night for me! You really get close to people after spending two weeks with nobody but them and then all of a sudden everybody leaves. But I made so many good friends and I made some good decisions as a result of the messages I heard preached and I was inspired to broaden my horizons musically, so all in all, I say...EPIC WIN!
CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!!!!!