Friday, March 30

One of my favorite songs combined with one of my favorite movies...how can you go wrong?

Thursday, March 29

Buttercups vs. Snapdragons

Softball - although I may express mixed feelings about it, I really do love it!! Today's game only confirmed that my love is not wasted. I shall inform you of the game's highlights.
1. Buttercups vs. Snapdragons. The Buttercups had a five point lead on us. Finally in the third or fourth inning, Connor made it home for our first score. We rode our high all the way out.
2. Fourth inning. The Snapdragons score several more points. Much rejoicing.
3. Fourth inning. I've had a hit, and now I'm on third. Connor is telling me to run as soon as I know it's safe. The hit and it's up. It drops without being caught, so I start running to home. I notice David Brown, the biggest, baddest guy on the other team. He's running in to get me out at home! Anyone who knows me knows I am not going down without a fight. As I'm nearing home, I see him reach up to snag the ball. Energy surges through me and I plow through him, knocking us both over. My friends say I went flying. Everyone was making sure I was OK, and I just wanted to know if I was safe! I was. Score.
4. I get a hit and make it to first. Eventually, I score again.
5. In an impossible backwards, sideways, who knows catch, Bria gets Paul out. You go girl! <3
6. Two outs and Joel is up. Some of you may have noticed the friendly rivalry between me and Joel, and if you have, you'll understand my satisfaction at this. Joel hits the ball, a good hit! Unfortunately, my glove was in the way. It felt so natural when I caught it! I think the practice is paying off.
7. In a classic case of the comeback kids, the Snapdragons have overtaken the Buttercups and we lead by one or two points. We have the last at-bat, but there's a chance for us to win this thing, right here, right now. Two grounders to the shortstop, who fires them over to first. Two outs. The hit is a pop fly, going up and up, and...it's caught!
Somehow, we pulled up from a five point drag to win the game!! It was super fun, plus for the first time I feel like I was a help to my team! All in all, a great game! I can't wait to play again!! :)

Wednesday, March 28

My new dress! :)

Saturday, March 24

Big Lagoon 5K

I woke up at 5:30 this morning (after only three hours of sleep because I spent the night at a friend's house and of course we stayed up late!) and went to Big Lagoon for a 5K. There were probably twenty or thirty people there, and about half of them were homeschooled friends. So I went. And I walked. And I actually did run a little (very little) bit.

 Here's Geoff stretching. He did the full 5K.

 Here we all are at the starting line! I actually found out the morning of the race that there was also a 2.5K. But it's probably good that I didn't know about it because then I would have done that instead of the full 5.

We're off! It was probably about seven now. Normally I would still be in bed. :)
 Cameron after he finished the 2.5K. He ended up winning first with a time of about twenty minutes, I think.
How can you have just finished running a 5K and still look so good???
 Now they're waiting for me.
 Still waiting.
 I think Bria's like, "How long is she gonna take?? Seriously, come on!" :)
 Here's Daniel finishing up! He did the full 5K in about 45 minutes!! Good job buddy! Who's yo daddy now?
 All of the homeschoolers who did it! At that point, I was kind of in shock, like, "I totally just did that!"
 Okay, so from left, Bria got first in the women's division, Mrs. Loucks got second in the women's division, Cameron got first in the children's 2.5K, Mrs. Brown got third in the women's division, Emily got second in the children's 2.5K, and Daniel got second in the children's 5K. I finished. :)
Me and Allie and Bria!I look awful, but there's like nobody who looks good after they've been exercising...right?
So even though I had a KILLER time of about fifty minutes, I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST 5K!!!
Now for a shower....

Thursday, March 22

Hey folks!! So I haven't posted anything super interesting lately, but I have something interesting to tell you at last: I am doing my very first 5K this Saturday!! I'm super excited and super nervous, but I think it should go pretty well! I'll try to take pictures so you can see how ugly I look when I'm exercising! Anyway, that's all my news! Have a fun Friday! Wait, it's not all my news...I am petsitting a pair of sugar gliders and they are so cute! Okay, NOW that's all my news!! :)

Wednesday, March 21

Sweet Sixteen Party!!

We were at the beach today. There were red and purple flags. It was windy and kind of rainy.
It was awesome!!!!!! We were there for a friend's birthday party, so of course it was fun! And we have pictures! Mom took most of them because I was goofing around with my friends...sorry they're dark/fuzzy, but the lighting was weird, plus people were moving so much we couldn't snap pictures of them!
 Here's some of the guys, waiting for the food to be served. They kind of looked like vultures, just waiting for a poor little animal to die so they could devour it.
 I don't know what it is, but everyone seems to like vaulting over that pavilion wall. Except me, because I am far too ladylike (actually, I would probably do it too, but I was wearing a skirt and clearly couldn't)
 Bria and Brooke!!! I love this picture! It's soooo cute!!!!

 This is what all the girls' hair looked like! It was so windy, we really couldn't do anything about it! At least it looked cute on Baylee...I wish I could say the same for me.
 The waves were pretty scary looking, so needless to say, we did NOT go in the water. Not to mention the jellyfish that were washing up all over.

 Here we are, talking, giggling, goofing off, and having an insane amount of fun doing so.

 When it started to rain, we all had to troop down from the pavilion to gather up our belongings. Here's everybody bringing their stuff back.
We had a great time even though we couldn't go in the water, (and I think Mom was thankful for that as she doesn't appreciate the wet stuff at all) and it was an overall fun day!
Happy birthday, Bria!!! <3

A different kind of love letter

Dear Jesus, 
Take my heart.  It's yours anyway, and always was. Put a lock on it and guard the key. I don't know who it's meant for, but you do, and I'm trusting you. And until he comes, fill his space in my heart with joy, grace, and patience. Although I don't know your plan and it's hard for me to trust you in this, I know you love me and you're preparing both of us for each other. Thanks for caring enough to make me wait. 
Love,
Meredith

Tuesday, March 20

Sunday, March 18

Me: I hate when you're talking and then you realize that nobody is listening to you.
Geoff: What?
Me: I totally knew you would do that.
Geoff: I highly doubt this conversation has been had ever where someone has not done that.
Me: Whatever.

Saturday, March 17

So I know I told several of you about our competition today, and I know that I didn't tell some of you. Still, in case you don't feel like actually reading yet another post about a piano competition, in a nutshell, it was a good day. Not our best day, but it was definitely good!
Soo... pictures!
 Here's Audrey's group. It was her first year, and she played really well (don't let her tell you anything else)! She didn't win anything this time, and she's a little upset, but she really did do a great job. The lower levels actually have some of the toughest competition because there are just SO many competitors. Plus each performer sounds pretty much the same...
 Here I am getting my third place award for Sonata Level 12. I was very happy with third because I totally blew my piece! There's not a picture, but I also won second in the Piano High School Scholarship-Lower and seventy-five dollars! It looks exactly the same as this anyway!
 This is Geoff and his competition for the day! He ended up with second place in Piano High School Scholarship-Upper and seventy-five bucks, so we came out even!
It was SO bright there! I actually got sunburned at a piano competition! Something weird happens every time we go to a competition. One time we were down in south Florida for one and there were iguanas all over the place we were having it at!
Anyways, it was good. I was happy, and that's what counts, right? Wrong.

Wednesday, March 14

SUPERNOVA!!!!

A couple of my family members were stargazing. I was not, as I become bored very easily. This is how it all went down.
Cam: Dad thinks there's a supernova out there!
Me: What?
Dad: I'm not sure, it's just brighter than normal...
Me: What?
Cam: See? It's a supernova.
Dad: ...although it might just be a planet...
Me: What?
Dad (looking on his stargazing app): ...ummm...it's....
Cam: It's a supernova!
Dad: ...wait...
Me: It's Venus.
Dad: It's Venus.
Me: Told ya.
This is a message to Jesse: I do not appreciate this being older than me thing one little bit! It makes me feel so much...younger! :(
In other words, have a great 15th birthday! :)
(I know I'll come out on top in the end, though!)
When I wonder why I'm exercising and feel sweaty and disgusting, I have to remind myself how much less disgusting I'll feel as a result of my exercise, and then I don't feel so bad!

Monday, March 12

This series of books (there's three of them so far) is so cute! Its' about the Penderwick family, which consists of Mr. Penderwick, and in this book, his new wife Iantha (his first wife died of cancer); his four girls, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty; Iantha's son Ben; their dog Hound; their cat Asimov; and their friend Jeffrey. They're so much fun to read about, and very real characters! Each book brings new, unexpected things to the Penderwick family! You've just gotta read em to believe me!

CCY choir ministry trip

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to a nursing home with our church's teen choir. Even though the bus ride over was chaotic (I'm starting to wonder if it's humanly possible for those kids to be quiet), once we got there, it was really nice. We sang a few praise songs, then I played "His Eye is on the Sparrow", one of my favorite hymns. A girl gave a testimony, then we had some more songs, another testimony, an ensemble which sang "And Can it Be", another of my favorites. Then we all listened to the very energetic message delivered by one of our youth helpers. I think the elderly people may have been a little worn out after he finished, but it was a good message. Then the teens went out and visited with the residents. Geoff and I met this one lady whose husband was a pastor who had felt called to buy a boat and travel around to all these different ports to preach. It was really a fun time, and though we had to miss something we would probably rather have done, it turned out to be for the best! Psalm 55:14 describes it pretty well: "We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company."

Friday, March 9

YAY! I finished my research paper and I feel pretty good about it.
Now for that poetry contest entry and oral report and essay....sigh.

Wednesday, March 7

"Our first game is called Well Begun is Half-Done."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"Otherwise titled Let's Tidy up the Nursery."
"I told you she was tricky." 
Nothing makes you feel like more of a worthless dirtbag than nicking your dog's ear while grooming her. :(
I was looking at my blog's stats, and apparently I've had people in all of these countries look at my blog: United States-5,390 views; Russia-64 views; Germany-10 views; Brazil-6 views; Canada-3 views; Argentina, Egypt, Latvia (I've never even heard of Latvia), the Philippines, Taiwan-2 views; Albania, France Bulgaria, Italy-1 view. How this happened I don't know, but it's kind of creepy. So if I don't blog at all for about six weeks, now you know why. (Just kidding! I'll keep blogging, but still! CREEEEEPY!)

Spring

Pensacola looks and smells like spring! I love these days, even though I'm preparing myself for that day when it will be ninety degrees all of a sudden. Still, I'll enjoy it while I can. This is part of our backyard (I'm allowed to take pictures now that we've mowed the lawn).
 You can finally see the green on our tree! It makes me think of Secret Garden (the movie). "There'll be roses!"



 I'm so glad for that beautiful blue backdrop! :D
 Had to take this picture, with softball tomorrow and all!
 Hmmm, some nice product placement there!
Yes, I have a pink softball glove. Seriously though, if you know me at all, you probably knew I would. I have a pink softball, but we can't use it at PE because it hits really really really far and lots of the guys don't need help with that. I always say that we should let just the girls use it, but it never works out. I have a pink baseball bat, too, but it's much too small for me and Geoff. Still, I always bring it because some people like small, light bats. I prefer my giant bat that says HAMMER on it though.

Tuesday, March 6

Softball

Okay, so you know that I typically do a post whenever we switch to a new sport at PE, and this Thursday we're playing softball. Even though I'm not very good at softball (and I'm not lying this time), I do have a few tips that should help out a little.

When fielding:

  • Don't be shy! Most of the people in our group don't hit the ball hard enough for it to hurt. Unless it's one of the athletic guys and you're not in the outfield, your chances are pretty low of actually getting hurt, so go for it!
  • Make sure you call the ball. Last year a kid got hit in the face because of a mistake here. The ball got hit up, and one guy started backing up to get it while another guy started going forward to get it. Both of them were looking straight up at the ball, and they didn't see each other. They ran into each other and were startled, so they put their gloves down. The one guy moved, the other didn't, and the ball hit the guy in the face. If they had called it, one of them would have backed down and we would not have had an accident.
  • If you're a baseman, pay attention! My team has missed so many easy outs because various basemen weren't paying attention. Of course, the pay attention rule applies anywhere, but still.
  • If you have a question, talk to your team captain (if you have one) or one of the athletic guys on your team to see if they can help (they usually can). Connor and Jay are my go-to guys if I have a question/problem. They like to win, so they're willing to help teammates out.
When batting:

  • Don't swing at every pitch! As you play more, you'll start to be able to recognize what kind of pitch you like. For example, I like mine high and a little outside, but somebody else likes them low and centered. It sounds hippie, but go with the flow and don't feel pressured to swing if you're not comfortable. Just don't take forever.
  • Unless you know you can keep your swing smooth, don't swing as hard as you can. Swinging with as much power as you can tends to interrupt the flow of your swing. Try to do an even swing with good power, and as you learn to control it, increase the power. 
  • Even if you know you're not that good, take control! If you walk up to the plate like, "Oh no, I stink at this game and I'm afraid of the ball and I really hope this bat doesn't hurt my face," then you're not going to intimidate the other team at all, and you're not going to motivate yourself to do well. You have to walk up there with confidence and do your thing! Who cares if you strike out - you struck out with finesse! I've pretty much got the intimidation thing down to a science. How do you think I got my nickname? I actually did get it playing softball at PE! I was batting, and I guess I made a mean face or something.
When doing anything on the softball field:

  • Always be alert and listen to your teammates. It could save your head from a softball-shaped dent or give your team a point.
  • Be a good sport. Team banter is fine (and fun!) but make sure that you're not being mean or hurting someone's feelings.
  • Be supportive. My teammates are always complaining to me for cheering for the other team, but I see nothing wrong with that, only because I always cheer for my own team too. (a little louder than I do for the other team, but still!) If someone on the other team makes a great catch, tell them so! Being nice to people typically results in them being nice to you!
I hope these tips will help you out, even if you're scared to play softball. And when we get there on Thursday, I don't want anyone to be talking about how they're not very good. You walk onto that field with confidence and show them what you're made of!

Sunday, March 4

I got a new blog at Tumblr today-comparing Blogger and Tumblr to see which I prefer. There's nothing there yet, but I'm working on it, so here's the link: mere-death.tumblr.com. Some of you may be familiar with my nickname, Death. It was bestowed upon me last softball season. How did I get it? Well, let's just say that this guy noticed how dangerous I look with a baseball bat. I should be posting about softball soon. I'm obsessed, you know. :)

Saturday, March 3

How is it that going shopping can be my favorite thing and my least favorite thing at the same time?

Thursday, March 1

I miss battleball! :(

I was just sitting here at the computer when someone in my neighborhood screamed, "NOOOOOOO!"
Kind of how I felt when we left PE early...so how did it go down, guys? Nobody died while I was gone, right? :) Still, if we had to leave PE, we never had a better reason: we went to the beach for my little sis's birthday! While we were driving, it got really foggy, and at the beach it was so foggy that you could hardly see the waves from the pavilion we were eating in. Our hair actually got wet from the moisture in the air!
Now the whole family is getting ready to head out to Cracker Barrel for dessert, and Dad and Audrey are arguing over who gets to split their apple dumpling with Mom. Easy: GET YOUR OWN STINKIN' APPLE DUMPLING!
Anyway, to close I shall quote Helen Roland, a quote that pretty much hits the nail on the head concerning my blog posts:
A man never knows how to say goodbye; a woman never knows when to say it.
Sooooo, goodbye! (I did it! Congratulate me - whoops, there I go again) :)

Proverbs 2:1-11

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.