Project: BEAUTIFUL {2012}

I've had this idea for months...It's been kicking around in my brain and it's just gotten bigger and bigger. I could never stop thinking about it and it would keep me up at night. I finally decided that I needed to do something about it. I don't know what it's gonna end up as, but I have a beginning and I know where I want it to go. Every good thing starts somewhere. Starts small.

Here we go. =)

essays....

i've been working on this essay for a week and a half. i have 1 1/2 pages done. it is nowhere NEAR finished. this paper NEEDS to be turned in tomorrow, along with a second essay and a snazzy interactive web presentation thing.
this is too much.
i can't make my brain calm down and focus....i'm exhausted but my head is pounding and spinning and running a million different directions all at once.
i can't do this.
screw you, little engine that could. this little engine can't and probably won't. i really want to, but it seems physically impossible at this point.

thank you helping me procrastinate, blog.

me. blogging. SURPRISE!

ok so i'm blogging. not because i feel sentimental or because something monumental and life-changing happened to me. nope. none of the above. boys. the reason for this whole post is a boy.

i went on two AMAZING dates with a guy. two dates. they were probably two of my favorite dates of all time. the haunted forest (blind date) and a random, spontaneous trip to trafalga (plus hot chocolate). he was nice and charming and cute and funny and respectful AND he held my hand on the first date! scandalous, i know, but i found out later that i was the first girl he had EVER held hands with. EVER. i'm not going to tell you that that didn't make my day. because it did. he held my hand on our second (trafalga) date as well. BONUS: ALL of his friends work at second-date-trafalga. they saw us holding hands. and he wasn't embarrassed. i was kind of impressed. anyway....

two dates into our relationship (which was not really a relationship, but a girl can dream, right?) and he stops texting. i hadn't heard from him in a month. which doesn't seem that long, but our two dates happened within 2 1/2 weeks of each other, so....

i didn't want to text him first because...i don't know. that seemed weird. if he wanted to go out with me, he would text, right? but...i wanted to go out with him but i didn't text. ugh.

so i got on facebook today AND......

he's in a relationship with someone else.

darn you nice, attractive boy!!!

but at least now i know why he wasn't trying to get a hold of me...

*sigh* oh well. time to move on with my pathetic teenage girl life. =)

hi. again.

almost two whole months since my last post. the world will probably end now. sorry.

truth is, i've been really busy......procrastinating. school is good. except for the fact that i'm an exceptional procrastinator. i've been on a couple of dates with a boy that i think i might like. had some drama in my life (thank HEAVENS that's over). applied to the college of my choice. you know. the usual. =)

maybe i'll try to blog more often. maybe.

it could be part of my whole "lifestyle change" thing i have going on right now. i'm protesting myself. the "right now" me. protesting all the junk food. procrastination. neglect. i have had ice cream for dinner more often than not this week. i don't think i did a single assignment for school. and my hair has been nothing but ponytails for days.

nice one, watson.

yeah. we'll see how that goes.

weekends...

bad.bad.bad.blogger. sorry.

i live on the weekends. i don't (well, i try not to) do much with my friends during the week, because then the weekend is just that much better...you know?

so since i've been slacking, i thought i'd share last weekend's adventures before this weekend happens.

last friday night was our homecoming game. we dominated. i don't really remember the score, but it was something like 53 to 20something. i've been more into high school football this year than i ever have been. i kind of think that it's because i'm a senior...if i don't pretend to care about whether or not we win or have a good kicker or whatever, i'm gonna miss it.

grab high school by the balls! or...football helmet. or whatever.

anyway, after the game (and after my jumping on my best friend's back brought her crashing into the cement and throwing me into the grass {she ended up with bloody, gashed up knees. sorry sweetie}), we went to a party that my brother was at. it was a party for a sixteen year old boy and all his fifteen year old friends. they were watching a scary movie and none of the girls that they had invited showed up. so, naturally, seeing as my brother conveniently has a 17 year old sister who has an 18 year old best girl friend...he called and impromptu-invited us. =)
so we showed up and the movie they were watching was SO stupid. but i feigned being terrified and told the group of boys that i really needed someone to hold my hand. bingo! derek and i held hands for the last 20 minutes of the movie and he was impressibly smooth about it....good job, derek.

on saturday morning, my mom and my brother and i all headed out to the mall to meet my aunts for shopping and lunch. i have adorable cousins and it was just a fun morning/afternoon. my aunt deanna bought me a new pair of jeans as an early birthday present and i love them! i have an obsession with american eagle jeans...i don't know if its that they're really comfortable, they fit me well, or that i fit into their size 0....but they rock.

after the mall, we headed to will's lacrosse game. they lost (again) but will is an amazing lacrosse player. *sidenote* will has amazing abs, so he deems it necessary to go shirtless whenever possible....which is like 49% of the time. =)

after the game, dalan picked me up and we went to kaden's boxing match. dude. let me just get this out there...boxers are kinda hot. seriously. they're super buff and can take a hit like nobody's business. *sidenote* i thought that when we went (i had never been to a boxing match before) it would be this kind of shady, out of control, freaky thing, but it was actually very civil and organized. the boxers were really nice to each other afterwards; they hugged, shook hands, laughed together...it was competitive of course, but it wasn't at all as hostile as i thought it was going to be. =)
so kaden won his fight and it was SO INTENSE! he boxed out of blue (they box out of blue or red corners of the ring) and i haven't felt that anxious in a while! i really like kaden as a friend and watching all the fights leading up to his was sort of nerve-wracking...it was a really close match. none of us really thought he had won but when the called out "Blue corner!" i just jumped up and started screaming!! ah!! it was a really good feeling....i can't imagine how kaden felt!

after that i had an awesome sleepover with my bestie. =) i love spending time with her. we stayed up all night talking and watching made for tv movies. in the morning i had jelly beans for breakfast and we just hung out around the house.

all-in-all, last weekend was amazing!
can't wait for this weekend!!
=)

boys...

its been a week.

im in high school.

lets talk boys.

as the teenaged girl that i am, i like boys. and also, as the teenaged girl that i am, i often have daydreams about the "perfect guy". but let's be serious. what girl doesn't, right?

i've been on plenty of dates with plenty of guys, and have met lots that i really like. lately, though it seems like the guys i spend time with/date are polar opposites.

one knows what he's going to do with his life. where he's going to school, what he's going to do, etc. he's also "figured himself out". you know those people in high school who just act weird because they haven't "found themselves" yet? yep. he's found. he is super sweet and likes me for being me. for being funny (really??), intelligent, pretty and amazing. wow. that could really get a girl going. =) he is also a SUPER good guy. i'm not gonna lie...every once in a while, i can appreciate a dirty joke, and swearing doesn't bother me nearly as much as it (probably) should. i have to watch myself so that i'm on my very best behavior whenever i hang out with him, which is sometimes tiring (and less fun:).

the other is, admittedly, younger, but he is also really fun to hang out with. he is HILARIOUS and spontaneous and his family is awesome! he on the other hand, has not found himself yet. he's still trying to be something that isn't quite him yet...i dont' think. but he is super fun to hang out with and he also appreciates a dirty joke every now and then. more 'now' than 'then' though, because he is rather immature. =) but he also likes me because i'm hot. just because of who my parents are and the fact that i spent 13 years taking ballet classes does not make me hot. that is not circumstantial at all and i have not had to do anything to become what he calls hot. still, it is nice to have someone like you for being nice looking. and sometimes i wonder if that's all he notices. if maybe the jokes and quirky sayings and lame comments are lost to the fact that 1) i'm older than him, and/or 2) i look nice sometimes.

where was i going with this? no idea.

so, this post accomplished nothing.

boys will be boys.

fights.

sometimes i have to really fight to be happy. it's like an internal struggle between where i know i could be and what is currently going on in my life.

i don't even know why i'm in a bad mood. maybe i'm depressed. i know that there is a possiblity that it could be hereditary. quite often though, i feel extremely sad for no particular reason. like i'm not doing enough with my life. like i'm not living up to some standard that everyone else can live up to.

it used to be that these thoughts would dominate my life and i would obsess over the negative in my life. i just wanted to stop trying so hard. to sleep...forever. i am so glad that's not so anymore.

i have to fight myself to not take it out on the people around me. and more often than not, i lose that fight. sorry.

these internal struggles happen a lot in my life.

i used to struggle a lot with my weight. and more than that, with my image. i'm much better about it now, and much happier, but there are times when my brain slips back into the way it used to function, and it sort of goes on this crazy downward spiral about how i view my body. i can't really control when/where/why this happens, but it seems to coinside with the "depression" swings i have.

i don't know what this post has accomplished, other than help me procrastinate the philosophy paper i'm supposed to be writing, but....

this was an extremely personal post. luckily for me, only like 2 people read my blog. =)

homecoming.

homecoming was last night!!
i am a senior and had never been to homecoming before. but neither had my date. kaden. he's a sophomore. =)

we went on a double-day-date (with megan and dalan) and it was really fun. i really liked how laid back it was...we canoed across this little lake up in the canyon and went on a little hike/climb to this crappy little beach. we just joked around and hung out and had an awesome time. then we drove to this really cool park (us locals call it 3-story park. i have no idea what it's really called.) and had a picnic. then we had a "race" and rolled down this giant hill. the view from that park is amazing...you can see the whole valley. we were all sort of worn out from hiking and racing and what not, so we just sort of sat on the side of the hill, cuddled, and enjoyed the view and the amazing weather. it was sunny, breezy and beautiful.

after the day-date, the boys dropped us off and we got ready. i wore a little black dress and put my hair up. (it's not how i was originally gonna do my hair. i did not like how my hair turned out but i didn't have enough time to do what i wanted with it. sometimes having really thick hair is inconvenient.) kaden looked awesome in all black and a fuschia tie, and i painted my nails fuschia to match. =) when he picked me up, he brought me a daisy, and i, being the girl that i am, LOVED it. so cute, thoughtful and impressive. =)

next up: dinner. we ate dinner with 3 other couples at our friend, jake's, barn. earlier that week, the boys had set up the table and lights and it looked really cool. the parents cooked dinner and it was so good! i feel that i should admit that i had two desserts... =)

the dance was super cool. it was held in our high school gym and....wow. the gym was alomst unrecognizable. there was a red carpet, lanterns, lights, bistro tables on a cute little patio/garden, and there was even a fountain in the middle of the gym! the only thing that could have been improved was the music. it was WAY too quiet. if i can hear myself talking to the guy dancing across from me, the music isn't loud enough. =)

unfortunately, megan's date, dalan, was feeling sort of sick so we left a little earlier than we were originally going to. actually, we were originally all going to go back to jake's and watch a movie, but none of us really felt like hanging out with a ton of people and watching a dumb movie (i am number four. it's stupid. don't see it.) so dalan and kaden took us back to megan's house, where us girls ditched our dresses and fancy shoes and put on sweatpants and slippers. then we went back to dalan and kaden's where they changed into something more comfy as well. we finished out the night cuddling and watching the BYU/Utah game. (utah won.)

i got home at midnight (curfew) and went right to bed (right after my flower got some water and i had a quick snack. how was i hungry after two desserts?).

=) thanks kaden.

this one girl.

so i know this girl. she is absolutely wonderful in EVERY way.

i think that we are such good friends because we speak our own language. example...

Me: "So...when you're kissing a guy do you, like, you know..."
Her: "Oh my gosh yes! Hahaha! I didn't know you did too!"
Me: "Hahahaha! Yep! I didn't know if everybody did or if it was just me or what!"
Her: "Yeah! Oh my gosh a Rue 21! We're going right now!"

that was a real conversation that really happened. yesterday. we are so bright. =)

i also think she is wonderful because she is so stinking hilarious. so hilarious. you have no idea.
we share a sort of humor that very few people (outside of those who know us best) understand. example...

1) we're at macy's or dillard's or jc penny's or something, in a dressing room (shopping for a homecoming dress for her) and i am laying on the bench. i look up and she starts clucking and bobbing her head with her hands up by her shoulders. i was laughing sooooooo hard! i fell off the bench from laughing....
2) again, shopping. she finds a dress that she likes and shows her mom. mom doesn't like it. (it really was a gorgeous dress and i'm still confused about why it got vetoed...) she turns to me and mutters, "well it's just gonna end up on the floor anyway." hahahahahaha!! her mom didn't really appreciate that one, but it was super funny...

we are both very sarcastic, and some times we can go the whole day talking sarcastically to each other. it's impressive.

she eats/loves awesome food. including: pickles, cheese, salsa, cereal, watermelon, and homemade rootbeer.
*side note* one time, for lunch, we had a banquet that included all of these foods. that is another reason that she is my favorite person.

reason #3 that this girl is amazing is that she GETS me. she knows exactly how i feel when i 'like a boy, but not really, but yeah, he's super hot, but oh, i've never spoken to him', and when my mom is being a mom but i'm pissed at her for doing so. yup. she gets it. oh! this probably explains the fact that we speak our own language...duh. =)

she is sort of an "honorary" sister. i've never had a sister, but she fills all my requirements of a biological sister. she borrows my clothes. i borrow her clothes. she does my make-up...because i suck at it. she helped me dye my own hair...because i suck at it. she teaches me how to flirt-text...because i suck at it and because i am the queen of one-word-very-un-sexy-replies. when i'm getting ready, or when i go shopping with her, she is honest about how something looks on me. i love that.

she doesn't judge me. if i wear yellow polka-dot tights and a brown hoodie and don't do my hair, she'll tell me that yellow isn't my color, but she will still sit with me at lunch, laugh at my jokes, and listen to me complain about my life. (thank you)

reason #699 that this girl rocks. she is very anti-drama. neither of us are very dramatic. high school is full of dramatic teenaged girls. yet another reason that i think we are so close. we both kind of gravitate AWAY from drama. leading to....

we don't get in fights. we have arguments. but even that is a bit strong for what we have....disagreements, maybe? i can count on one hand the number of "fights" we've been in and none of them have lasted longer than 24 hours. this is probably attributed to the fact that we're so good at communicating. we barely have to talk, but understand exactly what the other is trying to say/get across.

we can read each other's mind. basically.

so thank you, megan, for being my best friend, honorary sister, and occasional roommate.
you are the best.
litterally.
love you.

helena.

remember.

i was 7 years old ten years ago. i don't remember a lot, but i do remember mom watching the news in the morning, watching bits of the news in my class at school, and the news being on at home all evening. i also remember that my mom was on the phone a lot that day.

actually, i remember a lot more than i give myself credit for.

i remember knowing that something was very, very wrong. i remember feeling like every person at my school, in my neighborhood, in my ward, and in my life was a lot more important that day. every American was. i remember not being able to fully understand what exactly was wrong, but crying anyway because so many others were. i remember that some people had more to be afraid for than i did, but still feeling terrified. i remember being proud, so proud, that i lived where i lived. i remember being grateful (although somewhat ashamed for it) that myself and those that i loved were so far away from the east coast. i remember being worried and confused. i remember thinking about movies i had seen and what i had learned about war in school. what i couldn't seem to remember, though, was what came next.

being an American citizen was scary that day.

i think that was the day when i began to understand how very important the president of the United States is.

i thought today about the children of America, and how they will be effected by the attacks of September 11th. thousands were lost that day, and thousands will never understand the impact, the feeling, the magnitude...of experiencing that day in history. it seems weird to me that i will need to explain the importance of today to my own children someday. wow.

no mattter how far, physically, American citizens were from New York City or Pennsylvania, everyone, the entire country, came together and stood, slowly, but with confidence and courage, and together, lifted this country back up to where it stands today. i am extremely proud to live in the United States of America and am so grateful for all the heroes who were strong enough and brave enough to help and rescue and save everyone that they could. i am extremely sorry for those who lost loved ones that day. my prayers go out to them and to America.

i will never forget September Eleventh.

i remember.

megan, please don't read this...

hmmmmm.

so i didn't go to the gym today. i've been going every day since school started (nearly 4 weeks, minus a few days here and there) and never made it today. i've been feeling kind of down lately and just couldn't seem to pick up enough energy to get myself there. usually i can text my best friend and see if she's going. most of the time she is and the motivation of going WITH someone helps me make it to the gym. but that didn't really feel like an option today...

speaking of my best friend....she is currently "dating" her ex-boyfriend. "dating" meaning they hang out (a lot) and go on dates, and recently shared their "second-first-kiss". it's stupid. she told me a few weeks ago, when she and dalan (the ex) started texting and getting back together, that if she ever said she wanted to start dating him again, to smack her and tell her absolutely not.

well. now what?

i know that she likes to be with him. he's funny (sometimes), spontaneous, and has an awesome family (i absolutely adore his family). but i don't like it. it's not that i don't like HIM, he's a great guy, but i don't like them TOGETHER. he has really odd mood swings and gets angry really quickly. he also drives like a maniac (i am honestly scared for my life every time i'm in the car with him). he is really disrespectful to his parents and rude to his younger siblings. i really have no idea why megan is getting back together with him. the reason he is an ex is because she broke up with him. because he was too clingy and possesive! megan also gets really...indifferant around him. things that would usually bug her, she just laughs at. it's weird.

this is a "rant" blog, and i am so sorry. i don't usually like these kind of blogs, but i need to get it out. i would usually call up my best girlfriend and tell her all about it, but right now she is at dalan's house. with dalan. probably doing something cute. with dalan. so...yep.

i feel stupid for saying this, but i'm kind of jealous of dalan. that sounds so dumb and juvenile and i wish it wasn't true, but it's the only way to explain what the heck i'm feeling right now. for several months, it has just been me and megan. girl time, talking about boys and the various dates we go on, and how nice it would be to have a boyfriend or (back several weeks) a summer fling. we hung out every second that we could and told each other everything. now (today specifically), she spends tons of time with dalan. and i get it, i really do. i love spending time with guys who think i'm fantastic. but today, 5 minutes before lunch, megan texts me and says shes going somewhere with dalan. fine. i'll go eat on my own. then she texts me and tells me that they're back, so i go sit with them....and she and dalan flirt the whole time. i felt extremely third-wheel-ish and didn't really want to be there. she is my best friend and i've eaten lunch with her every day since junior year, but i find it really difficult to sit and watch while they tickle each other and laugh about private jokes and i have no idea what they're talking about and....oi.

then, this evening, kaden (dalan's younger brother who i am fantastic friends with) texted me and asked if i was coming over with megan. what?! um...no i guess not. i don't know why i felt so hurt, but having kaden (and dalan, i found out later) invite me over but NOT my best friend...i don't know. i can't explain it. it sort of felt like everyone wanted me there except for her.

this all sounds really dumb and hormone-y now that i go back and read it, but at least it's not all bottled up inside me anymore...

i love megan like a sister. she practically is one and i really want her to be happy. it's none of my business who she dates. i need to let it go and be happy for her... but if he breaks her heart or causes ANY drama. i will kick his ass.

Lack of...

there are a lot of things that i am lacking in life. number 1: the self-discipline to stop blogging and go do the homework that needs to be done. number 2: a photographic memory. and number 3:
i don't know. i have no idea what it is but i feel like i'm forgetting something. something important.
it feels like i have a test tomorrow that i didn't study for. (not it)
like i got ready and forgot to put on mascara or only put one earring in. (not it)
like i was supposed to meet someone for lunch and only remebered the day after. (not it)

maybe i'm just not getting enough sleep. that might be it. i usually go to bed at 10 (in bed, teeth brushed, lights out, falling asleep) but the last couple of days i've been getting to bed around 11/11:20. no bueno!!
perhaps i haven't been eating as healthily as i should. it seems like i either eat really healthy food all the time, all junk food all the time, or i just don't eat at all. hahaha! none of those are super good for you...maybe i should work on that as well.

hmmmmm....this blog post made no sense at all.

whatever.

my weekend.

whoa. new blogging layout. i feel like i'm in wonderland...i have no idea where anything is. hahaha! i am not a huge supporter of changes...

so. this weekend has been one of the best weekends of my 17th year. wow. friday night i had a "party". and by party i mean the couple of people (guys) that i know fairly well came to my house, went to a football game, and then came back to my house. we played twister and roasted marshmallows. i had a ton of fun but i know that a couple of people there felt sort of awkward because they didn't know the other guys at all. i'm a person that gets a long with everyone, so i have friends in several different "social circles". ah well. it was fun for me. =)

that night, megan spent the night at my house. we stayed up for hours by the fire talking about boys and crushes and ex-boyfriends and parents and moving out...i love that girl. i think we need to start having more girltime...hahaha! if that is even possible!

on saturday, megan and i went to the pool. our days of warm weather, cut-off shorts, bikinis and tan lines are dwindling a lot faster than i would like them to. shortly after we got to the pool, megan's ex-boyfriend (still friends) and his brother showed up. we had a ball at the pool and the brother asked me to homecoming! yay! i've never been to homecoming, and can't wait to go with kaden!

then megan and i went to a park and had...more girl time! yay! we swung on swings (which is super fun! i forgot about that dropping feeling every time you get to the top...fantastic) and laid in the grass and talked about...boys! then we got ready for a kind-of-sort-of double date!

on this "date" (megan with her ex and i with this kid who i absolutely love and i think i have a crush on him) we played cards in the yard and wandered around the neighborhood till it got dark. then we laid in this park right by his house and just looked at the stars and talked. it was AMAZING! we talked and joked and saw shooting stars and it was perfect.

that was a fantastic weekend. the weekend continues tomorrow because there's NO SCHOOL! too bad my date from last night is gonna be out of town...

back to School.

ok. vlogging didn't really work out the way i wanted it to. so...back to old school, reliable blogging.
school started a week ago and i am SO EXCITED! i never realize how much i miss school until i go back (although part of it might be the change in season/fashion. no matter how hot it still is, going back to school makes me think i need to wear boots and scarves and cardigans)...and i never realize how dumb/ignorant/rude teenagers are until i go back. i spend a lot of time on my own or with intimate groups of people so teenagers in the masses has never really been something i deal with all the time. but at school...holy crap! teenagers are so annoying! i am sorry to everyone in my life that i am one. i hope that i'm not as rude or as ignorant as most of the kids that go to my school...wow.
im also taking really fun classes this year. i'm a senior and have most of my requirements filled so i can take pretty much whatever i want. what i chose: ap european history, ap art history, orchestra, second year digital photography, philosophy and a cooking class. i am not taking math OR science. but bring on the art and history!

Books and other Nerdy things...

I've wanted to try "vlogging" for a long time and had just never gotten around to it...But here it is. Finally. It sucks, I know, but I kind of like it. =)

Blog vs. Vlog

okay. here's the deal. i am a HORRIBLE blogger. i'm not consistent and when i DO post, it's mostly just pictures......sorry. but thats another thing. i don't know what i'm apologizing for. this blog is mostly a form of 'online journal' for me to go back and look at and read. sorry to the four of you that read this blog...but this isn't about you. =)

i don't really watch tv. the tv i DO watch comes from netflix or hulu (thank you internet), so instead of watching tv, i watch youtube videos. "lame lame lame". yeah, thank you voice inside my head. but the thing i love about youtube is that it is SO individual. i mean, it's kind of a type of blogging...there are text blogs (like this one...sometimes), photo blogs, critic blogs, etc. but youtube is a kind of blog for videos. a lot of them are stupid, some make me cry, some make me think and some...well yeah. but over the course of watching youtube (i'd say maybe 2 years?) i discovered this thing called vlogging. video+blogging. there are lots of ways people vlog - travel vlogs, home-video type vlogs, talk-about-my-feelings vlogs, and opinion vlogs. but one of my favorites (besides the travel vlogs) are the sit-down-and-just-talk-to-the-camera vlogs.

i kind of want to start doing a vlog. not an elaborate, fancy, look-what-i-can-do vlog, but an i-just-want-to-talk-about-whatever-the-hell-i-wanna-talk-about vlog. laugh if you want, but i have a feeling that it would work out better for me than this sit-down-and-type blog arrangement. i have no idea if it will work but i just wanna try it out. =) call it a kind of summer goal.

Trax =)

After mom's half-marathon in the morning, we headed up to salt lake to see the japanese festival (will is taking japanese and got extra credit for going). We spent about 10 minutes at the festival and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around downtown and riding trax. =)

Mom's Half-Marathon!

Almost to the finish line...



FINISH!!







The gang =)

Beauty...?

What if you were able to tell how nice someone was just by LOOKING at them? If the beauty on the outside reflected your emotions and intentions and actions? If somehow your thoughts and emotions were wired to your DNA and your appearance changed with and depending on your change in personality...
The concept reminds of the 'Pretties, Uglies, Specials' (book) series...but weirder...somehow. How weird would that be??? I wonder if people would become nicer and more generous, or if "ugly" would become the new "pretty"?

Sorry...that was super random, but it just kinda popped into my head and i was (conveiniently) sitting at my computer so i thought i'd share it. =) Just a little peek inside the RANDOMNESS of my brain.

L.A.R.P

Live Action Role Playing
I never really understood how this works...until last night.

I am in a Latin 1 class at my high school and one of our assignments is to attend an "Historical Replication Activity" worth 100 points. The activity was held after school from 5-9. Holy crap. It was really long and extremely weird...but, oddly enough, it was kinda fun. =) I mean, there were kids dressed in togas...running around...who would only call you by your 'game name' (Mine was Domitius Ahenabarbus. Yeah, tell me about it.), but OVERALL it was pretty entertaining.

I don't know that i'd do it again....[no. I definitely wouldn't]...but it was a fun ONE TIME experience. =)

SPRING BREAK!

My spring break this year doubled as my orchestra tour! I had a blast and can't wait for tour next year! I know there are not a lot of photos of me...but that is to be expected as i was RUNNING the camera. =) These are some of my favorites...

View(s) from our hotel room. (6 girls per suite)




Balboa pier




"Whale" watching cruise...we only saw dolphins and seals. =)






Medeival Times dinner show...Camille.


...Kim.


Bus ride home.

Blessings

I used to do this thing a lot where, when i had a bad day and couldn't fall asleep at night, i would close my eyes and count. Not sheep, but blessings in my life. This is super relaxing and made it a lot easier to sleep.

Life as a high schooler is by no means easy, and there are many days (seems like more often than not) where life just sucks. So. There are probably a hundred things that i could rant and rave and cry about...but there are certainly 101 things i could be thankful for and count as blessings...

-Parents who forgive more easily than they reprimand.
-A best friend who is better than any sister i dreamed of while growing up with two brothers.
-Two brothers whom i love dearly and who love to argue as much as they love to cuddle.
-A mom who listens...
-A daddy who talks...
-A little brother who plays...and wrestles...and cuddles.
-A big brother who serves our country. (I miss you, mattie.)
-Dates w/ boys =)
-Friendships and smiles in the hallway.
-Fun and entertaining teachers who teach subjects that i love.

...just a few of the hundreds of reasons why my life does not suck...

Mom, daddy, will, mattie, megan, daniel, and countless other individuals...You are all BLESSINGS in my life and i am THANKFUL for you.

DADDYdaughterDATE

THANK you to my wonderful daddy for spending an awesome evening with me. Love you.

Smells...

Some of my favorite scents in the whole world...
-Laundry detergent
-Wet pavement (like after a rainstorm)
-The smell of the vacuum cleaner
-Mens deodorant





I also think that the design in the deodorant is pretty nifty. =)

Megan

My best friend in the whole world. Megan.


For the past couple of weeks, i have been struggling with school and stress and parents who are so helpful, they're annoying. Because i had also been grounded, i hadn't seen megan in a while (outside of school). So, one day she came over and we went to the store, bought matching sweatbands, and went for a run. It was some much needed girly time. Talking about life, endorphins, and the support of a best friend who is ALWAYS there for me.








Thank you megan.

Ugh.

So...I feel like crap. My whole body hurts, I haven't been eating very healthy lately and school is stressful. School is always going to be stressful, (although the levels of stress depend on my education-enthusiasm on any given day)but I can do something about my body and eating habits.

So.

From this day forward I am gonna try to eat more healthy.

IE:
-Not have potato chips at school.
-Water instead of gatorade.
-Less SUGAR!, more SALAD!.

It's going to be hard. But maybe if I change this and start excercising more, I can get my ballerina body back. I was looking through some pictures on facebook and noticed that 1: I used to have a slimmer tummy and butt, and 2: My boobs were smaller. I kinda want that back.

More excercise. Less sugar. And stress.
Sounds good.

A Hair-Dyeing, Homework Party

So on Wednesday last week, my best friend came over to do homework with me. But before that we stopped by Wal*Mart to get a few essentials.
-A gift for her boyfriend (a puzzle with a message on the back)
-Red "wine" (grape juice)
-Some hair dye
-A HUGE bag of mints
The night was awesome and spontaneous like it can only be with my bestie. It was a good girl's/date night in the middle of the week.

Okay, okay.

i PROMISE to TRY and have a p0st up at least once a week. i want to try and blog more about school. or just more in gEneral. =) i'm excited for this term and the thingS life is throwing my way. <3 tHat's all. ciAo.

A memoir of Me.

We were given an assignment in my photography class to capture images that represent us. I took pictures of a few of the things that were most important to me. Enjoy!


I've had this photo for years and it has always been an inspiration to me.



Some of my cousins playing.



I have several pairs of ballet shoes and it was such a huge part of my life, that I thought it ought to have a place in my memoir. Plus, I just like the photo. =)



My favorite emotion. =) I was able to capture it in my cousin while we were out to lunch as a family.