The Eventful Life of an American Teenager

The thoughts of an almost graduate

2010-05-24T12:58:00.005-05:00

High School is over.

Another stage of my life, another page of my story, has been completed.

In the whirlwind of events, prom, senior field trips, ap exams, grad parties, it's hard to stop and really let this moment set in.

I've spent the last 4 years studying, making new friends, leaving some friends behind, arguing with my parents to let me stay out later, laughing, dancing, being weird, and generally enjoying life.

I like to tell myself, and believe that I have lived high school to it's fullest. I plan to live every second of my life to the fullest.

However, there are way too many times, in retrospect, when i said "I can't wait till" In all reality I could have waited. Now that everything is over, I think to myself, what was i waiting for?

In life, the phrase "I can't wait", the endless count down of important dates, are distracting from the real joy of life. If you spend your life waiting for the next big thing, you miss the opportunity to take in the little things, like the sunrise, or a beautiful breeze, or a family dinner, a smile, a loving hug.

Now that I'm headed off to college, it hits me that this is all I've ever known. And by "this" I mean these people, this life, my parents taking care of me, my siblings being there to cheer me up after a tough day at school. My church, my youth group. St. Alban soccer. All the clubs and activities I'm involved in. Everything is going to change. And as much as it is exciting, it's scary as hell.

The memories I have made, the relationships I've built, the good reputation i have made for myself (hopefully), will not be present in college with me. Sure facebook and my cell phone will keep me in contact with the people I love, but it's not the same. I won't see the same faces in the hallway everyday that I've seen for the last 4 years, i won't be able to quote inside jokes randomly, or say remember in middle school....

I think the biggest challenge for all of us in college will be to keep our friends from high school. keeping relationships takes hard work. But facebook isn't what should keep us together, a quick phone call, even a letter, is much more effective.

High School has been so much fun. I truly loved and enjoyed every second of it. I am sad to see it go, but immensely proud of myself for using the gifts and talents God has given me to excel in school. I am so blessed and so thankful for all the opportunities i have had.

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends."

Driving.. and the little hardships that come along with it

2010-01-11T15:43:00.004-06:00

As i have too soon discovered, driving is unpredictable and downright frightening.

Although I may be the best driver in the entire world, courteous, careful, watchful, and attentive,

there are some wackos out there in the world who really shouldn't be out on the streets at all.

Examples:

People who stop in the middle of intersections.

Ok really??? You just can't wait. You know the light is going to change and their will be people blocked up because you had to be all about you.

People who don't use their blinkers.

Oh my goodness. The car manufactures made blinkers for a reason. And guess what, they made it seemingly effortless to switch the thing on. If you feel you're too cool to use a blinker your stupid. it's one easy way to save yourself from an accident.

People who text while driving

this needs no explanation.

People who talk on the phone while driving.

Although not as big of a deal as texting, if you are caught up in a conversation you're having, you attention is divided and parts of your limited brain that should be concentrated on driving are too busy discussing something that could easily be put off for a few minutes.

People who don't know the 'every-other-car rule'.

The biggest perpetrator of this is students in the high school parking lot after school. It drives me nuts that apparently high schoolers aren't "mature" enough to be courteous to other drivers.

People who don't turn off their highs.

Again, car manufactures made this little switch easy as pie. So just switch them off. Now i understand it's easy to forget they're on. But after people flashing you with their own highs, don't you figure that it'd be best for everyone to turn yours off.

People who brake before green lights.

These drivers are those who are way too careful.

And last, but not least:

People who steal your parking spot and or People who literally wait for people to get in their cars, start their cars, and back up their cars, to snag the 'perfect spot'.

Sports

2010-01-10T20:50:00.012-06:00

My boyfriend asks me yesterday what i though of the Matt Holliday situation. We were discussing sports, haha.. that's a joke, I was basically saying that I like watching sports (because in all honesty I don't follow anything). Anyway, the way he asked me i knew i should know who Matt Holliday was, or for that matter what sport he even played.

Yes you might view me as pathetic for not keeping up with my city's pride and joy, The Cardinals, but frankly baseball bores the crud out of me.

So, when my boyfriend asked my opinion on the $113,580,723 salary bestowed upon aforementioned Holliday, I was all in all un-opinionated.

But upon further reading, yes i do read my news (occasionally), I am a bit surprised, if not utterly outraged, at these outrageous pre-determined earnings.

First of all, why the heck do Athletes need to be paid that much money?

The minimum salary for a Pro Baseball player is $400,000 per season.

That's at least 2,000 every game. Whether they play or not. And that's only the MINIMUM!

That's an insane amount of money. An insane amount.

I just don't see the need to pay people that much money to do something they love.

It's not dangerous. It's not a vital occupation necessary for our Nation's growth. It is simply providing entertainment. And they get paid more than most doctors and lawyers combined.

Second of all, and the actual issue in this situation, is the fact that Puljos is/was paid less than what Holliday is being promised. His contract is up, and will the Cardinals have enough money to re-sign him?? Or will they just remain complacent with the fact that they now have Holliday, and deal with the loss of a great ball player.

Should the cardinals focus more on keeping a player who has been with them for his entire major league career? or should they risk putting all their money on their team newbie.

I have to admit i don't know enough about sports to answer those questions.

But it seems like a delicate decision has been made, and St. Louis Cardinal Fans will be anticipating the '11 season when Puljo's contract is finally up.

More Senior Stuff!!!

2009-11-19T20:46:00.002-06:00

Soooo many events for senior year!

This weekend the first big one, Mother Daughter Bunko!!!!

My mom and I will be fiercely competing, and winning the game this Saturday morning and we will leave our competitors in the dust.

I am super excited!

I love bunko! the last time i played i won $25 dollars!!!

The thing i find funny is one of the girls signing up was like "Oh bunco!!!! Great, my mom is SOOOO good at that game"

.....

Obviously she doesn't understand the concept of sheer luck...

An elephant never........ what's that word??

2009-11-11T18:40:00.006-06:00

Today in Psychology we started a chapter on Memory. Our teacher played a few games with us to test our short and long term memory ability. She had us recall the names of the 7 dwarfs and recall noun/adjective pairs from 20 sentences.

It was a really great class, and a fun lecture to learn.
What really scares me is my own memory.
I have baaaadddd problems with remembering things.
ask my parents how many times i have left something at home, forgotten to ask a teacher something, forgotten to call them when i've arrived at a place.
It's gotten to a point where i get mad at myself for forgetting things i know i should remember.
Even writing stuff on my hand doesn't guarantee that i will bring in a folder for orchestra, or 7 dollars for lunch on the shelf.

And wow do i HATE that i have a excuse.
One of the maaannnnyyy symptoms that comes with Fibromyalgia is memory loss. A battle i am not happy to fight.

In January of 2007 I got a severe concussion while playing indoor soccer. Ever since then I experienced back, shoulder and neck pain. I blamed it on the stress of finals as my freshman year of High School ended. But even after finals were over, and during our family trip to Disney, I still experienced muscle soreness. My mom took me to my doctor but she didn't think it was anything. I went to another doctor, and she diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I've been living with fibro for about 3 years now, I'm 17 and a senior in high school, and the chronic pain has not defeated me.

The memory loss is caused by chronic pain. Research shows that pain is connected to the brain's encoding of new information.
The lack of sleep that fibromyaglia effects the brains ability to remember things.

Long term memory isn't a problem,

difficulty remembering details
difficulty remembering new information
difficulty finding the right words to express yourself

those are things i've got to worry about.

“Fibromyalgia causes a tremendous amount of suffering and there are really no good treatments for fibromyalgia right now,” says Dr. Mary Lynch, the director of research at the Pain Management Clinic at Dalhousie.

weird things i've noticed about living with Fibro:
when the weather changes, so does the pain.
not eating wheat helps with the stomach and head aches.
when I get a cold the pain increases.
for me, the pain is less in the morning

some facts
Roughly one-quarter of people with fibromyalgia are work-disabled
FDA approved the first drug for fibromyalgia in 2007 and more treatments are being developed!!

Symptoms

Muscular aching, throbbing, shooting, stabbing, or intense burning.
Extreme Fatigue Difficulty concentrating and retaining new information may seriously interfere with everyday mental tasks. referred to as "fibro fog"
Trouble falling asleep and more importantly staying asleep,
frequent abdominal pain
chronic headaches
jaw pain
depression and anxiety

Ok.... sorry for the pity pot. I'm not looking for pity. I am just writing for awareness. I know many people out there suffer from this and I would love to support them.

2009-10-22T07:36:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from Angels and Demons. One of my favorite books.

I think this is one of the best written speeches i've ever read, it is absolutely fantastic.

Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca:

To the Illuminati, and to those of science, let me say this. You have won the war.

The wheels have been in motion for a long time. Your victory has been inevitable. Never before has it been as obvious as it is at this moment. Science is the new god.

Medicine, electronic communications, space travel, genetic manipulation… these are the miracles about which we now tell our children. These are the miracles we herald as proof that science will bring us the answers. The ancient stories of immaculate conceptions, burning bushes, and parting seas are no longer relevant. God has become obsolete. Science has won the battle. We concede.

But science’s victory has cost every one of us. And it has cost us deeply.

Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and drudgery and provided an array of gadgetry for our entertainment and convenience, but is has left us in a world with out wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies. The complexities of the universe have been shredded into mathematical equations. Even our self-worth as human beings has been destroyed. Science proclaims that Planet Earth and its inhabitants are a meaningless speck in the grand scheme. A cosmic accident. Even the technology that promises to unite us, divides us. Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone. We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture, and betrayal. Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? Does science hold anything sacred? Science looks for answers by probing our unborn fetuses. Science even presumes to rearrange our own DNA. It shatters God’s world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning… and all it finds is more questions.

The ancient war between science and religion as over. You have won. But you have not won fairly. You have not won by providing answers. You have won by so radically reorienting our society that the truths we once saw as signposts now seem inapplicable. Religion cannot keep up. Scientific growth is exponential. It feeds on itself like a virus. Every new breakthrough opens doors for new breakthroughs. Mankind took thousands of years to progress from the wheel to the car. Yet only decades from the car into space. Now we measure scientific progress in weeks. We are spinning out of control. The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual void. We cry out for meaning. And believe me, we do cry out. WE see UFOs, engage in channeling, spirit contact, out-of-body experiences, mindquests — all these eccentric ideas have a scientific veneer, but they are unashamedly irrational. They are the desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology.

Science, you say, will save us. Science, I say, has destroyed us. Since the days of Galileo, the church has tried to slow the relentless march of science, sometimes with misguided means, but always with benevolent intention. Even so, the temptations are too great for man to resist. I warn you, look around yourselves. The promises of science have not been kept. Promises of efficiency and simplicity have bred nothing but pollution and chaos. We are a fractured and frantic species… moving down a path of destruction.

Who is this God science? Who is the God who offers his people power but no moral framework to tell you how to use that power? What kind of God gives a child fire but does not warn the child of its dangers? The language of science comes with no signposts about good and bad. Science textbooks tell us how to create a nuclear reaction, and yet they contain no chapter asking us if it is a good or a bad idea.

To science, I say this. The church is tired. We are exhausted from trying to be you sign posts. Our resources are drying up from our campaign to be the voice of balance as you plow blindly on in your quest for smaller chips and larger profits. We ask not why you will not govern yourselves, but how can you? Your world moves so fast that if you stop even for an instant to consider the implications of your actions, someone more efficient will whip past you in a blur. So you move on. You proliferate weapons of mass destruction, but it is the Pope who travels the world beseeching leaders to use restraint. You clone living creatures, but it is the church reminding us to consider the moral implications of our actions. You encourage people to interact on phones, video screens, and computers, but it is the church who opens its doors and reminds us to commune in person as we were meant to do. You even murder unborn babies in the name of research that will save lives. Again, it is the church who points the fallacy of that reasoning.

And all the while, you proclaim the church is ignorant. But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power? This church is reaching out to you. Reaching out to everyone. And yet the more we reach, the more you push us away. Show me proof there is a God, you say. I say use your telescopes to look to the heavens, and tell me how there could not be a God! You ask what does God look like. I say, where does that question come from? The answers are one and the same. Do you not see God in you science? How can you miss Him! You proclaim that even the slightest change in the force of gravity or the weight of an atom would have rendered our universe a lifeless mist rather than our magnificent sea of heavenly bodies, and yet you fail to see God’s hand in this? Is it really so much easier to believe that we simply chose the right card from a deck of billions? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greater than us?

Whether or not you believe in God, you must believe this. When we as a species abandon our trust in the power greater than us, we abandon our sense of accountability. Faith… all faiths… are admonitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable… With faith we are accountable to each other, to ourselves, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. If the outside world could see this church as I do… looking beyond the ritual of these walls… they would see a modern miracle… a brotherhood of imperfect, simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world spinning out of control.

Are we obsolete? Are these men dinosaurs? Am I? Does the world really need a voice for the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the unborn child? Do we really need souls like these who, though imperfect, spend their lives imploring each of us to read the signposts of morality and not lose our way?

Tonight we are perched on a precipice. None of us can afford to be apathetic. Whether you see this evil as Satan, corruption, or immorality, the dark force is alive and growing every day. Do not ignore it. The force, though mighty, is not invincible. Goodness can prevail. Listen to your hearts. Listen to God. Together we can step back from this abyss.

Pray with me.

And the bug comes back.

2009-09-14T21:05:00.002-05:00

The cold has come back in town,

but this time with a new twist.

The fear of the swine. (more appropriately known as the H1N1 flu)

I'm not so worried about it, although i've got a cold right now.

It's flu season people, THE FLU HAPPENS....

just wash your hands,

get some sleep,

and drink water.

Today i drank 6 water bottles in 7 hours. Mission accomplished.

I am going to beat this cold before it gets the better of me.

September 11th Remembered Well At Lafayette

2009-09-12T13:24:00.004-05:00

It was 8 years ago that we had the scare of our lives.

I can't even believe its been that long!

It seems like just yesterday i was in fourth grade, sitting in my classroom when the teachers turned on the television to hear the news that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.

Now, i don't remember very much because my parents made sure that all the newspapers and TV reports were hidden from us kids.

But now, September 11th is remembered in the most subtle, yet meaningful ways.

Yesterday at 7:50 outside on the football field, the ROTC, the principle Mr. Shaughnessy, a trumpet player from our band, and myself along with 100 or so other students and faculty held a commemorative ceremony dedicated to lives lost during 9/11. It was simple, yet as my principle and i said after, meaningful.

Then throughout the day, 4 bell were chimed followed by a requested moment of silence to signify the four plane crashes that day.

In orchestra we played a piece entitled Dedication. It was a sight-reading piece (meaning our first time as an orchestra reading through a piece of music with no pratice) But the seniors in the class have played it three times before. My orchestra director plays this every year with us as a memorial to the bravery of the firefighters and police who dedicated their lives to protecting our country.

Later that night we had our first home football game. While tailgating we saw a firetruck by the entrance of the field and an American Flag was raised above the gate. Then while walking in, all of the Superfans (a great club at LHS dedicated to cheering on our athletes) were given little american flags which were held, stuck in ponytails, head bands and proudly given to younger kids around the stadium.

Then, before the game, Mr. Shaughnessy gave a small speech and the choir proudly sung the national anthem.

Overall i am really proud to be an American and a Lafayette High School Student.

I want to ride my bicycle, i want to ride my bike

2009-09-02T20:39:00.003-05:00

For the first time in the almost eight years we have lived in Missouri i have ventured out onto the well paved, beautifully landscaped bike trail.

Today my youth group was cancelled, it was a beautiful 76 degrees, and i had finished all my homework.

So Shelby and i packed our two bikes into my car.

Yes, two bikes into the tiny Chrysler. Despite my dads insistence that they wouldn't fit, they fit perfectly!

Anyway, we drove down to the high school and rode our bikes a little over 6 miles.

A nice quick ride. It was beautiful and quite enjoyable.

We had such a great time, and now we're super sore and ready for our next "adventure"

Oh and i almost forgot, school.

2009-08-12T16:23:00.001-05:00

We went to orientation last monday and i finally got my schedule!!!!!!!

Study Hall

AP Psych

Physics

Finite Math

AP Spanish

AP Lang

Orchestra

Can't wait for senior year!!!!!!!!!!!

Summer Fun..... Part 2

2009-08-12T16:15:00.002-05:00

Wow, my last post was at the beginning of summer. Now i have six more days until school!!!

So other fun stuff this summer.

The cruise with my moms side of the family. That was the best vacation i've ever been on. I miss the ship a lot, and my cousins even more!!

Visiting my dad's side of the family along with allll of our old friends.

Girls Night and Day Out with Aunt Patty. One of the funniest dinners of my entire life.

The fray concert with my second cousins. That was fantastic!!!

Rock the river. 8 or so christian bands played under the arch. Me and my two friends went from 2pm till 9pm..... it was a long hot day, but totally worth it.

Parties... yeah, had one here at the pool for OSEP (or oscar according to aunt patty) and went to a tye-dye one for my friends 18th.

Dive in's at the pool. Those were fun. we watched Push at one and Race to witch mountain at the other.

Demolition Ball with my church. We went around on these bumper car things and shot with these scoops at goals. it was intense!!!

saw Harry Potter 6, that was impressive, i really liked it but i didn't read the book sooo yeah.

Yeah, so it's been a jam-packed summer, and now i'm heading off for a final fun weekend with my girls. It's a float trip camp out starting friday lasting till sunday. And tuesday is back to school!!

Summer Fun

2009-06-17T17:40:00.003-05:00

Wow. I have done so much this summer that i'm exhausted!!

I work at my dads from 7:15am to 11:15am every weekday except wednesdays

and i babysit from 12pm to4pm mondays wednesdays and fridays.

AND i give piano lessons on wednesday mornings (sometimes),

Even with all that work, i still have found time to do a lot of stuff.

Ultimate tuesdays are a great weekly event. We play in the dark, and we use different colored glow sticks for each team. It's a lot of fun (even for people like me who can't throw a frisbee at all!!) And it's free, which makes it all the better.

My mom and one of my good friends went to Shakespeare in the park in Forrest park st.louis. They performed The Merry Wives of Winsor. And it was fantastic!!! i thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely attend next summer and the summer after that, and the summer after that etc. They based the play in the 1920's but used Shakespeare's original text. and this, was also free.

I've gone swimming a ton this summer, because hey i have a pool in my backyard!

Last night jess and mom and i attended The Muny to see 42'nd street, which was amazing, really makes me wanna learn how to tap dance. This was not so free, but free for me because my dad bought the tickets for my mom's christmas present.

And this saturday some of my friends and i will be swing dancing! I am extremely excited for this, i've wanted to swing dance ever since i got back from FUS (they have swing dancing every sunday night) that's not free either, but it's only 8 bucks, for lessons and free dance time.

Then of course there's free concerts every thursday night at Bluebird Park. those are a ton of fun.

So i've had a pretty busy summer so far, and it's just getting started!

And the year comes to a close...

2009-05-20T16:38:00.003-05:00

Wow.

Junior Year is almost over, and i can't believe it.

The past month has been a whir of craziness, that i have forgotten to keep my reader updated on the on-goings of my life. (as if they really care to know)

Since my last post, lets see

track season came to close- which upsets me a lot because i miss running )plus i'm now not in shape... again)

I visited SLU - which i thoroughly enjoyed, and the visit did sway my opinion a bit. but i am still stuck on Franciscan University.

Saw Taylor Swift in concert, man can that girl put on a show! She was fantastic.

I went to prom - which was a blast.

And yeah delt with normal day-to-day stuff.

The seniors are done with school, as of tuesday.

That makes our high school empty and depressing, seeing as us underclassmen are forced to attend classes in which the teachers give us meaningless assignments to fill the time before finals, which will be a week from yesterday.

I can't believe it's almost summer. I am so excited.

I am working three jobs this summer... wooooo!

The Cruise is soooo soon and i am pumped!!!

In the Big apple for four days of fun

2009-04-14T21:47:00.002-05:00

My school orchestra left last thursday early (6am!!!) for NYC.

It was an AMAZING 4 days of musical genius...... and shopping.

There were 47 of us, and a few chaperones thrown in the mix.

We had a great time hanging around the city, seeing Phantom of the Opera on broadway, visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, walking through central park, and having crazy pillow fights in the hotel rooms.

We had a fun time discovering the importance of keeping your purses zipped, and your wallets in the front pocket of your pants.

We also discovered the tremendous amount of money needed to buy a simple hamburger.

We stayed up late, woke up early, and goofed around.

We found our favorite restaurant ( Astro's somewhere on 57th or 56th) where we ate like 3 times.

We took the subway, walked in the rain, and took a limo ride (just three of us did that) and performed a puppet show out the window of our 34th floor hotel room (it's illegal in NYC to perform a puppet show in the window, yeah we're rebels).

We celebrated Easter in St. Patricks Cathedral and planned an easter egg hunt in central park.

And why may you ask did we go for the fun four days to the city that never sleeps?

Our orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall along with 8 other orchestras and 9 other bands out of 200 that applied to play.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and brought tears to our directors eyes, not to mention my blubbering mother.

Now that it is all done and over, a few things came to mind as i got back to school:

we worked so hard for that, and now we're done. We've performed at Carnegie Hall, an acoustically perfect stage.

I also figured out that after spending 24 hours a day with these kids for 4 days straight it was very weird not to see them for a full 13-14 hours so seeing them at school was a relief!!

Anyway. Overall it was a blast, and i miss the city already.

Who says radio contests are just for the lucky??

2009-02-27T16:20:00.002-06:00

This morning i won my first ever radio contest! Yay!

So i woke up at six to the sound of 89.9 WLCA Wake Up Call, my favorite morning show, other than with John and Snickers.

This morning they were doing this thing where this guy would hit some other guy and the listeners would have to guess what he was hit with. They gave clues, and the first one to call in with the right answer wins.

They did this several times throughout the morning.

SOooooo.. my calls went something like this:

Call Number One for 2 Blue October Tickets:

Guy: 89.9

Me: Is it corn flakes??

Guy: No, but your close

-hangs up-

Guy: 89.9

Me: how about oatmeal

Guy: nooo but your close, try again

-hangs up-

Guy: 89.9

Me: So its not corn flakes, and its not oatmeal.... what the heck is it???

Guy: Uh, we already got a winner

Me: Darn

-hangs up-

The answer for this one was cereal.... which upsets me greatly because i really wanted BO tickets and corn flakes are cereal....

Next Hitting Item Hint: "just imagine a kid eating a messy snack, singing i love little debbie"

Call Number Two for 2 Slightly Stoopid tickets:

Guy: 89.9

Me: Ho Ho's?

Guy: Nope, but you're really close

-hangs up-

Guy: 89.9

Me: What about zebra cakes, or devil squares or...

Guy: Nope, but you're still close... did you say Ding Dongs?

Me: Sure... Ho ho's and ding dongs are the same thing

Guy: no they are not!

Me: yeah they are, except ho ho's are better

Guy: they are not the same thing!

Guy #2: who even makes ho ho's

me: i don't know who makes them

Guy #3: Your mom makes ho ho's

me: all i know is ho ho's are better than ding dongs

Guy #1: no they're not

Guy#2 (or 3 it was very loud in the studio): Have you even tasted one?

Me: a ho ho or a ding dong?

Guy #2 (again, or 3): both

me: yes, they are the same thing!!

Guy #1: DON'T BITE THE HAND THAT GIVES YOU FREE TICKETS

me: OK sorryyy.

That was my morning. So i have two tickets to see Slightly Stoopid on Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:00PM at the Pageant!! WOO!

FYI: i've never heard of this band, but hey, i like all music (except rap) so i'm open to this new band.

Standing on a well-worn soap box

2009-02-18T23:39:00.004-06:00

I was doing my Gov notes, when i came across the line "Nor can a State print or coin money or deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law." under the heading Powers Denied to the States.

Now, coming at it from a strictly Pro-Life stance, i immediately looked up the original text.

The original text, in the United States Constitution states:

Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights. Ratified 7/9/1868.
nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law

Now, keeping that in mind lets talk about sex.....

Day 1:
The sperm fertilizes the egg. The sperm and egg each carries half of the normal amount of genetic material (DNA.) After fertilization, the egg now has a full set of genes that is unique.
-Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Is this egg a baby?
many say yes.
many say no.

still don't think it's going to become life?

Week 3:
The inner, outer, and middle layers of cells are destined to become different tissues in the developing fetus, such as skin and nerves, intestines, and muscle. The heart has begun to pump; the brain and spinal cord begin as a tube-like structure.
-Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Most pregnancies can be detected by ultrasound in typically 4-5 weeks.
So by the time a woman even realizes it is time to have an abortion the baby's heart is already beating.

Is this egg a baby?
many say yes.
many say no.

but NOBODY can deny that this egg will BECOME a baby. Nobody can deny the fact that if let growing for nine months this egg will become a human being.

Why would a woman get an abortion?
because she doesn't want a baby.
because the egg is going to become a baby.
by getting an abortion she is stopping the life from developing.

A short story if you will.

16 year old Mary Reeves is a junior at Dunvar High in Michigan. She is in the top 10% of her class. She is on Varsity soccer and starts every game. She is not only involved in community service, but in her school as well. She is Student Council President and well-loved by her friends.

But Mary Reeves does not exist.

Because her mother made a small mistake, and then decided to get an abortion.
Mary's mother was not ready to create a life.

Now, answer me honestly
Did Mary's mother deprive her of her life?
The answer is yes.
Mary's life was deprived.

I don't care if you are Pro-life or Pro-choice or pro-i don't care what's going on
the truth is that Mary was an egg with a full set of genes that was unique.
She was going to watch TV.
Se was going to swim.
She was going to go to the prom.
She was going to get married.
But now she can't.
Because her life has been stopped.

Now, going back to my earlier point.
The state CANNOT deprive a person of life...
They cannot deprive a person of life.

you agree that Mary's life was deprived.

So if the state or the nation creates a law stating that abortion is legal
THEY ARE DEPRIVING PEOPLE OF LIFE

and i now step off the soap box.

Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired

2009-02-05T20:13:00.004-06:00

The cold epidemic has hit my high school.
It's been wonderful.
But... i have a theory.
I believe i know how this horrible thing started.
You see, on the 26th of January it snowed. A lot. And even high school teenagers become like children when it snows. So we wished and prayed, and dreamed for a snow day, and what do you know..?
there had been enough oranges out in the yard that night!
So of course everyone goes and plays outside, myself included.
Although i must say sledding on a frozen lake was so fun, my immune system was definitely weakened.
Though i did not know it, nor did anyone else, but my body's defenses were slowly being destroyed.
Then the next day, a snow day, yet again.
So of course everyone goes and plays outside again, myself included.
Although i must say building a snowman on a frozen lake was so fun, my immune system was yet again weakened.
So when i and my fellow snow-mates got back to school that thursday, disaster struck.
Someone had a cold, and since our body's were no longer up for the challenge of beating down virus's, they surrendered our body to alien bacteria.
Now people are dropping like flies....
not really, but a bunch of people are sick.

Anyway,... so that is how the epic battle of student vs. virus began.
thank you very much.

Dinner at my house... when my mother isn't home...

2009-01-22T06:16:00.002-06:00

Dinner at my house... when my mother isn't home...
Heres what goes down:
"Ok kids, you kind of have to fend for yourselves for dinner, i gotta run to the school."
So... there is pizza for chris and i (wheat free of course!)
So jess and i unwrap these delicious looking thin crusted, lightly cheesed pieces of crud and put them on the counter... we take out extra mozzarella cheese in order to 'spruce it up a bit'
Jessica proceeds with eating the mozzarella off the top of the pizza while i clean the mess and shove a handful of mozzarella in my mouth.... i almost puke....
"does this taste bad to you," i ask and i look a jess who then screams at the volume of a fright train...
"THERE'S MOLD!!!!"
Now at this point in our story, we are both spitting mozzarella out of our mouths, while our pieces of crud are being melted with moldy cheese in the toasty oven.
"OH NO!!!"
we grab the pizza's out of the oven and dump the moldy cheese into the bin.
So then all is calm... but we both feel like throwing up, so we eat peanut butter.
Then we start talking for like 30 minutes....
I look up at the oven... "CRUD CHECK THE PIZZA"
we throw open the door, and..
two burnt pieces of crap... i mean... really burned.
Jessica runs to the intercom and screams down to christopher
"THE DARN PIZZAS ARE BURNED!!"
"what???"
"THE DARN PIZZAS ARE BURNED!!!!!!"
"what???????"
so then chris and i try to eat the pizza (just the insides)....
shelby is meanwhile creating a little noodle bowl for herself, when she all of a sudden she screams
"NOOOOOO.... what happens when you don't put vegetable oil in the noodles"
i look over, she had managed to get all off the oil from the little pre-packaged pouch everywhere except her bowl..
So.. to make everyone feel better, we throw out the pizza, and get out the ice cream!!!
which now has melted everywhere, because i felt the need to type this..

Want help with college?? Sign up for Zinch!!!

2009-01-17T15:30:00.001-06:00

Zinch is great!!!
Tell every high schooler you know to click on the link on my site, and i can win 500 dollars!!!!
Its a great way to get yourself out there to the college world.

"Zinch revolutionizes the current college recruitment process by allowing colleges to seek out and interact with high school students online, as a guest on the students' stage. The student's self-reported information being shared with colleges on Zinch is comprehensive--much more than a test score--and completely searchable. Zinch creates an environment in which in-depth student information can be made available to the colleges, thus enabling relevant college information to be made available to the student. Through Zinch, communication becomes more effective and interaction becomes more engaging on all ends."

you really can personalize your page to the dot. It is very specific, and very eye-opening for colleges. so help me, and yourself up by clicking on the picture on the left of the screen.

Please Pray for John Paul Forget

2008-12-18T17:22:00.005-06:00

Last night JP fell off a bridge into the Missouri river after his car spun out, attempting to save himself from an oncoming semi-truck. The entire story is here.

I met JP at a life night earlier this year. He gave a talk on prayer, and the importance of prayer in his life. Never have i seen a man more dedicated to his faith. I was impressed, as i recall, by how much he depended on God, and how much he knew about praying.

I remember he told us a story about how when riding his bike home after work one day, he was hit by a car. He fell off his bike and lay on the ground. While he was laying there he prayed feverishly to God asking to be kept alive. After what he recalled feeling like forever, the person who hit him came to help him.

I can't remember exactly what he said that night, but i just remember i was struck by the devotion to our Lord that this young man displayed.

Tonight St. Alban Roe is holding a community prayer at the church at 6:30pm. I will be attending, despite the fact that finals are tomorrow.

I still have hope he is still alive, and just like during the bike accident, in a period of time which feels like forever, his prayers will guide us to find him.

I ask you to please keep this amazing young man in your prayers, and his family. He was the oldest of thirteen children, and i can't imagine the emotion that his family is feeling right now.

So please keep them in your thoughts during this hard time.

8 DAYS??????

2008-12-17T15:02:00.002-06:00

Really... 8 days till Christmas??

I can't even believe it.

It seems as if time goes by faster each year. I can't even begin to comprehend the fact that i only have a year and a half left of high school. It's crazy how slow the days go by, yet it feels as if just yesterday i was walking into the high school on my first day of junior year. Now the semesters coming to a close and the new year is coming up. I am so amazed by how fast my life is going, and i feel like i'm hanging on to the end of a freight train headed who-knows-where.

Oh, the Wonders of a Wenis!!

2008-12-11T18:27:00.003-06:00

So tonight at dinner, several minutes ago, me and my sister were in hysterics because we discovered the lack of feeling in our elbow's.
Did you know that if you pinch your elbow you don't feel a thing?!?!?
whereas anywhere else on your body, that same pinch could inflict pain beyond measure.
Me and my sister had a ball twisting the skin on each other's elbows, and pinching them harder and harder until we couldn't anymore because we were laughing so hard tears blurred our vision.
Wow... we are such losers. Anyway, i just felt the need to blog about this curious mystery of the numb elbow....

Wow this year has flown past...

2008-12-09T13:25:00.003-06:00

It's almost 2009.... crazy isn't it?

What's even scarier is the fact that next week is finals.

NEXT WEEK.

I can't even begin to comprehend the fact that Christmas is 16 days away, never-mind having to process the scary realization that i have to study....

But finals aren't really that bad, the worst thing about them is having to sit still for two finals a day.... it stinks.

So what's on my plate.. at least 7 finals. (not too bad though, i mean for orchestra we had to play...... yeah, what a shocker!!) So really 6 finals.

SO today is a half day, i have a list of about 8 things i need to get done.... so today will be busy busy busy.

I also have the ACT this Saturday.... goodness gracious if i have to take that thing one more time i'm gunna strangle a penguin.

Jess and I were also invited to a holiday party with a bunch of girls this sat. night. WOW... crazy.

And tonight is Shelby's play, Aladdin...

So my week is BOOKED

how fun.

We'll see if i survive.

Vending machines.... (a.k.a. daemons sent from the underwold)

2008-11-10T16:25:00.003-06:00

So it was a fine and dandy day. Me and my sister had play practice after school, and we had cash, SO we decided it would be a wise decision to stack up on food for the night. So we ventured to the vending machine..... not a wise decision.
So... i wanted some very tasty looking sweet tart gummies. I proceeded to insert my crisp dollar bill into the slot. SO then i went on to press the buttons which correlated to my choice purchase (E10) I pressed "E" first ( so far so good) then i pressed "1" ( not so good) before i could even press the "0" button (which did not actually exist) the machine spit out a snickers.. (whose label was E1) I was angry, so very angry at that darned machine. i took the snickers out of spite and then proceeded to attain my sweet tart gummies. My sister was next in line, and she was in the bathroom and missed the entire E1 fiasco. so i go to get a drink and when i come back she is angry.... what happened i asked... she holds up a snickers bar " THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANTED"
i laughed so hard i almost burst.
Now we call those candies E10's, not sweet tart gummies, and we tell everyone to do the same.
That has been a joke for us that we enjoy every time we visit the daemon.
So today, the reason why i am writing this story now, i get a text from my friend.
it reads:

"I was going to buy some E10's
but i put in E 1 b/c i thought
you had to punch the 1 then
the 0.. so the machine gave
me a snickers which was okay..."

Oh dear, we had a good laugh

Election day off?

2008-11-04T12:03:00.002-06:00

since when do they give us election day off??? frankly i think it is stupid, because giving kids a day off of school does nothing. we don't vote, our parents do. and parents with younger kids now have their kids to deal with when trying to get out and vote. I just think it's stupid. Believe me i am oh so happy about having a day off, it is wonderful, but i really think it's stupid to give us a day off on election day.

Now i am not writing anything about politics, because i really don't have a say, and don't really care. which is really bad, i know, but i really don't have any power to change the votes. Hopefully McCain wins.

anyway today i am stuck at home, cleaning and doing chores.... finishing my laundry!! woo!!

Aunt Patty comes tomorrow!!! I AM SOOOOO PUMPED!!!!! i just can't wait! also tomorrow: my cousin is calling me.... hopefully... haha.

tonight going out to dinner for my friend's 17th birthday... still haven't decided what to get him, and his birthday's tomorrow!!

Animals do have brains....

2008-11-02T10:47:00.002-06:00

So last night i was babysitting my neighbors little girl. Who is sooo cute! anyway i put her to bed at around 7:30pm. ( i was surprised that she went to sleep without a fight, not even a single tear!!) so i was down in the kitchen studying math. Now before the parents had left, they had informed me of their Houdini hamster.... (her name is not actually Houdini, you'll soon see why she was called this) 'You see,' they said, 'last night the hamster got out twice, so just keep your eyes on it' Oh dear..... i have to watch a hamster.... i mean i love hamsters i think they are so cute, but if this one escapes i'm not to keen on spending my night chasing it around the house playing hide-n-seek. anyway... so sitting in the kitchen studying math. The dryer was on in the other room, so it was rather noisy. Then after about a half hour, the dryer went off.... now it was just me the silence, and the creepy little hamster. After a few minutes i hear a scratching noise. i get up walk over to the cage and find that the ingenious little hamster is at the back of the cage scratching at the lid. See, the type of cage they had was a sort of globe, and the top just slid up. so the little demon hamster was smart enough to figure out how to open it. Luckily, the humans were smarter and taped the cage. So i walk over there and the little thing looks up with me, acting all innocent..... so he real quick scampers up the tube and sits at the top in his little nest thingy. I go back and sit down and after about ten minutes i hear this scratching noise again.... it was the crazy hamster!!!! What in the world was she thinking??? that i had disappeared and wouln't catch her? so i went over and tapped on the cage.. she looked up at me like 'whaatt?!?!?!?'

so my night consisted of playing 'i see you' with a hamster....
so animals do have brains....
cute story i read in a magazine the other day:
a brother and sister chimpanzee lived together in a zoo. They had tasks to do, and one of these included making a knife out of rock. The brother, because he was older and stronger, could make it easily. so he made it cut the rope and got the banana that fell from it. Then he proceeded to give the knife to his sister. but the trainer wouldn't allow it, she had to make her own. So b4 the trainer took the brother out of the room, he quickly hid the knife under a bush. When the sister was asked to make the knife to receive her food, she found the knife her brother had left an used it.

Wow... animals are amazing!!

What do i do with myself?

2008-10-23T16:32:00.002-05:00

I miss the play. so much. maybe not so much the play, but the staying after school with a bunch of great kids.

I mean, after you spend 6 1/2 weeks with a group of kids everyday after school, you get kind of attached. This past week has been weird. I go straight home.... it's weird how much time i have. I also miss seeing all my theatre friends. I saw a couple today, like 4 consecutively and i was shocked by how much i missed them. It was really a great experience, no wonder people invest so much time into it.

Oh well, the musical will be starting soon. That's my next project.

Oh cool news,
me and Jess have decided we are going to be in the variety show. We are doing Love Song by Sara Bareilles, i am playing the piano and Jess is singing!!!

That's basically it.

Lights, Camera, Action

2008-10-18T11:26:00.002-05:00

The play 'Our Town' went off without a hitch, we had an amazing and spledid opening night. No major lines were lost, nobody triped, we did have a minor sound problem, but the audience seemed to enjoy it and the cast had a blast!

Just want to talk a little about Wiki's

2008-10-06T21:00:00.005-05:00

I'm sure you've heard about Wikipedia before. It's super popular, but at my school in ALARP class we have been trained to automatically say "UNRELIABLE" at any mention of the cursed w-word. Why is it unreliable, well anyone can change it. I can get on right now and type up any bull i want and post it. Yes, there are monitors for that kind of thing, but still it makes me feel uneasy about using information of such a site. But i am not writing this to beat up on Wikipedia, however i am here to praise and glorify the wonderful Wiki. My AP Lit teacher just set one up for us recently. The wiki enables us students to work as a group and post answers to questions and pomp ts online. The you can go in edit and re-post. It is an easy and efficient way to collaborate without being face to face. I have a feeling that the wiki will become important, and i also believe that facebook will soon be creating applications in which you upload entire documents online. I also have a feeling that facebook will soon rule our lives, but that's just a side note.

Anyway, just wanted to get that little plug in there, but if you ever have the chance to use a wiki i highly encourage it, they are so useful! just beware of wiki-wars.

My youtube account

2008-10-04T13:03:00.004-05:00

Hey, look me up on youtube my user name is CapnTink13, i got a few videos in there and i just started a series about the RV trip. So check me out!

Homecoming Week!

2008-10-04T12:50:00.002-05:00

It's been a crazy whirlwind of events since last weekend. Tuesday was dress as your favorite athlete day. I wore the soccer jersey from Italy that my mom had bought. That night was hall decorations which is always a crazy mess, but a ton of fun. Our theme for Homecoming this year was: It's all Greek To Me. For freshman they had Greek heroes as their hallway theme, sophomores had Greek architecture, juniors (WOO class of '10) had Greek mythical creatures and seniors had Gods and Goddesses. My boyfriend made a huge Medusa head that went at the front of out doorway, snakes and all. It was insane huge, probably a good 8 feet tall. Wednesday was Toga day, i passed up on dressing for that one. Thursday was pj day and Powder Puff. Senior women vs. junior women flag football. It was so much fun. In the morning we all run through the halls screaming and chanting and having fun pushing the seniors around. That night the game was insane so much energy is involved with a bunch of teenage girls playing football under the lights.
Friday was spirit day, of course and the game and the parade. I rode with the orchestra float and we had THE BEST float. We had three guys in our class play the drums, electric guitar, ad bass, and our awesome teacher (Mr. G) played the electric violin. It was great, except i swear i ruptured my ear drum. I couldn't hear anything after sitting on the float behind the drums for 45 min. We won the game, and had sooo much fun at Superfans tailgating. All in all it's been a crazy eventful week, the dance is tonight and i am sooo excited. My mom is doing my hair, makeup, nails, and all that fancy stuff. My date is coming at 4 we take pix and go to our friends house to meet the rest of our friends (26 people or something crazy like that) and take more pictures. We have dinner reservations at 6 at Villa Farotto's and then the dance starts at 7:30. I'm having an after party at my house, and who knows when that will end.
Well, now i have to get ready! I am super excited. I also had a soccer game this morning at 9:30, i scored the only goal, but we lost 4-1. So my wonderful mother let me buy a Monster at the gas station. So i WILL be up all night, and have enough energy to stay awake!!

It's been a WEEK!

2008-09-15T17:59:00.002-05:00

Oh my dear, i am oh so very sorry. I am such a terrible blogger. I really need to be more prompt about these posts. But i have an excuse. The power went out Sunday morning and didn't come back on till this morning at 5. It made for an interesting day of entertainment. No Internet, my phone was dead with no way to charge it (other then waste my car's battery), and the TV wouldn't turn on. So me and my two friends made a spoof on Dora (it will be premiering in a couple of weeks). You don't know what you got till its gone. I guess that's true because when the power came back on this morning it was like i was awarded a million dollars. How great;y i appreciate being able to shower, let alone in the light.

What did Hurricane Gustav do!?!?!??!

2008-09-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

Ever since that stupid hurricane came in it's been weird weather here in St. Louie. It's a little brisk and cool one day, and humid and stick yet still cool the next. Now i feel another storm coming on..... Why does mother nature have to be pms-ing all the time?!?

Stephanie Meyer is maaddd.....

2008-09-08T18:22:00.002-05:00

Stephanie Meyer, the world renowned author of the Twilight Series, was planning on releasing Midnight Sun (The Twilight book rewritten in Edward's perspective). I say planning because she is no longer going to publish it. In fact she is no longer going to finish it. Some jerk who had the transcript put it online and when she found out she was very very angry. She said, "I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being... In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely."

Whatever jerkface did this should pay. I think it is despicable that he/she posted it online. I mean it's one thing if you have a copy of a draft, but to give it out so he/she ruins it for everybody else???? come on!!!

That leaves Meyer's fans (including me) very angry as well. I know i was thrilled to hear about Midnight Sun, i mean who wouldn't want to read about Edwards thoughts!!! Anyway, when i heard the talk at school that the entire (unfinished) manuscript was online i was confused. Why in the world would she do that???

I think it is crazy the amount of crap you can get away with online. I mean in personal finance right now we're learning about phishing and pharming, and i just find it plain creepy how people can sneak around the Internet without you knowing it.

Now what i will add to this is my thoughts on Myspace and Facebook. First of all i think Myspace is unsafe. The way that it is set up has no room for privacy and i don't like the lack of security. Facebook on the other hand, i think is a lot safer. The security can be adjusted to whatever setting you want and you are your own administrator. you filter everything that is coming in and out. You can delete friends, and add them, and you can make sure that only what you want is on there.

Now that's enough plug on that. I am trying to convince my parents to let me and my sister on Facebook, but so far no advances have been made.

Anywho... In words from the Theatre, Jess and I have been promoted!! Woo! We are now the highly advanced roles of Baseball player #1 and Baseball player #3. We have lines, i have 3 and Jess had 1 or 2. Yes, it's very exciting.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

2008-09-04T22:21:00.005-05:00

I stumbled across this super cool site.

You type in your name and they give you all these weird facts about it. I don't understand half of the things they say, but some facts are pretty cool:

Top 5 Facts:

36% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 47.7% have a higher vowel make-up. This means you are averagely envoweled. i didn't know envoweled was a word... and according to my spell check, it's not!!

Backwards, it is Rolyat Yelof... nice ring to it, huh? i knew that already. Rolyat sounds like your rolling in fat... woopie!

In Pig Latin, it is Aylortay Oleyfay. heehee oleyfay!

In ASCII binary it is...01010100 01100001 01111001 01101100 01101111 01110010 00100000 01000110 01101111 01101100 01100101 01111001 wow... that sounds smart and intelligent.

People with this first name are probably: Male or female... We don't know yet. We're working on it! hey i'm a female!

3 Things You Didn't Know:

Your personal power animal is the Angora Rabbit hmmmmm what the heck is that?

Your 'Numerology' number is 1. If it wasn't bulls**t, it would mean that you are ambitious, independent, and self-sufficient. Although you are generally happy, loving, dynamic and charismatic, you can sometimes be egotistical, selfish and melodramatic. haha if you ask my theatre friends i'm sure melodramatic would be the first word they would say that describes me, no joke.

According to the US Census Bureau°, 0.036% of US residents have the first name 'Taylor' and 0.021% have the surname 'Foley'. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there are 23 Americans who go by the name 'Taylor Foley'.. a bit creepy if you ask me... i mean i think i should have a Taylor Foley convention and meet all the others who share my glorious title! by the way i am special because i looked up christophers name and there are 654 Americans who go by the name 'Christopher Foley'!!!! sweet!

Angora Rabbit huh... well i guess the hair sort of matches:

So anyway, thought that might be interesting to post! ah alas... i must be off to finish slaving away on my AP Lit essay revisions. I will most likely be typing away for several more hours to come. So wish me luck.

There are no small parts, just small actors...

2008-08-23T13:05:00.002-05:00

So yesterday me and my sister stayed after school to audition for the school play Our Town. If you haven't heard of it, i'm surprised because it's preformed like every 6 seconds... It's crazy popular.
Anyway, it was my second audition for a Lafayette Production and my sister's first. The procedure was: cold read three times. You can read either duet scenes or monologues. Jess and I read two scenes together and we both did a monologue separately.
It's been a while since i've acted, and i couldn't believe how much i missed it. I really enjoy being on a huge stage, lights blinding me and reading someone's words trying to stir up some crazy emotion.
well the auditions started at around 3:30pm and lasted till 5:30pm... the cast list was posted at 6pm. The auditions had been going on since Tuesday and i kind of feel bad for the drama teacher (Slav as we call her), but i guess that is her job.
So Jess and I had a baby siting job at six and couldn't stay to see the cast list. We were pretty upset and didn't want to wait the entire weekend to see it so we asked our friend to call us.
Later that night i received a phone call and was informed that me and Jess had made it! To the glorious parts of: townspeople....
...
...
...
...
I was just thrilled to make it, i mean you have to start somewhere! Jess is a little disappointed, but i told her there are no small parts, just small actors... she looked at me and said whats a small actor.... wow.

So rehearsal starts Tuesday. this Tuesday. Woo!

Vampirized Cats

2008-08-21T17:28:00.005-05:00

I just read an article on STLtoday that made me laugh, check it out. It's by Bob Rybarczk and i think he is just a fantastic writer. He makes me laugh, and i wish my writing could be as good as his. However, it isn't and i will continue in my mediocricy.

The Host

2008-08-20T17:42:00.002-05:00

I just finished The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I was extremely surprised and pleased with this book.
If you don't know Stephanie Meyer is the fantastic woman who came up with the Twilight series. They are a humongous hit, and the Twilight movie is coming out in December. A funny tid bit about Twilight: So when i first read it there was no big hubbub on it. Nobody was asking me have you read Twilight yet? Nobody was fantasizing about Edward or pitying Bella. I swear me and my sister were the first major fans. One thing you can measure this by is i had to WAIT for each book. I finished twilight and was itching for New Moon, i finished New Moon and was screaming for Eclipse, when i found out Breaking Dawn was the last book i almost died waiting for that baby to come out. Once me and my sister read Twilight we were immediately in love. With Edward (the gorgeous vampire) with the plot, and with all the other characters as well. We talked it up, and the fire spread. everywhere..... Now its a big hit and everyone is like obsessed!

So anyway. Back to The Host. As i said before i was very surprised. I read this excepting a love romance, but thought the romance played a key role, the book was not focused around it as in Twilight. I was taken aback by how though out the plot was and how interesting the "sci-fi'ness" of it was. I mean who thinks up a world where there are more than 9 planets, and souls who have taken over every single one, including earth. Oh but they aren't here to destroy us, but to help us. They have no government, no police, no money.... its crazy. Yet there are the rebels (go humans!) which is where the story comes in.

I was surprised with the amount of information Meyer had created. Everything was in depth and ...well amazing!
I have to admit, it was a bit hard to read. So much information and not enough action. But the last 20 chapters or so were so intense and so amazing that the book is now my favorite (other than The Book Thief).

Read it!!

LOTR: Lady of the Rings

2008-08-19T18:04:00.005-05:00

Do you know that game where you come up to someone from behind and cover their eyes and they proceed to guess who it is? Well i hate that game. Because i always lose... every time.

That's because if you know me, you know my rings. I wear four rings all the time, never take them off, ever. well..... here:

It began with the forging of the Great Rings.

One ring was given to the left ring finger immortal, wisest...fairest of all fingers:
My purity ring. Yay for Jesus, that's why i have it. Promise ring, whatever you call it. I wear it on my wedding finger and it's silver, my favorite. I've had it since July of 2007. I bought it at Steubenville(the church retreat i go on). I love it sooo much. It reads: True Love Waits.

One ring given to the right ring finger a great miner and craftsman of the mountain halls:
Well this is my class ring. I paid a lot of money for this pretty baby. I love it oh so very much. Before i had it i wore my mom's big chunky gold class ring, even though i hate gold with a passion. I just really love the old style rings. I think it's stupid when people buy super fancy pretty class rings that people can't even tell it's your class ring. Anyway. Mines silver (white lustrium actually) it's got a pretty light blue stone and it says Lafayette High School around it, 2010 on one side with a cross, and Taylor on the other side with strings. I've had it since around April of 2008.

And one...one ring was gifted to the right pinkie finger who, above all else, desires power:
This little one was introduced just recently and it's sooo pretty. I already talked about it once on my other blog because i bought it in death valley. It's silver, of course, and made of little hearts connected together. It's so cute, but it's a little too big for me. I can't tell you how many times it's fallen off my finger and i've had a heart attack thinking i lost it.

For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each finger. But they were all of them deceived....for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the left middle finger forged in secret a Master Ring to control all others:
Haha yeah right.... Well this ring is just a baby, i've had it for about 4 days now. It's a little bubbly looking cross with a purple stone in the middle. I bought it at Family Christian on clearance for like 5 bucks. I really like it.

So. I am always on the look out for rings. I like 'em real simple, nothing too fancy. But i LOVE rings. its an obsession of mine just thought i'd share that since i've got nothing else really to talk about. and i just threw in Lord of the Rings references.

So if someone ever covers your eyes, just look at the fingers.... if there four rings, it's most likely me.

My next conquest is:

Insomniac...? Naw it's just some pent up energy!

2008-08-17T10:30:00.006-05:00

Well last night i went to bed at 10:30ish. I woke up a 1:00am because i have about a million bug bites all over me. However, i couldn't fall back asleep. I changed my clothes, put caladryl all over me and tried to fall back asleep. no luck. I decided to go for reading,. that always makes me tired. So i grabbed my Stephenie Meyer book The Host and dove in...

At 3am i decided this wasn't working so i got out of bed and wandered downstairs. I watched the Olympics for a bit, and i got a kick out of it. Normally when you try to watch TV at 3 in the morning there's nothing on but paid programming and Murder She Wrote, so i was happy to be able to watch some soccer. Then i watched the Notebook, thinking i would doze off. no luck.

By the time i was finished it was time for me to eat and head off to work (yard work of course) So now its 10:35 and i am still not tired.

I was very confused because i normally would crash, but then i remembered. I had a monster last night at like 8. Oh no..... I will feel the crash later on.

Energy drinks just really keep me up. They are sooo bad for me and by posting this i'm sure mis padres are not going to be too happy. But this is my warning. Don't drink those darn enegry drinks if you want to actually get some shut eye.

Gaming...

2008-08-15T18:06:00.004-05:00

In Psychology we were debating whether or not playing violent video games cause a person's aggressive behavior.
Well, for me i believe it's a whole debate on nature vs. nurture. If you're taught it's wrong, you're not gunna pull a gun on someone because you've been playing Halo 3 for 2 days straight. I think its something psychologically deeper (being aggressive that is) but i do think that environment plays a key role in shaping an individual.
But that's not why I'm posting this.
I just wanted to share games i find interesting/fun/challenging.

The first one i want to mention is Fashion Solitaire. Me and my younger brother have been playing it for about 2 hours. Well I've been playing and he's been a tremendous helper...
It seemed stupid at first, but it makes your brain hurt by level 9..... The whole point is to dress models up but the clothing is all separated on cards. The cards only appear if you take the one on top off. Hence, Fashion Solitaire.

The next one is Patchworkz. This one has been my favorite for a long time. I'm sure my Aunt Patty would get kick out of it, because of the quilting background!! It is one of the most peaceful games, it really calms me down. Very monotonous not a lot of energy or attention involved, yet it still keeps your brain sharp.

Carrie the Caregiver is my all time favorite game because it's tough. It keeps your senses sharp and you have to be on top of it to get ahead. I love it. You have to take care of a nursery by feeding the babies, changing their diapers and all that fancy stuff.

As you can see i won't be expressing my aggressive attitudes any time soon. I really don't enjoy chopping off peoples heads in video games....

What are your favorite non-violent games?

School's back.....

2008-08-12T20:27:00.003-05:00

I remember a time when i used to get super excited for school. Unfortunately that naive joy is over, and i am dreading going to school tomorrow. It's not because I'm nervous about my classes, or getting lost, or forgetting my locker combo, or forgetting pants.... Its just I'm not ready to work just yet. I need a little more relaxation time, a little more, sleeping-by-the-pool, reading-useless-romance-novels, worry-free summer. Ah well, i will be going to school tomorrow bright and early at 7am.
Here's what i have to look forward to:

DRIVER EDUCATION
PSYCHOLOGY
WG PRE-CALCULUS
WG SPANISH IV
PERSONAL FINANCE
WG AP ENG LITERATURE & COMPOSITION
SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA
CHEMISTRY

Oh, i have good news (might be scary for some, including my parents). I have my permit! Yes. That's enough about that.

I had something else i wanted to talk about, but it has completely left my mind. Oh well.

Oh wait, i remember.
I saw the Mummy; Tomb of the Dragon Emperor last night. I have to say i was a bit disappointed. It looked good in the previews, but i didn't think the movie was all that good. I really hated the special effects, i thought it was all a bit cheesy.
Just thought I'd throw that in there.

All right off to bed for me, big day tomorrow.....

My Christmas when i am 30 years old

2008-08-10T21:36:00.005-05:00

For a Christmas party all contestants had to write a story/poem/song/letter of a Christmas when they were/will be 30. It was a secret Santa so you had to leave clues about who you were. I thought I'd post mine to share.

Seated in my living room with my robe and fuzzy slippers I was snuggled down on the coach with a cup of cocoa and a good book. It was late, and I knew I should be getting to bed, but the book was good and the fire was warm. My eye lids drooped as I slowly fell into deep slumber. Then I woke up in a king sized bed with a man lying beside me. I nudged him and he woke up, still drowsy with sleep. “Get up, we’re going shopping” I said. It was the first weekend in December and I was determined to have all my Christmas shopping done before Christmas Eve. Shopping is my favorite part of the holiday; it really puts you in the giving mood. I had several trillion people to shop for; family, friends, coworkers, the mailman. My husband and I had vowed that we would make a list of things to buy, and get it all done this weekend. Knowing us and our lack of focus, it will not be accomplished. I slipped out of bed and threw on jeans, a sweatshirt and my good old tennis shoes. I needed to be comfortable so I didn’t care what I looked like.

I walked down the hallway into the small kitchen and put some toast in the toaster. The house smelled like Christmas, all the poinsettias, scented candles and pine needles filled the house with the most welcoming aroma. Decorations are another favorite part of the holiday. My mom taught me how to hang a stocking before I could walk, and how to make a Christmas tree look store bought before I could write the alphabet. My small house was decked out from head to toe with the Christmas necessities; little singing snowmen, wreaths, stockings, candles, and of course The Tree. My husband staggered into the kitchen and looked at me with a troubled expression. He didn’t want to shop; I guess it’s just not a “guy thing”. Before eight am we were in the car and headed to Target. First stop was to buy mom and dad a new camera, and of course we couldn’t forget the siblings. On the way back I blasted the radio with 102.5 Christmas music, signing off key the entire way home. My husband reluctantly joined me as we screamed the words to Jingle Bells.

Back at our house I decided it was time to bake cookies. I love to bake! Anything with chocolate and icing is perfect. I took out the cookie mixes and we went to work. By the time we finished, 3 hours later, I was sick from eating the cookie dough, and the kitchen was a mess. My hubby and I retreated into the living room and collapsed on the coach to watch my favorite Christmas movie of all time. How the Grinch Stole Christmas on abc was a family tradition. By the time Cindy Lou had finished her little solo song I was out like a light. Oh sweet sleep, my best friend. I woke up with a crick in my neck. The book on my chest fell onto the floor as I sat up rubbing my eyes. The fire had died down, but the embers were still glowing hot. I stood up, slightly confused, and went to build up the fire. I can build a pretty mean fire, if I do say so myself. In a few seconds I had the flames roaring back to life, and I went back to the couch and began to read. "What if it be a poison, which the friar subtly hath minister'd to have me dead, Lest in this marriage he should be dishonour'd…"

I woke up with a start in my king sized bed as the alarm beeped like crazy. I walked towards the alarm clock which read 5:15. Another day at work, I moaned. Work isn’t too bad though, the kids are great and I love acting like I’m still a teen in school. However, today was the last day before Christmas break and I knew these kids would be stoked. I looked out the window and realized it had snowed; oh more fun for the kids. I put on slacks and my winter sweater grabbed my bag, made a cup of tea, kissed my husband and got into my car. When I got back home I was excited, finals were over and all I had to do was grade some essays and I was done till next year. I called my husband and asked if he wanted to go call for Chinese, he hungrily agreed. I ordered half the things on the menu, and started packing for our trip down to St. Louis. My mom and dad invited us down there for the holiday, and I wouldn’t miss that for the world. The whole family was coming in town, and I knew mom, with her great cooking, would stuff us up with all the best food. My husband came home and we ate our yummy dinner.

The next day we got ready to leave. When the car was packed, and I had gotten my mp3 player fully charged we set off on the 5 hour drive to good old MO. Even though I hadn’t lived my entire live in MO, I had spent enough Christmas Holidays there that it felt like I’d lived there my entire life. On the drive down I remembered the Christmases when I was a kid. Lining up in a train, with me in the back (being oldest has its disadvantages), and running down stairs to see what Santa had left. We’d spend all day opening up the thousands of presents, but we never forgot to thank god for sending Jesus to us. That was one memory that never seemed to fade. My parents would wake us up in the morning and give us all “religious presents”. These were little reminders of what the day was really meant to celebrate. I fell asleep as we crossed the Mississippi, and woke up in my living room, the sun shining through the huge windows behind me. It was Christmas eve and I ran upstairs to wake up my sister. We then ran downstairs and got ready for our annual Christmas play. As I told her about the dream I had, we laughed at how silly it was. “Who was your husband??” she asked while giggling. “Who knows” I said, “but he was definitely a cutie!” Then she asked, “Do you think that's really what will happen.” I answered “If it does, I’m glad when I’m thirty I’ll still be having Christmas with our family”

Dora made me cry...

2008-08-07T19:33:00.005-05:00

I know i already posted today, but i was just babysitting my little neighbour. We were watching Dora The Explorer's Friendship day episode, and it made me cry. Seriously. it made me think about all the Friends i had made at WLC, and i was so upset.... I know that sounds babyish but that just goes to show you how much i love all the kids i met!!!! She was all, singing about friends around the world and i was like.... :( !!!!

so just thought i'd let my peeps know just how much i miss them, i mean if you cry watching Dora.....

What I Spend Money On

2008-08-07T17:19:00.004-05:00

I was searching for a topic for my blog today when i stumbled upon this guy's blog. He had a list of 100 blog ideas so i thought i'd try this one.

What i spend my money on.....
well...
During the summer i don't really spend a lot of my money. We all know those girls who go to the mall and buy out every store and come back with 10 bags of shoes, shirts, and those cute little earring that were on sale. But i really don't like spending money at the mall. I actually hate it. I always feel bad because i walk out of the mall with nothing...
During the school year however, i have a big problem. You see at our school we have a store called Lancer's Landing, and they sell all kinds of stuff, from binders and note cards, to coffee and muffins, they have it all. The problem is... they sell candy. And that's my sweet spot, literally. I can't help myself; i buy candy like crazy. My friends all know that if they come to me and ask, I've got something sweet in my purse to share. It's a big problem.
The funniest thing is, i gave up candy and chocolate for lent and during that 40 day period i had so much more money because i wasn't spending any of it!!!
So i need to cut down on my sugar spending if i want to pay for gas....
speaking of, i am definitely going to get my permit tomorrow! If i don't then you can shoot me... well don't do that. But i'm prepared and i have to get it before school starts (for drivrs ed... wooo)
So anyway. Until i start driving i probably will continue to spend money on stuff that rots my teeth.

What is the most exciting thing that ever happened to you?

2008-08-06T18:07:00.004-05:00

The most exciting thing that has ever happened to me, happened last week in Washington D.C. I got to travel to D.C. for 9 days meet people from all 50 states and around 14 different countries. I got to listen to amazing professionals speak passionately about their jobs. I was able to see D.C. and all its glory, the senate building, the capitol, Vietnam memorial, Lincolns memorial, South Korea memorial, and of course the city itself. I was able to cheer, and lose my voice. I was able to work with 5 and 6 year olds at the Boys and Girls club and teach them about Malaria with the Nothing But Nets foundation. (they put a whole article on their website)

i got the chance to see Mike Huckabee, and Hilary Clinton. I was able to make amazing friends, and memories that will last me a life time.
I bet you're thinking, Ok sounds good, sign me up. Well, this was an amazing adventure and it all started with the HOBY award i mentioned in my other blog around... May 17th . I went to the HOBY MO and had an amazing... i mean OUTSTANDING time. I wanted more, so my mom worked her but off to get me signed up for the 2008 Hugh O'brien Youth Leadership World Leadership Congress (aka HOBY WLC).
Lets just say it was the most amazing experience of my life.

My favorite day of the week?

2008-07-14T19:18:00.003-05:00

Lets see...
Sundays are great because i get to go to church. Yes, get to, not have to! Mass is my favorite thing to do ever, other then Adoration. I love Life Teen Mass at my church and i definitely missed going every week while i was on my RV Trip for five weeks. So Sundays are great because of that.
Mondays are gross... i hate Mondays. Mondays mean a new week of school, but it's not the school that i hate. its getting up early after a weekend. eeewww.
Tuesdays are not so good either. I think of them as the forgetful days. Because it always seems like on Tuesday i forget what day of the week it is. Sometimes i think it's Monday which can be a good thing, because when i find out its not i feel better. But then other times... well i think its a Wednesday, or even.... a Thursday. And that just stinks.
Wednesdays are Hump Days!!!! No not that kind, get your mind out of the gutter!!! But its the middle of the week, your half way in half way out!! I also love Wednesday because i go to church again for youth group. That's always a plus in my week.
Thursdays are like Tuesdays... forgettable. nuff said bout that!
Fridays... *sigh* I LOVE Fridays. You don't worry about getting HW done, because you don't have to go back to school for like 2 days!!! You can stay out late and not have to suffer the consequences at school the next morning.
Saturdays are great too, because again you don't worry about getting HW done, because you don't have to go back to school for like 1 day!!!
So that brings us back to Sundays, which is cram day. cram in all your HW and studding that you put off the entire weekend!

So my favorite..... Fridays!!!

10 things I want to do in life

2008-07-10T20:24:00.003-05:00

These are in no particular order... they are just randomly chosen from my scattered brain...

1) Camino De Santiago de Compostela. An amazing and historic trail in Spain/France. I would love to be able to backpack through those two countries and get something momentous out of it. (you get a certificate if you finish it on foot, it takes about a month) If anyone wants to do it, let me know we can leave tomorrow!!
2)Skydiving! My girl scout troop has been wanting to do this forever, and both my Aunt and Uncle have skydived (they actually met that way.) It has been something I've always wanted to do because i want to fly... doesn't everyone?!?
3) Travel in Space. i thought I'd continue on the track of flying... Wouldn't it be the most amazing thing to see earth, our home, from millions of feet in the air. It would be the most wonderful experience, also remember it would be great to feel weightless!!
4)Swim with dolphins. This has been my dream since i was 3 or 4. We went to Sea World in Florida when i was much younger and i was chosen to be part of the dolphin show. They let me pet the dolphins, and then asked (when i was fully clothed) if i wanted to jump in. Of course they were kidding, but i knew what i wanted and i wanted to swim with those dolphins darnit!!! They crushed my dreams... rained on my parade and i will never ever forget that!
5)Go to college. Particularly Notre Dame. I am just so pumped for the experience of all-night studying bad food and not enough money.
6)Get married. Well i guess that just follows in line after college. not much to say about that... my sister says I've already met the guy i am going to get married to. She is an excellent palm reader...
7)Have kids. I love them. I want to be a mom more than anyone i know, except maybe my crazed palm reading sister.
8)Be on a Game Show. I just think they are funny. Especially the Japanese ones, those are the best.
9)Be in a movie. Who doesn't want to be famous. But i don't really want the fame, i want to act. Acting is so much fun, and why not be in a movie!!
10)Write a book. I started a book, actually three.... yeah that didn't work out too well... i just don't have enough patience to sit and write down all my thoughts.
I am sure there are more i can write down and if i think of any i will come back and edit it. Please tell me what you want to do in life, i'd love to know!!

Now Presenting....

2008-07-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

After my RV trip ended i now need a new hobby, well just a new blog. My dad said it wasn't a good idea to have two blogs but i am a rebel, actually i am rule-abiding good girl but i like to show my evil side once in a while....
Anyway this is the new blog that I've decided to create. A lot of family and friends have told me i should look into writing as a career so i am just going to type some answers to writing prompts for fun!
Enjoy reading my randomness...