April 23rd 2012

          I feel so terrible that it's been so long since I've posted!!! I tried to write something last weekend, but I just got so busy GETTING MY WOHELO and stuff. It was such an awesome ceremony! An awesome week, really.
          Monday night we picked up Nate at the airport and got a room at the hotel right outside the parking lot. But since Nate had been sitting down for five hours, he wasn't really interested in going to bed right away. So we went hunting for Cosmo's, this really cool coffeehouse. The best part was that they had an amazing GF menu!! (Gluten-Free) I'm not GF, but my mom and Leo are. We hung out with our snacks playing scrabble for a few hours and it was really nice. Then we went back to the room and watched those really stupid prank'd shows that MTV shows really late at night til almost 2:00am.
          Tuesday we headed back home. Mom tried letting Nate drive, but living in Cali has turned him into a CRAZY driver!!! (Sorry Nate, if you're reading this, but it's true) So I drove the rest of the way. Once we got home, we took Nate to Dan's for dinner. You'd think this tiny town wouldn't have anything going for it, but it has got same delicious restaurants. Dan's is this amazing steakhouse, and we always get the same thing because their steak is sooo good. Except Leo, he doesn't like steak, so he gets a burger. After dinner we gave Nate the not so grand tour of our tiny town and stopped at our, admittedly, awesome park. We all played around for awhile and Nate got Leo to drop feet first into a giant mud puddle. It was pretty hilarious.
          Wednesday I had to work, that was pretty much the only reason we bothered coming back home instead of staying in town. So I went and did my thing, no big. We just kind of used Wednesday to get used to each other again. It was really nice that Nate and I weren't down each others throats like the last time we were together in the same state. Hopefully that means we can be friends or something instead of those siblings that are always fighting. Maybe. That gives me hope for Leo, maybe someday down the road we won't feel like spiting each other for fun.
          Thursday was mom and dads fifteenth anniversary, but they didn't get to see each other until late! Dad had to work and we left for town in the morning. We got to town in the early afternoon and went around running all the errands that needed running. We got Nate some dress shoes(really they were just nice sneakers, but they fit their purpose) we got Leo new shoes, mom got some new shoes. Everybody but me :( I'll live, lol. The majority of the afternoon was spent looking for the perfect gifts for my fellow Camp Fire seniors and Hope's WoHeLo gift! And we got a few other things, but I can't remember what they were. We went to mom and dad's friend's house for the night, which was nice. They have a son Nate's age who lives next door and they went and hung out for the evening. Their other son, that lives with them, is Leo's best friend, so he was occupied all night. I just popped in a Redbox and then went to bed.
          Friday mom and I split off from the boys and went to run the last last minute errands. For instance, mom needed nail supplies. Stuff like that. We couldn't check in to the hotel until 2:00pm, so we had a ton of time to kill. Sooooo, we went to Incredible Pizza! Incredible Pizza is like this pizza buffet(that makes GF pizza to order, no extra charge) that has a huge arcade! And they have daily deals you can get, like get $20 on a card and get a $10 bonus! So that's what we did. And let me tell you, we had a blast! Now, I play for tickets, so I ended up getting somewhere around 492. Since I'm not so into the prize counter, I just gave mine to my mom. She's got an account and she always saves her tickets. I don't know what she's going to spend them on, but she saves em! After we'd all had our fill of fun, we went and checked in to our hotel. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express right in the middle of town, so nothing was more than 20 minutes away! My father and Lisa got to town around 7:00pm, it was so fantastic to see them! It felt like Bennett and Winston hadn't changed at all! I helped them unpack and everything and we just chilled for a little while. then they were getting hungry, so I suggested we all go out to Village Inn!



More later, I promise! I just cannot finish right now :(

March 8th 2012

          Okay, so I'm feeling kind of fired up. First off, real quick, I finished my WoHeLo!!! Got it all done signed sealed and approved!
          So I just finished watching a bunch of video's about KONY2012. I watched some from both sides. The people advocating for it and against. If you don't know who Joseph Kony is, go to KONY2012.com and watch their very informative video. In short, he's an evil old man in Uganda on the top of the international most wanted list. His charges against humanity are numerous and horrific. The kony2012 campaign is trying to make Kony a household name. As famous and talked about as Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber, Not to celebrate him, but to let our government know that the people are still interested in Uganda's children's welfare.
          There are people who think it's all a load of crap. They believe that Invisible Children (the company that organized the campaign) is scamming the nation. That like all those other social media campaigns, it doesn't work. You know the one's, "if Joe's picture get's 1,000,000,000 likes the doctors will waive his sons medical fees" and other such nonsense. But I think all these people are completely missing the point.
          KONY2012 isn't about getting we, US civilian citizens, over to Uganda to fight the good fight. It's to spread awareness! If the videos and stickers and bracelets and posters get people talking about it, then it's working. And isn't that what social media was made for? KONY2012 is a worthwhile cause. Because we have a voice! If I've learned anything from being in Camp Fire, it's that just because I'm one person or I'm only 17 doesn't mean I can't make a difference! Have you ever read that Dr. Seuss book, "Horton Hears a Who"? It's like in that, where everyone is yelling except one little boy. And no one can hear them until that one boy raises his voice!
          The goal is to have Kony arrested before the end of 2012. They believe that we must strike while the iron is hot. KONY2012 can't be some fad that we pick up to play with and put down again. Opinions?

Let me know, I genuinely want to hear some different views!

February 25th 2012

          Hey guys,
How's everyone been? I've been frantically trying to find a chaperone/roommate for my conference in DC, but it's either inconvenient time or too much money for everyone. I'm going to ask the women at my board meeting this Monday, but if no one there is able, I'm prepared to just give up on it. It was never supposed to be this big of a deal. I'll have to re-write my walk in speech and send a new one to Susan. But that's the easy part. I'm just bummed because I was so excited for my first solo vacation. No parents. Not like I was going to o crazy or anything, but I'd really like for my first few weeks at college to not  be the first time I'm on my own for more than two nights!
          I guess if I don't go to DC though, I can get this dress I've been eying. It would be perfect to wear for my WoHeLo. It would fit under my ceremonial attire, and look fabulous for pictures and the party. It's got a purple ruffled top and a simple black skirt. There was another one I saw too, but mom didn't feel too good about it. And I kind of want to find some super short black shorts to wear under this one dress I have. I just got these awesome tights to wear with it, but it still needs shorts, just to be sure ;-)
          Mom left for town early to spend time with her sister and then her friends. I would've gone, but I had to work yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But it works out since daddy has to be in town Monday morning anyway, we're leaving right after work tomorrow. So get up, go to church, go home and pack, go to work, go to town. We probably won't get in until around midnight, but daddy seems to be okay with it. I don't know where we'll all sleep. The place we usually stay is really uncomfortable for four people. three, sure. But unless I'm sharing the couch bed with Leo, I'm not seeing this working out. Maybe he'll sleepover at his friends house or something. Seems kind of late though. And all his friend has school.
          I just finished catching up on The Vampire Diaries.  I watch all my shows on Hulu. I can't decide if I prefer the books or the show. The show is definitely more "people pleasing". What I mean is, the producers give the audience exactly what we want. But aside from the names, we might as well be in a different story. Nothing happens the same. Caroline is a real person in the show, with feelings and stuff. Then she gets turned into a vampire. I'm fairly sure that NEVER happened. And so far there is no sign of Elena getting her wings powers. She never got turned into a vampire and then brought back. So frustrating. Why couldn't they do both as tv shows and name the other one something else?
          Right now, I'm charging my flipcam to take to town. I might try a little vlog or something. Could be cool. What do you guys think?
          Time to catch up on my beauty sleep, that's all for now folks.

February 23rd 2012

          Hey guys! I know you're not used to so much attention! But the day has come!
Today is my last day off of work before my final panel meeting for my WoHeLo!!! So I'm working on my gown, getting my last two hours in somewhere, and dancing around the house! There were definitely times in the past where I was positive I'd never get done in time or times I just plain wanted to give up! Now that I'm standing on the very edge of completion, I'm so overjoyed I did it! And I'll deny I ever said it, but there's no way I could have ever done it without my mom. I'm kind of lucky to have so many adults in my life who care about me.
          I can't find a chaperone/roommate for my conference in D.C. so it might not happen :( I'm really bummed about it. It's ridiculous because my parents are just fine with letting me go by myself, I'm just fine going by myself, but the conference people aren't. I really just need someone over eighteen who can pay their own airfare and half the room. I'm going to start asking friends and family soon. I was talking to a woman at the Baltimore Camp Fire office, but she's stopped communicating very suddenly. She just stopped replying to emails.
          I added it up, and between my bank account now, two paychecks before I leave, and my income tax soon, I should be able to afford it. That parts no biggie. And mom said she can chip in a little bit too. It's just so frustrating to be this close to something amazing, and not do it because I'm under eighteen. I'm so sick of the word "minor". All summer at camp, all through the year at Camp Fire... "aren't you eighteen yet Razzi?" I could just scream and pull my hair out!
          The other day at work, I said "okey dokey" to a customer, and he said he'd never heard someone say that except in movies. He also hadn't heard someone literally say ya'll or aight. You know how you always come up with the perfect comeback twenty minutes later? That's how I feel. I was kind of offended because he said it like I was dirty for using those words. Nope, just raised in Oklahoma...
          A few days ago, a friend of Leo's asked him to tell me I should post to my blog. I'm not sure how she knows about it, but I'm not complaining about it! I wish all the people who check my blog regularly would subscribe so I can see how many people are reading regularly. Maybe if people would comment or something *AHEM AHEM*. Sorry I had a tickle in my throat.
          So, guess what happened yesterday?!?!?!? I got my first college acceptance letter!!! It was from my second choice; I'm still waiting to hear from my first choice. I really really want to go to my first choice. If I get in, I get a full ride scholarship. Room and board is still expensive, but it'd be worth it for such a prestigious education. I think if I went there, I'd major in some sort of politics. And minor in psychology. If I go to my second choice, I'll probably get my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing). I'd have to transfer my Junior year to a bigger school though.
          Right now mom is cracking and rolling eggs because she boiled, like, twenty this morning. She also brought home root beer, peanuts, candy bars, and caramel wraps. I think she may be trying to sweeten us up for something. I just haven't figured out what yet. But don't worry mom, I'm onto you :P. I've been trying to curl my hair with my straightener, but it's not working. I think I'm going to rag roll my hair tonight. It's so much fun when my hair is curly! And it looks so legit, people who don't know me very well assume that I must straighten my hair every morning.
          I wonder if I'll receive so many compliments if my hair is super curly. Men have asked if I'm married, called me gorgeous, told me I look pretty, told me I looked beautiful, and commented on my "free hugs" pin saying "I might not let you go!". All in all, it's very flattering but most of them don't speak English very well or are three times my age. SO I just smile and check their groceries.
          I received my Growums sale package in the mail today! For ten dollars, you can buy a miniature garden with four kinds of seeds, eight pods to plant them in, and eight tags. And their really cute! Like a pizza garden has basil, oregano, cilantro, and tomato I think. And there's different kinds of gardens. A taco garden, a ratatouille garden, an oriental themed garden. And every penny raised goes straight to YAC! We're planning on doing a F2F, which is Face to face. We want to have a meeting just so we can all get together aside from the conference calls to hang out and plan stuff. I'm pretty pumped. If you're interested and you actually know me, get at me and I'll hook you up!
          That's all for now folks!

February 21st 2012

          Hey guys, I'm sorry. I know I keep promising a nice long post but I've been super busy trying to get all the details for my WoHeLo in order. I also got a letter from Antioch today stating that I have four days to complete my application by sending in my supplemental items. See, I sent those item sin two weeks ago. But lucky for me I've got a smart Mom who insisted on saving everything and putting it in my file. So I just spent the last hour scanning documents into the computer and emailing them off to Antioch. Hopefully that takes care of that. And if I don't get accepted, it's because I wasn't good enough not because of some dang technicality. I'm trying so hard not to get my hopes up. I really want to major in Psychology if I go to Antioch, but mom thinks I should go into Politics. I am pretty good at managing people and reputations. I don't know. Maybe I can minor in Psychology. Opinions??
          Today Leo had to go to town with Mom for his first ever standardized testing. And it's his worst subject. I feel kind of bad for him. But it must be done. Everyone does standardized testing at some point or another, it really isn't avoidable at this point in time.
          I had bought a Groupon for laser hair removal. I was going to get my bikini line done so I could say goodbye to awkward shower shaving at camp. But they don't have any available appointments that would work for me, so I returned it and got my $100 back. Now that money is going towards my DC conference. Mom and I counted it up, I've got my income tax coming soon, two paychecks, and two hundred in the bank. That's not enough to get the room by myself, but I just got an email stating that I am required to have a chaperone because I'm 17. Which sucks because I don't know anyone else who's going to this thing. And if I could split the cost of a room with someone, I could almost definitely afford it. I'm so thankful the board came up with the money for my flight because I can't imagine having to factor that in too.
          So I have to work this Sunday. But I have tons of meetings on Monday and Daddy has an interview in town at 10:00am. If he gets this job, we get to move back to town!!! But that's off subject right now. So Daddy's going to pick me up after work (8:00pm) and we're going straight to town. Then on Monday, I've got to do WoHeLo pictures at the park with Hope and the camp fire photographer, then I have my final board meeting, where they'll approve my WoHeLo and finalize everything, then I have my board meeting at which I'll be giving a presentation. So before I even go for my pictures, I need to print and fold 30 copies of my brochure, make sure my ceremonial attire is in order, and at some point in there I'd like to eat dinner.
          Don't let my stress fool you, I'm so freakin pumped for this! I'm ready to be done worrying about it and start celebrating! Hope and I will be presented at WoHeLoees at Camp Fire Birthday on March 3rd and I'm pretty sure we're supposed to be at the Adult Recognition Dinner. So they can fawn over us, lol! Susan says our only jobs after we get approved is to show up and look pretty! It kind of feels like we won a pageant or something! And so far I've invited all my friends, my father and Lili, my mom is flying down my big brother from California, we invited my Uncle Dean todasy when mom was on the phone with him. I hope his wife and daughters can come too, but I'd understand if they can't all come. Looks like I just might get some of my dream pictures! In your face mom! Never say never!!!
          I've only got to get 5 more hours on this last issue, and  I think it's going to be a piece of cake!
          That's all for now folks!

February 3rd 2012

          OMG I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!! I got the official news today: I'm going to DC!!! It's for the America's Promise Grad Nation Summit, March 18th through the 21st. You can't hear my happy squee's, but they're loud.
          Now I get to do even more shopping! I'm assuming DC is cold in March, and I don't have enough nice cold weather clothes! Poor mom, she'll never even know what hit her. This one is gonna be kind of short too, because I have to go to work soon. But I promise, as soon as I find time, I'll whip out a nice, long, juicy, post!

January 26th 2012

          So, a couple weeks ago, my mom got me and Leo each one of those dollar store eggs of silly putty. I've been using mine in lieu of a stress ball. It seems to have picked up quite a bit of dust and dirt. It started out this neon cream(is that even a color?) and now it's this unidentifiable gray-ish sludge. But it's still pliable, so I'll just keep on squeezing.
          I got my quilt square finished yesterday! It's so cute! I hot glued some fuzzy yarn around the edges, and mom found her letter stamps for me to use. So it has my name and council and years I'll be on YAC in the stamps. Then I found another baggie full of asst. stamps. So it's pretty adorable. One of the ink pads I used didn't work so well, so I had to trace it with a fine tip paint brush in a similar color. But it still came out all right, I think.
          Yesterday mom and I went and got my khaki pants! I have orientation today at 4:00! I'm super excited! I'm only a little bit confused about dinner. Orientation is 4:00pm to 9:00pm. That's five hours so I know I'll get at least fifteen minutes to eat something. But what do I bring? I don't want to be dorky and bring my lunchbox. I suppose I could bring a paper bag, but that feels weird. But it's what I'll probably do. Mom says that if I'm not careful, people will steal it. Maybe I'll bring something gross so they'll regret if they do. But I doubt it.
          While I was in town over the weekend, we went to a goodbye party for a good friend from the Camp Fire office. She's always been super involved with me and Hope, so we wrote her a toast/letter. Hope didn't want to read it out loud, she just wanted to give it to her. But I thought everybody would really like hearing it. So I convinced her to stand up with me while I read it. Of course once we got up there, I read the first sentence and promptly handed it to Hope because I couldn't see through my tears. I'm glad I have such an awesome best friend!! She ended up reading it out loud anyways. Everyone understood, and I got lots of hugs. Another woman I knew from the office was there and I hadn't seen her in a long time! I knew she was pregnant with twins but I hadn't seen her since the 3-4 month mark. She's due any day now and she is so lucky to be carrying twins to full term. They don't know if they're identical or fraternal, but it's two baby girls and she calls them itty and bitty. I can't wait to see pictures when they finally get here!
          The night we drove home, Tuesday, was horrible!!! It was dark, bad roads, and a nasty storm! I am so glad I did not have to drive in that, I don't think I could have. Poor mom must have been so sore from straining her eyes and hunching over the wheel.
          I also met with almost all of my consultants on my visit to town and we all agree I'm right on track! There's nothing in the world, short of a natural disaster(knock on wood) that is going to keep me from finishing my WoHeLo.
          YAC is starting to get busy with all the stuff YAC does! We're doing a fundraiser in March and Valentines for Vets have to go out soon, and I'm going to start working with Lucy at the CF office for Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. Which reminds me, I've got some more valentines to make!
           That's all for now folks!

January 20th, 2012

           FIRST! Thank you Miss Aqua for reminding me to post! I would've procrastinated far longer without you! Can't wait for June!!
          Alright, alright. I know I've been slacking!! I'd like to say it's because I've been busy, but not really. Just slacking lol. BUT now I know why I really joined the National Youth Advisory Cabinet...they give me excuses to use glitter!!! We're each getting a quilt square in the mail and we get to decorate them however we want!! I'm probably using too many exclamation points, but I can't find it in myself to care. Exclamation points are like glitter...addictive. My poor friends don't share my opinions, so I don't get my glitter out as often as I really want too.           

          YAC's also got me thinking of idea's for Absolutely Incredible Kids Day. See, we have got really great incentive.  Our president, Lauren, came up with this 'master list' and for every YAC deed we do, we get a point. At the end of three months or so, she'll tally the points and send the winner a Camp Fire surprise! At last check I was tied for first. Take that Owen :P 

           In other news, I still haven't heard back on whether or not I got the travel/room/board scholarship for the Grad Nation Conference. It's driving me crazy! Because Camp Fire birthday is in March and I really need to know if I'll be in town for it because WoHeLo'ees are honored there, and it's my year! Of course, the summit is a huge deal and way more important; not that I wouldn't miss sticking a pie in Scouts face. That's another thing, At birthday, the WoHeLo'ees get to stick pies in the faces of people that get voted on all day. Scout usually gets one. 

          I was feeling kind of lost on my last WoHeLo issue, so I called up Swan* at the Camp Fire office for some advice. Now, she's in the middle of switching jobs, so I know she's super busy. Still at the CF office, just different responsibilities. Which is why I was so grateful to her for spending 35-40 minutes on the phone with me brainstorming. Of course, now I have a lot of work to do, but I'm happy for it. Because otherwise, all my hours for this issue would be blogging. Not that I have a problem with that, but the panel may raise a few eyebrows when I'm trying to get everything approved. I'm going to put together a whole 'curriculum' for a presentation on the benefits of homeschooling. I'm going to make a tri-fold brochure to give out for our kinesthetic learners. A power point for the visual learners; and of course my own notes for the auditory learners. My goal is to have something anyone can pick up, read through once, and deliver easily.

          I finally watched Footloose last night! It was amazing! I can't believe it took me that long to realize that Kevin Bacon and I are destined to be together? Lol, jk...mostly. Now I want to see the new one; just for a compare/contrast kind of thing. I think my favorite part is Ren trying to teach Willard to dance. Ren's face=perfect. 

          I guess one good thing about our new town is that everything is in walking distance. Compared to our old town where you may be able to walk somewhere, you just don't feel safe doing it. Leo and I go to the library all the time, sometimes we stop at Dairy Queen(that's another bonus, we didn't have a DQ back home). DQ and Sonic have the BEST banana splits ever! No one else has clued in on putting pineapples on ice cream yet!

          I have a board meeting and Leo has a CF meeting on Monday evening and on Tuesday, we're going to a good friends good-bye party. She's been a huge mentor to me, so I'm sad to see her moving away. But I know it's a great opportunity for her. I just hope she can come back in April for my WoHeLo, but I'll understand if she can't.

          I'm getting more and more excited for April! My dad and stepmom, Lili, are bringing my little brothers from Louisiana to come see me! Since I'm homeschooled, mom and I decided to make this my graduation. We're renting a room after the ceremony for my whole CF group to have dinner with our families. And either the day before or after, my whole family is going out for dinner. If you're one of my close friends, you know how much that means to me. One of my mom's friends is pretty handy with a camera, so I'm hoping he'll be there so I can get some quality pics with my whole family together. Oh! That reminds me! My big brother in CA is probably coming too! It feels surreal to think of all four of my brothers and all four of my parents in one place for ME! 

          While I'm in town on Mon/Tues I have a meeting with my homeschooling consultant so I can let her know how things are progressing; and of course invite her to Grand Council Fire. I also really want to stop at Old Navy because I need khaki pants for work on Thursday! I'm so excited to start!

          Toodles for now! I've run out of steam and it's almost time for dinner (Mom's meatloaf and baked potatoes...be jealous)

*name has been changed

January 6th 2012

          Well, I've almost got the job! Wal-Mart called me back (the only one who called me back) and I did the interviews yesterday. I have to go back today for the drug test and all that fun stuff. I'm not worried and I know it's necessary, but I just wish we could skip it. I want to get straight to training! Make that moolah, you know? I'm going to be a cashier, so it shouldn't be too hard. And it's barely above minimum wage, but that is alright with me! It's a steady job. Working for the Diocese back where I used to live was fun and everything, but I seriously only ever worked maybe 10 shifts. So, not really in the way of making much money.
           Plus maybe I'll meet some cool people! I really want to make some friends here, but it's hard to get out there. Plus, it doesn't seem like there are any local hang-outs. I've been walking all over town, library and Wal-Mart, and I haven't seen anybody else my age walking around.
          Leo has a Camp Fire meeting on Monday so he and mom are going back to town for the night. I don't know if I'm going to go yet. It depends on if Wal-Mart needs me I guess. Hopefully we can do everything today and they won't need me until Wednesday. But if I do need to stay here, maybe daddy and I will find something to do. But if I do go, I'll get to see Neecee and the kids!!! And I really miss Wendy. When we visited them a few days before Christmas, she was so excited! I'd love to surprise her! Plus when we moved, I found all this stuff I don't want so I have some toys for her!
          A couple weeks ago, I was nominated for a scholarship to go to this conference in Washington DC in March. I'm so antsy waiting to find out if I got it. I don't really have super high hopes just because I don't want them dashed if I don't get it. But it would be super cool!!! Just to give you a hint as to how big this conference is, last year, Vice President Joe Biden was there. Yeah.
          I still haven't gotten my Christmas present from my father. I keep bugging him about it, but I never get a response. Part of me wants to stop bugging because I don't want to look greedy. But the other part of me KNOWS he will just completely forget.
          Last night I wrote a poem! I was just laying in bed in the dark and I got inspired! I don't remember what I was thinking about, but the words just came to me. Here it is:

I've cried for a boy on the internet
If you say that make me weak, you'd be wrong
Even if my tears are for someone I've never met
It's not a bad thing, compassion makes you strong

I've cried while shaking with rage
So you might call me high strung
But you're old beyond your years, you age
My tears keep me young

I've cried while clapping in glee
While you sit, avoiding emotion
I'm at peace, my heart and mind in harmony
Though my tears could fill an ocean

Every day is a battle for you
Everyday a war
But if you'd just see your emotions through
You'd see that there could be more

If eyes are windows to the soul
I can see your glass shattering
All that dust must take its toll
But no one else is noticing


          What do you think? I kind of like it. My mom said it was good, though written from a teenagers point of view. I was like "Well duh, I'm a teenager. What else do you expect?"

Anyways, that's all for today.

January 3rd, 2012

          HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Yeah I know I'm late. But who cares, it's 2012 baby!
I had a pretty good New Years. Hope and I didn't get to check out the new club because no one wanted to come pick us up and Hope's mom doesn't like taxis. We ended up going to Step's house to hang out and watch Glee. We had some much needed girl talk and heart-to-hearts. It was a very cliche sleepover ;-)

At midnight, we decided we were hungry, so after digging through the cupboards, we found some Pasta Sides, chicken alfredo.  That's what's in the pot. (I'm on the left, Hope is on the right)
          My parents didn't give me a heads up before they picked me up, so I was a little disappointed we didn't get to make pancakes together like we planned. But on the way home, we stopped at the biggest town before home and wandered around. We went to a park and played and walked around. Then Dad and Leo went to Hastings while mom and I wandered down the strip mall into Ross. I got two dresses. A casual for every day and a business one I can wear to any conferences or board meetings. Then we went to the mall. I think the best part of the day was taking dad into Buckle. Mom decided this years craft project was him. So new wardrobe little bit at a time. It was really weird helping my dad shop in there because I usually go in there with Sketch or Doug. We ended up getting a super snazzy vest for him to wear when his boss is in town or for church on Sunday.
          After we got dinner at this chinese buffet in the mall, we went home. I was all for taking a shower and going to bed even though it was only 7:30pm. After all, Hope, Step, and I didn't go to sleep until 2:30am. But mom had other ideas. She's been borrowing tons of old classics from the library and this time it was The Bells of St. Mary's. I think I'm falling in love with Bing Crosby, lol! He's so handsome and when he sings, I get goosebumps. It's a shame he died.
          I've been working on my to-do list today, which includes WoHeLo stuff and college stuff. I had to call the college I'm going to and ask how they want my homeschool transcript. Turns out all I have to do is mail it to 'em! Super easy check! I also texted one of my WoHeLo consultants with some info on my panel meetings and emailed another one of them for her approval on my summary for my JDRF issue. All that's left now is to figure out how to finish my last issue. Obviously this blog is a big part of it, it's how I get most of my hours and I've had over 400 views. So that's kind of awesome! A few days ago, I put my blog on a bunch of websites that are supposed to get more publicity, but we'll see. I haven't seen any significant changes in the stats. It feels kind of weird to not need to do any schoolwork. I'm pretty much done with it. I've taken my ACT twice and when I talked to the recruiter for the school this morning, she said as long as I made at least a 20 on my ACT, I'm good to go. Of course mom wasn't worried about that, mostly just the money parts. Which reminds me, I need to ask her to tell me as soon as she does taxes so I can re-do the FAFSA.
          I also got the contract and personnel policies and all that other fun stuff that comes with a summer job in my email this morning! I got to put all the dates on the calendar and that always makes me a happy camper.
I saw a few things on the agenda that I really really want to do, but because I'm under age, I don't know if I'll be able. I also need to see about registering for the WSI class I want to do in March. Doing WSI pretty much guarantees that I'll be in charge of swim lessons. Which is my favorite thing besides treks. So I really hope I pass!
          I've got to go clean my room now, so that's all for now folks!

December 29th 2011

          So, I figured out how to post from my phone! Hence the post with the picture! Yay for snow! We actually got a little bit during the Christmas season. Where I used to live, we don't get snow until the end of January into February. Me and Leo and my Uncle even built a little snowman! But since we're in desert country, it melted before the week was out. Today I walked to this little strip mall near our house and applied for different jobs. Two clothing stores, a supermarket, and a little grill. I'm kind of rooting for the waitress job because I'll get tips! I've never actually had a regular job. My job at the church where I used to live was on an as needed basis, and I wasn't needed very often. I wonder what it'll feel like to have a regular cash flow! And by flow, I mean into the wallet and back out into the economy. Lol, I have no self restraint when it comes to shopping. My biggest weakness would have to be sunglasses. Yesterday we took my Uncle to the airport and we got to town early on purpose so he could see the city. We ended up going to this huge upperclass outlet mall. I say upperclass because it was all high end stores like Coach, and Nike, and Saks. Right up my alley. Now, Leo doesn't really have any knowledge of brand names and the like. So I took him in Saks and told him to tell me how expensive a pair of sunglasses were. Now, he knew it was an expensive store so he guessed really high...$50. I think he almost choked when I told him the pair he was holding was about $400 on sale.
          On the way home my phone started malfunctioning big time, so since we were already in the city, we stopped at an AT&T store to get it fixed. That was probably my best experience ever with AT&T customer service. The guy was very knowledgeable without making us feel dumb. That's a talent, I tell you! Oh yeah, I can't remember if I told you or not, but I got the position on YAC! It was funny actually, I found out when I went to see Nutcracker with my dad. I was picking up my tix from Swan and she yelled congratulations as soon as she saw me. Now, being in the middle of a move, I hadn't checked my email in two days. I thought she was leaking secrets or something. And that made them think they might be in trouble until I remembered I hadn't checked my email! So it was pretty funny.
          I can't wait for New Years!! My friend Scout turns 21 tomorrow, so we'll see him on the 31st to wish him a happy birthday. Plus mom wants to buy him a drink in honor of it being 21st and all. After that, I'm spending the night at Hope's. We're hoping to check out this teen club on its grand opening. It's wayyy bigger than OYP. I checked the website and everything, but they don't say if there's a cover charge. I'd imagine there is, but you'd think that if their target audience is 13-18 then all the information is on the internet. But no. I even called and left a message, but their machine was so annoying! We'll have fun either way. Lol, she's trying to set me up on a blind date. But seeing how disastrous the last one was, I'm a little bit nervous.  I'm not averse to the idea, it's New Years Eve after all. Just, apprehensive.
          That's all for now folks!

December 24th, 2011

          Alright, I know it's been a long time, but just you wait! I've been busy, I promise!
On December 10th, I took my ACT again and my mom picked up the uhaul. We had a ton of big strong manly helpers to load the truck, and I was taking my test so I didn't really have to do much on that end of things.  By the time my test was done, they were only loading little stuff into the very front of the truck. But since the drive to our new place is so long, we didn't have nearly as many people volunteer to help unload at the other end. My friends Neecee and Sketch both volunteered their services, and one of my parents friends offered to drive the truck so mom and dad could drive their cars. Sketch couldn't come at the last minute so it was the six of us unloading in the dark. And honestly, it took us half as long to unload, in the dark, as it did for the whole crew to load her up! But we got it done at a mostly reasonable hour and went to Taco Bell for dinner.
          I'm afraid our new town is incredibly small. Mom decided the best way to get out and meet people in a town this small would most likely be by going to church. Since mom was raised mostly Catholic, she found a Catholic church nearby. We went to Mass our first Sunday here, and promptly signed up to help decorate the church, because I don't believe in doing things halfway. It wasn't as bad as Leo was groaning about it, but it wasn't easy work, lol! There turned out to be a few girls my age there, so I may have pumped them for info on the town. One of my fears came true when they told me the nearest mall was 90 minutes away. I really want to get out and start meeting more people, because they told me their main form of entertainment is house parties. And you don't get invited to them unless you know people, duh.
          So, my mom's brother is in staying with us for the holidays and it's pretty awesome. Some people might think I'm weird for it, but I genuinely like and enjoy almost all of my extended family! Some of my friends moan and groan about family gatherings, but I love them! I firmly believe that without family, you're nothing! Family is always there for you and loves you. Even if you need some tough love every now and then! lol. Anyways, my uncle is an amazing cook! He makes the best omelets you've never tasted. An he made some delicious pork sirloin that sat in the oven for two hours and he's making ribs on Christmas! I know, not very traditional, but who cares! I love ribs!
          Yesterday was the 23rd, so we all drove back to our old town for my grandparents Christmas party. I was really happy because we got to stop in and see Neecee and the kids. I got to see all the pictures of them on Santa's lap and it was really hard to say good-bye, but it had to be done. We got confused about which grandparents house the party was at, but luckily my grandparents and my great grandparents live pretty near each other. So it no biggie. My gramma got me this gorgeous purple set, it had a scarf with an "M" monogrammed on it, some super soft slipper socks, an extremely snuggly blanket, and it wasn't the teeny kind that you can barely cover your legs with, it was a big one! and an absolutely adorable purple beret! I don't know how she knew about my not so secret love of berets, but she nailed it!
          After the party was all done, presents unwrapped and thank you's proclaimed, mom drove Leo and I back into town to spend the night at our friends houses. I got to see Hope and Doug!! Hope had to work in the morning, so we watched some Grey's Anatomy and worked on her last minute Christmas presents. We went to bed around 11:00pm, but I wasn't tired at all, and I could tell I was really bugging her with my incessant chatter. So I got up to see what Doug was up too. We ended up staying up til 3:00am watching American Dad on his MacBook. I'd never seen it before, and dangggg it is hilarious!! I'm going to have to check Hulu and see if it's available to stream. So after we realized what the time was, I crawled back into bed and didn't even move until the alarm went off. I dragged myself out of bed, but I wasn't really awake yet, so I sat downstairs on the couch with their adorable miniature yorkie until I felt like getting some cereal. By the time I roused myself enough to take a shower, my mom was there to pick me up and it was almost time for Hope to go to work anyways.
          After Hope and I said our goodbye's, it was time for the verrryy long drive home. I mostly just turned on my iPod and zoned out for the whole trip. Nobody was letting me drive, so I didn't have anything better to do. Now we're home again and my uncle is listening to the football game on the radio while my parents work on secret things in their bedroom. Their subtlety may have fooled me when I was eight, but come on guys. lol, it's alright. I just love being able to think "TOMORROWS CHRISTMAS!!!"
          I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and that you find time to count your blessings. You might be surprised at the number ;-)

December 5th 2011

                Lately I’ve had so much stomach stress issues! We’re moving on Saturday, and it seems like every day I find a better reason to stay here! Last week, I threw up Saturday night and then I had indigestion all week. I actually fasted all day Friday to see if that would help my stomach settle out. And it did, mostly. But dairy still makes me a little bit queasy.

                I spent yesterday afternoon at Hope’s house eating wings and watching movies with Doug. It was really nice! Their mom gave me a ride home because Leo locked mom’s car keys in the car. Both sets. I’m not sure how he managed to get both in their, but its Leo. Hope and I walked to Wal-Mart to get some movies, picked up the wings on the way home and plopped on the couch having some girl talk and chilling out. Doug came in halfway through the first movie, Something Borrowed. He tries to act all tough, but he’s such a sucker for romcoms.  Then we watched Pirates 4. I LOVED IT! I hadn’t seen it yet, and neither had Hope. I absolutely adored Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp together! I’m going to miss them so much. I know it’s normal to grow apart from your high school friends when you start getting ready for college, but I really thought I had one more year. Maybe I’m being melodramatic; it wouldn’t be a first for me. It just feels so unfair. And I KNOW I should be grateful. There are so many people who can’t even consider the possibility of college or whose parents don’t have jobs or don’t even have parents. So I am grateful. But maybe I’m really selfish too.

                Enough of that. I really hope we go to the library today! I need some new books.  I wonder if we’ll have to stop using our library system... I hope not! We’ll be back at least three times a month! That should be plenty of time to return and borrow books. I’m just scared this new library won’t have nearly as large of a system. I know for a fact really. There’s no way they have over 20 libraries across this itty bitty town, lol.

                I know it wasn’t very long, but I just don’t have the energy to do more today.

November 28th 2011

            Whew! I am still stuffed from Thanksgiving! I had a great holiday and I hope everyone else did too. My Dad came home for four days and it was weird. This is weird because it was weird. Does that make any sense? It’s just that he hasn’t been home but once a month for awhile now, and the house dynamic kind of changed while he was gone. But it was enjoyable none the less. I got to show off and drive all the way to my great grandparent’s house, which is an hour away, while daddy sat in the front.  This years Thanksgiving was actually kind of small. We usually have over 20 people crammed into the house, but this year not as many people could come I guess. I was just happy my cousin Lizzy could come!!! We had such a good time. We hung out in the spare bedroom just catching up for awhile, and then we went for a walk and saw a dead possum. Then we came back and ate pie for dessert. Finally we convinced great grandpa to let us take his golf cart out for a ride. In a series of unfortunate events including letting Leo drive, I bit the pavement and my knee is still messed up. I was kind of proud though because I haven’t actually skinned my knees in so long!

            When it was time to leave, Lizzy got all her stuff together and came home with us. We chilled at home for awhile and changed out of our family occasion clothes and got ready to go out shopping. We left for Wal-Mart around 9:30 so mom could brave the crowds to get Leo some new jeans on sale. Then we went to the mall to wait for it to open. We had such a good time sitting in the car laughing. Lizzy was explaining her new found obsession with chocolate. Apparently, she never really liked it until she had some really good chocolate and now she can’t get enough!! It’s really funny ;-)

            We had a great parking space right in front of the mall entrance, so we didn’t have to stand outside at all. We just waited until everyone else went inside then just strolled in like we owned it LOL!  We got some good deals at Hot Topic, mom and I found some super awesome Sailor Moon t-shirts and Lizzy found a Drake bracelet. Then we wandered around until we found the Rue 21. I absolutely love Rue and I think mom is on her way! They’re already pretty well priced so the sales were to die for! I didn’t actually find anything but a pair of cute sunglasses I wanted, but mom got a whole dang outfit and Lizzy got some super cute zebra print shorts.

            We got home around 2:30am and just crashed. I’m pretty sure we didn’t wake up until noon on Friday. We got daddy to take us to get some movies out of the Redbox machine at Walgreens. I let her talk me into getting Insidious and we both agreed on Your Highness. Insidious was supposed to be really creepy, but it was so lame! There were huge continuity gaps and to be quite frank, it wasn’t scary in the least bit. We were laughing the whole time. Then we watched Your Highness, which was supposed to be lame and it was actually funny because it was funny. Not crappy lol. We got to eat leftover pie all day, so I don’t think I ate a real meal until after she left Friday evening. Some of my parents friends came over to visit since daddy hasn’t been home much. After Lizzy left and I ate dinner, I was pretty bored all night until I fell asleep.

            It turned out to be a good thing Lizzy didn’t stay another night because I got sick on Saturday. I threw up and then I had a fever and chills. It wasn’t pretty. So I spent Sunday in bed eating saltines when I got hungry.  Today I have a board meeting and then I’m going to try to do an activity with Leo’s friends tonight at Braums. My plan should be fine if I can get a hold of my friend to see if I can get a ride! I’m sure it’ll work out, but I’m going to research bus routes just to be sure. Toodles!

P.S. To all my friends and family who actually know who I am, you may have noticed that I change all names! So if you can't figure out who you are, email or text me privately and I'll let you know ;-)

November 21st 2011

                So I know I haven’t posted in awhile. And I could lie and say I was super busy, but really I got in trouble and I wasn’t allowed any electronics for a few weeks. We finally have a set date for the move. I feel like it’s my execution date or something. I just want time to slow down so I never have to move away from all my friends. But it’s inevitable. I’ve already got my room all packed and we spent Saturday moving a ton of stuff into a storage unit because our new place is tiny.

                On a much happier note, Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I love Thanksgiving, it’s one my favorite holidays.  There is nothing more fun than going to someone’s house and seeing tons of family. Joking around with my grandparents, teasing my uncles and of course, getting to see my cousin from Illinois. Lizzy and I have really only seen each other fewer than 20 times. But spending a couple days hanging out every year is something I always look forward too. One year, she got a hold of my phone and left a message on my friend’s family voice message machine calling him a sexy beast and he said his mom never let him live it down. Last year, mom really wanted a black Friday deal for Leo's Christmas present from Wal-Mart, so we literally spent all night at the store. It was awesome.This year I really want to take her out to see Tulsa now that I live here…even if it’s only for a few more weeks.

                Tomorrow my book club is throwing me a goodbye party! I’m sure I’m going to cry. They’re all chipping in for my movie ticket and Cherry Berry afterwards. We decided to see Tower Heist because it looks funny and the boys will enjoy it too. This whole thing is very sad. I don’t want to say good bye to people! I know we’ll be coming back three times a month, but in the grand scheme of things that’s not very often. And mom is upset because the WoHeLo/Senior and parent meeting for Grand Council Fire is on Leo’s birthday. She refuses to see the good side of it. So we’ll have to spend the morning driving. But then Leo gets to spend the afternoon with his friends and mom. Then mom can give him some money to go off with his friends and have a good time! While her and I do our meeting. But she’s treating him like he’s 9 years old and not listening to what he actually wants to do. I tried to ask him what he wanted to do, but she blew up at me and told me it sounded like I was trying to get his hopes up just to crush them. I know Leo’s my little brother and I dump on him a lot, but I seriously doubt he’s going to want to spend his 14^th birthday sitting in our new place with none of his best friends around.

                I went to the Breaking Dawn midnight premiere with Hope last week, and it was AMAZING! I was also so freaking glad I am homeschooled that night. Because Hope didn’t get home until 3:00am and she had to sleep for four hours, then head to school. And after school, she had to work. Whereas I did not wake up until 12:00pm the next day. But the movie was just fabulous. Better than I expected. I’m so pleased with where they cut it off for part two. The best part was watching the transformation from Bella human to Bella vampire. I’m trying really hard to not do any spoilers. I could probably write a whole separate post summarizing the movie. I used to be this obsessed with Twilight when it first came out. But now I only get this giddy around the new movies. I took down all four twilight posters in my room last year and all my friends and my family thought I was getting sick or something. And just for the record, I’m team Edward all the way. The only thing I don’t like about the whole series, is that when you meticulously go through all four books counting the months, you realize that from the time Bella MEETS Edward to the time that they’re married with a baby and she’s a vampire is only a little over 18 months. That’s including the months in New Moon where Edward leaves. Kind of creepy. But other than that, Edward is pretty awesome. I mean, he does what he thinks is best for Bella throughout the whole series no matter what the personal cost. Jacob, not so much. He’s very selfish and says so himself.

                Anyways, Hope’s mom has got me hooked on puzzles. I was hanging out waiting for Hope to finish her chores so we could watch Grey’s Anatomy (and even then, Netflix was being a pain in the butt) so I worked on this 500 piece button puzzle they had laying out. I got about a 5^th of it done, complaining the whole time that I suck at puzzles. Then Hope came over and she was all like “Dang Razzi…leave some for the rest of us!”. It turns out I kind of dominate puzzles. But the only one we have at home is a 1000 piece photo mosaic wolf that looks really hard for a starter puzzle. I was thinking a 250 or 500 piece might be a good starter. And no photo mosaics for a long time!

                Well, I have to go work on other stuff, so more later!