Looking Forward

I never intended, years ago, to quit writing on this blog. I didn't anticipate as a girl still building fairy houses that the day would come when something like keeping a blog would not be a priority. But I want to end this permanently on a note of reflection and appreciation - so here is my last post on BonBon's Blog, taken from my final Instagram/Facebook post of 2015. I'd say it marks the end of an era.

2015 was the year of my most joyous highs and lowest lows. This year I wrote an album's worth of songs and performed in front of thousands of people. This year I discovered two new talents I didn't know I had, dancing and styling wedding-worthy hair. This year I went on four tours and two incredible vacations with some of my favorite people in the world. This year my heart has been broken at times but right now, it is full. I went this year from struggling with my testimony to knowing, without a flicker of doubt, that there is a loving God in Heaven who is in and aware of every detail of our lives. This was a year of magnificent sunrises and sunsets, of moonlit swimming in the warm ocean, of silence that speaks volumes, of watercolor painting in the mountains, of constant reminders of divine presence in my life. This was the year I got my mission call and performed an endowment session at a different temple every week after receiving my own. This year was filled with surprising accomplishment and occasionally some frustrating failure. This was a year of tears and of laughter, and most of all, of heart-achingly overwhelming love. I never knew I could experience so much love in a day, in a letter, in a hug, in a touch of the hand, in a year.

2016 will bring an already influential stepdad permanently into my life, a move between two houses and then between two countries, a missionary badge, mastery of Spanish, a compassion like I've never known, and some of the most difficult and rewarding experiences of my life. I reflect with gratitude on this year of wonders - and I look forward to this coming year of continued miracles and incredible joy. May we all "let [our] light so shine" wherever we are under this big sky. ‪#‎lookingforward‬

Unexpected Statistics

A few weeks ago, I published my post, "Memories of the 2011 Vacation to Mexico." On Facebook, I posted a link to it and tagged the sixteen members of my family who were with me during that trip. So I was definitely surprised when my blog had at least three times that many views at the peak of its popularity for that post. I concluded that a lot more people than are admitting it stalk me...and I have no way of telling who they are, but I know they're out there. Since then I've had a fairly steady flow of a few page views per day, despite the fact that I don't write all that often.

Then today, I checked some of my blog statistics that I have never looked at before, and was shocked to learn about some of the places where my blog has been viewed. These are the stats for the total number of page views my blog has received at this point.

United States: 995
Russia: 175
Netherlands: 142
Latvia: 72
Germany: 69
Slovenia: 32
Poland: 29
United Kingdom: 27
Canada: 26
China: 26

Russia? Who the heck in Russia is so interested in my life? And the Netherlands, and a couple other places I'm not even sure I could identify on a map...it really came as a huge surprise to me. And those aren't even all the places my blog has been viewed from - here are the statistics for the past month.

United States: 72
Russia: 9
Spain: 5
Germany: 4
Slovakia: 2
Ukraine: 2
Switzerland: 1
Japan: 1
South Korea: 1
Mexico: 1

I'd love to receive comments from some of these foreign readers. But maybe they'll just remain quiet, as most of my unknown readers have for the past 4 and 1/2 years, since the beginning of my little blog. Anyway, just thought these unexpected statistics were interesting - you never know who may be curious about what goes on in your life.

Memories of the 2011 Vacation to Mexico

50 Memories of my Extended Family's Vacation in Mexico (in no particular order)

1. Arriving at the Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts and being amazed at the size of it
2. Being served free fruity drinks everywhere
3. Swimming almost every day in the big, warm pools
4. Taking underwater photos in the pool 
5. Taking underwater photos of the fish in the Salt Pool (it was fun to snorkel there)
6. Playing on the beach and in the ocean
7. Enjoying the warm, humid air
8. Snorkeling in the warm Caribbean waters
9. Visiting the city of Cancun
10. Buying a really pretty sundress (blue with rainbow threaded patterns)
11. Unlimited food at the all-you-can-eat-buffet; that was fantastic. Having unlimited nutella and all sorts of other delicious food, begging to be eaten. At any time, all the time.
12. Taking full advantage of the free ice cream machines (free ice cream!!! Who knew?)
13. While in Cancun, being rained on as if the sky was crying waterfalls - buckets of rain were pouring down while my mom and I ate fajitas at a little local restaurant.
14. Watching this guy make these beautiful pictures by finger-painting (wish I had bought one...)
15. Eating at a certain Japanese restaurant while sitting down on the floor, with our legs crossed underneath the table. Not something I've done anywhere else.
16. Swimming up to the bar at the edge of the pool to get free fruity drinks (and sitting on the stools in the water while sipping them)
17. Going on late-night excursions to the beach with the girls - I miss that sooooo much. The ocean and the sky were so dark and mysterious, and being out there in the salty night air was just enchanting.
18. Being poured on while returning to our rooms from those excursions
19. Having crazy, frizzy hair all the time and not caring one bit
20. Running barefoot everywhere
21. Seeing interesting animals (mostly big lizards and such) on the sides of the roads, and also flamingos in a little pond
22. Attending a little dance performance that was based off of Disney movies, if I remember correctly - there were fun costumes and music and such.
23. Shooting with a bow and arrow at the little archery place
24. Wishing we (kids) could go to the spa
25. Swimming in a Cenote (underground pool - it was really, really cool)
26. Visiting Coba (a Mayan village)
27. Climbing the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula - it was in Coba, and hiking up the 118 steep steps was very exciting.
28. Touring the ruins of Tulum
29. Staying up late playing card games and talking (well, I didn't play cards much back then - but I began being taught how to play Oh Heck while we were there)
30. Having a hot tub in our hotel room
31. Being sung to and played instruments for by two guys while we were waiting for a table at one restaurant
32. Getting to ask someone at a restaurant, "¿Dónde está el baño?" (one of the few Spanish phrases I knew at the time)
33. Having a girls' night to paint nails and such
34. Bartering with people selling things
35. Walking around on the smooth marble walkways between the main buildings and pools
36. Intending to write in my journal every day about things that happened, but never getting around to it
37. Spending some time on rainy days lazing around in our room, playing Plants vs. Zombies (and beating it)
38. On the bus ride to the resort, taking pictures of each other's eyes (they're really quite interesting to study and compare)
39. Having a random dance party up on a stage somewhere in the resort
40. Burning our bare feet on the hot ground and then relieving them in the cool water of the pools
41. Passing crabs scuttling around the place when going to the beach
42. Riding around the resort in golf cart-type vehicles and mini trains
43. Being exposed to more poverty in that one trip than I have seen anywhere in America
44. Having a lesson together on Sunday about gifts (we made a long list of them)
45. Getting up whenever we wanted, eating whenever we wanted, swimming however much we wanted, eating as much ice cream as we wanted as long as we were willing to walk to machine to get it
46. Not bothering to try to look good - at all. Ever. I brushed my hair maybe once the whole week.
47. Soaking in the exotic smells, sights, and sounds - it was so damp and so GREEN there
48. Taking a big family photo of everyone - not looking our best, dressed in clashing colors, having done nothing with our hair or anything else whatsoever to better our appearance - but looking bright-eyed, relaxed, and happy to be together.
49. Half-wondering on occasion if the experience was real, or just a dream
50. Just being with each other in one big, happy family reunion

We love Mexico!

Underwater photo

Fruity drinks at the swim-up bar

Snorkeling in the pool (not much to see, but it's fun to swim with flippers and a mask)

This is the list of gifts we have that we made on Sunday.

Climbing the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula

Swimming!

Under one of the bridges spanning the pool

Another underwater picture

I wish I could eat as much as Dave can...

Fish in the Saltwater Pool

Flamingos

The random dance party up on stage

Dinner

One of the ruins in Coba

Our big family photo. :)

Orchestra, Lunch, Bowling, Summer...Update on a Few Months

This is the start of a post I began a few months back - I'm just adding to it now. I figure I might as well post it. :)

A while ago: I've had a fun, busy week. On Thursday we had our orchestra festival, during which a bunch of Jr. High school orchestras gather at one school and perform for each other and for judges. Some are decent, some some are, frankly, terrible (to put it bluntly). But we all gather together and perform about two songs each, and our performances are rated. We went last - we like to think it's because no one wants to go after us (and they want to save the best for last :) - and we stole the show. We got perfect scores, and very little criticism; though of course, we had some. There are always things to change and do better. But overall, we performed magnificently - and I'm not giving myself credit. I take about a fiftieth of the credit. :) So that was fun, and then we went out to get lunch. The bus dropped us off at a parking lot near a variety of restaurants, but most people raced for Café Rio. Including me. So my friends and I ate there, and then we went to get frozen yogurt at the popular fro-yo shop nearby. Then we got back on the bus in time to sit through one last class at school.

(Adding on to that): On Friday, a bunch of the ninth graders on the High Honor Roll list went to FatCats to bowl. I was very proud of myself when I got several strikes, and it was fun to spend time with a bunch of my friends. I also tried play-dough ice cream for the first time, which was yummy.

On the way home, my friend Charlotte and I took pictures of ourselves making goofy faces. Some of them were so terrible or funny, we laughed ourselves to tears - we had a good time. :')

By the way, here is the scoreboard at one point - and notice the beautiful X's at the top of the screen. ;)

Present day: I've had a crazy summer. That took place a couple months ago, but since summer started, I've scarcely been at home. Before school got out, my family went on a trip to Zion National Park, which was awesome. There were some amazing views, and I plan on adding more to that later. After school got out, my mom took my brother and I on a trip to New York and then Vermont, where I had a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends. Then I had EFY as soon as we got back, which was absolutely wonderful. I encourage anyone who hasn't been to go; it's a fabulous camp. The day after that ended I attended an all-day Teen Writers Conference. Tomorrow I have Youth Conference, and next week I'll have my cousins over and we'll be heading up to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We'll be going on our annual trip to Bear Lake while we're up there - and then soon after that we'll be going out to Hawaii. So...it's been crazy. I feel terrible for not writing much, but there is only so much you can do when you're constantly heading out, creating memories, and going somewhere else before you have a chance to record them. I suppose it would help to just write shorter posts rather than going into great detail. But anyway, I won't be done with this blog for a long time. It's tough to write on a blog or journal consistently during the wild years of high school, but I'll do my best. Which is good enough.

End of March Update

I missed February, but I am not missing March. So here is a little update on stuff that has been going on:

• Spring has sprung! And being on Spring Break feels better than I can ever remember.
• General Conference began today, and I enjoyed all four hours of it.
• I saw the Hunger Games yesterday, and loved it - I'm going to start reading the books tonight. Yes, I know: everyone has read the books already. I just stink at making time to do these kinds of things. Anyway, I went with a bunch of friends, and afterwards we got ice cream at a Dairy Queen and then went to someone's house and played Reverse Charades. It was a blast - we were all cracking up while doing some impressions. I love my friends.
• Last weekend I went on a trip to Goblin Valley and Moab with a bunch of people in the Concert Band and Orchestra at our school - it was SO much fun, and I think everyone had a great time.
• I've been spending a lot more time practicing piano since my mom started this system...if I practice less than 1 1/2 hours during the week, I have to pay for my lesson. But if I practice more than 3 hours a week, I get paid $8 an hour for each hour I do above 3. I haven't made that much money, but I have accomplished a lot more than I used to with that instrument. Also, next year I am taking a release-time class, or electronic high school class, during which I will go home and practice piano. I want to get a lot better at it. Somewhat sadly, I am quitting viola next year - but it has been fun while it lasted. Being in an ensemble is great, and don't regret starting in the first place. I'm just ready to move on from that.
• I picked up the ukulele! It's just a little hobby, and I'm not all that great at it, but it's really fun and I enjoy playing it. My reasons for quitting the viola have nothing to do with the uke, in case you were wondering. It's just a fun hobby, like I said.
• School has been pretty stressful, but I have managed to get no lower than an A- in any class. I only got one of those, in algebra 2, and it could have been prevented so easily...but whatever. I'm mostly over it. An A minus in an advanced math class isn't going to keep me out of college. Right now it's my science grade I am most concerned with - but only because I practically failed one test and it's the first thing on our grades. I think I'll be able to bring it back up.
• I went to my friend's Quinceñera a few weeks ago, and it was amazing. It was a little like the dance I had for my birthday, but kind of an even bigger deal...
• Back in February, we had a school dance and a stake dance. Both were pretty fun. At the school dance, I was dancing with this guy and then a whole bunch of people made a ring around us and were whistling or whatever when he spun me. It was really funny, although it was a little embarrassing. It's weird how everyone makes a huge deal about dancing couples at school dances, but not at stake ones - but whatever. The stake dance was great, as usual. I won't go into more detail about that.
• Other than that...I can't really think of anything. Life is pretty good right now, although my days are up and down. As can be expected of a 15-year-old girl. :)

Hello Again...

I promise I'm not done posting on this blog. It surprises me how hard it is to take time to write on here, but I think I'll have a goal to write at LEAST once a month. Hopefully I can get into it enough again to write more, but for now, I'm sorry for the long break I've taken. I have regretted it thoroughly. So much has happened - I really will write about all of it at some point. Soon. But for now I just want to say I'm still around. :)

Oh, and I plan on putting a lot more pictures in the future. It will liven things up and take up space. :P

Day at Disneyland

It has taken me a while to get around to writing this, but better late than never. :) We had been talking about it for a little while, but we found out on Monday the 17th that we were definitely going to Disneyland. The next day.

Early Tuesday morning, 5:15 to be precise, we (my mom, my brother, and I) got up and drove to the airport. I just want to say right now that I love my mom's job - having a flight attendant for a mother is one of the coolest things in the world. So, we flew to California on a nearly-empty plane (I slept lying down on the row behind our given seats), and our dear friend Alicia picked us up in Long Beach. We went out to have a late breakfast, stopped to drop things off at Alicia's, and then drove to Disneyland. There we met up with Alicia's friend, who works at the amusement park, and she got my mom, my brother, and me in for free. Alicia was going to buy herself a pass, but we all chipped in to get her one. And so we found ourselves in the "Happiest Place on Earth."

First off, we took a little tour of a rainforest on the Jungle Cruise ride. From there we headed to the Haunted Mansion (one of my favorites) and then Big Thunder Mountain (another fun one). We walked right onto Pinocchio's Adventure - or whatever it's called - and then flew through the Peter Pan ride. Nemo's Submarine ride came next, followed by the thrilling experience of Space Mountain (which is definitely on the top three favorite rides list). In the photo taken at the end of the ride, my face was split into a wide smile. Next we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride, where you use a little astro gun to shoot all of the targets with a Z (for the evil Zork or whatever the alien is called). The points were all counted up and in the end, my score was the highest. Oddly enough. Anyway, that ride was followed by one of the best rides in the whole amusement park - Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a classic. Afterward, we went on the Matterhorn, which was a lot more jarring than I remember it being in the past - but it was still fun. Following that we drove our way through the ride Autopia; I taped my driver's license in my journal. We also went on the little Rockets ride (so much fun when we were younger), walked through Pixie Hollow, stopped at the First Aid building to get a wheelchair for Alicia (sad that she needed it for her strained and swollen foot, but having a wheelchair-bound member in a group has its perks), and shopped at the Emporium on Main Street. By then we were ready to head to California Adventure, so we had our hands stamped and headed out of Disneyland. We went straight for one of our very favorite rides in the entire amusement park complex: Soarin' Over California. It is such an enjoyable one that we didn't just go on it once - we headed right for the end of the line to do it again when it was over. Besides, we wanted better seats than we got the first time, so we ended up with the best ones in the whole simulator.

We didn't go on any more rides after that. By then, it was getting late, and everything was being shut down for the final attraction of the night: World of Color.

Remember how I said having a wheelchair-bound member in a group has its perks? Well, its perks happened to include the chance to have reasonably good seats, free of charge, for World of Color. Our little group was shown to the wheelchair-seating area, and we settled down for the magnificent show.

It was waterworks like I have never seen before. There wasn't just light, there was vivid color (hence the name) shone on the jets shooting up into the sky. There was music reverberating through the air as everyone watched in awe. And incredibly colorful scenes from many of Disney's well-loved films were projected onto the screens of water. Some parts of it just about had me in tears, it was so beautiful and glorious and unbelievable. the show was unlike any I had ever seen. My favorite moment during the experience would probably be the scene from Pocahontas, with the emotionally intense version of "Colors of the Wind." "You can paint with all the colors of the wind..." I just about cried, and my heart felt ready to burst with the desire for the moment to last forever. All things must have an end, however, and that experience was no exception. The night came to an end, our vacation came to an end, and I found myself back home with endless normal things happening that I had to readjust to. And yes, I just contradicted myself - some things actually do last forever. Certain, special memories being one of them.

I sure hope I never forget the memory of this incredible experience - I don't want the colors to dim in my mind. It is difficult to capture the vivid picture of the night, but writing down what I can may help me remember the way I felt in the moment. I suppose journals and blogs really are for me in that way; through them I can recall the magical times I never want to forget. Writing lets me remember them.

Disneyland is, as our passes declared, the beginning of memories. Nearly all of them being good. I don't know if it really is "The Happiest Place on Earth," but I'm starting to think it comes close. I always walk out with a tug of sadness amid the happy emotions built up during the day. It truly is a blessing to go as often as we do, for as little money as we pay. My life sometimes seems so unbelievable.

And that is the story of my Day at Disneyland.

Music

I've been really into music lately, so I decided to write a tribute to it.

Right now, the piano is the musically related subject that matters the most to me. Some days, it can be really tough to practice; there are times I hardly touch it. But when I do, it is very rewarding. Today I decided to practice for one hour, and I did. It doesn't feel like I made a lot of progress in that time, but I'm sure I made more that I actually notice. At the moment I am playing Rondo Alla Turca (a well-known classical piece), arranging "Fearless" by Taylor Swift, and learning a lovely piece my teacher composed titled "May." I am also gaining experience with transposing (I learned a hymn in E flat, and now I have to transpose it to E - it's hard!!!), getting faster at scales, drilling the notes with flash cards, and learning lots of little secrets that make playing piano incredibly satisfying.

The piano is not the only instrument I play, though it's my best. I am also having a great time playing the viola in my school orchestra. I'm not exactly an incredible violist, but I have fun with it. For a while, I was learning a piano/viola duet with my mom that we were thinking of playing in church, but that will probably wait. We both have some advancing to do in the meantime.

Aside from actually playing instruments, I also listen to music played on them. Namely, classical. I have grown very fond of all sorts of classical music, and the main radio station I listen to nowadays is Classical 89.1. I love how peaceful it can be, but it can also be very powerful. I love that it never swears and isn't at all inappropriate, no matter how you look at it. It is so unique compared to all the popular music of today, which I sometimes enjoy, but not always. That's why I turn to classical music - I never get tired of hearing it.

Finally, the last aspect of music I enjoy is singing. Right now I sing in my church choir, which is very rewarding. I look forward to being part of it each Sunday. Besides that, I've written some songs and have performed vocally quite a few times throughout my life. I have also been in the Salt Lake Children's Choir, which was a fantastic experience but one that took a lot of time and commitment. I took voice lessons years ago when I was almost too young to remember, but since then I have just enjoyed singing whenever I decide to do so.

So, that is basically all the music I'm really into; for the most part, it's classical. But don't get me wrong - I still love many of the more popular songs on the radio. I love participating in dances, where it is a lot of fun to get into the music with all my friends. However, I'm not one that loves listening to that kind of stuff all the time. I always return to the more peaceful, instrumental side of music.

Turmoil Up North

This is a funny Christmas comic. Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

It's been a while, but I just wanted to share a poem I wrote this month. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree

Shiny strands of silver beads
Climb like hikers on a hill
They gracefully wind their way around
The branches they were made to fill

The orbs of glass so bright and bold
Hang like stars in the midnight sky
They fill the space left in between
The dense, dark foliage, low and high

Radiant lights of a shimmering sheen
Glitter like a city in the shadowy night
They ardently blaze through the dusky gloom
Glimmering, dazzling, gleaming so bright

NYC

A couple weeks ago I went on an amazing trip to New York City. As I can't remember all the details, I'll inform you through some edited journal entries. Enjoy!

Friday, September 3, 2010

The airplane ride last night went well. After writing the day's journal entry, I read and then listened to the radio until the signal was lost. Then I actually managed to sleep for maybe three hours. When we reached the airport, we took a cab to my mom's aunt and uncle's apartment. After they showed us around and we chatted for a while, we slept for another three hours on a king-sized bed. I had never had less of a desire to get up before then, but my mom wanted to get going and not waste a day in New York sleeping. I agree with her.

We rode on the subway down to the World Trade Center. For a few hours following lunch, we shopped at a gigantic store called Century 21. I got a few shirts there, and some shoes when we stopped by Payless. We also spent a lot of time at a very cute store with stylish clothes and accessories called Strawberry. I got several headbands and a super cute hat there. Finally, we went to a sparkling shop called Gem Story and got some jeweled necklaces. I took tons of pictures, of the apartment and of the city. Besides meals and shopping, we wandered around, checked out the church, and spent some time in the awesome apartment. It really is cool here. But my feet are about to fall off and I’m exhausted, so that’s all I’ll say tonight.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Today was an amazing day. I can hardly wrap my head around it. The first thing we did was walk around in the Juilliard School of Music, Dance, and Drama, which was awesome. Then my mom’s friend and her two daughters came over and we spent a bunch of time with them. After we showed them around and chatted, we went to an adorable restaurant called “Alice’s Teacup.” We ordered “The Jabberwocky,” which consisted of beverages, scones, and unlimited sandwiches. Some of the sandwiches were good, and others weren’t my favorite – and the same with the scones. But it was still really fun, and they sprinkled us with glitter at the end. We all had a great time.

After a long, hearty lunch, we took a cab to Times Square. We went shopping at Forever 21 for a long time, though we didn’t get much. On the way back we stopped by “Pinkberry” and got tasty frozen yogurt. Then we went back to the apartment and hung out for a while – we went up on the roof of the apartment complex, took pictures, and relaxed. And finally, the big moment came.

My mom’s friend dropped us off in her slick BMW convertible (I want one!). We walked into the Gershwin Theatre, registered our tickets, found our seats and waited for the show to begin.

It was amazing; every bit of it was either a laugh-out-loud moment or a heart-wrenching part of one wildly wonderful, well-done, Wicked production. If you haven’t seen it, you have to. It was truly amazing, and I hope I will never forget it. I don’t think I will. Nothing I write here will do it justice – some things can’t be expressed in words.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

This morning we got up a little earlier than usual to go to church. It was a singles ward, though there were members there that wouldn’t normally be in a singles ward (like us). At the end, my mom and I chatted with an old friend from Vermont who is now a fairly famous ballerina living here. It was nice to see her again, after such a long time.

We came back to the apartment and hung out until my mom’s aunt and uncle came over. We talked for a good amount of time and then took the subway to a place where we waited in line for quite a while. Then we hopped on a ferry and rode over to Governor’s Island. We circled the island, but on the way we got ice cream, took pictures of the Statue of Liberty (on an island a little ways away), checked out some extremely weird art exhibits, and then ferried home.

For dinner we went out to a very nice Chinese restaurant, Shun Lee. I ordered sweet and sour pork (something I am used to and I know I like), and tried some new things from everyone else’s dishes. It was delicious.

My relatives said their goodbyes and left tonight – now the only time we have left in New York is tomorrow morning and part of the afternoon. And we’ll do whatever we want with that time.

Monday, September 6, 2010

My day started out in New York City and ended a few thousand miles away from there. Though we only had a few short hours left in the big city, we got a lot of stuff done – packing (a given), a quick walk through the peaceful trees of Central Park, a short trip inside the Museum of Natural History (which was really cool; I wanted to stay much longer than we did), brunch at the Shake Shack (which everyone has been talking about), some frozen yogurt from Pinkberry (coconut!), we picked up a really amazing treat at the Magnolia Bakery called “Blueberry Jamboree,” and traveled back to the airport. I read and slept a little on the flight home.

Was that a successful trip or what? I sure think so. I can’t wait to go back, either.

Back

Summer, as usual, got busy - I spent more time than I thought with my cousins at my grandparents' house, less time than I would have guessed doing Night Games, and tons of time practicing the piano, organizing my desk and other parts of my room, and thinking about school.

So, school is back in. It became astonishingly overwhelming incredibly fast. I was having a hard time keeping up with my practicing and spending hours on homework that I couldn't spare. Losing sleep and skipping meals and feeling half-dead all the time were some things that were happening, so my mom decided I had had enough. She talked to my guidance counselor and I've had a change in schedule - I'm no longer in the GT (Gifted and Talented) classes. They don't count for college and I personally think they are meant for those who would be bored out of their minds in a normal class, so they're just not worth it.

I'll still technically be in GT science (because it really isn't different from the core science class), but for history and English, I'm done. I'm excited to meet new people and be with some of my other friends that I haven't had classes with, but I'm really sad to leave those in my GT classes. I went all through seventh grade with them and was planning on going through eighth grade too - but it became too much. Maybe that's my fault for spending more time than needed on homework, or getting less sleep that I should have, or maybe it's a change that was meant to happen. Maybe I'm just not cut out for it, at least right now. But for all my friends I'm leaving - I'll miss you! And to my other friends that I may get to see more often - I'll see you soon!

Free Time

School has been out for a while now. I've been busy, but not really busy. Just busy with fun things - going to Seven Peaks Water Park, floating pine cones down the streams at Liberty Park (as well as going on some of the rides at the mini-amusement park), swimming all the time, sorting papers and throwing out old assignments, amusing myself by watching Brandon play with my Playmobil toys, playing games on the computer, listening to the radio, reading...but I've hardly spent any time with friends. That is one thing I've missed out on this summer - so far. I'm heartily looking forward to Night Games. I'm also excited for some trips I am planning on. This year, instead of going on vacation everywhere, my family is doing staycation stuff: going to all of the fun places that are in our area. Of course, we'll go on one or two short trips out-of-state (my mom and I are heading out to NYC to see Wicked on Broadway!!! ☺☺☺), but we'll mostly stay around here. I'm happy about that. Last summer I got barely any time with friends, I was gone so much. But this year, that will change.


The last day of seventh grade was crazy. And happy. And really exciting. School's out! But of course, I came close to tears. I knew I would. I'll miss a lot of people that I made good friends with. Classes involved taking pictures, playing Ninja, and saying lots of good-byes. It was a wild day with emotions up and down and all over the place. This is one reason I love school - it's a people place. It's a place where you can be yourself. And of course, it's a place to learn; not only school subjects, but social skills and who you want to be. Junior High is amazing and I can't wait to be back - but for now I'll enjoy my free time.

This Weekend

This past weekend was a ton of fun. My family awoke early on Saturday, packed up and drove nearly four hours to Arches National Park. Looking back, it seems like a short trip; when we got there, we went to the one and only campsite in the park: Devil's Garden. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived it was full. So we ate lunch then drove to the starting point of the hike to the Delicate Arch. When we were hiking, we somehow managed to get lost from the trail - but we still found a way to the arch, even if it was from a different angle. But since we came from another viewpoint, we had a difference experience with the arch. After having some pictures taken, we went over to a cliff that branched out from the main area. From that point, we could see something that not many of the visitors of the Delicate Arch could see; there was a sheer drop-off, nearly five hundred feet tall. It was astonishing. Pictures can do it no justice - you have to see it for yourself. If you haven't gone to Arches National Park, GO. Even the drive there is spectacular.

We searched for a campsite in Moab to no avail. There was some big event going on, and everywhere was packed. So we decided to just go home, since there didn't seem to be any campsites we could stay at. But half an hour away from the city in a little town called Green River, we found a perfect place to stay overnight. There was grass, trees and even tumbleweed and sticks lying around that were perfect for burning. We constructed a fire and made hobo dinner with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and onions. If you haven't tried it, that stuff is heavenly. The site even had Wi-Fi, and my dad checked his email in the tent for the first time. It was awesome.

When we go home, there was unpacking and cooking to be done. My grandparents came over for dinner and my piano recital. I was pretty nervous and extremely tense throughout the program, but everything went well. I'm not sure there was one person that didn't mess up in the slightest, though many did a great job and my parents and I were especially proud of my work. I had a wonderful weekend!

Five More Years (at least)

So, if you hadn't heard, I'm not moving - for the next five years (at least). My dad matched here for the transitional year and residency. It will be one very hard year for my dad, but it is a relief that I don't have to move. I'm really glad. And now we have the whole summer to look forward to!

The Next 5 Years

Next week, on Thursday, March 18, 2010, I will find out what the next five years of my life will be like. It is a very special day - Match Day for all the medical students at the U, including my dad. I may move to the east coast for a year, then come back, or I may not move at all. Or I could move somewhere nowhere near the east coast or Salt Lake City. I don't know. But I'll find out in less than a week...and I'm pretty nervous. That is one of the main topics in conversations I have with anyone nowadays. All my friends want me to stay here, and that is a possibility. But whether I leave them or not, they are planning to throw a Night Games party to celebrate or say good bye. And whatever happens, I know that it happened for a reason, and I'm okay with it.

We'll see.

Science Fair

This is a kicker, so I thought I should share.

A while ago, we had to do our science fair projects, which involved conducting an experiment of some kind. My experiment was taking different measurements of vinegar and baking soda for a film canister rocket. Everything went well, and I did a good job on my presentation, but I got an A- for a couple of small things. In any case, I brought my project to the actual science fair today. First the judges studied all of the projects and gave them grades, then parents, siblings, and students could come in and look at all of the posters. After school today I had play practice and then I just waited a while until the fair so I wouldn't have to go home and come back. But after almost an hour my family left because there weren't many people and I had homework to do. There was the prize ceremony nearly an hour after we left, but I figured it wouldn't be worth going to. Then I got an email from one friend saying that I was amazing, that I had won first prize in the science fair, and I wasn't even there to get my trophy. I sent her a message saying that she must be joking; I had an A- on the project. There was no way I could have won. Then another friend called, and congratulated me on winning first prize for the science fair. I could not believe my ears, but I knew she wouldn't make that up and plus I had also received the same notice in the email. Now I feel like an idiot - winning first prize, and not being there to claim it. So lame. But I'm excited to go to school tomorrow, and get my second trophy in my life. And tell this story to all of my friends. :)

Life certainly takes many unexpected turns. And sometimes they are really good ones.

Valograms

For Valentines Day my school is doing valograms, where you can pay a dollar to send a chocolate rose to someone (you need to know their seventh period class though) or fifty cents to send a sucker. All the money raised is going to Haiti this year, which is good because I was feeling a bit guilty for spending seventeen dollars on my friends. Do you think I went overboard?

Happy Valentines Day (in ten days)!!!

Update

It's been a while, I know, but the holidays are crazy...we spent time at my Grandparents' house as well as our own. I had fun with my cousins and aunts and uncles. One thing we did was go to see Avatar in theaters!!! It was totally awesome, except for all the horrible language...if they had just cut out or changed the swears, that movie would have been pretty much perfect.

Christmas was awesome, and I'm not going to say everything that I got, but I got a brand new dark blue camera!!! I love it, and I expect you'll be seeing more photos on here than usual. I also got candy, money, notebooks and other craft supplies, clothes, and more. Plus, soon we're getting a Wii!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait!

School is back, and going pretty well...Junior High is a lot harder than Elementary School, but I'm doing all right with it. The new semester is starting soon, and I'll have a change in my classes, but I hope it's not too hard to deal with.

I got my braces off!!! At first it felt really slimy and weird, but it's starting to feel more normal. I'm getting a retainer this week, and it's going to be sparkly blue. My friends were (for the most part) excited for me, though some are having a hard time getting used to my new look. They'll get over it soon though. :)

Some of you might be wondering if I'm still into writing, and if I'm ever going to finish the novel I started. Well, haven't given up the dream of being an author, but lately I haven't made much time for writing. But I still enjoy it. Someday I would like to finish the book I started, and I've had inspiration from other books I've read (I just finished Legacy which was written by Cayla Kluver when she was only a couple years older than me), but I haven't really gotten started on it yet. I'll let you know if I do get somewhere with it. I have written in my journal every day for about two months now...and I continue to do so.

New Years Resolutions:

-Write at least once a week
-Blog at least twice a month
-Run or walk a little every day
-Brush and floss every day
-Be kinder to everyone
-Write a song at least every 2 months
-Write in my journal every day
-Read The Bible
-Do 2 sections of Personal Progress

Wishing you all a happy year of 2010!!!

In Just a Few Days...

...Christmas will be here! I'm so excited. My aunt and uncle are coming to join us for the holidays, and we're going to drive up to my Grandparent's on Christmas afternoon. On Christmas Eve I get to open one present (that's our tradition). I'm so excited!

I don't want very much stuff (and what I do want very much is way too expensive; an i-Pod Touch), and I used to want more...but I don't want it anymore. I wanted the Himalayan Cat Webkinz, but I looked at some customer reviews and figured out that it is a lot worse than I thought (like, WAY worse)...here's one photo of it: Himalayan Cat Webkinz (sadly, that's not one of a kind).

So, I don't want that anymore. I still want a Whimsey Dragon Webkinz, candy, clothes, and surprises - and that's about it.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of my readers!