Up the Hill

This afternoon, I found myself to be entirely spent of any and all energy. Whilst palliating the complete lack of vigor with a nap, I was blessed with a rather peculiar dream... Dreams, I think, are incredibly personal things. They are the inner workings of the mind and how the brain processes your experiences and thoughts...  In general, my dreaming tends to be either complete story lines with extremely random plots or incoherent wandering through seemingly unconnected topics. However, this dream was very specific. 'Twas more of a memory, really; a vivid picture of something that had happened last weekend. Saturday last, I went down to Redondo Beach to help out with my cousin Nora's 7th birthday party. She was having a Fairy Hollow Scavenger Hunt and I was in charge of leading a group of first graders all across a wilderness park in order to collect "gems". One of the last clues led us up an extremely steep path to the top of a hill. All the little girls raced up the incline, slipping and falling on the treacherous hike but eager as ever to make it to the final prize at the top. It made me think of Jesus telling his disciples to "become like little children" (Matthew 18:3); humble before the Lord in order to reach the Kingdom of God. My little "fairies" had only one goal in mind, to reach the final treasure. Despite all of the bumps and hardships in reaching it, they took the narrow road, the direct route to the top of the hill. I realize that y'all have probably heard ten thousand sermons preached on what it really means to "be like little children", but watching my girls struggling up the hill, focused on the destination, made me truly think about the meaning. Kids take the most direct path. They don't overanalyze the issue and search for the easiest route. Instead, they charge full speed; "single-minded, forgetting the things behind and reaching out for the things ahead" (Phillipians 3:13).

"With this goal in mind I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ." (Phillipians 3:14)

Story of My Life

Today, it rained. The floating masses of water that have been hanging over our heads have finally let spill their contents over the earth... Rain is truly a miracle if ever I heard of one. I could sit for hours just listening to the ever-changing beat of the drops outside my window... Unfortunately, I don't have the time for such luxuries... However, on a late Friday afternoon, with nothing better to do, contemplating life is not a completely wasteful use of time. So that's what I did today. Between prayers of thanks for the amazing turn of weather, lazily reading novels, and plunking out skewed melodies on the keyboard, I found that I actually had time to take that moment of silence I was talking about in my last post of significance... I found my mind wandering around thoughts of the future and everything that it holds, both bitter and sweet. Isn't it amazing how He has something planned for each and everyone of us, more fantastic that what we could ever imagine? But no matter how many times I'm reminded of that, the fact continually slips from memory. I have to be reminded that even when we can't see where we're going and are afraid of hitting our knees in the dark, our Guide knows the path. While randomly flipping through the pages of my Bible, Proverbs 20:24 stood out from the page. It said, "The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?"... Talk about an applicable verse! Being naturally prone to worry, particularly about what is to come, learning that there is nothing I can do to change the future, no matter how much I wish I could just tweak a few things, is harder than climbing Mt. Everest, and if not for our Lord, nearly as cold a journey...........

Suck Fish and Knit Jerseys...

This post is really nothing more than the much awaited work-day pictures (Thank-you, Oksana!!)

 







Oh, and this lovely video. I don't knit to get my mind off of eating, honest! =)

http://yoplait.com/spots/yoplait_standalone.swf?video=0

My Sincerest Apologies

to you all who have already read that last post!! It is entirely the incomprehensible musings of a tired mind and much too introspective for most of you to truly understand. Last night, I really just began typing as I was thinking and thus, the post wandered through subjects and cut off abruptly in several places...  sorry 'bout that!!!

Once In a Blue Moon

I've never quite understood that phrase so, if you know the origins of it, please inform me...

I haven't really had much to blog about lately, whether it be an epiphany about the color green or a rant about Patrick Dempsey. To be quite honest, this past week was really just one long study session, spanning over, seemingly, every waking second of my life. Finals. Curses be upon them and those who thought up such vile things! I understand they are some-what necessary, but they're a nuisance none the less. Fortunately, they all went reasonably well and are finally over! It is now "stress-free" week (as if there ever truly was such a thing!) However, to date, the week has been a far cry from its namesake. Oh the joys of teenage existence! -.- Between playing catch-up with all of my ridiculously behind schedule teachers, worrying over my academic future (PSAT scores are coming in soon!), and attempting to manage some sort of sanity (or insanity, as it were) I haven't had much time to really take a second and stop. Have you tried that recently? Just pausing, if even for a moment, to think about nothing but silence. peace. calm... I certainly don't get enough of that on a day to day basis. No matter how many times I hear that sermon about how the Lord speaks in the silence, watch that Nooma video with Rob Bell turning off the TV, or write "Be Quiet!" in my planner, I never seem to be able to consistently uphold that ideal. There's always something else to think about; something else to do; another thing to add to the endless list of things that need to be done before I can start anything else. *sigh*

To change the subject before I start to ramble about silence in the midst of choas, I sorted through my desk drawer yesterday! It was truly an amazing experience! You see, I generally toss whatever interesting bits of paper I have lying around into that drawer, as well as knick-knacks and other oddities. Whilst I was digging through the black hole, I came across an old notebook, full of things I can't remember writing but must have, as they were in my script. Amongst the beginnings of short stories and hastily jotted lines of verse, I found a poem. 'Twas almost complete, needing improvement certainly, but not entirely without potential as most of the rest seemed to be. What made it stand out though, was its tone. If ever I were to write poetry, most would expect it to be light-hearted, full of ridiculous rhymes and to be taken at face value. Oddly enough, this unnamed bit of writing was dark, free-verse, and full of dual meanings. Isn't it interesting how we can go through stages of life, obviously ones that hit us hard, and then forget them, just as quickly as they come? I don't know when I wrote it, it had no date. I don't know why I wrote it, there was no explanation. The spelling was atrocious and the rhythm was slightly off. But it must have meant something to me... another thing to ponder in my "free time"...

Finally!

Finally! A good picture of the girls, together, from homecoming! (Jami, we missed you!!) 'Twas hiding on Mandy's facebook page!


Pictures and commentary on the Youth Work Day today will be posted as soon as Oksana e-mails me the pics. :)

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! In case you couldn't already tell, I'm kind of really freaking out right now. "Why?", you may ask? I'm starting driving classes tomorrow!!!!!!!!! It's not that the classes themselves scare me, but when Dad asks me if I want to drive home from church, I'm not going to have an excuse to say no! =O Sunday evening, he and I went out to the Fry's in Pomona. I don't know if any of you have ever been to Fry's but basically, it's a computer geek's heaven. It's a *gigantic* store chock-full of anything computer related that you might, and probably won't, ever need. Anyways, back to the story. It was a little past 6:30 and already dark. The parking lot was jam-packed with shoppers and it was at least a half hour drive back on a crowded free-way and Dad tried to get me to drive home! I'm telling you, he must be crazy! O_O

And another video:

Maybe Steven should watch this one.... Just kidding.... that would be bad.

Hey look!

Remind y'all of anyone?

Too Weird Not to Share!

Okay I happened across this video today and found it too weird/creepy not to share with all of you! :) Even if the main plot was written by a little kid, I'm sensing some serious communist sub-themes... Tell me what you think!

Nothing That Important to Say...

Hey all! To be honest, I'm really just posting something for the sake of posting something. I hadn't put anything new up in ages so I thought I might as well...

In my family, Christmas is always about being with family. All the time. *sigh* My Uncle Steve and Aunt Laura were going to spend Christmas with his family this year so they came down from San Jose the weekend before Christmas. My aunts seemingly can't live without having every moment planned out (love you guys!!) so, while all the "big boys" got to go play paintball, the women and children were left to the ballet. The six year old son of one of my grandmother's co-workers is in a ballet troupe and so we went to support him. They preformed the Nutcracker (of course) at the Fine Arts Center at Victoria Gardens Mall. The most entertaining part of the day was probably the fact that there was a life-size Shakespeare sitting on a bench outside the theatre. All of my cousins proceeded to climb atop him and pose for pictures. Sacrilege!



From left to right: Erin, Nora, Jessica, Coalson, and Egan (Zach was causing trouble elsewhere)

The Tuesday before Christmas Eve, Mandy held a Christmas Party at her home. It was interesting, to say the least. Fortunately, we were FINALLY able to get a decent picture of everyone looking at the camera with a straight face!

 

From left to right: Ryan, Kaitlyn, Greg, Maggie, Robert, Jami, Daniel, Mandy, Meaghan

So... yeah. Aside from all of the incredibly long rants I have about the craziness of Christmas in general, particularly in my family, (which I will not bore you with at present) that's all folks.

And, of course, another lame youtube video:

A Few Quick Videos

Hey all! Just thought you might want some lame videos to take up your abundance of time over Christmas Break! :)Enjoy the pure annoyance...









And... just in case you've never been exposed to Achmed THE Dead Terrorist, here you go (disclaimer: please excuse the brief language!):



And Jingle Bombs:

Reading Log Rant

Alright, just to let everyone know, I positively ABHOR reading logs!!! They are a complete waste of time and serve no other purpose other than to pester and annoy. Do these teachers really expect us to log a book WHILE we're reading?! Honestly, you'd think that they would encourage us to "get into the book" and read as much as possible, not be hindered by stopping every 20-25 pages to find a quote and write about how very important to the plot it is!! hmph. As you've probably already guessed, I'm being forced to complete reading logs. -.- For English we have to read and log a best seller and then write a timed essay about the theme or character develpoment or another silly thing that anyone with a brain can generally understand just from reading the book sleeve. Oh yeah, did I mention that I have to read Eragon? The never-ever-ever-readitagain type of book that happens to be 550 pages and one of the only best sellers on my shelf. (The other option was Angels & Demons by Dan Brown) I've read them both before which makes LOGGING them every 20 pages interminable. And this timed essay/due date for logs is this Friday. I haven't even started to re-read either. *sigh* Alright so, the entire point of this post was to a) keep me from throwing a rather large hard-covered book at someone's head, b) help me procrastinate even more, and c) get a post out there so that I'll have posted in the last 2 weeks. *another sigh* Curses be upon all reading logs!

Just slightly disturbing...

Ah Youtube! I swear, you can find anything and everything on that site! Just browsing, I came across a link to piano sheet music for Deathbed (one Youtube, go figure) and this interesting video. The song is old and most of you will know it but I thought that the homemade music video was priceless! Here you go:

That is all.

A Merry Thanksgiving to You All!

MERRY THANKSGIVING to everyone! I hope that your Thanksgiving is full of family, friends, laughter and lots and lots of pie! Every year, we go around the table and say what we're thankful for. (a tradition that I realize is shared by over 60% of American families) It's always everyone quickly coming up with the same cheesy responses that everyone gives every year and then passing along the awkward moment to the next sucker. This year, I decided to give my response a little more thought that "Um... I'm thankful for my family and um.... America!" Considering the fact that close to no one who reads this blog will actually be there for my family's Thanksgiving diner, I thought that we could carry on our own "What I'm thankful for" thread. I'll go first, I'm thankful for having woken up alive for the past 15+ years with the chance to live my life surrounded by wonderful people and amazing friends. (cheesy and true!) If you have anything to be thankful for (and you ALL do) post what it is as a comment to this post!

 

Quick update: Jami and Rob are now an "official couple" for everyone who cares to know. Aren't they cute? :P



And here's a pic that I should have posted with my last post of Robert and his ducky towel:

[caption id="attachment_266" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="I love Mr.Turner in the background!"][/caption]

 Merry Thanksgiving!

Everything From Razzle Dazzle to Now...

 

CoLoR iS a WoNdErFuL tHiNg! I just figured out how to add color to my posts and thought I might as well try

it out....

Alright so, as I was sitting in my room today, staring at the ceiling for lack of anything better to do, I was hit by a sudden realization. I had not blogged since before Razzle Dazzle! Although not much has happened since then that anyone reading this would either care know or I would care to write, I figured I might as well write something. So here goes.... Razzle Dazzle went splendidly. There were fewer tables and more servers this year so that we were all able to wait on only one table! (first time ever, I might add) Despite the Cruella deVil outfits in the fashion show (and a rather embarrasing spotting of an "old friend" who was modeling them) everything went without a hitch. There was a "fashion throughout the ages" segment that was fantastic. I was extremely jealous of Steve and Evangelia Navaro and their fantastic, early 20th century attire. Her bonnet was simply to die for! :) Progressing in time, Brian Lucas' green suit and 'fro were... interesting, and not at all suspected by Mandy. Some of the youth performed in a 1950's style. Steven was dressed much like usual but everyone else was wonderfully dressed and they all performed exceedingly well. Mandy Lucas was the speaker this year and gave a rousing speech about purses! Okay, actually, I didn't pay too much attention after I heard what it was about but nevertheless, I'm sure it was fantastic! However, when I got home, I had a strong urge to make something out of all of the vinyl (fabric not records) that I had laying around. I eventully decided upon a black vinyl satchel. Not the best choice! I made up the pattern as I went and it turned out looking like a ganny-bag but, oh well. It was my first try. I think I'll embroider some beads to the front or something of the sort, just to give it a bit more personality... Saturday afternoon, Meaghan performed in a stage production of High School Musical. Though it's definately not my favorite story line, Meaghan dancing on the table tops was priceless! She had to "pop, lock, brake, and jam" on top of a table, in front of a full-house at Bridges Auditorium! And Meagh, you did it well! Much better than that horridly annoying Sharpay could have done! :P That night, the Boat Club had their annual officer's election pot-luck at the Claro's home. As usual, it was the adults sitting around drinking either Corona Light or wine and all the kids hanging out upstairs making ridiculous amounts of noise. When you go to a Boat Club function, you can almost assure yourself that you'll have a head-ache by the time you get home. Don't get me wrong, it's always fun, just loud and crazy. This time, we made pizza. The "meat lovers" was so scary I wouldn't touch it but, the more normal toppinged pizzas were delicious! Tuesday was Robert's birthday! (Robert Marquez, not my father) He actually wore the ducky towel Meagh and Mandy had gotten him for the first couple periods of the day. However, when Jami refused to admit to knowing him, let alone hold his hand, he relented and took it off. Oh the drama! The rest of the week was pretty uneventful as far as blog-worthy news goes. If ya'll can thing of something that I missed, let me know!!!   

P.s. The bright colors were getting on my nerves.... =/

 

Waiting for 5657.5

There are 91 days left until my half-birthday, and I couldn't be anticipating it more! On the 5657.5th day I've been alive, I will be *able* to get both my Driver's and my Work Permits! :D Finally! Though it dosen't mean I'll be getting either on that very day, it's extremely exciting. Father and Mum have been on my case lately about the amount of time they spend driving me to and from places. It's not really by any fault of mine that they do, living in a hilly area just rules out "walking" as an option. I was cleaning my room today *gasp* and I found the Driver's Ed packet I had gotten from AAA when I signed up for classes this January. Finding it reminded me that, come July, THEY WON'T HAVE TO! Finally! I honestly don't think I'll mind having to drive the sibs around, so long as I don't have to depend on my parents to take me. Think, to be able to drive to the library whenever you need to. (or want to :P) Fantastic! Anyways, Razzle Dazzle is tonight!! Hopefully David won't spill ice on anyone this year and we won't have to change those horrid models!

P.S. How much longer until you all can get your permits? Or, if you already have it, when did you get it?

Rituals of the Bath

I'm generally a shower-girl. It's just so much faster than having to draw up a whole tub of water. Today however, I really wanted to procrastinate preparing for my timed English essay tomorrow so... I took a bath. And actually, I've decided it's a rather glorious thing! Ever since the time of the Greeks and Romans, bathing has been a ritual part of life. (For a full history go here.) There's something extremely calming about immersing yourself entirely in hot water and basking in the warmth until your fingers get all pruny. Now mind, I realize it isn't at all practical for regularity but, as a rare indulgence, it suits just fine. (excluding you, Grandmama) So saying, I now charge you all to take a bath (a real one, not the over used term for any type of bathing) at the next chance you get. I care not whether you think you're "too tall and won't fit", try it.

Crawling Out of Mourning

Goodness Gracious. *long, drawn out sigh* What is our world coming to?! On last Tuesday night, the fourth of November 2008, Barack Hussein Obama made his acceptance speech as President Elect of the United States of America. Let us observe a moment of silence for the death of America's future..... Our country, may she rest in peace...........................................................................................................................................................This was DEFINATELY a cause to mourn. Since then, I have worn nothing but black and pajamas. Having vowed to do so for the rest of the week if he was elected, I have walked around like a rain cloud since that fateful Tuesday. I'm not quite over the initial horror/depression at having someone I was so very opposed to, be elected BY THE PEOPLE of our nation to lead us. Ugh. Just typing this makes me want to scream! I waited until Sunday to write this because, had I attempted it sooner, this post would just be one interminably long rant about how extremely sorrowful life is and how horridly tragic America's thought process is. However, whether or not I'm completely over it, the worst is past. I'll be able to vote in the next elections and then I'll at least be able to say I had a hand in getting him out of office. =/ Not much consolation there. Another "happy" bit of information, the inauguration insn't until January twentieth. From today, that means 72 days left! Aka 72 days to weep, mourn, rant, glare, and be completely negative about President Elect Obama's election. Once he's in office, he will be our nation's leader. We will have to support him because, to not would be to not support our country. As a general rule of thumb, supporting your own country is probably a good thing. (Obviously, Mum shot down the idea of moving to England. Ba Humbug!) Well, to get off such a horrible subject, I was sick on Friday and missed school. Being sick is never TOO bad but missing school is always an unfortunate occurence. I'm now swamped with homework and have to make up several tests when I return. Don't ask me what the tests are about, I have no clue. (and this IS a happier subject than the elections) Alright I have to go put on a sweatshirt. I'll post again soon.

Harvest Fest

"Halloween", for lack of a better word, went extremely well this year! We all had loads of fun with ridiculous costumes. I was "Queen 'o Hearts" in one of the horrid 80's bridesmaid dresses my mum had been forced to wear. In other words, I came up with it at the last second because I needed SOMETHING to be allowed at Jami's party. Harvest Festival was great. A few of us got there at 3:30 to help set up and were there until about 9:30 at night. Afterwards, I went over to Jami's. We watched the movie Disturbia and I laughed through almost the entire thing. Jami, Mandy, Maggie, and Meaghan were all huddled on the couch screaming at the drop of a pin. It was very entertaining, I can assure you. All the guys left at 11 and "the girls" spent the night. In the afternoon, I went to another USC game with Meaghan. USC won (of course) 56-0 against Washington. It was rather pathetic.

I made a short slideshow of videos and pics from "Halloween" night. Here you go:

Ewwwwwww Bugs!

I'm generally not one of those girls that squeals at the tiniest bug. *cough*Jami*cough* However, I am becoming increasingly perturbed by the Bug Project I have to do for Bio. Having to pin dead insects to a piece of Styrofoam is not exactly my idea of an ideal project. Look how nasty these things are!



For some unknown reason, I had the sudden urge to take a ridiculous amount of pictures of flowers today. Here's a particular favorite of mine:



On a completely different note, here's a pic of Zach's hat for science camp. He refused to smile... how depressing. Fortunately, he's promised to let me "borrow" it for Winter Camp. :D



Tomorrow is Halloween; a ridiculous, pagan holiday. I found this great site explaining the origins for all those who care to know: http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/halloween.html. The only truly redeeming quality that I can find about it is.... HARVEST FEST! I'm going down to the church at 3:30 to help set up and should be there until it closes. Afterwards, I'm heading over to Jami's for a sleep-over with "the girls" and some old "scary" films. I still don't know exactly what I'm going to dress up as. (to be allowed in Jami's home I HAVE to be in costume) I may utilize some of the old dresses I have lying around or come up with something simple and pwny. We'll see. I'll probably post some pics of Harvest Fest and Jami's sleep-over Saturday so check back soon!

post script: PLEASE comment! It dosen't even have to be more than a "Hello"! Goodness gracious people! I get plenty of site-views and NO ONE has commented since Sarah right after she returned from Nationals! Sheesh! :P Anyways, just comment so I know who's reading, k? Gratzi!