Well, It's Official.

In our history class we were assigned to read a book called the Balkan Ghosts a couple months ago. Some people read the first few pages and gave up. Some people read the first few chapters and gave up. Or, one person read the entire book.

And you know what the sad part of this is? They actually enjoyed the book. Sure it was a difficult read, but they thought it was very interesting.

That person? Yours truly.

And I'm not writing this because I'm incredibly proud of myself. In fact, I pretty embarrassed to be the English/History nerd kid who enjoyed reading the "super long, boring, and difficult book."

So yeah, it's official. I'm a nerd.

I mean, like, in case we needed any more clarification on that.

See! I'm Creative!

My lovely creation! (:

A friend of mine posted something like this on facebook after she found it on pinterest.  I thought it looked really cool. It's also extremely easy to do! And really cheap. I already had crayons, super glue, and a blow dryer at my house and the canvas only cost $3. (And surprisingly, it's not that messy at all.)

Just get a box of Crayola crayons (they melt easily) and pick out the color order you want. Mine didn't quite reach across the whole canvas... I had to use an old box of crayons and didn't have enough matching colors.

But after you pick out whatever colors you want and line them up in the right order, just super glue them to the top. Then get a blow dryer, set it to it's highest setting, and blow on the crayons until they melt. Make sure you have something to lean it against while you're melting the crayons, and something to put underneath it.

I thought it was cool how you can actually change the direction of the colors by blowing at different angles. Next time I do this though, I think I'm going to use less colors... or not let them melt for as long... because it looks too dark.

But I'm still happy with it(:

Try it!

My Punishment for Being Sick

This is the punishment I get for being sick for an entire week. Make-up work.

Arrrg. I'm sick again today too. So I'll be listening to World Civ. lectures all day, doing missed math homework, and basically catching up on everything. Oh joy.

But at least, even though I feel awful, I have an entire day to do just make-up work, and not regular work too. Alright, enough complaining. I'd better stop blogging and keep working...

Tired of High School

I'm just tired. Tired of the social stuff. Tired of kids who disrespect teachers and take advantage of the fact that the teacher probably won't punish them. I mean come on, just because they're your teacher doesn't mean they don't have feelings too. I'm tired of hearing "who likes who" every other day and walking past all the couples in the hall. Tired of feeling like the only one whose interested in learning, and being stuck with kids who could care less.

I mean sure, as far as high schools go, mine's great. But today I'm just tired of going day after day and putting up with all of this. This isn't true of all the kids in my class, but there are plenty of them. This is just me complaining a little bit. It's me wishing that things were different.

I'm just going to admit it... I'm a nerd.

Well, I guess that depends on you're definition. I'm not "boringly studious" or "extremely lacking in social skills", I just have certain... nerdy qualities (;

But I've just found myself laughing about how people call just about anyone who is actually interested in an academic subject a "nerd". So, here's my top ten reasons for calling myself one. You decide. (:

Top Ten Reasons Why I'm A Nerd:

10. I actually enjoyed reading Shakespeare's King Henry V.

9. I keep the poetry books I've used in middle school simply because I enjoy reading the poems in them... for fun... (Robert Frost is my all time favorite poet.) 

8. I write, journal, and blog... for fun...

7. I read the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis. And I try, (to the best of my ability), to keep up with world news and US politics.

6. We're reading a book in my history class called The Balkan Ghosts. The majority of the kids in my class either despise reading it, can't understand it, or despise reading it so much they refuse to try to understand it. I'm enjoying reading it...

5. I'm part of a writing critique group near my home. The majority of the people there are at least 30 years older than me, but I still go because I love the critiques so much.

4. I am totally an English person, but I think Chemistry is extremely fascinating.

3. I have a book called "The Quotable Lewis." It is 651 pages long, and it contains C. S. Lewis' quotes in alphabetical order on different subjects.

2. In my mind, papers and test grades are my own personal competition. I challenge myself to get an A on everything, and since I don't always get A's, I am constantly pushing myself to ask more questions, study harder, and do better.

1. My goal by the time I graduate is to be in a place where I have the possible opportunity of being accepted into an Ivy League school. It's a huge goal, one that I may not be able to achieve, but it's what I'm aiming for by the end of my four high school years.


So those are the top ten reasons I call myself a "nerd". But that's only one side of me (; I'm in love with my Savior Jesus Christ, I am passionate about serving Him. I'm passionate about photography and music, specifically acoustic guitar. I'm extremely interested in Sign Language, (something I actually don't consider nerdy). I love shoes, make-up, and shopping. I love sports and could be good at a lot of them if I actually worked at it... I just have chosen not too... and to be lazy. So I'm no good at most sports(;

A lot of people would say I'm quiet when you first meet me, but I doubt many would say I'm not social. I love my friends, they're my extended family. And they love me even with the nerdy things I can sometimes say and do. haha (:

"I haven't talked to you, in... forever!"

That's how I feel about this blog. lol It's the home page on my computer, so it's the first thing I see every time I get on the internet. I've tried to write about 10 different times, but lost interest after the first few sentences.

So basically, since I last posted... we had homecoming at my school, I went with a friend of mine. I invited him to come as my date. I had a ton of fun(:

But then the week after I got sick. I've been sick for three days now. I feel awful. But it's probably good. These past couple of weeks have been exhausting! Like all the drama with my family lately, and all the stress of homecoming, I needed an excuse to sleep for three days straight haha

I Can Barely Breathe...

There's no other way to describe it. I came home today from school feeling like I couldn't breathe. Homecoming is in a couple of weeks, and all day I hear, "Oh I'm going with so and so" or "I'm gonna ask so and so to go with me." Most of Chemistry today consisted of a group of friends discussing where they would all go to eat before the dance. I don't hold anything against them, since they don't even know me, but it's hard to explain how lonely I felt for that hour. 

It's not even just that, I feel invisible at school. I came home and locked myself in my room. I cried and told God exactly how I felt.

"I'm sick and tired of being invisible. I hate who they think I am. I hate my timid, serious, almost anti-social label. They don't realize they've given me it, but they have. I see it and feel it in almost all of the conversations I have with my classmates. Especially with the guys. Why do I have to be invisible?"

What am I supposed to do? I feel like I'm living a game of hide and seek. I could cry. And I have many, many times.

I talked to my best friend not too long ago, and I felt much better. I'm not the only one who feels alone sometimes. 

God, I know this somehow works into the plan you have for my life, but why do I have to feel this way? Why do I have to feel insignificant, see through, and invisible? 

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43:1 Well, at least I know there's always Someone who notices me(: 

This Paper is Officially Scaring Me.

Bulfinch's Mythology

Look at this! Look at this!! Of course the section I'm using is at the very back, but still, it's scary looking. I'm working (or, was working on) an English paper that's due after our Christmas break. It's not a complicated paper, just takes a while to write.

I'll admit, I've been procrastinating, but at least I won't be doing it the night before. I had to watch Monty Python's Holy Grail for this assignment, lol, it was sooo dumb. But very funny!

I also had to watch Disney's the Sword in the Stone. Please forgive me if your a fan of it, but it was the most boring Disney movie I've ever watched. Ugh. Now I just have to read through the Bulfinch version of King Arthur and do some compare and contrasting. Alright, enough stalling, I've got to go work on it. Hope I survive.

The Last Post of 2011

This is officially my last post of 2011. It's my first full year on Blogger, and it's been great. More people at my school than I thought have started reading this, which is both cool and scary. But either way it's been nice to have somewhere that I can actually say what I'm thinking about and know that eventually, someone will read it. If you read this regularly, I just wanted to say thanks.

I hope you guys have a great year. Happy New Year!!

In Love.

I'm in love.

What's New.

I haven't been able to write recently to fill you in on the boring details of my life. Or on how Christmas was, since I've been really sick. Anyway...

I'm really excited. I feel so, like, adult. (;

My dad took me to get my own bank account today. I'm starting an actual part time job in January so now I have an account to keep my money organized in. I'm so excited! I got my own little check book and debit card! Of course I can only use the money that's in my personal bank account, which isn't much, but still.

Tomorrow if I'm feeling any better I'm going shopping with my mom. I've collected quite a few gift cards with my birthday and Christmas, so I'm can't wait to hit the mall. The only downside to this week is I have to finish an English paper...

I'm the worst when it comes to procrastination. But truthfully, I've been planning on writing it this week. The last month of school was insane for me! Since English is my favorite subject, and I'd much rather write a 5 page paper than do a 2 page Chemistry assignment, (exaggeration, people), I choose to focus on my worst subjects. It was a good idea, because now I have an A in Chemistry. Thank you Jesus! (Beginning of the year I was seriously failing that class.) And assuming I did O. K. on my test, I should be able to keep a A or B average in Chemistry.

Lost my train of thought....

Oh yeah! I got a bunch of gift cards for Christmas, along with a new guitar case :D Yay!!!! I'm learning to play guitar, and I have a gorgeous guitar that I absolutely love, but I've been borrowing my mom's old case. The case is pathetic... Like seriously, I had to duct tape it to keep it shut. Yeah. But now I have a beautiful new one that has lots of fluffy padding inside to protect my guitar.

Also, over Christmas break I made the decision to start driving regularly.

Um, big deal? YES.


Because I've been slacking on the whole learning to drive thing. I'm wayyyy behind. I should have my license already, but I can barely make it around corners. I'm not a bad driver, it's just I haven't been out practicing like I should have been. I've been too scared. Now I've made the decision to start driving constantly. Maybe if I drive every time my family gets into the car, I can get my license by March? April? Eh. I don't know. Either way, I better have it before school lets out.

Hmmm, have I forgotten anything? This is already a long post. But hey, it's been a while.

Oh! Something cool! On Christmas, my family did something they haven't done in a while. I'm told it used to be a family tradition. This year, my parents bought a bunch of five dollar Starbucks cards, then on Christmas day, my immediate family (plus my aunt and my cousins) went out and drove around to different gas stations. We would all get out and give the people working there a Starbucks gift card. The purpose was to give them a gift since they were working on Christmas. It was so cool to see the smiles on they're faces. Some of them were too stunned to say anything.

And one last thing, if you read my blog but aren't a follower... uh, become a follower? haha Not sure why I really care or even why I just asked that, but it would be cool. Whatever.

Okay well, that's what's new with this teenager. Adios. (:

My Pathetic Attempts at Acting Like a Girly Girl.

I'm the oldest in my family, so I have no older sister to teach me to curl my hair, paint my nails, or do my make-up. I kind of just have to figure it out as I go. My mom helps me some, but she didn't have an older sister either, so she's not extremely knowledgable on all things girly.

I was doing my make-up this morning and I just wanted to do something different with my hair. Just for fun. I found a curling iron and gave it my best shot...  lol.

When my curls ended disastrously, I looked up "how to curl your hair with a curling iron" on youtube.
How pathetic is that? haha


That didn't help, so I called one of my friends. I hope she takes this as a compliment, but she's the most girly person I know(: She always has the right make-up, the right hair, and the right nails. I laughed when she started talking about brands of fake nails and nail beds.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about," I laughed. I told her that I was the oldest and have no big sister to tell me these things. She immediately volunteered to be my "big sister." I got lots of advice from her on which nails to buy and how to curl my hair.

Long story short, I got home today, managed to get make-up in my contacts (resulting in my glasses having to be worn), I barely saved my nails from disaster... and I managed to burn the top of my forehead with the curling iron.

Classic.

It's not like I'm totally oblivious when it comes to looking nice, it's just that I don't know everything about being a girly girl.

Escape From Reality?

I found this written down in a binder I kept last year. It was apparently written during a biology class at my old high school. I'm not sure why I wrote it, but I'm assuming it was a pretty difficult day. Anyway, when I found it I had to laugh, because I still believe this to be true. Even when everything is going great.

"Sometimes I think literature is the only successful way to escape from reality; and still return. Maybe that's why I enjoy reading so much."

Yay!

I'm so excited! This is my last week of my photography class, and I actually got my assignment done early!! I had to take ten portrait shots, and I've already gotten them all done. I also finished my math homework for Monday early. Something that, well, I never do. lol

Now to finish...

- a 3 page paper on Henry V

- a short story rough draft for my English class

- to study for Chemistry mid-terms

- to study for a Bible test

And finally... to study for a huge Spanish test.

Sorry For Being So Negative

I've deleted two blog posts that I posted last week. I got tired of seeing my whiny, complaining side come out in writing... on the Internet... where the whole world can see...

So I'll try to be a little bit more positive from now on; but let's be real, this is a blog about high school. There's gonna be negative moments. I'll try to do what my dad asks me everyday after I come home from school, "How was your day? Tell me two goods and a bad." Somedays its hard to come up with two goods, but it's also awesome when I can't think of a bad(:

Being Thankful: Day #30

Day #30

I'm thankful for all the opportunities and privileges I've been given.

Being Thankful: Day #29

Day #29

I'm thankful that today is almost over.

Being Thankful: Day #28

Day #28

I'm thankful for family movie nights (:

Being Thankful: Day #27

Day #27

I'm thankful that as far as the guys go at my school, I really don't care if they're gonna "like" me or not. Who wants to be so caught up with all that that you don't always notice the fun you could be having with other friends?

Being Thankful: Day #26

Day #26

I'm thankful for those few days when it's all about me :)