Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Getting Back on Track

So I haven't exactly posted anything since March...where to begin? 

Okay, April:  April 13th was my brother Ian's 17th birthday.  He now is legally able to watch rated 'R' films and drive with more than one non-related person in the vehicle.  Super.  (Note: I do not have proper documentation of this moment because he is not apt to having pictures taken.) 

Moving onto May: I took 3 A.P. tests (still waiting for the scores to come back!) in AB Calculus, Psychology, and English Composition and Literature.  Fingers crossed that good scores will get me out of a few classes at Ashland!  I also went to Prom at Lyman Harbor with Jordan and my friends Kailyn, Ryann, and Elise plus their boyfriends.  That was one of the best nights I ever had. It was wonderful to see everybody at their best and to just feel beautiful. 
Elise and Mike, Ryann and Scott, Myself and Jordan, Kailyn and Drake

The girls :)

And the boys... :P

The classic double tree picture



Jordan jumping into the lake...unsuccessfully


The girls with our Prom King, Quintel! :)

After Prom was awesome too, with volleyball, karaoke, a mechanical bull, and that really silly game where you stand on a podium type-ish thing and try to knock your opponent over using a padded stick thing.  Awesome description, I know. 
Jordan jamming out to 'Firework'

Kailyn and Elise busting out 'Livin' on a Prayer'
(They had begged me to join them, but I wasn't quite that delusional.)

The mechanical bull; which turned out to be not as rambunctious as expected

Jordan and Scott beating on each other

Also, EVERYONE won prizes at the end which I found to be very awesome.  I followed that with a bonfire at Jordan's and by then I was utterly spent.  By the end of the month of May, I also attended the graduation parties of Kailyn, Ryann, and Jordan. 
Softball season had ended at this point.  Our season was less than successful; far less.  Our record is not even worth mentioning.  However, there are a few softball-related things that are worth sharing:  I hit my first home run (over the fence), I made a diving catch as a catcher, I earned the Scholar Athlete Award, the Austin Shadle Dedication Award, and the Golden Glove Award for best defense.  Despite our losses and rough season, I was happy with this kind of recognition.  It made me feel that my efforts did not go unnoticed.

Then June rolled around.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Talk about eventful.  First off, I graduated with honors and was also inducted into the 'Hall of Excellence'; a very prestigious honor given to three students in the entire class.  For that, I felt proud and honored.  Graduation day was June 5, which turned out to be a very nice, sunny day.  I am blessed to have the father that I do, who drove to my house and back to retrieve the tassel that I had forgotten.  The ceremony went well (besides the hillbilly-esque hooting and hollering that went on when names were called) and the speeches were moving and well presented/expressed.
Mi familia

Ryann, myself, and Kailyn

The Duncan/Berry brood making funny faces



Continuing with June, my sisters Larissa and Brenna gave me a graduation gift shortly after the ceremony: a cowboy hat and tickets to go see Brad Paisley at Progressive Field!  I was pumped! 



My camera inconveniently died before the show, but it was amazing and so fun.  I knew nearly every song and serenaded to Brenna.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Sela (my young blonde twin) had her birthday on the 13th and turned 11 years-old.  She and I have yet to celebrate our birthdays with a party, but I'm sure that will happen soon.   I had a birthday as well, turning 19 on the 18th which was the day we planned to have my graduation party.  That was such a success.  A threat of thunderstorms had been discouraging me for a week, but the weather could not have been better.  It was warm with a slight breeze and perfect for playing volleyball, nukem, and swimming.  My Uncle Ray and Aunt Mary Jane have a wonderful set-up in Monroeville and allowed us to celebrate there with them.  The road to their house was under construction, but everyone seemed to get there just fine with the signs we made telling them to keep going.
Jordan presented me with the beautiful gifts of earrings with my birthstone and a silver necklace that has the dangling charms of a cross, heart, and key.  I love them dearly and wear them often; almost every day.  Another fond present I received was a Kindle from my Grandma Berry.  I never imagined that it would be so addicting!  It definitely refreshed my love for reading.

And I am finally all caught up and made it to July!  Yesterday was Independence Day, where I walked in the parade supporting the 'Duncan for Mayor' cause.  If you weren't already aware, my significant other's father is running for mayor of Norwalk.  I pushed Judah in the stroller for most of the way.  It was more fun than I expected.
 Lydia, Jordan's younger sister, had the idea to take my camera and take pictures of everything that she saw.  This is just a very small sampling of the flattering moments that she captured.








I found this to be very entertaining and also interesting as a way to see what kids like to photograph. 
I took a few pictures of my own as well.
Myself, Jordan, and Judah :)

Joey and Micah playing with the giant fan in their mudroom

Sela and Jordan at my Grandma Berry's pool

Mara and Jordan
The day was filled with card games, corn hole, great food, family and friends and ended with beautiful fireworks lighting up the sky and watching the movie 'Independence Day' with Jordan and some of his family.

Hopefully, this giant collage of activities brings everybody up to speed on my life. :)

1 comment:

  1. Wow. This was a very good post and I think you did a good job of catching everything up. Lovely pictures. I think I may need a camera now for pictures.

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