I have gotten to spend over the past twenty-four hours with my family. Just my family. No homework, no work, no softball, no other silly, monotonous activities. This has been joyous. I haven't had this kind of quality bonding in quite some time. I truly love my family. That seems like such an obvious statement, and yet it's all encompassing. I'm blessed, simply and entirely.
This weekend is the high school's musical production of Guys and Dolls. Jordan is in it again this year as Lieutenant Brannigan. On Tuesday, he went into the E.R. with intense stomach pains and discovered that he had appendicitis. :( He was immediately scheduled for surgery which went very successfully and smoothly, thankfully! He is still able to perform his part though he was restricted from any of the dance parts. But leading into my story...
At school, one could buy a star to write little messages of luck to the cast and crew of the musical. Being very unobservant, I didn't think to buy any until my brother Ian came home with 26 of them for his girlfriend Billie. The fact that Ian remembered and I didn't is slightly embarrassing based on his responsibility track record. Anyways, I couldn't show up empty handed, so it was my mission at school to buy many, many stars. However, when I got to school (after the two hour delay), I was told that they were no longer selling stars. Disappointed, I tried to come up with a Plan B. We didn't have class for calculus in order to celebrate Pi Day a bit early, and I didn't eat any sweets because of Lent, so I spent the period designing a very big star. I luckily found a giant sheet of yellow construction paper in the yearbook office. I cut out very irregular stars: one large yellow one and two smaller red ones. I attached the one red star to the yellow and added Jordan's name. The second red star was for Timmy that Ryann generously decorated for me. :) I personally think that these stars stars turned out to be better than any I could have paid for. (Side note: after helping out in the office, I discovered that stars actually still being sold)
Today my family (minus Ian), went to Playhouse Square to see Shrek the Musical. It was absolutely awesome. The effects were cute and creative and we very much appreciated them. I would recommend it to any age. All of the characters owned their identities and had wonderful voices. We then went out to eat at Macaroni Grill. It was delicious, as always, with funny dinner conversation. Sela, who normally isn't allowed to have caffeine, had Coke with her dinner and therefore was pretty funny. Brenna was good for a laugh when she accidentally wrote with crayon on the tablecloth instead of the paper. We enjoyed the ride home belting out songs on the radio. It was a good day.
I'm looking forward to seeing Guys and Dolls tomorrow as well as the senior D.C. trip this next weekend! :)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
At a Loss for a Title
Finally; a day to relax! The make-up days are piling up like the snowfall outside, but for the time being, I don't care. :)
Softball season is officially underway and has been much more rigorous than any of the years past. We've been working hard and I hope that it pays off! Being one of the only healthy, uninjured seniors, I have to step up and be a leader. I've never been the type of person to take control of a situation. I'm a definite people-pleaser. However, I think that this is something important and I know that I can do it.
Within the past week, I was accepted into the Honors Program at Ashland. It was kind of awesome that my sister was the one who was able to notify me about it beforehand since I was on her calling list. :) I have an interview for a scholarship for this program which will take place on March 1st. I hope that all goes well!
I've started working on my scrapbook pages with my mom, grandma, and siblings. It's really fun to do, though it takes me a long time to finish one set of pages. :/ I'm the only person I know who will have an entire page dedicated to her only speeding ticket. It is rather funny, but in an embarrassing type of way.
That is all that I have to report for now. :)
Softball season is officially underway and has been much more rigorous than any of the years past. We've been working hard and I hope that it pays off! Being one of the only healthy, uninjured seniors, I have to step up and be a leader. I've never been the type of person to take control of a situation. I'm a definite people-pleaser. However, I think that this is something important and I know that I can do it.
Within the past week, I was accepted into the Honors Program at Ashland. It was kind of awesome that my sister was the one who was able to notify me about it beforehand since I was on her calling list. :) I have an interview for a scholarship for this program which will take place on March 1st. I hope that all goes well!
I've started working on my scrapbook pages with my mom, grandma, and siblings. It's really fun to do, though it takes me a long time to finish one set of pages. :/ I'm the only person I know who will have an entire page dedicated to her only speeding ticket. It is rather funny, but in an embarrassing type of way.
That is all that I have to report for now. :)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Faith, Trust, and a little bit of Pixie Dust
Snow days for this week were a delightful surprise. :) I shouldn't say surprise because they were predicted, but they did serve as a nice break. I do love school weeks that consist of three days.
Ryann created a PowerPoint quiz about herself today. It consisted of 20 multiple choice questions and began with a playful warning indicating that failure would cause a termination of friendship; the pressure was on. I emerged victorious with 19 correct! (I missed a question about her biggest pet peeve. I got it on the second try.)
Though this quiz was purely out of fun, it's interesting to think about how well we know each other. Few people would have been as successful as I was on that quiz. She has become more vocal within recent years, but Ryann is not the most outspoken individual. This means that she saw something worthwhile in me. She held me trustworthy to safeguard some of her most precious thoughts and feelings. How do we, as people, determine who to trust? How do we discover these rare, true confidants?
In many cases, we don't. We choose incorrectly and our reputations become destroyed, our hearts broken. And so we learn. We pick up the pieces of who we were and either mend them or start fresh. It is possible to forgive another without ever trusting that person again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Trust is sacred, something to be earned rather than given.
I bring up the ugly side of trust to bring greater appreciation to the beauty of it. It's indescribably wonderful, astounding to begin to comprehend how much of ourselves rests in others. We want to share what we feel and know and think but with the safety that we won't be judged. We want to be so much more than what we are. We want to bask in the glory of others. Trust allows us to expand our horizons and still feel a sense of belonging within others. To feel such a special bond with one or maybe more is remarkable. It's worth taking the time to appreciate the people in your life that you can trust wholeheartedly; with every fiber of your being.
My sisters just came home from school so I no longer have the ability to concentrate. I hope that this proves to be a little thought-provoking and inspiring. :)
“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”
~George MacDonald
Ryann created a PowerPoint quiz about herself today. It consisted of 20 multiple choice questions and began with a playful warning indicating that failure would cause a termination of friendship; the pressure was on. I emerged victorious with 19 correct! (I missed a question about her biggest pet peeve. I got it on the second try.)
Though this quiz was purely out of fun, it's interesting to think about how well we know each other. Few people would have been as successful as I was on that quiz. She has become more vocal within recent years, but Ryann is not the most outspoken individual. This means that she saw something worthwhile in me. She held me trustworthy to safeguard some of her most precious thoughts and feelings. How do we, as people, determine who to trust? How do we discover these rare, true confidants?
In many cases, we don't. We choose incorrectly and our reputations become destroyed, our hearts broken. And so we learn. We pick up the pieces of who we were and either mend them or start fresh. It is possible to forgive another without ever trusting that person again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Trust is sacred, something to be earned rather than given.
I bring up the ugly side of trust to bring greater appreciation to the beauty of it. It's indescribably wonderful, astounding to begin to comprehend how much of ourselves rests in others. We want to share what we feel and know and think but with the safety that we won't be judged. We want to be so much more than what we are. We want to bask in the glory of others. Trust allows us to expand our horizons and still feel a sense of belonging within others. To feel such a special bond with one or maybe more is remarkable. It's worth taking the time to appreciate the people in your life that you can trust wholeheartedly; with every fiber of your being.
My sisters just came home from school so I no longer have the ability to concentrate. I hope that this proves to be a little thought-provoking and inspiring. :)
“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”
~George MacDonald
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Eventful Weekend
***To save confusion, this is a list of all of the people who played a role in this post.
Cast
Larissa: sister (20)
Ian: brother (16)
Brenna: sister (14)
Anessa: (12)
Sela: (10)
Mara: (8)
Ryann: friend (who happens to be a girl)
Kailyn: friend
Brooke: friend
Jordan: boyfriend
I love weekends. They're like mini escapes from the monotony of the week.
The school day ended Friday and I was immediately off to Sandusky with Ryann to help Kailyn and Brooke choose accessories to wear to the beach-themed basketball game. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings (always a treat) and then headed to Party Place where we found grass skirts, leis, and other beachy paraphernalia. (The basketball team ended up demolishing Bellevue.) Ryann and I did not go to the game, but we did have a wonderfully long, deep conversation and some ice cream. :)
Funny thing about the conversation: Ryann drove to my house to drop me off and we just stayed in her truck and talked for awhile. My sister Brenna (who is a very funny individual) did not recognize Ryann's truck that was sitting in our driveway. She was home alone and was worried that there were creeps sitting outside of the house. She army crawled underneath the window so that she couldn't be seen and then went outside to confront the strangers. Brenna recognized us and was instantly relieved. I gave her my leftover wings for her trouble. :)
Jordan and I watched Get Smart and Beauty and the Beast later that night. I enjoyed the humor of Get Smart since I'd never seen it before and it was also fun to sing along with Disney music. :) My brother Ian had a swim meet this morning in Ashland. I had planned to go watch, but unfortunately slept through my alarm. :( It would have been nice to visit Larissa since she would be there too and I'd have liked to support Ian at his meet. He placed first in the second heat of the backstroke. However, his team did not do so well overall.
At home, I made grilled cheese, tomato soup, and apple grape salad with chocolate milk. The little girls (Anessa, Sela, and Mara) and I watched Marley and Me while eating lunch. We all fought back tears at the end though we'd seen it numerous times. It's a very heartwarming story.
Tonight I work from 5:00 to 11:00. I have a job at Pizza Post; a tiny, family-owned restaurant. I'm very fortunate to have this job because the boss is understanding of a high schooler's schedule and is sure to put family, school, and sports first. It should be pretty busy since it's Saturday, but I'd rather be busy than bored.
Tomorrow morning is my last winterball game. We play indoor softball at the Gameday Center. We have to be ready to go in the cages by 7:00 a.m. (eww) and then play at 8:00. It's hard to get up and drive so early, but we do have fun once we're there. It's much more relaxed since it's pre-season; more like practice than a game. I've refigured my swing for this season and have done fairly well, hitting wise. I'm really excited for the start of senior year in softball. :)
Tomorrow is my mom's and Brenna's birthday! :) Brenna was born on my mom's 30th birthday; her golden brithday. She likes to convince everyone that she was the best birthday present my mom ever received. She's such a modest girl.
Happy 45th birthday, Mom! :)
Happy 15th birthday, Brenna! :)
Cast
Larissa: sister (20)
Ian: brother (16)
Brenna: sister (14)
Anessa: (12)
Sela: (10)
Mara: (8)
Ryann: friend (who happens to be a girl)
Kailyn: friend
Brooke: friend
Jordan: boyfriend
I love weekends. They're like mini escapes from the monotony of the week.
The school day ended Friday and I was immediately off to Sandusky with Ryann to help Kailyn and Brooke choose accessories to wear to the beach-themed basketball game. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings (always a treat) and then headed to Party Place where we found grass skirts, leis, and other beachy paraphernalia. (The basketball team ended up demolishing Bellevue.) Ryann and I did not go to the game, but we did have a wonderfully long, deep conversation and some ice cream. :)
Funny thing about the conversation: Ryann drove to my house to drop me off and we just stayed in her truck and talked for awhile. My sister Brenna (who is a very funny individual) did not recognize Ryann's truck that was sitting in our driveway. She was home alone and was worried that there were creeps sitting outside of the house. She army crawled underneath the window so that she couldn't be seen and then went outside to confront the strangers. Brenna recognized us and was instantly relieved. I gave her my leftover wings for her trouble. :)
Jordan and I watched Get Smart and Beauty and the Beast later that night. I enjoyed the humor of Get Smart since I'd never seen it before and it was also fun to sing along with Disney music. :) My brother Ian had a swim meet this morning in Ashland. I had planned to go watch, but unfortunately slept through my alarm. :( It would have been nice to visit Larissa since she would be there too and I'd have liked to support Ian at his meet. He placed first in the second heat of the backstroke. However, his team did not do so well overall.
At home, I made grilled cheese, tomato soup, and apple grape salad with chocolate milk. The little girls (Anessa, Sela, and Mara) and I watched Marley and Me while eating lunch. We all fought back tears at the end though we'd seen it numerous times. It's a very heartwarming story.
Tonight I work from 5:00 to 11:00. I have a job at Pizza Post; a tiny, family-owned restaurant. I'm very fortunate to have this job because the boss is understanding of a high schooler's schedule and is sure to put family, school, and sports first. It should be pretty busy since it's Saturday, but I'd rather be busy than bored.
Tomorrow morning is my last winterball game. We play indoor softball at the Gameday Center. We have to be ready to go in the cages by 7:00 a.m. (eww) and then play at 8:00. It's hard to get up and drive so early, but we do have fun once we're there. It's much more relaxed since it's pre-season; more like practice than a game. I've refigured my swing for this season and have done fairly well, hitting wise. I'm really excited for the start of senior year in softball. :)
Tomorrow is my mom's and Brenna's birthday! :) Brenna was born on my mom's 30th birthday; her golden brithday. She likes to convince everyone that she was the best birthday present my mom ever received. She's such a modest girl.
Happy 45th birthday, Mom! :)
Happy 15th birthday, Brenna! :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Small Self Synopsis
I'm actually at a loss as of what to put. This very rarely happens for me while writing. I'm hoping that this blog gets me back into the swing of my literary creativity. I love to read and write, but have seldom done either lately.
I'm both nervous and excited for the future. I'm undecided when it comes to my major which I think is incredibly unorganized and not like my personality by any means. I plan on attending Ashland University where my sister also goes. It will be a fun and different experience for me; living with just one roommate and being away from family. I hope to develop my own voice and do a little self-discovery.
That got a bit more informative than I intended. I hope to continue posting on a somewhat regular basis. :)
I'm both nervous and excited for the future. I'm undecided when it comes to my major which I think is incredibly unorganized and not like my personality by any means. I plan on attending Ashland University where my sister also goes. It will be a fun and different experience for me; living with just one roommate and being away from family. I hope to develop my own voice and do a little self-discovery.
That got a bit more informative than I intended. I hope to continue posting on a somewhat regular basis. :)
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