DaylilyLady's Garden of Ideas

Humble poems by a venturing artist

2011-11-29T07:03:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad divorced

It was worse than falling off a horse.

Their discourse was painful

and now we have our hands full

dealing with the decision

to create an incision in our family life

and cause strife between husband and wife

leaving a wake of miserable ache in our hearts

but it starts with unforgiveness that makes us wish

that it was better than this and we could go back to the way it was

before this whole mess got started.

Instead we deal with it

and move through it

and accept that it is what it is

because of the choices that were made

and thankfully we have the choice

to save ourselves from the same mess.

Okay, I'm done with that now.

No friends to call my own

No friends to visit my home

My friends are all gone

They've given up and then some

My friends disagree with me

they don't see, we're the same

but instead blame me for the change

and the shift

that created the rift

and continue to be miffed at the difference

that came from a change in

viewpoint

Now we move forward in different directions

and instead of together we have new affections

Our goals have changed but we're the same

Who want to be happy and not do something crappy

to those who we care for

and pray that our life is about more

than quibbles and war

we stretch wider and fly higher until we reach

our new destination

and then some

Okay, I'm done with that now.

Downright inspiring

2011-11-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

My experience

Art from My Heart

2011-09-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Crash

2011-09-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Choices, decisions, movement

she's confused to the point of seriousness

her powers of observation overwhelm her with information

Revealing the consequences of life

he treads water

his needs are met but at such a cost

Investments equal risks versus benefits

communicating the future

determining the outcome of potential

Desires pulling at all sides

rendering a halting motion

Demands squeeze out a violent result

Give

Take

Push

pull

"The hand that strikes is the same that receives the blow"

It's a closed system.

Down to Earth

2011-08-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Damn Damn dam

it stops the flow

it kills the show

Stop Stop halt

not enough

too much

Die Die cease

the motion

the game

End End over

none left

nothing to give

Struggle Struggle pull

creeping forward

gathering speed

Yank Yank initiate

momentum begins

ground is covered

Run Run fly

exceeding expectations

careening around obstacles

Soaring Soaring JETTING

in the moment

totally present

I am here now with you.

Unseen

2011-08-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

Pressing forward

Pushing past

the ever moving stream of thoughts

Running through

Skipping around

the marching sound of demands

Dancing awkwardly

Tripping gracefully

in the violent sea of pressing needs

Bleeding generously

Giving unabashed

to the clamoring mass of attention seekers

Down,

interrupting the obnoxious speech

she whispers her desire in a deliberate voice.

Interjecting her perspective

Silently demanding nothing

Filled with wonder

in the presence of his lips

What [am I] [I am] doing?

2011-04-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Swimming in thought.

Floundering through wave

after wave

of confusion.

Treading, gasping, pawing for

clarity.

Struggling, striving, sputtering

deep within the dense thickness

of her mind.

Up to her ears in questions

swirling violently in and out

of her tangled mass of

consciousness.

Pushing, stretching, clawing

past the topsy-turvy nonsense

attempting to pass the attendants

of her heart

to attack and strangle the remaining hope

still flickering dimly over the currents of cognizant dreaming.

She smiles graciously, acknowledging the

glorious moment of new life.

Which way did he go, which way did he go?

2011-04-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

r us

ed.

Thecomingtogetherofideas.

Be responsible.

Own your results.

Or otherwise, be unconscious.

Ivy Grace

2011-02-25T05:47:00.001-08:00

blogging can be such a creative experience.

I woke up next to her

laying next to me

I kissed her neck and rolled to my side

why

are we here

today

together

how how how

can we stay

together

today

life, love, light

independent

of nothing

time

ever forward

never backward

no rewind

no pause

eyes are open

to see

to feel

her skin next to me

her hair pushed in waves swirling around her arms

her smell drifting silently through her pores

reaching me

vulnerably

singing her name

caressing the air

with vibrant tones of

Ivy Grace.

Like a River

2010-12-02T23:23:00.000-08:00

The river of Time continues to flow dragging each life along in its current. The harder the life struggles the stronger the current becomes, sucking the life down to the rock in the depths of the water.

When the life stops struggling, when it positions itself strategically, only then does the river's current release its vice-like grip on that life.

The life is then able to maneuver around the potential blockage it would have otherwise run into.

Relaxing into the current allowed the life to break free from the the river's grasp and continue to flow in a better way.

Post-Valentine's Day Post

2010-04-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

"I love you" is the motto of Valentine's day. It is written everywhere mentionable and unmentionable, on everything from candied hearts to the plastic that encases them. Red, pink, white are the code colors for this particular holiday as much as red and green are for Christmas and orange and black are for Halloween. Anything frilly, lacy, delicate, or sparkly goes. Depending on the receiver of the present, sometimes it's the flashy or the subtle that gets their attention.

How fitting that this year's Valentine's day falls on a Sunday. The candied hearts and the white gloves go hand in hand as do the majority of commercialized holidays anymore. Valentine's like Christmas has become a big money maker for the free market that sell to the eager customer goods such as stuff animals and colorful flower arrangements. Why are they similar to the average modern Christian? On Sunday how many well-intentioned church-goers dress up in their best, wear their smiling church faces and hold out their hand of charity warmth? And on Valentine's how many well-meaning men search from flower shop to flower shop, or grocery store looking for something that may make his significant other smile, kiss him and tell him he's the best in the world? Why?

Do Christians believe that by wearing their best clothes they impress God?

to be continued...

Uprising by Muse

2010-02-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

The paranoia is in bloom,
The PR, the transmissions, will resume,
They'll try to push drugs to keep us all dumbed down,
And hope that we will never see the truth around,
SO COME ON!

Another promise, another scene,Another package not to keep us trapped in greed,
With all the green belts wrapped around our minds,
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined,
SO COME ON!

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
And we will be victorious!

SO COME ON!

Interchanging mind-control,
Come, let the revolution take its toll,
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,
You'd see that we should never be afraid to die,
SO COME ON!

Rise up and take the power back,
It's time that the fat cats had a heart attack,
You know that their time's coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend!
SO COME ON!

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
And we will be victorious!

SO COME ON!

Only Hope by Mandy Moore

2010-02-02T08:08:00.001-08:00

There's a song that's inside of my soul.
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again
I'm awake in the infinite cold.
But you sing to me over and over and over again.

So, I lay my head back down.
And I lift my hands and pray
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours
I know now you're my only hope.

Sing to me the song of the stars.
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again.
When it feels like my dreams are so far
Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again.

So I lay my head back down.
And I lift my hands and pray
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours
I know now, you're my only hope.

I give you my destiny.
I'm giving you all of me.
I want your symphony, singing in all that I am
At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back.

So I lay my head back down.
And I lift my hands and pray
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours
I pray, to be only yours
I know now you're my only hope.

Expectations

2010-01-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

Though I may not act on it I can definitely see where Calvin is coming from.

2010-01-01T01:45:00.000-08:00

It's the new year, 2010. Never been here before. It's completely new. The challenge is to allow God to do brand new things in this new start. How will He do it? Only He knows, but I trust Him to take care of me. I can't do anything else. I'm secure in Him. Period. Otherwise, I'd be screwed. Life would suck and be a crap shoot on the whole. He sustains me. He makes my nonsensical life work. His love, mercy, grace and joy--they overwhelm me. They go beyond words. His peace moves me beyond understanding. I trust Him.

who says going green has to be expensive?

2009-09-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Try these handy dandy tips for saving the planet. My personal favorite is number 14. If you dare to try it let me know...upon further reflection, don't.

check it out

2009-09-18T06:17:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb4dXd5kmsc

"new cup, new cup, move down, move down, new cup, new cup, move down"

2009-09-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

My face tastes salty.

Listen to Our Hearts by Geoff Moore And The Distance

2009-07-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

(Verse 1)
How do you explain, how do you describe
A love that goes from the east to west
And runs as deep as it is wide
You know all our hopes
Lord, you know all our fears
And words cannot express the love we feel
But we long for You to hear

(Chorus)
So listen to our hearts
Hear our spirit sing
A song of praise that flows
From those you have redeemed
We will use the words we know
To tell you what an awesome God You are
But words are not enough
To tell you of our love
So listen to our hearts

(Verse 2)
If words could fall like rain
From these lips of mine
And if I had a thousand years
I would still run out of time
So if You'll listen to my heart
Every beat will say
Thank You for the life, Thank You for the truth,
Thank You for the way

humor, what would I do without it?

2009-06-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2009/06/01/

Daily chuckle.

2009-05-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2009/05/22/

Socialism: not that complicated

2009-05-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Prom 2009: Senior Year

2009-04-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was very long. It ended with my senior prom, but lets start at the beginning.

I knew the day was going to be a little crazy when the night before there was still to be determined how my little brother was getting to my other brother's surprise birthday party. Getting a good breakfast could be the beginning to a good day so I ate breakfast in the hope that it couldn't hurt anything; Oatmeal and strawberries seemed like a wise choice.

After breakfast, the real fun began. I commenced my gathering of articles I would need for the entire day. It was no small list. First, I needed to prepare for working out because that was one of my first stops. Following my strenuous exercise, I would then withdraw some cash and proceed to my friend/sister-in-law/prom pal's house to get cleaned up and there was a whole slew of things needed to prepare for that.

Once I had collected all my necessary belongings for the day, I departed from my house about 11:30am. My immediate stop was Wal-Mart to purchase some handy-dandy bobbie-pins (you never know when you might need a couple extra, or five). I retrieved them uneventfully and proceeded to my scheduled exercise class. Thankfully I arrived on time; the class was effective in making my aware that it will be some time before I can actually be considered "in shape".

Having successfully made myself sweat and smell ever so slightly, I then saught to purchase my crussage, for what is prom without flowers. These flowers were no disappointment. Quite lovely indeed were these and I continued on my way to my sister-in-law's house. Shortly after clearing their doorway I made proper use of their shower and hot water.

Once clean, I then took a breath and enjoyed a small meal of chicken and rice, compliments to the chief, my dear brother. (Better luck next time on the cherry beans -inside joke.) Following that brief interlude, began my flurry to "get purdied up", it's a southern thing for those who are wondering. That was fun. Of course it started with drying, spraying, curling, and otherwise molesting my hair into nice rows of puffiness. I continued the beautifying process by attempting to paint my nails and face. The face turned out better than the nails. That waiting to dry thing gets in the way sometimes, as was the case that day.

Key word was "attempted". Then came the doning of the dress and shoes and more hairspray. Both dress and shoes were nice because they were already assembled. I continued to apply more hairspray because, though anyone with straight hair knows why, my hair goes capute if not properly concreted in its unnatural position. The bright side was, I knew it would not be the worst hair I had ever had and if it didn't suit me, I had no one to blame but myself. One must always try to see the glass half full.

Approximately 45 minutes after we were supposed to be somewhere (you just can't rush art), we finally left the house in all our loveliness- well, almost all. We made it a couple of blocks before I realized my "painted" nails just wouldn't do so we high-tailed it back to the house for a nail emergency removal of the paint.

It worked out just fine because the people we were meeting up with were apparently on the same time schedule. In any case, we all made it to the dinner appointment at the same time. We snapped some photos in the adorable little tea place where we were to dine. The food was tasty and the company was cheery and the accents of the waiters were so much fun. What is it about English accents! Well, we captured a few more precious moments in the dainty tea area and my sister-in-law and I made a bee-line for the door. What can I saw, we were in popular demand.

Our next stop was Bi-lo to acquire some ice cream for my dear brother's birthday party. We snagged some Brownie Batter, Moose Tracks, Promagrant something-or-other, and Rocky Road, and hoped that out of those choices at least one of them would be a winner. It was really enjoyable to waltz through Bi-lo in all our get-up, as if we go to the grocery store to get ice cream in evening gowns all the time- it's the little things, you know.

We made it to our parking destination only 30 minutes after we had planned on being there and contintued on our way to walk to my brother's house as though the gray side walk next to the road, was the red carpet at the Oscars, just substitute cars for fans and a surprise birthday party for the awards show. It's all about imagination.

We beat my brother to the party and that's what counted. We remembered the ice cream and really didn't stress too much inbetween our stops. Long story short, (okay so it's not that long, but don't you just love that phrase?) my brother was surprised. The end. Well, not quite the end... My prom pal and I continued to make the most of what turned out a beautiful day as we had a blast playing around with a camera and a couple dressed up girls, namely us. Bricks, flowers, and wooded structures (a.k.a. playground) were our props and I had a lot of fun trying to pose. Yeah, we were ammatures.

The prom itself really wasn't much to write home about. It was alright... Music, some dancing, a lot of blue dresses...

After prom we walked the bridge for tradition's sake. It was chilly and my feet hurt there and back.

The End.

Just an explanation...

2009-02-26T19:48:00.000-08:00

Just an explanation for those that are confused by it....STIMULUS PLAN

This year, taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment
This is a very exciting new program that Congressional leaders explained using the Q and A format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?
A. Shut up.

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:
If you spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
If you spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs.
If you purchase a computer it will go to India.
If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala (unless you buy organic).
If you buy a car it will go to Japan.
If you purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan.
And none of it will help the American economy.
We need to keep that money here in America. You can keep the money in America by spending it at yard sales, going to a baseball game, or spend it on beer (domestic ONLY), or tattoos, since those are the only businesses still in the US.

2009 Life as it Stands

2009-01-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

OMG, I haven't posted in months. Way to state the obvious right?

Well, I have two married brothers now.

I've been snowboarding; it was awesome!

I've gotten my hair cut short. It's different but I'll probably grow it back out.

I voted for the first time ever. So much for that. Gosh, Obama? For crying out loud.

Somehow I got roped into doing mock trial again. It's my last year for sure and it's as overwhelming as ever, even though they say I'm good at it. Whatever.

Chemistry sucks. Enough said.

It's freakn' cold outside, what is up with that anyway?

It snowed a lot today, but it didn't stick worth mentioning.

I read the Twilight series in about 3 weeks or so. What can I say, I liked them.

I'm signed up to speak at my graduation. Oh, dear. I should write a speech or something.

The yearbook is coming along. Who knew it was so involved?

Dancing is so much fun, more than a barrel of monkeys, for sure.

Good News Club. Kids are amazing. I love them.

Photography is second nature to me, I just wish my camera would get on board...

Singing in the band; interesting story about that: I lead worship last week, it was different. The end.

Wow, where is the coherency in this post? If you can find it, congratulations, you get a gold star.

Subject: Tax Cuts for the rich!?!!!

2008-10-26T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you spread the wealth around, but people just can't seem to understand it.

Everybody want something for nothing

Bar Stool Economics:
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for allTen comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, itwould go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every dayand seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threwthem a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'mgoing to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so thefirst four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But whatabout the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the$20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realizedthat $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtractedthat from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man wouldeach end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that itwould be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and heproceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before And the first four continued todrink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to comparetheir savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man.He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved adollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!'
'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'Wedidn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenthman didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers withouthim. But when it came time to pay the bill they discovered somethingimportant. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even halfof the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our taxsystem works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit froma tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and theyjust may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseaswhere the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.Professor of Economics, University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

wow, this is so true.

2008-09-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

it is time for a new post

2008-08-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

I am writing from a sleep deprived, eighteen year old, female's perspective, of course I have all the answers right? Naturally, so you better listen closely in order to know how to solve the rest of the world's problems.

As you all know, there is a presidential election quickly approaching. The choices are narrowed down to only a couple of candidates from which to choose. Personally I'm not looking forward to making the decision. As an America I have the right and obligation to cast my vote in the upcoming election, is it a sin to dread that action? As an American addressing Americans, we should be incredibly thankful for the opportunities we have in this country. Furthermore, we should be incised about those who would do their utmost to try to dissolve those opportunities in the illusion of a solution called a bigger and more involved government, a government that cares for the public, that looks out for the poor and downtrodden; downtrodden my foot!

Come on people, do you really think a big government gives a crap about your personal problems? News Flash! This just in! THEY DON'T. They care about making money and getting ahead in the career path they've chosen as "public servants". Have you noticed something? There is no "public", there are only people, and more than half the time more than half the people are looking out for what they consider their best interest. Of course, there are exceptions, but I'm not talking about those right now. In a big government the exceptions generally don't make the headlines anyway, unless the exception is in favor of making the government bigger.

Take home schooling for example, they don't exhibit the hundreds of families that have got it going on, they (they being the socialist in media, which would be 98% of them) pick out those few families that are irresponsible and neglectful. Yes, those situations are sad, and yes, those things are not right, BUT no where, at no time, is it the government's responsibility to fix those poor people's problems. The government, headed by the president, is in no way responsible for how families are run, how churches are run, or how schools are run. They, them, those government officials are not under an obligation to take care of the poor, or to provide health care or to ensure that the economy is running smoothly, much less actually think they should step in and try to establish some kind of control over them in hopes of making them better.

The government is in place to protect the rights and privileges of the people. The people, in turn, have the responsibility to control the government not the other way around. The people should be the ones deciding who is serving the people in office, not, I repeat, not waiting for the government to tell them how to live their lives.

The concepts of personal responsibility and limited government are not new ideas or even complicated ones. They are simply ones people tend to ignore in the hopes of living easier lives under the illusion that a bigger government will accomplish their goal of so doing. However, it is only an illusion. Sooner or later the people will look around themselves and see the twisted web they have spun around themselves through handing over their rights to the government and giving up their personal freedom. The result? Subpar living. Disgusting circumstances for everyone.

You wanna talk about fair? Fair as apposed to what, competition? Is competition not fair because there are winners and losers? Is it not fair because there isn't a central figure controlling the odds? Fair, in government, is a facade; it is pure and simple manipulation. Of course they aren't going to tell you that! Why would they? They honestly think they are doing their best and from their perspective they are, but there is only one problem, they are wrong. I'm sure you've heard of the concept, garbage-in=garbage-out. It's not a hard one to understand, and yet, some of the most intelligent people in the world over look it. What about the saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", there are reasons we have those sayings, those concepts. Oh, come on you say, we average people don't have time to worry about such things as government, we have too much stuff to do besides wondering when the president will have the power to take away our children or control what we eat. Oh wait, they do that that power to some extent. You say the government should have that power because it's the government and you know, the government knows best. They've conducted college studies! One small detail, the government is made of flawed people. They don't have all the answers and they certainly don't make all the right decisions, yet we want them in charge of educating our children or providing us with health care? Don't you know that everything the government does costs money, and guess where that money comes from, you got it, from your, the working classes, pockets. Isn't that terrific? The government inflates the money because somewhere someone got the bright idea that if you make more money you will have more money to spend, and then they want to control prices and wages because they want everything to be "fair" and "affordable"; what a freakn' load of bull crap! Provide more health care for the unemployed, what a lovely idea, except for those who bust their butt earning a living and then have to pay for those who don't. There is no sense in it, none at all.

The thing is, people don't care that much about sense, they are far too worried about how they feel. Take any advertisement on TV, all of them show you how their product will make you "feel" better; why should they go through the trouble of presenting a logical argument (that probably doesn't exist anyway) when spooning feed us an emotional one is infinitely easier? Now that makes sense.

That's just it, isn't it? People believe what they want to believe because they want to believe it, and then they act accordingly. It's just a little thing called a worldview, how someone looks at the world. Change your worldview and you change everything. "Ideas have consequences", as the saying goes, and it's true, people may say what they think, but they will do what they believe.

Here is a challenge for you, take what you believe and stretch it out to the farthest extreme and then consider whether you still want to believe it or not. Doing so provides a great way to determine if your beliefs are worth believing.

Here are a few highlights:

-big government is not the answer

-life isn't fair

-personal responsibility is worth the hassle

Directions

2008-07-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

I was listlessly laying there, staring at the smoke from the incense gently curl upwards. The lamp across from me cast a stark, definite shadow against the blank wall. My thoughts wandered...

I should go home. It was getting late.

Why, why does it have to be this way? What can I do to change? How can I make it better?

But then, I thought, this is not up to me. As much as I would like to be, I am not and cannot be in control of it.

God, You are bigger; so much bigger.

Why do I worry?

Why do I care so much?

Cast my cares on You, that is Your instruction.

You care for me, that is Your promise.

Love never fails.

Falling out by Reliant K

2008-04-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'm falling out of grace with the world
they say I've lost my midas touch
what turned to gold now turns to rust
I'm falling out of line with all the stars
that flood my dreams with their guitars and magazines

face down, this carpet tastes like coffee grounds
ground into my face now
and every angle's covered with just another.

I'm falling out of style with the current way things are
the things that make conforming hard

I'm falling out of control and you just can't stop me now
I'll fight as long as time allows.

Face down, this carpet tastes like coffee grounds
ground into my face now
and every angle's covered with just another, bandaid

I'm out here way beyond
a shadow of a doubt
and I know I'm never falling out(falling out)
of favor with you
I'm out here way beyond
a shadow of a doubt
and I know I'm never falling out(falling out)
of favor with you.

I wont think twice or even three times
about taking a gamble with you
cause with my life you have been so kind
I take all my comfort from you

Face down, this carpet tastes like coffee grounds
ground into my face now
and every angle's covered with just another, bandaid

I'm out here way beyond
a shadow of a doubt
and I know I'm never falling out(falling out)
of favor with you
I'm out here way beyond
a shadow of a doubt
and I know I'm never falling out(falling out falling out)
of favor with you.

Prom 2008

2008-04-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

2008-02-24T18:22:00.001-08:00

Homeschooling rocks.

happy things

2008-02-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

I seem to be on a negative streak in my writing, so I have decided to dedicate this post to the good things that have been happening in my life.

School seems to be going very well. I'm learning a lot about Biology and English. What we have been studying in history is somewhat review. I enjoy the challenge of writing something worth reading even when I do not feel like it. I really did not know how interesting Biology was until I started studying it. The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know. Lots of the information is relevant to my life simply on an educational level.
We are currently studying worms. Before I did not know much about them at all, now what I know is beyond my comfort level. English is increasingly demanding. The more I learn, the more I am responsible for knowing and thus expected to practice. It is very satisfying to have written something constructive. I have found the more I write the better I get at it (who knew?).
Besides the academic facet of my schooling, I have been learning a great deal about life. From just playing basketball my perspective has changed significantly. My appreciation for hard work and aggression has grown exponentially. The people around me have given me a tremendous a gratefulness for the blessing and opportunities with which I have been favored. The different perspectives they have supplied me with are invaluable.
I have also learned some things about myself over the past few months such as: how I tend to learn best, what often motivates me, why I love doing certain things so much. I am constantly acquiring more understanding on those subjects, but I have definitely gained new insight most recently. The same principle applies though, the more I know, the more I know that I do not know. It is a perpetual pursuit of the perfect perspective. It is interesting, but frustrating nevertheless.

Specific things I have learned:
1. how to shoot a free throw
2. that you cannot know much about a person without the context of their family
3. how a virus works
4. that even the people closest to you can fail you in a way you never imagined
5. that I like winning
6. that I hate losing
7. how to use a semi-colon properly
8. the difference between monocots and dicots
9. that I am only one person (a deep revelation)

Life sucks, and then you die.

2008-01-09T01:56:00.000-08:00

Life right now is a bit insane (as if it was ever sane to begin with). There are so many changes going on, so many transitions. (I shouldn't be writing on the computer right now, I should be in bed asleep.) My family is in a place I never ever thought it could be. I'm playing basketball; that in and of itself, is hard for me to believe. I am eighteen for crying out loud! Life in general has never been so "abnormal" (as if there were such a thing as "normal").
Time changes things so much. One's experiences change one dramatically, to the point beyond recognition. I am reminded of that saying, "you become like the books you read, the music you listen to, the movies you indulge in, and the people with whom you involve yourself." How very true that statement is. The elements with which we surround ourselves shape us more than we know, for good or bad, and yet, that is so easily forgotten.

Flabbergasted

2007-12-28T23:50:00.000-08:00

Life without God is hopeless. End of Story.

That sounds so cliché doesn't it? I mean really, when someone says that, in your head you respond yeah, yeah, sure it is. There are extremes of both, don't get me wrong. There are religious (I use religious in the loosest meaning of the word) freaks and then there are people who honestly could not careless. Even the name "Jesus Christ" is so overused, in some circles it is equated to something I can't even write.
WHY? Why, if the answer is so freaking clear, why do people continue to ignore the truth? The truth is today, to some people, anything and everything they want it to be. It doesn't matter. If God does not exist, nothing matters. PERIOD. Don't even try to argue otherwise, you will lose.
What?
Life? What is it? Whatever you want it to be, right? You can try your hardest, put forth your best effort, give it all you've got, but why?
You can use up your life smoking whatever, sleeping around, simply do nothing, but why?
You can live to make the world a better place, help someone in need, feed the hungry, fight someone, save someone's life, kill someone, but why does any of that matter?
What gives anything any definition, meaning, destination, reasoning, logic, value, right, wrong, or indifference?
So you are rich, so you are poor, so you are comfortable, so you are miserable, so you are starving, so you are fat, etc, etc, etc...
Do you catch my drift, get my point, and understand my argument?
DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL?

It is so obvious! My words cannot express how blatant it is. If that is so, why is so easily forgotten, disregarded, cast aside?

I have many questions, but they are all related. I will leave you with this one...What makes us forget why we do things?

giggle, giggle, giggle...

2007-12-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

All in a day's somthing or another

2007-11-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

I just don't get on here much do I; anyway, October was a blur. Lots of working out and family stuff went on. I turned 18. [WOOT] It’s kind of weird being an official adult.
November has also come in a rush. I cannot believe Thanksgiving is already over. Everyone is getting ready for Christmas now. I'm just not ready for Christmas to be here doggonit!
Since my last post I have discontinued both my photography class for a while and my participation in the debate team. Basketball has monopolized my life! I think I'm okay with that though. It's different and challenging. It has made me stretch and grow in all sorts of ways, especially in the character department. School has been interesting. Our new teacher is doing well with whole "teach four grades in one class" type deal. I like her most of the time and she's pretty easy to get along with. She also smiles and laughs a lot (that helps).
This fall has been so cottonpickn' gorgeous! The colors on the trees have been outstanding. I adore all the variety and general boldness of them all.
Last night I went to a masquerade dance. I made my own mask and everything. It was pretty fun. My dance partner (a.k.a. my brother) barely made it to the dance before the last couple of songs played. That made me sad. He had to work and then got lost on the way. He finally made for which I was thankful (partially because he was my ride home).

she'll be come'n 'round the mountain when she comes!

2007-09-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

Unholy cow! It's been a whole month since I last posted. What a wild, crazy and generally hectic month it has been. Many things have happened. September has seemed to fly by.
In a nut shell:
I've started school back
I've started playing basketball
I've joined a debate club
I've been attending a photography class
I've been preparing for a dance showcase (similar to a recital)
I've attempted to keep up the housecleaning and laundry
I've also made an effort to eat every now and then
I've gone to a wedding
I've tried my hand (and body) at Ultimate Frisbee [which I find quite enjoyable]
I've worked at sleeping occasionally as well

I guess that about sums it up. Of course there is church a couple times a week, the random movie, and naturally, the walk around the block/in the woods once or twice.

Rescue

2007-08-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Old as the hills, new everyday
It's in the bones like it's DNA
First taste is sweet 'til it rots in your mouth
Another old friend who rats you out
All of the time in this life
Can't loose the ties that bind

They shackle our feet, we trip, we fall
We crawl
I was born in the mess of it all

Then You rescued me, rescued me
Lord, with a touch of Your hand
Another captive free again
Who else in heaven could do this but You?
You rescued me, rescued me
Lord, with a love out of mind
Oh, You know I love it when
Everyday I am rescued again

Over the years your nature's way
Is turning wrongs into roles you play
Caught in a spell that's overcast
You gain perspective, it doesn't last
All of the time in this life
Can't loose the ties that blind you
They're new everyday, old as the fall
The fall
And I was born in the mess of it all

Every day, every way, every
Every cheap imitation
All of my imagination
Even my self-preservation
Is yours in time

The Distance

2007-08-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Reluctantly crouched at the starting line
Engines pumping and thumping in time
The green light flashes, the flags go up
Churning and burning they yearn for the cup

They deftly manuver and muscle for rank
Fuels burning fast on an empty tank
Reckless and wild, they pour through the turns
Their prowess is potent and secretly stern
As they speed through the finish, the flags go down
The fans get up and they get out of town
The arena is empty except for one man
Still driving and striving as fast as he can

The sun has gone down and the moon has come up
Not long ago somebody left with the cup
But he's driving and striving an hugging the turns
And thinking of someone for who he still burns

He's going the distance
He's going for speed
She's all alone, all alone, all alone in a time of need
Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's going the distance
No trophies, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no lime
He's haunted by something he cannot define

Bowel shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse
Assail him and bail him with monster truck force
In his mind he's still driving, still making the grade
She's hoping in time that her memories will fade

'Cause he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up
Not long ago somebody left with the cup
But he's striving and driving and hugging the turns
And thinking of someone for who he still burns

'Cause he's going the distance,
He's going for speed
She's all alone
All alone
All alone
In a time of need

Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and ridding on his horse
He's going the distance
He's going for speed
He's going the distance

Summer is as summer does

2007-08-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today I sweated 5 hours in the sun. I planted many annuals. They do not even smell. I also put more water in the fishpond. I hope tomorrow there will not be any fishes floating belly up. I do not know how to add the chemicals to the water for the fishes' health. Let us hope they last until their owner gets home. I also watered some wilting plants. The heat is relentlessly ruthless!

I got soaked.

2007-08-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

I fed coy in a thunder storm today.

Just for Fun

2007-07-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

So far so good

2007-06-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

I should stop writing such long posts. I doubt anyone ever reads all of them. Either shorten them or make them more engaging. Enough with that...
My summer has been good so far. I'm not quite sure where to begin; there is a lot to recap. I went to Riverbend several times this year. That was new and different. Saw the fireworks on Saturday evening. Very nice. A friend of mine left for Iraq a week ago today. I think he is in Texas right now. I've been working at a couple of horse barns, cleaning stalls and grooming. I've also started back taking lessons. I've been working at the daylily garden this year too. Lots to be done there.
THANK YOU GOD! It is finally raining today. We need it so very badly. I almost forgot what it looked like. I think it is queer though. We complain when we don't get enough rain but then we also complain when we get too much rain. We sure are hard to please. Overall the weather has been really weird this year so far. First, the winter wasn't that cold and spring seemed to come early. Then it got REALLY cold and killed everything. Then it finally warmed up again but it hasn't rained hardly at all.
Now I have been offered a new job working with horses down in Georgia. It's a long drive but if we can work it out I think it will be worth my time. I hope so anyway. I went there this morning. I've been getting up a lot earlier these past couple of days. It makes a world of difference when you stay up late in how well you function the next day or not.
Here I go again writing a long post. Must stop now. Need sleep. Going to take nap. ZZzzzz...

Today's events

2007-06-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

I should actually begin on Thursday.

Thursday I remember having the feeling of not getting anything of consequence done. I was feeling down about this fact. That afternoon I went out to eat with some really cool people and afterwards went to a Paladies class. During the class, guys kept walking in on us because their stuff was in the room the class was being held. One of the guys gave us all free tickets to the concert. We then stayed for the concert. The first band was some local band that I do not know and the second band was called Sevendust, I think. It was hardcore in the very sense of the word. I had never been to a concert like that before. It was quite an experience. I was rocking out with the best of them though I did not participate in the mosh pit.

After the concert my friend wanted to go running. She's just cool like that. It was about eleven at night but she was going to go anyway. I decided to go with her. Oh, my, goodness. I had never been running before. It was an amazing experience. I was poring sweat when we got back to the cars. I felt like I was going to breakdown and start crying at a couple of points. I found it difficult to get a good breath. I'm not sure how far we ran. I didn't run the entire way. I guess I was a pansy. I felt like I put forth a good effort though.

Well, yesterday again felt like a waste of my limited lifetime. I got precious little completed. Except for last night when we went dancing. I love dancing like a fat kid loves chocolate cake! I danced about 2 and half hours last night. It was blissful [most of the time].

Today, however, I feel like I made up at least a little bit for the past couple of days as far as physical exertion goes.
This morning I got up and took care of a horse named Taxi. I cleaned 3 stalls for the hour while I was there. From there I went to the other barn and cleaned about 10 stalls. It took me approximately 3 hours. From there I went home and ate lunch and then went to work at the daylily garden where I am a part time employee/the only employee. I worked 2 and half hours there. Then I swam for about 20 minutes, got dried off and went running. I ran about three-fourths of a mile and walked the rest of it, which took a total of about 15 minutes.
When I got home, I got a shower. Then I went to Riverbend. I parked at least a mile or two away from where I met my other friend before we met up with my brother. We walked around some more and finally ate supper about 8ish.
After the concert was over we walked back to my brother's car. We all agreed that I should not park so far away next time. But hey, it was free and I didn't have any trouble getting home from where I was parked.

This concludes my day’s events. I am sore, but I shan't complain. I feel good about what I have done.
Now I must go to bed, because I have to get up really early and take care of Taxi again.

Part I - The Departure and Arrival

2007-05-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

Thus begins the tale of how the Homeschool Red team won 1st Place at the American Invitational National Mock Trial Competition.

Late Monday afternoon my brother arrived at the K's home. Earlier that day he and I went shopping for some final necessities. After we arrived we chatted a bit and then retired for the night. About 3:45am we arose from our slumber to initiate our journey to Nashvagas. I must say that hour is not considered morning. It was really the middle of the night. Our drive to the airport was uneventful.

Not long after we got there everyone else arrived. We got our bags checked and Mrs. K got frisked for having not one but TWO knives on her. It was rather droll. We were at the airport for several minutes before the plane took off. No problem getting on the plane. Take off was excellent fun. The ride was gave a whole new meaning to "having a different perspective". Up to that point I had never been on a plane before. That was one of my firsts on this trip. The flight went like clockwork, as far I know. The view was amazing. We flew into Philadelphia about 2 or so hours after take off. I need to mention that I packed in a very lard duffle bag that was a pain to carry around. The boys really appreciated that I sure.

We then went to get a few rental vans. While we were waiting for them to work the details out inside, my brother was outside attempting to cause mischief. He had brought his rebel-flag pillow with him along with his "Redneck" belt buckle also accompanying the afore mentioned flag. The people with us were trying to explain to him how people up there don't look at those things the same way. They also mention he might get shot. After these assertions were communicated the pillow and buckle were tucked away, only to be produced upon entrance of the hotel...

To Be Continued...

I'm back

2007-05-07T01:36:00.000-07:00

I got back from New Jersey about 2am last night. It was an amazing trip. Many new firsts for me. There is so much to tell if I wrote it all in one post you probably would not read it all. I may post some stories in part but I guess if you really want to know about it you should ask me. Its quite late right now so I don't think I will post anything about it tonight. Maybe in the next few days if I get a chance. I have a lot of studying to do. Next week I have all three finals for my classes.
It's hard to believe this semester is really close to being over. It seems like I just started a few weeks ago. When I first started I thought to myself, this will be over sooner than I think and guess what, it was.
I'm not quite sure what to do now that Mock Trial is over for the year. I should probably get a job. I need to generate income.

Soap box

2007-04-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Some people really annoy me. They seemingly just don't think. I was listening to this one guy I know talk and he should have just kept his mouth shut. The gist of what he was talking about was how he supported the troops but he doesn't support President Bush. He thinks we should have a government more like England's because he thinks a democracy isn't working and he believes a monarchy would be better than what we have right now. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! I must tell you he came from Mexico. Now I have nothing against Mexicans at all. But this one really rubbed me the wrong way and really who is he to talk? It's nothing personal but if he thinks England has a better government than America I think he should go to England. But when he left Mexico did he go to England? No, he came to America and now he thinks we should change our government.

He was saying how the people in America are corrupt and by having a monarchy it will somehow make all the corrupt people go away? I don't think so. If we had a monarchy we wouldn't have a say in who was our leader. It would be hereditary. There is a lot I don't know about English government but I do know a little about our own government. I know that there is a reason we left England and there is a reason we established a new government apart from England. There are many reasons why we left that country and it gets to me that people in this country can take that so lightly.

We have freedom and opportunity and are not controlled by a king or queen who tells us what we can or cannot do. Our government is growing larger and more powerful but the only thing that is going to stop it is the people in this country. That's why it is rather scary that this guy I talked to is part of the next generation who will make up the people of our country in the coming years. That is assuming he doesn't move to England. He's not going to move to England though because he knows that America has the better government. That's why it bothers me that he doesn't seem to consider that aspect of it.

The great thing about our government is that we can change our government. It is a government for the people and by the people and that is a lot more than the English can say about their government. This guy was saying how God upheld the standard of having a king. My brother brought up a good point though. He said that God gave the Israelites a king after they begged Him to, not because He wanted to give them a king. God's plan was for Him to be their king. I think that is the concept of America, the idea of governing yourselves and allowing God to be your own internal king. Instead of an external king who controls everything about your life and you can't impeach them! The ideas of personal freedom and responsibility were interwoven into our government and we have prospered like no other country.

It is a shame that people don't realize what has been gone through to get to where we are right now. Yeah, it's not perfect. Imperfect people run all governments. However, our government is founded on true and universal principles and they are evident in a lot of ways. We do not have a perfect government and I'm not saying we do. I'm saying that it is a heck of a lot better than England or Germany or Russia or any other place that I know of. Maybe I'm just biased, but maybe that has something to do with me being an American.

Finally, a nation or country or government is made up of people. We know that people mess up and people don't do everything just as it ought to be done. But we must realize that without God it doesn't matter how "good" your government is. If you don't acknowledge God as the ultimate authority you could have a "great" government but still fail miserably. Rome would be a good example.
Anyway, I guess I've rambled long enough. I hope this makes some kind of sense.

Fun stuff

2007-04-22T02:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't go dancing, but I did have a very enjoyable evening. I met up with my older brother rather than my younger brother. We went out to eat with a few of our friends at a place called the Pickle Barrel. Technically I wasn't "supposed" to eat there because they aren't "supposed" to serve anyone under 21 after 9. We were up front about it too; it wasn't like we were trying to be deceptive. None of them drank, for which I was thankful, so he let it slide. We ended up talking about how the majority of guys and girls are messed up and how the messed up persons interact with each other. It was pretty thought provoking. The poor server took FOREVER to serve us and get us refills and get us our checks but it was worth it. It was a pleasure to be around those people. They are really cool; all of them. I'm glad they are my friends. Thank you Jesus for good friends!
After dinner we all went back to our respective cars. Actually, everyone piled in with me and we went to their cars which were parked several blocks away. On the way, I was given the invitation to ride on a motorcycle on the way to my friend’s apartment. I jumped at the chance because I had never ridden a motorcycle before. When we got to the cars I donned the proper equipment and we were off. IT WAS AWESOME! It could have been better if we weren't downtown, but for what it was, it was great. It thrilled me about like ridding a horse does but we just went significantly faster. When we got to the apartment we just chilled. We talked about school and work and about the stupid people in the world. We finally left about 2ish. Then I got home and wrote it all down. :)

Life or something like it

2007-04-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

I feel good. I got all my algebra done today, which means I don't have to think about it again until Tuesday. I got all the laundry done yesterday and I got the house cleaned up too. I think I'm going dancing tonight. I believe that will be fun. I think my brother may have to work though, which stinks cause we dance well together. There are less than 4 weeks until we get out of school! Not this week but next week the homeschool mock trial team is going to the invitational Nationals. It's in New Jersey! They are going to fly! Very exciting! The weather was beautiful today. Spring is great. I'm leaving soon so I've got to go.

It's so unoriginal to me

2007-04-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

This post is one I read on a friend of mine's blog and I liked so I stole it. I think he has a point.

"One day two people were discussing a person with abnormal abilities.
One thought that it would be useless to think that we could break out of the system we are in to try to attain more when we are so fixed in this system.
Speaking of someone who did break out of the system he said...

Anonymous #1: " But he's not the rule! he's the exception! If you make the exception the rule, you will be ruled by the exception!"

Anonymous #2: " So why be so mundane? Why not strive to be like him? Why not be exceptionable and rule? The exceptions always rule whether you permit them to or not."

Hillsong United - Mighty To Save

2007-04-16T02:21:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and
let the whole world see
We're singing
for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

Hillsong United - All I Need Is You

2007-04-16T02:17:00.000-07:00

Left my fear by the side of the road
Hear You speak, won't let go
Fall to my knees, as I lift my hands to pray

Got every reason to be here again
Father's love that draws me in
And all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You

All I need is You
All I need is You, Lord, is You, Lord
All I need is You
All I need is You, Lord, is You, Lord

One more day, and it's not the same
Your Spirit calls my heart to sing
Drawn to the voice of my Savior once again

Where would my soul be without Your Son
Gave His life to save the earth
Rest in the thought that You're watching over me

All I need is You
All I need is You
All I need is You
All I need is You

You hold the universe
You hold everyone on earth
You hold the universe
You hold, You hold

Disturbia Lane

2007-04-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

I did a silly thing and stayed up way past my bedtime watching a movie that was sex-saturated fodder for flesh. It was pretty shallow on the whole and the parts that did try to dive deeper than skin deep seemed forced. The core of the entire film was based on some kind of sex or another. Mix a hot girl, some cute guys, little horror and suspense and you get a movie that will draw the teen boys without shunning the teen girls too bad. A little bit for everybody, except someone looking to see a good movie. Besides the plot was a rip off a really good movie called Rear Window. If you have seen that one then you essentially know the plot line for this movie after subtracting the great acting and a truly suspenseful story. What Rear Window had that Disturbia did not was a bit of intellectual depth. When you think about it though it kind of reflects our society at large.

Last night I stayed up watching a new movie called Pathfinder. It was really cool. I thought it was a good movie because it made you empathize with the characters and drew you into the story by creating an emotional lure. Disturbia I think tried to do that but because their characters were so underdeveloped you couldn't really tell. In Pathfinder you felt fear but not the same kind of fear that you got from Disturbia. They both involved death but in a different context. Of course their stories were different but what made one better than the other I think was the depth of the story in Pathfinder.

Anyway, it is late and I need sleep so I can get something done tomorrow.

Prom 2007

2007-04-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hair. Nails. Make-up. Food. Flowers. Dancing. Pictures. Have you guessed yet?
PROM! Yep, it was this past Thursday. I must say it was an interesting expirience. It was a lot of fun at moments. Stressful, yes, frustrating, yes, cold, yes ten times over. I believe over all though, it was a more positive than negative expirience.

This is how it went.

Wednesday night this guy called and asked me if I would go with him to prom. Since it was the next day I said sure.
The next day I packed up my things and left my abode for algebra class. After algebra I got a bite to eat and went back for my science class. Science was unusually cruel that day but I finally mustered through it. Once I had dropped my brothers off at their destination I went to get my hair done. It took approximately an hour and a half, but when it was complete I was satisfied. From there I went to my comrade's house to get ready. I helped fix her hair and donned my dress. Then in a hurry and flurry we splashed some paint on our bodies and nails. Our ride soon appeared and we were whisked away to dinner. Upon arrival we met up with my afore mentioned date. We promptly ordered, as soon as I was finished stealing silverware and napkins. A few pictures were taken and sumptuous vittles were consumed. My partener in crime pretty much knew everyone at the restaurant except I regret, the waiter named Wesley...I mean Ashley...What was her name?... We then arrived at the prom and were immediately pronounced "late" by all attendance thus far. This did not disturb us however, because we were all in a capital mood. We were photographed upon request and then proceeded to dance the night...I mean, the next hour and a half away.
Directly following the prom we all walked the bridge in below freezing temperatures and most generally froze. Then we went to my dearest friends' house and stayed up the rest of the night chatting like magpies or snoring up a storm.

And that my friends, concludes my experience of Prom 2007.

Calvin cracks me up!

2007-04-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Who knew Physical Science could be so...physical

2007-03-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

I wrote this for extra credit in my science class. She wanted us to write a short story that used the electical circuit in a meaningful and creative way. I wrote this as my interpretation of that assignment. Feedback would be lovely.

Alice is just your average work-a-day woman. At the age of 35 years she’s single and works at the JC Penny’s at the local mall. Her job begins at 9am and she gets off at 5pm. She does not take time for much else except investing in the stock market at which she is very successful given the fact that she has excellent timing.
Alice’s daily routine starts at 7:00am when her alarm clock goes off and she rises from her slumber. Often times she is caught off guard by the obnoxious noise. Alice then turns her coffee pot on and pre-heats her oven for breakfast. She’s a bit on the health freak side of things but still enjoys the smell of fresh brewed caffeinated coffee. While she is waiting, she goes to take a hot shower, thanks to the water being heated by her water heater. She is also thankful that she lives alone and does not have to wait on anyone to get out of the shower. Neither does she have to worry about someone using all of the hot water before she can get a shower. Once out, she blow dries her hair with her blow dryer and straightens it with her flat iron and brushes her teeth with an electric toothbrush. Usually she tries to fix her hair either curly or straight but she does realize that if she is not careful she could very easily ruin her lovely, luscious locks. Anyway, after she finishes her coffee and breakfast she turns off the lights in her house and opens her electric garage door. She is a little paranoid about turning out the lights because she knows how much they can increase the electric bill every month. Having done that, she gets into her car and drives to work.
As Alice drives to her work she carefully follows the traffic light signals to drive safely. The traffic at this time of morning is horrific, especially around the mall; a little nerve racking would be putting it lightly. While she is driving, she is listening to the radio in her car and talking on her cell phone after she receives a page from her pager. One of her main strengths is multitasking though it has gotten her into trouble on occasion. Alice’s personality is type A so she quickly notes the time from her watch. ‘Right on time’ she thinks to herself.
When she arrives at work an eager customer promptly greets Alice. Not only is the customer in a hurry but is in a foul mood as well. Alice rings up the purchase as quickly as she can and uses the cash register to calculate and store the payment of the patrons purchase. This process occurs many times during the day until finally the 5 o’clock hour appears on the clock. Alice is tired after her hard day’s work. After she gratefully hands over the cashier’s box to her supervisor, Donna, she wearily gets into her car to head home.
Upon arrival at her house she signals for the garage door to open and she drives her baby blue ‘03 Ford Mustang inside. Once inside she realizes the sun has gone down and it is difficult to see in her garage and is not unperturbed by it. She fumbles around in the dark and after stubbing her pinky toe, finds a light switch. She then goes inside her house, but because of her exhaustion forgets to set her alarm system.
On her way up stairs and stubbing her pinky toe on the other foot, she turns on some more lights to aid her in finding her room. Also, she stops by the kitchen to pre-heat the oven once more, this time for supper. What’s on the menu? Meatless-meat loaf, it’s a family recipe. Before supper, she decides to wash and dry a load of clothes with her washing machine and electric clothes dryer.
After changing her clothes and eating supper Alice decides she would like to relax. She turns on the light by her favorite recliner, which has a built in vibrator and electric heating pad, with her favorite book, Gone with the Wind, and turns on the radio to her favorite station. Her intention is to read her book but after the first few sentences she drifts off into dreamland. About an hour later, Alice is abruptly awakened by the sound of glass shattering somewhere in her house. She jerks to a cognitive state and Alice figures she is no longer the only person in her house. Paralyzed with fear, Alice suddenly sees an armed robber in her house. He is waving a gun, a pistol of some sort, but she could not tell what kind. She is at a lost for what to do. She pleads with what she believes to be a male to put the gun down. Instead, he aims and shoots. Alice crumbles to the floor, bleed profusely having been shot in the heart. And the rest is history. Little did Alice know the decision to set the alarm on her house would cost Alice her life. If only she had taken the time to connect that circuit. If only, if only, now it is too late.
The story of a day in Alice’s life is not too unlike too many of ours. It is a prime example of how dependant the average American is on electricity and more specifically the electric circuit. Most do not realize the dependency they have on it and like most things do not realize this dependency till they can no longer depend on it. The most basic principle of the electric circuit is so overlooked by the average person, yet it is so closely connected in one form or another to nearly every activity in our lives. We can flip a switch, a miniscule task, and a whole room is enlightened all because of an electric circuit. However, we become acutely aware if the circuit does not work. For instance, if we have too many things plugged into one outlet, we find to our dismay that it only takes one too many appliances to cause all of the appliances to stop functioning. We could not even drive a car without an electrical circuit. Though an electric circuit may not be too terribly complicated, it could make the difference of you losing your job because your alarm did not go off and you were late for work, or the difference of you being killed because the robber who broke into your house shot you. In conclusion, the electrical circuit is not only a significant part of our lives; it is very often taken for granted as well.

:::Second Place:::

2007-03-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a mimzy day. That's my new word. It means anything I want it to mean at the time. Here it means depressing. I didn't get a whole lot accomplished and didn't feel like accomplishing a lot either, in a funk if you will. Maybe this mood has something to do with the homeschooling team only getting second place at state. I don't know. Maybe it has to do with having two tests this week that I don't feel very prepared for. Maybe it has something to do with a slight lack of direction in my life. Like I said before, I don't know. It is late. My day started late. I don't guess I wanted to get up. I should have gotten up a lot earlier than I did. I should have done a lot of things today that I did not do. I got some stuff done but still I feel down. I wish in a lot of ways this week was over already. I wish it were Friday already. Then I could get a hair cut. I like getting haircuts. They make me feel special. Prom is in a couple of weeks. I have a dress and a hair appointment. I suppose I will paint my nails too. I'm looking forward to this week being over. Good grief. I have said 'I' so many times in this post it's not a wonder I'm feeling depressed. I need to get my focus off of me and on to something a little less depressing to think about.
I went and saw a play yesterday. It was called Once Upon a Mattress. It was entertaining, well done, and free to boot.
I guess I'm too tired now to care to write any more. I will go to bed now.

Going...Going...Gone!

2007-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today's the day we are going to State
We need to leave early so we won't be late

We are meeting at three
to arrive at the DoubleTree

To dance and have fun
and to leave after having won

Be back Saturday night
make sure you leave on a light

Good bye until then
please pray that we'll win!

Wow

2007-03-13T19:47:00.001-07:00

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 70% Conservative, 30% Liberal

Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Ethics: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Talk Radio

2007-03-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the radio this morning tuned into Talk Radio. This guy was on there talking about homosexuality. Well, first he was talking about how he is probably going to have to have knee surgery. He said he has the choice to do this Thursday, next week or in August or whenever for that matter. He was making the point that probably by the time my kids might be in a position to need knee surgery they will have to send an application in to the government and wait for a call from them to tell them if and/or when they will be able to do so. Then he said he was going to let the idiots talk about something. I continued to listen and they were talking about homosexuality. The host's position was that being a homosexual is not a choice, you are born that way, and it is genetical. Then a caller called in and started to make a point and the host interrupted the man and said, " You are wrong sir, you are wrong". I found it ironic that he was saying this man who was trying to make a valid point was wrong. That he was an idiot for believing something that was contrary to what he believed and that he was wrong because of it. I found this interesting and I began talking to the imaginary phone that I might have called had I been in a position to call in. I was saying, "so you think you are right just because you have a spot on the radio? And just because you are on the radio and have opinion makes everyone else that doesn't agree with you wrong?" Something along those lines. Anyway, I was thinking to myself, this man is an idiot. He is giving his opinion and saying the other guy is wrong. That is stupid. What evidence did the host produce that what he believed was true? None that I heard. I don't believe any such evidence exists. But this is what it comes down to, who sets the standard? For the host to talk about right and wrong, he must have some kind of standard to judge right and wrong by. (This idea is not original to me.) Where does that standard come from? If everyone comes up with their own standard then why isn't it alright for a man and a pig to have sex? Why isn't it okay for a man and a child to have sex? Why isn't it okay for a man to have sex with his daughter or a son with his mother? Sure technically they could, whose to say they shouldn't? The law? The laws change everyday. Myself? Yet I believe most people would agree with me that those things are wrong. My opinions change everyday. I would like to respectfully submit that God, Jehovah God, is the only one who can say what is right and wrong. And He said He made man in His image, male and female. If God created us then He sets the standard on what we are to do and what we are not to do. He says what is right and what is wrong. He specifically addresses what male and females were created for. God created sex and He said everything He created was a good thing. However, Satan is God's enemy and cannot create anything. He can only pervert. He can take what God said is a good thing and make it a bad thing. Anyway, back to my point, the man on the radio kept referring to the phrase "sexual orientation" and that some peoples "sexual orientation" was homosexual and they were born that way and it was not a choice. Look I agree, having homosexual feelings is not a choice but acting on and entertaining those feelings is a choice. That is where the lie and the perversion come in. Just because something makes us feel good doesn't make that thing good. It's the whole the ends justifies the means thing. The whole you can do whatever you want to do as long as you let me do whatever I want to do. The no absolutes, the whole everything is relative. NO IT IS NOT!
And so, I wanted to tell the radio host a thing or two but I did not so I thought I would write about it on here.

Interesting

2007-03-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Proud to be a home schooler

2007-03-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am proud to be a home schooler when I look around at all my fellow home schooling students. The home schoolers I know are respectful, courteous, accepting, sociable, intelligent for the most part, and generally nice to be around. I appreciate their considerate attitudes toward the people they know and the people they don't know. I enjoy watching them interact in a way that is amiable and mature compared to some of their public school counterparts. For those of you who are reading this and are not home schooled, this is not an expression of exultation, rather it is a overflow of gratefulness to the people I know. Don't take it offensively if you are not one of them. I would like to thank those people I have the privilege of calling my friends for taking part in making me the person I am today, not perfect, but striving to be better. Thank you for being who you are and allowing me to participate in your lives. I am privileged to be sure. In conclusion, I encourage you to continue to be yourselves and be who God intended us to be.

me

2007-03-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTJ)

Your personality type is logical, uncompromising, independent, and nonconformist.

Only about 3% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 4% of all men.
You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Mock Trial 2007

2007-02-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

Mock Trial is over this year for this team.

However, the homeschoolers are sending 1 team to the state competitions, but of course they will need a scrimmage team. I will probably be on it to help hone the skills of the persons going to state.

We have high hopes for them.

TWO WORDS

2007-02-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

REASONABLE DOUBT.

Thank you Jared.

2007-02-20T23:28:00.000-08:00

Taking pictures is so freakn' awesome!

Pressing on - By Reliant k

2007-02-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
Out of mind, out of state.
Trying to keep my head on straight.

I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
There's only one thing left to do.
Drop all I have and go with you.
Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.

My problems fell out of the back of my mind.
We're going and I'm never knowing (never knowing)
where we're going.
To go back to where I was would just be wrong.

I'm pressing on.
Pressing on, all my distress is going, going, gone.
(pressing on, pressing on)
And I won't sit back, and take this anymore.
'Cause I'm done with that,
I've got one foot out the door.
And to go back where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressing on.

I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
Out of mind, out of state.
Trying to keep my head on straight.

I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
Adversity, we get around it.
Searched for joy, in you I found it.
Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind;
My problems fell out of the back of my mind.
We're going and I'm never knowing
(Never knowing)
where we're going.
To go back to where I was would just be wrong;

I'm pressing on.
Pressing on, all my distress is going, going, gone
(Pressing on, pressing on).
And I won't sit back, and take this anymore.
'Cause I'm done with that,
I've got one foot out the door.
And to go back where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressing on.
And to go back where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressing on . . .
On, pressing on, all my distress is going, going, gone
(Pressing on, pressing on).
And I won't sit back and take this anymore
'Cause I'm done with that;
I've got one foot out the door,
And to go back to where I was would just be wrong.
I'm pressing on.

You look down on me,
but you don't look down on me at all.
You smile and laugh, and I feel the love you have for me.
I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here, and we're gonna make it after all.

Ah Rats!

2007-02-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we lost our second trial. It was close I think, but I was still surprised at the results. I know we could have done better, but at the same time I didn't think they did that great either. If we win our next trial we may still be in finals, but our next trial will be our hardest yet. We have the slight advantage of having gone up as defense before and they never having gone up as prosecution. They should be a real challenge to beat. That trial is next Thursday. Anyway, thought I'd keep ya up to date.

It's that time of year again...

2007-02-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here it is. It is here.
Valentines Day and all that cheer

Were it today or tomorrow
I will still be single and full of sorrow

No matter though
Because it's all good
Some people have someone
It’s right that they should

I don't care much really
I was just being silly

It is a choice to be this way
And this is how I will stay
Till the right time appears
I will sit here in my tears

Longing for the day
When he'll take me away
To spend our life together
Forever and ever

The end

Oh my. What a sappy poem! All those love songs must be getting to my head. Don't take it seriously please. Anyhow, most people refer to today as Valentine's Day but I prefer to dub it Single's Awareness Day. Single is not a bad thing, but it is the way it is. I think this day people call Valentine's Day is a little overrated. All that pink and white and red... Flowers, candy, jewelry... It's to say it is not appreciated but it is a little concentrated. I think it's like most any other thing in life, best enjoyed when accompanied with someone else.

I had an economics test today. How unromantic can you get?! I hope I did okay; I feel pretty good about it. It snowed this morning. It didn't stick much, but that tells you how cold it is around here.

Good news! We won our first mock trial competition. At first we didn't think we had but then we brought it to the attention of the chairman lady that the other team cheated so now we have won. Huzzah! We just have two competitions left. We go up as Prosecution this Thursday and Defense next Thursday. Oh boy, those will be interesting. We really need to win them. I'll fill you in when I find out how they turn out.

Music and my humble opinion

2007-01-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

I have decided to tackle a subject that is difficult to address. Music. It is an expression of something, whether it is a feeling, a belief, a message, ect. I was listening the radio. First I listened to a "Christian" station that plays only "Christian" music. Then I listened to another station of mostly "secular" songs. I discovered several things from conducting this experiment. Mind you these findings are tinted through my own bias so you must take that into consideration while reading my conclusions.
I found that about 90% of the "Christian" music seemed about the same as far as sounding goes. Meaning it sound about the same. The other 10% stood out slightly because it was a different genre. I found the lyrics fairly consistent and somewhat repetitive. The beat was generally the same with the exceptions of the fast and slow songs. Why would someone want to listen to this music? What is so attractive about it? These were the questions I asked myself as I listened to it.
I found that the "secular" music sounded somewhat the same but there seemed to be a larger variety. I don't listen to that station regularly so I don't know if those songs are repeated on a regular basis, but I believe given my experience of other stations, it is pretty safe to assume that they do repeat those songs. Furthermore I noticed that the whole feel of the music was different than that at the other station. Again, I asked myself, why would someone want to listen to this music? What is so alluring about it?
I also noticed at the Christian station most of the lyrics were about the same subject matter. Hope, peace, forgiveness, love, Jesus, so on and so forth. I noticed a similar trend at the other station. Their lyrics generally consisted of dancing suggestively (putting it mildly), crazy feelings they were having, how each other looked and how that made them feel. They also mentioned love a lot. They used it as a verb just like the Christian station did, however, they never mentioned Jesus that I heard and could make out anyway. The Christian station mentioned hurting and feeling bad and so did the secular station. Both make known their personal problems. Both of them come up with different answers of how to remedy their problems. On the Christian station naturally they made Jesus the answer to everything, His love, His forgiveness, His hope, and all the rest. The secular station never quite concluded their problems. When they did it was a "if you give me your loven' I'll be happy" sort of thing. When the secular station mentioned love it was not a sacrifice or a going out of your own way for someone else kind of thing, it was more along the lines of, if you have sex with me I love you. Or I love you so you should have sex with me. Or have sex with me to hell with the love part. The Christian station never mentions sex that I noticed.
These observations made me wonder, 'what kind of affects does listening to one station or the other have on ones daily attitude'? You have probably heard the saying, you become what you listen to, what you read, and like the people you hang around. I found this discouraging because of the fact that so many people listen to the secular station. I mean really, do people really want all that despair and lust in their lives? On the other hand why listen to the Christian music? Is it that much better, or is it just a form of godliness without the power of God?
My last question, ‘does what you listen to really make a difference’? I believe it does. I believe it changes the way you think about events and situations in one's life even without one consciously knowing it. I believe that is why it is so important to guard to whom and what we are listening. I would go so far as to say it is vitally important. All you actions begin as a thoughts, as mere imaginations. That is a scary thought.
Anyway, I just thought I throw out my observations and hope they make a little sense. Comment if you have some further point you would like to bring forth.

Life after the new year

2007-01-19T00:12:00.000-08:00

It is a new year. The first month is already more than half way over. Mock trial has started back and so have school classes. That same overwhelmed feeling is back again too. This first month though it has not expired is going by really fast. My brother and I are still dancing. Been to 2 dances already this month, 3 after tomorrow.
Daggum! TGI Fridays is expensive! I hadn't ever eaten there until tonight and now I see why. It was like gourmet' food. Sheesh, a little on the pricey side for me. It was good but the poor waiter could not get our order right. We had fun. Those people are so crazy. I don't understand them really most of the time, for some reason there seems to be a disconnect somewhere.
We had mt practice tonight. I think we achieved a lot relatively speaking.
There was also band practice tonight. We were not there because for some odd reason we were not invited. They did not feel we were a very necessary part of the band or something. I don't know.
Tomorrow I will be getting some work done. Mostly school and MT work, surprise, surprise. Anyway, hopefully I will get at least some of it completed.
Some times it hits me how unfortunately gullible I am. I don't try to be but for some reason I like to think that people tell the truth. Funny thing is, they don't. I don't like dishonesty. I don't think it helps anything.
I went to the doctor today, it was the first time in about 6 years. The only reason I had to go in was because they have to check you out before they'll give a prescription. All they had to do was listen to me over the phone. If you have a cold usually you can't hide it even if you wanted it that way. Guess, what. I go in, he says you have sinus congestion. *no! you don't say!* So he gave me a prescription and I went to check it out at Wal Mart. It took awhile but we finally got it. Then we went home.
It is so freakin' cold outside! I don't like the cold. The cold is not my friend.

Good bye 2006! Hello 2007!

2006-12-31T13:18:00.000-08:00

This is the last day of 2006. I went to church this morning and this evening after service the youth at our church are having a party.
I am so hungry! Momma's cooking smells sooooooo good.
I cleaned my watch the other day; it was getting nasty! Now it is shiny.
I went hiking yesterday. We went to Fall Creek Falls. It was a lot of fun and we didn't get rained on. The falls were kind of puny and the hike up the hill made me breath really hard but other than that I had a grand time.
Last night I went and saw Dreamgirls. It was good. I liked it. Beyonce’ Knowles is gorgeous it doesn't matter who you ask and boy can she sing. There was a lot of good singing in the movie. On the way taking my friend home we tried to sing like the people in the movie. We were not always very successful but it was too funny to listen to us.

Who said we have to wear matching socks?

2006-12-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! It has been a very merry Christmas indeed. I am overwhelmingly blessed.

I went and saw Happy Feet today. If you still want to see it and don't want my opinion on it before you see it stop reading now.
I thought it was a cute movie. I don't really think it is a kids' movie because the type of story it turned out to be. The movie seemed to be promoting a lot of underlining propoganda that seemed rather pointed. The voices and animation were very impressive but the whole point of the movie seemed kinda off. It was hard to make heads or tails of what they really wanted you to believe. Anyway, it had some funny parts but a lot of it seemed disjointed.

The new year is coming soon and I'm not sure I am ready for it yet. I'm excited to see what the new year will bring.

This and that

2006-12-19T22:18:00.001-08:00

All I have to write is made up of fragmented thoughts. Christmas is coming very soon and I'm out of school for the semester. Hallelujah! I've been up late and gotten up late recently and that has thrown me off a little bit. It's really nice not having to run about everywhere as it was with last semester. I hope I end up with the same schedule because to try to adjust to a new one would be next to torture. I have so many things to do and hardly enough time to do them in.
Tomorrow my teeth will be imprisoned. They might get parole after a year and a half if they behave themselves. I'm trying to look at this experience positively but in some ways it is depressing. I'm going to dye my hair with some temporary stuff I got tonight at a party. I hope it doesn't turn out like Anne of Green Gables' hair did. That would be sad, I expecting it shall look pretty good though. I calculated today and I think I have about 3 weeks of school break. It is so pleasant- you have no idea. Anyway, it is way too late to be on here and I really should go to bed.
I cleaned house today. It felt nice to have things cleaned up. I really do need to work on my Mock Trial stuff. We are going to try and have a scrimmage on our next meeting. I hope I can get on the ball. Some times it just takes getting over that mental hump in one's mind and just do it. Usually it is the "starting" part of doing it that is the hardest.
Thoughts for the day:
Criticizing doesn't do a bit of good. No one is going to criticize him or herself, so for someone else to do it for them will only cause them to justify their actions, even if they are wrong. Criticizing doesn't motivate people. Appreciation motivates people. The most common desire among people it the desire to be great/important.
*sigh*
I'm going to bed now. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

2006-12-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Holiday traffic is horribl!e!!! Uggg, I'm so glad I live away from the mall. I can hardly believe it was only around 65 degrees today. It's almost Christmas for crying out loud!
Last night I went to this awesome birthday party. It was so much fun!! We all got to dress up and act like we were someone else. I didn't get interogated but I still had a blast playing poker. Anyway, Merry Christmas if I don't get on till then.

Tis the season to be jolly

2006-12-02T00:09:00.000-08:00

What is new? Allow me to attempt to answer this question methodically.
Life in general is about the same.
Mock trial for regionals has started again. It is an interesting case about a man pleading temporary insanity after repeatedly stabbing another man he believed to have molested his child, not to mention the fact he just lost to him in a case of law he had just tried. Hard? No doubt. Fun? You bet!
In other news, school is almost over for this semester. I do believe I hear cheering! Finals are not next week but the week after next. Yippy! NOT!
I just had two tests. I think I pretty much bombed the one test but hopefully the other one will turn out okay.
Meanwhile on the homeward front our house is being somewhat rearranged. Which is a good thing, be it ever so distracting. (You know it's bad when cleaning out a closet looks more appealing than doing government homework, but for those taking the class the idea of it is not too much of a stretch.) I believe the Christmas decor is being assimilated tomorrow.
Dancing is in full swing, no pun intended. We are still taking lessons and have several social dance opportunities coming up over the next month, which I am looking forward to greatly.
Other than that it is dagum cold outside! For those of you who are not southernly inclined "dagum" has a myriad of meanings, one of which is "unpleasantly", which of course it is used in this context.
I might also mention for no apparently reason, that I bashed my left thumb nail into the car door and which, much to my alarm and dismay, caused my nail to tear uncomfortably back into the quick.
Well, I guess that is about all I have to say about that.
I saw the newest James Bond movie the other day. I really enjoyed it a lot. If Johnny Depp was cool, Daniel Craig is da bomb! You should go see it. It is a very entertaining movie.
I will also say soap making is a very cool process.

That is all I can think of right now. Hope you have a marvelous weekend and all that jazz.
Till then tah tah for now.

Burrr....

2006-11-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Jeepers Creepers and Little bow Peepers! It's Cold outside!!! In fact it is so cold, it is flurrying!

Blue Tornado 2006

2006-11-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

I decided to write about my experience of a Mock Trial competition we had recently. It was very interesting. I was really worried how we would do leading up to the competition. I wasn't sure if we had practiced enough as a team. It turned out all right though because we ended up doing pretty well. There was some really stiff competition. I think it is a good warm up for the real thing coming up in a week or so. I'm looking forward to it very much. I went to this past competition to have fun and that is exactly what I did. In spite of the challenges we faced within our team and with out. It is gratifying to know you did your best. That's all anyone can ask for. I am thankful for the opportunity to compete under any circumstances.
The trials were interesting. It was challenging to see how the judges would rule on certain objections and how the other team would respond to them as well.
I just want to say I am so cottonpickn' proud of all the home school teams! They all did an awesome job and I am proud to be of their number. (If by chance someone of the other teams is reading this, I would also like to thank you for providing competition because without you there would be no Blue Tornado.)
I would like to send out a special thanks to my team for all the work they put into their parts. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of your team.

After the competition we had a really fun time. We went out to eat and then just hung out downtown. I had a blast! I love those people. It thrills me that I am able to spend time with them and witness their amazing talent.
On to Regionals!

Oh My Gosh! Nemo's swimming out to sea!!!

2006-11-10T17:23:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the long awaited Blue Tornado competition. Our first trial starts at 8:00am. ugh. We have to be there no later than 7:15am. oh boy. It is going to be interesting. I'm nerves and excited and on edge. I'm kinda wondering what my team is going to do and what the competition is going to be like. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised. I'll let you know how it goes.

"DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD!"
Can you guess what movie is playing in the background?

2006-10-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

There was a little girl
who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead
and when she was good, she was very, very good
but when she was bad she was horrid.

Sometimes I feel like I know this girl very personally.

Less than 2 weeks till MT competition.
Had a math test today, I'm not sure how I did on it. I know I got at least one answer wrong but I didn't know the answer then and I don't think I know the answer now.

Today is the generally acknowledged holiday known as Halloween. People dress up as all sorts of things and go trick-or-treating around collecting candy. It is a pretty interesting tradition really. I'm going to dress up. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures on here later.
Anyway, make it a good day, and tah tah for now.

Things to do, places to go, people to meet...

2006-10-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

I always think about cool things I could write about when I'm driving around in the car but when I finally sit down to write I can't ever remember them.
Now I will relate to you a weird and unusual experience.
Yesterday morning I dropped my little brother off at school but I had about 2 hours before I have to be at my class. So As I have done in the past I laid down in the back seat of my car and went to sleep. The next thing I know I hear the car door open and I jerk up to attention! The first thought to run through my mind was that it was my brother needing something, but when I looked up it is a middle-aged man! He then informed me that my lights were on and that he was sorry for disturbing me. I know I had a dazed and confused look on my face but I managed to get out a thank you. He then closed the door, got in his truck, and drove off. I was then barely past the just waking up stage. A thought came to me after a minute and I then considered what could have happened had I not woken up or if it had not been a man with honest intentions that had opened the door. I wondered then what might have happened. I swiftly locked the door and slept for a few more minutes.
~The end

School is going well. I have a science test tomorrow and I have a government take-home test to complete this week. This coming Tuesday I also have a math test. I am already more than half way through my first semester and I'm already looking forward to next summer.
Mock trial is going okay. I'm questioning whether I want to participate in the regional competition though. Mainly on the grounds of 1) I don't have the same desire for it, 2) I don't have the same amount of time to put into it, 3) I'd kind of rather be doing other things. What I wonder is if I get to the end of my high school education and look back wishing I had participated another year. I just don't know. On one hand I see how I might do that, but on the other I'm thinking the only reason I would be doing it was because I didn't have many other activities that needed my attention which is not the case. In fact I do have a lot of other things that require my attention. Well, I'll continue to think about it.

The weather is starting to get really cold now. The leaves are stunning! I was driving down the road the other day (if you haven't noticed I've been doing that a lot lately) and said why would anyone ever want to live anywhere else where they could not witness such brilliant and vibrant color.

I'm looking forward to a dance I am going to on Saturday. I think it will be a ton of fun. I really enjoy dancing, but I really miss riding horses too. I think about it every time I pass (which is pretty much every day) the barn where I worked over the summer. Even the stressful times there seemed tranquil.

My brother is now demanding that he has to use the computer now so I have to get off, so long for now.

Somewhere under the rainbow...

2006-10-15T00:56:00.000-07:00

My, my, what beautiful weather we are having. I am really enjoying the change of color in the leaves. They are flat out gorgeous.
I finished the book I was reading. It was really good. It kept my attention most of the time. I don't think I have read a book quite like it. It was interesting because it gave a perspective one may not ordinarily consider even though it was a bit far fetched in places.
Don't be offended if I delete your comments because I feel like they are inappropriate. I don't appreciate or tolerate what I feel are crude/unedifying comments in a general sense, so if you feel the need to use foul language go some where else to use it. I don't mind you commenting but please do it in a way that is not necessarily offensive. Thank you.

Let's twist again, like we did last summer...

2006-10-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

This won't take long. I just wanted to say that it is too bad life does not pause for birthdays. If it did I think I would enjoy them a lot more. However, that is not the case and I still have homework to do. That is why I am procrastinating again. When will I ever learn? That is a rhetorical question by the way.
I got a new book for my birthday. It is called Blink written by Ted Dekker. It's pretty good. I've only gotten through about half way so far.
I've to go now. My schoolwork is again due at 9:00am in the morning and I still have not completed all of it in time. So off I go for another late night.

So I lied

2006-10-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

I really do care about my birthday. *Curse you mood swings!*

I care not.

2006-10-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Life goes on I suppose. My birthday is coming up pretty soon. I'm too busy with life to care. I have schoolwork, dance practice, Mock Trial practice, driving my brothers all over creation, laundry, and church. I don't care about my birthday. It’s just another day in the year, besides I spend too much time thinking about myself anyway. Writing on here is just a form of procrastination because I have very little motivation to do my schoolwork. The only motivation I have is that it is due tomorrow at 9 am and it is already 9pm tonight and it is not complete yet.
It is official; our dog is not ever going to have puppies.
Now, because I must get up early in the morning and I still have homework to complete I will stop writing to do it. Every bone in my body is rather repulsed at the idea, but no matter.

2006-10-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

2 hours and counting...

2006-09-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the long awaited Mock Trial retreat. I expect it to be very productive and a lot of fun. I'm don't feel as prepared for it as I should, but I guess I am more prepared for it than I was last year. However, that is to be expected, on account of me being a veteran mock trialer and all.
My test went okay yesterday. I felt fairly confident about it because I had studied for it. I won't know how I did on it till next week.
It does not look like we are going to have puppies. My mother is firmly against the idea, even though she would probably have very little to do with them if we did have them. No use in arguing with one's mother though, not at all; probably do just as much good if not more, to argue with the wall. Anyway, you get my point.

I have come across several blogs on the net that I find very interesting. I really like how they can communicate in complete and coherent paragraphs. They transfer their thoughts with clarity and understanding about the subjects about which they write. I appreciate how much their topics flow across the screen, how seamless their words are compiled. The thing I think I like most about them is that they are home schooled. It makes me proud to be counted in their number. Thank you to all you home schoolers who take the time to write differently than their none home schooling peers.

Blue Skies by Irving Berlin

2006-09-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on

I think this song is a good one to describe the weather recently. Not so much my mood, but the weather. I can't say I've had the best attitude lately. I'm not sure why, I just haven't cared. It's a sad state to be in, especially for the people who have to live with you.
I can't wait till it's full-fledged fall. There is just something about fall that makes me want to go hiking. I just have this itch (figuratively speaking) that won't quite.
I hope my mother will let our dog have puppies. We haven't had them for a long time and I think it would be a lot of fun. Of course we would have to give them all away, but at least we would have enjoyed them for a little while.
School is going pretty well. My classes are endurable anyway. I have my first science test tomorrow. I hope I do well on it. I got my first government test back today. I didn't do too badly and she said we could take the test home and any mistakes we fix we can get half credit for it.
I needs must move the laundry now. So I hope everyone out there in the blog world is having a good day.

At the moment...

2006-09-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

This school year is much different from last year. I have different classes for one thing and for another I only have 3 as opposed to 4. Other than that it is at a different place with (naturally) different teachers. I myself am different from last year. I am older and have had more experiences than I did starting out last time.
Mock Trial is going to be different as well. For starters I have a pretty different team. I'm not sure who all is on it yet but I'm very excited to find out. There are a lot of new people starting this year. I hope a lot of them stick around for regionals. We should have at least 4 teams for Blue Tornado possibly more. The retreat is next weekend. I can hardly wait for that. It will be different as well because our focus is different from last year. Last year it was sort a get together from past years and stuff along those lines, this year is going to be very concentrated on infiltrating the new peoples’ minds with the Mock Trial Mind Set. (Evil Laugh).
Anyway... I got a hair cut the other day. It is more layered and it has a more angular shape to it. I like it.
This past weekend we had a guest speaker at our church. She spoke mainly on who we are as children of God and what that implies, as well the responsibilities that go along with that. I really enjoyed it.
I also went to a surprise birthday party on Sunday. Towards the end we broke out in dance. It was a lot of fun. The surprisies were surprised and the cake was good too.
I must get off now and get back to my homework.

"Huh?"

2006-08-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

If you are expecting the unexpected then wouldn't that make the unexpected expected?

{[(In Algerbra work from the inside out)]}

2006-08-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I believe the statement "when it rains it pours" has a lot of truth in it.

Uggg...

2006-08-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

I HATE SPAM (the stuff you get in your email box, not necessarily the stuff in the can)!!!

This morning I woke up with my arm asleep...it was pretty weird

2006-08-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Life has been going on as usual. School will be starting on Tuesday. That will be my Algebra class. Wednesday I have a Government class and Thursday I have a Physical Science class. We will be studying grammar at home and then composition next semester.
Mock Trial will be starting in a few short weeks. September 11 will be our first meeting. The following weekend which is the 22nd and 23rd will be the retreat. The Blue Tornado Competition won't occur till November 11th but we will be practicing in the mean time. I am starting to get psyched about it! I read through the whole case last night. The BT case is so much simpler than the regionals case.
I don't know how much I will be able to work at the barn when school starts. I expect my time will pretty much be absorbed by other things.
My mother says she is willing to pay for private dance lessons for my brother and me. That's going to be a lot of fun as well.
Speaking of dancing we went dancing the other night. It was a sort of back-to-school dance with a bunch of other homeschoolers. My brother and I knew a few more steps than most of the other people, but we had a pretty challenging time following the timing of the music. That's what we always have trouble with; I'm sure it will come with practice though. (That's what happens when two white people try to dance.) :-D We have fun anyway. We also attempted a few aerials. I would say 4 out of 5 were successful. I need to clean out the stalls today before we go back to church and I would also like to take a short nap so I better get off of here.

P.S.
I just realized something! I've had a blog for over a year. My, how time flies! Here is a link where I posted exactly a year ago today.

This weekend was interesting...

2006-08-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Friday was the Shakespeare play. Everyone seemed to enjoy the play. Everyone did a great job. In the end I think it was an okay thing that I was in it. At the very least I can now say I have been in two Shakespeare plays instead of one.
Saturday I went white water rafting. That night my brother and several of our friends went dancing. It was a blast. My brother and I were able to show off our cool new dance moves and we had an awesome time! The only problem was that my shoes were a little slippery. The other guys were great dancers as well. I'm so glad they were all able to be there.
Sunday was a good day. My friend stayed the night and we all went to church. That afternoon we had an excellent lunch and I took a delicious nap. That night we attended church again and afterward my brothers went to a friend’s house. My father, uncle, and myself went out to eat. Following our dinner we took my uncle home.
Today we I slept in later than I wanted to but I ate breakfast and prepared to got to the barn. I got to ride Lucy for about an hour and a half. Sometimes she can be a pain but today she was really good. After that I came home, ate lunch, and sorted the laundry. I didn't have time to do it last week so we now have a ton to make up, speaking of which it presently needs to be moved. I also went and cleaned the stalls this afternoon, which means I can ride tomorrow too. This evening I am going to a farewell party for a friend who is going away to collage. We are going bowling so I expect it to be fun.

Happy-Hot-Honest

2006-08-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's hellishly hot today. Just sitting still I break out in a sweat.
Tomorrow I'm going white water rafting. I'm estatic about it.
I don't feel much like writting right now.

Do not be concerned, this is only a vent...

2006-07-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

I’m tired. I don't want to be in this stupid Shakespeare camp. I want to be up at the barn riding Lucy in these last few weeks before school starts again. I’m mad at myself for saying yes. Now my brother is not going to fix supper because my older brother is not going to come. What kind of logic is that! I’m torn though; I know as a Christian I should be joyful and live by faith and stop giving the devil something to be happy about. I should be kind to my family and be grateful for all the things I am blessed with, instead of being a spoiled little brat that wants everything her way without any regard for others' feelings. I shouldn't be acting the way I feel. I should be an overcomer and stop pitching a pity party, besides nobody would come anyway. God bless the person who invented air conditioning. It is rather hypocritical behavior to say one should be living in peace, love, and joy and then not live on those words. Nobodies perfect of course, but that is no excuse, God doesn't accept excuses anyway. Bleh. I don't know why I am posting this on the Internet. Anyone reading this is not really going to be uplifted by what I have written. I’m going to watch Seabiscuit tonight. If I can't be around horses then I can at least watch them on the silver screen. Why is it called the silver screen anyway? I should probably go to bed early and sleep well. Then maybe tomorrow I can help Mrs. C put the horses out. I need to eat supper, so I will stop complaining and prepare for my evening meal.

Wise Advise for Guys

2006-07-23T23:00:00.001-07:00

If you don't know where you are going don't take a girl with you.

True Story

2006-07-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

One might be a redneck if when you say they are looking forlorn they ask who Loren is.

Books, Dancing, and Hot Weather

2006-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Life has been rather normal lately. I have been riding less at the barn and have been working less at the daylily garden. The weather has been hot as blazes lately. It's supposed to rain on Friday and hopefully that will cool things off. This weekend is going to be kind of full. This evening my partner and I going to another dance lesson. We will be learning more of the Mambo. Tomorrow morning we are going to the Curriculum fair. That will be fun...I think. Mr. A wants us to wear our attorney attire, which I'm concerned will be mighty uncomfortable. But really, what about Mock Trial is comfortable anyway? Besides, it's for a good cause, right? ( the things we go through for Mock Trial). We'll see.
Then tomorrow evening I am going to see the graduation ceremony at Summit for one of my brothers. It's hard to believe it's already been two weeks. I have missed him though. It's been strange not having him here.
The day before yesterday, which was Tuesday, I met a girl from Germany. She spoke English pretty well considering. She is an exchange student who came to America for her first time and is staying five weeks. It was really neat to talk with her. Her name was Inga and she was 15. She could ride horses well and was a Christian on top of that. I got her email address so maybe we can keep in touch. One thing I found particularly interesting was that she never had eaten peanut butter before. America, consider yourself blessed, we have peanut better.
School is going to be starting not too long off. I will be a junior this year. Scary. That means next year is my last year before I graduate. One thing I am looking forward to is the cooler weather. However, I know as soon as it gets here I'm going to be wishing it was warm again, funny how that works out.
I went to the library the other day. I checked out a book called Seventh Grade Tango. I read it in about two days. I liked it. It was a simple story.
I kind of marvel at all the different things I learned at Knox last year. I learned how to take notes and read faster and analyze things better. Over all I think it was a good experience, [imagine that].
My two oldest brothers are out of town too. So for about the past couple of weeks I've been the oldest sibling. Not too strange really.
Well, I need to get off of here and eat lunch. Hopefully I will be able to go back to the barn and ride again today.