Dear Me, is it November Already?

First off, I'd like to see how thoroughly my almost-name-buddy is ACTUALLY blog-stalking me.
Because this post is because I remembered you told me I should post so you could stalk me.
You know who you are.

HAPPY NOVEMBER!
Don't you just love the cold weather? The bare trees, school being in full swing, almost-but-not-quite being able to listen to Christmas music without guilt? :D
...yeah, me neither.

At this moment, I would like to quote a poem, as told to me by my brilliant grandfather.

No birds, no bees.
No flowers.
No trees.
November.

That pretty much sums it all up.
BUT HEY! At least we have Thanksgiving (*turkey turkey turkey turkey turkey!*) coming up next week! I guess the Powers that Be decided there needed to be something to get the world through the month. Why not a lot of food? Yes? Yes.

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I ask you:

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

Here's my list (in no particular order):

1. Fuzzy red socks that keep my toes toasty through the night.
2. Zebra-striped Snuggies
3. Moose hats
4. A best friend who's just as excited about a boy as I am
5. The boy mentioned in #4, who just so happens to be the best thing ever :)
6. Things that make you laugh so hard your abs hurt
7. Michael Buble
8. Unlimited texting... *sheepish grin*
9. A clean bedroom
10. Sisters :)
11. Being almost done with college apps
12. This song:

(see: #5 and #7)
13. Fun tights
14. Hot chocolate
15. 11:11 wishes

The list could go on forever.

(SPEAKING of 11:11 wishes, did you make a wish at 11:11 on 11/11/11? I did. Did yours come true? Mine did. :D)

So here's my challenge to you. (Buahahaha! Blogger homework. That's what you get for reading my blog.) Make a list of what you're thankful for. It's good to remember all the things you're blessed with. You don't even have to write it down; just take a moment to be grateful.
Happy Thanksgiving, and have a good November!

:) :)

Chipmunk Cheeks

Sooooooo...
I haven't posted in... like... a month. FAIL.
*cough.*
Anyway.

I got my wisdom teeth out this week. Ick. If you've never done it, I'm sincerely sorry for you when you do. A word of advice: DON'T DO IT AWAKE. Just don't. Also, don't plan on eating any real food for at least three days. Applesauce is your best friend. And ice cream. Yeah.
So I expected my cheeks to swell up. I knew I would look like a chipmunk. I wasn't expecting only ONE cheek to really swell. No normal-looking chipmunk for me! I got to be a LOPSIDED chipmunk. Ohhh yeahhh.
I've ALMOST gotten to the point where I can chew real food. Almost. My biggest problem all week has been the fact that I get hungry every three minutes and I couldn't eat any real food. It took me 30 minutes to eat a string cheese the other day... but I did it!


On another note, I've re-discovered the joys of having a record player in my room. Yes, at this very moment I am (definitely not embarrassingly) dancing around my room to The Beach Boys' glorious tune, "Salt Lake City." (Yes, they did sing a song about my happy hometown. It makes me very happy.)

Girls camp is coming up this next week! A whole week without parents, phones, iPods, Lappy, or actual showers. It's a good thing none of us get to shower, or we might notice how bad we smell. My dad and brother and nephews got to go on a fathers-and-sons campout this weekend at the same campground I'm going to next week... apparently they left me a secret message. I'm very excited to find it. :]


Have I ever mentioned that I love my family? Yeah, they're pretty cool.

ALSO, I discovered that Dollar Tree has an INCREDIBLY INCREDIBLE selection of coloring books. Best. Discovery. Ever.

Speaking of discoveries, I recently got a volunteering opportunity at the local childrens' museum. I basically get to check off my school-required service hours for playing around all day. I spend a lot of time re-stocking tiny grocery shelves with fake bread, fake peanut butter, fake laundry soap... you get the idea.

School starts in 3 weeks. I'm going to die. Senior year, here I come! (I hope.)

This was really long and kind of random. Sorry.

Au revoir! :]

Happy 4th!

I always feel slightly guilty on the days I don't post, so I figured a holiday was as good as any day to say hello.
HELLO!
Happy Fourth of July, Independence Day, or whatever you want to call it. May we always cherish our beloved country and honor our freedom with patriotism (and illegal fireworks)! After all, "what better way to celebrate the independence of your country than by blowing up a small piece of it?"
On such patriotic days as this, I like to sit back, relax, and watch 17 hours of movies such as 1776, The Music Man, Independence Day, and both National Treasures. When that's done, I'll listen to John Philip Sousa marches and Stan Freberg's The United States of America (if you haven't heard of it, look it up. Seriously. You'll be glad you did.) And of course, there's the traditional poppers and sparklers to finish off the day with a BANG (forgive my pun). Between big breakfasts, barbecues, and popsicles, picnics, fireworks, and watermelon out the wazoo, the Fourth is a truly familial holiday.
So even though there's only 65 minutes left to it, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Take Me Back to the Black Hills...

One thing you should know about me:
I LOVE SOUTH DAKOTA.
Call me crazy, but I do have my reasons. #1: Mount Rushmore. Coolest thing EVER. Seriously. #2: Crazy Horse Monument. Akin to Mt. Rushmore in its coolness. BUT BIGGER. #3: The Black Hills are gorgeous, guys. Seriously.
The only thing I would change about the Black Hills is that there are not quite enough meese (plural of "moose") (a flock of moosen!) there.
The point of this story is that I want to go back there. I was there... oh, 2 summers ago with my parents and my sister, and I miss it. Mostly when my sister starts singing "Take me back to the Black Hills, the Black Hills of Dakota!" from Calamity Jane (WHICH I ALSO LOVE.)

**TANGENT**
I'm going to marry Howard Keel.
...along with a lot of other people. I have a list.

ANYWAY. Speaking of Calamity Jane, I've been putting a lot of thought into which musical I think my school should do this coming year, seeing as it's my senior year and I want to go out with a bang. Calamity Jane is on the list, as well as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (like I said, Howard Keel!) and Singin' in the Rain.

11:11 make a wish!

**ANOTHER TANGENT**
I was utterly shocked to find out that my bes' frien', my Bruddah, has never seen I Love Lucy. This is sad, people. Reach out to those in your life who have been deprived of old, classic TV shows and movies and help them see the light. If you or someone you know is black-and-white deprived, call the hot-free number at the bottom of the screen now. Remember: One movie can make a difference.

Where was I? I don't know. I s'pose I'll end my post of randomness now.

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
6 months from yesterday is Christmas!
:)

A Week of Excellence

So I really meant to post all this week... but the only problem was I didn't have access to the internet. Because I was at the GRAND CANYON!

Sha-BAM.

But I had all these really great ideas for posts, and I never had time to write them down (because I was adventuring so much), so I forgot a lot of them. I'll try and recreate as many as I can though.

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? If you haven't, go. Seriously. It's incredible. All those millions of years of Momma Nature working away at that rock... Someday I'd really like to be at the bottom of it looking up (but there is no way I'm jumping off, so don't worry about that).
Here is my Grand Canyon Bucket List:
1) Ride a mule to the bottom.
2) Hike to the bottom.
3) Construct and ride a zipline to the bottom.
4) Make it back up alive.

I've been writing this post for 3 hours and I've only gotten this far. :P I'll continue later.

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT:
...Write things down. That way you'll remember them later. :)

Bittersweet

Happy summer, everyone! It is officially summer, because today was Yearbook Day. (Fail, by the dubs. The way my school handles fines is INCREDIBLY awful and I severely dislike it. $1.70 for a lunch account I've NEVER USED. And they wouldn't let me have a yearbook until I paid it. FAIL.) Anyway. After today, I am officially a senior. I feel old. And very immature at the same time...
The main point of this post is to talk about endings and beginnings and everything in between. I'm sad that so many of my close friends are graduating tomorrow, because I won't see them next year, but I'm also proud of all of them and wish them all the best of luck. As one of them quoted in the yearbook, "Every story has its end, but in life every end is just a new beginning." Wherever life takes you after this adventure called high school, new adventures will occur. Friends change, high school fades, but you are who you are and that can never change. Again, good luck to all of you, and please please please keep in touch. I'll miss you!

Looking Up (Good Things Come to Those Who Wait)

I know this may come as a shock to you, but... Life may actually return to a normal-ish state someday.
*Pause for effect.*
Really though, things are looking much better from this side of the weekend. See? If you just WAIT IT OUT, things will work out.
So.

Good things of today:
*HAPPY MEAL. 'Nuff said.
*Parking reminder cards, EXCEPT Level 1 of the Summer Parking garage.
*Gumballs
*OTIS!
*Beignets (Seriously, folks. Those things are G-E-W-D, GEWD!)
*Having my sister living around the corner. It rocks.
*Good conversations
*Taking care of business
*TOMS!
*Random airplane toys on the ground
*Losing the wings to said airplane toys
*Picture books
*Reading out loud
*SUMMER!!! :D


INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT OF THE DAY:
Sometimes life sucks. But that's okay. :) If it didn't, it wouldn't be a life worth living.

Pessimismus

It's not a good night. I wish I could say I turned it around and smiled that frown away, but it's kind of hard to smile when your best friend hates you, her mom posts about it on a certain social networking site, and then her mom's friends start to call you things like a "brat" and "not loyal" and "not so much a bff anymore."
Is it terrible for me to want a good, healthy, friendly relationship?
...Or am I really a brat?


INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT OF THE DAY:
Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't spread a story you don't know all the details of. Don't accuse someone of something they have no control over. And never, ever, EVER underestimate the advice your mom can give: "You don't have to justify or explain anything. Just do what you think is right."

Written in the Stars

I realize it's been almost a week since last I posted, and for this I apologize. Life has been one crazy tango lately (and not having an Internet connection didn't help).
So. Major points of awesomeness from the past week:

*This song:

(Don't ask me why. But I love it.)

*Camping with my Redheaded could-be sister and having adventures trying to get a small red ball out of a tree... with the help of friendly neighboring trailer park-goers.
*My growing team :)
*Psych
*Tantrum-inducing conversations
*Long conversations with people I haven't really talked to in a long time
*New BLING!
*Taking care of tons of stressful things and therefore not being stressed anymore!
*Unexpected yet pleasant surprises :)
*Carrot cake and skipping
*Junk food, junk food and more junk food.

*Seeing the stars... REALLY seeing the stars :)

*Pictures pictures pictures!!!

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT:
Be careful what you wish for, cause you'll probably get it, and in threefold. Or more.
But if you do get it, enjoy it. :)

Prospects

You know what I love? <3 Having something to look forward to.
MY LIST OF THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO:
1. Pictures on Tuesday
2. Camping with another Redhead this weekend
3. Group date
4. Summer
5. (Hopefully) getting a job, and therefore having money
6. The Grand Canyon
7. My sister moving in a block away :D
8. Everything else good in life

What's on your list?

It's the End of the World As We Know It

May 21, 2011. Didn't someone say the world was supposed to end today? *Cue end of the world...*
(End of the world, you're late!)
Oh well. We've still got lots to live for! Like summertime. Camping. Friends and fun! Senior year (for me). College. LIFE.
You know what I love? Long walks/talks with your best friend on a warm night. :) Exercise! Also really cute guys. (What can I say? I'm a girl!) BIG BAGS OF CLOTHES. And s'mores. And stalking said cute guys on Facebook. Not that I actually do that or anything, right...? *cough.*

I already basically listed the good things of today, so I'll jump straight to our
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT:
Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Longest Day

I have a fun game. It's called IMAGINE WITH ME. Wanna play? Okay. Here's how it works: I'll give you a scenario and you imagine what it would be like to be in it. Ready? Okay.
IMAGINE WITH ME that you have to wake up early this morning. (With me so far? Moving on.) You wake up early and you eat a good, healthy breakfast before heading out. (Healthy=a donut and some scrambled eggs.) Guess what you get to do today? YOU, lucky ducky, get to take an AP English Literature & Composition test at 7:30 in the a.m. THEN, when that ends at 11:30, you get to run up five flights of stairs to take an IB German test at noon. When that gets out 20 minutes after school did, you get to run down said five flights of stairs, down the street to school, and into Dance Company auditions five minutes after it's started. YAY! Two hours later, you finally get to go home and relax. :) SOUND LIKE A FUN DAY?
...I didn't think so. I totally rocked at the musical theater portion of dance auditions though! Zero to Hero, baby. Just like that. *snap*
I'm actually just really proud of myself for surviving today. The best part is that now I never have to worry about German ever again! Kind of. I have to pass the class and everything, but the real point of the class is taking the test, and it's OVER! Don't get me wrong, I love the German language. Just not that class.
So. Good parts of today:
*TESTS OVER
*awesome audition
*family movie time
*sister singing/bonding time
*tic tacs, pen clicks, coughing (answers)
*DID I MENTION THAT THE TESTS ARE OVER?
*donuts

So I guess the world is supposed to end tomorrow, so... I'll see y'all later?

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT:
A world that can produce the Taj Mahal, William Shakespeare, and striped toothpaste can't be all bad.
-One, Two, Three

Optimismus (aka optimism)

Dear Blog Readers,
I changed the name of my blog. Just in case you didn't notice.

The inspiration I wanted when I was originally naming my blog FINALLY came to me, so there you have it:
Optimismus (German; optimism)
Yes. I do speak German. Kind of. I should be fluent by now, but I'm really not.

I figured since all my posts are about being all happy and stuff, this was a pretty good title. Plus, it sounds impressive since it's a different language. I hope. For now, the address will remain the same to avoid confusion. Yay!

STORY TIME
Once upon a time, there was a magical place where it never rained.
The End

(Holes. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)
It rained a lot today!!! And it was cold. And slightly depressing. But OPTIMISMUS, right? So... at least there will be flowers and rainbows and not-droughts for a while :)

Speaking of rain... (I know I post a lot of videos, but... I promise this one is worth it)

Funniest music video EVER. Especially since I think it's supposed to be serious.

Good things about today:
*Homework done on time!
*Finally figured out how to change the font color on the blog title (don't judge, I was excited)
*White Rabbit candy
*Site-specific choreography (refleeeeeeections!)
*Oatmeal cookies (tastes like Grandpa L.'s house)
*Lemonade

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT:
You are awesome!

Give Everybody Nice Sweaters

Happy Song of the Day: You and I (Ingrid Michaelson)

(I can totally play this on the ukulele, just BY the way.)

Don't you just love those days where it's pouring rain and about 12 degrees outside? In late May? Yeah? Me too. So much for straightening my hair.

Ingrid Michaelson, if you hadn't already noticed, is keeping me going right now. She is definitely at the top of my "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH" list currently. Also on that list are zebra-striped Snuggies, muddy buddies (Chex cereal covered in chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar), good books, and new dresses. Also my gladiator sandals, which I can wear now without freezing! ...Except not when it rains and is cold, like today. Oh well.

Good things of today:
*unexpected nap
*BBQ chicken
*a game plan for life
*sunburn going away!

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT:
When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.

The Silver Lining

It's definitely been one of those days. You know, those days where you run into people and stuff even more than usual, you can't seem to wake yourself up, and even the easiest tasks seem to take FOREVER. Call it stress, sleep deprivation, or a combination thereof. Whatever it is, it is no fun.
I guess I've accidentally decided to dedicate this blog to seeing the silver lining in everything... Hmm. Maybe I'll consider a name change. Thoughts? Anyway, I suppose now is the time where I should list off the good things that happened today and say something inspirational to brighten the day of whoever actually reads this blog. So.
GOOD THINGS ABOUT TODAY:
* New dress :) At least I felt pretty to some extent while feeling crummy.
* Long, heartfelt conversations (long overdue)
* House to myself for a bit to play the piano as badly as I wanted to and not bother anyone
* One, Two, Three. Wonderful movie.
* Finishing the Hunger Games series
* Ramen

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT:
Life may bring you lots of rain, but rain will make the flowers grow.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

You may have noticed the new look I've got going here. (That is, of course, in reference to the new background of le lucky ducky.) Yes, it did take me forever to compile the photos to create the new backdrop, but yes it was worth it.
Why, you might ask, is there a large picture of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz filling up the upper corner? Well, I'll tell you.

STORY TIME
Once upon a time, I was an adorable little child (what happened?) who spent most days at my grandparents' house while my family was off doing exciting things. It was around the time I could breathe that I guess I decided it would be a good idea to watch "The Wizard of Oz" at least once every day. (This, of course, resulted in a great fear of any wind, from a breezy breeze to a gusty gust.) So I've definitely seen that movie at least 3,000 times and I love it as much today as I did then (although now I can handle windy days without crying).

*side note: I use parentheses a lot. Sorry.

Anyway, it's pretty much my favorite movie and I love the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It reminds me that even though it might be pouring rain right now, that sometime the rainbow will appear and just over the rainbow are good things waiting to happen.
So now matter how bad life may seem now, just hang on, stay strong, and before you know it...
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"

Saved for a Rainy Day

Okay, so it isn't actually raining right now. But it was before. So today is officially a rainy day. What better occasion to take a leaf out of a gnome's book and name a few of my favorite things?

Some things I am thankful for today:

*Thrift stores. I went into one today with a $20 bill and came out with two dresses, a belt, and $7 left over. And, might I add, the dresses are Adorable. With a capital A.

*Ingrid Michaelson, and finding new songs of hers on my iTunes that I didn't know I had. Favorite song of the day: Everybody

*Disney movies

*Good friends who buy me Mexican food when I have a crummy day.

*Sisters and the giggles they induce

*Memories

*Ace bandages

*The hope of maybe, just MAYBE getting a job.

*Shimmery eye shadow

*Accomplishing a goal

*Lotion with aloe vera for a pair of badly sunburned legs (and what will one day be an awesome tan line due to the aforementioned Ace bandage)

*The smell of rain and freshly cut grass

*Pictures

and, last but not least...
*Bedtime

It's good to know that even when life sucks, there's still so much to be thankful for.

Post from Last Night

I was very very VERY angered last night when I went to write my nightly post and Blogger informed me that I couldn't, so sorry. GRR. So I decided to be smart for once and write down what I wanted to say so I could remember tonight :) Hooray! So here is last night's post:

Passion
I believe that everyone has a passion. Some people like to write out their passions. Some sing them. Some compose them into beautiful melodies and harmonies that, when presented correctly, can become the passion of another. Every passion has a language. My language is dance.
Now, I really don't want to sound like one of those stereotypical drill-team girls whose every Facebook status is about dance blah blah blah. I think of dance not as a showy sport, but as an art form and a language. Through dance, I can express myself in ways words never could.
I've honestly never had a professional dance lesson. The only sort of training I have ever had is my high school dance class, but I guess I was dancing before I could even really walk because it just feels so natural. I've been told I'm graceful... which is funny, because I'm usually the clumsiest person I know. :)
There is something about getting a compliment on your passion that makes you light up and feel like a million bucks. I don't know, but I feel like someone can compliment my hair and not really mean it, but when they compliment my dancing... it's always sincere.
So I guess the moral of this story is to find your passion and... do something inspirational with it. I have no idea. Good luck.

BRILLIANCE is My Middle Name

Actually, I have no middle name. My bes' frien' can tell you that, after spending a good 10 minutes guessing at least one name for every letter of the alphabet.
"UGH. Will you at least tell me the first letter??"
"Nope."
"Why not?!"
"I can't!"
"WHY???"
"Because I have no middle name!"
"..."

I felt a bit bad afterwards, because he was sick and slightly loopy... but it was really funny. :)

STORY TIME
Once upon a time, I fell asleep like I usually do, under a large pile of blankets with my favorite stuffed monkey, George, and my Birthday Cow right by my head. Then I woke up in the middle of the night holding and hugging my cow like a four-year-old and it made me really happy and then I fell asleep again and then I had a great day. :)
THE END

Must...Keep...Reading...

Reading these days is going downhill. It seems that no one reads for fun anymore, and when they do it's only because Edward is soooooo dreamy or Harry just HAS to find that wand. (Wait, this part wasn't in the movie!) My point being, too many people only read what's popular, and only because it IS popular. (Who's Mark Twain again? He's the biology teacher in Twilight, right?) The fact that there is a whole section dedicated to "Teen Paranormal Romance" in Barnes & Noble makes me want to gag and cry simultaneously.
Well, I heard about this new series of books called the Hunger Games. Everyone was ecstatic when the final book in the trilogy came out over the summer and I decided then that I would never read these books. My mind was made up when my sister gave me a short 45-minute summary of the plot and I wanted to go cry in a corner because it sounded so depressing.
Lo and behold, a few months later GUESS what book shows up on a list for an IB-related class? Yup. The Hunger Games. Of course, this happens at the same time the books show up at our house. Le sigh. Now I have to read them.
OH MY GOODNESS. They're actually really... really... really good. As in, I started the first one Sunday afternoon and practically had to hide it from myself to get any sleep that night, then first thing in my first class on Monday, it was out. Needless to say, the minute I got home the second one came out and has barely been put down since. Now my sister needs to finish the last one so I don't have to wait for it tomorrow.
I definitely recommend them to anyone and everyone. Just do me one favor. Do not turn this into another Twilight nightmare... A good book turned into a scary obsession. Please.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a book to finish. :)

Note to Self:

Dear Self,
Please remember to write a blog post today.
Sincerely,
Me.

...Well, that kinda failed.

M is for the Many Things She Gave Me...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! To all mothers out there, thank you for being awesome! :) In honor of the day, I have a poem to share with you:

M is for the many things she gave me
O is for the other things she gave me
T is for the thousands of things she gave me
H is for the hundreds of things she gave me
E is for everything she gave me
R is for the rest of the things she gave me.

Put it all together and it spells "MOTHER"
...a word that means a lot of things to me.

Just Cause

So it's very late and I'm tired, but I can't miss another day (even though technically it is Sunday by now and I have missed Saturday), so I'll just say that Anti-Prom/Prom was awesome fun and you should all be jealous that I had more fun than you.
:)
That is all.

I am ashamed. :/

I feel terrible. I missed posting yesterday. Not that anyone probably noticed, but my goal was to post every day, even if it was something short and pointless.
Bruddah has just commanded me to stop whatever I'm doing and BLOG. Beat ya to it, Brud. :)
So, to make up for my lack of post yesterday, I'll make today's post extra long and extra exciting.
...probably not actually. But still. It is in spirit.
IN OTHER NEWS, tomorrow is prom. *Yay!* Originally, Bruddah and I had the ingenious plan to not actually go to prom, but to party it up at an amusement park all day. Kind of an anti-prom thing. Of course, we ended up changing our minds halfway (because of special circumstances that arose abruptly), so now we get to party it up at said amusement park for HALF of the day, then go to prom afterwards. So go to our anti-prom... and then to prom. Go figure. Should be fun though!
IN OTHER OTHER NEWS, I done did take that nasty IB math test, and I didn't die! I didn't even cry. I was so proud of myself. I did try to leave my phone in the testing room... but then my brain caught up with me and made me go back and get it.
"You'll thank me for it later."
"When have I EVER thanked you later?"
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
(Correct answer: Monk.)

Well, I'm tired and grumpy so I think I'll leave it at that. I know, really exciting. 'Tis my life.

***

We NEVER Lock Our Knees, We NEVER Lock Our Hips

Hooray for choir concerts!
Have you ever noticed how most choir concerts are kind of boring if you're not the one singing? Just a thought.
So I got up to sing my bit with the wonderful choir I belong to, and before we even started SINGING (my sister is quick to point out that "it's always the sopranos!"), I started feeling like I was going to pass out. Here is a brief review of my thought process:
**Oh no! I feel funny... what if I pass out? Are my knees locked? No... Are my hips locked? No... Do I feel lightheaded? Not really... my legs are just really stiff and kinda shaky. Why is that? Should I take my heels off? No, I'll just trip over them later if I do. PERSON NEXT TO ME, STOP MOVING! You're rocking the risers! Okay, only three songs left. I can do this. Knee lock check... hip lock check... Knee lock check...**
That was what I was doing the whole time I was singing. Good thing I know all the songs well enough that I don't have to really think about them to sing them. :/ Although I was definitely the only soprano singing at one point, so of course I freaked out and stopped, but by that time all the other sopranos had realized that they were supposed to come in when I did, so I think I win points of some kind.
After the concert, my mom asked me why I didn't smile more and why I looked so stiff. Well, Mom, let me tell you...

Ke$ha was an IB Student, You Know.

Ahh, May. For some people it means spring! Summer is just around the corner, school is almost out, and flip-flops are acceptable to wear in public again. (Hooray!) But for a handful of LUCKY DUCKY students, it means... *dun dun duuuuuun* AP/IB testing.
'Scuse me while I die a little inside.
True, if you pass an AP test, it saves you a lot of money later on. Everyone loves money. Everyone also loves sleep. Or at least I do. Not that I ever get any sleep, though, because I'm always doing homework/studying for my AP/IB tests. Which is very lame, in my opinion.
I'm not exactly sure what IB does for you, but it must save a lot of money or no one would do it. Did you know that Ke$ha was a full IB student? Look where it got her! ...oh, yeah. Not really... anywhere. Hmm. Well hopefully the rest of us go farther with our IB diplomas. Assuming we all get one, which may or may not actually happen, seeing as how we all have our big standard level math test tomorrow. Ick.
Ah, well. That's all I really have to say, and I guess you're supposed to get a lot of sleep before a test or something, so...
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

We're in the 21st Century. Everything is Sideways.

Have you ever noticed how everything we do or say has an abbreviation and/or a symbol that goes with it?
For example:
I :* 'd my boyfriend because I <3 him and he makes me :).
(No, I didn't actually kiss my boyfriend. I don't have a boyfriend. :P) (<---- SEE! Another symbol!)
The next time you have a conversation with your friend via chat or text, pay attention to how many smiley faces you use. Also to how many times you say "haha," "lol," or "indeed." DO NOT OVERUSE THE WORD "INDEED." PLEASE.
In the profound words of my Bruddah, "We're in the 21st century. Everything is sideways."

Moral of the story: SMILE.
:D
:)
:]
^^
XD
:}
:P


...and here, have a waffle <( ^ ^ )>#

Je t'aime ♥

Every girl (and some guys too!) likes a good love story. Many of them are fairytales, some of them are real, and some of them just seem too good to be real. We all heard about, followed, and woke up early to watch the royal wedding this week. That falls into the category of "Real, But Like a Fairytale." Come on, she's the princess now! Which may not actually be a fairytale future, but for one day she had the fairytale every girl dreams of, complete with the crown and the real-and-true Prince Charming.
Some of my personal favorite love stories aren't real, but they're just too cute to ignore. The story of Allie and Noah from "The Notebook." Every Michael Buble song ever. "P.S. I Love You." WESTLEY AND BUTTERCUP. Shall I go on?
What makes a really good love story? Is it love at first sight? Or is it love developing from a completely different relationship? Is it happily ever after, or is it working to make your love better and stronger than any other person's love? Some of the best and truest love stories are of regular people with dedication and passion enough to enable true love. What is true love? Love that may not be bumpless, but that always comes out of the bumps smoothly.
My favorite love story (of the week) comes from Disney's recent movie, "The Princess and the Frog." No, it is not Tiana and Naveen, although theirs is a cute story as well. It is, of course, that of Raymond and Evangeline. Yes, I have definitely listened to his song to her at least 62 times today, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. This is the important part, so I'm going to put it in all caps. I BELIEVE THAT EVERY WOMAN DESERVES TO BE LOVED BY A MAN AS MUCH AS EVANGELINE IS LOVED BY RAY. That is unconditional love right there. He may or may not know that it will never work out, but HE LOVES HER ANYWAY. And then IT WORKS OUT. True love really does conquer all.
But honestly, I think every woman, in her own special way, can light up the sky. J'adore Evangeline.
Remember that, guys.

Who names their kid Swayze?

So, there's technically only three minutes left of Saturday now, but we'll count it anyway. Make that two minutes.
A word of wisdom to those who value their intelligence:
DO NOT SPEND 17 HOURS WATCHING BENDY 4-YEAR-OLDS IN SPANKIES (see: http://christinicus-luckyducky.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-okay-guys-im-wearing-spankies.html) DANCE AROUND TO WIN PRIZES (also known as the Thunderstruck Dance Competition). Your brain will not survive. I promise you.
Honestly, with a parking lot full of Cadillacs, a floor strewn with feathers, glitter, and various colored sequins, and a program full of names like "LaQuisha Buffalo" and "Bracken Degraffenreid", what do you expect? Something INTELLIGENT? PRODUCTIVE? WORTHWHILE?
Ha!
No. :P
NO ONE'S SPINE SHOULD BE THAT BENDY.
And yes, someone did name their daughter Swayze. As in Patrick of the same name.
Can anyone else feel their brain turning to goo? Their IQ lowering by the second? Cause I sure can.
I worry about the future of our society... at least we know it'll be flexible, right? :/

How about that Royal Wedding, eh?

That title makes me sound Canadian. Eh?
It is late and I am tired, but I would feel awful if I didn't post, and I technically have ten minutes left of Friday in which to post. So I'll just make this short and sweet.
For those of you who read yesterday's post, never fear! I GOT MY TRIX!!! Thanks to my Bruddah. He's the best. :)

So I had every intention of staying up all night last night to watch the royal wedding at about 2:00 in the morning my time. Alas, I fell asleep, but I was able to see some pictures and the 5-minute highlights video, AND I got some sleep, so really it's okay.
Ack! I'm down to three minutes left of Friday! (Terrible song, been stuck in my head all day. Gotta get down on Friday, you know.)
But ANYWAY, the point is that the royal wedding is like a fantastic princess story but REAL and it's awesome. Ask any female and she'll gush to you sufficiently.
So here is where I leave you.

11:59 pm

I can't remember what I was going to say, so I'll talk about cereal instead?

To my dear sister whom I love very much:
I remember having a conversation with you yesterday in which you mentioned the perfect subject for a post. I remember emphatically deciding that that was definitely what I was going to post on today. I just... can't remember what that subject was. :/ So. I'm going to have to go with something different. I still love you though.
-C

***
Have you ever had a craving for something ridiculously random? You're just going about your day, minding your own business, when suddenly... BAM. You want chicken nuggets. There is no reason on earth for you to want a chicken nugget so badly, but all you can think about is how delicious one would taste with some ranch, some BBQ sauce, or some ketchup. (Yes, my family mocks me for eating chicken nuggets with ketchup. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is.)
I'm sure we've all had that experience with one food or another. Tonight I was doing my incredibly boring and moderately difficult math homework when all of a sudden my stomach (named Stella, as in "Shut up, Stella!") decided she wanted Trix. As in the cereal. Which is, of course, rather tasty, but pretty high up there on the "Random Foods to Crave" scale. And of course, the unspoken law of random cravings is that you can't actually have access to that food when you really want it. So I've been sitting here all night, craving Trix cereal.
Maybe I'm not a lucky ducky after all. Maybe I'm a silly rabbit. Hmm. I'll ponder that for a while.

Poor Grace...

Everybody has friends. Right? Right. Lots of people have good friends. Some people have BEST friends. But me? I've got a friend so good, he's like a bruddah to me.
It's been said that a friend who really listens to you will work wonders better than any psychiatrist could ever hope to achieve. I hope you all have a chance to have a friend like that someday. Because it's true! SUPPORT FRIEND TO THE MAX.
I don't know about the rest of you, but when I'm around my friends straaaaaaaange things happen. For example, when my Bruddah and I get together to write papers for seminary (on the topic of "grace"), things like this happen:

http://squidocuments.blogspot.com/2011/04/narcoleptic-argentinean-on-epileptic.html

(This is a link to his blog... we're also blog buddies.)
(...and yes, I am the friend he refers to in every post. ^^)
We spent a good hour writing this. Meaning he was writing it while I was looking through my highlighter-covered scriptures, laughing at all his ridiculous jokes, and listening to stories of his bilingual childhood. Don't judge. You know we're cool. (NOTE: We were also jamming to records at the time. Which just proves our coolness.)

MORAL(s) OF THE STORY:
#1: My friends are awesome.
#2: Everyone should have a friend as awesome as my Bruddah.
and #3: If you find a magical spork, I hope you like Lemon Burst yogurt. :)

fin

It's okay, guys, I'm wearing spankies!

This is pretty much the motto of my life.
As a dancer, I often have rehearsals after school and whatnot and I need to be prepared to get my groove on at any given moment. So what's my solution?
SPANKIES.
I could make an infomercial for them. Seriously.

* JUST SLIP THESE HANDY-DANDY SPANDEX SHORTS ON UNDER YOUR JEANS, YOUR SKIRT, YOUR MUUMUU, OR EVEN YOUR KILT!*

When dance time comes around, simply slip off your jeans, muumuu, etc. and VOILA! You're ready to break it down.

WARNING! Not for the faint of heart. Do not mix with excessive amounts of makeup. Do not take with glitter, feathers, or big hair. Drill team status may result. If contact with spray tan occurs, rinse well with water and put on comfy, unattractive sweat pants.

Also, don't wear them around creepy janitors or awkward teenage boys. (My eyes are up HERE.)

They're great though. And hey, they give me a great excuse to dance around even more than I already do. Who doesn't love that? :)

Records... No, before iPods... before CDs... yeah, before cassette tapes too.

I have a new addition to my bedroom. Yes, it is a record player.
Yes, I am cool.
For all of you sadly uncultured people who have never experienced the true joy of classic vinyl, come on over. We'll jam to the Beach Boys and BJ Thomas. And if you're not into that, I've got the record of every Disney movie EVER. Almost.
There's just something so exciting about finding an old record in your parents' stuff and listening to the wonderful scratch of the needle on the vinyl... ahh. That's pure joy right there. You can keep your mp3s, I'll stick with my 33s and 45s. :)

What a Way to Go...

We've all experienced the passing of a loved one, whether it be grandparent, friend, goldfish, or dog. In this past week, I know of several people who have had pets (mostly dogs) die, and I guess I wasn't to be left out of the trend. Today my spectacular, fluffy, lazy, completely wacko hamster, Victor, passed from this life into Hamster Heaven. I'd like to think that he's achieved his dream of being the world's greatest hamster acrobat.
It's weird to me that he's gone. I've had about 16 zillion goldfish in my life, but flushing a goldfish down the toilet isn't quite the same as burying your fuzzball in the backyard. Besides, goldfish aren't quite as fun to cuddle with as my fluffy buddy. :/
The worst part about poor Victor dying was that I discovered him when my nephews, ages 3 and 1, couldn't get him to wake up when they were trying to say hi to him. He looked very peaceful, but it's hard to explain to such young boys that Victor isn't going to wake up.
I guess of all the days for him to die, though, today was fairly fitting. After all, Easter is all about new life and hope after death. It's comforting to know that even though he's a hamster, Victor is in a much better place now. Sitting in a cage your whole life really can't be that fun. I'm just glad I had the chance to have Victor, even if he did drive me crazy by running in his wheel at 3:00 every morning. Thanks, buddy, for all the good times. Rest in peace in Hamster Heaven.

VICTOR
12.16.09-
4.24.11

Name Your Blog

In deciding to create a blog, on the spur of the moment, you can imagine my consternation when confronted with a big, cheerful-looking notice informing me that, in order to have a blog, you must, in fact, name said blog. What a terrible idea.
At this point, I was forced to reflect on my life, hoping that in so doing the perfect name for my blog would hit me and I could move on to the more exciting aspects of having a blog, namely customizing the background and posting obnoxious things about my life. Sadly, a name did not hit me (although this could be a good thing, as it probably would have left a nasty bruise and I have plenty of those already), and I sat here in my chair staring at my Little Mermaid-themed internet browser screen for at least ten minutes halfheartedly making up names.
I finally decided on the lucky ducky because it really has nothing to do with my life at all and it rhymes. If that's not a good reason, I don't know what is.
So here it is. The lucky ducky.