I'm in Love

Aaah! I did it! I got side bangs! And about two inches off, and more layers. And guess what?

Oh. You read the title?

Well, fine, yes :P I LOVE IT. It's my new favorite hair cut :D

Captions on the bottom.

Before I straightened my "old" hair.

After I straightened my "old" hair.

MY NEW HAIR!

~Kendra

Hair Cut

Okay. So, some of you might remember what happened last time I got my hair cut. Just reading that post makes me shudder. I've only recently gotten to where I like the length of my hair. Yeah, a 10-minute hair cut took me six months to recover from.

And today, I have an appointment. Hair cut.

I used to be terrified of getting my hair cut, then I loved it, then that little disaster in February happened and now I'm terrified again. Even more than usual this time, because--guess what?

I'm going to get side bangs.

I think.

I know it's a little late to be having second thoughts. My appointment is in--LESS THAN TWO HOURS? D: But yeah. Side bangs. I think.

I think I'd look fine with them, and I've always wanted to try it. But at the same time, so much could go wrong. Soooooooooooooo much.

They could be infinitely annoying. Whenever I dance, they might fly in my face. Whenever I get sweaty, my hair gets curly, and is there anything worse-looking than a piece of hair two inches long going out of control around your eyes? NO. They could also just get in my eyes all the freaking time. During school, when I'm writing, when I'm talking to people, just living life in general.

I'd have to keep them straightened. All the time. No exceptions. My hair isn't the kind of hair that will be okay with side bangs unless it's straightened. True, straightening side bands takes all of three seconds, but I'll eventually totally fry that little piece of hair. And it might look weird to have ONLY my side bangs straightened, which means I'll ALWAYS have to straighten ALL of my hair. Which definitely takes a lot more than three seconds.

I could look really bad with them. That's completely possible. It could draw attention to my big nose. (That's something my February Disaster did. With short hair, you just see this face and then the NOSE and then...yeah, it's bad). This is a fear I just thought of. And it's now a big fear. I have a big nose. Don't try to tell me otherwise. Sometimes it's not so bad, but certain things I do to my hair make it a lot worse. What if this is one of those things?

So you see, I'm a bit petrified about my appointment. And I know most of you are in school, but if you're not and you happen to be reading this, please, please leave me your thoughts.

I think I'm going to get them. I've always wanted to try them, and after all, hair grows back. But I'm soo nervous, and if you think I shouldn't, I'll definitely reconsider...

I just need help XD

~Kendra

Awards!

Thanks to Bleah Briann for making the awards for the Scavenger Hunt! Take the one that applies to you, I'm trusting y'all :)

First Place:
Second Place:
Third Place:
Participation Award for Hunters:
Participation Award for Hosts:

Thanks for playing, everyone!

Also, I'm going to Great Wolf Lodge tomorrow and won't be back until Friday :) I'm hoping this time will be better than when I went in March XD That wasn't much fun.

~Kendra

"The Clockwork Angel"

Hellooo everyone! I hope everyone has had a pleasant week and weekend :D

The Scavenger Hunt is officially over! Only three people won :P Congratulations to...

Third Place: Tragedy101!
Second Place: Noelle!
First Place: Elizabeth!

Yay! I should have awards for you today, but I don't have them yet. Give me until tomorrow if you would :)

By the way, you know my obsession with (the amazing, hilarious, awesome, witty, clever, sarcastic, arrogant, extremely attractive) Jace? And the trilogy he lives in called "The Mortal Instruments?"

Well.

Cassandra Clare has started a new trilogy that happens hundreds of years before "Mortal Instruments." I've been wanting book one, "The Clockwork Angel" for months. I got it yesterday at Sam's (that's like Costco)!

It.

Is.

Great.

I'm only about a third of the way done, but it's great! I'm not completely in love with the characters yet, but that's only because I'm not finished. They're great. Cassandra Clare did a great job of creating a new story and new characters. I would have been tempted to make my hero and heroine just like Jace and Clary, even if by accident. The main guy, Will, is witty like Jace, but he's completely his own character, too.

I've also laughed out loud about 10 times already. I pretty much NEVER laugh out loud at books. I mean, inside I might be rolling, and I might grin or chuckle, but Cassandra Clare always has me giggling out loud and re-reading paragraphs just because they're hilarious.

Seriously, I'd read this book for Henry alone.

And he's not even the cockycutefunnyguy of the story.

~Kendra

A Little Life Update

I think the Scavenger Hunt is going off pretty well! So far, only two people have completed the Hunt though! All you Hunters better get a move on before Saturday rolls around and the Hunt is over! Thanks so much to everyone for participating :) It means a lot to me, and I hope you had fun!
~~~~~~~~~
Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points XD

Life's been interesting lately, but good. Very good. I was right about Junior Year being awesome. Honestly, school isn't bad at all. Last year was HORRIBLE, but this year is kind of...not. The only thing giving me trouble is chemistry, and I'm planning on understanding that...in the near future XD

American History was starting to be a living nightmare, but my teacher had a talk with us yesterday and explained that we were all taking too many notes. (At least some of us were XD I'm pretty sure some people haven't taken ANY XD) She told us how to outline the chapters less heavily, and so far it's going better.

I absolutely LOVE Spanish. Languages come sort of naturally to me, and Cassidy loves Spanish too, so we talk about it allllll the time :D It's great.

Shakespeare. Was. A. Genius. Oh my gosh! I love his writing! The way he phrased things was so perfect! So witty and ironic and funny. The subtleties in his writing are absolutely brilliant. I love this class.

I also have poetry, which is tacked onto Shakespeare. I didn't really do my poetry assignments until last week because I forgot about them. We're using the book "The Roar On the Other Side." The exercises are so cool. Basically, it's just learning how to write better and be creative, but I get SCHOOL CREDIT FOR IT :D It's helping me get over my seemingly-chronic writer's block too.

Math is...not bad. Not bad at all. One might even say good. One MIGHT even say that with tutoring and actual effort, I love math. One MIGHT say that. Not saying it's me.....I don't love math, I hate it......right......Oh crap XD I like it this year. All my years of profound hatred gone to waste... *sigh*

Philosophy is the love of my life, has been since 9th grade. It's awesome. I love my class, too. We're deep thinkers. I get more out of this class than possibly anything else.

This year my class is getting along really well. Normally, you have Group A and Group B. Group A appears to think themselves too good to associate with Group B, thereby removing themselves from the class whenever possible. Group B rolls their eyes and thinks Group A needs to get a life and stop treating people like dirt.

This year, there is only one group. There is no Us and Them, no A and B, no Good and Evil. We're just a class. We're just all friends. I absolutely love us this way. We haven't been like this since 8th grade. I know there's a lot of growing up going around. Personally, I decided I was just as much part of the problem as anyone. I was guilty of being conceited and exclusive too, so I decided to change that. I'm definitely not saying I'm responsible for the great class dynamics, just that I've been paying more attention to how I act this year.

And...Cavender might be coming to church this Sunday. I really want to see him. It's been a while.

~Kendra

GO!!!!!!!

***LATEST NEWS: Clue #11 has been put up! Happy hunting!***

The Scavenger Hunt starts now!!

All you awesome Hunters get going! Put on your detective caps and find which blog comes next! The first clue issssssss...

"All silver and green, find this Elvish theme."

Now, check out these blogs and figure out which one fits this description...

A Collection of Reflections

Evening Stars

Nahla's World

Caliginosity

Summer Girl

A Selection of Varied Topics

The View Through These Eyes

With Love and Kisses

With the Setting Sun

Playing for Him

(:My World:)

Random Thoughts

Farmgirl Writes

Thoughts of A KleeWyck

Katie's Pixels

Good luck! You have til the end of the week. Special prize for the one who completes it first.

~Kendra

GET SET...

THE SCAVENGER HUNT BEGINS TOMORROW! :D If you're a Host, you should have (*cough* finally *cough*) gotten an email from me with your clue. If you didn't receive the email, leave me a comment and I'll resend it.

Don't forget not to post your clues until tomorrow. I forgot to say that in the email, so if you put it up early, don't feel bad :) My fault for forgetting to tell you.

Anyway, Hunters, GET SET, for tomorrow we GO! :D

~Kendra

On Your Mark...

Who's ready for the Scavenger Hunt?? :D I am! If you don't know what that is, click HERE! The people we have, the more fun it'll be!

Hunters can "sign up" as late as Saturday, but I'm not taking Hosts anymore, just because I'm afraid I won't have time to make your clue. Hosts, be checking your emails :D I'll be sending the Clues within the next couple of days.

On a side note, would you guys mind praying for me about chemistry? I know that's weird, and pretty insignificant, but I'm really stressed. I have a test next week and I'm completely lost.

~Kendra

The Great Pumpkin Shortage

So, "our" grocery store is Lowes Foods. We've watched the check-out guys grow up (Derek, you're awesome), learned to like the store brands, and know where everything is. I love Lowes Foods. But today, they deeply wounded and disappointed us.

Just kidding.

XD

They didn't have canned pumpkin! What in the world! It's September, it's practically fall, time to get out your orange-and-brown-themed napkins and apple cider and pecans and CANNED PUMPKIN. Stores break out Christmas stuff before you're finished eating the last of the Thanksgiving turkey. WHEREISTHEPUMPKIN?

*clears throat*

We opted to try our local grocery store, which is also awesome. I even wanted a job there this summer, but they were not hiring, even though multiple friends of mine mysteriously began working there... Do I count this against their awesome? Nope. They know our names and where we go to church and that I play soccer at the rec center. They were sure to have canned pumpkin.

They did not.

Has there been some pumpkin virus that's wiped out all those lovely orange gourds? Did the factory workers go on strike until someone addresses the issue of pumpkin cruelty? Did the aliens steal it all?

Reality check: None of the above.

Basically, it rained a lot in Illinois last year, which is bad for pumpkin-growing. Even worse, Illinois is where 95% of America's pumpkins come from. Although the pumpkin weather is okay now, apparently you have to wait for the pumpkins to get ready before they can be canned. We're still waiting.

Ergo, no canned pumpkin in stores. Like, at all.

It's supposed to be back soon, but I wish it would hurry up. I love pumpkin scones and gingerbread cake.

In the meantime, you can apparently use butternut squash as a substitute.

Who knew?

~Kendra

Childhood Choices

When I was little, I wanted to be a famous singer (as well as the first woman president, an orphanage keeper, and an artist). The "famous" part was very important. I would bring CDs of songs I wanted to sing to church. After the service, I would play the CD through the sound system and use the microphones to live my dream.

I stared a singing group called Triple G (God's Girls Group) and made sign-up sheets for it and put them on the Information Desk at church. Members of the group came and went a lot, mostly due to the fact that I was what you might call a Bossy Little Snit at times XD

Although I wasn't singing to God for the right reasons, I learned a lot through all that. I learned that you can't treat people like crap and expect them to do what you say. I learned that true friends are the ones that will still love you even when you're being a jerk. I learned that not ALL grown-ups take people 2ft. shorter than them as a joke. I learned how to make things happen and persevere. I learned a lot of good Christian artists.

I recently rediscovered my #1 favorite artist of my Triple G club years: Rebecca St. James.

I must admit that even as a very strange child, I had pretty good taste in music. When I decided to go back listen to some of the "Transform" CD, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. But I still love some of the songs! They remind me of awesome times, and the sound is really cool. "Reborn", "One" and "Lean On" are still my favorites.

I also discovered that I freaking love Rebecca St. James' sense of style. Dude. I really picked a good singer to look up to.

~Kendra

Amazing

Today the sun is bright and clear, the trees are green and rustling in the wind, the sky is blue and cloudless, the air is warm with a hint of fall chill. My family ate lunch on the screen porch with the breeze blowing lightly. Then we went out to the front yard. I laid in the driveway in the sun with my dog beside me. I walked in the bed of smooth rocks next door. I sat on the rocking bench with my mom and watched my sister scooter and laughed at my awesomely funny dad.

Today was pretty much amazing.

~Kendra

Hosts and Hunters

Today I wrote the entire rough draft of my big American history research paper! Yay! It's not due until Wednesday, and I've already done the hardest part. It is safe to say that I am very proud of myself. Colonial architecture in light of different cultures turned out to be really interesting. And I've never been the slightest bit interested in architecture before. Cool :D

Okay, so I'm trying to be organized about the Scavenger Hunt, and I don't want to miss anyone, so bear with me. Will you please read this, and let me know of any errors?

Blog Hosts:
1. Izori - Evening Stars
2. Elizabeth - A Collection of Reflections
3. Bleah Briann - With Love and Kisses
4. Levi - With the Setting Sun
5. Katie G - Playing for Him AND Katie's Pixels
6. Tunafish - The View Through These Eyes
7. Emily Ann - (:My World:)
8. Rachel B - Thoughts of a KleeWyck
9. Sarah - Caliginosity
10. Emma - Summer Girl
11. Bethany - A Selection of Varied Topics

Blog Hunters:
1. Bethany
2. Elizabeth
3. Emma
4. Katie G
5. Tunafish

If you want to be a Host or Hunter and your name isn't on the list please, pleeeeeeease let me know! Just a simple comment to indicate Host, Hunter, or both, please.

The deadline for blog hosts is Sunday. Hunters can continue to "sign up" as late as next Saturday.

This is going to be lots of fun! And I've recently added one little bit to this...

If you post about the Hunt on your blog, along with a link back to THIS post, there will be an extra clue (and therefore possible award) for you! WooT! Just make sure to leave me a comment telling me that you posted so I can add you to the special list XD

Normally I frown upon heavy blog advertising, and asking people to do it, but I think the Hunt will be a lot more fun if we can get lots of people involved.

This is gonna be awesome XD :D

~Kendra

More on the Hunt!

Hey, y'all! It sounds like some people are interested in the Blog Scavenger Hunt! Awesome! The start date I'm thinking about is September 12th, about ten days from today.

If you missed the post where I introduced the idea, you can click HERE, or read this next paragraph XD

The Blog Scavenger Hunt will be a fun way to get traffic on your blog, win awards, and flex your detective skills. On September 12th, I'll publish a list of blogs where clues will be hidden, as well as some "decoy" blogs. I'll give Clue #1, and the great quest to find Clue #2 on a blog from the list begins. Once you find Clue #2, the detective work continues as you search the list to find Clue #3...

Rules for Hunters:
1. Be sure to find the Clues in order!
2. It'll be more fun if you don't tell anyone which Clue is on which blog :)

Rules for Participating Blogs:
1. Don't forget to put your Clue somewhere on your blog on the 12th! (I'll be sending them to you sometime next week.) You can "hide" it anywhere on your homepage (the sidebar, your posts, your header, etc.), just make sure it's on your homepage and doesn't require any clicking around to find :)

So far, there are nine bloggers who'd like clues hidden on their blogs. There's room for more if anyone is interested :)

Now we need Hunters! Bloggers with participating blogs are welcome to play too (or not play), but I think this will be even more fun with lots of people. Spread the word! If you want, posting about this would be great. The more people we have, the more fun it'll be!!

Please leave a comment if you want to play!

~Kendra