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

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

To Pierce or Not to Pierce

That is the question. I'm searching the depths of this cosmic world for the answer.

AKA, my internet buddies XD

As of now, this is what my ears look like:
Plain. Unimpaled. Virgin. Unscathed. Whole.

See also "unpierced".

Thus we come to the deep, philosophical question I'm struggling with: Should I pierce them or not?

So far I've left them untouched because I don't think piercing them is worth it. It's girly, I'm not. It involves jewelry, something I don't even wear. It would be a hassle, and if I don't even care, why bother? It's just something extra to keep track of and remember (and clean twice daily for four-to-six-weeks).

My 13-year-old sister Lizzy votes to pierce them. Actually, she votes "PLEEEEEASE DO IT! DOITDOITDOIT, JUST DOIT." I vote "Ehhhh....I dunno."

I sort of feel like I might as well, to open up the option of earrings if I ever wanted them. If I end up hating the hassle, I can always just keep some plain studs in and forget about it. Or let the wholes grow over. But then again, if I'm going to end up not caring/hating it, why do it in the first place?

So you see my dilemma. Assistance would be greatly appreciated XD What are you thoughts? Do you have pierced ears? Do you like them? Do you have "virgin ears"? (XD) Do you like them? Pros of ear-piercing, cons of ear-piercing...Share your thoughts! I've been debating this for months...

~Kendra

Hey :)

I am forcing myself to blog. Because I've been neglecting poor little Carpe Diem. But in a way I guess that shows a good thing? That I'm Carpe-ing my Diem and not on the computer as much?

What have I been up to lately. Hmm.

Well, on Tuesday I went to Cassidy's 18th birthday party! We went to a hotel and swam and ate and talked. Then we went to the midnight premier of Eclipse! It was actually very good. It stuck to the book beautifully, and Kristin Stewart only sucked mostly instead of completely XD Edward even had a couple of parts where I didn't hate his guts. And Jacob was awesome.

There was just one thing.

Here.

Yeah. The movie opens with a guy screaming his lungs out. And then there are like four more times with guys shrieking bloody murder. I was like O.O *crumples in the seat*

XD Amanda and Kirsten, the girls I was sitting with, weren't aware of my...issue. It was kind of funny.

Other than that, quite a good movie XD

After the movie, we went back to the hotel and hung out and ate stuff and talked. We went to bed around 4:30 and woke up at 8:30 to go eat continental breakfast. I had a really awesome time, even though there were no blueberry muffins D: Isn't that, like, a hotel-breakfast-standard? Apparently not :'(

Today, Daniel, David, this girl named Alden, her FREAKING AWESOME six-year-old brother named Elijah, and some other people came over and we hung out at the lake all day. I got tanner :D WooT! We also watched "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Great movie XD

So, the past few days have been awesome. Which is good, because the days before that sucked.

I'm beginning to see a pattern. Horrible, great, horrible, great, horrible, great. Whatever happened to days that were in the middle? Hmm. *shrug*

~Kendra

Consumed

Well. Hello. I'm not doing very well lately. I usually try really hard to hide my hard times from Carpe Diem, but I feel like sharing today.

My worst times are the times that happen in my head. When bad things happen to me, I get frustrated and irritable, but I much prefer that to those times when it's all in my head. There's no escape. After all, wherever I go, there I am with me.

To put it all very simply, I'm not happy. I'm not satisfied. I'm just not happy. I don't know what to do. It's not that I need God. I mean, I do, but I'm doing fine with God. I'm happy there, and he's helping me. It's other than that. The thoughts that don't leave me alone. I think all the time. Even my dreams are bad.

Last night, I had the kind of dream that bothers me the most: a searching dream. I hate searching dreams. You never find what you expect. Either you never find what you're looking for, or you find something that's wrong. Like searching for you dog, and you find it, but it's got a disease. Or you're looking for a bathroom, and all the stalls are occupied. Or you're searching for a mirror, but when you find one, your reflection is all wrong.

Last night I was searching for a person. People are the worst, because they're, well, people. Everything about searching for a person seems ten times more realistic than searching for a mirror or something. Ten times more realistic, ten times more urgent, ten times more difficult, and ten times more awful. It was the pinnacle of my hidden bad times recently. I don't know.

I'm not trying to depress everyone, I'm not trying to say something profound, I'm not trying to teach a lesson, I'm not trying to drum up sympathy. I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm just typing.

~Kendra

P.S. A fellow-blogger named Jared Kraft is just getting started with a really cool music service for blogs. He writes theme music for you blog! The rates are very reasonable, too. Right now he's having a give-away where you can win a 2 minute theme song! To check out his blog, click on the button:



For more information go HERE.

It's Mother's Day

When I was little, my mom was my best friend.

I would follow her around the house and say, "Remme dis book." She would stop whatever she was doing and we would read, right there.

She would wake me up every morning by singing to me. We sang all the time. We sang real songs, we sang made-up songs, and we made our own songs to go with Nursery Rhymes.

We would cook all the time, too. I would eat really weird and random things. Like raw onions.

We played Blocks. I had a lot of blocks. We built stuff, but not just that, we played SERIOUS BLOCKS. Like, all the longskinny blocks were people and we acted out legit stories.

My mom can sing.

My mom is a born teacher. And she teaches the 8th grade.

My mom is really smart.

My mom is one of those people that everyone likes.

In a lot of ways, my mom is like me. We're both logical and stubborn and LOVELOVELOVE to read. Our minds work really quickly and go in lots of different directions at once. We both have a "low idiot tolerance," which basically just means we're impatient XD

All of this translates to one thing:

Either we get along great, or we don't get along at all XD

When two people are so alike, there are bound to be lots of personality clashes. As I've been growing up, that's happened a whole lot. I can be quite an exasperating person. I'm great at learning peoples' buttons, and I'm also great at pushing them. The past couple of years have been rougher than ones before, but lately I think we're getting along again...

You'd think that hitting Sweet 16 and trying to grow up would make a relationship even rockier, but life (and moms!) are full of surprises. Lately I've found a really cool, reasonable, logical, fun friend and ally in my awesome momma. I don't wanna say it's a shock, but..well... ;)

My mom is pretty cool after all :) Okay, fine, VERY cool. I do love you, Momma.

~Kendra

Prom Dresses!

Thanks for following, Messed One and Steven!

So, guess what?

I went shopping today.

More or less voluntarily.

For a dress.

A prom dress.

:)

I'm going to the prom.

Yeah, me. I'm actually going to a prom. I didn't plan to do that until I was a senior. Put if off as long as possible, because I'd feel awkward and...I can't dance.

Okay, so that's not completely true in two ways. 1) I can dance, just not ballroom dance and 2) I don't actually know if I "can't", because I've just never learned.

So why am I braving the world of fancy dresses, makeup, hair and dancing now?

It's Cavender's fault XD

I know I won't be able to get away with talking about dress shopping without posting some pictures, so here goes. (You can thank my wonderful little sister Lizzy for these.) Comments are under the pictures.

This was okay. The beading on the straps isn't really my thing (it continues down the back and I didn't like it). Also, it's cut really low in the back and that goes against the dress code, not to mention my comfort zone.

This dress was too expensive to buy, but I wanted to try it on because it looked like a "fire fairy costume" to me :) I had to try it on, just for the memories it evoked.

Yeah, this just looks like I'm wearing a mermaid tail XD

I actually really liked this one (and it was cheap XD), but it was too big :-/ I'm leaning against the wall keeping the straps up higher XD

I really liked this one. It's my second favorite. I love, love, LOVE the skirt on it. It's the kind of dress that I could twirl in for hours :) The main problem was that it's black. I really didn't want a black dress, but I almost bought it anyway.

This one just didn't really call to me XD It was like, "Ehh."

This one was absolutely hideous on the hanger and before the sash was tied, but it wasn't too bad when it was fully put on. It's growing on me even now, but the seaming on the chest is weird...yeahh...XD

And last but not least, the winner :) This is the dress I got. I feel good in it. I just liked it the best :)

We shopped for like an hour and a half. Shopping tires me out like nothing else. I can dance for two hours and fifteen minutes, or play soccer for an hour and a half, or run around outside all day, but an hour of shopping is like *instant energy fail* XD

Hope you liked seeing my wonderfully girly-fail self in a prom dress XD Good night all!

~Kendra

My Daybook: Week 8

Thanks for following Samarah and Kailyn! Y'all made me smile :D

So, I know I just did a Daybook a few days ago, but it's Saturday, I want to post, I can't think of anything good, and I want to get back on track. So, here it is :D

Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2010
Starting time: 7:26pm
Mood: serious
Outside my window: light and the trees have green buds coming out :D
I'm thinking: I think too much XD
I'm reading: "The Hobbit"
I'm listening to: "Immortal" by Evanescence
I'm wearing: basketball shorts, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt
Yesterday, I: went to the cold lake with Brianna and this other family
I'm excited for: Easter is tomorrow.
I'm sad because: not really sad.
I'm hungry for: nothing
The song stuck inside my head is: "Immortal", 'cause it's playing.
I want: omniscience
I love: warm weather, for one thing.
I loathe: hmmm....school.
This week, my goal is: get through school.
Ending time: 7:34pm

~Kendra

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother

Thanks for following, Shruti and Milly-Mischief (sorry, I couldn't find a link to your blog)! New followers always shock and delight me :D

I'm not supposed to be be back FULL-KENDRA-FORCE until Easter, but I feel pretty good today and decided to post. (It's warm and sunny again. I'm definitely seeing a pattern.)

Judging by the poll over there, y'all would like to hear more about my life. I can do that. Here's what's been happening with me lately:

Church.

School.

Classical.

Dance.

Stress.

Cleaning.

Repeat.

And TA-DAAAAAA!

Yeah. Now you know why I haven't been posting much.

No, I could probably turn some specific instances in my life into real posts. That might actually be good. I'll do that. That is, I will after Easter when I feel like putting legit energy into this blog XD

But then, according to the omniscient poll , you're also interesting in my writing. Hmm >:D

I think I've posted this before, but it's a short story I wrote for school last year called "Cinderella's Fairy Godmother".

“Oh no!” cried Cinderella, her bright blue eyes widening. She watched as her cruel Stepmother shut the door, locking Cinderella in her attic bedroom. Cinderella ran over to the heavy wooden door and yanked on the handle. “Please! Let me out! Let me out! The grand duke will be here any minute with the glass slipper! Oh, you’ve got to let me out! Please!”

Of course, the Wicked Stepmother paid no attention to Cinderella. She slipped the key into her pocket and smirked in evil satisfaction as she walked down the winding stairs to the main part of the house. It was only a matter of time now before one of her real daughters would be a princess. Cinderella’s little glass slipper had to fit one of them. Deanna and Caroleena’s feet couldn’t be that much bigger.

“Girls!” she shouted when she got to the parlor. “Hurry up! The duke will be here soon!” The Stepmother sank tiredly into a chair. Being a selfish control-freak was exhausting.

Caroleena and Deanna charged into the room.

“Here we are, Mother!” Deanna announced in her bossy, nasally voice. “Is the duke here yet? Where is he?” Stepmother rolled her eyes.

“He isn’t here yet,” she snapped. “But we must be ready when he comes. We must conduct ourselves as true ladies. Remember, the poor duke has been traveling around the kingdom all night looking for the maiden whose foot will fit into the glass slipper. We must act with grace and poise.” Deanna nodded. Caroleena looked baffled.

“We’re gonna poison the duke?” she gasped.

“Poise, not poison, you idiot!” Deanna sneered. Caroleena blinked.

“Oh,” she said. “I get it.” It was obvious that she didn’t. Stepmother sighed.

Now, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother was watching stealthily and listening carefully from outside the window. She smiled to herself. She knew just what she was going to do. Then she sighed and shook her head. Being a Fairy Godmother was a tough business. Always helping others, never doing what you wanted, being selfless all the time. Where was the fun in that?? The Fairy Godmother shook her head harder to rid herself of such thoughts. No. She knew what she would do. She trotted off to get ready.
~~~
Bang, bang, bang! Came a knock on the door. The Wicked Stepmother leapt up from her chair.

“That’s the duke,” she said. Caroleena and Deanna stood up as well. “Be ready, my daughters. Remember what we talked about. Grace and poise.” She glided over to the door and opened it, revealing the duke and his large, walrus-like mustache.

“By order of the king, I am to try on this glass sl—”

“Oh, yes, yes, the slipper,” interrupted the Stepmother, stepping aside to let the duke pass. “Do come in.” The duke pulled at his mustache.

“Yes, of course,” he said, coming inside. He looked over his shoulder. “Come along, Ichabod.” A short, fat, bald man waddled after the duke, carrying the slipper on a purple pillow.

“Do sit down.” The stepmother motioned to some chairs. “These are my daughters: Caroleena and Deanna.”

“Hi,” Caroleena giggled.

“Good morning, your grace,” greeted Deanna. They both curtsied. Caroleena lost her balance and crashed into the tea table. The stepmother pursed her lips.

“So, your grace,” she said to the duke, stressing the word “grace” and giving Caroleena The Look. “How would you like to do this?” The duke blinked.

“Oh, well, yes, um, are these your only daughters and the only maidens of this residence?” he asked, clearing his throat. The stepmother pasted a smile on her face.

“Yes,” she answered. “This is it.” The duke gave a quick nod.

“Alright, then,” he said. “I’ll just try the slipper on them one at a time.” The stepmother nodded. The duke looked at the stepsisters. “Will one of you please come forward?” They both rushed at him as if they’d backed into a spear. The duke was so startled he fell back into the chair behind him.
“Poise,” hissed the stepmother through gritted teeth. Deanna regained her composure and folded her hands neatly. Caroleena just giggled and blinked. The duke recovered and motioned for Ichabod to hand him the slipper. He did. Caroleena kicked her shoe off and thrust her foot into the duke’s face, wiggling her toes.

“Oh, do me! Do me!” she cried. The duke gently pushed the frantic toes away from his nose.

“Yes, alright, my dear,” he agreed. “Just place your foot into the slipper there—” Caroleena did.
Well, sort of. She got her toes in, anyway. The rest of her foot didn’t even go into the shoe.

“It fits!” she cried. The duke blinked.

“Well, not exactly, my dear—”

“Does so!” Caroleena whined. “See??” She put her foot back up in his face. Deanna sniffed.

“Your foot isn’t even in the shoe, Carrie,” she snorted. “Only your toes.” Caroleena scowled.

“So? They’re toe shoes!” she snapped. The duke shook his head and removed the slipper.

“Next.” Deanna waltzed up to him and delicately slid her foot into the slipper. Well, nearly, anyway. Her foot was smaller than Caroleena’s, but it still stuck out the back end. She pushed her bottom lip out in a pout.

“No fair!” she whined. “Mother! Make it fit!” The stepmother’s nostrils flared.

“I don’t understand it,” she said to the grand duke, forcing a laugh. “It fit perfectly yesterday. Deanna does have a history of growth spurts, though. Perhaps—” The duke shoot his head and stood.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said. “But the slipper just doesn’t fit either girl.” He put the shoe back on Ichabod’s purple pillow. “Thank you. We’ll be on our way.” He turned for the door.

Just then, a flash of blue light came from upstairs. Tiny footsteps pattered down the steps.

“Your grace!” came a sweet voice. “Oh, do, let me try the slipper on!” Cinderella appeared. The duke stopped abruptly and looked at the stepmother.

“You told me those two were the only girls here!” he protested. The stepmother forced a smile.

“Well, I thought surely you didn’t mean scullery maids, too—”

“Every maiden,” the duke insisted. He motioned to Cinderella. “Come, my dear, and try on the slipper.” Cinderella walked over and sat down. Ichabod trotted over with the slipper. But he didn’t make it. The stepmother tripped him with her cane. He flew head over heels and the slipper hit the floor and shattered. Everyone gasped. Cinderella scowled, which was quite out of character. She muttered something under her breath that sounded a great deal like “Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boo,” and there was a blue flash that came from the general area of her apron pocket. No one noticed either strange thing, though, because they were all preoccupied with the broken slipper.

“Oh no!” sobbed the duke. “Now we’ll never know! What will the king say?”

“I can help,” Cinderella cooed. She extracted something from her suspicious pocket. “I have the other slipper.” She did.

This brightened things considerably. The duke tried the slipper on Cinderella, and it fit. With much trumpet sounding and rejoicing, he led her out to the carriage to take her back to the palace to the prince. Caroleena and Deanna ran behind the carriage halfway to the palace until they both collapsed from exhaustion.

The prince was thrilled to see his mystery girl and they began planning the wedding at once. The prince showed Cinderella her grand room.

“It’s beautiful!” she cried. She looked at the prince with loving eyes. “May I have a minute?”

The prince nodded and left the room. The second he was gone, a blue flash of light exploded around Cinderella. When it faded, there stood the Fairy Godmother! She shook her head.

“It’s going to take me a while to get used to Cinderella’s shape,” she muttered to herself. She smiled in satisfaction. “I tricked Cinderella, changed myself into her form, and am going to marry the prince.” She nodded happily. “Finally. I’m doing something I want and getting out of that awful Fairy Godmother business.”

So, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother married the prince instead. And no one ever really found out.

God Day: My Relationship With God

EDIT: You didn't think I was going to let a follower go by without proper recognition, did you?? XD Thank you SO MUCH for following, Libby! Wow, ninety followers. I seriously never (EVER) thought I'd see the day. :O

This is going to be sort of a personal-experience post, so...yeah. LOL, just wanted to say that. This isn't a big revelation or anything, just some stuff that I've been thinking about.

So, I'm not really this amazingly spiritual person. I only pray at night, I never confess my sins individually, I forget to forgive, and reading the Bible is something I do only when I need advice. Mostly, I kind of suck. Mostly, I don't care as much as I should. But lately, that's started to change.

I don't know what happened, or when, but I can almost feel God pulling me. He doesn't seem so far anymore, even though I've only just started to try in our relationship.

I have a really weird relationship with God, okay? It's not your normal "weird" relationship either. It's not that cliche sometimes-he-feels-so-far relationship, or that I-don't-understand-how-he-could-love-me one. My relationship with God is just really on and off. Like a switch.

There will be weeks at a time where I cuss in my head all the time, snap at my sister, roll my eyes at my mom, read things I shouldn't, and don't do my school work.

Then, the next day, I'll decide to pray, and immediately, God and I are great again. I can feel him with me, I get stuff out of the Bible, he gives me good ideas, he makes me laugh.

What. The. Heck.

I know, right? I don't get it either.

Here's the other thing that I'm almost afraid to admit for fear of sounding self-righteous:

I don't have a problem hearing God's "voice".

*bites lip* Do you hate me now? I hope you don't think I'm bragging, because I really don't want to come across that way. I just...well, whenever I pray sincerely, God answers me.

Now, this is advice I'm talking about. It's not like God just dumps piles of hundred-dollar bills under my bed or magically gives me that older brother. It's just that whenever I pray to God to help me understand something or show me what to do, he...well, he does. And it's really, really nice

This time around, I want to make a conscious effort to stay close to God. None of this floating away, I want to have this all the time. I've been praying about something for a few weeks now, and today God revealed to me what to do, clear as day. I know what to do, but I think it might be...hard.

*gasp*

What?? God's challenging me?? XD

One thing our youth leaders always tell us that I think I'm learning more and more:

Be careful what you ask God, because he'll show you, and you better be ready.

What's God asking you to do? Whatcha waiting for? Go carpe your diem and ask him.

Forget the Four Ls, Breathing is Enough to Do

School: Educational. I guess.
Writing: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh, wait. Were you serious?
Play ("Mulan"): Completely amazing, and I got a "Go get 'em" from someone, but it's totally dominating my entire life right now. One of my friends there told me a secret. Everywhere I go, like two weeks later, someone confides in me about something. My whole aura must scream TRUTHWORTHY AND WILL GIVE ADVICE!!!!!!
Family: I'm getting along with them...something weird is going on...*gasp* Am I GROWING UP?? :O

Physical: So physically exhausted that I'm getting sick -.- *grumbles irritably*
Emotional: ...that is not for public blog-ness.
Mental: Crazy as usual, but in the controlled, tired as crap way.
Spiritual: Working on my God relationship. Goin' pretty well!! Life is good!

Story of my life right now: By Your Side

Long Life Lessons

FOLLOWERS SAY ON CARPE NOCTEM HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED!! :O :O
---------------------------
Well, today is Question Day, but I won't be able to do it for lack of a question, lol!
---------------------------
So, justagirl4god awarded me in the Honesty Scrap thing! Instructions:

1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.
2) Share "ten honest things" about myself.
3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving.

Thanks, Rachael!!

Okay, 10 honest things...

1. I don’t (usually) like to eat.
2. I like the moon better than the sun.
3. I have a strange fascination with thieves, assassins, etc.
4. Although my blog is named ~Carpe Diem~, I totally suck at carpe-ing my diem.
5. My goals for my life include becoming a writer, lawyer, kindergarten teacher, and mom.
6. The author I admire most (aside from the obvious like Tolkien and stuff) is Hilari Bell.
7. My hair is naturally this weird mix of corkscrew curls and waves (maybe it sounds pretty, but it’s not, lol).
8. My eyes change color.
9. I sometimes bruise/get scratches/have pulled muscles from dreams.
10. My #1 wish of ALLLLLLLLL time is to have an older brother.

Ta-da! :D I now tag/award...
Jaynine
Seth
Steven
Cassie
Mr. Puddle
Meggie
Gabrielle
---------------------------
Okay, so today has been weirdly awesome.

First of all, let me start out by telling you how a typical school day goes for me.

9:30am: Get woken up by mom.
9:45am: Actually get up.
9:40am: Go upstairs and eat breakfast (and read Dear Annie in the paper, catch my favorite comics in the funnies section, read a chapter or two of whatever book I'm reading..."
10:10am: Come down stairs and "start school"
10:11am: Check all my many emails, check my blogs, check Facebook, stalk some people on Facebook (maaaaaybe...)
10:30am: Repeat.
10:40am: Actually start school. Fiddle around with some research for Western Culture, glance at biology, check off twice as much stuff on my list as I actually did.
11:05am: Repeat what I did at 10:11.
11:30am: Do a math lesson.
11:55am: Well, I've been hard at work all morning, so I guess I can just read or goof around until lunch.
12:30pm: Lunch.
1:05pm: Write a paper...or at least a couple of paragraphs...okay, four sentences maybe...
1:10pm: Check Facebook.
1:30pm: Finish paper...or at least a couple of paragraphs...
2:00pm: Check Facebook, emails, blogs...
2:20pm: Do some logic.
2:40pm: Glance over some reading for Art History...
2:50pm: Get side tracked by this old story I found in my room...
3:10pm: Oh, wow! A whole day gone! Guess I'll call it a day.

-.-

Long schedule short: My work ethic sucks. Absolutely SUCKS. I know that, and the people that I admire the most do not have sucky work ethics. I would like the people I admire to think well of me, too.

So.

Today, I decided to exercise the self-dicipline I KNOW I have (...don't I?) and work HARD. Actually HARD.

I was at school by 9:30. I attacked biology with ferver. I got a lot more done than usual, and OMG I UNDERSTOOD IT??????? I did!

Then, I got to work on the bibliography that I'm supposed to have been keeping for six weeks but haven't. It is no easy task tracing down every website you used to find research on the Renaissance, Albrecht Durer, Jan van Eyck, Michelangelo, El Greco, Leonardo da Vinci, the "Pieta", "The Resurrection", and "Arnolfini's Wedding".

But I did it.

Then, I got to work on the vocabulary list I'm supposed to have been keeping for six weeks but haven't. That was a bit easier.

THEN, I FINALLY started working on my Art Grant Project. (Basically, we have to put together a presentation to apply for a "grant" for an art project. We give a presentation to the class, and then the class votes on whether or not we get the grant.)

Step One: Decide on a project.

Yeah. My work strategy basically sucks.

So, anyway, I got up to date on the Grant Project.

Next, a math lesson.

Next, attack a chapter in logic.

By this time it's 3:30pm, and I've only checked Facebook once. I've also had the most enjoyable (NO sarcasm!) and productive day I've had in a long time.

Then, I attack the Art History paper on Leonardo da Vinci some more.

By this time it's 4:15pm. Busy day, crazy, day, but a really fun day! :O :O :O Weird, huh?

So, my dad comes in and tells me that if we want to grab a bite to eat somewhere before the special play practice at 6pm, we should go. (It takes us 45 minutes to get to the play practice town). The special practice was for me and the other people who are working with the Hun puppets.

So, we go eat at Pizza Hut, just me and my dad, which was awesome. I get along with him so well. We always have such a fun, easy time. We're a lot alike.

Play practice went well. Working with a big, heavy-ish puppet is a challenge, and my arm is a tad sore (lol), but I think I'm getting it, and I had a lot of fun. I'm really getting to know people better, and I'm getting to be more of myself around them.

We came home, and watched two episodes of this spy-mystery-action-freaky-action-spy-mystery TV series we got on DVD called Alias. It's so awesome, but this last episode had some stuff set in a creepy, bad-conditions mental institute...do I even have to say that I am a little creeped out?

So, after an awesome day in all ways possible...

I still have to read a ton of "Gulliver's Travels", do some Latin, and read some Art History stuff.

*SIGH*

SLACKING DOESN'T PAY, PEOPLE! And actually doing the work can be more enjoyable than doing nothing all day...

I am a bit worried about getting those three last things, done, though...Tomorrow's schedule:

8:00am: GET UP.
8:30am: Eat something (c'mon, just oneeeee bite...)
9:00am: Get self looking...decent.
9:30am: Leave for play practice.
10:00am: Play practice.
1:00pm: Lunch break.
2:30pm: Resume play practice.
5:00pm: Get out of play practice.
5:30pm: Babysitting
11:00pm (hopefully): Come home, sleep.

...

And WHERE am I supposed to fit in reading "Gulliver's Travels", doing some Latin exercises, and reading loooooong chapters in the Art History books?

Ohh, right, I should have been doing that instead of posting...

XD Ah, well. Some things never change.

Carpe diem, everyone! And sorry for this epic-long post...

My Life, the Pscho Mystery Story?!

So...today was...weird to say the least. Wow. Just really weird.

The weirdness started last night. I mean, I guess. I don't remember. Which is the weirdest part! Okay, so apparently last night went just like any other night pretty much. I went to bed, and then read Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports for a really, really long time. I went to the bathroom right before turning off the light, and on my way back to my room, I heard this creepy hissing noise, so real and so close that my blood ran cold. I whirled around, hoping I wouldn't actually see anything, but in the middle of the big downstairs room, is a tall something. More blood running cold. The thing hissed again, and this time it sounded like, "Hey."

It was Lizzy.

I was pretty ticked off at her for freaking me out. I was only half conscious anyway because I'd been reading Max like a fiend trying to get as far into it as I could before I passed out asleep. My mind was working in creepy ways, going about bird kids and mutants and evil scientists and sneaky Erasers and junk like that, so having Lizzy sneaking around the house at night really didn't help the situation much.

But, I digress.

I went to sleep after a while of lying in bed, wondering why I was still awake. When I finally went to sleep, I had millions and millions of very fast, very flashy, very creepy, very intense dreams. They had to do with everything from twin brothers who fought to air vents flying off to big spiders to my friend Gabrielle evangelizing. And a **TON** of stuff that I can't clearly remember.

I woke up with a jolt, kind of warm and cozy and disoriented. Then, my stomach hurt like crap. Not like I was gonna be sick, like someone was cutting open my insides. It hurt really bad. But I must have dozed off again because I woke up when my mom came in and opened the blinds saying, "I'm so sorry, I forgot, you have soccer practice at 10 and it's five till right now." I opened my eyes and was once again greeted by the knife-in-the-gut sensation.

"My stomach hurts," I said. My mom was sympathetic, but still kind of hurrying me to get to soccer. I went to the bathroom, but my stomach still hurt really bad. I wondered if my mom had overslept or something since she and my dad hadn't gotten back until really late the night before. They'd been helping at a wedding rehearsal and hadn't gotten back until 12:34. Funny time, isn't it?

Well, my stomach was still slicing itself up even as I tried to get ready for soccer. It really hurt, and I didn't think I'd be a very good addition to the team, so I ended up calling the coach and leaving a message explaining why I didn't go to practice.

After a while, my stomach felt better, and I read some Max (finished it actually) before lunch.

The day went on pretty usual from there. Lots of reading and talking, though no computer at all, which was weird.

At 4:45 I started getting ready to go to this wedding we had to go to tonight (I just got back from it). I put on my new dress (you saw it yesterday) and all that good stuff. We went to the wedding. On the way, I started having really weird feelings about my parents getting home so late. It almost seemed like they didn't get home late, and that was just a dream. I had dreamed so much...I couldn't be sure. So, I asked.

"What time did you guys get home last night? Was it really late?"

Daddy sort of shrugged, eyes on the road. "It was a little after 8, I guess." He turned to my mom. "Wouldn't you say?" She agreed.

For the second time that day, my blood ran cold. What?? They hadn't gotten home at 12:34? But...but I had been so sure! I remember it! I remebered them--Wait, I remembered them coming home at 12:34, but I didn't remember anything else...

"Uhm, so you didn't come home at 12:34?" I asked. Daddy frowned.

"Uh, no," he said. I was getting a little weirded out.

"Oh....'kay...Well, what did we do last night?" I asked.

The whole family kind of looked at me.

"Momma and Daddy brought home those strawberry popsicle things..." Lizzy prompted. That faintly ran a bell...

"We watched about an hour of What Not to Wear," my mom reminded me.

"And that new episode of Phineas and Ferb," Daddy said.

I know I was looking at them like they were speaking Russian, but I didn't remember any of that! They had to be kidding me. Or maybe I was kidding me...but how can you kid yourself?

"You don't remember this?" Daddy asked. I stared at him and shook my head. He went on, "I was downstairs in the unfinished part of the basement, trying to fix the air conditioning? You said goodnight to me, then went into your room and closed the door?"

I frowned and nodded slowly, "Now that you mention it, I remember that."

My mom nodded. "Is it starting to come back now?"

Still, frowning, I had to answer, "Uh...no, not really."

They didn't seem nearly as alarmed about this whole thing as I was.

The wedding was beautiful, and the food was good, but I didn't get enough, so I'm still hungry, which for some reason is the best feeling to me. One of my favorite feelings is to be really tired and really hungry when I'm going to bed in the summer. I have NO IDEA why.

I also have no idea what happened last night, or why I had such insane, fast-flashing dreams, or why I don't remember anything that happened last night except strawberry popsicles and my dad fixing the air conditioning. I'm kind of scared.

Why can't I remember that random little piece of time?

Did the dreams mean anything?

Will I remember what happened tonight when I wake up?

Did my stomach pains this morning have anything to do with it all?

I know this probably sounds like some insane mystery book and not at all like real life, but that's me for you, I guess. Even though this is creepy and freaky, it's kind of...well...exciting, too. I hope this turns out to be something really awesome and not just a random brain fart or something. Hmm...

But then again, I hope it's not something serious, like brain failure...

Just keep me in your thoughts...and hopefully tonight will keep itself in my thoughts, too...