Conrad and Jessica

I sit here, nervous about taking the MCA Science Test. But it's OK, because Conrad and Jessica are beside me and they won't let any harm come to me. Mr. Hansen is extremely late and I'm beginning to think he forgot about us. Mr. Worth, if you're reading this, I'm not in your first hour because I'm in the media center waiting to take my MCA Science Test. The end

The Marshmallow

He scratched his head and pondered the thought
Could one little marshmallow really be that soft?
The fine, smooth texture as he turned it in his palm
The pure white color made him feel calm
He couldn't believe how it could taste so good
He savored the sweetness for as long as he could
He took of the twisty, and unwound the bag
While doing so he read the nutritional tag
He stuck his hand in, and pulled out 23
He loaded them in his barrel and shot the enemy

A Panther in the Greenhouse

Some of the most random things I ever talk about happen at my job. As many people know, I work in a lettuce greenhouse. When asked what my job is, I'm usually hesitate. I mean how do you explain it let alone word it?? Lucky for me, my boss is hilarious and really laid-back. If he's in a really good mood, he'll crack jokes.

Rob: My ancestors were from China
Me: No, they weren't. You are about the least Chinese person I know. (he's white and Dutch)
Rob: Hey, don't be making fun of my ancestory.

Rob: (talking about his current wife) Yeah in college me and some of my friends bugged her room. We put a recording device on her bed and listened to her and her roommate talk.
Another employee: Sounds like something a stalker would do
Rob: No, that was love.

Rob: You should bring in a schedule for your track meets.
Me: Well you could just print one off on the big 9 website.
Rob: Fine
~silence~
Me: I guess I could bring you one if you want
Rob: No, I won't accept it.

And I work with some really good friends (if it weren't for them, picking off dead leaves all night would really REALLY suck)

But I should probably tell you the reason I named this blog the way I did. So Kelsey Loverink and I were talking while picking dead leaves off lettuce heads, and I asked her, "What is the most random animal that you could find in a greenhouse?"

"A panther," she responded right away.

So the two of us our standing on the cart and our imaginations are running wild (you have to remember it's about 10:30 at night) "Yes, that would be rather odd," I responded. "Let's say I tapped you on the shoulder and told you there was a panther underneath the channels. You looked down and saw it staring up at us with big, blue eyes. Calm as could be. We declare it to be a Kodak moment and snap a picture. But the flash blinded him, and he went crazy."

"And he jumped up on top of the lettuce channels," Kelsey cut in. "And jumped onto the little furnace hanging from the ceiling and caught on fire and fell to the ground. Which started all the lettuce on fire. As the flames blazed around us, Rob told us to just keep working."

"Meanwhile the flaming panther bounds out of the greenhouse and out into the neighborhood. A family is just sitting down to a meal (at 10:30 p.m.....? work with me here) and has a beautiful glass window in their dining room overlooking the greenhouse. The parents' backs are facing away from the window while the children get front row seats to the blazing greenhouse and jungle cat. 'Mom, Dad! Look, look! There's a panther outside!' 'Nonsense, children. Now be quiet, and eat your brocculi.' " I was on a roll.

Kelsey ended the story with a bang. "Then the panther leaps through the window into the dining room and proceeds to run through the house (still on fire)" The End :)

And this is one of many creative stories that transpire at my job. I should write a book. . . .

Enough Hours in the Day

It seems to me like there are NEVER enough hours in the day. When I was younger, I used to get bored a lot. Especially on the weekends. I can't even remember the last time I was bored. I'm not even sure I remember what it feels like to be bored! I pile so much on myself, plus I have so many other things I'm involved in. And I like it....most of the time. And other times I'm my thoughts are all jumbled because I have so much on my to do list that I can't even think straight! (that also happens at other times, when I have no excuse for my lack of mental awareness) Even when it seems like I have all my work done, it's not. I still have some neglected chores, that life story Grandma wants me to type, my Health indepenedent study, etc. And let's not forget the fun stuff that I never seem to do anymore. Shopping, buying songs on itunes, writing letters, reading. For the most part, it's gone out the window. I definitely need to limit things my life could do without (aka time spent on Facebook, texting, going to school.....ha ha just kidding about that last one)

St. Louis Band Trip!!! Part 2

Sunday morning was a very special morning for my friend, Kelly Nelson. Itwas her 16th birthday!!! I had invited a bunch of other girls to meet outside her hotel room at 7:50 a.m. I grabbed her present and some cupcakes I brought from home and me, Taylor, and Annabelle met Kelsey Thomas, Anissa, Chrissy, and Shelby outside room 412. Claire opened the door (not quite awake yet) and we snuck into the dark room and yelled "Happy Birthday!" Kelly groaned and rolled over. It took about 5 minutes for her to become her normal self. And then she was grateful for our little celebration :)

The first thing on Sunday's agenda was the art museum. This was the most boring part of the entire trip. Not only was I a walking zombie, but I found the featured art to be extremely dull. Half the stuff in there I could've made! And unfortunately we wasted 2 1/2 hours there. But I really looked forward to our next place--the zoo! Although it was a rainy, cold day, the zoo offered several things to do. We ate some expensive, greasy, fattening zoo food (people food, not pellets) and played some cards. Then we went and checked out the zebra, tiger, camel, leopard, antelope, and lion exhibits. At the lion exhibit, the "Nala" and "Simba" lions were being extremely antisocial but we found that they turned their heads when we sang "Hakuna Matata"! It was pretty funny, a Korean couple pushing their baby in a stroller passed by and were laughing, probably thinking, "They're obviously Minnesotans." We were really pressed for time so we didn't get to see the apes, monkeys, flamingos, or bears. Which begs the question, why did we spend an hour more at that blasted art museum??!

We went to 2 more museums, the St. Louis History and Art Museums, which were actually really interesting. After that we killed a little time at Union Station and did a little shopping! For dinner that evening, we were treated to a river boat cruise! It was really fancy and it was really peaceful to look out and see the city lights in the water's reflection. Afterward we had an rockin' dance! We worked up quite a sweat gettin' our moves on :) and the Denver Lutheran High School Choir, who had been eating upstairs, joined us!

Monday morning was checkout time. It was a bittersweet time, packing up and saying goodbye to our hotel room but at the same time looking forward to sleeping in our own beds that night! We still had a couple more places to visit. We went to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The tour guide got our hopes up by telling us there was a hedge maze. But to our dismay we discovered it was about 4 feet tall and about the size of the music suite :P Then we went to a local Lutheran Elementary School and the jazz band and orchestra performed. I worked my muliti-tasking skills and finished up some homework while intently listening to their music. And then we headed home! Ironically the warm, sunny weather were the two days we traveled and the rainy, cold weather was cast upon our outings :(

The ride home was really long. 10 hours long. But I had friends, a movie, my ipod, a book and some snacks to keep me company. Once back at the high school, I had the privelage of bus clean-up duty. It amazed me how much garbage and crap I found on the floor!! For goodness sake, pick up after yourselves! Oh and the back of the bus smelled like fish. Thank you boys for buying really gold fish at Wal Mart and dragging them all the way from Missouri to Albert Lea. Well I had an amazing time on the trip but I was wore out. I got home, got under my covers, and drifted off to sleep :)

St. Louis Band Trip!!! Part 1

The adventure began at 11:30 a.m. central time, Friday, March 19th, 2010. I gobbled up my lunch (it was weird eating with the A lunchers), grabbed my suitcase, and headed out to the bus. Once we finally got everything and everyone loaded, we began our journey southward. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Annabelle Randall. We talked, laughed, did some homework, played B.S. with Addison, Kelly, and Kelsey, and watched some awesome movies, such as: Pirates of the Caribbean, Up (very cute movie :), and Transformers. We stopped in Iowa City to do a little shopping and stretch out our cramped limbs. After that, we drove for a couple more hours and then stopped for some dinner. I ate at Sonic, and it was really good! I'd never been there before and it was cool to eat at a drive in/walk in restaurant. Although I think the waitress wasn't too happy with us, she had to serve about 50 rowdy high school kids :S We finally got to the Drury Inn and about 10 p.m. I was expecting a nice hotel but this certainly exceeded my expectations!! It was 7 floors!! We went swimming, and you could swim under a flap and go from the indoor pool to the outdoor one. Who woulda thunk?? Swimming outside in March! We were pooped from our long day of travels but somehow me and my roomies (Taylor Peek and Annabelle) stayed up til midnightish watching the Suite Life of Zach and Cody.

We were rudely awoken at 7 a.m. by the blaring of the phone. I was extremely irritated and answered with a sleepy "Helloo?" "Good morning!" Came the voice of our chaperone. "May I ask who I'm speaking with? It took me about 5 seconds to comprehend to register what she said, adn then another 2 seconds to figure out how to answer. It's still a mystery to me why she felt the need to wake us up an hour and a half before we needed to leave!?! But we ate a yummy breakfast of sausage, biscuits n gravy, eggs, cereal, and juice and set off for our first activity. The orchestra and band played a couple songs at the Washington University. I wasn't awake and so the whole process seemed to take muchhhh longer than it needed to. If it would be possible to fall asleep while playing an instrument, I would've done it. Next stop: Walk of Fame. I didn't pay much attention to the stars beneath my feet (because there were stores and statues-potential Kodak moments-lining the sidewalk) but I did happen to see a couple famous names I recognized like: Dred Scott, Miles Davis, and Tina Turner.

Then we were off to the Hard Rock Cafe at Union Station! I was excited because I'd heard nothing but good things about the restaurant. And I wasn't disappointed, the food was delicious! I wanted to get something at the gift shop but having inherited my dad's bargain-itis, I didn't see anything worth spending $25 on.

Now you can't go to St. Louis without going to the Gateway Arch, which is where we went next. The Gateway Arch is 630 ft tall and started being built in 1963 and was completed in 1965. The reason for its construction was for a nationwide contest for a monument honoring westward expansion and the pioneers. In case you were wondering :) The little sphere-shaped enclosement that took you up to the top was very small, and I fear that if a claoustrophobic person ever went up there they might have a heart attack. But I liked it! We got to the top and it was a really spectacular view of the city. Kelly and a local adult took an interesting picture together ("butt" let's just say, the other person didn't know it) We decided to be bold so we asked Mr. Gepson if we could go on a horse drawn carriage ride instead of going to the arch museum. Surprisingly, he said yes just as long as I called him and told him when we'd be back. So we went around a couple blocks and saw some lovely sights for half an hour.

Next up was the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was extremely fancy and really big, plus the spaghetti was top notch. Even if we did have to wait 45 minutes for it. Which actually created an interesting twist in our next activity-the symphony orchestra concert. Most of us were plum exhausted and just wanted to sleep but we were outvoted. By Mr. Gepson. The bus drivers had to step on it to to get there before the doors closed. He had to park a couple blocks away and all us band/orchestra students in our fancy clothes ran down the sidewalks all the way. We received many laughs and a glare or two from passerby's. Most likely thinking, "They're obviously Minnesotans." We made it just in time and noisely settled into our seats. (Apparantly we got a couple complaints about our entrance) It was 2 1/2 hours of music. 2 1/2 hours. 2 1/2 hours!!! Don't get me wrong, it was really pretty and I would've enjoyed it if I wouldn't have been so sleep deprived. I decided to catch up on some sleep, falling asleep twice. Once back at the hotel, as soon as the T.V. was shut off I was out within 2 minutes.

On the Outside Looking In

“Oh God, you are so holy!” The people sing.
“We lay it at your feet! All our love we bring!”
But do we really mean it? Or just listening to our voice?
We go along with the crowd, like we don’t have a choice.
We may clap our hands & belt it out
Could God hear the sincerity without the shadow of a doubt?
Let’s put on a show, act better than we usually do
Maybe we can fool God, leave everyone without a clue
We go about our week, thank Him here & there
We are stressed & have problems but don’t stop to say a prayer
How come we so often push him away
When he devoted his life to us, our sins to save?
“I just don’t have time for devotions,” we say to ourselves.
And what about your Bible, sitting dusty on your shelf?
How can it be that we spend hours with our friends?
But can’t give God the time of day, whose love never ends?
Why is it so hard to mention Jesus name
But so easy to gossip & not have any shame?
Sure, you go to church, may even sing in the choir.
But do you know where you’re going when your life expires?
He shouldn’t love us, sinful as we are.
When it comes to salvation, we’re just not up to par.
Thank God there’s a happy ending after all!
He will NEVER leave us, he’ll help us when we fall.
So don’t give up hope, you can’t do it alone!
God promises to be there, my life he owns.
But don’t get the wrong idea, it matters when we sin.
Sin separates us from God & he can’t dwell within.
Don’t think it’s no big deal when you disobey your mother.
Don’t think, “Ah God doesn’t care,” when you hurt your brother.
So what are you waiting for?! Let your light shine!
Help someone who’s hurting, assure them they’ll be fine.
Step out of your comfort zone and show a little care.
Learn to let go of pride, it’s something you can spare.
Cherish the good times and grin through the bad.
And never forget, you’ve got the best friend you could possibly have.

Her Answered Plea

I wake up again to another day.
“Boring, boring,” are the first words I say.
What is there to look forward to? I wish I had more.
Oh I have so much to do, and chores galore.
I groan and moan as I get on the bus.
My seat is taken so I start to fuss.
School is a drag; I failed my exam.
Kids don’t understand me; I can’t be who I am.
My friends are all busy, again it seems.
They never have time for me, only in my dreams.
Why should I even bother to try?
To live my life, with standards set high?
I’m not an athlete, and no one seems to care
That I need help in history, I’m never prepared.
Home life isn’t any better; my parents are never there.
I wish I had someone to talk to when I’m so deep in despair.
I decide that I’ve had it, with my pitiful life.
Now is the time to end all this strife.

“Please, don’t do it!” a voice shouts in my head.
I’m knocked off my feet and fall on my bed.
“I love you, so much, don’t you see?
I’ve always been with you, it’s always been me.”

“No, you haven’t,” I started to say.
“If you were with me, my life would be OK.”

“You never gave me a chance, I’ve been here all along
Just waiting for you to realize, you can’t do it on your own.
I died for you sins, just give them over to me.
I will make your life better, I promise, you’ll see.
So surrender your life, but not in a bad way.
Just give me your heart, and tell me you’ll stay.
Just do like I do, and love those you meet.
You’ll quit in the gossip, and never cheat.
I won’t end all your troubles, but I’ll help you through them.
I’ll rule over you life, and give you all my attention.
All you must do is truly believe,
That I died on the cross so your sins are relieved.
But that I didn’t stay dead, I arose again.
Death couldn’t hold me; I erased all your sin.
I love you more than anyone could.
I created you myself, and I definitely would
Give my life for you again, just so you’d see
I am the only way to be truly happy.
So, please, go to church, worship and praise.
And I’d really appreciate if you started to pray.
But don’t think that I’m an uptight King
I love a good laugh, and I’m OK with joking.
As long as you don’t put down anyone,
Because I’m against discrimination, I love everyone!
And if you ever need a guide to read,
The Bible’s always there, it’s something you need.
So, to end my speech, tell everyone you know!
Tell them my love is continuing to grow.”

“I’m so sorry, Lord,” I started to cry.
“I’ve heard about you before, but I didn’t realize
That you cared about a person like me.
I didn’t think you’d see me; I have no dignity.
But I understand now, the price you paid
And I’ll praise you forever, all of my days
No longer will I complain and fret
I have Jesus in my heart, that’s a sure bet.”

So I started the next day with a prayer to my King.
“Jesus, I love you. Thanks for everything.”
There’s a kid sitting in my seat, his bag in the aisle.
“Go ahead and sit there,” I say with a smile.
School’s still a drag, but it doesn’t bother me.
I’ve got something special, and others can see.
My friends notice a change, and wonder what’s different.
I tell them my story and why I’m in high spirits.
I work the hardest that I can possibly do.
My grades are improving; I ran the mile in 7:02.
At home, things are better than ever before.
My parents are home more and more.
They say it’s because I’m more fun to be around.
I tell them my story, and my parents abound.
So look how Jesus has revived my life.
I’m no longer miserable in all my strife.
Trust in him, he can do amazing things.
Give your life to him and watch what he brings.

A Little Ditty

Once upon a time, in a place far away
There lived a young lady and her name was Kay
She looked like a goddess and smelled like a rose
Her cheeks were so pink, she had such a pointed nose
All the men had there eyes on her
But she had a secret she'd never confer
Every night before bed, she'd take off her mask
And beneath it was something horrible, don't even ask!
The sight was so horrific, she had to spare the world
For if a glance was caught of this tragedy, all would surely hurl
So every morning before the grass had it's dew
She'd put on her mask, so nobody knew
She'd wear it all day and no one would guess
But her secret was about to be put to the test
For she met a fine fellow, with a light in his eye
He'd kiss her so sweetly before they said goodbye
But not long there after, something dreadful occurred
It was a romantic evening, and he spoke these words
"Please, my dear, draw closer to me.
For in this moonlight, your face I can clearly see"
She tried to stop him but try as she might
He stroked her face and his smile turned to fright
"My love! I don't mean to sound drastic
But it seems that your face feels like plastic!"
With a sigh, she knew her secret was no more
Why lie to him? Surely he'd love her like he did before
She removed her mask. And there it was, plain and simple
On her forehead, round and red, was a great big pimple

What I Wanna Hear

If I told you how I felt, would you tell me what I want to hear?
Or how you really feel?
If I told you how much I need you
Would that scare you away?
If I told you you're better than everyone says you are
Would you believe me?
If I told you how your smile brightens my day
I hope that wouldn't creep you out!
Your prescence used to light up the room
And now, when you walk through that door
All I see is what could've been
If I had said something
Anything
But you never knew
I was a coward and replayed the "What if's" over and over again
Until it was too late
And now we can never go back
It's a shame it ended like this
But oh well, I guess
At least I've moved on
Because I never heard what I wanted to hear

Lasertag :)

Lasertag. One of my new favorite hobbies. I've only gone twice, but in those 2 times I've played about 12 games! Granted, I've gotten 2nd to last on my team all but one game, but hey at least I had fun :) And apparantly, the whole time I had been shooting at the wrong base (I thought if your vest was blue, you shot at the blue base for bonus points) "Um you're shooting at the wrong base," a guy said to me. "But I'm blue...." I said confusedly. "Uh yeah, you're supposed to shoot at the opposite team's base." "Ohhh....." Lasertag is a mix between hide and seek and war (minus the bullets and pain) in a dark, foggy room full of obstacles. The best part is hiding behind a wall and shooting 5 unsuspecting opponents that run by. We added some extra twists, like falling over whenever you got shot. It's definitely a workout, too! So maybe next time you're dreading hitting the gym, run over to play laser tag. Well actually you might want to drive because it's in Prior Lake. Future birthday party idea? I think so :)

Drama. Bluck :P

I'm grateful for a lot of things, but one of the biggest things is my drama-free life. I've never had to go through family illnesses, pregnancy, STDs, divorce, a loved one's death, poverty, a natural disaster, a fire, kidnapping, raping, car accident, i've never even broken anything!!! My life is so cushy, and I have God to thank for it. Another thing, my life is practically drama free. I have problems, don't get me wrong. Mostly friend troubles, but who doesn't??

I always feel bad for the people who have soooo much drama in their lives. It just consumes them, and everyone knows it. Sure, they may have brought it on themselves. It could have been totally purposeful or maybe a total mistake. To most people, it doesn't matter. It's the lastest gossip material. Everyone's heard their story, rotten and twisted as it may be. (true or not) "Hey did you hear that Joe Klucker is doing his science project with Mary Uckmeister??" turns into-- "Hey, did you hear that Jack Ducker is having sex with Marie Bluckmeister?" It's PATHETIC!! But it seems to be human nature. You tell me the juicy details, I don't care who you heard it from or if they're a reliable source. And if I feel like it, I'll tell 1...2...or 5o people. Drama has unfolded. Then there's the cases where everything being said is true. Sadly, these cases are as common as you find gum under a desk. The drama victim has told a so-called reliable source of his/her problems and is then betrayed by the so-called reliable source, who is actually a major blabbermouth who will do anything for a little recognition. On the other hand, the person in a poopload of drama believes that the only attention they're able to get is negative attention. So they don't care everyone is talking about what/whom they did this weekend. As long as they're in the spotlight, and their name is being said it doesn't matter. In this world, reputation appears to be everything. Images can be shattered easily though, and they can't be put together.

I hear gossip every single day. Next time I'll think twice about repeating it.

I haven't eaten in 8 hours
She hasn't eaten in 4 days.
I haven't gotten a new pair of shoes in 9 months
She's never had a pair of shoes
My parents ask annoying questions
She doesn't have any parents
I taste a tint of iron in my water
She tastes bugs and mud in her water
My bed squeaks when I roll over
She sleeps on the dirt floor
I have to read 4 chapters in a novel for school
She can't even read

Take time to say thanks.

Cheating

One of my other possible column ideas was the topic of cheating. I feel very passionate about this subject. I CAN NOT stand cheaters!!!! Ugh, seriously! It's stealing the efforts of others. You're cheating of of someone who a. studied more than you (or is a buddy of yours and is just as dumb as you but he's the only one within cheating range) b. is all-around smarter than you are (although they're just as much of a genius as you are in the morals department) c. won't be plagued with the guilt of knowing you just stole someone else's answers. It isn't just on tests that cheating bugs me. Kids will totally forget about a math assignment, or just be plain lazy, or KNOW that someone will let them copy their answers so they just don't do it on purpose!! C'mon! All cheating does is get you a one-time good grade. You don't learn anything (unless you got caught or had a sudden attack of morale) and you're no smarter than before you copied the answer. Cheating will just hurt you more on the test and going into college. Cheating isn't tolerated in college. I remember when I was in 5th grade, I really enjoyed playing soccer and capture the flag at recess. But I also remember how those games would end in arguments over who got whom out. "I touched you!" "No, you didn't!" "Yes, I did!!" "No you didn't! I would've felt it!" "You're wearing a PARKA!!" And etc. Kids would do it on purpose too; it would be obvious that they had been tagged and yet they would go grab the flag and make a score anyway. Needless to say, recess sometimes ended in a not-so-friendly manner. And let's not even get started on cheating in relationships. Actually I'm going to talk about it anyway. I've never been cheated on, so I wouldn't know first hand, but I've heard a lot of stories about it and it's really heart-breaking. The cheater has have some nerve to go at it with another girl (or guy) while his/her girlfriend/boyfriend has no idea. And how he/she can go on after that like it never happened I'll never know! That's the ultimate betrayal of trust. And you can never get that squeaky clean reputation after an incident is revealed. Just ask Tiger Woods. I know that the world will never be rid of cheaters, I just wish they'd all die. Ha ha totally kidding!!! But that would take care of the high population....

the love of a Father

He sees her walking up the driveway. A smile spreads across his face. He can't help but smile when she's around. She walks in the house, stamps the snow off her boots, and hangs up her coat.

"Hey honey, how was your day?" he asks.

"Fine," she grunts as she plops down at the kitchen table. There sits a small plate of cookies and a glass of milk. He always made her a snack after school, but he'd surprise her every day with something different.

"So did anything exciting happen today?" he asks, just trying to carry on a conversation.

"No," she says. Annoyance seeps in her voice. Hidden meaning: "Stop talking to me. I'm obviously in a bad mood and the last thing I want to do is talk to you."

"Well now the prom's in 2 weeks. Do you have your dress ready?" he tries again.

"Duh. I got it like a month ago," she mumbles. And that's that. She's obviously had enough "conversation". She grabs her backpack and makes her way up the stairs. No doubt headed for her room, where she'll spend the next 3 hours.

"Hun, is something wrong? You know you can always talk to me about anything." Concern is evident on his face.

"No!! Nothing is wrong. Just leave me alone," she's snaps. She takes the stairs two at a time. Within seconds, music can be heard blaring from upstairs. Her father sighs. It's been so long since she had taken the time to talk to him. 7 weeks, he'd been counting. All he wanted was to enjoy her company, like he used to. A tear threatened to spill over. He wiped it away and began making her dinner.

~The unconditional love of a Father~

Hypocrite

I thought I knew you. You became predictable, but not in a bad way. I admired you in a way. It's a real shame it's turned into this. One minute you're hunky dorey, and the next you've taken a 180 degree turn. You're a total hyprocrite, but few can see past your mask. I can't stand to see it. You're two-faced. And you don't care. How you can say one thing and then do the complete opposite, I'll never know. The worst part is the disappointment. You've let me down in an immeasurable way. And you couldn't care less. Do you even know you're slipping further and further into the depths? The depths that can change your life in irreversible ways. These choices that you're making....do you realize they can ruin your life?? You're taking a path that will lead to nothing but regret, it happens to kids all the time. Wake up and take a good look at your life. Glance back at the best times of your life. Think of where you've come from and where you want to end up. I hope you're happy with the person you've become, because I never will be.

For What It's Worth

Purpose. Everything has a purpose. Small or big, it's always there. If something had no purpose, it would be replaced. It'd be useless, and therefore nonexistent. Purpose can be defined many ways. Webster defines it as "the reason for which something exists or is done". But when I think of purpose, the word "value" comes to mind. You have a purpose. You are valuable!!! And don't let anyone tell you differently :)

Teasing Gone Too Far

I just read an extremely sad article in the People magazine. The story itself was heartbreaking but the worst part was the reality of the situation: kids are bullied all the time, but sometimes it can lead to death.

It seems impossible to me that kids could have such a negative impact on a person that it would lead them to kill themself. In this case, it was a pretty, popular, smart, funny, outgoing, kind-to-everyone 15 year-old girl. She had it all. And that's what made her a target. Jealous girls had found their victim. And this victim lacked one thing: self-esteem. They ganged up on her, calling her terrible names whenever they saw her at school and posted nasty messages online. It got to the point where this once bubbly girl was always sad. A couple of her friends noticed and were worried, but not enough to do something about it. No one stood up for her. And the result was her committing suicide. Now her mom, dad, and sister are grieving at this horrible loss. And those bullies that indirectly did this to her, will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. Live with the fact that they drove this girl to kill herself. That she's dead because of what they said.

I hope that guilt hits home in bullies everywhere. You may think that you're just having some fun when you're poking fun at someone. But you never know how seriously they're taking it. They may feel that no one in the world cares about them and then you say one mean thing to them, even jokingly, and that's it. :( :( Think before you speak!!! Think about the consequences of what you're about to say before you say it! And seriously, grow a pair, and stand up for people when kids when they're getting picked on! Obviously if you can tell it's some buddies joking around, don't embarrass yourself by breaking it up, but have a heart! It may seem easier to just turn around, walk away, and ignore it, but you've got to be better than that.

Ski Weekend

This weekend, my friend Kelly and I went on a ski trip. It was originally supposed to be a youth group trip but ended up being her, my brother, his friend, and me. I guess everyone else had something else to do. Or were just being bums.

Anyways, we had a 1 1/2 hour drive up to Woodbury, MN. Kelly and I kept ourselves entertained by taking pictures, watching Mean Girls on her laptop, catching up on major events in each other's lives, and Kelly making fun of my broken sunglasses. We stopped for dinner at Chipotle. It was a relief that we weren't in Albert Lea where anyone would have recognized us. My brother, Sam, and his friend, Abe, were acting their age (12 years old) and Kelly & I were extremely hyper. I had minor difficulties understanding the lady behind the counter (she had a very heavy accent) and apparently I said "no" when she asked it I wanted it for here or to go.

When we finally got to the hotel, I was so eager to get out of the cramped van that I spilled my pop. And it somehow ended up splashing on the seat, floor, AND ceiling. If you ever ride in Kelly's van and you see an odd stain on the ceiling......my bad. Kelly and I were super psyched because we were going to get a hotel room all to ourselves. We were especially looking forward to watching the SciFi Channel because that was a tradition of ours. Our youth leader, Michelle walked into the room. "Um can I help you with something?" Kelly asked. "No....," Michelle said. "Oh, are you sleeping in here?" Kelly asked, trying to hide the dismay in her tone. "Yup," she answered. ~sigh~

When we got to the church, Kelly and I went off in a deserted hallway to talk. We weren't being antisocial, because we were the first group there and so there was no one to socialize with. Then we had message in the sancuary and some Karen people from Burma showed us a very moving video and performed songs for us.

Once back at our hotel, Kelly and I took a bath together (with our swimsuits on! sicko) We did not get much sleep at all Friday night because Michelle snored pretty loud. Even with my ipod on, I could hear it! :P

The next morning we checked out & headed off to the slopes. Five minutes down the road, I realized I had forgotten my ipod under my pillow. They had to turn around and take me back to the hotel. I walked in the room a split second before the maid and her little cart pulled up to our room! Luckily it was right where I left it.

We got to the slopes and started skiing right away. Kelly and I ditched the little boys and went down the first hill we found. We mostly stuck to the blue slopes (intermediate) but accidentally went down a couple black diamonds. Ironically, we never fell! Well except one time. But it shouldn't even count because we were going about .2 miles an hour. We weren't even technically skiing, just at the top of a hill arguing about which way to go and our skiis got tangled up and we both fell lol. Oh and she pushed me off the ski lift. Ha ha, not when we were up high! I thought she was right behind me so I got ready for the next chair and then she came up at the last minute and plopped down right in the middle. There was no room for me and the chair pushed me out and sailed up over my head! The guy had to stop the entire lift, made me take off my skiis, and had me get on the next one. I was not very happy with her! Lol. After we got sick of skiing, we hung out with our friend, Napolean. {His real name is Jon Iehl, but we call him Napolean because a) he looks like him. b) he acts exactly like him. c) he has the same name as him, spelled the same too. d) he talks and sounds just like him. e) he makes the same facial expressions as him} We played some Phase 10 and Egyptian Rat Slap.

After we left Afton Alps, we headed back to the church and ate a delicious dinner! We played some ping pong and made interesting name tags for some kids. We had another service: there was a comedian/juggler, we sang songs, had a speaker give a message and it was over! The ride home was very quiet, as everyone was pretty exhausted. I think our driver even fell asleep. Kidding.....totally kidding! And that was our ski weekend!

All I Want

All I want is a promise
A promise that you won't judge me
That you'll hear me out
And give me your undivided attention
All I want is your time
To know that I'm worth it
That there's nothing else you'd rather be doing
All I want is your sympathy
Although you may not understand what I'm going through
Just listen, and hold me when I cry
Hold my hand when I'm scared
And promise that you'll protect me
All I want is your respect
Don't treat me like I'm just another girl
I'm your girl
My self-esteem is fragile
It can break at any moment
All I want is your faithfulness
So I'll know there's no one else
All I want is your love

Blog of All Blogs

I sit here blogging as I sit in J10. Tiger Vision is blaring in the background. Extremely useful information is being told. There's no place I'd rather be then sitting in school at 8:55 a.m. Seriously.

One Door Closes and Another One Opens

In today's day and age, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of things. Gotta update my status on Facebook at least twice a day because I wouldn't want anyone to not know what I'm up to, gotta put gas in the car so I can make it town in the morning, gotta get up early for show choir practice, gotta finish my homework, gotta watch Grey's Anatomy.....whew with all that going on it's hard to believe there's only 24 hours in a day! But something that I think everyone should keep in mind, is that opporunities come and go. Sometimes, when they present themselves, you don't see it as an opportunity. You may see it as a chore or a bother at the time, but maybe somewhere along the road, it will eventually benefit you. The thing is that we don't know it at the time! It'd be so convenient to know the effects of our actions before we do them (there's something kinda like that, it's called responsibility) You wanna know what the great thing is? One door may close, but another one will always open. You can walk through it or you can go through a different door. Or you can stay in the room you're in right now and not go anywhere. It's totally up to you!

All Along

You were there all along
I can't believe I never saw you
You were never hidden
And yet I couldn't find you
I suppose it's because I wasn't looking
When you so desperately want something,
You do anything to get it
This wasn't the case
I never knew what I was missing
And therefore I had no need for you
There were reminders of you every place I went
But I was to stubborn to recognize them
What I can't understand,
Is how you never gave up
You kept waiting for me,
Even when you were the last thing on my mind
My mind was full of things
Everything, except you

"All along I was looking for something else
You're something else
All along I was looking for something more
You're so much more
I've finally found what I could never see before
You've always been the one I was looking for."

All About My Friends!

I love my friends :) I guess that's sort of an obvious statement, I mean of course you love your friends. If you didn't, they wouldn't be your friends. This particular blog is dedicated to two very good friends of mine!

Kelsey Loverink and I will have life-long memories from our days working in the lettuce greenhouse, pillow tag, church trips, a certain Subway moment, skiing, shopping, memorable moments in my van lol, sneaking out of her basement window, watching The Office at my house after school, and several inside jokes ("hey they played this song at the basketball game.....the NBC theme song?", "you wood", "let's rate guys as they walk by....what??....rate, kelsey" "geez why are there so many airplanes in the sky? i've seen like 8 already!....i think they're going in a circle", "sorry guys, I'm anerexic....no wait! I meant dislexic!" .

And with my dear friend Kelly Nelson: Twins games, choir practice at my church (baking frozen lasagna we found, microwaving a bug, prank calling people, dressing up as Canadian/Roman/Jewish mafia, wheelchair races, music videos!) basketball games & bus rides :), making our pastor odd things, New Year's Eve 2008, baking nasty things for a certain boy, pigging out in her building, and also countless inside jokes ("i've had better", "he's so......disorganized!", "you are such a sith lord", "thank you captain poop-head", "just keep driving, and watch the pine cones" "it looks like a meth leaf {in reference to a leaf her mom put on a Christmas slide show})

We are the three musketeers, inseparable :) They're my best friends!

14 Points

If I had to make 14 rules to live by, this is what they'd be
Number one is to not hold a grudge, have some sympathy
When you bottle up anger, you're helping no one
Rule number two is to not wait for opporunities to come
Grab them when they arrive, or they might pass you by
Number three is to not waste tears or cry
Over something you have no control
Remember that sorrow on widens the hole
To be a little crazy is rule number four
Being normal is what most do, and it's quite a bore
Widen your horizons and you'll have done the fifth one
Step out of your comfort zone, a new experience has begun
Rule six is simple but true
Listen more than you talk, someone's always smarter than you
Rule seven is hard for some to follow
Concentrate on your work even though school sucks we know
I've had my troubles with number eight
I've wandered off the path, haven't always gone straight
But number 9 is a must
Live by FAITH, hope, and trust
Number 10 is hard at times, but in the end is worth it
Get back up and try again, when all you want to do is sit
Rule #11 is very important to me
Make time for what matters! Like friends and family
Now we're to number twelve, but it's still good
Steer cleer of the wrong crowd, hang with peeps you know you should
Number 13 I can't do without
When you make a decision, don't have any doubts
And finally comes number 14, it's about time!
When you write a blog, it doesn't have to rhyme :)

What's WIthin Reach

Ah it's Friday, January 8th and it's 11:09 AM. I'm sitting at home, blogging. OH NO! Why aren't I at school? It's because it's a snow day, don't panic :)

And I've decided to blog about objects that are within my reach.

To my left, is an elaborate Chinese calendar that my family received from a Chinese waitress at the China Buffet. My family goes there so much, the waitresses know us by name and our usual drink orders! This calendar is very colorful and has a bird painted on it, probably Chinese. The dates are all in English (what a relief!) although there are many unknown (to me) inscriptions of Chinese symbols. I suppose they could say things totally unrelated to a calendar, and I wouldn't have the slightest idea.

Just inches from my left hand rests my cell phone. This isn't just any contraption, this is my portal of communication! It's very high tech, and I can play music (although I haven't figured out how), go on the internet, Facebook, Microsoft Word, and even call and text! I'd be lost without this device, it helps me stay connected.

On the floor to my right lies a DVD called Alvin and the Chipmunks. This is a great movie, very funny and cute :) it's about 3 chipmunks adventures with their buddy, "Dav", and all the mischief and mayhem they cause. My favorite chipmunk is theodore because he is chubby and adorable. and whada ya know? he's voiced by another cutie, jesse mccartney!

My brother's water bottle sits on the computer desk to my right. This is odd, considering that we're not allowed to have liquids anywhere other than the kitchen. Hmmm. I should inform mother of this....

And lastly, there is a mighty piano to my left. Probably not the best place for a piano, considering when the rare chance someone (being me 99.9% of the time) plays it, the unfortunate person at the computer gets a blast of music right in their ear. It just so happens that I usually feel the urge to play when Samuel is on the computer.....purely coincidence.

Know It All

For so long I have thought that I've got it figured out
Not everything, of course, but enough
I could get by with what I have
And I don't need help....from anyone
Because help shows weakness, that you can't maintain yourself
If I don't know the answer, I'll pretend I do
Or figure it out as soon as I can, so I can't admit I don't know
And so this is my image, a know-it-all
Ask me a question and the first thing I'll have is an answer
The last thing is an "I don't know"
But realization finally hit.
I don't know nearly enough
Not even close
12 years of school
Countless homework, projects, tests
I still only know a tiny percentage of what's out there
And I could study and study and study until my brain almost bursts
For my whole life I could devote myself to knowledge
And I would still not learn it all
Not even close
And there'll always be someone smarter, with more answers than I
And that's where help is key
Because asking for help isn't a sign of giving up
Guidance is a checkpoint on the road to success