Photo Shoot with Rusty Healey :)

Hey Seniors! If you're looking for a photographer for your Senior Pictures, check out Rusty Healey Photography! I had my shoot with him this morning and it was a ton of fun! He does outdoor and studio shoots, and he really listens to what you want out of your pictures and does his best to make sure you get it. You'll love his work. I have a couple of referral cards, one is for a free makeover (ladies! It's worth $55!) and the other is for a free 8 x 10 print. It's a great deal, and you'll be sure to love your photos. Let me know if you're interested, and I'll give you one of my referral cards! :)

Sterling Scholar

So today, I found out that Sterling Scholar resumes are due tomorrow. What the heck. So, I spent um,
seven hours today preparing it. This had better be worth it. Wish me luck!

*sigh*

It's Saturday. Which is a good thing. Yay Saturdays! Then I realized...

I take the ACT again two weeks from today.

frowny face. :(

I feel like I haven't done enough prep for it. I'm pressuring myself to do well on it, I want to do well. Scholarships are a big thing, and if I can get a high enough score, I may be able to land a scholarship. That would be so nice.

If I don't get the score I want/need, I suppose I can always take it again. Yay retakes!
\

When?

When did it get to be October? Yes, I know, October started on Saturday. But where did January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September go? I swear 2011 just started. I'm feeling reminiscent today, so I want to post some pictures of me and Paula throughout the year. Here goes:

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:



2011 has been a really hard but good year for me. I've had some amazing experiences and painful moments. I can't believe how fast it's gone already, and with the holdiays approaching it's going to go even faster. Here's to the rest of 2011! May it be amazing too!

BFF

My best friend is perfect for me.

I had so much fun at lunch with her today. We have a lot of fun just talking together and laughing about things people say sometimes.

Paula: Mr. M isn't in his closet!
Me: His office?
Paula: Yeah, his closet office!
Me: Cloffice!
Paula: *bursts out laughing*

Yeah, the conversations we have probably don't make any sense to anybody but us, but that's okay. We understand each other!

Bonfire!

Oh my gosh. I have the best friends ever! :)

Last night was the Bonfire, which is a tradition of homecoming week. So fun.

Here's a few pictures:

It may seem kind of lame, but for me, it was super fun. It was kind of sad when I realized that this is my last Bonfire as a student, but I know that I'm going to go on to bigger and better things!

Personal Essay

For my English 1010 class, I have to write a personal essay. Just something simple about myself, and the life lessons I've learned.

I struggle with knowing how much I should share. I don't know where to start. Well, I do, but I don't know how to start. I don't really know what I should share, because I hate being looked at differently when people find out about mom. They usually don't say anything, but the look in their eyes says it all. It's a look of pity, or perhaps it's a look of helplessness. I'm not really sure. I know they don't know what to say, which is understandable. I've heard the words "I'm Sorry" about a thousand times, and I know people are sorry. I know they feel sorry for me, and that's what I have a hard time with.  I don't want to be pitied, I just want people to understand.

I lead a different life than most people my age. That's okay with me. I'm used to it. I schedule my time around visits with mom, because no matter what, she's my priority. I really hate missing a day of seeing her, because her condition is so unpredictable that I don't know what may change from day to day. Sometimes it's hard, missing out on things, or choosing between them. I usually pick seeing mom. She deserves at least that from me.

 I picked seventeen different titles for my personal essay. One for each year I've lived. I wrote a paragraph about each, and I'm not really sure which one I want to pick. I thought about picking a couple and writing an essay for each, and then choosing which I like better, but I know they'll just end up at the same place, about the same thing. It doesn't really matter how I start it, because I know the story will morph into my story, and become the same words, just arranged in a different order. I suppose that's what writing is about.

I'll keep you posted and let you know when I figure out which essay I'm going to write. This should be interesting.

P.S. Thanks for letting me brain dump. It cleared my head so now I can do my homework! And I have a lot of homework.

College Student

I'm kind of getting a taste of what it's going to be like to be a college student. It was really weird to be at home by noon today. But I liked it. It was nice to be able to come home, take a three hour nap and still have time to wake up, make dinner, and do my homework.

What?

I had plenty of time. That was nice. I'm looking forward to Friday, too. :)

Just Another Manic Monday...

Monday, oh Monday. I hate you.

Despite my extreme disliking for Mondays, I was determined to make this a good one. It turned out to be... Okay. Not good, not great, but okay. I'll take okay, because okay isn't bad, and okay isn't crappy. It was... okay.

One positive thing is that I got my schedule fixed, so now I have two parent release hours on A days. That means that I'm outta there and back at home by noon. Yep, noon. Love A days!

Day 2...

"A" Day is a lot different than I thought it would be. But, then again, it was only the first A day. We'll have to see how it goes.

Paula and I decorated our locker today. Yes, ours. Because of the lovely construction, only a small amount of lockers are available to be used. Well, all of those lockers were given away at Back to School Night. Before I was able to get one. So, Paula arranged things and was able to get one, so for the time being, we're sharing. So we decorated. :)

And then, we climbed in it. Yes, we fit. This locker is ginormous. However, I would have never, ever, ever  fit in this in January. I can very proudly say that I have lost  45 pounds since February. However, I didn't "lose" them, because I don't miss them, and I definitely do not want them back. Bye bye, poundies! I hope to never see you again!



I survived!

I survived the first day of my Senior Year... It went by pretty fast!

I woke up this morning feeling nervous and anxious, but I knew I would be fine. So, I got up and ate breakfast, did my hair and makeup, and got dressed in my first day outfit.

We went a picked up Paula, and then headed to the school. During the short ride, I maintained my composure, and looked calm and collected, but all the while butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

Ashley pulled into the parking lot, and we got out of the car. The moment I stepped foot on campus, it felt right, it felt familiar, and it felt so good to be back. My anxiety faded away and I was in my element.

We opened the doors to a swarm of people and I recognized a few familiar faces amidst the crowd. I did my obligatory salutations, exchanged cordial greetings and gave a few hugs. I smiled and realized that I missed people over the summer. I missed talking to people and making them laugh. I missed being me... At least the me I become when I'm at school.

I notice a change in myself in different social situations. If I'm comfortable, I become a very chatty, somewhat of a social butterfly. I take on different roles when I go to different places. At school, I'm the person who loves to talk and make people laugh. I love that part of me. I love being that person.

I found and gathered friends with the same first period as mine, and together we tried with no avail to find our classroom. We asked a multitude of teachers, staff and administrators, but no one seemed to know where Mr. Randy Richards was located. After my entourage and I located my first period (with some assistance), the rest of the day went fairly smoothly. Seeing as today was the first day, we attended all eight of our classes and then went to advisory (homeroom). During my classes nothing went wrong, and I felt happy, calm, and relaxed.  Upon that realization, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and thought to myself "I can do this, no problem". A smile spread upon my face and I carried it with me confidently for the rest of the day.

To draw the day to a close, the entire student body attended an assembly. We arrived to our seats in the auditorium and I anxiously sat, eagerly awaiting for it to begin. I then realized where I was sitting. The Senior Section. I felt a rush to be sitting there. The Senior Section. (If you hadn't noticed, I'm still adjusting to the fact that I'm a senior). The house lights went down and I cleared my mind.  The SBO's ran the length of the newly renovated auditorium, and hopped up to center stage. As per Ogden High tradition, they, in unison, screamed into the microphone

"WILL THIS ASSEMBLY PLEASE COME TO ORDER?!?"

I bolted to my feet and cheered as loudly as I could, a sense of pride welling up in my chest. In that moment, I lost sensation in my body, allowing myself to soak up the moment in entirety. 

The assembly went on, and at every opportunity I had, I participated. During Ice Cream and Cake and Ogden Will Shine, I sang and danced wholeheartedly. As a Sophomore and even a Junior, I didn't feel the pride and love for my school that I felt today. I don't know what made today any different, and I don't know what changed inside of me, but I like it. I love being an Ogden High Tiger, and I'm now, very proudly, a member of the Senior Class.

Here's to the Class of 2012! Hail to the seniors, the mighty mighty seniors!!!



School in the Morning...

The alarm clock is going to go off in about...

6.5 hours.

Needless to say, I'm not exactly looking forward to the moment it does.

Yay.

15 days

School is fast approaching, and I'm growing more anxious by the second.

I can't wait.

Biting My Nails (not literally)

As of now, I'm torn between being excited for school to start and being terrified. Right now, I'm anxiously awaiting. I'm assuming as it draws nearer, I'll grow more nervous. After all, it is going to be my senior year.

Every year, about a month before school starts, I have my first day outfit already picked out. This year is no different.  Here is this year's:

(pardon my messy room. Haha.)

I'm excited for all the things a new school year brings. New pencils, the smell of my big pink eraser, fresh notebooks and new binders. New clothes and freshly trimmed hair.

I miss carrying around my backpack. I miss bursting out of the classroom door the second the bell rings. I miss taking notes and reading textbooks. I miss asking my teachers questions and raising my hand. I miss sitting in the front row seats. I miss opening my stinky blue locker that only works half of the time. I miss the creaky wooden doors of my old historic school. I miss waking up at 6 in the morning and heading to the gym to work out before class. I miss laughing at assemblies and taking hard tests. I miss checking my grades and doing my homework. I miss having a headache at the end of the day. All around, I guess I just miss school. 

I'm a proud tiger, and that runs true and deep. I love my school, and I can't wait to go back. The countdown is on. 22 days!