Called....

So, remember how a few weeks ago, I announced I plan on serving an LDS mission? I just thought I would check in with that. Yes, I'm still planning to go, and in fact, I'm more excited than ever.
It's been amazing in the past few weeks as my guy friends have started to receive their calls.  I've got friends going to El Salvador, England, and all over, and the calls keep coming in! And the part that is the most exciting for me is that every week, as someone new gets their call, it means I am that much closer to being able to submit my papers and get my call right as I graduate. I can hardly wait for the next few months to pass so that I can get my call and go!

Top Ten Reasons I Love THIS Version...

A while ago, I promised a post explaining why the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice is quite obviously the best.Well, I've finally found the time to do it. I understand that everyone has their favorite version, but I'm pretty sure that no one will ever be able to change my opinion on this. Fortunately for all of you, I've decided to limit my list to ten reasons I love this particular rendition, though, rest assured that if I chose to, I could go for hours!
10) The soundtrack. Seriously, have you listened to it? Gorgeous! And it uses musical styles that both are true to the period, and a little more modern. It's fantastic. I'll slap you with a salmon if you try to deny it.

9) The sisters. The producers chose to show lots of montages and sequences walking through the house, giving you a glimpse into the sister's everyday. Also, there were lots of liberties taken, such as the scene where they're all slouching and eating on the couch, and the second visitors come, they rush to be prim and proper. However, I can't deny, Lydia will ALWAYS bug the crap out of me, in any version. Seriously, the girl is an idiot. Nuff said.

8) Bingley's hair. Take a good long gander at the stuff. To begin with, it's delightfully ginger. Also, it's ENORMOUS. How they managed to do that, I will never know, but it is FANTASTIC.

Do you see that stuff?

7) Mr. Bennet. For one, he's in The Italian Job. He's also President Snow. So don't mess with Papa. I also love how completely sarcastic he, and how patient and kind he is to his daughters. He's just kind of amazing.

6) Mr. Collins. The guy is four feet tall. And he thinks he's the most important guy there. He's soooo awkward, and never quite realizes just how funny some of his blubbers can be, like in church- definetly not what Austen wrote, but it's kind of how he is.

5) Darcy's awkward smile when he and Elizabeth both are in love, but neither will admit it. Look at that thing. After everything else that's happened, that is the moment where my heart melts completely, and I'm screaming at the television to go on and marry the guy. It shows how patient, forgiving, and devoted he is, and also that he's just a little shy. More than that, it's showing how completely happy he is that Elizabeth is there with him, and he's happy just to know she's happy. It's adorable. 

4) Bingley rehearsing his proposal to Jane. My very favorite part of that is when Darcy is pretending to be Jane, and when Bingley addresses him (as Jane), he replies (as Jane) in his extremely low voice. 

3) The scene in the rain. I love this scene and I hate this scene. They're brutal to each other, but it's one of the few scenes in the movie where all facades are removed, and you're really looking straight at both Darcy and Elizabeth. Also, there's always that moment where he nearly kisses her that just pulls at my heart because I'm crying for both of them.

2) The very last scene after the wedding. I love Jane Austen, but she tends to end the book right at the marriage. I loved getting to see Darcy and Elizabeth completely alone, and happy after the wedding. I'm weird and get attached to characters, and knowing their okay in the end is always a must, so getting to see this scene, I nearly died of happiness.

1) The dawn scene where Darcy proposes to Elizabeth. To begin with, just watch him walk up in the morning mist. Got it? Then there's his conversation with Elizabeth, where at the end, you can see he's terrified, but he manages to stammer out, "I love-I love- I love you." Again, I'm an active movie watcher, so about here, I'm usually shouting to go on and marry him will jumping up and down. And then, they finish it out perfectly, with Lizzie and Darcy just enjoying being with each other as the sun comes up.

And there's just a few of the reasons why I love this version, I can assure there's about 30 million more, I just won't go on forever about them. Toodles!

Changes

Sorry guys, I have completely slacked off in my blogging, and I'm really hoping to change that. FOR REALS THIS TIME. Part of it has been that I am a little bogged down with homework and practicing, so I haven't had time to blog. Part of it is that I have mostly stopped DIY for now (because of reason 1), so I don't have much that's exciting to blog about.
Looking back on my last few entries, I realized that I slacked off right as several big changes happened. For one, I was putting in all of my college applications, and the decisions of where to put them surprised me- but no, I won't say anything until I've made an absolute decision.For two, I worked hard for an audition. I didn't get it, and that's okay, because it's just high school stuff. I decided not to do any music auditions right now because for one, I've been having too many back problems, but for two, for a HUGE reason that would mean I wouldn't get to participate in the School of Music for a while.  And then there were the holidays. However, there has been one big change yet to be mentioned.
I've mentioned several times that I am LDS, and that I love the gospel. In October, the Church came out with the announcement that Young Women could go serve missions for the Church at 19 now. It only took me a few days decide that I would put my ability right on my 19th birthday. So, in a little under a year, I'll be headed off to Heaven-only-knows-where-in-the-United-States. Literally. And until then, I get to use every minute I can to prepare. I'm beyond excited to go, and can't wait!

Just Checking In.....

Well, I'm personally glad to announce that all of my major homework projects before Christmas Break are over. Bring on the hot cocoa, the peppermint, and the wrapping paper! I've got a few projects that I'm hoping to get done over the break (and hopefully share with you guys). Hopefully be back soon!

Updates...

Well, to follow up on my last post, I did not get Sterling Scholar. Was I disappointed? I don't know that I can really explain how disappointed I was, or in what way exactly. Yes, I was very disappointed, but I'm also very happy for the girl who did get it, one of my best friends in the whole world. I know she worked hard for it, and I'm proud of her for it. People have asked me several times now if I was mad. No, I was never mad she got it. The fact that Katie got it and I didn't are completely different events in my mind. I do feel however that being given the opportunity to try was a blessing, and I'm grateful for it.
So, with that out of the way, I'm back! Today, I finally went and viewed my list of my favorite blogs, and I realized, I have been too long away. I fully plan on making a comeback, which shall be amazing, because IT'S CHRISTMAS. Suffice it to say that at this moment, my crafty little fingers are itching to find something to do, whether it be making another pair of cozy slippers (do you think I'm obsessed much?), or making my own gingerbread house, or DIY Christmas presents. Believe me when I say that I fully intend to come back.
Especially now that I'm essentially done applying to Colleges. Pretty much all that I have left for anything is to pay that silly little fee. So now, I will have free time! Yay!

Hillary Hahn and My Own Musical Escapades

Hello, World! I'm ba-ack! Sorry, life kind of exploded ( I will explain at a later date), but I'm hoping that in the next few weeks I can get back into blogging fairly regularly. Oh, gosh, I've seriously missed this, and I hadn't realized it until just now as I started typing.
So, last night, I got the chance to go to an amazing concert with one of my best friends, Delaney. I'm grateful to have Delaney around, she is my fellow extreme music nerd friend, who will just talk auditions and orchestrations with me for hours. So, on my birthday this year, she texted me, wanting to know if I was busy November 16th. I told her no, so she told me that she had two tickets to the Hillary Hahn concert with the Utah Symphony. For those of you who are unaware, Hillary Hahn is one of the best violinists in the world. I've loved listening to her play since I was little, and getting to see her play live always is a highlight of the YEAR. It's that good guys.
So, last night, Delaney and I made the trek out to Abravanel Hall (and nearly got mugged in the alley between the Salt Palace and Abravanel- jk!) to watch the performance. Guys, I was riveted. I could not take my eyes off of her as she sawed at her violin. It was amazing to watch her perform, and to make it seem so effortless and natural. It's one of those dreams of mine that I keep buried at the back of a drawer that maybed someday I could play a piece like that.
Speaking of musical dreams, I went through the first of a series of auditions in the next few months this week. I applied for Sterling Scholar down at the school. For Utah, Sterling Scholar is huge, it's the chance to compete with the best high school musicians from all over the state. Each school can pick only one per department- and at my school, eight applied for the music division. And I gotta say, the people who applied are GOOD. They are also my friends- this is what I get for hanging out with a bunch of music nerds.
So, like everyone else, I'm stuck waiting to find out who got it until Monday at 2:18. And while, I wish that I could say that I obviously won (snobbish, I know), I can't. I heard everyone warming up for auditions, and they're all really good. So all I can do is hope. Until Monday at least!

Oh, So Sorry

Seriously guys, I'll make a comeback. I promise that I have no intentions of continuing blog breaks, but last week, life got exciting.

This has been just a part of my AP English work for the past few weeks. (And guys, I'm taking a break from more AP English just to type this. Seriously, this class is pretty much all of my homework.) Do you see that grey paper? IT'S NOT GREY. I wrote quite possibly the smallest I've ever written so I can write down every thought I could possibly have on a 166 page book. I did not think I had that many thoughts!
    And then there's The Kite Runner. I'm probably annotating it to death, considering every page is crammed full of underlines and thoughts. But I'm really loving this book so much! It is teaching me so much about life from a different perspective, and what I believe in.

And as if I didn't have enough going on, I'm also painting my bedroom, so there's my DIY for the time being. I'll take pictures when it's all done, but for now, do you notice something? Like maybe the bed in the middle of the room? Turns out that everything but my bed can find a home in the basement, so my bed is covered in plastic with all my bedding still on it. This means that I'm sleeping on a foam pad in the living room. Guys, I have to admit, life is fantastic just now. Seriously, I'm living the dream.

Happy Birthday to Bilbo Baggins!

I seriously think that sharing a birthday with Bilbo Baggins has determined my geekhood for life. Seriously, I now have a life-goal of living to one hundred and eleventy, among other things.
Oh by the way, I had a birthday. NBD. I'm just an adult who can buy dry ice now and go to big-person jail. Seriously, guys, no biggie. Not freaking out over that or anything.
But, I can say that I honestly have the best friends in the world! Seriously, I felt pretty lucky this birthday. My friends made a cake, and decorated my room, and I got to spend time with some of my favorite people in the whole wide world! And quite honestly (since my birthday wish obviously came true), I think this was the best birthday yet. Thanks a million to everyone!

Here is my beautiful TARDIS cake. Very soon, I will let you know the complete glory of my Doctor Who obsession, but not now-it would take quite some time.

My fabulous birthday present from one of my friends- no, I'm not in any way shape or form a Twitard, but there's a history to the picture.

Lastly, my beautiful gift from my amazing sister/best friend. I'm serioulsy in love with the card, for the images (because I kind of have a thing for cupcakes too), and because she's so sweet. Plus, my entire room has been heart-attacked. That's a part of just one wall. My entire ROOM looks like that. And it still makes me happy to see it.

Thoughts To Occupy

Well, sorry guys, I had a plan for a really cute post this past weekend, but that kind of fell through. And I need to take photos before I can brag about yet another of my projects. So, today, you just get me babbling!
It's been exciting so far, I'm finally a Senior, and for once, it's not my homework that seems to have me buried! I know, I know, it's a shock, but honestly, my homework everyday is pretty minimal. I have AP English this year, and my Stats homework is mostly busywork.
I'm way more busy with music and being involved at school. All right, I'm involved with music more than anything. It's true, I'm an officer in a few groups at school, and I'm in a few more (or as is the case with band, I'm the "honorary" member they can't ever seem to get rid of), but it's music that seems to keep my occupied.
Honestly, I had 4 1/2 quality hours with my instruments yesterday, and that's the average somedays, sometimes, it's only an hour or two, but lately, music is an everyday, all the time kind of thing for me. I'm really starting to love my practice. If I skip a day, I miss it. I seriously am starting to get withdrawals from my violin on the days I don't practice! And I have to say, it's nice. I'm starting to really make progress, which is fantastic, because if I even think of doing college auditions in the next few months, I am going to need all of that progress.
And ya, that's kind of been my life this past week. Toodles!

DIY Pencil Case

Hey guys, back again. Told you I would have more DIY. I'm actually really excited by this one. For the past probably six years off and on, I've always used the same pencil bag. It was black, and shiny, and kind of boring. And since I"m me, I decided to reward myself for finishing Frankenstein with this fun thing!

What You Need:

Three colors of yarn

Crochet Hook

Scissors

Fabric for lining

Interfacing

A zipper

Needle and three

To start with, I did four granny squares with a flower center. I found the pattern here, then added an extra layer of the dc around the outside to make the squares bigger, and did a sc border in gold.

Then, I got super sneaky guys. Using the gold again, I sl st the four pieces together in a straight line. Seriously sneaky, right?

Then, you sl st the ends together, and continue working down the long edge. You now have the outer casing!
Next, you're going to want to get a small zipper, about 7", a fabric to make your lining, and interfacing.
Measure out your lining fabric- it should be about 1/8" shorter than your casing from side to side, and about an inch taller than your casing when it's folded in half. Cut out interfacing to cover the entire back and iron it on. It's rough I know, but everything stretches in the casing, so you don't need to be precise.
Fold your fabric so right sides are facing. Fold down that extra inch so the right side is facing you, and pin the zipper down over the lip. Sew down the edge of the zipper as closely as you can, about 1/8" seam. Repeat with the other side.

The zipper should be on top, with the right sides inside. This way, when you put your hand in, you see the lining and not the interfacing. This is also the perfect time to make sure it fits in the casing and trim off any excess. Sew 1/4" seam down both of the edges. You should now have a pouch with the interfacing facing out.

Put the lining inside the casing. It really doesn't matter if the lining sticks out a bit; once it's been sewn in, it fits perfectly. With the needle and thread, sew the zipper edge to the casing, making sure to keep your stitches small, and to not just loop up between stitches, but actually sew over the yarn.

Tie off the thread and weave in any loose ends, and it's all done, ready for school or wherever else! Tada!

Life in the Dog House

All right guys, I am so sorry. I got back from DC and realized that I still had a ton of stuff to get done before school started. Seriously, I'm still working on Summer English, which by the way, is due in five days (I know, I'm a terrible procrastinator, shame on me.).
 I also had my biggest concert of the year this past Monday. I got to solo with an Orchestra on one of the solos from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". So, since I missed two weeks of practice for DC, I managed to get about 40 hours of practicing done in that time. Yikes.
But never fear, as soon as all this is done with, I'll be back to my usual DIY and cooking projects.
For the mean time, I do have some exciting news. Right when we got back from DC, we had a crazy moment. Like seriously, we never get THIS crazy at my house.

This is my adorable new puppy, Gus! See, I've not only been working my butt off, I also really have been living in a dog house. He is an interesting little guy, absolutely adorable, but he definetly keeps us on our toes.
And there's that. I promise to be back with more soon (like before the end of an unintentional three week break soon!). Toodles!

Back From DC

I know, I know, two posts in a row about one vacation seems excessive, but honestly, it's worth posting about. DC was so much fun and I'm so glad I got to go with my amazing family. We managed to cram so much in five days, and I'll be honest, I'm in no rush to do that much walking again, but it was totally worth it!

I'll even admit that it wasn't so bad acting as my family's encyclopedia for the trip. Sometimes we'd come to a monument or painting that they'd want to know more about and thanks to my amazing AP American teacher and my hard studying, I was usually able to tell them some small tidbit.

I'd also like to announce that you should all start putting aside air fare now, because I'm pretty sure that sometime in the next ten years when i get married, you'll all be flying to DC.

I was blessed in that while in DC I got to go to the DC Temple and do baptisms, and while there, I absolutely fell in love with this beautiful beautiful place. It was truly seperate from the world. There was an enormous drive to get up to it, and although the freeway is only a few hundred yards away, you couldn't hear a thing. Seriously, I probably took more pictures here at the temple than any other place on our trip. I kind of fell in love with it.

And there's all I'll say on my trip. I've already got a few projects planned for future posts, so it won't be terribly long until I'm back. Until then!

I'm Off!

This week has been extremely busy as I've been packing my bags. I'm off to Washington DC for the next few weeks! I don' t know that I"ll have access to a computer for more than a few minutes while I'm there, so it could be a while before I get to post again, but I promise to take pictures of all the adventures I'm bound to have in our nation's capital! Until then!

DIY Wallet

Hey guys! So, exciting news, I'M DONE WITH CHEMISTRY. Finally. Serioulsy, I've done nothing but celebrate for three days straight now. And as part of my celebration, I decided to get all crafty for the first time this summer and make a wallet out of some scraps we've had lying around for years now.
The idea for this project was a compilation of several wallets that I found on pinterest, but most of it, I just made up as I went along, which made the process much longer than if I'd been following someone else's instructions. All told, this project probably takes about 3 or 4 hours if you know what you're doing.

For this you need:

A cutting mat

A clear sewing ruler that's at least five inches across

A rotary cutter

A small zipper, about 5 or 6 in.

1/2 yd of your outer fabric

1 yd of your inner fabric (this is not only your lining, but your card holder and coin pouch as well)

For the edging, you could really just use one of the sample squares they sell at most fabric stores, but all told, if you bought a foot of fabric you'd have more than enough.

About 1 yard of interfacing

*I used scraps for the most part, so these are rough guesstimates of how much I had and how much I used*

2 snaps-you can use magnetic, but I used small metal snaps.

Coin Pouch:

Begin by cutting out 2 5"x8" rectangles from your edging fabric, your inner fabric, and your interfacing (6 rectangles)

Iron your interfacing to the wrong side of your edging fabric. Do this to both of your edging pieces.

There really is no way to take a picture of the next step, so I'll do my best on explaining. Lay your zipper down with the zipper pull facing you. Take your inner lining fabric and with the right side facing the zipper, pin it to the edge of the zipper so the zipper is covered (if you flip back the fabric after it's pinned,the pins will be hidden but your pattern will show.). Flip your zipper and fabric over and lay your edging fabric right side down across the backside of the zipper. The edges of your fabric should now meet with the zipper sitting between them. Sew 1/4" seam along the zippers edge, watching to make sure you don't cross the zipper. Sew until you get to the zipper pull, and when you reach it, pull it down to where you've already sewed so you don't get a funky bump from your zipper.

Repeat with the other side. When you lay it flat, you should now have to layers to either side of the zipper with right sides facing out.

With the zipper still upside down, fold the fabric in half so the zipper runs along the upper edge. Sew 1/2" seam down both sides, back stitching at either end. If you have a ton of excess fabric and the zipper allows, you can trim down the sides now to cut down on excess bulk.

Flip your pouch inside out so that the zipper pull is now on the outer edge. This will be your coin pocket, and you can set it aside for later.
Body:

To make the panels of your wallet, cut out three rectangles (one of your inning lining, one of your outer fabric, and one of your interfacing) that 5 1/2"x 9". Repeat, but make your rectangles 8 1/2"x 9" instead this time. With just your interfacing, cut out one rectangle that is 4 1/2" x 8" and another that is 7 1/2" x 8". Iron the full size interfacing to your inner lining, and the smaller interfacing to your outer fabric, keeping the interfacing 1/2" from the edge. Make sure that when you attatch your interfacing, you attatch the dotted side to the wrong side of the fabric!
You can now set these pieces aside until later when you are assembling the entire wallet.

Card Slots:
I have to be honest, I never figured out a precise formula for card slots. I know how I like mine to sit, and I know that I need a lot of card slots because I keep everything in my wallet.  But here's still the way that I used overall.

Cut a 9" strip from your fabric, cutting the entire length. I know this seems like a ton, but in reality, most of this gets folded up into your card holders, with just a few inches left over. Fold about 5" of the fabric over and iron it flat.

Now remember that edging fabric I told you you would need so much of? Here's where it's going to be used up! Cut one inch strips of your fabric. I made four card slots per side, and if I'd been smart, would have realized that I would need five. You'll need to double this, so that makes 10 1"x 9" strips of your edging. Take them all to the ironing board and fold them in half lengthwise with wrong sides facing, and iron them. Then open up your strip and fold eachside into the center so that you now have a 1/4" strip. I would highly recommend doing this one step at a time (fold one in half and iron, then cycle through them all, then repeat as you iron in the edges) because my poor fingers nearly got singed a few times just from touching them.

Now take the long strip you just ironed over and one of your 1/4" edging pieces. Push the edging down along the edge of your inner lining so that the lining rests in the groove of your 1/4", pining it down so that it doesn't shift on you. Then run it through the machine at a 1/8" seam, making sure to secure the ends well.

This is probably the trickiest part of the whole project- figuring out how big to make your card slots. If you need a precise measurement, then about 2 1/2" down from your fold, fold the long strip back up towards the top and iron it down. Then measure about 1 3/4" inches from that fold and fold it back down, making sure to iron that down as well. Pin the bottom fold together, because that won't be secured until the very end.
That's the technical version. What I really did was find an old ID card and put it on the fabric almost touched my edging, then folded it back up so that I had a 1/2" between the visible folds, making sure it stayed 1/2" the entire way across. Then I pressed it and put a pin in the bottom fold. Once you've done that, repeat what you did above, pushing the edging down on your inner lining and stitching down at 1/4", but with the now ironed and pinned section hanging out to the side so your upper slots will still be usable.

Repeat this three more times so you have a total of four card slots. If you're smart like me and miscounted and ran out of fabric (oops) or if you'd rather not do edging, you can also use a decorative seam to hold down the edges of your card slots. Once you have all of your slots, measure 4 1/2" over from either edges and mark down the center of your card slots. This will be your stitch guide. Remove your pins from the underside, and making sure everything lays flat, sew down the center, securing your fabric every time you pass over a fold.
And the best part? You get to do it all over again so that you can have a card slot for both sides of your wallet. Spiffy, right?

Trim both pieces down to 4 1/2". You have now finished the hardest (and longest) part of the wallet.

Putting it all together:

Pin your card slots down to your inner lining that you made earlier. Side to side, they should be a perfect fit. The bottom most edges should also match, leaving you with excess to the top. Stitch the sides and bottom down with 1/2" seam, making sure to backstitch at card slots and corners.

Remember your coin pouch? Place it on top of your larger panel of your inner lining, centering it, and making sure that the bottom edge matches with the bottom edge of your lining. Take the smaller panel and layer it on top so the bottom is lined up with the other two pieces. All of the card slots should be facing up, and the right sides should be facing. Sew 1/2" seam down the bottom edge, making sure to back stitch. I actually went over this twice to make sure it would be stable. You know have your inner panel!
For your outer panel, you will match up the two outer pieces with right sides facing and sew 1/2" seam down the bottom edge, making sure to back-stitch.
Almost there!

Point the coin purse so that there is still excess flap obove it. Then take your outer piece and lay it over your inner lining with right sides together. It could be helpful as well to pin back the card slots on the lower piece of your inner lining.

Sew a 1/2" seam the whole way around, leaving about a 4" hold for when you flip it out. Make sure to back stitch at corners. Trim the corners so that they'll be less bulky when you turn it. To turn it right side out, grab the farthest corner and slowly work it out. I promise it comes through! Push your corners out to get them as square as possible.

Once it's been flipped out, sew on your snaps 1 1/2" in from the edge, and 3/4" down. Do this for each corner, then using a hidden stitch, sew up your hole you used to flip the wallet through.

Sew 1/8" seam around the entire wallet, being carefully not to accidentally sew down your card slots.Again, back stitch. Trim any loose ends, and you're done!



Currently...

All right, confession time- I had another ultimately boring week. Of course, there were many adventures had, but I'm not sure they all need to go up here. So instead, I'm going to do a post about what's going on in my life (thanks to Kristine or Polly for this idea, I've been meaning to try it for a while now).

Loving: That I'm actually getting to see people this summer!Usually, I just sit around on my butt all summer long with this blank look on my face. I've had so much fun this summer getting to go on hikes and doing chemistry and service projects in my area.

Reading: Several books. Guys, this is a dangerous question to ask me, because I have always been a HUGE book worm. But, currently, I'm reading Frankenstein, Great Expectations, Life of Pi, Atlas Shrugged, and a few others that I'm obvioulsy getting no where fast in. Seriously, laugh if you want, but me and my classics will continue to be happily curled up on the couch with an afghan (that I probably made) and a cup of cocoa.

Watching: We Bought a Zoo. I'm putting this movie on my wish list, I loved it soooooo much! And you have to understand, I'm not an animal person in any way shape or form. I just loved the story, and the way it was filmed and the characters. Another movie I would recommend is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I watched it a few weeks ago, and loved it enough that I"m now reading the book- another one I should have listed above.

Anticipating: My trip back East to Pittsburgh and D.C. in a few weeks. I'm so excited to see my family and to get to explore our nation's capital!

Listening to: My Bruch concerto and Spring are the two pieces I'm listening to. I also recently dug out all of my 80's music 'cuz I'm a geek like that, and I just happen to love Journey, U2, and Blondie, m'kay?

Planning: To start working out in the mornings as soon as I don't have to be out of the house by 6:45 every morning. Seriously, my poor food baby's gonna start showing soon, and we can't have that!

Working on: The biggest hexagon I've ever seen. It's pretty basic knowledge at this point that I'm a huge crafter, and I just so happen to like my afghans. The one I'm working on is currently a four-foot-in-diameter hexagon, and it's still growing.

Wishing: That I would magically remember everything I've studied in the past few weeks so I could just take that chemistry final already!

Happy Independence Day!

I guess this is the best time all year to say that I'm so grateful for the wonderful country I live in and for those who've made sacrifices for my freedoms. I take it for granted a little too often, but I do realize that it's such a huge impact in my life.
So, my family is actually pretty boring for the Fourth of July. We have only one tradition- going to the fireworks the city puts on each year. It is so much fun. Every year it gets a bit more packed, and a bit louder, but every year, it's just as fun. This is probably my best opportunity to bump into random people all summer, and it's always great to see the friends I'm not always so great at keeping in touch with.

I'd like to finish by just saying that with only 8 more days of chemistry (count 'em people, EIGHT!) I will be doing my best to be more interesting- more projects and posts that actually have something of value. And if you get a last random bit on how excited I am chemistry's over, just understand that I'm completely psyched that I still get a month of summer vacation in which to live it up.

Studying for my OWL's.

So, you all think I'm doing chemistry, when really, I'm doing a correspondence course from Hogwarts. Or so I wish. This is however, a real picture from my textbook. I can't tell you how many odd looks I've gotten when I've opened my textbook and couldn't resist a small giggle.
I'm kind of sad, I'd planned to have something exciting for my blog post this week, but between one thing and another, it just didn't happen. So instead, I'll give a quick update on chemistry.
I'm more than halfway done, only two and a half more weeks! It's actually been really fun, and while it exhausts me, I've glad that I've met so many new people and made so many new friends. I'm learning that I can handle this sort of class and that college is very different from high school. I'm also learning that I had better know exactly what I'm looking into if I choose a major in college that will be heavy on chemstry.

Here is an example of the fabulous foot wear (and my scrubs- the sacrifice I make for wearing shorts the rest of the day) that they make you wear when you have on flip-flops. Yup, I am wearing moon boots made out of a garbage bag and masking tape. Classy, right?
I promise I'll have something slightly more interesting to say next week, for realsies! 'Til then, toodles!

Well, that's failed...

Okay guys, I have a serious problem. Really. So, it's summer vacation, right? Time to have fun in the sun, work on a ton of projects,maybe get a little tan by taking a good old Agatha Christie out to the hammock with me. Better yet, I should plant a garden!Ya, not happening.
So here's the problem- I spend almost all my time hiding away in my cold dark basement. Seriously, I can't even see the sun down here!
Now, it is partly to blame on the fact that I have chemistry, and I can sort of accept that (by the way, almost half-way done! I almost peed myself when I realized this, I was laughing so hard with total and complete joy.) But really, that's no excuse. I went and did my homework outside today. It was heavenly. The bigger problem is that when I go out in the sun, I pretty much just burn, and when I go outside, it takes about half an hour for my allergies to kick in, and that's NEVER pretty. So I freeze in my basement.
There's one other factor that goes into this too. I seriously don't like yardwork. I love flowers, and I don't mind dirt (provide that i can wash it off the second I go inside), but I hate not being able to see what's hiding under a bush or in the rocks. That, and if it's possible to have an anti-green thumb, I most definetly have it. I can kill just about any plant given a few weeks, no matter how hard I try.
But I'm having a thought. What if I tried to grow a cactus? Seriously, those things have got to be some of the sturdiest plants (a.k.a. harder to kill), so I'm kind of thinking I might be able to handle it. And, as  an added bonus, it might force me to leave my basement. Will this actually happen? We'll see. But right now, a cactus sounds good. Toodlies!