our friendly neighborhood undead cemetery tour guide...

Remember Zach? My Ozian best buddy? My sisters and I were finally able to schedule a time where we could hang out. The perfect setting for four Thespians-at-heart: a Halloween Dance!!! Actually it was three of us; Amanda missed the age cut-off by three months. Next year, little sister!

Getting ready started out as a complete and utter nightmare. Meghan and I had planned on wearing our Ozian dresses to the dance. We tried them on last week and they fit fine. As we put them on, we found that it was not going to work. At all. Meghan has grown about two inches-her dress no longer fits because her torso is too long for it. I, by some miracle, have dropped two dress sizes(from an 18 to a 14 [I'll tell you about that later-squee!!! Excited!!!]), and looked like I was wearing a rather sparkly gunnysack. So! Meghan decided to wear one of my dresses from two Halloweens ago, when I was a dark Medieval princess/Morgan le Fay type character (sorry, I can't spell her name, I just know she's from Camelot). She would be Bellatrix Black, teen-aged and still at Hogwarts before meeting Lestrange. That left me wondering what to do. If Zach was planning on being an Ozian, I could wear the dress with some safety pins in the shoulders. But if he wasn't...hm.

Phone call! Any idea how difficult that was? I was BAWLING because I was afraid he'd be mad at me. Which is stupid; he's Zach! It turns out he wasn't going as an Ozian, and would not tell me what he was coming as. Now it was time to panic-no Oz costume, Bellatrix is taken, the Queen Hermione costume from "A Winter's Tale" would look terrible over black tights, GAH!!! Frantic pawing though the closet until...ooo! THIS looks fantastic.

Meet Narcissa Black, soon to become Narcissa Malfoy, sister to Bellatrix and future mother of Draco Malfoy. I found a dress that we'd used in the play "Singin' in the Rain" a long time ago for one of the silent actress characters, and it fit me perfectly (which is saying something-it's skinny). Put on some eye liner, some shadow, and dark red lipstick and presto chango! Narcissa stands before you! Except I don't have a large blonde streak in my hair. We decided that Bellatrix hadn't pulled that prank yet (which didn't actually happen in the book, but we'll go with it anyway). So, without being skanky or anything else, Meghan and I transformed into the two eldest Black sisters, dark and, if I do say so, rather terrifying. *smirk*

Amanda, as I said before, couldn't go to the dance. Still, she wanted to dress up. So she put on some blue jeans, a black top, a black sweater, pulled her hair up slightly, and put a sign on her stomach that said "MUGGLE". Perfect.

It wasn't until we got to the Payson Main Street exit that I started to get nervous. I hadn't seen Zach in, oh, two or three weeks, and I was just full of butterflies from head to toe. My best friend! Yay! Oh, no! No, this is a good thing. Yay! No! Arg!

We got to his house and didn't really know where to go. Last time I was there I was with Kaila (oh, goodness, I haven't told you all about Sadie's yet! Horrors! I will do that soon, promise!) when we picked Brenden (Zach's older brother) and Zach up to go to Sadie Hawkins. We went to the back door, but I wasn't sure if that was because we were supposed to or because Kaila is Brenden's best friend. Luckily Aaron, Zach's oldest brother, was outside, and he sent us to the back door. Carlton, Zach's other older brother, answered the door, looking sort of confused. I would have been too, if there'd been two girls in lacy dresses with heavy make-up and one girl dressed normally showed up at my door in the evening. Lol. We must have looked horrible!

Two words: fabulous beyond all reason. Okay, that was four, but it took that many to tell about his costume! He was dressed up as some sort of 3 Musketeer looking thing, but not at the same time. Probably due to the fact that he'd sprayed his hair white and had painted his face like a skeleton. All in all, he looked awesome! I'm so glad my sisters and I actually went all out, otherwise we would have been totally shown up. Lol. Theatre guys rock. I was so happy to see him! He's handsome even when undead. Haha.

So I don't know if I've told you, but Zach lives across the street from the Payson City Cemetery, which is third on the list of Most Haunted Sites in Utah. I remember walking out to the car with Zach, and then noticing that we were going in the complete opposite direction from where I'd parked. Instead, we were heading to the cemetery gate, which stays open pretty much all night. Zach wanted to show us "where I grew up". My first thought, yeah right. No, seriously. He told us all about playing there with his friends during the day and the night, pulling pranks on the ghost hunters who came out with their contraptions to find "things", and scaring off the drug dealers who frequented the area for awhile. It's true-I asked his mom.

When I mentioned that my grandpa was buried in the cemetery, Zach wanted to try and find it. We spent a few minutes searching the map, but couldn't figure out how to read it. Amanda took the opportunity while my back was turned to scare me silly. The funny thing was, though, that as Zach took us deeper into the cemetery and farther from the light, I got braver and Amanda got more freaked out. She kept stopping, and I kept walking until I was far ahead of them. I think it unnerved Zach that I was so determined to keep going. He knows I get scared easily, and he thought I'd be the one to want to leave.

Finally he caught my arm and made me wait for them to catch up. I had a reason for wanting to walk away. I've been having nightmares about that cemetery for two weeks. I wanted to figure out why. I found that I actually wasn't scared until Zach made me stop and said very firmly that we were leaving. What frightened me was that he'd been so calm and seemed so at home there (no pun on his undead costume), reassuring us that he'd never take us anywhere where we could get hurt and that there was nothing to be afraid of. Then all of the sudden he's got a hold of me and looks in my eyes, telling me that we have to go right now. That's when I got scared. So, I made it easy for him. I left without a fight, which also surprised him. Haha. We're always throwing each other off guard. It's fun. You know, I think I might have actually scared him by my interest in the cemetery. He knows I hate scary things, and the dark, but I kept on going farther and farther in. Maybe that's why he wanted out of there. Hm. I'll have to ask him.

Zach is amazing. We didn't dance much, because Zach always seems uncomfortable. He says he doesn't know how to move to music that isn't ballroom or ballet or anything. He can break dance a little bit, but "that's different". Whatever, I'm totally fine playing shadow tag out in the grass. Which is what we did. It was awful! I kept losing because I couldn't figure out how to keep my six shadows away from him and Meghan! There were three streetlights and a light from the church where the dance was, and somehow I'd stand just where they could all hit me. He of course found the one spot where no lights hit him, and shared with Meghan. Ugh. I lose at games.

We talked about a lot of interesting things. Some of my past came out without meaning to, because he's had similar experiences. I didn't want him to know those things. At all. Too late now. He still doesn't know all of what you know, though. Hope he never reads this. Lol. That would be awkward!

And, he finally poked me. When we drove him home, Amanda came with us, and she wanted to see if he was "pokeish". While saying good-bye, she, being the flirt she is (lol, long story), sneaked up behind him and poked him. He retaliated, and also got Meghan. I was outta there, but he wasn't going to give up easily. He chased me! I got out into the street and turned around, and Zach just kept running after me. He missed the first four times. Then he just started to talk to my sisters, and being the "innocent thing" that I am, I fell for it. I came back towards them and he got me. Embarrassing moment-I totally screamed because it surprised me and tickled. Gosh.

Zach is amazing. He's probably the most amazing guy I've ever met. Which scares me, in some ways. I might get too attached. And that would be bad.

I think that was the most fun I've had in a very long time. The cemetery was my favorite part; Amanda was so funny! She keeps saying that the reason she was scared was because she kept waiting for Zach's friends to jump out from behind headstones and trees. She thought he'd been planning it the whole time. He'd never do that. At least, not with me around. He knows I'd never speak to him again. Haha. Nah. I'd just fall apart and then not speak to him for a very long time. He knows I trust him. And, funnily enough, he trusts me. See? Best friends. I told you so. :) Or did I? I might've forgotten. Gah, there's so much I have to tell you all! And so I won't forget later on.

I think you're going to be hearing more about Zach. Shall I post a disclaimer on posts about him so you can skip if you don't want to read it? Lol.

Best night ever. I hope there are more of them down the road.

wtfreak...

That's all I can say when I think of my Health final on Thursday and having only completed ten chapters so far, school starting on the the Thursday after, being scheduled for a television spot on Good Day Utah the day after for WoOz, opening night on the 27 and the following performances, the ACT test on September 12...

WTFreak!?! THIS IS NUTSO!!! I'm going to be a SENIOR?!?!?!?!? WHEN did THAT happen?!?

Plus I'm sick. No idea how that happened, but I've got a fever, sore throat, headache, yadeeyadeeyada. That's so dumb.

Tomorrow I go back over to MVHS to get my schedule fixed. Yeah, I decided to stay at MV instead of transferring to OHS, the school which I'm in area for. It'll just work better. My schedule has a hole in it, meaning I am not scheduled for a class or a released period. Just nothing. Should I take PE Lifetime Activities, a second ballroom class if there is one open, try and finangle myself into Jewelry, take some sort of an AP class just for the heck of it, or keep it a released period?

I need ideas, people. You know me well enough to suggest classes, yes? Of course. :D

(Beth, I don't have pictures of me in my dress from yesterday. Our neighbor took some, but I don't know if he'll give us copies or not. If he does, I'll think about posting them. I'm kind of embarrassed to put pictures of myself up.)

i'm dumb...

Okay, okay. So it wasn't that bad. The photographers actually knew what they were doing for a change, and they even let us check each picture to see if we liked it or not. All of mine were good the first time (all five-one for Yearbook, four headshots for I have no idea what, because I didn't purchase any), so I was impressed. I'm hard to satisfy when people are taking my pictures; I know how I want it to look but I can't take it myself, so I direct the process. Usually. :)

I stayed for quite awhile because my good friend Ruthie was getting her Senior Pictures done after her Yearbook photo was finished. We talked and laughed about random things, and she gave me a ticket to see the play she is currently in. It's called "The Promised Land", based on First Nephi in the Book of Mormon (yes, I'm LDS [if you didn't know that all ready :)], and to learn more email me at wannabkenobi at gmail dot com or check out mormon.org). Ruthie wasn't the only one in it; my friend Jordan had a major role as well, playing the youngest of Ishmael's two sons and the sort of flip-flopping between good and bad type. As I watched him, I began to realize how much I like him. Which is a problem...

Ruthie has liked Jordan for a very long time. I've always tried to suppress the fact that I find him attractive (and gorgeous) because of this. Well, can't help it now. Just keep it between us, okay?

So, add Jordan to the list of Jacob Black and the other guy. Am I shallow or something, 'cause I keep seeing people who I like (two of which are not based on looks alone, but personality). Or am I dumb? Or both?

Or, perhaps, a hormonal 17 year old who is barely stepping out into the world beyond playing House, where the daddy is the youngest child playing and the mommy doubles as the damsel in distress? Hm...

Mia Shalom-July 8, 2009...

Early Morning-
Bad:
1. Smells from another camp signifying breakfast-can you tell I’m
hungry?
2. Camp mornings are cold, especially when your jacket is wet
3. Only two cabins for 24 girls-squish
4. Upstairs girls talking until 2 a.m.
5. An unearthly scream at promptly 6:30-or someone’s alarm clock

Good:
1. Clean shirt
2. Quiet enough that I can hear the river
3. The gold-mantled chipmunk dancing around my shoes
4. Finding my misplaced Health textbook
5. Sun coming up so quickly and warming my wet jacket

Today is the Camp Cook-Off. Each ward was given two secret ingredients, which they had to use in a main dish and a dessert. My ward was given cream cheese and brown sugar. I had the idea to use the cream cheese and brown sugar over bread to make sticky buns. We also used brown sugar in sloppy joe meat, and some of the cream cheese to make a salsa dip (yuck). I think it all turned out well, because that's what we ate for lunch that day before going to get ready for camp skits. Here's what ours looked like:

6th Ward: Bandit Feast
The Most Wanted!

After I helped hand out stuff to the wards for their skits, Sister Burton and Sister Lawrence asked me if I would make awards with two other girls for the Cook-Off participants. I took pictures of the two that I made because I thought they were super cute. And they sort of are. :)

Award One-Marching Picnic

Award Two-Life Really is a Picnic

Afternoon-
Bad:
1. FuhREEZING shower water!
2. Having a major role as M.C. for the Stake skits, and narrator for my ward’s part
3. Burning face and dumb sunscreen
4. Losing my favorite pen-sniff
5. Journal supplies ran out in the pavilion

Good:
1. Skit Day is over!
2. Hilarious mascara mustaches on various girls (make-up: not just for beautification)
3. First “Polar Bear Plunge” winner in my camp
4. Making awards for Camp Cook-Off winners and participants
5. Aloe Vera Ice gel

The skits really weren’t that bad. This year they were super creative and way entertaining. Each ward was given a single bag or box full of props (the Stake leaders had cleaned out the Camp closet back at home and found 7 years worth of skit supplies) from the Stake. The rules were these, one) Use everything in your bag/box, and two) It has to have something to do with the theme. Here’s an overview of the wards’ skits:

First Ward-Miss Integrity Pageant
A line of judges watched as several contestants showed off their talents and what they stand for in their lives. Miss Texta (pretend phone in hand), Miss Flava-Flave (can’t spell it, and neither could she), Miss Worldly (no idea on anything except fashion), Miss Drama (“I think everyone is so amazing, but if you get in my way I will crush you.”), and Miss Integrity (I talk to the animals) each made their appearances and the judges had to decide. Guess who won?

Second Ward-Prepared in the Kitchen
I don’t really understand how this fit in with the theme, but parts of it were funny. The one part I remember was when one girl got another girl’s apron dirty. The second girl was upset about it and made a move to fight with the first girl. Then a third girl ran in with six aprons, three on each arm, and said to the second girl, “Ah, ah, ah! Polyester or cotton?” holding the aprons out for the second girl to look at. I thought that was funny.

Third Ward-Search for the Kingdom of Light
This must have been amazing, because I don’t remember it at all. I’m trying to picture girls dressed up in their Red ward color, but it’s not happening. Maybe this was when Linnea and I were running around the back of the building to make another entrance. Oh, no wait! I remembered! It was about these bugs (girls in butterfly, dragonfly, and other bug masks) looking for the right path to the magical Kingdom of Light. They got sidetracked by some gangsters looking for a bit of fun and were rescued by the Knight of Light. The gangster was the knight’s brother, and he was jealous because of all of the knight’s different names.

Fourth Ward-A Tight Ship
It started out with a ship in disarray. The captain blamed his mistakes on everyone else, the crew members had no idea what they were doing, the captain got angry and threw someone overboard, and when the crew members tried to rescue her they threw out a deflated life raft. Enter part two-a ship in complete order, with sailors shaving, using maps, cleaning cannons and guns, hoisting sails and fixing ropes, with a captain who listens to his crew members and knows just what to do. “Captain! There’s a homosapian in the H2O, exactly 52 degrees north-northeast!” A successful rescue which is watched by the other ship leads them to say, “Aw, man. I wish we could have rescued our friend like that.” A split second hesitation, and one girl says, “I’m going over there.” I really liked this skit. It was cute and clever.

Fifth Ward-The Garden
Two groups of flowers, each makes a different choice. One group grows bright and beautiful, keeping to the gardener’s instruction and allowing her to care for them. The other group clings tightly to the thorns and weeds that have taken root in their bed, shunning all care from the gardener. My favorite part was when Marissa, playing the gardener, went up to the last weed, played by Mindy. Mindy had a seven foot long tree trunk propped up against her side, leaning on it like a “cool kid” against his locker. The stick was three feet taller than Marissa. When Marissa tried to pull up the “weed” Mindy said “I’d like to see you try,” in a Yeah-right-I-don’t-think-so voice. In the end, a storm blew away the bad flowers and weeds, while the good flowers were protected by the gardener.

Eighth Ward-The Tree in the Forest
The tree, one of the girls in the eighth ward, steps forward to tell the story of the Bad Birds and the Bugs. She was wearing a sign around her neck that said “Tree” and a bird feeder on one arm. Girls holding the yard decoration birds and bugs had them flapping, buzzing, and twirling in the air in front of them. Then the tree began. The birds are always the bad ones, aren’t they? Bringing up their iPods to camp, gambling Starbursts with their smuggled face cards, hiding in the bathrooms when their leaders tell them to cook dinner or clean up. They’re just having a party, jamming to their tunes and breaking all the rules. The bugs seem to be having a great time, too. Scripture study early that morning was the bomb dot com, the flight up to Lone Pine was amazing, and all of the leaders are so nice. Then four or five bugs get bored and decide to check out what the birds are up to. “Come on over!” cry the birds, “We’re having a party!” The bugs make a choice and join them, only to be eaten as soon as they enter the circle.

Yes, I know, I know, I skipped Sixth Ward. That’s because I wanted to save the best for last, of course! Hold on to your hats!

Sixth Ward-The Judgment Day
Cast of Characters:
Simon-Hannah
Paula-Brittan
Randy-Rachel N.
Narrator/Ryan-Me
Bus Driver-Miranda
Banditas-Kim, Sandra, Meghan, Shanae, Emily N.
Beer Buddies-Gabby, Stasia, McKenzie, Kaitlyn
Party Hardies-Amanda, Ashlyn, Rachel, Emily R.
Celestial Heroes-Katrina, Allyse, Meghan M., Sierra
Judgment Bouncers-Ashley, Jessica
Choir-Sister South, Sister Saffell, Sister Whitaker, Sister Baird

It starts out with the narrator telling how a group of girls is on a bus going to Camp SPARKS. Some are more prepared than others for what lies ahead, and camp will teach them how to be more prepared.

“The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round! The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round, going to Camp SPARKS!”

Enter banditas, snapping and dressed in bandanas, cowboy hats, and mascara mustaches. Snap snap, snap snap, snap snap… Kim begins with a whispered “Who’s bad?” The rest follow, “I’m bad! (singing) I’m bad! I’m bad! I’m really, really bad! Yeah, I’m bad! I’m bad! I’m really, really bad! Whoo!” All the while side shuffling, moon walking, and ending with the Michael Jackson toe stand. Then they turn……….and shoot the bus driver.

Meghan M. yells out “Oh, no! There’s no driver! We’re going to crash!!!”

And crash they do. The banditas go around congratulating one another, but the bus driver isn’t dead. Miranda stands up, grabs a bucket of water, and throws it onto the banditas, shouting “I banish you to Outer Darkness!” Away the banditas run, and a heavenly choir begins ah ah ahing the theme from “The Little Mermaid” as the campers go to “heaven.”

Narrator explains that you never know when you’ll need to be prepared for your time to go. Let’s see who deserves which kingdom of glory.

Narrator pulls up their hair into a bun, turns around the bandana so it says the name “Ryan” on it, and gets into character.

Me as Ryan Seacrest says, “Welcome…to the Judgment Day. Here we are at Heaven Idol, where three groups will compete to see which kingdom they will go to. Who is prepared, and who is not? That is up to our judges to decide. Here we have our lovely lady Paula (Brittan), my brother from another mother Randy from the Dawg Pound, and our ever honest, blunt as a knife Simon. Let’s give it up for our three contestants-the Beer Buddies, the Party Hardies, and the Celestial Heroes. Give it up folks!”

The Judges: Randy/Rachel, Paula/Brittan, Simon/Hannah

Enter Beer Buddies, water bottles in hand, dancing around like they’re completely nuts, crazy, or both. “I just wanna rock and roll all night, and party every day!” They sing and sing, crashing into one another and soaking the audience with their “booze.”

Paula tells them nicely that they just aren’t ready for the highest glory. The Telestial, or third kingdom, is where they belong. They go off with a green ticket in hand.

Enter Party Hardies, hair brushes and mirrors in their pockets, singing and jumping up and down. “Girls just wanna have fuh-un, oh girls just wanna have fuh-un! They just wanna, they just wanna! Girls just wanna have fuh-un, oh girls just wanna have…they just wanna…”

The Party Hardies: Emily, Rachel, Amanda, Ashlyn, Sierra

Randy interrupts, “Dog, man. For me, for you, for me, I mean…it just…it just wasn’t in the dog pound tonight. You know what I’m saying? It just didn’t do it for me. Yours is Terrestrial, that’s it, man.” Hands them an orange ticket.

Enter Celestial Heroes, sunglasses on their faces and capes around their necks. They begin with a count of “A one, a two, a three…”

To the tune of “Best of Both Worlds” by Miley Cyrus

We’re the Celestial Heroes!
We read our scriptures each day,
and we pray spirituallay.

You’ll get Celestial glory!
Without the sins and the pain
you can make it okay.

Mix it all together
and you know you’ll get to Heaven
someday!

Simon’s judgment-“That was………brilliant. Celestial Kingdom. You’re in.” Hands them a yellow ticket.

Ryan switches to hair down and bandana in back, says the theme and gives the little spiritual ending thing-“You never know when you need to be spiritually prepared. Any little trial can make it hard to stay strong, but as long as you have made yourself ready you will always be safe. Camp SPARKS-Spiritually Prepared, Always Ready, Keeping Safe.”

The End

See? Told you it was the best. ;)

The Banditas: Kim, Shanae, Emily, and Allyse

In the end, the skits really weren’t that bad. I just hate getting up and performing in front of small audiences. Linnea and I M.C.ed the whole thing. Then I was in my own ward’s skit, switch back to M.C., switch to SYCL commercial slot, switch to M.C.-phew. It didn’t help that a very large bumblebee decided to land on me. Fareaky. Linnea and I told jokes, “tap danced,” and looked stupid. On purpose. I guess it was a success, because we got a lot of laughs and people told us that it was fantastic. I still felt stupid. Oh, well.

Earlier in the day I’d washed my hair in the outdoor faucet, which was so amazing. Then I decided to use the showers. Major cold. But hey, I’m clean. It’s so nice. I’ll probably shower again on Friday. AND because I showered, Sister Baird gave me a Kool-Aid bottle and a medal to wear around my neck, declaring me Polar Plunge Winner. :) Haha.

I made eight journals today. Impressive, no? Now that I have eleven, I wonder what I’ll do with them all. Probably use them to consolidate all of the poems I’ve written on the backs of receipts. There are a lot of those. Just call me Emily Dickinson.

Our ward was supposed to go for a hike today but no one wanted to go. Except the leaders, that is. So we stayed in camp. Yay. Since I was here, I helped to write verses for “The Gossip Song” or Singing News. It will be fun, because I wrote part of it.

Evening-
Bad:
1. Feel so sick
2. Messing up during SYCL Flag Ceremony skit
3. Stinky bathrooms
4. Having my ideas stolen by leaders and then passing them off as their own
5. Hike tomorrow at 5:30 AM

Good:
1. Watching the Chubby Bunny Contest
2. Pretty landscape with the molten silver pool of moon cradled in the treetops
3. Chapstick
4. Being able to vent boredom on arts and crafts
5. Mrs. Long’s talk at Flag Ceremony

Brittan and I were in charge of this evenings Flag Ceremony. It was kind of a mess. So was the SYCL skit. I had the main part, so my screw up was the worst. I did get dinner though, after Flag Ceremony. Tin foil dinners. They’re one of the best parts of camp. I love them.

Singing around the campfire was followed by roasting marshmallows and Starbursts. If you have never tried a roasted Starburst then you have never lived. I know it sounds weird, but it is such an amazing treat. I made some for each of the leaders who had never tried it before. So yummy. But soon, roasting the marshmallows wasn’t enough. A Chubby Bunny Contest began. The point is to be the last person able to shove marshmallows into your mouth, no chewing, no swallowing. It’s actually really gross. Sandra won at 14 marshmallows. Ew. Oh, and they weren’t the small marshmallows. They were the jumbo, big as the palm of you hand kind. Gag me with a spoon! Or a mallow. It’s about the same.

Shanae and Katrina, Chubby Bunny Contestants

Kim, Sandra, Allyse, Brittan, Shanae during the Chubby Bunny Contest

No more writing. I feel too horrible. Stupid sun!

i should be...

doing so many other things right now, but I don't want to. Might be because I'm lazy, might be because I don't care. I don't know. Anyway, I was wrong about how many years it's been since I went to a sleepover. I was off by two. It wasn't seven years. It was nine years. Woot.

So, for my first sleepover, it was pretty much amazing, and I don't know why they call them SLEEPovers. You really...don't...sleep. Like, at all. You get a lot of "bugly" Jitterbug girls together in one room. You eat lots of food (pizza from Papa Murphy's, sherbet, key lime pie, strawberries, guacamole and chips, for example) and scream and giggle and do crazy things. Dress-up and karaoke at four in the morning is dangerous. And it's amazing how much fun it is.


Carissa looks like a refined, sophisticated woman of about twenty-five. She does not look like she has had six kids and is actually in her thirties. Neither does she look like a complete nut. She is though. A very good, fun, nutty-as-squirrel poo nut. My now second mom has gorgeous red hair, a gorgeous voice, and tons of personality. Usually she'd be the type of person who overwhelms me, but no. She's amazing, and I love her like mad. Oh, and she made the dress she's wearing in this picture.


Her daughter, Emma, is also a nut. She's got her mom's curly hair and her dad's deeper voice. Pure alto and amazing dancer. And no, that isn't her hair. Emma is a J-bug with me and her mom.


Alaia is Carissa's youngest girl. It was her birthday on the day of our party, so she got to hang out downstairs with "the big kids." She's cawazy! Cute and tiny, she packs a punch. Sometimes literally.


Jasmine is a fellow cast member and J-bug like me. She doesn't seem like the type of person to put on a Batman mask and strut her stuff to "Nobody's Perfect" Hannah Montana style, but she can do it. She's sweet and nice, and also pretty nuts. She likes taking pictures of herself, no matter how "bugly" they might turn out.

So yes, friends. We spent several hours singing and screaming to karaoke music. Everything from Trace Adkins to Josh Groban, Jekyll and Hyde to Little Mermaid, Hannah Montana to Les Miserables. We watched The Lizzie McGuire Movie and awoke at seven to Lambchops and Theodore Moose. At least, I think that's what it was called.

All in all, it was pretty much the most amazing sleepover ever. We're already making plans for another one. Yay!

bump on the head...

I did it again. I was playing around in my room with my imaginary friends (yes, I do that often) and misjudged the distance from where I was standing to the corner of my bed. The bed corner did not like being jumped on from that awkward angle, so it spit me out. I landed in an untidy heap head-first on my bedroom floor with an ache behind my right ear. You'd think I'd learn. I will now share with you the first time this happened, several years ago.

Eighth grade had just started. I felt like a complete nobody, a useless husk, a waste of space, whatever you want to call it. Black was my color of choice-long sleeved turtle necks, black jeans, black lace-up ankle boots, black socks, and a black zip up jacket. The only other color was the red stripes that ran the length of the jacket sleeves. I kept my head down, my hair in a braid down my back. I didn't speak. I didn't make eye contact. I did my school work; I just didn't participate in discussions. So silent and such a shadow I was that people in my classes thought I was someone else, until the day that I could no longer remember who they were.

Yes, I was once again engaged in playing with my imaginary friends, namely various characters from the Star Wars series. Not just the movies, mind you. The books-Expanded Universe novels, pre-Clone Wars, et cetera. I was a completely different person-Shae Solo, youngest daughter of Han and Leia Solo, set out to rescue my nephew, Ben Skywalker, from the Yuuzhan Vong. Well, I misjudged my landing on the escaping Vong speeder and shot off backwards, landing hard on my head.

In all reality, I was making the same jump towards the corner of the bed that I did today. The bed didn't like it that time either; it spit me out. I ended up with severe tunnel vision and ringing ears. It got to the point where I realized that I'd severely injured myself. My mom took me to the ER and I was told that I had a major concussion. As I lay in the bed, the world blurred and so did my memory. I could not remember faces, names, anything. I asked for people in my classes, but I didn't know who they were. I barely remember what happened that night. I remember that they sent me home, but I was brought back after throwing up several times. I remember the IV that was put into my arm, being terribly cold, and not being able to see. That's about all.

Four or five days later I went back to school. This was the time when people actually noticed I was in their class still, but I didn't remember most of them. I remembered small details about them, but no names. We spent a lovely time in first period reintroducing everyone, with me remembering some better than others.

Luckily I had no problems with that today. It is rather embarrassing to recount that adventure, only to have it happen again. Stupid Lord Beckett. No, not the Lord Beckett of the already released Pirates stories; his son, Lord Beckett, Jr. If only he weren't so jealous.

I'll leave you to figure out what the devil I'm going on about whilst I tell you of Saturday, May 16-otherwise known as The Last Day of the AP Environmental Science Field Trip.

As I think I mentioned before, the night spent at Dead Horse Point Campground was freezing cold. I again woke up to see the moon shining brilliantly through the tent window, but instead of being too lazy to get up and take a picture I was too frozen. I found it totally brainless of me that I'd packed a stocking cap that didn't come down around my ears; what is the point of that? I spent the night as a popsicle, teeth chattering so loudly I was afraid that I'd awake Meri. She was dead to the world, though, so I was lucky.

5:35 came around (not that I knew that until later) and I finally gave up trying to sleep anymore. I went up to the small bathroom and let out a wail of frustration that brought Mr. Clark running. "What?" he asked, "is there a scorpion?" "No!" I replied, "This bathroom was obviously designed by a man because THERE IS NO MIRROR!!!"

Yes. I was upset because how was I supposed to get ready for the day with no mirror? I was more upset when Mr. Clark laughed and walked away. I was even more upset when I realized that I didn't need a mirror because my hair was still nicely placed in French braids. So, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and tried to remain dignified as I walked past my teacher to my tent.

Never pack fresh bagels for breakfast on a camping trip. Make sure they're properly packaged in plastic sacks. Otherwise Mr. Brown can use them as hockey pucks with holes in them to throw at sleeping students. It was rather fun to watch, even though it was sad that we couldn't eat them. Yogurt, Pop Tarts, Instant Oatmeal, and hot chocolate were good enough for breakfast. Lunches were the same as yesterday, only this time I smuggled a Yogurt for good measure. What? I can't eat apples, okay? They hurt my teeth. Had to figure out some other way to get a little bit of fruit. So Yogurt hardly makes the cut, but it's better than nothing.

Meri and I didn't need help getting the tent down this time. We asked Mr. Brown for help at first, but then changed our minds. The girls got to shout about our power to the boys again, seeing as we all got our tents down before they did. Spencer was too busy having Josh hold a mirror in front of his face so that he could put in his contacts. I joined in the teasing, though I'd berated myself for not thinking of packing a mirror. I'm such a hypocrite. Anyway, the tremendous shout of "GIRL POWER" was not met with an shut ups, just rolled eyes and further furious packing. Everything was ready to go long before the bus arrived, so we sat around doing nothing and being cold.

Our first stop came at Upheaval Dome, which is either an impact crater or an old collapsed caldera or remainders of an earthquake. I only know that it isn't a salt dome, which the original geologists believed. I didn't get to hike to the top; I made it about fifty yards up the trail before my arm started to ache horribly. Pam and I tried a to go a little farther after the group passed us up, but I couldn't do it. We went back down and discovered flowers, birds, mini pine cones, and some lovely dirt to draw in. I spent some time tracing out a name which is particularly fun to draw, while Pam laughed at me. Ah, well.

The drive down from the top of the plateau was uneventful, because I was again asleep. It wasn't until we reached Arches National Park that I decided to grace the world with my alertness. I love Arches; it's my other favorite place in the world. And seeing as it's right outside of Moab, it works rather well.

We hiked down Park Avenue (one of the sites inside the park), which is all down hill and very easy. I stayed at the end with Mr. Brown and Todd. They're both photographers, so they didn't mind walking slowly. I got some good pictures, and they taught me about photographing from different angles and such. "Unconventional angles are your friend," said Mr. Brown, "That way you do things differently than other photographers." It's true, really. I've seen hundreds of pictures of the Three Gossips formation and they all look the same. Crouch down on the path and it's a whole different story. Fun stuff.

After Park Avenue came The Windows, Castle Arch (pretty sure that's the name), Double Arch, and driving past Balanced Rock. Don't tell me that erosion takes millions of years; I was in Arches a year and a half ago and trust me, Balanced Rock was bigger then. It shrunk! A lot! I couldn’t do any of the hikes up to the arches in the area, so I stayed in the bus with the driver (Lee) and Meri’s mom. I felt very sick to my stomach, my arm hurt, and I was feeling very depressed for some reason. Meri’s mom wasn’t feeling well either. Motion sickness, probably.

We had a bit of a run-in with an environmentalist, because Lee left the bus running so that Mrs. Chamberland and I could have the air conditioning on. The guy took pictures of the bus and wrote down plate numbers, called Lee names, et cetera. Lee told him to buzz off because there were sick people on the bus. The man replied saying things like the CO2 emissions from the bus were bad for the environment and would degrade the rock formations faster, that it would result in acid deposition, blah, blah, blah. I knew what he was talking about, and I knew that it takes a heck of a lot more emissions than from one bus.

Now, I’m not generally a mean person. I’m not a very brave person, either. I was, however, sick, tired, and out of sorts. I’d had it. I was not going to give up my A/C for some measly mouthed Enviro freak when those rocks had been standing around for whoever knows how long, withstood plenty of carbon, and hadn’t gone anywhere. A few grams of CO2 were not going to bother those rocks. I grabbed hold of the rails on the stairs to hold myself up and stared the Enviro Stormtrooper Geek in the face. I looked him up and down and opened my mouth.

“You know what, Bud? You’ve got some pretty nice hiking boots on there. Must have cost you, what? Fifty odd dollars? Now, if you want to keep them nice, you’ll leave, because I don’t think I can stomach your crap for much longer.”

I know! I’m such a jerk! I feel bad about it now. Sort of. Anyway, he left, and we didn’t hear anything else for the rest of the trip. Lee was rather proud of me, I think. Meri’s mom laughed, but I think she was a little surprised at me. I know I was. I guess the moral of that story is this: Do not mess with a sick Environmental Science student, because she knows what you’re talking about and won’t put up with skewed facts.

And I don’t hate environmentalists. I care about the planet a lot. I don’t, however, care about idiots who listen to one-sided arguments. You’ve gotta know both sides before you can start spouting.

All right, that’s over. Once the rest of the kids came back, we left the park and went to the Visitor’s Center for potty breaks and lunch. I’d eaten some of mine, but I didn’t want to eat anything else (too sick) so I went into the Gift Shop. I found some pens for my family, one from each of the places we’d stopped at. Practical, right? I also got a key chain with Delicate Arch on it for me. It’s one of my favorite formations, though I’ve never had a chance to hike up to it. Next time, for sure.

Heading home was the worst part of the trip, especially when we picked a movie to watch. The choices were three John Wayne movies and The Dark Knight. I’m not allowed to watch the last movie I mentioned. When people told me that my parents would never find out, I knew I’d still feel guilty. Mr. Clark put in Rio Lobo (John Wayne) which is really a horrible movie, but at least it wasn’t something I’m not allowed to see. Most of the boys enjoyed it. Probably because it’s sexist and shoot ‘em up. Don’t make fun of me because I’m 17 and still obey my parents, even when I’m on a trip miles from home. I’d feel guilty and I’d be breaking the rules. Besides, if you do make fun of me, I won’t really care. I’ve had plenty of experience with people making fun of me because I keep the rules. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t care much anymore.

So, Rio Lobo was a total fail and I was wishing that I’d brought Mulan or Pirates of the Caribbean or something like that. Sitting in front of people trying to convince me that The Dark Knight is a great movie was a fail on their part, because I wouldn’t listen. It’s dark, evil, and disturbing. I’ve seen parts of it, and the utter darkness I feel when watching it is way worse than being made fun of. Anyway, now that you know the story of my run-in with the Stormtrooper I dare you to take me on. ;) Just kidding.

We stopped in the canyon near Price about an hour and a half from home to see a large exposed coal vein. No one really cared enough to take good notes; we just wanted to go home. Tony did bring out his rock hammer to take a sample; I thought that was funny. He really enjoys geology.

We arrived home around 4:30 in the afternoon, ahead of schedule again. Dad picked me up and helped me get my stuff in the car. I got to tell him about my trip, and was in the process of doing so when I was met with a complete surprise in my living room. There against the wall stood a shiny, dark brown, beautiful piano. I do play the piano (though not well), and I suffered a great heartbreak when the piano I had was reduced to uselessness when some children who will not be named pounded on it and broke most of the keys. It was way too much to fix it; over 38 of the keys no longer played and those that did sounded terrible. To come home to an instrument that actually worked, had gorgeous tone, and was ever so wonderful was amazing. To be told that it was mine struck me speechless. Seriously. I didn’t play it though; I was too dirty to touch this treasure. I waited until the next day to play it.

My mom and I watched Surf’s Up that evening, and I went to bed early.

That, my friends, was the AP Environmental Science Southern Utah Field Trip of the year 2008-2009. I will never forget it, because it was truly amazing. Not to mention that a certain boy asked me on a date during that time. *sigh* Good times.

This has been a terribly long post. Forgive me, and if you read the whole thing, type something like.....hm....99/> or something. I hope it was at least somewhat interesting. And if you type "hm....99/> or something. I hope it was at least somewhat interesting" in the comment box to let me know that you read it, I will laugh and the smack you upside the head with a 2 x 4. ;)

Ta.

week in review...

Sunday: Went to church, listened to an amazing talk by Megan, a friend of mine who came home from her mission a couple of months ago. I'm glad I decided to go. It was great.

Monday: School sucks. At least I've got some good friends (yay for Multimedia corner of doom boys :) ). I didn't have to work. That was good. Later in the evening my sisters and I babysat for a single mom who has four kids, works three jobs, has two dogs, and is super stressed out. I helped each kid clean their room, tidied up the rest of the house, cleaned the kitchen, and played with each of the children and my sisters. I was happy to help my new friend out; the lady is super super nice and she has the greatest kids.

Tuesday: Woke up not feeling well. Tried going to school for third period but ultimately failed-I came home early after calling a neighbor to check me out. Meghan and her partner didn't win at State History Fair, and both were rather relieved. Mom told me to lay on the couch with the window open and watch a movie. I did. Picked Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and enjoyed it so much that I watched it again when my family got home. I don't know if I like those movies because they're well made, or if it's just the fact that Orlando Bloom is so darn handsome. Maybe it's both. I suspect it's predominantly Orlando Bloom, though. We also watched the second film, which was good too. Again-Orlando has something to do with it.

Wednesday: Stayed home again. What? I didn't feel well, okay? Besides-I hadn't had a chance to watch At World's End yet. And I did go to work, Tuesday and Wednesday. So there. First cast meeting, which went all right, except for the fact that I ended up in tears three or four times from fear and feelings of absolute worthlessness. Thank goodness that my dogs were with us. Yes, Misty is Toto. Buddy comes because he gets so lonely when he's home by himself. I still don't know what I am. Neither does the director. *shrug* Whatever.

Thursday: SNM night!!! It was great-even though I did have to drive myself. Scary. Oh, well. A button popped off of my uniform, and I didn't have time to sew it back on before work, so I cheated. I put on a t-shirt underneath. Technically it's not official, and a uniform Nazi could have a fit, but too bad. I'm not going to work with an open shirt and nothing underneath it. Sorry. I also had to pay for gasoline because my dad forgot to fill it up before he left on his trip. Again. Second or third time he's driven it to empty. *sigh* Annoying, because my parents get on my case when I spend money for anything, even if it's food for the car. Oh, and I didn't go to school. I watched the same movies again. Tee hee.

Friday: Went to school. What a mistake. No, it wasn't too bad, actually. Just lame and boring and ughness as usual. Work wasn't bad, and I bought some bird feeder kits for my sisters. So far they're still on the table untouched. I should go get some wood glue and do them all by my onesy. Hm... I also brought dinner home because I was too tired and too unhappy to cook. Just pizza, cookies, and soda. Along with some grapes and carrots and stuff. We watched the first film again (need I type it out? Nope) and had a grand old time with our junk food and Will Turner squeeness. I finally got the Awards Assembly pushed out of my mind and all of the disappointment that came with it. I nearly got the issue of no Prom date off of my mind, too, helped by the presence of attractive pirate onscreen.

Today: More pirates!!! All three, actually. I think. No, just two and three. Sort of half-hearted attempt to clean my room (more like throw stuff in the closet and the crack between the wall and the bed to give an appearance of cleanliness, because I DON'T CARE), did not go shopping, did do laundry, and did shower. So most of my plans came through. Did not, however, find it possible to contact aforementioned Sparrow and Turner to help me locate my scribblings of poetry, so did not find the papers swallowed by the Locker of Davy Jones. Another time, perhaps.

And now-off to bed.

Oh, bugger! I almost forgot. I went for a walk in the rain today with my sister. It was quite fun, especially the part where I pretended to be a certain member of the crew (NOT Elizabeth, and seeing as she's nearly the only female, you'll have to figure out who it is I've made up, 'cause I'm not telling) who's soaking wet and helping to bail out the ship. Ah, the imagination. I took my camera and found some lovely wet flowers to photography. Perhaps I'll post them tomorrow. It was very enjoyable, though, even though I got very, very wet and my camera got a tad bit dripped on, too. Thank heavens for a gigantic umbrella and a sister who does what she's told. ;)

This post has been absolutely nothing but randomness. I'm having a hard time following it myself, and I'm the one whose lived out this blasted week.

NOW I'm going to bed. Maybe.