Sister 2 Two

Summer 08

2008-06-25T09:51:00.010-07:00

Of course, knowing me, my summer has been totally beyond busy. Cedar point, tennis camp, volleyball camp, bonfires, camping, boating, swimming.... that's how its been. I haven't had 1 boring day so far. And I just got a packet last week, full of work... HOMEWORK. Who would have thought that being in Honor's English next year would have meant a packet of work for the summer... not me that's for sure. =[[ Here are just a couple pics of the first couple weeks of summer 08! =]] Hope you all are doing well.

Best friends > Pals > Sisters

2008-05-14T19:13:00.015-07:00

Photo shoot in my room! Sophia loves to take pictures... just like her sister! ;) [dont know why they are all in weird places. they wont just stay side by side.. lol ?? ]

Enjoying this warm weather..

2008-04-19T17:38:00.015-07:00

Well I finally feel like summer is almost here...

Only 33 and 1/2 days left of school!!!

Not much new news.. just a few photos [of this weekend, last weekend, and last week at school] that can probably speak for themselves.

It's been too long

2008-04-09T17:28:00.005-07:00

GWEN...I MISS YOU! ALONG WITH ALL OF OUR OTHER TRAVEL MATES! ='[[[ NEED 2 SEE U ALL SOON!

Maui

2008-04-06T16:40:00.015-07:00

Wow it sure has been awhile hasn't it. Things are going good here. Just got back from Maui on Friday which was great. It is just such a beautiful, relaxing place. I absolutely love it there. Though it was kind of depressing to come back I am excited to be home, get back into the normal routine, and see my friends. It turns out the parents booked the trip wrong and they booked it for the 2 weeks before my spring break, so this whole week I have off and will just be chilling out and catching up on all my homework. I am having a difficult time adjusting back to the regular time and there is 6 hours difference but I'll get used to it.
Here are just a few photos from the trip that you haven't seen on my mom's blog.. ;) along with a video. haha shes gonna kill me

2008-02-24T08:44:00.007-08:00

As you all have probably read over at my mom's blog I have been really sick the past couple weeks after coming back from Tennessee, which by the way, was an amazing trip that I cannot even begin to try and describe. And I also have had an especially hard time breathing the last couple days. Luckily I have like 4 prescriptions I am now taking which are helping a lot. We are planning to schedule another visit to the doctors tomorrow to figure out what we re going to do about this. We'll definitly be sure to keep you all updated with the results.But just a little quote since it is indeed smart card Sunday...

I believe that you
must forgive whenever

possible, but sometimes

there are certain things
or people you cannot
forgive, no matter how
hard you try. This is
when you must give
it to God, for God is
greater than you are
and can take care of
whatever you can't.
- Sylvia Browne

And since a lot of you visit some of the same blogs you have probably read on Gwen's page

about the Jesus Calling devotional books. My mom, dad, and I all have them now and I would totally recommend them. I have even started a journal to go along with it now and just right down my thoughts after reading through the daily scriptures. This little book is for sure making a big difference in my life right now... so if you don't have one yet, I suggest you get one soon ... ;)

[just some pics because posts are boring without them] ;)

Smart Card Sunday [just for you Mr. Brian]

2008-02-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

From

the dawn of time,

God has known you

and loved you. He's not

waiting today for you

to get it together.

He's waiting for you

to come to Him with

open, empty hands.

- Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

If your relationship

with God is injured,

apologize today for your

attitudes and thoughts.

Tell God you have

misunderstood

His actions and badly

misjudged His character.

Tell Him exactly how

you have felt and why,

and ask Him for

His forgiveness.

- Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

Getting through it

2008-01-30T13:47:00.001-08:00

So I thought it was about time for another post as It's been awhile.

Time just flies so fast....

Well, life is crazy. I am not playing any sports at the moment but of course I've still been busy. Friends, school, High school basketball games, student council, shopping =D..

And I just got my report card last week and was relived to see all A's. It's been a bit stressfu

l lately with the two high school classes and all. Its definitely getting a lot harder, but I'm continuing to work hard. I've also been busy planning parties and fundraisers for the student council. Then there's the weekends I look forward to for breaks yet I find myself running everyday of

them. From one party to another. Last weekend was fun - I had a birthday party to go with a group of girlfriends from Friday

night to Saturday and then a Miss America Party at Kenzie's from Saturday to Sunday. [she's in pageants and stuff so Miss America is a big thing for her] lol. Other than that lots of things to look forward too. [parties, retreat with church, dances, student council party, TRIP TO TENNESSEE TO SEE GWEN, etc] My weekends are pretty much booked until March. lol

But yeah, just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive. Been having a bit of a hard time lately from the drama which seems like it's never ending but I'm getting through it.

Unfortunately I don't look forward to school as much as I used to when I was little...when kids weren't so rude and judgmental, so it's though. I've found myself crying far too many times to count in the last month. So Gwen and I have decided I am coming to live with her soon.. =D

Me and My Bestie [she helps me get through it all]

I miss this..more than anything! [teary eyed] =,[

Can't wait to see you girl!

quick update

2008-01-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,boy have i been busy lately. I cannot believe that Christmas break is almost over..it sure did go by fast. I sure will miss staying up till early hours and sleeping in until noon, but I sure am excited to get back and see my friends.

I got together with my best friend Kenzie a lot over break, before and after Christmas. We had a lot of fun baking Christmas cookies and decorating our gangster gingerbread house before the holidays! ;) Also just the other day we pulled a whole night er and partied all night..haha . it was pretty amazing. We didn't go to bed until 7 in the morning and then had to wake up early [like 2 hours later] to go shopping with mom. but it was totally fun.

I also had a great Christmas with the family. I was of course woken up early by little miss Sophia because she was so excited to see what Santa had brought for the tribe but that was alright. It was also fun to see all the older siblings in the afternoon and exchange presents with all of them as well.

Some of my favorite Christmas presents...

imac computer

new pink digital camera

new cell phone [with a button on the side to open it] =] hehe

new ugg boots.. very in now - a -days to let you all know ;)

Then I also went to Ohio with Kenzie and her family to the biggest water park in the United States. It was an absolute blast and I would totally recommend the place to anyone..especially families. It is absolutely great for all ages. It was called Kalahari. I didn't bring my camera up there as we were way to busy to take pics. but it was a blast.

So other than that I have just been hanging with friends, shopping, baking, hanging with Sophia, talking on the cell till 4 in the morning. haha..i was told i have to get that bill down next month..whoops..lol.

but yeah just a quick update. i didnt even mention about how our power went out twice or about dad's christmas party or new years.. but i've decided im going to try to take more pics this new year, especially now that i got a new camera. but yeah, i love and miss you all...especially my blogger buddies. i think about u every day ladies....=[[[ im thinking im ready for another reunion already!!

I need to chill

2007-12-04T12:33:00.001-08:00

So today was absolutely CRAZY! I went to school this morning and was called down right away with the rest of our play cast for a dress rehearsal. The middle school is doing a play called Christmas Scene Investigators that I wanted to get involved in this year. We have been practing for about a month now and today was our first real performance. We performed for the 4th and 5th graders today and Thursday we have our night performance for the community and parents and Friday we do it for our school (6th, 7th, and 8th grades), I have to say our first time through was a bit skaky. I didn't mess up of course ;) but there were others. But hopefully we are now ready for our shows later this week. So then I had to go back to 4th hour at school with all of my stage makeup still left on my face as I wasn't given time to wash it off. So I got to deal with all the guys and everyone making fun of me and giving me weird looks the rest of the day. And of course my part requires the most makeup out of anybody else in the cast so I was the easiest to make fun of. ;( But anyways, right when I got back I had a student council meeting. Our school is taking part in a fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network which is an organization which raises money for Hellen DeVos Children's Hospital and I am the chair of the committe so I am in charge of all that. Colleting, counting and sorting money, hanging posters, spreading the word, leading doughnut and cookie sales, keeping track of the competetions..ugh. it's just so much. I am going crazy I think! And of course all the extra added stress around the holidays..christmas cards, gifts, get-togethers...oh my word. Plus our band and choir concerts are comming up along with musical and basketball tryouts. And for all of you who don't think teenagers know what stress really is..lol..trust me I do. ;) I will post more pictures of my play this weekend from our Friday's performance for you all. This is just one of me and my friend shannon dressed up as an elf backstage before dress rehearsal....with all our crazy makeup just done.
This is just a quick video I wanted to show you all which Ingrid and I made of Sophia...hope you get a good laugh for the day ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP3sweuthIQ

Smart Card Sunday

2007-11-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

WOW that 5 day weekend sure did go by fast. It was so nice to take a break from everything though. We got together with family for Thanksgiving and enjoyed a delicious feast and I spent my other time chilling and getting together with friends. Nothing to special to report though..;)
but of course I must not forget about smart card Sunday... I've heard you've all been missing them...=[[

God is

watching out for you.

If you ask him,

He'll tell you where

not to go. Your part is

to pray for protection

from evil, to thank

him for his care,

and to obey.

- Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

I'm Back

2007-11-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

I never really realized that it has been practically 2 months since I've blogged. I have definitly been missing it but time has just been going by so fast. I cannot believe Thanksgiving is already next week...and Christmas is nearly a month away..it's crazy! But as you all know I have been of course keeping busy- soccer and volleyball are over but I am still involoved in the play and student council. Basketball doesn't start until January so I will be taking a break for awhile unless I join a travel volleyball team. Other than that everything is crazy at school as well. With 2 advanced classes I have tests atleast once every week and lots of projects and homework. I am going to try to make more time to blog as volleyball is over so I should have more free time because I have definitly been missing all of you.
I am home sick today and have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I went to bed last night at 6:00 and slept all the way until 8:30 this morning and woke up with a sore throat, cough, and horrible headace which has been going on over a week, so there is definitly something wrong. But hopefully the doctor will just give me an antibotic or something later this afternoon.

Anyway, I just posted a few pics of me and my friends that I have taken lately..nothing too special..=]

2007-09-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

As you guys may have noticed I am having a real hard time keeping up with the blog. With volleyball right after school, soccer after that, and 3 advanced classes I just don't have the time. Not to mention the football games, student council, church and bible sudy, and parties...I'm just so busy.

But the year has been going good. I made the A volleyball team and am hangin out with a lot of new friends. My classes are amazing and my locker is right by one of my best friends.
Hope you are all doing well. Middle school is so very crazy but I am doing great and putting up with all the drama! ;) Hope you all are doing well. hugs to everyone! <3

2007-09-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

So umm yeah. I actually have a true excuse this time for not posting in awhile. You see, my laptop kinda fell of my desk and umm yeah it's fried. A crystal in the screen broke and so the screen is messed up. On the good side, my computer was having some troubles and we were planning and getting a new one but now we will just be doing that sooner. Other that that of course staying busy...the first home high school football game was Thursday which was a blast! I love love love football games!! =)It was so fun to see everyone again and see how everyone changed over the summer. School is on Tuesday. I can not believe it! Summer totally flew by. I can't wait to go back though. I am so thrilled. Just enjoying my last few days of summer outside, laying in the sun, playing with the neighbors. Can't wait to catch back up with everyone shortly.

nO tItLe

2007-08-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

the right thing. . .

especially when

no on is watching.

- Cherie Carter

So continueing to keep busy..shopping, hanging out with friends. I can't believe this is the last week of summer. Like I said I'll be more into the blog again when school starts. I'm excited for school but not about the waking up early and working part. But seeing everyone again will be fun. I've already been told a picture of the locker will need to be posted...don't worry Gwen I will do. Well, hope all is going well with everyone...

quick update!

2007-08-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

So I was told all of my blogger buddies were getting a bit impatient and waiting for another post so I thought I better get to it. Right now I just have time for a couple posts here and there but not time to make it to all the blogs to comment. When summer dies down hopefully I'll get more into it again.
So as you all have probably seen we had a great trip up north. On the way up there I got a call from Ingrid saying I got my school class schedule so that gave Kenzie and I something to do on the way up there- calling everyone to see if we have any classes with them. It turns out I have classes with a lot of my friends this year so I'm pretty excited!

We didn't have good weather the first day as we were all buddled up with sweatshirts and blankets but the second day wasn't bad. I laid out every chance I could trying to get a good end of the summer tan before school starts. We had fun during the nights as well playing at the arcade and chillin in the waterpark. Overall the trip was fun..and a great way to end the last part of the summer.

Yesterday mom and I took the little ones to Wal-Mart to get some school supplies and decorations for the locker. And today we went to the mall and went back to school shopping for jeans. It was a great day...we had a blast! Thanks mom...<3>

Hope you all enjoy them like I am....love to you all!!

Summer's Almost Over!!!!=(

Well I'm back, I mean kinda

2007-08-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

So I got my computer back! I'm so happy, I was like dieing without it! Well neways, I have been stayingbusy of course. I had a student council party today. We met all the upcomming 6th graders that will be on next year, signed up for comittees, and then went to Nate's house to hang out. It was definitly a fun day. I finally feel like I am getting caught up with everything...I just got my room all cleaned up and am keeping in touch with all my friends and now getting to the blog. oo, and the reason my title says "I mean kinda", well I'm leaving this weekend to go up north to Boyne with the fam. We like to take our boats up there to Torch Lake and we stay at hotel with an indoor waterpark so that will be fun. But yeah, neway...I added a few extra things since I haven't been on in awhile and missing out on some things..

Don't Start

tackling tomorrow's

problems until

tomorrow.

You don't have

tomorrow's strength

yet. You simply have

enough for today.

We don't need to

know what will

happen tomorrow.

- Max Lucado

You Are a Super Diva

Some may complain about your diva ways, but you brush them off.You simply demand the best - and there's nothing wrong with that.Don't stomp on the little people too much though!You still need them to get to the top.

Are You a Diva?

oo and those of you who may be wondering about my knee...

well we went to the doctors yesterday and I got an antibotic which is making it feel 80% better!!

Since I haven't posted in awhile I decided to add some cute pics of Sophia. I was in the bathroom doing my hair and when I cam back Sophia was in my room getting into my stuff as you can see...

Just Letting ya know..

2007-08-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

I finally start to get back with the blogs and guess what? The computer people come to check out our computers in the house and fix some things and they end up taking mine away because so much needs to be worked on. So hopefully I'll get back into the blogging in a bit. I know it seems I've said that way to much this summer but it's been crazy busy. Anyway, we're celebrating Sophia's birthday today and having a blast. So for now just keep up with my mom's blog for all the latest family info and pics. I'm on her computer right now but she's already informed me this will be the only time...lol...she needs it for blogging I guess. Anway, love and miss you all! Hugs.. <3

Smart Card Sunday

2007-08-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Where in

your life are you

avoiding a choice?

Are you willing to

make self- honoring

choices today?

If you don't make clear

and conscious choices

you'll be stuck with

whatever shows up.

- Iyanla Vanzant

I'm Back!!

2007-08-03T15:34:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone I'm back. I just got back tonight from Wisconsin. 12 students from our youth group went along with 3 leaders on a mission trip. It was amazing...that pretty much sums in up. But I know everyone will want to hear like all the details so I'll fill you in.

Ok, so we stayed at Crossroads Church in Madison, Wisconson along with 5 groups from other churches. There was a total of about 80 people. We were divided up into 6 teams with a mix of kids and leaders from different churches. It was awesome to meet new people and we ended up becoming great friends with all our group members and many more kids. So here's a typical schedule of what would happen during the day...

7:00 wake up
7:30 breakfast
8:15 quiet time with small groups
8:45 assembly for daily assignments
9:00 off to work sites
12:00 lunch break
12:30 back on the job
3:45 - 5:45 shower time
6:00 dinner
6:30 free time
7:30 - 9:00 worship and teaching time
9:15 small groups
9:45 hang out
11:00 bed time

So as you can see we were always very busy. The opportunity to serve was great and the members of our group made it fun. Here's a list of the projects we did...

Community Gardens- we picked 1,500 pounds of veggies which went directly to an outreach service
Middleton Outreach- we sorted clothes at a shelter
Holy Wisdom Monastery- we spreed ed mulch on a trail in the woods and cleaned inside
Second Harvest- we packaged food to be sent to shelters
Salvation Army- we cleaned, organized, and played with little kids there

Not only was serving an amazing part of the experience but the teaching time (service) was too. Rich, the speaker, was an absolute amazing guy. I could relate to all of his messages and he really made me think. Hearing his messages really brought me closer to God and made my week. I am so thankful that he was there. I can't even begin to explain how great he was. By the end of the service practically half of the people were always crying because he was so amazing and the stories he told were touching and incredible. Other than that we just hung out with all the awesome friends we met, played volleyball, pool, etc. We were all so sad we had to leave today. It was so so hard to say goodbye to everyone again as we are toally hoping to stay in touch and see them again next year. Anyway, our youth leader is goin to send us all disks with the pictures on them so until then I'll just post a couple we took last night of all our friends. We were running around dnapping pics of them all...pretty fun. So I'm just trying to catch up on everything...all the comments and blogs!

Wacky Wednesday...what extreme sport should you try

2007-07-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

You Should Try Adventure Racing

Not only do you have the extreme attitudeYou've the extreme endurance for an adventure race!

What Extreme Sport Should You Try?

Smart Card Sunday/ 5 Reasons me-me

2007-07-22T12:00:00.001-07:00

So it was nice to just take a little break from the blogs. I've been hanging outside all day long this past week and have not been on the computer a ton. but i didn't forget about smart card Sunday...

Take
your focus
off of how others
see you. Cease
being obsessed
with the need to impress
your friends and your
foes. Keep your concern
on the vision you see in
the mirror. Don't allow
the approval of others
to obstruct you
view of YOU.
- Travis Smiley

I was also tagged at the beginning of the week by Ashley to participate in this me-me "5 Reasons I Love Jesus" meme. So hear it goes...

1. He is always forgiving. ~ This is incredible! I am just now getting back on track from making some poor decisions that I regret and not being as close to him as I used to; and instead of being angry at me for making some bad choices and being farther than I wanted from him for awhile he welcomes me back with open arms.

2. He leads me in the right direction. ~ As many of you know, 7th grade was a hard year for me. My best friend and I got into a huge fight and we haven't really talked much since, which was one of the hardest things I've gone through. But after loosing her, God lead me towards some of my old friends who I now have reconnected with. Lauren and Kenzie are not only a ton of fun but great christian girls. The 3 of us have actually even started a bible study together this summer which has helped all of us grow a lot.

3. He helps me make the right choices ~ Being in middle school you are faced with hard decisions daily and have to put up with much peer pressure. I've already been faced with situations where God has given me the strength to say "no" to my peers and make the right choice.

4. He works in interesting ways. ~ Last week, I was really tired and not wanting to get up and go to church Sunday morning. I was sporting a frown all morning and didn't speak a word on the way there. But as I sat in church listening to Pastor Todd I felt like the sermon was faced all towards me and was exactly what I needed to hear. It just proves to show that God works in interesting and mysterious ways.

5. He has a reason for everything and will always keep his word of meeting all our needs. ~ You know, sometimes it's difficult for me to understand why God allows bad things happen. For example, why weren't we matched with one of the little girls we requested on the last COP list and why couldn't my mom have any kids right after me but could after Sophia. But we just have to remember that God has a plan for everything. Maybe there is a different little girl out there that is meant to be in our family instead of one of the three we last requested. And if my mom had Daniel earlier would we have chose to adopt Sophia? Then where would she be?
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19

I have to say, thanks Ashley for tagging me. It really caused me to stop and think! I definitly need to do that more often! =)

what flower are u

2007-07-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry I am getting to this so late. Our computer and cable went out all day and just came back on so I'm just getting to everything.

You Are a Carnation

You are down to earth and grounded. You tend to be more traditional than trendy.Your confidence gets you through anything.People trust you and are very loyal to you.

What Flower Are You?

Smart Card Sunday

2007-07-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to do 2 Smart Card Sundays since I've been gone for the last couple. Hope you enjoy them! =) Have a great Sunday!

From

the dawn of time,

God has known you

and loved you. He's not

waiting today for you

to get it together.

He's waiting for you

to come to him with

open, empty hands.

~ Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

The words

you use to describe

others make sharp

YOU-turns.

Your judgments,

criticisms, and

compliments

boomering back

to you. What you say

about others,

you're also saying

about yourself.

-Travis Smiley

Congratulations Gwen!!!

2007-07-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

My wonderful Gwen was just recently matched with this beautiful little girl who they are naming Maggie. They are hoping to travel in 2-5 months to bring her home! This baby girl and this family were truly meant to be and I can't wait to see her in her mommy and daddy's arms. I love Gwen and her family so much and am so excited for them to bring another little addition to the family home soon! Stop by her blog to leave her with some warm and congratulating words...she'll love it! :)

Which Dessert are you Most Like?

2007-07-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry I posted this so late but I wanted to wait awhile since I just posted my pics from the trip yesterday! Anyway...hope u all like the quiz!

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted.Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

Gettin Back into the Swing of things...

2007-07-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

OMW I've never had such a busy summer! So I got back from Europe on July 3rd, late at night. Left for Tennessee a day later. I Just got back from Tennessee Sunday night! Was gone at Kenzie's house all day yesterday our Bible study! So I am just now getting a chance to get back on the blog. I uploaded all these pics to Kodak before Tennessee thinking all of you could see them but it wont work so I just decided to upload a couple to blogger! Hope you all like them! I'm gonna try hard to get around to all the blogs today and upload more pics of the reunion soon! (the pictures are in order from the places we went...just like the bottom post)

I'm Back

2007-07-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! Boy am I glad to be back! I made sure to make time for a quick post as I just got back late last night from Europe and have been trying to unpack and pack since we're leaving tomorrow for Tennessee to meet all the families for the Ping Jiang Reunion. The business just never stops! Overall I had a pretty good trip and saw a lot of neat things...hope you enjoy the pics...

Click here to see a slideshow
updated: ok I know you're all dying to see pics....I'm working on the slideshow as it's not working

What we did in Europe

Amsterdam:

Ate at Hard Rock Cafe

Van Gough Museum

Ricks Museum

Corrie Ten Boom House

Saw the Rembrandt statue-Night House

Germany:

Visited DaKow (first made concentration camp)

Visited Castle in Heidelberg/saw huge wine barrel

Drank and danced at beer garden

Austria:

Swaraski Crystal Museum

Italy:

Boat ride to Venice

Shopped for purses in the black market

Visited St. Marks Basilica

Shopped and hung out in St. Marks Square

Rode in a gondola down the canals

Verona Coliseum

Toured Romeo and Juliette's house

Switzerland:

Great Mountains

Rode to the top of Mount Pilateus

Boat ride on Lake Lucern

Shopped for Swiss Knives and chocolate

France:

Shopped at Galleria Lafitte (one of the largest department stored in the world, 7 floors)

Visited the Louvre(largest museum in the world)/saw the Monolisa

Visited Notre Dame Cathedral

Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower

Boat ride down the river

London:

Rode on the London eye (largest ferris wheel in the world)

Toured Windsor Castle

Stopped Buckingham Palace

Saw Big Ben

Ate in a city called Convent Gardens

Went to see a Broadway show (called Wicked)

With Love

2007-07-03T06:06:00.001-07:00

I missed you soooooo much Lulu......I can't wait to see you tonight!

Love,

Mom

Leaving for Europe

2007-06-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well we're about ready to leave but I just remembered I told all my blogger buddies I would tell them where I was going. I was going to post my whole itinerary but mom said I shouldn't just post that on the Internet for safety reasons so I decided just to tell you the places I'll be visiting.

Here's where I'll be the next 2 1/2 weeks....
Germany
Amsterdam
Venice
Switzerland
Austria
Paris
London

I'll post pictures as soon as I get back of the places I went. I didn't get a chance to visit all the blogs one more time before I left as I have been so busy packing and cleaning up today but I'll be sure to get all caught up when I get back! I'll miss you all! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers please! Lots of love...Emmie <3

Mom's 40th Birthday Party

2007-06-17T11:38:00.002-07:00

OMW am I so behind on the blogging or what!? So this may be a very long post but I have so much to share. I'll just go day by day to make it less confusing...

FRIDAY: So Friday morning my good friends Lauren and Kenzie came over for our first Bible Study meeting. We are reading the Secret Power Girl books and studying the Book of Philippians. We had a great meeting and made pictures frames as our craft afterwards. Then later my dad and I dropped them off at their houses and picked Gwen and Becky up at the airport. We had my mom meet us at the grill at about nine since both girls flights were delayed (hope you liked that hair gel Gwen :)) and we totally surprised her by having the girls there. We were the last ones in the restaurant chatting until nearing 11:00 and then dropped the girls off at a hotel in Grand Rapids. My dad, Gwen, Becky, and I have had this all planned for over 2 months now and were so excited to see them and surprise my mom!

SATURDAY: We picked the girls up in the morning and brought them back to the house. We layed in the sun, went out on the boats, had a nice lunch (made by me, lol ), gave mom her presents, primped and got ready, and then headed to Yen Ching (a Chinese Restaurant) for the party. Mom had a great time continuing to chat with the girls and all our other friends and family that were there. Lauren and Kenzie were there as well so I had someone to hang with. The food was great, I said a speech which not only made my mom cry but ME TOO, and there was a comedian as well. Even Kimberly from Red Mary Janes was there which was great. After the party my mom, dad, Gwen and Becky headed back to the hotel to chat the night away. Unfortunately we have said our goodbyes as they left this morning but luckily we will see them all in just 3 weeks for the Reunion in Tennessee.

SUNDAY: Today I am busy packing and getting ready for my trip! We leave tomorrow night!! Right before I leave I'll do a post to show you all what I will be doing and where I'll be going, don't worry! I'll try to get around to all the blogs 1 or 2 more times before I leave. Hopefully I won't get too behind while I'm gone! :( Also Happy Father's Day to Dad! We are going to have a nice dinner tonight and have just been chilling at the house all day.

So here's some pictures of the party. The slideshow wouldn't work so I just had to list them like this. And my mom's good friend was in charge of taking pictures of the whole party and all the people so I don't have many of those (just of us) but oh well, I took quite a bunch for y'all! :) And my Oma wanted me to post my speech on the blog so she could print it out and have one of her own so that's right underneath this post if you'd like to read that. I couldn't believe I started to cry while reading it! Ugh, little miss emotional here! Anyway, I didn't forget Smart Card Sunday either Mr. Brian! Here it is...

We're all here for
a purpose. Meditate
on your mission, then
use your gifts and
talents to live your life
on purpose. In doing
so, you'll become an
unending magnet
for miracles.
-Travis Smiley

The Girls, what a great surprise!

Gwen and I...:)

My Speech to Mom

2007-06-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom!This day means a lot to me, and I thought I'd take a few minutes today to tell you why. The most obvious explanation, of course, is that we all like an excuse for a party, right?! But there's a more important reason. I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you've done for me. And I want you to know that I think you have a lot to celebrate. For starters, you've been a kind and loving mother. You've been the kind of Mother who puts her family first, and does whatever it takes to make sure we’re all happy, safe, and healthy. You have always put our wants and needs first and before your own.
You’ve not only been a mother to me but a best friend too. Whenever I come home from school you’re always waiting by the door to hear all about my day. To hear all about the juicy gossip- the good, the bad, and the ugly. You’ve been there to listen to hear me out, calm me down, give me great advice, and prepare me for another day back at school or so called drama central.
When things have really gotten bad at school you never hesitate to step up to protect me from the local snot balls. The community knows by now to watch out for Stefanie Beckering, for as you always say…you’re the lioness protecting her cubs with everything she’s got.
From day one you’ve taught me that life is a learning experience, not just in school but all the time. Ever since I was a little girl you’ve taught me to stand up for what I believe in- To stay strong, and hold my own ground, To not be ashamed for being the strong, Christian girl that I am, and to not worry about what others think or say about me. You’ve always reminded me to help others who are in need and who are less fortunate than we are. By being a great, motherly role-model, you have not only told me this but showed me through your actions.
Mom, what I’m trying to say is, through it all- our occasional pow-wows, arguments, and disagreements, I love you. I love spending time with you, talking to you, and hearing your great advice. As you’ve seen through the years I have continued to grow more and more like you as many call me the “mini Steffie.” I’m like your shadow watching everything you do, and trying my hardest to follow. I respect you for so many reasons and hope when I grow up I can be a great wife, mother, friend, and Christian woman like you are. So thank you, for all that you’ve done and continue to do for me. I hope that as the years go on, we can continue to have the great mother-daughter bond that we have now…because I don’t know what I would do without you there.

Wacky Wednesday/My latest and greatest purchases

2007-06-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Aren't these just the cutest shoes that I got yesterday! I haven't gone shoe shopping in forever so just had to share my latest purchases with my blogger buddies! :) Sorry I couldn't find pics of the shoes alone, that's why there's little marks above them both, because I had to crop the pictures!

Here's for the Wacky Wednesday Quiz...Last one before I leave for Europe for 2.5 weeks so make sure you take it! :)

You Are Cherry Kiss Lip Gloss

You're a total girly girl who's every guy is sweet on.You take pleasure in the simple things in life, from cute t-shirts to stuffed animals.
Any guy needs to match your romantic idealism to win your heart, which is why few have.No wonder Cherry your signature flavor. It's delicious, sugary, and fun - like you!

What Flavor Lip Gloss Are You?

I was Tagged!

2007-06-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

This is long overdo as I was tagged awhile ago by Mr. Brian and am just getting to it. Oh well, here it goes...

4 facts about me:

1. I am a very, strong Christian girl
2. Kenzie and Lauren have been my best friends since Preschool
3. I am a chocoholic
4. I am terrified of snakes and needles

4 habits I have.

1. I am a total perfectionist
2. I shop way too much
3. I bite my nails.
4. I tend to not pick up after myelf and leave my stuff everywhere in the house

4 things I discovered in the last 4 years.

1. I can do anything I set my mind to
2. God has a plan for everything
3. Guys are stupid, you can't trust them (at this young age)
4. It's better to have a lot of friends and hang out with lots of different people

4 things I want to try or do in the next 4 years.

1. Become closer to God and continue with my devotions
2. Continue to be one of the ones with the highest GPA in my grade
3. Be a great big sister and role model to Sophia, Daniel, and the next baby
4. Continue to stay active and exercise more

Celebrity Look Alikes/ Smart Card Sunday

2007-06-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

**Thanks everyone for all the nice compliments and sayings from the last post. They were very thoughtful and I loved reading all my comments.

So I took this celebrity look-alike thing and thought I would post my results along with the smart card Sunday saying.

Celebrate

your life no matter

where it takes you-

no matter how

difficult- and know

that it is only

a transition.

~Kryon

Ok so I thought it was pretty sweet that it said I have a resemblance to Prince William so I just had to add him!

Go me!! :)

2007-06-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

OMG OMG!! I have so much to share with my blogger buddies. I know my mom is going to want to do a nice, long post about this on how she is so proud of me but I can't stand to wait! I am just so proud of myself! And this isn't made for bragging...sorry i'm just so excited. So today we had our honors assembly at our school. I was not only awarded with all A's for every marking period but a so totally, huge, very special award as well. Two other girls and I got a scholoraship for recieveing the highest grade point averages in our grade. This was so big for me, I didn't win it last year because it is only given to one person from each house (there are two house students are divided into) but there was a tie this year so there was two from one of the houses. Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you! I was like shaking I was so happy!

After school I hugged like everyone I saw and was so sad that I wasn't going to see them for a while but so thrilled it was summer already. Some of my friends came home with me and we went to the mall, had a pinic, and played outside. Now we are at Kenzie's to spend the night. I'll tell you more about this weekend later and post pictures of the honors assembly. I don't have a ton of pics from our Creig's Cruisers field trip or the last day because we just didn't have time and were so busy socializing.

Anyway, this is Sophia's new thing. She loves her butterfly wings and won't take them off for anything! lol! Whatever floats your boat right!?

~ Butterfly on a Bicycle ~

What kind of chocolate are you?

2007-06-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

So we only have 1.5 more days of school! OMG this does not seem real! Today we got our yearbooks and cleaned out our lockers. Tomorrow we are going on our field trip to Craig's Cruisers and Friday is our awards ceremony and last day. I am so excited. I have been so stressed these last couple of days with 3 exams and a last minute project in Language Arts. We had to create a whole new world with unique characters, setting, etc. Anyway, I hope to post pictures next week of all our upcoming events and can't wait to get back to the blogs!

OOO...and...we had a science exam today and guess what I got?! 98 percent! Woo-hoo! THe best grade in the class! And I aced my algebra ezam (not sure what the percent was I came in late) Anyway, enjoy the rest of your week everyone, and Wacky Wednesday.

You are White Chocolate

You are White ChocolateYou are sweet, caring, and truly very innocent.Whether your naive ways are a bit of act or not, people like to take care of you.You are a quiet flirt, and your power is often underestimated!

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Friday Night Outing

2007-06-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday night one of my best friends, Kenzie, and I went out to see Pirates Of the Caribbean 3 with a group of friends. It was a bit confusing considering we didn't see the first or second ones but was still really good. Trust me, I didn't mind watching Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp for three hours! lol! Here's some pics of the two of us just before we left. I'm going to try to be better about posting pictures. I know I haven't in awhile. It will be different when school's out-much more time! Only 3.5 more days!!! Woo-hoo!

What Kind of Soda are you?

2007-05-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

You Are Root Beer

Ultra sweet and innocent, you have a subtle complexity behind your sugary front.
Children love you, but so do high end snobs... when you're brewed right.

Your best soda compatibility match: Dr. Pepper

Stay away from: Diet Coke

What Kind of Soda Are You?

2007-05-29T04:00:00.001-07:00

WOW, what a fun weekend filled with

-sleepovers
-a trip to Michigan's Adventures
-swimming in the pool
-laying in the sun
-shopping
-tubing
-Oma's birthday
-tennis
-capture the flag
-baseball
-ice-cream
-Memorial Day Parade

I hung out with my friends pretty much all weekend and as you can see we had a great time! And now I am so exhausted from all the sleepovers, I really need to catch up on my sleep!

Late Smart Card Sunday ~

God is watching out for you.

If you ask him,

He'll tell you where

not to go. Your part is

to pray for protection

from evil, to thank

Him for his care,

and to obey.

-Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

Meme

2007-05-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ok well I haven't done one of these in like forever and I have nothing else to post about so I decided to just do a fun meme.

FOODOLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice? Cesar

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bell or McDonald's

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Belt line Bar and Olive Garden

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? Well I'm a kid so I don't usually pay at dinner.

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? tacos (I've done it before) :)

What is your favorite type of gum? Winter fresh

TECHNOLOGY

What is your wallpaper on your computer? a picture of the palm trees when I went to Hawaii

How many televisions are in your house? 5 if you count the plasma TV in our big mama excursion van! ;)

How do you listen to music? I-toons on my computer or my I-pod

BIOLOGY

What’s your best feature? I'd have to say my thick blonde hair or my big lips :)

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? teeth, lol, that's all I can think of

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? I'm guessing keenest means best and in thta case I'd say sight

When was the last time you had a cavity? um...probably like a year ago IDK

What is the heaviest item you lifted last? MY BACKPACK! It sure does weigh a lot with all my big books being brought home to study for exams! :(

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope, thank goodness

BULL____OLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? no, I don't think so

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Sophia

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? Well, if you count mom's attempt at homemade lasagna than yeah! ;P

Have you ever saved someone’s life? My mother's...she would probably die if she didn't have a beautiful daughter like me right? lol...no not that I know of!

Has someone ever saved yours? YES...Jesus!

DAREOLOGY

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? At midnight ... maybe :)

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $150? Yes

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? No way!

Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yeah ... but I would have to use that $50, 000 to buy a lot of new things to keep me away from blogging and busy.

Would you pose nude in a magazine for $250,000? $250,000 is sure a lot of money but anybody could get that magazine...even your great grandma living across the country so NO WAY!

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000? yea, I would try anyway!

Would you give up watching television for a year for 25,000? Once again, I'd try my best!

DUMBOLOGY

What is in your left pocket? A note that my friends Cody gave to me today and a lip gloss.

Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? I've never seen the whole thing but of what I did watch I think is pretty retarded.

Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house? Carpet

Do you sit or stand in the shower? Both, Whatever I feel like at that moment..lol

Could you live with roommates? If they were good friend of mine, yeah, I would love it!

How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? Way, way, way too many to count!!

Last time you had a run-in with the cops? Well.....jkjk...I'm only 12 1/2 GOSH!

What do you want to be when you grow up? a teacher

Last friend you talked to? Kenzie and Kimi

Last person you called? my friend Bryce

RANDOMOLOGY

First place you went this morning? Well, if you mean in my house than when I

woke up I went to the bathroom, otherwise I went to school of course.

What can you not wait to do? get out of school!

What’s the last movie you saw? Gosh, I haven't seen a movie in like forever. I've been enjoying the weather outside. But I'm guessing Bring it on All or Nothing.

Wacky Wednesday!

2007-05-22T13:32:00.001-07:00

No pictures...because the scanner isn't workin yet

Short post...because of stupid, pointless, retarded end of year projects and exams; make up soccer games; and messy rooms to clean

Not able to comment on other blogs...go back to #2

Pepperoni Pizza

Robust and dominant.
When you go for something, you go full force.
You tend to take control of situations easily.
And in return, you get a ton of respect.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Super Sweet Smart Card Sunday

2007-05-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

So today has been a pretty sweet Sunday. I slept until about 12:30. Then my brother DJ, his girlfriend Emily, and James came over after church to work and hang out. The guys worked on putting the shore stations in for the rest of the boats and did other chores around the house while Emily and I made cookies. At about 2:0 we decided we needed to go shopping because the weather out here by the lake wasn't to nice and shopping always cheers you up! So we stayed at the mall until it closed and went into about every sweet store we saw. We had soo much fun! When we arrived home the guys were grilling cheeseburgers and brats on the grill along with corn on the cob! It sure was yummy! Unfortunately, I have to jump back into reality and get ready to wake up early for school again tomorrow. Only like 13 more days though! Woo-hoo! I can't wait...I sure do have a busy summer planned though!

Well, I plan to get caught back up on the blogs this week along with the great mess in my room and bathroom. Gosh, it seems it was just yesterday when I finally got it cleaned but somehow it is out of control again. Ugh!

I decided to do two saying because they are both short but I believe they are both meaningful ones as well.

Do the right thing...

especially when

no one is watching

~ Cherie Carter

Discover the blessings

you already have.

~ Cherie Carter

What a Great Weekend!

2007-05-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

I have had such a great weekend so far. On Friday, James (my older brother) picked me and 4 of my friends (Anna, Kimi, Lauren, and Kenzie) up from school and took us to get ice-cream. Then we went back to the house and hung out. We went out on the paddle boat for awhile and then came back and got ready for the dance. Can you imagine 5 girls trying to get ready for a school dance with only a little more than an hour? I thought for sure we were going to blow a fuse with 4 straighteners, 1 crimper, and a set of hot rollers plugged into all the outlets. It was crazy with 5 girls doing their hair, doing their makeup, trying to make and eat dinner, packing all their bags together, and all loading into the car but we managed to make it to the school on time. My brother let me wear this gangster/prep hat that was in his car that I totally loved and thought was pretty sweet..lol! One of the teachers at the dance was taking pictures and sure got a lot of business from us as we got many pictures taken of just us 5 and pictures of huge groups of our friends. It was so cool. Unfortunately MY camera was out of batteries but fortunetly we got many taken there and we wont get most of the pictures until Monday so I will try to scan them then.

At the dance we all just hung out, socialized, delt with drama, and of course danced, just a little though as that is not one of my best qualities. After the dance, Kenzie's dad picked us up and we went to her house. We ended up sleeping outside in a tent with lots of blankets and 2 air mattresses. It was actually so fun. We all stayed warm, were comfy, and got a good nights sleep. We met my dad this morning to go to my soccer game which ended in a tie 3-3 but we should have won. ;)

I'm just chilling at the house right now. We are hopefully going to work more on getting our pool heater started as we just got the new liner put in the other day. Well, hope everyone has a great weekend!

~ Wacky Wednesday ~

2007-05-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

You Are a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

You life your life in a free form, artistic style.
You are incredibly creative and at times, quite messy.
Deep down, you are a kid at heart. And you aren't afraid to express it.

Your best friend: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Club Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Happy Mother's Day to all

2007-05-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Love Between
a Mother and Daughter

is Forever

The love between

a mother and daughter

is a bond of the strongest kind.

It is a love of the present,
interwoven with the memories of the past
and dreams of the future.

It is wanting only the best

for each other and wanting to help

anytime there is a need.
It is making time to be together

and knowing just what to do and say.

It is an unconditional

forever kind of love.

Mom,

Thank you so much for always being there for me and giving me a shoulder to cry on.

Thank you for giving me only the greatest advice when times are rough.

Thank you for creating special time to spend together and enjoy eachothers presence.

Thank you for always setting a great example for me through the years and being a great role-model.

I hope through the years our relationship only continues to grow stronger.

I hope we will always be able to trust eachother and tell eachother everything.

I want you to know, although I don't always tell you enough, that I love you so much and am so lucky that YOU are my mom!

Happy Mother's Day!

Love always,

Emily

I'm Back

2007-05-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yea sorry you guys. As you might have noticed I took a little break from Blogger Land. I had a very busy weekend and startes the week of crazy. I had friends come over and spend the night after school on Friday and spend the night. We got the paddle boat out and cleaned it and then gave it for a ride. Sturday morning we all headed to our soccer games. My team finally won
3-1. Right after the game we rushed home to get ready to leave and head up to MSU for my brothers graduation and the celebration of Cinco De Mayo. We went to an authentic Mexican restruant and then went to one of the gyms at the school to watch him graduate. We sat there for 2.5 hours to only listen to speeches and listen to all the names being called of all the grauating students. We didn't get home to nearly 11:30 at night as well. Sunday we had a baby shower for some relatves on my mom's side of the family. We left at 1:00 and didn't get home until about 4. When I gt back my dad decided he was going to teach me how to mow the lawn. Let's just say my dad and I made a bet a while back over a mini golf game that said that if he won I was going to have to learn to mow the lawn and if I won he was going to have to take me shopping. I did indeed loose and had to pay my duties this past weekend. Sure enough, it turned out I loved it...lol...and have mowed it two times since then. I love riding the tractor and speeding around everywhere.
Well, there was just a quick rundown of my weekend. I hope to stay more connented with the blog this week, which is going by totally fast. I can't believe it's already Wednesday.
Since I didn't have time to post a smart saying on Sunday I decided to post it now. And of course I didn;t forget to quiz for Wacky Wednesday as well. Hope everyone continues to have a great week. :)

**I'll post pics in a couple of days

Smart Card Sunday (Late. Sorry Mr. Brian)

Here's a task:

Be the bearer of only good news today. In living out this task, note whether you find it difficlut to maintain. And if so, discoverwhy within yourself.

~Caroline Myss and Peter Occhiogrosso

I am really ready for summer now and can hardly stand being locked up in school with this beautiful weather so I thought this quiz would be good for today.

You Should Spend Your Summer at the Beach

You're a free spirit who is always thinking of new ways to have fun.And you don't just love summer... you live for it.So, you really should blow off your responsibilities and head to the beach!

Where Should You Spend Your Summer?

What kind of Sundae are you?

2007-05-02T04:02:00.001-07:00

You Are a Hot Fudge Sundae

Classic, simple, and divine.Why mess with perfection?

What Kind of Sundae are you?

The Blog Fairy Struck Again!!

2007-05-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

Woo-hoo!! Thanks so much Verna, I totally love my new blog! All the problems from the old blog were fixed and it looks great! Thanks for having patience with me Verna, I know I was a bit diffucult!

**Don't forget to scroll down and read my post from last night as well. It is too funny! :)

Under Construction

2007-04-30T18:44:00.001-07:00

Be patient. The Blog Fairy is working!

Temporary fix --> on the way to a new Groovy Girl Look!

Face the Facts ~ Men are just Happier People

2007-04-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

I recieved this email last week and thougt it was hilarious. I know it's long but just read it...it's so funny! lol :)

Men Are Just Happier People
What do you expect from such simple creatures?Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth.. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character.Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.No wonder men are happier.Send this to the women who can handle it and to the men who will enjoy reading it.

Smart Card Sunday

2007-04-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Say little.

But when you

speak, utter gentle

words that touch

th heart. Be truthful.

Express kindness.

Abstain from vanity.

This is the way.

- Daniel Levin

**We just figured out last week that one of my favorite teachers has been, once again, diagnosed with caner as she has been out sick for many days. She was diaganosed with breast cancer about 5 years ago and survived and was then clear for a couple years and just found out it was back but in her liver this time. Luckily they caught it pretty early as she starts chemo on Monday. If you could keep her in your prayers as I am that would be great...thanks

The Run Down of my Weekend

2007-04-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

So I was so excited all week for Friday. I couldn't wait for the weekend and being able to sleep in and just take some time of school.
After school on Friday my mom picked me, along with two of my best friends Lauren and Kenzie up from school and dropped us off at Kenzie's house. We just hung out, talked and gossiped for a couple hours. Then, at about 5:30 we left the house and headed to Lowell high school (about an hour away) to watch their school musical which was based on all of our favorite movie, "High School Musical." It was absolutley, totally, complely awesome and totally what we all expected. All the singers were so talented and we even got some autographs after the show. It was totally like the movie and so much fun!!

This morning we had a soccer game and it just so happens it was against Lauren and Kenzie's team. They ended up winning but it was still fun to play against two of my friends. Let's just say I wasn't put with the strongest team this year which doesn't give me much to work with. Anyway, I have just been chillin the rest of the day. We cooked hotdaogs and hamburgers on the grill and my mom took me up to Curly Cone to get me some yummy ice-cream. Other than that I have just been laying in bed. My right shin is super sore It very well may be from soccer but is has been hurting a bit all week so I hope it will be OK. Well, not too much to post about! Everyone ejoy the rest of their weekend! Luvs...

**These are pictures from the Disney High School Musical Movie...not from the play! Just to let you all know...lol!

~ Wacky Wednesday ~

2007-04-24T17:20:00.001-07:00

What Your Hands Say About You

You are logical, analytical, and rational. You have good verbal skills.
Idealistic and dreamy, you tend toward the impractical. You have a knack for getting yourself in sticky situations.
Consistent and reliable, you like to count on structure and routine in your life.
Your emotions tend to be nervous and potent. Your energy - both positive and negative - deeply impacts your life.

What Do Your Hands Say About You?

I do have to say this fits...this is totally me!!

Yea, I finally got it!! Woo-hoo! :)

2007-04-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Monica over at Three Dumplings has honered me with the "Thinking Blogger Award" which has been goign around. Now my job is to nominate 5 other blog authors who I think deserve it the most. Of course this is a very hard decession s I love blogging on many different blogs and love them all! So, thanks Monica...glad you enojy the blog! :)

Well, first of all, I am going to have to nominate Nikki over there at Life with Lily Lin. We traveled with Jay and Nikki to get our little China girls and I totally love reading Nikkis blog to keep in touch with them and hear about their sweet daughter!

I also want to reconize Dawn over at Eggrolls and Chopsticks. I love reading about her daily adventures wih Lily and can't wait to read about her journey to China to recieve her next daughter. Their family alwasys does fun things giving her lots of fun activities to post about. Dawn always posts the best pictures and videos of her totally adorable daughter...who I totally adore!

Of course I can't foget about Mommy Spice over there at Hunan Spice. I love seeing pics of her daughter, Spicy Girl's, playgroup. Spicy Girl is totally adorable, with wonderful, loving parents, as I can never wait to get to the time to stop by the blog!

And Oh my goodness, I could never forget about Gwen over at Oatsvall Team. We also traveled with the Oatsvall family on our way to China to pick up our daughters. Gwen is always fun and upbeat adding sillyness to the blogger life. She always posts the cutest picutes of her 3 beautiful children and wonderful stories aout her life. Not only is she a fun girl but an awesome, loving, Christian woman as well with a great heart! I can't wait to see her and the rest of her family at the reniuion this summer.

Well, last but definitly no least I have to nominate Amy from The Jade Road . She is always posting hilarious pictures and sayings and things to keep us all thinking. She also keeps all her blogger buddies involved with "Would You Rathers" and goofy polls! Thanks Amy, for a fun blog!

You know what,I can't just reconize 5 people, I mean come on...I lve them all! I just wanted to quick nominate Stacy from "Journey to Victoria Grace" and Debbie at "Sugar and Spice and a Little Rice". Both of these women are so heartfelt and loving and cannot wait to travel to get each other their daughters from China! I cannot wait to read about both of your journeys. Although the wait may be tough for these ladies, they will be great mothers when the right time comes!! :)

Sorry, I know I broke the rules a bit! You probably all know I would! But I love all my blogger buddies! Thank you all who read my blog on a regular basis. Thank you all for the nice and encouraging comments! I lvoe reading all of your blogs as well!

So Nikki, Dawn, Mommy Spice, Gwen, Amy, Stacy, and Debbie, Congrats!! And don't you you all forget to do a nice, long post like this one, lol, to reconize some of your favorite blogs!

Smart Card Sunday- it may be late but it wasn't forgotten

2007-04-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Of course today has been another busy one. After coming home from church this morning the guys worked on putting some of the boats and jet skis in. A lot of yard work was to be done as well to prepare for the summer months. We enjoyed several boat rides, played tennis, visited with friends and family, and enjoyed yummy hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill! After today, I cannot wait for summer! I love this warm weather and can't wait to enjoy it 24/7.
So for today's Smart Card Sunday saying.

Know that everything you do comes back to you. Step outside yourself and consider the consequence before you make a move. If your action will bring peace to yourself and others, it's the right thing to do.

~ Tavis Smiley

The Little Man Turns 1

2007-04-21T19:51:00.001-07:00

So I have been trying all day to get these pictures in a nice little slideshow in order as a tribue to Daniel's first Birthday but I am having the hardest time creating the stupid thing on phototbucket so this will have to do. You get the point right!? Plus, my blog is all wacked out at the moment anyway as we are in the process of creating another one. Anyway....here's the rundown of how our day went

Well, today was really fun! We started the day off waking up bright and early to go to my soccer game which we lost but I did score. Next, we got home and played outside with the kids as today was a beautiful day with the sun brightly shinning. My two older brothers DJ and James, and Tyler (family friend) came home to help Dad put in the docks and shorestations for the boats while my mom and I decorated the house, wrapped, presents and made the cake for the party while the kids were napping.

Around three, right when the kids were waking up, Oma, Opa, and Ingrid arrived. Sophia helped Daniel open some presents and we all enjoyed a yummy chocolate cake and ice-cream cake. We took a lot of pictures which my mom posted on her blog. Daniel wasn't too into opening the presents or eating the cake. He just wanted to chew on his new rubber ducky he got from Fia. lol...

The rest of the night we all just enjoyed hanign outside. At about 6:30 we went out to eat to "On the Border" which is a great Mexican restraunt and all enjoyed a great dinner. Now we're just getting ready to hit the sheets as we have an important church service to go to tomorrow and have to wake up bright and early, once again, to go to the early service!
Sweet dreams to you all....Enjoy the pics.... (Even though they are in complete backwards order)

Happy Birthday Baby Dee-Dal!!

You are such a little Blessing!!

Your sissy loves you sooo much!! <3

What city do you Belong in? ~ Wacky Wednesday

2007-04-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

You Belong in New York City

You're the energetic, ambitious type.
And only NYC is fast enough for you.
Maybe you'll set yourself up with a killer career
Or simply take in all the city has to offer.

What City Do You Belong In?

Sophia's Dance

2007-04-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Sophia wanted me to videotape her dancing to the Wiggles so I had to post it! Too cute!! Other thatn that, nothing special happened today- just anoother boring Monday! Well..enhoy the video!

Smart Card Sunday

2007-04-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

So I've been told that I have been slackig on the blog lately so I am going to work hard to try and make it more interesting the next couple of weeks. I just haven't really been putting much time in it and haven' been home much but I will just have to set aside some extra time to blog. So I'm looking for more clipart and thinking of ideas to blog about so hopefully it will be better soon! :)

Here's the saying for this week's Smart Card Sunday

Say "Out"
to every negative
thought that comes
into your mind.
No person, place,
or thing has any power
over you, for you are
the only thinker in
your mind. You create
your own reality and
everyone in it.

~Louise L. Hay

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

2007-04-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Your Blog Should Be Blue
Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.
What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

I am in keyboarding class right now so I can't post clipart to go with it...kinda plain but I couldn't miss out on wacky wednesday again!!

Here are the pix...finally

2007-04-09T18:48:00.001-07:00

So you probably have all guessed that we arrived home safely. After 10 long hours of flying we finally landed in Grand Rapids on Saturday. It was tough...since we flew through the night, and now we are all whacked out with the 6 hour time change. I am having the hardest time adjusting. I am up so late (not being able to get to sleep) and can't get up super early. I do have to say, as excited as I was to see all my friends I am not looking forward to getting back into the whole work routine. It wasn't bad today, since everyone has just gotten back from spring break and most teachers just reviewed but tomorrow it will all kick in! So anyway, here are the pics you have all been dying to see. Sorry they took so long. I hope I am not loosing all my blogger buddies. But here are pictures of the whole trip- what we saw on the helicopter ride, whale watch, luau, fishing, chillin by the pool, etc. My mom has a lot of pics on her blog as well. But anyway, I'm not going to list a description for each pic so if you have any questions just comment or email me and I will let you know. And sorry some are turned the wrong way or dont show up cleat. The luau ones really didn't that's why i didn't post a bunch. Oh, and you can see Sophia and her boyfriend as well! :)

**I know I say this all the time but it really is the truth. I know I'm not up-to-date with all the blogs but getting back from the trip and all I'm super busy. I have many end of the year projects in L.A., tests in Algebra and Science, and soccer has started. I am also busy with student council. I have to get some socializing time in as well...:)

So, anyway..bare with me! I'll be back ASAP...but yea, enjoy the pics

quick update...well not too quick!

2007-04-05T00:10:00.000-07:00

We have all been keeping very busy! My dad and I have gone on many excursions and I have been doing a TON of shopping! I have found soo many cute outfits that fit me perfectly. The brand name of most of it is Billabong which you have probably of course heard of. My mom says I'm set for my spring wardrobe now...I have no clue how I am going to fit all this plus other trinkets in my suitcase. I told my mom we may have to by a good sized duffel to pack it all in and just put it through with all our other luggage. Otherwise my suitcase will be just bursting! lol!

My dad and I went on a helicopter ride the other day and saw some really neat things- the largest waterfall in all of Hawaii, the places the Jurassic Park movies took place, the 2nd wettest place in the world, and much more. We flew through valleys and mountains and over the ocean. When we flew over the oceas we got some really great views of the whales and everything- very cool! I'll have to post pics when I get back.
Then we went fishingyesterday. It was nothing like I expected which TOTALLY sucked. We were out on the water for 4 hours and nobody on the boat caught anything. I thought we would like stop and cast out our lines but it wasn't like that. The polls just attached to the boat while we rode and if a fish bit we would stop. It's kinda hard to explain, if you haven't been ocean fishing before. I just felt like it was a total waste of 4 hours when I only have 1 day left of being here. Earlier that morning people had caught 650 lb fish and bigger and we were screwed and caught nothing!! I was soooo MAD!!

Well....we went snorkeling today!! It was horrid!! First of all, I was scared out of my mind! With sharks and everything..my gosh!! We had seen two hammerhead sharks right up by the fishing docks yesterday eating the fish guts being pushed into the water right by the shore which didn't help decrease my fear of those freaky things.
Anyway...So we got out there and the waves continuously carry you farther and farther out. Before I know it I have no clue where my dad is and I'm so scared and breathing so hard. Then I try to look up to se if I can see him and I realize I am soo far away from the beach and I end up getting a bunch a saltwater in my mouth and goggles. During all this, mind you, I did see some beautiful fish and coral reefs.
Anyway, so I'm trying to swim back to shore and then I notice I'm going the wrong way, I have no clue where my dad is, I'm far out into the ocean..ugh!! So then I start freaking out majorly and just swim as fast as I can! Then, when I look up, I see my mom on the beach waving to me telling me to get out so I'm thinking there's a shark or something so I totally flip. I start screaming help and everything...can't you just picture this. When I finally make it out of the water my mom told me there was no shark...she was telling me to stand up because I could touch. She had been watching me and worrying because she saw how far apart my dad and I wee out there. It was intense man!! loI I am just thanking the Lord I didn't die out there or something!

So after that I just sticked to swimming in the pool! I just layed in the sun and swam most of the day until we found out somebody barfed in the pool. So it was closed for awhile and everything. But, we had to go up to the room at that time to get ready for our luau anyway which I just got back from. It was very cool- Sophia loved it. There was a lot of dancing (hula dancers and guy dancers that were very hot..lol) and fire dancers, and singing... I'll show you pics when I get back! I have seen this same luau many times so it was really nothing new but it is always fun to watch!
**Do you know at every luau they hand- roast a pig for the main course of the meal...Pretty sick huh! I don't eat that part. You can see the burt pig before it's cut up and everything..eww!!

So, I'm coming home tomorrow! I will admit I'm not too excited to leave my favorite place to head to the cold weather! (I really don't enjoy the long flight either- 10 hours!!!) I will miss wearing shorts and tanks, walking along the beach, swimming in the pool, and laying in the sun! I AM excited to see everyone though!

Sorry this is so long but I haven;t posted in a long time so I thought I would give an update. Head over to my mom's blog (listed under "Never Too Many" on my sidebar) if you would like to see some pics and videos of our trip. I'll post some when I get back as I can't hook my camera up to this computer. Well...pray that we have a safe trip home! Hugs to you all back home...

Quick Update...

2007-03-31T00:31:00.000-07:00

Well...we have been keepin busy here in Maui. Chillin by the pool, playing on the beach, getting massages along the oceanside, shopping at a local mall about 1 mile away from the pool (called Whaler's Village, suntanning, etc. I am just starting to get a good tan (considering I don't usually get to dark) which I am pretty excited about. I have of course been staying in contact with my friends back home to saty updated on the latest gossip and info. happening too! (thanks cricket) :)

My dad left a couple hours ago to pick up my Oma from the airport as she flew in to stay here with us and help out with the little ones. As many of you saw on my mom's site I have been spending a lot of time with Sophia so it will be nice to just spend some time with Dad and be able to do some fun things. I'm so glad we still have another week here...I am so not ready to go home, that's for sure!

So I took lots of cute picture on my camera today but just realized I don't have the cord to hook my camera up to my mom's laptop so can't post them. I guess I'll just have to tell you about them then.

First of all, a couple days ago Sophia met this little boy named Austin, who is 5, by the pool. This family comes to Maui every year the same time we do so we have seen them before an they are very nice. So the two of them played for awhile until he had to go which is when they blew kisses to eachother and said bye, I love you, etc. So I was teasing her about liking him and having a boyfriend which she thought was silly as well. Then today he was back down by the pool so I took some cute pics of them playing. Sophia's already going for the older men-almost 3 year difference!! lol :) I thought it was pretty funny, and cute of course!

I had some other pics of us just down by the pool and just hangin out. I'll take some on my mom's camera tomorrow so I have some to post.

Well...Oma just got here so I'm going to see her and hop into bed. I'll try to keep you all updated and try to keep checking the blogs. Talk to you all later...

We Made It

2007-03-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

I know most all of you who post on my blog follow my mom's as well and probably saw that we left for Maui Saturday and we did, indeed, make it here safely. The plane ride was tough though. First we flew from Grand Rapids to Chicago, then from Chicago to L.A. and then from L.A to Maui. Altogether we were on the airplane for about 10 hours with many unexpected delays in between. Overall the kids didn't do bad. Daniel had a very hard time on the flight from Chicago to L.A. but we made it through. We decided not to bring Sophia's car seat on the last flight so she could have a little more room which was a big mistake because she was up all over the place and couldn't get to sleep well at all. Lucky me, I was in charge of her on all of the flights while my mom and dad took care of Daniel. We made do though and learned to always bring the car seats on the plane from now on.
When we finally made it to Maui we were all of course exhausted from the jet leg and were way off from the 6 hour time change. Everyone back home is 6 hours in front of us so it is still hard to adjust. The hotel we stay at is amazing though. I share a room with Sophia and mom and dad are with Daniel and we have a living room and kitchen in between and 3 bathrooms throughout. The pool is huge and has waterfalls, caves, basketball hoops, and water slides. The beach is right across the way as well so we can go there whenever we want. Yesterday and today we are just planning on chillin by the pool and walking along the beach. Both of the kids also very much enjoy going on walks as well. There is an outdoor mall less than a mile walk away so I am planning on going there. Since my Oma is flying out next week to help take care of the kids that's when my dad and I are planning on going on some of our excursions- whale watch, road to Hana, trip to see volcano, luau, helicopter ride, etc. He even thinks he's taking me on a fishing trip this year out on the ocean. He thinks it will be a great experience, we'll see :S
Well, I'll be sure to try to keep you all updated. I haven't taken many pictures so far but I will try to post some soon. Sorry Mr. Brian that I didn't post for Smart Card Sunday but I was flying over the Pacific Ocean at the time. :P Everyone else is waiting for me down at the pool so I better go! Hugs and kisses to you all...

***Cassie, Lauren, Shelby, Cody, Bryce (I already know Kenzie's) : I need all of your addresses so if one of you sees this will you email me at emgroovygirl@aol.com or lilbeck6@hotmail.com and let me know yours and anyone elses you know and tell them I need theirs. I want to send you a fun postcard (sorry to spoil it but if you didn't know you may not tell me) and have to send it quick because it takes a long time to ship... Get back with me ASAP please!! ;)

What Color is your Lucky Underwear?

2007-03-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my word! I know I say this all the time but I really have been so busy. You saw how busy nmy weekend was and it hasn;t gotton any better. We are all preparing for our vacation and have lots to do. I have appointments, parties, and projects yet to do this week and I still have quite a bit of packing. Well, I'm off to school now but I just had to quick post a quiz for Wacky Wednesday. Hopefully I'll be able to check the blogs later and update you more on whats been going on...

What Color is your Lucky Underwear

You're confident and bold, and your lucky red underwear will only make you more sure of yourself.You have a great zest for life, and you tend to take on impossible goals - and succeed.When it comes to love, it's hard for you to take the time to open up. You're too busy conquering the world.So if you're looking for a little more romance, put on your red underpants. And see where their passion takes you!

Lucky Underwear Personality Quiz

Keepin Busy

2007-03-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well I sure have had a pretty busy weekend so far. Friday after school my friend Lauren and I went home with one of my other friends Kenzie to her house to spend the night. We had a great time painting nails, playing games, and eating yummy snacks. Since Lauren and Kenzie are both really into gymnastics we all 3 went to open gym at a place they used to take lessons at Saturday morning. It was fun to watch them do front/back handsprings, back tucks, a, flips, and whatever else they call those things... while I, on the other hand, can't even do a cartwheel! I know, pretty sad! :( I did indeed, find things to keep me busy though. Since it was a nice sunny day (40 degrees is nice to us right now) later after we dropped Lauren off at her house Kenzie and I played soccer and hung outside a bit and came up with creative things to keep us busy. It was fun! At about three in the afternoon my mom and dad came to get me so we could go pick up the new car. Not just any new car, I'm talking about a 7' conversion van with a plasma TV, built in i-pod chargers, sunroofs, surround sound, all around cabinets, etc. I know my mom will be posting pictures and more info soon and I don't want to ruin her fun so you'll just have to check out her blog as well. A little after we got home from the car dealership my dad and I went to the church for a St. Patty's Father Daughter Banquet. It was great to spend some time with just the two of us. They had yummy food, great singers, a cute skit, and fun magician. Oh, and Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all my blogger friends!! How could I almost forget!?? Just to let everyone know: I'm not any part Irish but I just like this blinkie! :P

Tomorrow my mom and I will head of to the mall and run some errands to get some new stuff for the upcoming trip. Shopping-my favorite thing! :)

Hope everyone continues to have a great weekend and had a great holiday!

Wacky Wednesday

2007-03-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted a lot lately. I will try to post more often this and next week. I may be a little late but I didn't forget to post for Wacky Wednesday! Take the quiz to find out what Muppet Character you're most like...LOL, this one is too funny!
I don't know if I agree with all the sayings but oh well. We'll see what ll of YOU get! :)

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it.
You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less.
You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way.
Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift! :)

The Muppet Personality Test

Smart Card Sunday

2007-03-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Words make

a powerful impact,

and they're not easily

forgotten. Wounds

inflicted by words of

anger or hate can last

a very long time.

- Brian L. Weiss, M.D.

Lies corrupt the soul.
When you lie, you not
only decieve someone
else, you fool yourself
as well. Spirituality is
found in truth.

- Sylvia Browne

Wacky Wednesday :p

2007-03-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

This one fit me so well so I just had to see how everyone's results would turn out!!

Your Personality Cluster is Extraverted Thinking

You are:
Organized and logical - a master at puzzlesCompetitive in almost any arena of lifeObjective when necessary, but passionate about what you truly loveIntolerant of excuses and incompetence

What's" Your Personality Cluster?

FFF photo challenge

2007-03-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Well Donna's challenge this past week was to find 10 things you don't like that start with a certain letter and find a picture for each. I thought already that this one would be a bit more tough, especially after she assigned my the letter "O" Thanks Donna, :P, that's a tough one!! And just to let you know, these are in no special order. Of course you can't copy past on posts and I didn't feel like retyping them all so they are all messed up! Oh well, you get the point...

Opera - Not my Style!! I'm more into the whole R&B and Rap type thing!

Octopus - Ok, I don't have a problem with these but I'm running out of ideas. I guess they do look kinda gross.

Organic chemistry - Well, I was running out of ideas and went to my dad for help. The smartie that he is, he came up with organic chemistry. I had no clue what it was and when I looked it up it looked pretty boring and all so I guess I'll just put it down.

Orders - Like anyone, I don't like to be bossed around ;)

Odor - Who likes things or people who smell?

Oldies - I hate oldies music!! It drives me nuts! I know there are a lot of you out there that love it but it's just not for me!

Orchestra - We had to visit the orchestra with our school onetime and it was really boring!

Oral work/surgery - I hate going to the dentist and having to get work done on my teeth! :(

Over marked prices - Doesn't this annoy all of us!

Online troubles - Frustrating, Annoying, Horrible, and the last thing I need!

Smart Card Sunday

2007-03-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

My mom went out and got me this new positive thinking book for Smart Card Sundays. So for this week's Smart Card Saying....

So what if someone was born thinner or stronger or lighter or darker than you? Why count diplmoas or compare r'esum'es? What does it matter if they have a place at the head of the table? You have a place at God's table.
- Max Lucado

And since I missed Smart Card Sunday last week, Mr. Brian thought it would be a good idea if I post two sayings. So here's the next one...

Tests of faith are various trials and hardships that invite you to surrender something of great value to God even when you have every right not to.
- Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

Quick Update

2007-03-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

Well I went to the doctors today to see what was up with me and found out I have influenza (kinda like a bad case of the flu) which unfortunately has no prescription. So I am just supposed to stay in bed, relax, rest, etc. Thank goodness I don't have Mono like we were thinking I might have. Hopefully in a couple of days my fever will go down and I'll be feeling better so I can go back to school on Monday. I really don't want to get behind any more on my work, tests, volleyball, etc.

So since I haven't been able to go anywhere or do anything and have been feeling really bad when my mom went to the mall this afternoon she bought me this awesome new Coach purse! It's so cute! Mom, thank you so much! It will be great for when we go to Maui! I love it! It's very bright and colorful! I posted some pictures of it, what do you all think!?

Donna's Challenge

2007-03-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

I decided I wanted to take part in the Donna's fun Challenge of 10 things I love. Not only do I have to think of 10 things I love that start with the letter "F" but find pictures for each. "F" wasn't that hard for me actually so we'll see how I did...

1. Family ~ My family is so important to me. They are all very supportative and always there to help me!2. Friends ~ My friends are awesome! They are all so much fun and great to talk to!

3. Fashion ~ I love clothes, shoes, purses, accesories and all that kind of stuff. You can never have too much of it that's for sure!

4. France ~ As many of you know I love to travel to different countries. Paris, France is one of my favorite places to go. France is a great place to tour and SHOP!

5. Fridays ~ Fridays are definitly my favorite day of the week! Fridays are usually the easiest day of the week for school and everyone is usually in a great mood since the weekend is just around the corner!

8. Fruit ~ Ummm! I love fruit, especially srawberries!

9. Flowers ~ Flowers are so pretty! I love ones that are bright colors like Tiger Lilies, Daisys, etc. 10. Film ~ I love movies! I love going to the movie theater or just snuggling at home on the couch. Either way, I have to have my popcorn!

~ Wacky Wednesday ~

2007-02-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

Well, today I am home sick with a temperature of 103. My mom woke me up at the normal time and I started my regular routine but could hardly keep my eyes open and just felt like crap. I felt so weak and could harly even carry my backpack downstairs. I really didn't want to miss school because we have a volleyball game today AND spring pictures but when my mom saw that I could hardly walk or talk she thought I ought to take my temp and definitly wasn't going to let me go to school with a fever of 103 degress. I've been in bed all day, my throat and head hurt so bad. I have been so tired lately but I have never been sick like this in a long time. Just another thing to make my life even more misserable right now!! :( But, don't worry, I would never forget to post for Wacky Wednesday!! **

What kind of candy are YOU? Take this quiz and find out..... don't forget to post your results!!

Gummy Bears

You may be smooshie and taste unnatural, but you're so darn cute.

What kind of candy are you??

I'm Alive

2007-02-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

I know all of my blogger buddies and other friends think that I have totally left blogger world and are probably mad that I haven't commented on everyone's blogs but I have just been sooooooooooo busy and overwelmed. Over the weekend I went to a camp called Springhill with my church youth group which was so awesome. There was a total of one thousand kids at the camp. We did a lot of fun things including tye-dying, swimming, broomball, volleyball, and hanging in the gameroom. They also had a great speaker and sweet Christian band called Seventh Glory. If you don't know, Broomball is a big competition played between churchs and is kinda like ice hockey. Our church was doing so well, and made it to the finals where it got pretty dirty. Our team (called Extreme Power) ended up bringing home the second place banner. It was so much fun. I had a great, but exhausting weekend and made a lot of new friends. But staying up until almost 2 in the morning and having to wake up at 7 is pretty tough and I still haven't caught up on my rest. I'm just exhausted!

I have also had a ton of homework to do, exams to study for, a so-totally messy room and bathrom I still need to clean, volleyball games and practices (we won our game tonight by the way :p), and drama to deal with. It's horrible! My room is so messy that I was late for school becasue I couldn't find anything. And if you don't believe me, check this out...

*****Oh, Mr. Brian, I heard you were pretty disappointed about missing out on Smart card Sunday so I was goingt to post a late one but guess what, I couldn't find my smart card book! Suprise, suprise!!

What is your Inner Hair Color ~ Wacky Wednesday

2007-02-21T06:07:00.000-08:00

Here is just a fun quiz for Wacky Wednesday! HAve a great day and don't forget to post your results!! :)

Your Hair Should Be Pink

Hyper, insane, and a boatload of fun.

You're a traveling party that everyone loves to follow.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

New Site Design

2007-02-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Verna for creating me a new blog design. It really was needing a change! I really appreciate you taking the time to make this for me! I love it! I am now in the process of adding all my blinkies, blog links, pictures, etc. to the sidebar but hopefully that won't take too long now that I have my computer back!!! Yeah!

There is really nothing else good to post about today. I had a student council meeting this morning before school so had to wake up at 5:30 in order to have enough time to get ready so I was pretty much dead tired the whole day! We have a volleyball game tomorrow so I'm excited for that. Otherwise, just calm, casual, that's always a good thing I guess! Oh...how could I forget, we are having tacos tonight! My total favorite! That's always something to look forward too, right?!

Smart Card Sunday

2007-02-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today has just been a pretty calm day...
Went to church
Got home and ate lunch
Mom and I went to Target, Toys 'R' Us, Best Buy, and even stopped by Krispy Kremes for a little treat :)
Came home and just hung out, listened to music, etc.
And now we're getting ready to eat dinner- lasagna and bread sticks, yummm

Since we don't have school tomorrow my mom and I might watch a fun movie tonight or something too. And thank goodness, I'm getting my computer back tomorrow so I will check out all of your blogs to read and comment on all of the posts I missed.

Since it's Sunday, here is the saying for Smart Card Sunday..

SpEaK uP
No one can know how
you feel if you don't
tell them.

Not much to say, just a quick little update! Hope you all are doing well and have a great week!

2007-02-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Well, since I STILL don't have my computer back, I will not be able to participate in this weeks Favorite Photo Friday. Sorry I complain so much about not having my computer but I just can't stand it!! Anyway, I didn't have time to post about it but we had a snow day on Valentines Day so all of the excitement had to be post-poned to Thursday and our volleyball game was rescheduled for next week Tuesday. So it all turned out OK. Speaking of Valentine's Day, the flower wrapping, sorting, and delivering went very well. I won the competition against my friend Drew by 1 flower giving me 21 flowers all together, the most in the whole school! :p But if you count the extra 3 my friend Carl sent to me separate (oooo, i know) and the extra I got from helping out with everything I got 25!! Sweet huh!

Anyway, tonight our 7th and some of 8th grade band will be going to the Grand Rapids Griffins game to perform the National Anthem. We have been practicing it for like over 2 months now so hopefully we will do well. I hope I don't fall down on the ice or something! lol! Well, I gots to go! My mom is telling me it time to leave! No time to look for clipart and all!
Love ya Cricket...long story!!

HAPPY HEARTS DAY!! <3

2007-02-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! May all of your hearts be happy! Sorry Verna! I know you found me that super cool Valentine's Day blinkie that I totally loved but since I don't have my compter I don't have it! Anyway, Like I said before I am on the Valentine's committee for student council so I get to miss all my classes today to sort, wrap, and deliver flowers. It's so fun and I get to do it with my friend Anisa which is even better! One of my friends Drew and I had a competiton to see who would get more flowers, I think he won but I got like 30 so we'll have to see! I'll have to let you know later. Anyway, sorry once again that I haven't been posting on your blogs lately! It's been like 5 days and my computer still isn't back and my mom is always pretty busy on hers. I'll make sure to comment on everybody's once I get it back, don't worry! Oh, and don't worry! I didn't forget about wacky Wednesday!! :) I tried to find a Valentineish quiz but I could'nt find one so we'll just do this one instead. Oh and we won our volleyball game Monday against Byron Center and have another one tonight against Hastings just to let you all know! Anyway, sorry I have a lot to say, but here is the quiz! Make sure to post your results and have a great Valentine's Day!! Luvs...

You Are Rocky Road Ice Cream

Unpredictable and wild, you know how to have fun.
You're also a trendsetter who takes risks with new things.
You know about the latest and greatest - and may have invented it!

You are most compatible with vanilla ice cream.
What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Smart Card Sunday ~ Quick Update

2007-02-11T12:45:00.000-08:00
HEY EVERYBODY!! Sorry I haven't posted on my blog or commented on everyone's in awhile. I have been so busy and my computer is getting fixed. I should get it back soon. I am on my mom's right now but she only let's me use it sometimes. But anyway, it has been a pretty fun weekend. We had a dance on Friday and I went to my friend Gabby's afterward. We went to a family party after the dance and hung out online and talked on the phone like all night. In the early afternoon Saturday we met my mom and her and I went to Target, the mall, and the Hallmark store to get some fun little Valentine's presents and just do some fun shopping. I just hung out the rest of the night- cleaning, talking on the phone, baking, etc. Today's is my brother's DJ's birthday so we got together at our house after church and had cake and just hung out. I have a busy week ahead of me as well with many tests, volleyball, and student council. (I am on the Valentines Committee and we are in charge of the flower sales, selling, ordering, delivering, and all that) So there was just a quick update on what has been happening in my life. I will hopefully have more time to update this week.

Oh, I almost forgot... It's smart card Sunday! Here's today's saying,

Big Truth

Not everyone is going to like me.
What matters is if I like myself.

What planet should you rule? ~ Wacky Wednesday

2007-02-07T03:53:00.000-08:00
WOW! It's finally Wednesday! We got let out of school early Friday, had a long weekend, had no school Monday, or Tuesday! (snow days) My goodness! I so can't wait to go back today. As I have commented on some of your blogs, it's cool missing school and all but I am dieing to get back to see my friends and get back into the normal routine. I have been so bored here at the house! So I have a volleyball game tonight so I won't get to all your comments and blogs until later but I'll make sure to stop by all of them- trust me! I always find time! :)

Anyway, for today's Wacky Wednesday find out what planet you should rule and make sure to post your results!! :) Everyone have a great day!!

You Should Rule Venus

Venus is a mysterious, stormy planet - shrouded in a thick layer of clouds. You are perfect to rule Venus, because you are quite emotional and volatile yourself. Your emotions change as rapidly as the weather on Venus, and both you and the planet are incomprehensible to others. While you are not a logical thinker, you are quite empathetic. You can care for and understand others, but your emotions swirl too quickly to truly understand yourself.

Planet Quiz

Odds and Ends

2007-02-05T10:07:00.001-08:00
It was indeed a snow day today! We saw it on the TV last night that we didn't have school and predicted it since we have at least 2 feet of snow outside. So I'll spend another day on my computer, blogging, and sitting around eating lots of extra sweets and feeling really guilty about it, you know what I mean! Not much else to do. Since we knew there would be a snow day today my mom and I stayed up late last night and rented Material Girls off Charter on Demand and rented John Tucker Must Die the night before. Loved both movies, very cute.

Anyway, since I posted a slide show of me and Sophia the other day I decided I'll have to post one of Daniel and I today. Daniel is really starting to get fun. He's not crawling yet, pushing up and rolling over, but not crawling. So here are a couple of cute pics of the two of us just hanging out and playing together!

Smart Card Sunday

2007-02-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

I am going to start a new thing called Smart Card Sunday. I have a little book called "Smart Cards, for Smart People." I'm going to choose a saying from a card from the book each Sunday to post on my blog. These are just short little sayings to get you thinking and/or hopefully boost your confidence or help you feel good about yourself. So for the first offical Smart Card Sunday...

My Life is a result of choices I make

*Favorite Photo Friday*

2007-02-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Gosh, I have been trying to post this slideshow all night and just now finally got it to work. These pics were taken on Tuesday when we got, as you can see, a ton of snow. Unfortunetly since it was horrible packing snow we weren't able to make a snowman but we still had fun! School was even let out early today because of the horrible weather conditions and we are supposed to get 4-6 inches of snow still tonight. Even though I am not much of a winter girl the snow can be fun for awhile and the ice can be fun to go out on. Anyway, enjoy the photos...

Favorite Photo Friday

2007-02-02T17:20:00.001-08:00

| View Show | Create Your Own

What Kind of Cookie are You?

2007-01-31T19:07:00.000-08:00
Ok everyone, time for Wacky Wednesday!

You Are a Black and White Cookie

You're often conflicted in life, and you feel pulled in two opposite directions.When you're good, you're sweet as sugar. And when you're bad, you're wicked!

Cookie Quiz

I know, weird huh!! I can be wicked!? :) IDK! Let's see what all of you get! Maybe I'll take the quiz again!
OK, so I took the quiz again and only changed like 1 or 2 things that were other possible choices and came out to be a chocolate chip cookie. So then I couldn't decide which one to post since both kinds fit me in way (except the wicked part) so I just decided to stick with my first answer.
By the way, my posts are turning into werid like web adressses, is anyone elses doing that? Thats's why the post is a bit bland. Everything is all messed up!

What Color Heart do you Have?

2007-01-31T07:05:00.000-08:00
So I decided to post 2 quizzes today just for the fun of it. I have so many saved as drafts so I need to start posting some of them. So we'll do 2 today. I love this one, it fits me soo well! These quizzes are just soo fun! Love em! :)
Your Heart Is Pink

In relationships, you like to play innocent - even though you aren't.Each time you fall in love, it's like falling for the first time.

Your flirting style: Coy
Your lucky first date: Picnic in the park
Your dream lover: Is both caring and dominant
What you bring to relationships: Romance

Heart Personality Quiz

Favorite Blinkie Wednesday (yet posted on Tuesday)

2007-01-30T19:53:00.000-08:00
So my blogger buddy Becky posted this on her blog so I thought it would be fun to play along! When my mom and I first got bit by the blinkie bug we would spend hours on our laptops downstairs searching for blinkies so I don't know which one to choose! Oh well, here's one of my favorites... (thanx Verna)

Our First Volleyball Game

2007-01-30T14:01:00.000-08:00
Well, I know I just posted last week about volleyball tryouts bu I just wanted to share a bit of how our first game went last night. I was going to post yesterday but I didn't get home until 6:30 and still had to eat and do tons of homework. So anyway, we were all really nervous after finding out the Hamiliton girls had already been playing volleyball since 5th grade and have basicly had the same team when most of us haven't even really played before. But we turned out to do really well. Just to let all of you that don't know we play 3 games. The first and second ones go to 25 points and the last to 15. Of course, whoever wins 2 out of 3 will win the whole game. We do rally scoring so after every serve someone will get a point. So we were down at the beginning of the first game by quite a bit and it was my turn to serve. I was so nervous and shaking so hard. So I serve the first one, I made it over, and noone could get it since it was pretty hard. So I do it again, and again, and again.... until I made 9 points for our team and then we were ahead by 1. Then they called timeout to try to break my serving. I ended up scoring 2 or 3 points after that and then messed up but I was one of the top three servers and did pretty good my next time around. I was soo proud. Now we ended up loosing the first game that I played in but won the next two which I didn't play in since we have so many players on the team. We were all so happy and proud to win our first volleyball game and can't wait until tomorrow when we play Wayland. Hopefully I'll do as good as I did yesterday and won't be so nervous!
*Sorry if it seems i'm bragging about how well I did but you have to understand this is 7th grade volleyball. :) Most of the girls didn't even get 1 serve over and everyone was suprised by how well I was doing since it was our first game and I have never played before.
Well, I'll try to post something more interesting soon. Nothing much happended today just same-old-same old! Make sure you all tune in tomorrow for Wacky Wednesday to see what fun quiz I pick next. ;) Maybe I'll even do two, I haven't decided yet. Anyway, talk to ya'll later! HuGs! <3

Are you More Cat or Dog?

2007-01-27T22:29:00.000-08:00
I was really trying to wait until Wednesday to post a quiz but my mom said I should post one today because they're cute and fun. So, to keep the blog fun and exciting take this quiz to find out if you are more cat or dog and post or comment about your results!! :)

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Cat/Dog Personality Quiz

Favorite Photo Friday

2007-01-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a very busy day and I am now just finding the time to sit down and post. Since I am gone all day at school and not home to snap pictures I don't have many to choose from to post. This is just a cute little pic of Sophia and I cuddling together last weekend.

School's Out!

2007-01-25T14:06:00.000-08:00
Today started off just like any other Thursday. Sleeping through first hour, bored out of our minds second hour. :) So as we were in the middle of our algebra lesson our principle started talking over the intercom letting us know that the bathrooms were currently closed and that we are not to drink out of the drinking fountains for all the water in our town is at a high chlorine level. So, we're all like, OK w/e, we all have water bottles and didn't think too much of it. Well about 5 minutes later at 9:25 Mr. Washburn (our principle) gets on the intercom again saying our school is closing sending everyone home because the water is too dangerous. All the busses were to arrive and everyone would be let out at 9:30 giving everyone only 5 minutes to get ahold of their parents to tell them whats going on and to see whats who picking them up, etc. It was crazy! Everyone screaming and cheering, kids running around everywhere with cell phones not knowing what to do! OMG!! Of course no one is answering our house phone and my mom won't answer her cell and being the worry-wort that I am I flip out. I was planning on going home with my best friend Gabby when my mom finally called me back saying she was on her way- no biggy! Thank the Lord! I was stressing!! ;) So we just went home and chilled out until Ingrid got here at 11:00. Then mom and I headed out to run some errands. Our first stop was Dad's office to run some copies for the adoption. Second, we took a look at some huge express vans at the car dealership as mom thinks she needs to upgrade to one with all of these kids we have and are going to have. Next, we went to Best Buy so I could get some games and DVD's for my PSP that I got for Christmas and also checked out the brand-new computers that they JUST got in. Pretty awesome, can't really describe them.(except the fact that they were touch-screen, faster, and more protected) Fourth, we went to the mall and ate at a yummy little restaurant called Olga's and went to a couple other stores (Bath and Body, JC Penny) to pick up a few things. Lastly, we just stopped at the grocery store to get some essential items.

Just a fun day hanging with mom, didn't get to sleep in but it was still fun and nice to get a day off of school. :)

What Kind of Sandal Are You?

2007-01-23T05:58:00.000-08:00
I've been waiting like all week to post this today so here it goes!! So, I'm going to start a new thing where on Wednesdays I post a little quiz, meme, or something fun for like a wacky Wednesday, middle of the week type thing. I tried to post this early before school but of course ran into some technical difficulties. But anyway, for the first wacky Wednesday tradition I'm doing a sandal personality quiz. If you end of taking the quiz let me know about your results!! :) Fun! Fun!
You are Flat Sandals
Casual yet flirty. You look great in a simple top and jeans. Your look is approachable and cute!

Sandal Personality Quiz

Just another Monday

2007-01-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Well, today was basically just like any other Monday. Exhausting, busy, but not too exciting. Here's a schedule of how my day went... 5:45- wake up (WAY to early), get ready for school, eat breakfast... 7:15- leave for school (yeah, I know it takes me a long time to get ready! lol! I need time to primp!) 7:40- go to my first hour class, Integerated Arts, and pretty much did nothing interesting. 8:45- head to my 2nd hour class, Algebra, :( and took a big exam!! 9:45- go to my 3rd hour, Band, and umm... what do you think, played the flute! :) 10:45- LUNCH (My so fav. hour) This is the time to hear about all the latest gossip and news!!11:15- head to my 4th hour, Language Arts, and worked on spelling and grammar 12:25- go to 5th hour, Science. Right now we are studying Life Science so we just reviewed and went over a lot of information and talked about Punnett squares. 1:00- student council executive board meeting and as the secretary I was in charge of taking notes 1:25- YEA! Last hour of the day! OH MAN, it's Social studies (my by far least favorite). We just worked on a big project that we are working on with assigned groups. So it was pretty easy, though boring! 2:25- RING, RING! There goes the bell but I don't get to leave shcool yet! I need to get all of my stuff together, change for volleyball, have a snack, head to the gym 2:45- my first volleyball practice starts. We mainly talked about positions and the setup on the court since we all just need to learn the basics of the sport. 4:15- Volleyball ends, head home, do homework, check on all the blogs 5:30- eat dinner. Since I am on a diet, tonight I had a Lean Cusine 6:00....- my plan for the rest of the night is to finish my homework, study for exams, play with Sophia, clean up, surf the net, choose my outfit for tomorrow, get my bags packed for tomorrow, do my work out video, and then countinue the bedtime routine (wash face, take out contacts, brush teeth, etc 9:45- HIT THE SHEETS!! I know, not to interesting! Hopefully something big will happen to post about tomorrow! Have a good night everyone!

Just 4 Fun

2007-01-19T19:46:00.000-08:00
I found this cute personality quiz on Dannye's blog and wanted to post my results. There's a link at the bottom if you want to take the Sesame Stree quiz. Play along, it's fun!

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around.

You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy.

You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you.

How you live your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

Sesame Street Personal ity Quiz

Volleyball

2007-01-18T20:26:00.000-08:00
After 3 long, exhausting days of volleyball tryouts we finally figured out how we did today. Since, Monday was a snow day we had tryouts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (today). Since almost all of us haven't really played before on Tuesday we were just taught the basics and did much practice. Then on Wednesday and today we were evaluated and had to wear those big stickers with numbers on us so they know who is who. (not a good feeling) I thought I was doing pretty good, especially on my bump. I am not doing too bad and my serving but I could so use a little practice. Well, anyway, I'll get to the point! I MADE "A" TEAM! 30 girls tried out and they were only planning on taking 24 (12 on "A" team and 12 on "B" team) but they decided to just keep everyone. But, I was so so so so so proud and happy with myself for making the better team. I worked very hard and did the best I can do! I am really looking forward to learning a lot more about the game of volleyball and different strategies on playing. Starting Monday we'll have a whole week of practices and then right away a game the Monday after that. So that means only 1 week of practice before we start playing! :( Oh well! We'll see how I do! I think I will do a lot better knowing I am not under so much stress and have to do perfect while being evaluated. Well, time to hit the sheets! I'll keep you posted on my weekend. We have tomorrow off of school (teacher in service day) so that means another 3 day weekend! C ya!

SNOW DAY

2007-01-15T08:32:00.000-08:00
When I woke up today and looked at my alarm clock it said 8:00, which meant it was either a snow day or 2 hour delay. So I went back to sleep knowing my mom would come wake me up if needed. Well, when I woke up the second time and saw it was 9:30 it only meant 1 thing, SNOW DAY!! It was awesome being able to sleep in but since the babysitter doesn't come on Mondays I would be home all day with nothing much to do! :( Since we didn't even get that much snow, only ice, we can't really go outside and play. I was very excited because today was the first day of volleyball tryouts so it stinks that I'll miss out on that and have to wait another day. Also it is going to stink because we have tons of projects going on at school and report cards come out in less than a week, and we don't have school on Friday, which means only a 3 day week to work on and complete everything! I never thought I would be complaining about a snow day but since we only are allowed to have 4 all year long I don't want them to be wasted when there isn't much snow, important stuff going on at school, or not much to do. I guess I'll just plan on playing on my computer and surfing the net all day while my mom is keeping busy tormenting the squirrel right outside our sliding glass door that keeps climbing all over the bird feeders! Oh my! Moms!! :)

Don't you just hate haters!?

2007-01-13T15:42:00.000-08:00
This blog that I made was meant to be able to communicate with friends and family that may not live close by or for others to stay caught up with my life. Not for people at school to leave rude and nasty comments. Comments like, "Your music is gay, You're a loser, Why do you even think favorite photo Friday is important, or Your blog is stupid" are flat out mean and pointless. Being able to design, create, and uphold a blog is a hard thing to do and the fact that I'm interested in technology shows that I am spending my spare time doing something positive instead of wasting time leaving crude and unnecessary comments to bring someone else down. I don't care what any of you think of me or what I do, so you can just leave me alone. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!