Who knew Yelm could be so INTENSE?

Refuel was COMPLETELY different from last year.
In a good way.
It was great. Seriously the highlight of my year. GREAT WEEKEND.
They mixed up the cabins this year instead of having cabins for each grade.
A little disappointing, because I'd sort of been looking forward to rooming with some of my friends.
But I did get some people I knew in my cabin, and some I didn't, and the ones I didn't know were pretty cool.
Aaaaaaah, freshmen.
As much as I hate junior high boys, Buck Buck was amazing to watch. There was some talk of playing it on the bus ride home, but we opted for the safe choice, Zoo.
Those junior high boys, though, are SO ANNOYING! There was one in particular that needs to be whipped. It shouldn't be too difficult, he's roughly the size of a terrier.
The whole thing was just fun and crazy and super positive. It was nice actually feeling like I belonged. Last year I made a huge big deal about not knowing anybody and yet not making an effort to know anyone, but this year wasn't like that at all. It felt like the body of Christ SHOULD feel like.
Pastor Paul might just be my new best friend, even though he SERIOUSLY considers Hulk to be a better superhero than Batman.
BATMAN.
His point had to do with his lesson, though, which pointed out that GOD is the one who gives us power (SUPER powers! It was superhero themed, ha), and Batman didn't have powers; he just had money, charisma, and Morgan Freeman.
And Batman doesn't care who he is; he is purely focused on his actions.
With REAL power, there is rest and peace, and he has none of that.
It was a great sermon and it made a lot of sense to a lot of people.
Everyone went up afterwards to thank him for successfully explaining a seldom taught Bible topic.
BUT THE HULK IS NOT A SUPERHERO.
He's a loser with anger issues that just happens to be mightily powerful...and oh so green.
While, you know, Batman's out DOING EVERYTHING HE CAN TO PROTECT THE CITY OF GOTHAM, RISKING HIS LIFE IN THE PROCESS.
Hulk just crushes stuff. And sometimes sleeps with Liv Tyler. Mmmmm...
It was just great. Paul kept emphasizing that we can't CHANGE on our own, the exact OPPOSITE I'd been hearing at OEFC, where it was always, "YOU NEED TO CHANGE."
GOD is the ONLY ONE that can change us. We just have to let him.
And my favorite verse, Philippians 4:13, was sort of this weekend's motto.
But the emphasis was on the latter part.
"I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST who gives me strength."
Then we had an hour long worship session, with some people singing while others wrote letters, postcards, and junk they'd been through.
Then they put the junk in a giant trash can and Ben set it on fire.
But it was less than satisfying.
It didn't explode into a wild conflagration.
It just sizzled a little bit.
Oh well.
Even after Stateside, I didn't feel this good.
God is real, the true power source, and I'm going to live for him.

Down with Joe! We want Steve!

"Paris, Je T'aime" is good every time.
My mom and I watched Jayden and Natalie for a couple hours so Natalie could go shopping. It was pretty funy. Jayden is really smart, and copies everything you say. We watched "Blue's Clues" today, and I really miss it. It was good to see an old-school episode with Steve, rather than creepy creepster Joe, who ruined the show with his celebrity guest stars and blue and orange color combo.
Jayden agrees.
Then we played with Maddie and watched "Oliver and Company" while eating Bunny Crackers.
So. Friday night.
Instead of going to the youth group BBQ, I'm sitting at home.
I blame Sierra.
Sort of.
She said she didn't feel like going, and I don't blame her, cuz I've only felt that way myself a billion times.
But still. I was sort of pumped until all my friends bailed.
There are still the very defined "groups" in youth group.
And since mine would be nonexistent for this event, I didn't feel like going and trying to join another one.
Not like they're cliquey and would turn their back.
But, because I'm a socially awkward failure, I would feel complete awkward and stupid and moronic for sort of forcing people to hang out with me because I had no one.
And I'd feel BEYOND stupid if someone took pity on me and decided to hang out with me then.
Yeah. Definite ego booster, that.
But I still feel like I'm missing out.
Ugh. It's been bugging me since Wednesday, when I found I didn't have a ride in the first place.
So I've been feeling sorry for myself since then.
But that's not a new occurrence or anything.
SARK is the coolest! Her book on writing was actually helpful and, dare I say it, inspiring! And it was funny to read it and have the overall tone be, "Yeah, so I write in gigantic color markers all over the page. SO WHAT?"
Very cool.
"House of Leaves" is actually doing a good job at freaking me out.
"Stick it" was pretty funny.
Good books and movies all around.

Sunday morning fun

My mom and dad had to teach the 4 and 5 year-old Sunday school today.
Apparently, it wasn't a positive experience.
My mom is FREAKING OUT. She has a problem with one of the other teachers, who thinks little kids should have structure and discipline.
Well, yeah. To a point. But little kids don't do well with crazy amounts of structure. They rebel.
And she also has a different opinion than I do of chaos and disorder.
A FEW THINGS weren't put in their proper place, but they weren't cluttering up the room, and it looked FINE, like a nursery/Sunday School room is supposed to look.
But a few things out of place for her is disorder and chaos.
Whatever. I'm just a slob.
And she's lived with the ultimate neat freak for 20 years.
But still.
Anyway.
Primetime was interesting.
It's weird. Coming back from Stateside, I made all these "connections" and now I really feel like a part of the youth group.
And, surprisingly enough, I ENJOY Primetime now!
I don't know about Thrive, which was always the bane of my existence, since it hasn't been going on for a while, but Primetime is great.
Sort of.
All these "connections" and new friendships?
Unfortunately, we're all hiding out back in our little groups.
Ahem, cliques.
But I've got one, too.
And it's not like they're all being rude on purpose, and I'm not exactly initiating anything.
And some people are making an effort, which is...really nice.
But it's how the youth group has always been, and that's what I was always complaining about before.
It just seems sad that I spend 10 days with these people and get to know some of them really well, and want to CONTINUE to get to know them, but how can I if we don't really cross paths even when we go to the same church?
There's always FACEBOOK. But really. A little face to face time would be nice.
I just don't want to be stuck in the same lonely group I'm in now. I love my friends, but not all of them want to branch out.
Other than that...
Good sermon, Ben.
He said something along the lines of our feelings might trust God or think he's faithful, but we should always believe that he's faithful and loves us. Our emotions will follow.
I love how Ben always acknowledges "feelings", and how we're not abnormal for having them. They just HAPPEN. And I'm not even talking about ROMANTIC feelings, though he mentions those quite a bit (he thinks those are bull, though).
Unlike some T pastors I might mention.
ENFPs and INFPs of the world UNITE!
I'm going to join the junior group in Thrive again this year, since I actually belong there this time.
Partly because I finally have friends of my own that aren't kindly older kids...but mostly because Bess is gone.
Yes, I'll say it. She's gone. And I'm GLAD.
I know part of my deal with the youth group was my fault, since I made sure I didn't fit in.
But she made me feel like I didn't fit in. And she continued to do it the entire time I was there.
And her job is to make people feel welcome. Right. Thanks. You're an inspiration.
My brother's leaving tomorrow. :/ And I won't get to see him a lot, even at holidays.
He's been here for the entire summer and I was getting used to having him back.
But I guess we're replacing him?
We might be getting a 16-year-old Vietnamese exchange student.
She'll be going to the college, though, so I won't see her at school.
I'm a little bit like, "Crap." Because every time we had Japanese students, even for just three days, it took me forever to get to know them and I withdrew and they withdrew even more because they were all so SHY and POLITE, so that could prove difficult.
But it's a GIRL who'll be living with us long time, and if it's a good fit...who knows? It could be like the sister I never had.
Could be.
Could be.
Argh.
I need some depressing French music.
I AM WARNING YOU JAVERT! I'M A STRONGER MAN BY FAR! THERE IS POWER IN ME YET, MY RACE IS NOT YET RUN!
Fun times.
Playmobil soap opera? Tempting, tempting.
Myeah...not a bunch of bad ideas...LET'S DO IT!

It's obviously Anti-Semitic!

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is better than Godspell.
Sort of.
I mean, it's far superior musically, storywise, and ended becoming more famous.
But it's not wonder other Christians hate it.
And I wasn't crazy about it.
I cried a lot during it, though.
Pilate's dream, Mary Magdalene's solo, The Last Supper, nearly every time Judas sang, you name it.
And yet, not a lot during the crucifixion.
After, yeah. But not during.
The whole thing was...weird, and definitely verging on blasphemous.
But I was reading about some of the stuff religious groups didn't like about the movie, and some of the stuff was inconsequential compared to other BIG things.
Jews didn't like it because it blamed Jesus' death on the Jews.
Um, well, yeah, it was mainly Jewish people that called for his death.
And it was the Jewish high priests that wanted him dead in the first place.
It's not as if Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice are raging Anti-Semites who want you all dead.
Blame Hitler if you need to. He was one.
Or other Christians freaking out because Pilate didn't have the dream about Jesus in the Bible! His wife did!
Wow...you would think those people would object to the fact that the movie states that Jesus WASN'T THE SON OF GOD and that Judas WAS JUSTIFIED.
Anyone who's read this blog for a long time knows I think Judas was a sympathetic character.
But I don't think Judas betrayed Jesus for the good of the people, or that he was right about Jesus being a liar.
And Jesus, for the larger part of the film, was portrayed as a petulant, spoiled, ambitious, hypocritical loser.
Then, later, it showed him doubting.
Both he and Jesus ended up yelling at God and showing him to be a cold God who either doesn't care about us or doesn't exist.
Then the disciples, right before he was crucified, started wondering if all he wanted was attention or perhaps an effective way to prove his point and didn't realize the consequences.
Most of the disciples were shown as misguided punks who deserved better.
Then Jesus is dead.
His disciples do NOT carry him around the city singing, "Long Live God".
Instead, he's dead. They mourn. They scatter. And that's all there is.
Wow. How depressing.
My dad won't admit it, but he loved it. He knows all the songs.
My mom hates it. Probably because it's "Anti-Semitic".
I'm undecided.
I watched "Les Miserables" yesterday, though, and LOVED it.
Mmm, Hans Matheson.
I can't tell if Claire Danes is really pretty or really odd looking.
Maybe both?
Geoffrey Rush was scary. I managed to stop screaming, "Barbossa! Barbossa!" midway through the movie.
The suicide was a little overdramatic.
And Liam Neeson somehow walked away from that encounter unscathed, not emotionally traumatized at all.
But, overall, great movie.
I haven't gotten any farther in the book. There's a large section on Waterloo that keeps mocking me.
Ugggggggh I would love to skip that part, but I'm scared I'll miss something important.
I leave for Colorado tomorrow night. We'll be gone for a week and a half.
WOOOO!!! I'm excited.

Beet down!!!

Ha ha, that's what my T-shirt says.
With a picture of a dead beet lying on the ground.
No one I know got it.
Which sort of defeats the entire purpose.
The seeds have sprouted! My boobs might actually exist, and are bigger verging on ginormous!
5 years of acne and awkwardness suddenly became worth it.
Probably none of you wanted to know that, and it's not really a thing you would put out on the internet for all the world to see (especially since my grandma reads this), but...yeah, can't really justify.
Still, don't expect any pictures of them any time soon, or anything like that.
"Moulin Rouge" is on Channel 10, so my brother is watching it secretly.
But if it's on a regular channel, they cut out half the movie, so how bad can it be?
Ugh, Nicole Kidman is kind of making me mad.
She has this weird quasi-British accent and her Australian accent keeps popping up, though she pretends it doesn't.
And her voice is nasally when they sing.
It ticks me off.
A lot.
But I just watched the "Elephant Love Medley" scene.
And that's really all I wanted to see.
We had an awesome team meeting today at church.
Following two really good sermons, and fueled by delicious lasagna, we made crafts, roleplayed some scenes regarding recruiting people for VBS, and talked about chivalry and whatnot.
Ben made it clear that he didn't think we were really slutty or "tuned into the culture", but that we should watch what we wear anyway.
And that guys should take the lead, be chivalrous, and watch out for us when we went out and knocked on doors, in case some axe murderer attacks us or something.
It just nice. They seemed to take it pretty seriously.
So now I'm pumped. We're leaving on the 15th. Should be great.

STRENGTHS FINDER!! FIND YOUR STRENGTHS!

My mom bought "Strengths Finder 2.0" and I just took the test.
My top 5 strengths are:
1. Adaptability
2. Empathy
3. Intellection
4. Connectedness
5. Developer
I was sort of skeptical of the first one, but it actually seems to fit.
Connectedness and Developer...not so much.
Some of the descriptions fit, but they make me sound like Locke on "Lost".
EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!!!!
And Developers sound like coaches. Like Mr. Freeman. Like Coach Allen.
But everything is scarily accurate.
Some of the phrases jumped out at me, and I was like, "THAT'S ME!"
Sort of like that ice-breaker game they have you play at camp.
Stuff has been happening.
Yes. Stuff. Nothing important, hence the informative noun and lack of adjectives.
Chris read the poem from "10 Things I Hate About You" a few days ago for his poetry presentation. It was genius. I did Classic Crime's "Headlights" and it didn't go over so well, so I was jealous.
Janessa's a big sister...four months early. But the baby's doing okay.
Charlie, Jake, and I were in the back seat of Toni's car, and Jake kept flashing me and Charlie was going to scream.
>:( They won't let me play with them anymore.
I'm sort of pumped for the team meeting this Sunday. Kristine and I are going to hang out beforehand, and it's fun having my closest friends there when we talk about VBS. None of them are in my group, but the people in my group are pretty cool and we get along all right...so far, anyway. And there are other people that are actually really awesome that I wish I'd hung out with before, so I'm excited to get to know them.
How very Pollyanna.
She got to eat a 6-layer cake.
Whenever I think of that movie, I think of the cakes.
And nothing else.
Mr. Basaillon shaved!!!!
He looks completely different. Before he looked like a "Brian" and now he looks like a "Brandon".
And the name "Keith" reminds me of omelettes.
But it reminds Q of zebras.
And Darle thinks we're both insane.
All the Blogthings I've missed!!! Raaaaah!
The Apostle Paul was an INTJ.
And Peter was either an ENFP or and ENFJ.
And they hated each other.
It's fun reading the letters Paul wrote...
...until he gets all logical and is like, "You were dead to the law, THEREFORE..."
It's like, "That's nice, Paul. But get back to the important stuff."
And then he gets all huffy and I have to hang out with Peter for a little while.

Football coaches aren't soft

Yoast seemed suspiciously Feeler-ish, though.
We watched "Remember the Titans" to build our comraderie.
Kristine, Sierra, and I formed a huddle of blankets and were quite comfortable.
Until Sierra's face got cold and she had to resort to listening to the movie rather than watching it, and Kristine burst into tears after Bertier's accident, and I followed soon after, more from consequences due to an extremely unbalanced diet in the past 12 hours than from sadness.
But 45% from sadness, definitely.
I got put on the 1st Grade team and I'm really excited. First grade is one step up from kindergarden, meaning the kids are still adorable and cuddly.
I don't envy the people who were put on the Jr. High team.
The people in my group seem to be really cool, too. There are no instant personality clashes, anyway. Well, maybe one. But it's completely one-sided.
Possibly.
I might just be imagining things.
AGAIN.
BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY THING I'M GOOD AT.
Sorry. Bitter.
I also signed up for the Drama Team, but they haven't said anything about that yet.
Parent meeting tomorrow!
Yeah!
Gooooo team!

You Are Vitamin A

You see the world vividly. You are a very visual person, and you pay special attention to colors. And while you appreciate a sunny, beautiful day - you also like the subtle visuals of night. You are youthful both in appearance and spirit. You are likely healthier than average. You shine brightly and are best in small doses. Too much of your company can be overwhelming and even dangerous.

What Vitamin Are You?

PG-13 is the new R.

Meaning my life is PG, thank you.
Wow. Youth Group. Fun.
We got into a rather heated discussion over whether or not gay men should be pastors.
And it got ugly quite fast.
It all started when this one girl asked whether or not a girl could be a youth pastor, which brought as right on back to 1 Timothy 2:12, a verse I'd had Sunday School teachers dispute over in past years.
"Oh, well, women can cut their hair as short as they want it, but they can't lead in the church!"
Why would you disregard one verse and adamantly preach another?
Argh. Sorry. But it still bugs me.
Anyway, we sort of skirted past the "women leading the church" issue, when another girl asked if a gay man could be a pastor.
Her reasoning: He wasn't a woman, and God was all-loving and all-forgiving, so surely he could look past his gayness and let this man lead.
That's when all hell broke loose.
Some of the more opinionated people took charge in explaining (rather passionately) what the Bible said about homosexuality.
One of the not-so-sensitive (ahem) homeschoolers BERATED this girl for not knowing all that the Scripture said about this issue.
A few people (including myself) tried to speak up and got knocked out the way.
Some of the more neutral and quieter people got very uncomfortable and hid in the background, waiting for our hour to be over.
And then our leader decided to read a very long passage about not just homosexuality, but all sin, and how sinners would be dealt with if they did not repent.
You could see the girl getting madder and madder until she just stopped listening.
Then she left.
AAAAAAAAAGH of course this is the ONE issue I have trouble with, and I wanted to talk the girl personally, because, with my big ego, I was convinced I could get her to understand without being agressive and shoving Scripture down her throat.
But then some people accused me of being too soft and PC, and told me that we can't always spoonfeed people, and that they have to know the truth, and God's word will always be hard for some people to swallow.
And I don't disagree with Janine reading the Scripture. But after all that had been said already, a reading of the entire first chapter of Romans didn't seem like a good idea to me, and just made things worse.
And yeah, this is her issue. And yeah, Christians are pretty good at offending people and sometimes it's necessary if we're going to stand up for what we believe in.
But some of what was said was NOT necessary.
Gah.
So. That's fun. We're going to WSU, and hopefully won't get ticketed for not having snow tires.
It's just slush. I think we'll be okay.
But I'm pretty pumped. It's going to be freezing cold and my brother is going to be busy all weekend, but we get to eat out, so who needs him?
I just want school to start up again.
If only jazz band wasn't so early....

She loves you, and you know that can't be bad

She loves you, and you know you should be glad, OOOOOOOO.
Michael Moscovitz looks much better after a little plastic surgery, thanks for asking.
Argh, Stateside.
It started off as my friends pressuring me to go.
Then Janine got in on it.
Then God went, "Surprise. Guess who's side I'm on?"
But you can't argue with him.
So I started filling out the application, and realized that I really do want to go.
Not just because Sierra's going, and not just because it will be the last time I see Kristine, but because I finally realized I can't be closed off forever and that I need more friends, since Kristine is leaving and that's what the body of Christ is about anyway.
And I've never been on a missions trip and this will be a cool experience.
My parents are all for it, and are ready to back me up financially. It was pretty cool last night, because I was worried about money and different factors regarding the trip, and my empathetic Thinker mom explained to me why they were supporting me while my Feeler dad sat on the floor just listening and pretending he needed tissues for his allergies.
But filling out the application was still pretty scary, because I realized if I'm completely honest, they might not let me go. Up until this point (okay, it still continues to this day), I've had sort of a bad attitude regarding the youth group and I know Ben has picked up on that, so when he reads parts of my application (there were questions like, "Why do you come to Primetime?" and "Do you have any personal problems with anyone in the Youth Group?" that gave me pause), he might interpret it negatively.
Which scares the crap out of me.
But I've been praying about it since last night and worst case scenario is can't go: there's always next year, and now I know what I need to work on.
Phew.

You Are the Communicator

You are a collector and facilitator of knowledge. You love storytelling and teaching. You light up when you're around other people, and you especially light up in front of a crowd. You are a charismatic person who's genuinely a joy to be with. You remind others to have fun. You love life, and you're wake up grateful for every new day. This attitude makes the people around you love life as well.

What's Your Life's Mission?

You Are a Chocolate Cupcake

You are deep, richly interesting, and at times overpowering. You have a strong personality. You are drawn to people who adore you. You love it when your specialness is recognized. You are like a cupcake because it's hard for people to get enough of you. You have a mysterious charm that makes you incredibly addicting. People are drawn to your drama.

What Flavor Cupcake Are You?

Dangerous dumplings

Hwaaaaaa!
Argh. It's like my dad and I communicate backwards. I was really tired, about to pass out, and I didn't want to go to Primetime and listen to a boring sermon after I'd pretty much ignored my favorite pastor preach for about an hour, so I told my dad, and he starts LECTURING me about how I can't always get out of it and I might regret it now, but in the end I'll be happy. So I started crying, because I was REALLY FREAKING TIRED and I didn't want to have to deal with all that self-righteous crap, and he was making me MAD.
So I'm sitting there, fuming, and he lets me for a good half hour, and then, when he takes me home, there's suddenly all this overwhelming sympathy! He's really sorry, and everything, but by now it's too late, because I'm just MAD and TIRED and UNREASONABLE and I don't need this.
Argh. It seems to be becoming a pattern, too.
And why is it that when someone sees that their friend is angry, they decide that the BEST possible way to cheer their friend up would be to annoy the bloody daylights out of them??
And then they're so surprised that their friend is even angrier, and they pout because of it!!!
Are you insane?????????? What kind logic is that???
So people are frustrating, but God created dogs, and they are nice. I mean, humans are sort of becoming more dependent on technology and English is going down the toilet, but dogs can't "communicate" with us verbally, yet seem to know exactly what we're thinking all the time. Body language is all we have to go on. They're like little "Lie to Me"'s.
That show is pretty cool.

Some things are disgusting, but they have to be done

Like hocking up giant yellow lugies.
Gross? Maybe.
Satisfying? You betcha.
Yeah, I'm sick.
So I missed one of 4 half days.
Dang it.
1 and a half stars! Ha! Stephenie Meyer, I laugh at thee.
So I had a very interesting night last night:
Alexis called at about 5:00 and asked if I needed a ride.
She'd asked me if I was "going tonight" in advisory and I assumed she had meant the Jazz Night.
Apparently SHE'D been referring to Youth Group.
So she picks me up and we're halfway to the church when I realize we're NOT headed to the high school.
Yeah, it took me that long.
So her mom dropped Alexis off at youth group and then drove me to the high school.
And I sat alone.
The concert wasn't bad, though. The Navy band played, and my dad had a heart attack when I told him.
I mean, why would he go to play rehearsal when there was a NAVY BAND CONCERT he could've gone to??
Too bad none of us knew that Navy Band was coming.
Well, not none of us. Probably just me.
Yeaaaah, stocking up on junk food!! Yeaaaah!

You should be an electrician

You Would Be a Good Spouse 35% of the Time

In general, you have the skills and ability to make a marriage work. However, you're still a bit too selfish to be a good spouse. You almost always put yourself first. If you want to have a good marriage (either someday or right now), you're going to have to give more than you take. Be proactive every day. Work on being a good friend, family member, and partner. With practice, you'll be an excellent spouse.

Would You Be a Good Wife or Husband?

Hahaha I love life.
That explains why both Sierra and I want to die as 80-year-old virgins.
Kay draws amazing pictures. There was the elephant victory cry, and then her panda ate my elephant. It was quite graphic.
Paul was emo. He didn't like our solutions. He even drew a pencil so he wouldn't have to deal with any surprise "get better" hugs.
We took the ASVAB today. It was basically a gigantic military-issued aptitude test. A bunch of officers gave us super-sharp pencils and were super OCD about the perforated edges.
The best part was missing 3 class periods.
Then, when it was all over, I realized I'd just missed my 3 favorite classes of the day and had nothing to look forward to.
Besides French.
Dang it.
Tyler and I bombed that history test. The 10 points we got taken off didn't help.
That class sucks. All my friends have another teacher and talk about how much they LOVE history, where they get to make pyramids out of donuts.
It's not so fun when you have a teacher who loves history but has no idea how to make it interesting, besides allowing girls to bring in cake.
Ugh, I'm not happy with how my dad handled the whole worship team "situation". He called the youth leader and told him how "upset" William and I were and sort of put it all on him, but WE WEREN'T MAD AT HIM!! Our problem was with the kids!!!
And then he ended up being on his side, saying he understood "his point of view".
But he'd totally missed the point.
"He doesn't want to penalize the kids that can't come."
But it seems like he's penalizing the ones that actually do. "Thanks for showing up...we don't need you."
ASVAB results won't come for a few weeks. So today was a waste of time.
I'm going to end up as an electrician.

You Are a Chicken

You are a naturally curious and inquisitive being. You are often poking your nose where it doesn't belong! Collecting nuggets of knowledge is important to you. You enjoy knowing everything you can. You are very independent and strong willed. You don't like to be bossed around, and you do as you please. You are quite determined and able to take on challenges. You will “peck away” at a problem until it's gone.

What Animal Are You?

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Ooooooooooh. I know I failed that history test. I don't think anybody studied, or even read the chapter.
At least Mr. Hurd gave us freebies.
Tyler looks surprisingly good with his head shaved. And the seedlings are really soft.
It's kind of like he's always had a shaved head.
Though he does sort of look like a skinhead.
Ugh, people who think they're utterly superior bug me.
I guess that's why I won't be going to UW.
It's just annoying when my friends start acting that way.
And I know I act that way about some things.
I just never knew how annoying it could be.
Youth group SUCKS. It's like everytime I go is some new drama.
So I'm minding my own business and I get hit in the face with a ball, hitting me square in the nose and popping both lenses out of my glasses.
Nice, guys. Real nice.
So I start crying and Sierra had to fix my glasses and some guy (whose name I never learned) got me some ice.
That set the stage for a wonderful evening.
And my nose still hurts. At first, my mom told me it wasn't broken, but now she's saying it might be.
Ugh. All I know is it's even larger than normal.
My dad was listening to a pastor on the radio talk about homosexuality, and he supposedly "drove his point home" by stating, "Homosexuality was a non-issue until the Bible came out."
And that was supposedly a REALLY good point that showed how wrong homosexuality really is.
?????
Seriously?? If I were a non-Christian, that would just convince me that the Bible is stupid and homophobic and God is screwed up.
I think my dad wants grandchildren. He snatches up every baby he sees.
Well, no, he doesn't, because that would be weird.
But when there's a baby at our house, he's like, "Baby! *scoop*" and holds it for 12 hours.
Matt was pregnant, but he gave birth and someone stepped on the baby. OUR baby.
Then he kept sucking on that stupid smoothie.
"Can I have some brown sugar Pop Tarts?"
"Cherry?"
"You're going to ruin your life! RUIN IT!"

What can I say? I like tubes...and I like you!!

Oh, that Neil Ciciriega!
"Hello, my sweet ducklings."
Yesterday was my parent's 22nd anniversary.
22 years.
That's a long time.
And eHarmony says opposites don't work out.
It was weird, though, because they took us out to Applebee's (Why they would rather spend time with their kids than have a romantic dinner alone together is beyond me). Nathan and Mom both ordered steak, Dad and I both ordered cheeseburgers, and William, the Love Child, ordered shrimp.
It's weird how menu choices correspond with personalities.
"Vantage Point" is a SWEET movie. I usually hate action movies, but this one was SO AWESOME.
It was also sort of confusing, because the movie kept rewinding to 12:00 to go from a different character's point of view.
It was pretty sad, though, because practically everyone died.
There, I said it.
Now it's spoiled.
Forrest Whitaker is the MAN!
Run, Forrest, run!
They wouldn't let us sit on the couch in Sunday School. How lame is that? So we moved up to the front row.
There's nothing more uncomfortable than sitting in the front row. It always feels like the person up front is looking RIGHT. AT. YOU.
And you feel vulnerable.
"You guys can come up front if you want. *looks meaningfully at front row*"
"Um, no, that's REALLY okay, we like it HERE. *glares meaningfully back*"

We can sleep as late as we want to

Aaaah, I'd almost forgotten "High School Musical 2", but it's one of the best summer soundtracks EVER. I'm getting a little tired of the movie after watching it so many times, though.
Okay, even though I didn't like "Camp Rock" so much, I sort of want to buy the soundtrack, but so does my dad, sooooo.... $10, maybe he'll want to buy it.
The song "Viva la Vida" has been stuck in my head a lot.
MUST BUY IT.
And I still have 15 bucks!!
Cleaning out itunes...again.
Daaang, where is The Classic Crime's new album already? Holy crap.
Awww, doesn't come out till July.
"Gravedigging"? "Abracadavers"? Lol. "God and Drugs"?
Wth???? Is Matt McDonald clinically depressed?
And they used to be classified as Indie Rock and Alternative Rock, but now their NEWER material is Emo and Post Hardcore...whatever that means.
They're having youth band tryouts on Tuesday, and my brother REALLY wants to try out on guitar, and my parents want me to try out on bass, but why bother?
They SAY they need a bunch of people because their seniors are leaving, but I'm thinking it's just to please the youth pastor.
Ooh, Pastor Mike said if I ever want to play on worship team, I should start with youth band.
Harsh.

Champions and chumpions (and the lies of Disney)

A LOOOOT has happened since Monday, but I have to get all the stupid "Camp Rock" stuff out of my system.
Agh, what a letdown. Seriously, there was so much hype. "Demi Levato is a superstar!" "The Jonas Brothers rule!" "This is the next High School Musical!!!"
Not quite.
"High School Musical" was *ahem* a musical (hence the name). "Camp Rock" is about a large freakish group of musicians that assemble at a Canadian camp, so there was definitely music involved, but not a lot of big song and dance numbers, and none of the songs were really memorable or special. It was just generic Disney crap.
Demi Levato DOES have a great voice, but she didn't do a lot of singing. She had 2 or 3 songs max, and they were short. Also, none of the other characters were all that good. More generic Disney crap, a few Cheetah Girls clones, some uber-stereotyped black and Mexican kids, etc.
Sadly, Joe Jonas was probably the best actor in the entire movie, but that's not saying too much.
I'm not saying the movie wasn't totally enjoyable (for the most part, anyway). It was just a little disappointing.
There were some totally amazing lines, though. Kevin's character cracked me up.
"Which color?" "Those are exactly the same." "So you see my dilemma!!!"
"I wanted a birdhouse so more birds would come..." (you'd have to be there)
"It's the silver rule. Okay, the copper rule." (Okay, again.)
"I was just, you know... MMM, toast."
Awww, my favorite song was probably the stupid finale one. I feel so LAME.
On other non-"Camp Rock" news:
GRADUATION!!!!! It was scary, because I was one of the MCs and I messed up a lot, but the principal said I did great. Sure. It's all right if you're lying. Graduating itself was so weird, because I'm SO not ready to go up to the high school, but it was also like, "Finally, school's over." But only partly. I got a couple awards, but the only one I was really surprised by was the "Outstanding Service" award. Yay, I put my name on a plaque! I don't get to KEEP it, but whatever, it's in the school.
Argh, do NOT want to go to the high school next year. Me and a bunch of my friends auditioned for Wind Ensemble on Tuesday and only two people made it. I wasn't one of them. It kind of made me feel like crap, because I know it wasn't personal, but the guy who DID make it in my place has been playing trombone for 2 years, and if I've been playing for 5 and he's better than me, how much do I suck?? I guess I've always been really cocky about my playing ability, but it turns out I was totally wrong.
So that kind of sucked.
But then I went to Alexis' youth group w/ Alexis, Daniel, and Jessica, and Daniel ripped his hand open; Alexis, Jessica, and I called our team "The Poofters" (for all you Kiwis); and then we watched "Charlie and Candy Mountain" AND the sequel about the Banana King.
Yeaaaah, at my grandma's AGAIN. High speed!! Woooh!!! We're just hanging out and partying (although my grandparents are in bed). There is an abundance of brownies. Their neighbor tried to bring over 3 pans of pudding filled double chocolate brownies.
I love that man.

Kotex lied to me (My butt is large and unsatisfactory)

I was going to write a song with that title, but I didn't.
That could almost be a Fall Out Boy song...if Fall Out Boy was an angry girl band.
Yeah. I haven't really posted. I've been...busy, I guess. I don't know where I've been.
This four day weekend seems ridiculously short. I think it was because for half of it I had basketball practice. LAME. None tomorrow, though.
Today was the last day of the "Rekindling the Romance" series at church, thank God. Now I don't ever have to hear about the marriage bed ever again. Hopefully, anyway.
I went to Sunday school, finally. It was okay. The message was cool and I really liked the speaker ("Aw...my heart flutters every time I see him..."), but it was like sitting in another hour of church. I knew a couple people, but I didn't want to say hi to any of them. I talked to one person the entire time. Who says I'm not social?
Ow. Ows. It's like my stomach hurts 24/7 now. Better than my hip, though.
Rereading Princess Diaries!!! Was trying to figure out which one was best. Time for another list.

1. Princess In Love (awwww...)
2. Princess Mia (DEMOCRACY! JP!!!)
3. Party Princess (Mostly because of Fat Louie's Pink Butthole)
4. Princess Diaries (the original one, which I first listened on tape, read by Anne Hathaway)
5. Princess in Pink (PROM!!)
6. Princess in Training (Except for Michael being a sex addict, it was pretty funny. And she became president of the sophomore class. w00t.)
7. Princess on the Brink (At least she broke up with Michael)
8. Princess in the Spotlight (JoCrox was the only cool part)
9. Princess in Waiting (70 pages of her stay in Genovia? So boring)

Yeah, I didn't count any of the 4 1/2's or whatever. That was invigorating. Crap, I have to go.

And I thought I needed serious mental help....

O.o
I like how all I ever do now is read Harry Potter, look up Sims 2 videos, and blog.
When I'm not at school, anyways.
AAargh. I want to watch a Harry Potter karaoke party. REALLY BAD.
Hm.
Still trying to convince myself to grow a spine.
Math is pretty amazing.
And I'm pretty sure I passed the science test.
Apparently I'm a Romance Sim. That sort of depresses me.
I'm not sure if I should be worried or laughing....
Dododododododo.
Hey, tomorrow's Thursday.
Crap.

I need to pee and my arm hurts.

Just keeping it simple.
5 MORE DAYS.
Hurry up, Hannah Montana!
ROFL I got a Toothtunes toothbrush. It plays "Best of Both Worlds", which makes me laugh hysterically. It's sort of lame, because instead of going into the keychange, they just repeat the same chorus over and over. Way obvious.
I do it my way!! YOW!
I wanted to buy the Pooh Bears with the rubber outfits, but I don't have any money. I'll get some pretty soon, though. As soon as I do, I'm running to Skateland and buying 15 of those things. So cute.
Avril Lavigne is my alter ego?
Okay, the first time I went to OEFC's youth group, I cried for like 20 minutes cuz I was so freaking nervous. So last night, I was going to go, but I started getting really nervous, and begging my mom to let me stay home, so that by the time I got to the church, I was freaking out. Yeah. Ended up turning around and going home and watching "King of Queens" all night long.
Little Debbie Double Chocolate Swiss Rolls. BUY SOME.
A bunch of my friends went home sick. :(
I passed the math quiz! 11/13!!
Then Connor was all, "13/13!!"
-_-
Connor, Kevin, and I want to make a trio for solo ensemble. We're planning on playing an arrangement of "Winnie the Pooh". I forgot the words. Something about a "tumbly, tumbly, silly bear".

The nature of...bubbly teenage girls that don't wear pink?

Today was sort of an off day. I've been in a perpetually bad mood. It started with me waking up too early because I thought there was jazz band, but forgot it was a Thursday. I did like seeing the slush outside, though. It snowed...AGAIN! It snowed on Tuesday, too, which was pretty much amazing. We got more snow than Seabeck! Bam!
Argh, it started with that stupid "Becoming Beka" book. You know I hate Christian fiction, and when I started reading, found it boring, and then found out it was Christian fiction, I should have just put it down. Even if it had been a normal book about depression and anger, it was badly written, I did NOT sympathize with Beka, and the Christian aspect just made things worse. It made non-Christians seems all the same: slutty, sarcastic alchoholics that have horrible relationships with everyone around them, and Christians seemed perfect. ??? That's not how it is, and I loved how they pointed that out towards the end of the book, but it was kind of like, "*cough cough* Hypocrite! *cough cough*" And I know that when people become Christians, they often say, "I'm a totally different person now." I know what that means, and I think it's cool, but non-Christian Beka and Christian Beka seemed like two totally different people. I know people change, and that God changes people, but it honestly seemed like the author got bored with delinquent Beka and wrote a new version of her. And Beka questioning other people's hearts and asking why they didn't wear "I love Jesus" T-shirts to school was considered a good thing???
Then I got fired up about a book my mom got on how pop culture stereotypes little girls and is stealing their childhood, but I'll only say a little on that: why is it that girls can't be all girly now? I realize the whole "prep" stereotype and that it comes down to either preppies or losers, but if my little girl was interested in clothes more so than sports and running in the dirt, WHY IS THAT BAD? It's not necessarily the media; EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT! And they kept harping on pink and how girly-girl's and femininity was bad and sporty girls are good. Stereotype much? I also sort of took it personally. I like shopping and boys, and they called me a slut. Hello? I don't wear pink. Thanks.
Orange Tootsie Pops are therapeutic, I think.
Agh, it's like I've been getting mad at everything lately, AND IT'S NOT PMS!!! You can feel like crap and be in a bad mood and NOT HAVE IT BE PMS! I'm living proof, seeing as I'm in a bad mood practically all the time, not just every 28 days. Rethinking youth group tonight, because I want to make a good impression, and I don't want to bite anyone's head off.
And I don't think I'll fit in, but hey. I gotta go sometime.