Good News!!!

Good news everyone! 1) I updated my blog and 2) I made the Varsity Tennis team! WHOOHOO!!! My first match is tomorrow; I am so excited! Sorry I haven't really been updating all that much. I have been on Facebook instead. I will try to get better! Though, with me going into high school, it will be hard.

More fun in my life- I just got back from vacation in Beaver's Bend, Oklahoma. My family rented a cabin and we relaxed on a gorgeous lake for three days. It was a much needed vacation. Already I am stressed with tennis and school preparation. Now, I am renewed; hopefully it will last a while!

Summer is almost over. So sad =( Ahh, well. It was good while it lasted!

Fun in July

I took some really good pictures on the fourth of July. However, they are on my mom's camera and I have no idea where it is. So I will instead tell you how excited I am to go to EFY this year, a summer camp designed "Especially For Youth." I am going to the San Antonio session and am leaving next week. So I am spending today and tomorrow packing up. It is going to be a blast!!!! So how is your summer? Please commet. I am not going on any big vacations; the farthest away from home I'm getting is EFY. I will put up pictures when I return. See you all next week!

A Day at the Races

Today, Josh and I played with Hotwheels. We had a race to see whose track was the fastest. However, everytime it was a tie. So we videotaped it. Still, we are having trouble seeing who won. Can you help us out? Comment to tell which track you think came in first. I won't say which is mine or which is Josh's. Trust me-it's hard to tell. Josh insists he won, but I think otherwise.

Oh my goodness! I have not written in forever! I have been so busy with the last bit of school that the computer has almost completely slid off my To-Do List. Well, I'm back on. The last day of school has come and gone. I will now be a Freshman! More good news: I have already earned a spot on my High School's Student Council! I will miss 8th grade- the carefree, the friends, all the familiar faces. But now I will get to see friends that I have not seen for years because of the school boundary lines. Summer is already in full swing down here in Texas! I don't plan to do much, so if you have any plans, please comment!

I have been babysitting the past few days and will be again tonight! I have found the time to clean out my room. I have given it a complete dust down, sorted out my jewelry, redecorated in some places, and have thrown away a lot of trash. It looks great, but isn't done yet!

I hope to be better at posting more often. Thanks for checking!

Busy Weekend

Well, this weekend was really busy! My mom surprised my dad with a weekend getaway to this cool cabin in Oklahoma. My brother and I stayed at a friend's house. On Saturday, we went to a school car wash, built and painted birdhouses, went to a soccer game and went to a baseball game. It's been a while since I've had a packed Saturday! The trip turned out nicely, and when my parents came home, we surprised Dad even more with a surprise party. He is turning 40 in just a week, so this was his party! He was totally surprised and had a blast!

I just turned in a huge U.S. History project; a timeline with 70 events and 70 questions. Hopefully I get a good grade; I think I did well.

Also, I just turned 14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. I can now go to church dances, even though waiters still ask me if I want a kid's menu =)

Hope you guys have a great week!

I am writing this post on my new laptop!!! My grandma gave it to me for a birthday present. Well, I love it and am so glad that I don't have to fight with Mom for the computer anymore.

Spring Break is over; I am sad. I was really enjoying the break. At least I will be positive on Monday since it is my birthday. I won't let anything bring me down from my good feelings. I will be very optimistic!

Grandma came into town and we had a lot of fun together. The week was full of botanical gardens, shopping, eating out, and hugs. I miss her already. It is so fun when she is around. Another happy face in the family. Well, I have already spent too much time on this laptop, so got to run!

Mixed Thoughts of this Month

Well, last week I won my second singles match of the tennis season and my first doubles! This week, it was too cold and rainy to play. Plus, the team we would play is really good, so I have mixed feelings of not playing them.


Ohhh, the TAKS test. Even though it was two weeks ago that I took it, I still have nightmares. The reading is the most boring because the stories are anything but interesting. I believe I did well, though.


Spring Break is finally here! My grandmother is supposed to come into town and I can't wait! Hopefully it will stop raining and get a little warmer. And to start the break off right, I just bought tickets for the Coldplay concert this summer! I am sooooooo excited. It will be my first concert.


Only 8 days until my birthday!!!!

A Victory, A Flooded Bathroom and A Countdown

I made the tennis team, as I think I have already mentioned. Well, last Thursday, my school played our No. 1 rival and I was pretty scared. However, I pulled through and won my first singles against another school! I am ranked #3 on the girls' side now and am excited for next week's game.

Last night, I was babysitting Josh when the toilet flooded. Josh freaked out and would not stop crying! Well, I remained calm, called my dad, and went over to my neighbor. She came in, stopped the flow, and helped me to vacuum up the inch of water on the floor. Now the foot of carpet in the entryway to the bathroom is ruined. I feel bad, but it wasn't my fault. There was not nearly enough toilet paper inside to flood, but who knows. It seems everything in our house is breaking; the fridge, oven, microwave, printer and other things. Hopefully this stops!

Only 23 days to my birthday! I turn 14!

Too Much to Do!

It's been forever and I am sorry that I haven't been able to write, or at least it seems that way. My Valentine's Day included a box of chocolates from my parents, a cool new T-Shirt along with the treats, a couple Valentines from friends, and a whole day of watching my brother. Josh claimed to be ill yesterday morning, so my parents went on errands with out us. 2 seconds after my parents walked out of the door, Josh said, "I'm not sick anymore!" and ran all over the place. After 3 hours of this, Mom and Dad came back, but only for an hour since they had to go on their date. Their date you ask? A BYU vs TCU basketball game. Not fair!!! So, my Valentine's Day included a lot of me time, which in that time, I, with the permission from my mom, created a Face book account. Yeah!!!!

Great News and Great Wolf

Yeah! My dad is home from India for good! And he couldn't have come back without bringing gifts. ☺ He gave me a Pune Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt and a couple others with cool designs.

Tennis tryouts went great. I made first cuts, but had to miss the next practice since my family decided to take a little vacation:

Thursday morning my mom picked Josh and me up early from school and the family drove to Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf is a large hotel with an indoor water park, O.K. restaurants, relaxing spas, and over-expensive gift shops. It was fun to play in the water and have all the fun in the sun without, well, the sun. The water room was kept at a balmy 84 degrees, which isn't that warm in Texas. We're used to 94 degrees. Overall, though, it was a relaxing getaway.

Josh and I spraying each other on little, immovable jet skis. I couldn't wait to escape to the huge water slides in which it is impossible to stay dry in.

Playing Bingo in the CubClub. The card I am holding up only had two markers on it the first round, but ended up being a lucky winner the second!

I love Steak'n'Shake milkshakes. This one is a yummy banana split flavored.

At Great Wolf, there is this game called MagiQuest. All around the 8 floors of the hotel are chests, crystals, and jewels which you wave your magic wand at to become a Magi. I am a nerd, so I loved helping Josh (aka Magi Surfer Dude) win gold and experience points. I read from The Ancient Book of Wisdom for clues and hints. As a family, we won all the quests and adventures, except one. We could not beat the dragon and save the village! Oh well! Dad and I were ready to give up after the fifth try, but not Mom (Josh was too scared to even enter the room with a TV displaying the dragon). Mom made us stay for another 30 minutes that ended in failure. Better luck next time.

Josh had a meltdown after the fifth attempt to slay the dragon. We sat down and ate ice cream, but Josh wandered into the MagiQuest gift shop (have I already said that they were over-expensive?) and found a stuffed dragon. "I need it!" he cried. As Josh sobbed, Dad pulled out the camera and started taking pictures. Having received this treatment when I was younger, I had sympathy for Josh and tried to convince my laughing parents to stop.

I've had a ton of fun this week! Well, here in Texas, we were released early from school yesterday because of the terrible ice. Another winter wonderland hit North Texas! Today, there is no school! This is great, but this week we were supposed to have tennis tryouts. Darn! I was all ready to show coach all that I have learned this year.

I went to my friend's house a couple of days ago for dinner and Guitar Hero. Both families had a blast! When it was time to play Wii, my friend, Andrew, had an unfair advantage. He has been practicing since he heard how good I was at Guitar Hero. I haven't played for a while, so he beat me the first couple of times. Then yesterday, his mom was sick, so he came over to my house. This time, it was my turn to win on Super Mario Kart. My brother has a blast playing with Andrew, too. It's fun to see the two guys play Thomas the Train.

My dad comes home this Friday! I am so excited to see him! I can't wait to have him home for good.

This Guy is Fantastic!

Can you believe the image above is only chalk on the pavement? I couldn't. Julian Beever is an amazing artist who draws on the streets and his images, from just the right angle, look very real. For more of Julian Beever's masterpieces, click here.

Exhausted

Sorry, again, it's been forever since I have written. School, projects, and the recent exams have taken over my schedule. I have had some time for fun. Let's start from the beginning. Finally, after two weeks of constant frustration, I completed a 1000 puzzle, pretty much by myself. The rest of my family gave up hope and stopped working on the tropical scene, but once I start something, I have to complete it. I love the challenge. However, dismantling it almost broke my heart.

The completed masterpiece. Look at all of that sky that looks exactly the same. The trees were what took the longest to figure out though.

I am still practicing the piano, every morning for half an hour. I have been pushed back though. Now that Josh is learning to play, he gets the 15 minutes before me. Right now, I am learning my first cross hand piece. It is ranked a 1 difficulty (the highest) in UIL. It is pretty hard and for the most part, both hands are playing right on top of one another.

Look at me, a real Beethoven.☺

I passed all of my exams! Not only passed, but made all A's except for one B. The Athletics test was made up of easy questions, but I don't know anything about the coaches or basketball and volleyball. Of course, there were no questions about tennis.

Last Monday, I was able to play at Putt-Putt, a dirty mini golf course with an arcade inside. It was fun and I even made a hole in one! However, my score did not show that. I know what I need to work on for golf season!

Waiting for Josh to come up to the green.

Watching Josh swing like a maniac. I don't know why, but my mom didn't take any pictures of me putting!

Inauguration day, January 20th, 2009. Where was I when the first African -American president was sworn in? In science class, learning about waves while every class around us was watching Obama on the big screen. When we asked our teacher, she said that, "It wasn't a part of our curriculum." Well, obviously it was a part of everyone else's "curriculum". So I wasn't able to watch it live, but thank goodness for the Internet.

Mom took this picture on the T.V. It's going in her Project 365 scrapbook. Did you know that the same day as the inauguration was also National Penguin Awareness Day?

On that note, yesterday was National Pie Day. We celebrated by eating chicken pot pie for dinner and our own pies for dessert. Dig in!

Stress Galore!

It's been a very busy couple of weeks. Let me start from the beginning. It iced a couple of days ago. All of the trees, fences, and buildings were covered in icicles. Of course, all of this happened while we were in school. When we walked out of the school doors, nature had been transformed into a world of ice. Ice encased trees and branches, turning them into thick spears. The world was quiet, as if appreciating this rare moment in Texas history. The next day, the 80 degree sun had melted all of the frozen drops and the world was back to normal, for Texas standards. The weather has been like this this passed month. Texas is a wonder!

Then, I had a relaxed weekend, but had to work on my new book report. Let's not forget finals this week! Why do they make one test so important? I'm not worried about what I'll make. I'm just sick of studying and having the teachers put so much pressure on us kids. I believe that the teachers are responsible for making the students stressed out in their classes. On top of all this, tennis tryouts are in a couple of weeks. So much practice. It's hard having to juggle all of this!

Mom has been cleaning out all of the photos in the house and putting them into albums. So many embarrassing moments brought back to my attention. However, I did discover an old movie my friends and I made. It was a project in Science where we had to make a commercial for our homemade window cleaner. It's great! I can't really figure how to put it on the blog, though.

I am so proud of myself! In Science today, we graded papers. I received my paper afterwards and found a mistake; the guy said that I missed 1 when I really missed 2. Many people complained how students mis-graded their paper and their grade was really higher. My partner told me not to say anything, but I knew I would feel so guilty afterwards. So I told my teacher that I needed a grade change. She asked me, "So you made a 100?"

"No, I made a 90," I replied.

My teacher was shocked, said, "Oh!"and quietly replaced my grade. The class responded by saying how stupid I was and how I should have kept my grade, but they don't understand how terrible I would've felt after class. Go me! ☺

Honesty really is the best policy!

A Warm Welcome, a Couple of Sad Goodbyes, and Some Goals

2009 is here at last. To celebrate the coming of the new year, I first had a nice fondue dinner with the family, including my cousin Aubrey and her husband. Next, I went to my friend Alexis' party. There, we talked, played Wii, talked, took a nice stroll, and talked some more. I left at about 10:00 because I didn't want to sleep over with the girls. I had a bad experience at a sleep over before, so I don't usually stay the entire night at those kind of parties. No offense to anyone. So my dad picked me up when he was coming home after dropping off Aubrey and Curtis at their hotel. They had to fly early in the morning, so they didn't stay up. Then, at home, I played Yahtzee with my mom and dad. I had to wake them up for the count down because they ended up snoozing!

My dad left back to India for the next month. For those who are wondering, he comes back for good on January 30. It was nice to have him over for the holidays.

I am dreading having to go back to school. For one, finals are coming soon. Second, I am getting a new Spanish teacher. I loved my old one; he was so relaxed and we didn't have to do a lot, but we still learned a ton. Mr. P (this is abbreviated) had to go to Mexico to help his dad with his business. We'll miss him! I don't know who my next teacher is going to be, but they would have to be very good to beat Mr. P.

For this year, I have a few goals to help me succeed. My top ten are:

1. Keep my room clean.
2. Be grateful.
3. Go to bed early (on school nights).
4. Watch less T.V.
5. Practice my piano and guitar.
6. Hang out with friends more.
7. Eat healthy (like everyone else).
8. Play tennis and golf more.
9. Read 5 new books (The Jungle Books, The Power of One, Life of Pi, Friday Night Lights, and The Last of the Mohicans).
10. Actually keep my goals.

If any of you see me slacking on these goals, help me get back on track! ☺

Christmas is Come and Gone

Wow! Christmas was fun. This was the first year, however, that I realized that I didn't get a lot of "playing things". Yes, I got to unwrap, but I didn't get to open up the box and then play with the toy. That's what you get when you get older. I guess that the only reason why I noticed this was that as I am leaving the excitement of Christmas, Josh is just entering. I'll miss those toy days.

I did get a lot of presents for Christmas. In this post, I will do less writing and let the pictures tell the story. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. The pictures will start on the night before Christmas and end on the day after Christmas. Hope you enjoy my little bit of Christmas cheer.

Opening up this year's Christmas PJs.

Listening to Dad reading the traditional Christmas story, all in our uniform pajamas.

We got a little bored, so decided to have a tickle fight instead.

Nala, my cat, decided to just stare at us immature kids in disgust.

The perfect family photo, except for Josh's funny face. We didn't even realize he was doing it until we looked at the photo.

On Christmas morning, Josh and I jammed out on our new guitars.

I was excited to get my Dr. Pepper lip balm.

Examining my new, delicate earrings.

One of this year's favorite presents for me... new games for my DS.

I played Kirby all day long. Thanks Nona!!!

This puzzle was supposed to last us all week. Instead, the family finished the 300 piece in 30 minutes. We bought a new 1500 piece puzzle the next day.

Josh and I played Jenga the day after Christmas. He won of course.

Countdown to Christmas

Well, last Saturday my family and our neighbors went to Six Flags over Texas, an overpriced amusement park that makes its money off of $9 chicken nuggets. It can be fun, though. The only reason why we went is that my mom won two tickets at an auction. Those tickets, along with some other coupons, got us in. Six Flags is doing Holiday in the Park, where there are Christmas lights galore and Santa hats everywhere. I went on my first actual roller coaster, well, I've been on many that go upside down and shoot up quickly, but this was the first that I was actually scared to go on. The Titan begins with a 45 second ascent that descends in 4 seconds. After that first hill, the rest of the 85 mph ride was great. For the majority of the coaster, my bottom was not touching the seat. Next I rode the Super Man which is a tower that shoots you straight up, then down, then back up, over and over. It's fun and really gives you that weightlessness feeling. I've rode it before, but the ride is still intimidating. The experience would have been more fun if it was 70 degrees like it was supposed to be. Instead, the temperature hovered around 33. I was wearing a short sleeved T-shirt, a light jacket that Mom forced me to wear and a scarf I stole from Mom. It was a bit chilly.

Riding the Holiday train at Six Flags.

Shivering in line for the Super Man.

Strapping in to the dirty but warm seat of the Super Man tower.

On Sunday, the family went caroling with the missionaries at our church. It was fun, especially the dinner served before and the chocolate fountain afterwards.☺Then on Tuesday, we went to see Santa and a train display at the mall. The Santa was great and very nice. The trains were okay; it was the largest display of vintage trains in Texas. The exhibit was cool and traversed through America, from San Francisco to New York. I was getting sick though (I have a cold) so I left early. It was too crowded and hot for my comfort.

Sitting on Santa's lap. His hand looks like a thumbs up, but really he was motioning for the helper to turn on the fan.

The Dallas part of the train exhibit.

The Holiday scene in Washington D.C.

Imagine This

O.K. So imagine this: You walk into the airport after your mom picks you up from school early. You are expecting your cousin, who is coming from Toronto. So you sit at the exit for international baggage claim and your cousin just won't call your mom saying she had landed. You stare at the stark white walls, wondering and getting a little suspicious. Why did your mom keep bugging you about getting flowers for a cousin you saw just a couple days ago. Then, Mom says, "There he is!" He? What? Where's Aubrey? That's when you see him, your dad. At first, you think it's a dream, that can't be him, he's in India. Then he gets a huge smile and you run up and give him the first hug in weeks. You try to hold back tears of joy, but they come loose. That was my situation yesterday. Yes, Dad's home for the holidays! I am so happy, but mad at Mom for keeping it a secret for 9 days! I asked why and she said it wasn't final. I responded, "What about yesterday, when he was on the plane. You could have told me then?" I don't like surprises, if you can't already tell. We took him home, updating him all the way on all the happenings and finally you reach home. We were at home for about 5 minutes, and then Josh came home from school. The first thing he did was pull out a cookie that had frosting died red from all of the sprinkles and M&Ms and handed it to me. Earlier that day, I told Josh I wanted a cookie from his Christmas party (I did actually eat the thing, though hesitantly). He was so absorbed into giving me the cookie, he didn't notice Dad. Finally Dad said, "Hey Josh!" Then my brother looked up and cried, "Daddy!" as he rushed into his fathers open in arms. Mom, my neighbor who dropped Josh up, and I held back tears as we watched the scene right from a sad movie.

Dad reading Josh a story from a book that kept him sane in India☺

It is Christmas Break! I spent pretty much all of yesterday afternoon looking at the rupees (Indian currency) with Dad. They are sooooo cool! That is how I spend my free time (along with solving the Rubik's cube☺). Anyway, I hope you all have a Happy Christmas Break!

A sample of Indian currency.

The back of the ten rupee bill.

Getting Back to the Cube

A couple summers ago, I could solve the Rubik's cube in under 2 minutes. I spent a couple of weeks memorizing the moves off of a solution on the Internet. Well, two years later, everyone at school is trying to solve the cube. You are "super smart" if you can solve one and "super cool" if you own one. Well, I decided to re-memorize the steps. I'm doing pretty well; yesterday I solved the cube in under 5 minutes with some help from the instructions on the hardest step.

My cousin, Aubrey, and her husband flew in today, Tuesday. My mom picked me up early from school so I could spend some time with them. It was so cold! About 25 degrees. I had fun hanging out with them; they are so funny! Anyway, Aubrey is supposed to come back on Friday (Curtis, her husband, is a pilot and Aubrey is a flight attendant. They fly to Dallas sometimes). I can't wait to see them again!

Aubrey and my brother, See the Rubik's cube in Josh's hand?

Let them eat Cake!

Well, I made a cake, if that counts. A couple days ago, I baked a cake for my mom's birthday. We went to see a movie (Bolt, it was actually pretty good), and went to eat lunch at Red Robin's. It was a fun day. The cake was awesome, though we still have a ton of left overs. I think my mom had a good time.

Frosting the first layer of the layered cake. Afterwards, Josh went nuts with the sprinkles.

Mom lighting her candles. This picture turned out good, unusual with me behind the camera☺

Last Sunday, we went to Bethlehem Revisited, a place where everyone dresses up like in the time Jesus was born. You can see King Herod as he talks with the wise men, and walk with Joseph and Mary, the shepherds, or the wise men as they journey to the star. It is really cool. After you see the play, you can go look at a village which is set up to take on the time's feeling. Josh and I scored some rosemary and two little hand made coins. We also got to pet the incredibly soft chickens, goats, and sheep. The chickens were the best. One actually fell asleep in a little boy's arms. It was adorable! Mom wants one, but I don't think we could take care of it.

Then, on Monday, I played at my Christmas piano recital. I messed up one song (my hands were to cold, I hadn't practiced very much, and I knew I was going to mess up), but did very well on my duet, O Holy Night, with my friend, Sammy. Afterwards, we went to Ci Ci's and I had a great time with all my friends in the arcade. Josh and his friend almost busted the air hockey table, Andrew and Kyle stole some basketballs out of the Hoops game, Josh almost hit Oliver in the face with a basketball, and we all had fun trying out the broken motorcycle game. It was a memorable experience.

Getting ready to play on the grand piano.