what one girl ponders...

Senior Pictures: Sneak Peak

2009-12-24T02:00:22Z

This is my senior year. SEN10R year. It's half over now. And along with the picnic, the cap and gown, the this and the that, one tradition of senior year is senior pictures, am I right? However, senior pictures can be extremely expensive, and I am not a fan of extremely expensive things. So, this creates a bit of a problem, right? Wrong! Wrong, when you have amazingly talented friends such as the beautiful Judy who took and edited my photos for me. We spent the afternoon at a pretty park, I changed clothes in my car, and she spent quite a chunk of time making about sixty-five pictures look their very best. For this, I will be eternally grateful, and I'll probably bake her an extra batch of Christmas cookies or something.

We intend to do this again, probably in the spring, with different weather, different locations, and different styles. I'll have all the pictures in the next few days or so, and I expect I'll put them up on facebook, but I wanted to give y'all a sneak preview first. So, may I introduce, my winter collection of senior portraits by Judy.

And no worries; most of the pictures include my face. ;) I'll add some more favorites in the coming days. I hope y'all had a beautiful Wednesday and have festive plans for Christmas Eve tomorrow. <3

Cousins

2009-12-23T02:31:11Z

Today I spent the morning making a gingerbread house with two of my little cousins that I babysit pretty often. It was quite successful. I was very proud of them. <3

I remember when both of these girls were born, and I've been babysitting them for years. They are precious, sweet children of God, and I love them so much. Their dad is my first cousin; he's nineteen years older than me, and his wife thinks that is so weird that we're so far apart in age, but we're cousins. But that's the way my family is. My dad is the fifth of six siblings, and he was the last to have kids, so Ketcher and I are the youngest of the first cousins. Almost all of our cousins are married and have children--one of those kids is actually older than I am. My mom's side is a little more normal; she only has a brother and a sister. However, her brother has five kids, the youngest of which is a year older than Ketcher. Mom's younger sister just had her first baby a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not the youngest on that side of the family anymore! Plus, my mom has a couple of cousins she is close to, and their kids are around mine and Ketcher's ages, so that's about the closest we get to "best friend" type relationships between cousins.

The magnitude of cousins means we don't all get Christmas gifts, but we don't mind. Time spent with family is such a great gift in itself; we love spending holidays at my uncle's ranch or my cousin's house where the guys cook out on the grill and we gather and eat and talk for hours. My grandmother on my dad's side did do something very special for each of the first cousins. There are fourteen of us, and grandma made each of us a quilt. They are gorgeous, and I'll cherish mine forever and hopefully pass it on to my daughter.

What I'm trying to get at is this: family is important. But for some reason it seems that "family" typically refers to mother, father, brother, sister, maybe grandparents. And I believe aunts, uncles, and cousins are just as important. There is love there that I try not to take for granted. I know not everyone has as massive a family as I seem to. We're spread across the country: Washington, Nebraska, Ohio, Vermont, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and all over Texas. I want to appreciate each member of my extended family and remember the time I get to spend with them.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-19T22:44:26Z

This is my 99th post; perhaps I'll do my 100th on Christmas or just after. :)

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? It's only SIX days away!

This cute fire hydrant the day it snowed is definitely ready for Old St. Nick.

Last night was the big Madrigal concert--Carols of Christmas. I sang the second verse of "The First Noel" solo, and my sister cried because she sang that her senior year, too. :) Our last events are tonight (two favorites: the doctor's party where they drink and don't listen to us but pay us good money and the hotel is awesome, and the Blue Santa Toy Drive at this huge, gorgeous house) and then we hang the costumes up for the year. It's been a good one. <3

All the Christmas gifts I'm giving this year are wrapped and under the tree. I tried not to spend too much money and I think I did rather well, while still finding gifts my friends and family will appreciate. All that's left to do it write a couple of Christmas notes and that will be that. I love to wrap presents and put together fun gifts. PS: there are loads of Christmas cookies in my house; everyone come eat some.

Today when I checked the mailbox there was a thick envelope addressed to me: my acceptance letter to UNT. :D It's my first letter, so that was very exciting, though not surprising since it's a public school and I'm more than just the top 10% of my graduating class. I'm waiting on scholarship information before I choose where I'll be next August; probably either UNT or UTDallas. The thought of college makes me want to hurry this year up, after Christmas and New Years that is.

About a month has past

2009-12-16T23:30:05Z

and a lot has happened! I apologize for my absence; life got overwhelming QUICK there around Thanksgiving and I just now feel like I may have caught up.

First of all: Thanksgiving break was beautiful. I toured TCU and UNT; two gorgeous schools, experienced a superb weekend at Dance Revolution, got to visit my brother, and spent the holiday with aunts, uncles, and cousins eating some delicious traditional Thanksgiving food followed by fresh seafood the day after. Plus: some intense Catch Phrase with my family. Of course, missing three days of school right before Thanksgiving left me with quite a load of make-up work to do, but it was definitely worth it.

When the break was over, Madrigal season kicked into overdrive. We performed at a H City Cafe in the pouringpouringpouring rain before what was supposed to be the annual Christmas parade. However, our next event was cancelled because of... SNOW. Again! Snow two years in a row is unheard of here.

The day after the "big snow" was Dickens on the Strand down in Galveston, always one of the favorite events of the year. Our dear friend Shaniqua took the lovely Judy's camera and acted as photographer, and she did a great job, capturing these special moments:

all the seniors after breakfast and before heading out <3

the crew after our performance at "Windsor Castle"

a family of pirates including the cutest "Arrr" I have ever heard

After Dickens a bunch of friends stayed the night at the beach house for Connor's birthday, and we made friends with some barnacles.

do they remind you of Audrey II?

And that brings us to this week. We preformed some Hebrew love songs with the Orchestra on their concert Tuesday night, then sang for the Rotary Club on Wednesday during school, and had our choir Christmas concert last night. Tonight is a day off before we go downtown to the Heritage Society Candlelight Tour tomorrow evening. We have a few more events next week before our big concert, Carols of Christmas, next Friday night. Next week is finals; I'm done with the fall semester of my senior year on Wednesday at 10:30am and I couldn't be more ready. College applications have been submitted, scholarships and honors college applications are in the process, and it's so close to Christmas I can smell it.

I've decided to make most of my Christmas gifts this year for my family and friends. I'm going to attempt to be creative and try not to spend a lot of money, because I don't have a lot of money to spend, and making things is just more fun.

So happy Friday night; happy weekend; happy Christmas. <3

poem 46

2009-11-18T03:24:17Z

"Being the Better Man"

I dislike the phrase
"Being the better man"
Because it sounds
Pretentious and
Conceited;
So I need to come up with a more appropriate phrase
For those times when I do indeed
Try to "Be the better man."

poem 45

2009-11-17T02:59:45Z

"Inventions and Equations"

Thinking about things,
Inventions and equations,
It just blows my mind.

poem 44

2009-11-16T02:56:03Z

"Gift of Life"

Life is a precious gift from God,
So don't waste it on frivolous things,
Don't ruin it with drugs and bad decisions,
Live it to the fullest by keeping Father in mind.
Only one life is given to each human,
Father has a purpose for it,
So following His plan gives the most satisfaction
And it brings Him the most glory,
So everybody wins.
Gifts are meant to be enjoyed, so enjoy Life.

poem 43

2009-11-15T03:14:25Z

"Attitude"

This is what I learned today:
Attitude is everything.
I choose whether or not to have a good day.
I choose whether or not to appreciate what I've been blessed with.
I choose whether or not to make the most of what I've got.
If I have to do something,
I may as well do it with a cheerful attitude,
Therefore allowing myself to have some fun,
Rather than brooding and hating every minute.
Attitude is absolutely everything.

poem 42

2009-11-14T03:21:02Z

"Childhood"

Remember when you woke up early and went to bed early,
You played all day long in the sandbox,
Eating grilled cheese for lunch without even leaving the game.
Colorful band-aids for all of life's little boo-boos,
With kisses from Mom to make everything feel better.
Before you learned how to write complex sentences,
Or do calculus for early morning tests,
You got to finger paint and make macaroni necklaces.

poem 41

2009-11-13T03:22:36Z

"Make-up"
Sure, it may make me look nice,
But I don't like to wear it because it feels
Fake. And I can't stand the
Dependence that some girls have,
Where they can't go buy a taco without their make-up on.
But don't be surprised that I know how to use it
When I have to.
Hello, I have been dancing on stages my whole life.
Make-up required.

poems 38, 39, and 40

2009-11-11T22:51:55Z

yikes; I've really fallen off the bandwagon this week. It has been an odd week. I am still pretty sick so I have been trying to take it easy, haven't been at dance or anything like that. I was able to sing a little bit in choir today for the first time all week; I am really hoping my voice is better by Saturday night's region choir concert... it will feel like a waste of time if I'm mouthing the words to all my songs up there.

"Thank You Does Not Even Begin to Cover It"
Thank You for Your love, Your peace, Your words, Your guidance.
Thank You for my family, my friends, my mind, my heart.
Thank You for our freedom, our home, our opportunities, our security.
Thank You for saving me, holding me, believing in me, knowing me.
Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

"Future"
Thinking about the
Future
Can be
Scary,
But it doesn't have to be.
Thinking about the
Future
Can be
Exciting
If you're careful to trust in Father and follow His guidance.

"Mascot"
At three I was a little lamb,
At five, a timber wolf,
From eleven to thirteen, I stalked like a tiger,
And now I am an eagle.

poems 36 and 37

2009-11-09T03:21:44Z

"College"

Applications
Decisions
Essays
Tours
Forms
Letters
Visits
Money
Frustration
Requests
Deadlines

"You Never Know"

You never know what may spark an argument.
You can't know what someone else may be thinking.
You never know what may earn you a hug,
Or a slap in the face.
You can't know what someone else is going through.
You never know what may make someone remember you.
You can't know what someone else needs.
You never know what may bring tears to someone's eyes.
You can't know what someone else is feeling.

poem 35

2009-11-07T02:04:39Z

"Texas, Home"

Texas means
Big cities and massive fields.
Texas means
Airplanes every half hour and so many stars.
Texas means
Hot, hot beaches and cold, snowy hills.
Texas means
All day driving and reaching either Florida or El Paso.
Texas means
Southern hospitality and delicious TexMex food.
Texas means
Sometimes there are cowboys at church.
Texas means
Cattle pastures, hay fields, and high speed Internet.
Texas means
Going off to school, but never really leaving Home.

I am sick, sick, sick. :(

poems 33 and 34

2009-11-05T23:34:50Z

"Ugh"

Bad things always seem to come in a rush.
You're sore, you're sick, your best friend hasn't called in a while
And then you find out someone you love is
Hurting even more than you are, which just makes you hurt
Worse. You can't seem to get a break and you know you're busy schedule doesn't let up
Until Christmas.

"Cabaret"
What good is sitting alone in your room?
Well, at least I wouldn't infect anyone with my sickness.

poem 32

2009-11-04T03:30:30Z

"I Don't Even Know"

Everyone has one thing that is their ultimate
Pet peeve.
And everyone has patience for different things.
Some people hold everything in until they finally
Explode.
And some people explode on a daily basis.
Many people keep secrets.
And many people fail at keeping even their own lives private.
But somehow, we all exist here, together. Different.

poems 30 and 31

2009-11-03T01:47:57Z

somehow I have gotten so bad about remembering to do this lately...

"Days"
For years I have woken each morning
To a new day full of opportunity.
How many more days, weeks, months, years
Might I be allowed to experience that joy
Of waking up, alive and breathing?
I shall cherish each and every one.

"Defrost"
Fog on my windshield is
Dangerous.
It makes my sight much worse than it should be,
So I wonder if I'll hit something.
I pray that I won't,
And turn on the defroster
ASAP.

poem 29

2009-11-01T03:06:39Z

"One Extra Hour"

Tonight we turn the clocks back
One hour.
One extra hour to do with as we please.
Many will enjoy it; it's Halloween after all.
Many will appreciate an extra hour of sleep.
Many will forget
and show up extra early for church in the morning.
And, as the jokes all go, the Aggies will
wake up at 2am, just to change their clocks.
One extra hour...
What will you do with it?

poems 27 and 28

2009-10-31T03:07:55Z

I didn't realize until just now that I missed this yesterday...whoops. I guess I came home and went straight to bed after Fly Guys...

"Stop Trying So Hard"
Why do you think that is attractive? It isn't.
When will you realize that being who you really are would be better
Than what you're currently pretending to be.
I'm never going to appreciate you the same way
As I appreciate the one who's genuine.
Stop trying so hard.

"Family Game Night"
You roll your dice, you move your mice,
Nobody gets hurt.
I don't know where this saying originates, but it applies
During Family Game Night.
Tonight was Life,
Last week, Careers,
My favorite, Disney Trivial Pursuit.
Mom and Dad and Me, all sitting around the kitchen table,
Spinning, rolling, drawing, talking, laughing,
Playing.
Fun times all around.

poem 26

2009-10-29T01:51:55Z

"NaNoWriMo"

It's almost NaNoWriMo again,
this year will I pick up my paper and pen?
National Novel Writing Month is November,
but I doubt that I can remember
to write more than this daily poem. Fin.

poems 24 and 25

2009-10-27T22:46:56Z

Yesterday should not even have existed in real life. Any day I'm at school until 10pm just shouldn't count. Haha. Oh, region choir, why?

"Competition"

Not competitive
Don't care about winning, true
I just do my best

"The Truthful Book"

Once upon a time,
In a land where folks spoke in rhyme,
There lived a young female
Whose story I'm trying to tell.
She wrote a very simple book,
And everyone wanted to take a look
Because though her words were very few,
Her words made sense, and they were true.

poem 23

2009-10-26T01:36:11Z

"Sonnet"

On one of these days
I'll write a lovely sonnet.
It won't be today.

PS: I've already sick of this broken toe business and it's only been two days. :/

poem 22

2009-10-25T00:59:29Z

"Toe"

Oh woe is me,
Oh woe oh woe,
I do believe
I've broken my toe.
I smashed it on the door frame.
I bit my tongue to silence my pain.
And boy was I surprised,
When it turned purple and black before my eyes.
Oh woe is me,
Oh woe oh woe,
I do believe
I've broken my toe.

(True story. It hurts.)

poem 21

2009-10-24T05:53:46Z

We're gonna say it's still the 23rd... I had no idea I'd be babysitting for this long.

"One"

As one man falls into sleep, another is waking up half way around the world.
The seasons change in time, oppositely on northern and southern hemispheres.
Humans are seperated by oceans, rivers, mountains, and deserts.
We speak an immeasurable amount of languages and dialects.
And yet, we all come from One Creator, One God, One Father.
He loves each and every one of us, no matter where we are.
For this, I am thankful each morning as I rise, and each evening as I fall asleep.

poem 20

2009-10-23T03:25:37Z

"Twenty"

Twenty photos can capture one perfect moment.
Twenty minutes can make a memory.
Twenty years can make a person.
Twenty songs can make a playlist.
Twenty people can make a party.
Twenty pages can make a story book.
Twenty minutes can get me to you.
Twenty moves can make a dance.
Twenty stories can make a memoir.
Twenty friends can make a family.
Twenty notes can make tune.
Twenty miles can get me away.
Twenty dollars can buy me Taco Bell (at least four times).
Twenty fingers can make a couple.
Twenty stars can make a constellation.
Twenty chords can make a melody.
Twenty "yeses" can get you the vote.
Twenty hugs can join a team.
Twenty dances can make a show.
Twenty lines can make a poem.

poem 19

2009-10-22T02:31:07Z

"Perspective Is Important"

Perspective is important.
I can't complain about anything when I hear
Your story. And I can't believe you would
Continue to argue when you're so clearly
Wrong. When I know you know it but you won't
Give up because you're proud. It's
Ridiculous. Get over yourself. I tell
Myself the same thing sometimes. I am
Not perfect, but neither are
You. Perspective is
Important.