Do Not Disturb

This past Saturday, my boyfriend Jared and I traveled to Frankenmuth for a day trip. We left at about 10 am for the expressway. Our plan was to hit Bronners Christmas Wonderland first before visiting the busy downtown strip. It was one of those days I accidentally left my phone at home and was happy about it.

On our way down there, our MapQuest instructions were adequately helpful and easy to follow until at the end of our route the paper advised us that our destination was on the right when all that appeared was a warehouse without the slightest indication of a Bronners sign anywhere. We attempted to resume travel down the road. Sure enough, the next block contained the Christmas Wonderland. Upon entering the parking lot, Jared and I quickly realized that there was absolutely no parking spots to host us. We ended up parking across the street and walking. When we entered the establishment we were immediately overwhelmed with sights of Christmas, sounds of carols, and children screaming “Santa!” I still don’t know how much of the store we covered because it was so packed. We bought a few things then decided to move on.

We headed into town to Main Street and walked up and down the street to visit all the shops. We went through the gift shops at the Bavarian Inn. We also spent some time in an arcade and won some little prizes. It was a wonderful day that took the edge off.

Frankenmuth was quite the experience. It was a lot of fun being in a place that offers a different lifestyle. Everything there is decorated with a German style and it’s really beautiful. Point taken when feeling stressed, just take a day trip!

I'd Rather Be Sleeping

Black Friday: two words that to the general American population mean sales upon sales at retail shops. It can also mean possible limb detachment from an angry mob of parents who are seeking the deal on iPhones for their 13 year old daughters. While I’ve never been a big fan of the scheme of joining the crowd for a day of insanity just to save a few dollars, I can at least understand why a person might choose to go out on the esteemed Black Friday. Though there are some pretty great deals going on that day, I must honestly say that I usually do my Christmas shopping the following weekend, and I can commonly pick up some finds for the same Black Friday deal, without all the hysteria.

While browsing through Target on Wednesday evening, my boyfriend, Jared, and I ran into one of our good friends, Kyle. Kyle is a Target employee and we began conversing with him about his upcoming plans to spend Thanksgiving. He then pursued to inform us that after Wednesday night’s shift, he was going home to rest up before heading back to work around 5 pm on Thanksgiving Day. That shift would last until about 3 am whereupon he would head home again to rest up before working the same shift for Black Friday. I told him I was deeply sorry that he had to work on Thanksgiving Day. Something else I noticed which seemed quite interesting to me was that many Black Friday sales actually began by 6 pm on Thanksgiving Day. So Black Friday is no longer meant for just the Friday post-Turkey Day; it is seeping into Thanksgiving Day itself. What’s more, employees of the stores that offer these pre-Black Friday sales must stock up on employees to support the estimated amount of shoppers heading their way on Thanksgiving Day, pulling people away from their families and forcing them to work during a national holiday. I’m appalled.

Those are my reasons for boycotting the Black Friday flimflam. When I was asked this week if I would be going out for any Black Friday shopping, I simply replied “Nah, I don’t want to lose a limb.” A decade ago that would have been a pretty good joke. Today, it has become a reality. I can assure you that if you were to look on YouTube for a “Black Friday Accident or Scandal,” there would be thousands of results. Point taken, stay home on Black Friday and attempt to never work retail that day.

The Queen Needs to Plan Better

Over the rainy weekend, I took part in a parade. The annual Santa Parade takes place in Midland and is meant to get the community in the holiday spirit with floats and candy-givers from various businesses and establishments throughout the town. I was in the parade to represent the Midland County Fair along with three friends as the 2014 Fair Royalty Court.

Back in June, as I was sitting in the pew of a church during a 4-H meeting, talking with my cousin, Shelby, about entering in the Royalty Pageant. She, her sister Jayci, and I had done the pageant once when we were in our preteen years and we ran for princess. We were all too nervous and alas, none of us won. As I discussed it with Shelby I told her, “Hey, it’s my last year I’m going to live it up!” I filled out the entry sheets and began preparing for my questioning.

The pageant takes place at the fairgrounds on the Saturday preceding the fair, in the steer showmanship arena. During the pageant, each contestant must wear formal attire and go up on stage in front of a crowd of family, friends, fellow 4-Hers, and judges to answer two questions. One question is related to your application, the other you pull from a basket. As I listened to my competitors, I thought their answers were amazing and that I didn’t stand a chance. My heart was racing when I was on stage and I was so sure everyone else could hear it beating. After everyone had been questioned, the judges did their tallying and then last year’s queen announced the winners. When I heard my name called, it was like a surreal movie moment, I could only hear my family’s shouts and cheers for half-a-second before everything went silent and I fought back tears as I walked up to receive my crown and sash. Winning 2014 Midland County Fair Queen was a gift that made my last 4-H year even more memorable.

With winning came responsibilities and privileges. Court members get to be announced at a few grandstand events during fair week. We also got to be in a few parades. The four of us, the prince, princess, king, and I, plan to get together to do some volunteering. I will be announcing the whole pageant for the upcoming fair week next August, reading each profile, asking all questions, revealing the winners. I’m extremely excited.

Now that I’ve explained why I was in the parade and how I got there, I’ll discuss the parade itself. It was a rough day from the beginning. The roads were coated with inches of ice from rain the night before. It was treacherous attempting to get to the city roads that would have no ice. My boyfriend, Jared, was with me which was a blessing because he kept me calm as I was driving. Finally, I reached the parking lot where everyone was waiting for the parade to begin. I attached my sign to the float then socialized with the others and their parents. I noticed that the jacket I had chosen would’ve sufficed at home where it was warmer and there was no wind, but here in town it was colder. I was freezing before we even left the parking lot. I didn’t look very queen-like, I had a hat on and my crown on top of it. It continued to rain and our signs began to bleed their colors. Then when we finally sat down in our places, we realized that the rain had been coming into our trolley and that made the blankets we sat on wet, which instantly made us feel that much colder. It was fun, that much is true but point taken, more planning needed to occur on my part.

Uhh, RUDE!

I think we can all agree that we've seen our fair share of those individuals that have decided they are for some reason superior to another human being. I’m not talking about old to young here, I’m talking about citizens in general stomping all over others.

If I tried to count the number of times I’ve witnessed a situation where one such person decides he’s had enough of waiting in the “fast” food line, I wouldn’t have enough digits to count on. When this person comes to this realization, he lets the cashier have it, even though the reason he’s angry has nothing to do with that cashier. When I finally reach the counter, I attempt to soothe the said cashier by confessing that the guy was an idiot.

Another instance I’ve encountered is when someone’s phone conversation is so incredibly important that they cannot tell the person on the other end to wait just a second so they can buy the things they’ve put on the conveyer belt. This event is usually followed by an argument with the cashier about something stupid. Then they’ll leave without one polite word to the cashier.

Speaking of grocery stores, don’t even get me started about people and their carts. They have no respect for others. They can usually be seen with their heads down pushing their carts anywhere they like without any indication of caring about others around them.

This ignorance is not only seen in the grocery stores either but any shops or public places. Just recently, I was in Detroit with some friends and I saw one specific girl approaching us. She had her phone to her ear and she was looking for something while walking. I knew right away she was not going to notice my presence. For a moment it was as if we were playing chicken. It was a "move or lose a limb" situation. I moved over because I assumed she would continue her current path and cut me away from my friends. We were near the entrance when I stepped aside, right next to the fake vegetation. Next thing you know, she takes a turn and heads right for me. With less than a second for my plan of action, I attempted to shift out of her way. In order to avoid colliding with her, I sacrificed my hip bone into the counter of the jewelry case.  I was able to maintain my composure up until I hurt myself. At this point I called out, “by all means, let me move for y0u!” She was too busy fluttering around that she didn’t even apologize.

Oh and driving! My favorite is when someone comes to a partial stop before they’ll get into the turn lane. But that could be a whole other blog. Point taken, pay attention and be aware of your surroundings.

A Bushel of Berries

My cousins and I grew up close, gathering together quite frequently.  Whether it was a family party, which we have at least 10 a year for various holidays, a 4-H meeting, or just stopping over, we all became very close throughout the years.

My mom has a sister and two brothers. My mom’s sister, Char, married my Uncle Jeff and they have three girls, Shelby, Jayci, and Sofia. My mom’s brother Larry married my Aunt Kari and they have one girl, Miranda. My mom’s other brother, Gary, married my Aunt Stacy and they have two kids, Matthew and Ellie. I am the oldest of all the cousins.

Shelby comes second to me at 17. We’ve been especially close because we were born consecutively and we are so similar. Shelby is very hilarious when she opens up to you but when you first meet her, she is shy and quiet. She’s played volleyball for quite a few years now.

Jayci is the middle child of the Cain family. She’s very involved with equestrian at her high school. She is also very funny but in different ways from her sister Shelby. Jayci is more of a “let’s party it up” person. She’s always looking for something fun to do, some way to get out and have a good time with her family and friends.

Sofia is the youngest of the Cains at nine years old. She is also one of the feistiest kids I’ve ever met. She’s not afraid to introduce herself to you. She’s also not afraid to be extremely bold. If you want to know what I mean, find my blog titled “Obtaining skills from a hippie.”

Miranda is also extremely involved with equestrian. She’s too young to be showing for the high school team, but she travels to different shows. She’s an only child like me. She spends a lot of time with her animals.

Matthew is in seventh grade this year and he’s been playing hockey for a long time. This year he’s decided to try wrestling as well. He, being the only boy cousin in the family, is crazy respectful to all of us girls. We always joke with him that when he gets a girlfriend, he’ll have to bring his girlfriend to us so we can approve of her. I worry that once the girls realize how sweet of a guy he is, they’ll be all over him.

Ellie, Matthew’s little sister, is the same age as Sofia. Ellie is always wanting her bigger cousins to play with her. She’s sweet but a little blunt to be honest. She loves wearing skirts and loves doing her nails. She is your usual little girl, wanting attention and love.

Shelby, Jayci and I showed pigs together at the fair for many years before we got everyone else to join us. This past year, even the young girls were able to show with us. It was amazing because we were all united in something. It was also awesome because it was my last year and I got a chance to show one more time with everyone involved. We all love getting together and hanging out. We’ve mastered the game of Bloody Murder and we all trade candy like a stock market after the annual Easter egg hunt.

I love all my cousins so much, each for their own reasons. They make me who I am today. Point taken, I couldn’t ask for a better family.

Scenes and Lyrics

Music and movies. Who doesn’t love them? Unless you’re Anna Kendrick’s character in Pitch Perfect, then you only like music… What I’m trying to get across here is that music and movies have shaped my life.

When I was little, I had this dress I would wear when I was doing chores and I loved pretending I was Cinderella. I also had this little Lion King stuffed animal that I used as Nala and my friend had Simba. We used to build forts in my living room and hold Simba up like we were presenting him to the kingdom on Pride Rock.

I would act out full scenes from Disney movies for my mom. She paid attention for the first few times and then she would say, “Haven’t you done this one before?” With which I would respond, “yeah… but I like it!” When she got annoyed with my “professional acting career,” I would try out my skits on my grandparents. If I decided to include my younger cousins, I made sure they played the lesser roles. I was always the director and main character of my skits.

Of course, movies always portray the “perfect guy” which every girl begins to dream about when she gets older. Movies showed me what to look for in a relationship, it just took me quite a while to get there.

As I got older, I really began to identify with music. I always wanted to have headphones in when working on anything. Even now if there’s nothing on the radio I get really frustrated and I might even turn it off and sing my own favorite songs.

I am a country music lover. I used to get picked on a lot for it but now I embrace it. I grew up in a very country family and I wouldn’t trade anything about them. We are the kind of people who jam out to Luke Bryan’s “Rain is a good thing.”

But even I have my moments when I need to hear some Shinedown. or Eminem. I’m flexible when it comes to music I just prefer country. I love music because no matter how you’re feeling, there’s a song to fit your mood and speak to your heart. If you’re going through a rough break up just listen to Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder and Lead.” If you’re quite in love then Brad Paisley’s “Little Moments” is for you. One of my personal favorites is Shinedown’s version of “Simple Man.”

Point taken, scenes and lyrics know how to speak to you.

Why did I sign up for that?

Last night was Halloween. My friend Casey was throwing a Wild West Murder Mystery party. It was a blast. My boyfriend Jared and I went and a lot of our friends were there as well. We all were assigned our own characters last week so we could plan our costumes accordingly. It was a lot of fun trying to discover who the murderer was. I was awarded at the end for acquiring the most money from other players. After the game was over, we all discussed what we should do for the duration of the evening.

The first plan was to go to the theater to see “Ouija.” We all planned to sneak in, who wants to pay for a movie? However, not everybody was up for that so we decided to seek other options so that everyone could be involved. This is when there was first mention of a haunted house. I looked at Jared and he looked at me and we both said “It’s up to you.” Neither of us are into scary movies and definitely not haunted houses. Casey looked at me and said “Would you go?” I was battling with myself because the night was young and there was nothing else to do. I was having such a good time with everyone, they all wanted to go and I didn’t want to be the one that wimped out. So I decided what the hell let’s do it. That was my first mistake.

The drive to the house was about thirty minutes long and we took Casey’s mom’s minivan so some of us could car pool. It was a hilarious ride there and back. It was what happened in the middle of the trips that really petrified me. “I really hope they don’t split up the group,” I told everyone. We show up to the haunted house titled “House of the Living Dead” and there was hardly a line which was nice. “Four at a time guys,” the man outside the gate told us. I was so mad because I knew they were going to do that. Jared and I decided that we would go with our good friends Chris and Alexis. We were the last four of our friend group to enter the house.

I spoke with the gate keeper guy before we entered. “Tell it to me straight, how bad is it,” I asked him. “Oh it’s not that bad, it’ll only take about fifteen minutes,” he assured me. And later I would realize that it was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I then told him this was my first time ever going through a haunted house. That was my second mistake because he almost made me go first. A scary looking person opened the door and screamed “Next!” We walked in and got checked for weapons. I asked the lady, “They aren’t going to touch me right?” She said there would be absolutely no touching. That didn’t deem to be true.

We entered the house, Chris in the front followed by Alexis then me and Jared in the back. Thank God for the men because there was no way Alexis or I would have gone in the front or back. In the second room of the house, I was already crying. The tears would remain on my face for the duration of the walk through the house. I had several hysterical fits throughout and often times put my hood right up against Alexis’ jacket to block out everything around me.  When the people running the house saw that I was crying, I became an immediate target because they knew they’d get a reaction out of me. I remember walking through spots thinking it was over just to be surprised with yet another disturbing person in my face threatening to kill me. I also remember repeatedly saying, “oh God, there’s more?” while crying and sniffling.

 In one room, a chop-shop hillbilly refused to let me by him, separating Jared and me from Chris and Alexis. I remember yelling “Don’t touch me!” Which of course he replied, “I’m not.” When indeed he was, later we would report him.

When we finally reached the end I practically ran Alexis over trying to get outside. I stood there crying and trying to calm myself and telling myself it was over. I turned around to hug Jared and let him hold me, which was my last mistake because I was traumatized by the last terrifying guy we’d seen in the house. He’d followed behind us and came up from behind me. When he jumped in front of me, he was about four inches from my face. I screamed so loud and started running while having another hysterical fit. Jared ran after me, then held me telling me that it’s really over and that there’s no one left. I finally pulled myself together and was fine after we got to the parking lot.

Looking back on it now, they did a fantastic job running that house. There were so many awesome effects and features that I actually thought were pretty cool. There was a slide in the hillbilly chop shop. There was a truck that came at you with the lights and horn blaring. There was a room that had a slanted walkway with railings that had a revolving ceiling which surrounded you and made you feel like you were spinning. The actors were fantastic and did their job justice. Point taken, I’d much rather work in a haunted house than go through one.

Let’s talk about my first job shall we?

My first job was working at a small café in my hometown. Tin Roof Café opened in July of 2012, and I told my mom, “I’m going to work there”. I was hired that September. I worked for about a month before we closed up for the season.  In April of 2013, Tin Roof opened up again and I returned. I really enjoyed working there. I had amazing coworkers who were splendid to work with. My boss, the owner of Tin Roof, was a very fun person to be around, he always made sure I was comfortable with my work responsibilities. When May rolled around, Rod (my boss) confided in me that he was going to sell Tin Roof. I was so sad that his family wasn’t going to own TR anymore, they were such great people. He assured me that the people he was selling TR to were pretty cool. He was correct. The next owners, the King family, were also great to work with, they always joked with us about the crazy customers we encountered. They had to learn how to run a small business and with the help of their daughters, Tin Roof continued to be a success.

In April of this year, the Kings made me a supervisor which meant that I would be the one shift leading when I was scheduled (later it meant that I was the one who got scolded by customers for various reasons). I continued to work at TR until the end of September this year. During the summers of my Tin-Roof-Life, I really learned to understand the meaning of the words “customer service.”

 I had customers who I called my favorites. These were the regulars for whom I could begin preparing their ice cream creations as I saw them exit their vehicle before they even ordered, because I knew exactly what they would choose. There were customers like Ed who wanted provolone instead of swiss on his bacon-swiss burger. These customers enjoyed conversing with us, they stayed long and tipped well, always handing out compliments of our job well done.

 I also had the inconvenient customers who always seemed to be in the mile-long line. These particular customers would spend at least 20 minutes standing in line until finally, it was their turn at the counter. However, by the time they reached the counter they had to rally their children who were by that time screaming and running around the lobby, knocking over salt shakers and making a game of “who can squirt the ketchup farther?” The parents then would stare at the menu in confusion as if it was written in a foreign language. They’d ask me at least three questions and change their order twice before they reached a final decision. This would usually take about an extra ten minutes of my time because instead of using their time waiting in line to figure out what they and their heathen children wanted, they had to take up our time behind the counter and let the line grow. But of course, they didn’t realize any of this because they only focus on themselves.

I always loved it when I got sarcastic comments or blatantly rude complaints about something that had nothing to do with me. Such complaints would be about prices or products we used. At times, I truly wanted to look at the customer and say, “You understand that you’re scolding me about something that has nothing to do with me right?” or “Would you like to leave a comment in the suggestion box?” In reference to the latter, which we had a lack of, I became the suggestion box. A few times though, I did ask a few particularly nasty customers if they’d like to leave a note for the boss, after which they usually shook their head and walked away and I would think to myself, “Yeah, that’s what I figured.”

Among all the bad customers though, there was usually three good ones to make up for them.

Another aspect of TR that was just so endearing is that we were always out of something. I sometimes had to tell customers that their banana split would be banana-less (not explaining to them that the only bananas I had to offer were black and beginning to mold).

One of my favorite memories from TR was the one night it was storming so hard that our electricity was buzzing in and out. I swear that the only people out and about that night were Cayla and I who were running TR, and the other employees working in town. I remember specifically when I went to the back office to grab something and seeing the water gushing through the top seal of the back door. The water was already an inch deep and spreading to the kitchen. Cayla and I began frantically mopping up the water while calling Joe King and telling him we had a “minor situation.”

Among all the stories and comments I shared here, I know I’ll never forget the experiences I had at the Tin Roof Café. I have a much better intellect of common sense (beyond just the fact that there are three ways to make a chocolate shake) and a little more patience for people.

Point taken, always be cordial to the person behind the counter because you have NO idea what they’ve endured today.

Too busy for my own good

This week was supposed to be relaxing. Two weeks ago, my summer job establishment shut down for the season. I remember thinking how nice it was going to be to be able to relax for two whole weeks before my next job begins on Tuesday the 14^th. As it turns out, this week was filled with activities and obligations. I’m one of those people that always stays busy. If I’ve got free time, I’ll usually fill it. Often times, when I make plans and I schedule out the rest of my week, I get ahead of myself and I don’t realize just how much I’m planning for myself.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were consumed with school, errands, and chores.

Thursday, I got up quite early to meet my boyfriend Jared at our old high school to visit our favorite teacher Mr. Chambers.  After spending about an hour catching up with Chambers, Jared and I got breakfast together before he went off to work. It was a great morning, a nice and slow way to begin our day. After Jared went off to work, I worked on homework until his lunch break. When I picked him up from work at noon, we went over to the Verizon store to get his new phone activated. Then we sat in my car and played with his phone and talked to Siri. When he had to return to work, I then met my good friend Jessi for lunch because it was her birthday. We sat and talked for quite a while. After lunch with Jessi, I went out to help my grandfather bale hay for the last cutting of the season. At about 7, I met up with Jared to go to my cousin’s volleyball game. That was only Thursday.

Friday was a little more laid back, I got to sleep in. I got some work done around the house and did some chores that had been weighing on me. I met some long-time-no-see friends in town for lunch before going to my cousin’s equestrian meet at the fairgrounds. I spent most of my day hanging out with my family there. Then I met up with Jared and we double-dated with our friends Jay and Carrigan to see “Maze-Runner”. It was a great movie, very well made.

Saturday, I traveled with Jared to the holiday art & craft show at SVSU where his grandfather had a booth set up selling his paintings. We walked all around the arena, looking at all the trinkets, clothing, and jewelry there was for sale. After packing up all of his grandfather’s material into the cars, we all went out for dinner.

Today started off by going through some paperwork with my mom. My new job isn’t like anything I’ve done before, I have a position at a bank. The woman from human resources sent me a few documents about 401k plans, and I needed some assistance to understand the lingo. I again did various chores around the house. I then attended a benefit dinner for my friend’s father who was injured in a serious accident. Then Jared and I went to the car show at Northwood University. Now I’m sitting down. Finally relaxing for the first time all weekend. It’s a good thing I like to write. Point taken, don’t plan so much in a day, or even a week, leave some room for some downtime.  

Lack of respect, abundance of nerve

My cousin Shelby invited me to join her for the homecoming game at Bullock Creek High on Friday. I showed up early to watch the homecoming parade. As I watched float upon float drive by, I began to notice the obnoxious qualities of the younger generations. A few times while watching the parade, kids would run by going for candy and when they ran into me, they didn’t have the slightest intention of apologizing. The kids I’m specifically referring to were old enough to know that they should be polite, but it seemed as if the thought never crossed their minds.

Later on during the football game, Shelby and I were sitting in the stands discussing various subjects and cheering on the team. A family was sitting right next to us and their two kids had decided that they were going to come and go out of the bleachers. At first it was fine, I understood that the kids were bored and wanted to go play. However about the 50^th time I had to shift my position so they could get by, fury was building inside me. Shelby and I became quickly irritated. Every time the kids would come talk to the mother or ask for money to buy yet another concession item, I would look over at the mom with a look that said “are you planning to do anything?”  Finally, I concluded that she had no respect for the fact that every single time her kids came in or out, Shelby and I had to move for them. Actually, she never even looked over at us. I might add that every time the kids came through, they never said so much as a simple “excuse me.” At my wits end, I mentioned to Shelby that we should go get some popcorn.

On our way down the stands, several middle-schoolers were running up and down the steps. One very inanely courageous boy as he walked past me said, “I don’t know you but I’d like to,” which was of course followed by an uproar of laughter from his buddies. Shortly after that incident, we were quickly cut off by three boys wearing their middle school football jerseys. I am not the kind of person to stand by and watch stupidity and impoliteness occur in younger kids. The way I was raised, if I were to act the way some of these kids act these days, I would’ve gotten a slap. After getting cut off, I made a comment loud enough for the kids to hear.

When Shelby and I reached the bottom of the stands, more kids came running down. An older man shouted out, “Hey! Quit your runnin’!” One of the more gutsy kids yelled back, “Screw you!” I piped up and said “Excuse me! Do you really think you can talk to an older man like that?” The kid then proceeded to argue with me that he “wasn’t talking to him.” I was appalled at the nerve that kid had. What’s more I’d like to know why that kid thinks it’s okay to talk like that to an authority figure. I blame the parents. Point taken kids these days have no respect.

A Night to Remember

Last night I slept in layers of clothes and a sleeping bag that was too small for me. It was a long day from the beginning.

My boyfriend Jared and I had plans to meet up with our friends Jay and Carrigan in downtown Midland for the Chili Cook-Off at noon. Then we were all heading back to my house for the night’s adventure.

Jared and Jay have been best friends for a few years now, Carrigan is Jay’s girlfriend, also a good friend of mine, and we double-date quite often. The boys work together at Quality Truck and Auto Accessories in Midland. One of the days they were detailing a car together, they came up with an idea. Since this past week was so warm and beautiful, the boys decided that we should go camping as one last summer hurrah. I suggested that we go out back behind my house because there’s several acres of forest and trails, plus one really beautiful clearing where we could set up our camp.

So when Jared and I were waiting for Jay and Carrigan, we decided to head out and set up our stuff so that we could help carry our friends’ things back there when they arrived. We had just made it to the clearing when Carrigan called me saying they had arrived. Jared and I hurried back to see that Jay’s truck was filled to the brim with things to carry. Jared and I passed a look that said “oh wow” to say the least. We had just made one trip and we were worn out already, it was at least a ten minute walk one way and we looked at that truck to notice that it would take at least three additional trips out there and back to get everything they had brought.

We began with their tent, blankets/pillows, and clothes. By the time we got back I had to loan Carrigan a lint brush to attempt to remove the thousands of thistles from her yoga pants, whereupon she changed into jeans. Trip number two consisted of the cooler, chairs, and a few more bags. Surprisingly, we got it all out there in only two trips.

Once we set up camp, it was time to find good roasting sticks for our hot dogs while the boys cut firewood. Carrigan and I set out for a younger tree with long enough branches for roasting sticks, none of which we found. So we resulted in cutting down two saplings. When we returned to the camp site, it was just about dark and the boys were having trouble getting the fire going. To everyone’s surprise, the dried ferns we chose for kindling would not light. While I spent about a half an hour whittling the sticks into perfect roasters, the boys struggled with the fire. They tried lighting different branches from our wood pile, different dead plants, they even tried softly blowing on the tiny flame. The fire finally started when Jared let the Butane run out of the lighter onto the instruction manual from Jay’s tent and lit it. Carrigan and I cheered.

After about three hours of laughing, singing, and storytelling, we decided to put out the fire and retire for the evening. After putting plenty of water on the coals, we said goodnight and zipped up the tents. Jared and I climbed into our sleeping bags and the peaceful, cricket-chirp-filled atmosphere was soon filled with Jared’s snoring and some creature in the woods. I would listen to that mixture for the next two hours or so while I laid there wide awake, staring at the ceiling of the tent. That creature in the woods had me quite freaked out throughout the duration of the evening. I didn’t sleep well at all, but I stayed warm and that was the important part.

This morning we woke and began to pack everything up. We again loaded ourselves like pack mules to start our hauling trips. Carrigan made a comment about how next time we do this, we should plan to camp out for more than one night, we all agreed. All in all, it was a fun night full of memories with good friends. Point taken, when going wilderness camping, pack only the essentials, and that includes starter fluid.

Sign Me Up

Over the duration of my middle school and high school years, I’ve managed to complete a hard task. I’ve stayed close with one of my best friends. Alexis and I met at 6^th grade orientation, I was struggling with my locker when she walked up and asked if I needed any help. It was then that I discoveredwe were locker neighbors. Throughout middle school, we had many classes together. We laughed at the same things, had similar opinions, we quickly became friends. So began the typical “best friend” routine of always hanging out together, sharing every secret, etc. We went through our growing up stages together. I hugged her while she cried after her first break-up. She was with me when I got pulled over for the first time (I had forgotten to turn my lights on because we were in town and the street lights threw me off). We were there for each other through the hard times and the good ones.

 

 

 

 

Something I’ve noticed about having a best friend is that you get volunteered for things that you didn’t plan on. You become the guinea pig for all sorts of experimentation.

Alexis decided to enroll herself in the IB Art class offered at our high school during our senior year. This class was easily one of the most challenging classes you could take. So, she surrendered her life to utter chaos. She was well equipped with creativity, but she often needed assistance. Since Alexis planned to enter college for photography, the IB Art class allowed her to explore her mind and begin the steps to photography. In the idea department, she was all set. However, she needed a subject. Thus I became the model for her profession.

I’ve been a clown.

I've been a nutcase.

 

Alexis did well in her class. She excelled and landed herself a $40 K scholarship to a prestige art school because her sketch book she sent in was phenomenal. The photo shoots will continue. I will continue to be a subject because I am the best friend. Most recently, I was a rose and a metaphorical sunrise.

I have fun when helping with a photo shoot. I’ll begin to like them even better because it means time with my best friend. I’ll miss her more and more now that I won’t see her every day. I’ve been with her from the beginning of her photography passion. Though I have virtually no artistic ability whatsoever, being a part of Alexis’ photo shoots have made me feel like I can at least be of assistance. I must say though, the things I’ve become out of the goodness of my heart for the academic gain of my best friend are extremely outside the box. Point taken, art classes are out of control.

 

 

Obtaining skills from a hippie

One day a few years back, amidst a brilliantly shining sun and very chipper birds, my cousin Shelby and I passed a volleyball routinely back and forth. We talked with each other explaining the facts of our lives during this time. I was about 16, she was 15.

I explained about how things at my mom's job were getting worse and how she came home every night explaining how much she hated her bosses and she would give me her "I quit" speech that we both knew she would never say. Shelby and I giggled over that as she began to tell me how things with her sisters had been going lately.

The sister second to her, Jayci, had been pretty sassy with everybody lately and she was in that "why doesn't anybody understand me" age. “We’ve all been there,” I told Shelby.

Shelby then began to talk about her youngest sister Sofia. Sofia was quite an interesting kid of about 7 years. She always tried getting her point across in the most hysterical ways, sometimes unknowingly. She would be attempting an explanation of her reasoning when all of a sudden she's petting Shelby's head whispering "hush taco." Such things I've witnessed with Sofia.

While speaking of the little one, she came bouncing around the corner of the yard on her bike. "Look at me I'm going to jump the ramp!" she announced. She then preceded to drive over the ramp without the slightest indication of a jump. Shelby and I both cheered, despite the failure. Sofia ditched the bike and then decided she was going to join our volleyball toss. "Sofia this is big girl time," Shelby explained. Sofia of course combated that with an explanation that she was a big girl and demanded the ownership of the ball. After arguments between the two sisters Sofia suddenly burst out with "Do you want me to scream like a hippie?!" After finishing a roar of laughter, I opened my mouth and asked "How does one scream like a hippie?" Shelby then cut me off with a quick "Don't ask her that!" Next thing I know there was a sudden sharp, annoying ring of a sound that emerged from Sofia. Shelby then tossed her the ball in defeat. Sofia beamed with victory as she hit the ball in an upward motion. And that was that.

It was surprising to me how smart the kid’s plan had been. She knew for a fact that we would not want to hear her hippie screaming and that in turn she would get the ball just so we could get her to shut up. I never had siblings so I never developed these skills. In conclusion of this story I would like to add that Sofia, like many young girls her age, had discovered that she could use her skills to obtain a swift triumph over her sisters. She’s a devious little thing. Point Taken, when trying to get something you want, just start some trusty hippie screaming. 

Why this?

I chose this topic for my blog because I learn something almost every day. Be it family, friends, strangers, music, pets or nature, there is generally something happening that captures your attention.

For me, it’s usually my family that gives me some undefined insight to a new subject. Allow me to explain. First, I need to describe how interesting my family truly is. It’s important to introduce this now because my family members will most likely take up half of my blog. Family to me includes all cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents on both sides. My family on my mom's side has always been close. We all call on each other for a favor here and there and we all get together for every holiday, and I mean every. Very rarely does something occur to any one member and the rest of us doesn't know about it within ten minutes; my grandma of course being the culprit of this. You could call us redneck and country because if we were any other title, it simply wouldn't fit. I am proudly the oldest of seven cousins and I am very close with every one of them.

My dad’s side is just as great but quite different from my mom’s. My dad and I have this close relationship where we basically spend our time together messing around and making each other laugh until we cannot breathe anymore. My stepmom Karen has always loved me as one of her own and for that I am eternally grateful. They used to live in East Lansing, where I visited every other weekend, now they live in New Hampshire. My grandma and grandpa as well as my aunt, uncle, and baby cousin all live in Florida. They are the sweetest people and tons of fun to be around. I visit them for a week of bliss during the summer.

I’ve learned so many wonderful lessons from my family and it’s time that I reflect on a few of them. I will also be touching on some of those lessons I’ve learned just by living. Music has been another inspiration in my life and I’ll be touching on that as well.

I just graduated from high school and I’m looking forward to starting this new chapter in my life. The things I’ve observed and the things I’ve learned throughout my adolescent years will continue to stick with me throughout the years ahead. I plan to use this blog to remember the important things I have learned about life. Some entries will be more light-hearted than others, and some will be more serious than others. Similarly, some entries will be a flash-back and some may be current; I will distinguish between the two accordingly.

I truly believe that everyone learns something new every day and that it depends on how we use that newfound knowledge whether it becomes useful or not. People who apply the information they learn in everyday life are those who are living life to the fullest.