So much stress, so little time.

  First of all, I would like to point out that I'm honestly surprised by the fact that I have "time" to sit down and write this.

I've been so busy lately. SOOO busy. I just have to tell someone..er, something. 

I've had lots of school to do every weekday, due to the fact that its nearing the end of the semester, and all that jazz. Essays to write, speeches to give, so on and so forth. 

Yesterday was the last day of our Homeschool Co-op(WOOHOO!), so I had a speech to give there as well. In addition to choir songs being tweaked, and music comp homework turned in. This coming Tuesday night is the concert for that, and that tuesday morning there's a rehearsal for it, too. 

I've had to work all weekend every weekend for the past month, so that alone makes my weekends feel squished. 

I've had piano to practice; more than usual, anyway. I'm playing several songs for a wedding this coming weekend, and the rehearsal dinner is on Friday night, with the wedding on Saturday. 

I've had SAT preps in addition to school every day, so that's also fun.

I'm in the children's play at church (they asked me.. I didn't even have to audition! O:), so those "rehearsals" are on Saturday mornings, in addition to Sunday nights. (The performance is a week from tomorrow.)

I've had the formal to prepare for; Dress-check. Shoes-uncheck. Date(s)-check. 

                                                    Paid for?-THANKTHELORD check.

I teach guitar lessons, one on Monday one on Wednesday. They're both improving, thus I have to keep updating their "curriculum"! Which is wonderful, don't misunderstand me, its just takes more time!

This Friday, there's a Christmas party I'm supposed to go to, but seeing as though I technically have 3 places to be at that exact time, it might be rather difficult.

I have friends to keep happy. I love them all dearly, honest I do. 

I lead the youth band for our church, and we have practice every Thursday night, and we "perform" every Sunday night, in addition to the extra practice time we have directly before playing.

I'm doing a lot of college/scholarship research, seeing as though I'm a senior. I've also spent a lot of my free time(heh..free time..) looking up the pro's and cons for joining the military. I'm by no means rich, and although I love working at Chickfila, its not going to pay for my tuition. If I joined (say the Marines), they would cover at least half my college tuition, which would be amazing. (Joining the Marines would definitely be my first choice, although I've been comparing the benefits of that, and both the Air Force and Navy. I'll keep you updated.) (: 

On top of all that, my phone gave up the ghost. So I've been price checking/doing my research on what phone would be the best option right now. On my phone plan, my next upgrade would be in July. And I'm sorry, but my life can't do without a phone for 7 months. Oh, and since I'm too early for an upgrade, I have to pay full retail price for a new phone. Yay.

So, my schedule for this next week.

Sunday- Church, family time, possible phone pricing, band practice, youth group, childrens play rehearsal. Home.

Monday- School, guitar lesson, Mani/Pedi w/ the best friend for Prom/her birthday, Home for research!

Tuesday- Concert rehearsal in the morning, school/happy birthday celebration for said-best-friend in the afternoon, and the concert in the evening. Plus a Bible Study (45minutes away) after that.

Wednesday- School, errands to run, guitar to teach, and a movie to go to with my family in the evening.

Thursday- School, getting ready for Formal with friends, and then Formal in the evening!(Technically, I'm scheduled to work that night too...still have to find someone to take my shift.)

Friday- School, errands, work from 5 till 8:30, wedding rehearsal @ 5:30, Christmas party @ 5:30. Heh. -.-

Saturday- Childrens play rehearsal in the morning, work from 10-4, wedding at 4:30, reception FOR the wedding after that, then I'm helping my friend (who I'm going to the wedding with) set up her church for their Christmas play.

Sunday- Church, family time, more church(no youth band that night--thankyouJesus), and the children's Christmas play! 

SO yeah. There's that. 

Oh, and on a 'girl-thing' related side note, I just found out that the guy I like has a girlfriend. Yay for emotional stress. 

I hope your week isn't as stressful as mine is about to become, and I hope you have an amazing Sunday! 

<3

Heather: The reasons I hate Florida.. Part II

1. Its never winter. Its like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in reverse.
2. The sun hates pale people (like me).
3. I'm still angry that it stole two of my very best friends.

So, yesterday I wrote about Niki. Today, I'm going to write about her brother.

He and I have known each other for aaaalmost the same amount of time as Niki and I, 'cept I "officially" met him about a month later. ..Niki and I met while doing the Christmas play with our church, where we were cast as emo/mildy-crazy/very-depressed sisters. :) Teehee. Anyways, he has recently turned 18, so I guess he's a man now. xD That's an odd thought. Anywho, hi there.

(I mentioned him in another post, but only briefly, so I don't expect any of you to remember it. :P)

One very important thing you should all recognize as fact here, is that he is amazingly creative. Like, super-uper-duper creative. He can draw, paint, write (FREAKINGAMAZING) poetry, pick up and instrument and pretend like he knows what he's doing, he's just the complete version of the word awesome.

So, you may remember that I enjoy writing music, right? Well, he found that out about a week after he met me. So, and I'm sure he was just trying to be nice, he asked me if I would try and write music to one of his poems. And me being me, I said yes. The first song we finished was a song called To be Born Alive. I played that song probably 50 times just showing people how amazing it sounded. :D I'd like to give him the credit, though. Because it would not be possible without him. All together now, we've written about 13 songs. Cool, right? :) Yeah, he is.

Oh, did I mention that he's a rock climber? I didn't? My goodness. Well, you should all know that he is. And a freaking good one. He told me a story once (and not for any specific reason, we were just talkin bout shtuff), that someone (whom he thought was an excellent climber) came up to him and told him that they hoped to be as accomplished as he was someday. That man (whoever he was) has good taste in talent.

Speaking of good taste, his taste in music is phenomenal. xD At least, I think so. Or maybe that's just because we like a lot of the same things. The Beatles, Neil Young, Billy Joel, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles, Kansas, the list is endless! Lets just say, we've never argued about what to listen to in the car. xD He's the perfect blend of hippie and normal. It's the best. :)

Once upon a time in our friendship, it became summer. He started working full time, and climbing in the few minutes he wasn't working. Not that I minded, but he started having less time for enjoying his life outside of work. He stopped writing, hanging out with friends, talking to me, even. That made for a sad Heather. Then, low and behold, 3 months into the summer, we found out they were moving.

Obviously, I miss Niki very much. But her brother and I connected on a level a lot different than Niki and I did. And I'm not saying she isn't my best friend, because she is. Its just different. And I know she understands that. Now that they're gone, part of me is missing. I just can't convey to you how much I miss them. Or more topic-appropriate, him. I miss him.

Heather: The reasons I hate Florida.

1. Its humid.
2. There are creepy old men walking around wearing speedos.
3. The fact that it stole two of my very best friends.

Recently, a family that I love has moved to Florida, taking two of my best friends with it. I haven't posted on here in awhile, so you really haven't heard very much of these amazing people. That is about to change.

Niki is the sister I can't believe I ever lived without. She's older than me by about two months, has beautifully bright red hair, and could (if she felt so inclined) flip and jump on trampolines till pigs decided to fly. We've had the most AMAZING times together, even though half the time our "hanging out" would consist of watching TV and talking about boys and food.

I'm sure you're questioning my sanity right about now. :) Yes, food. The ENTIRE time I've known our dear Nikolini, she's been hungry. I honestly don't know how she survived 9 whole months in her momma's belly not being able to eat some hot wings. One of the first things she said to me after coming over to my house for the first time was: "Hey..I'm hungry. You hungry? I'm hungry." She's the most darling thing in existence. :) The funny thing is though, she's in VERY  good shape. Like, her body looks freakin good in anything she puts on. I hate shopping with her. :P I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that she never stops moving. Or talking, for that matter. Daaaang that girl can talk xD Give her a can of Sunkist and a cookie, and she'll talk your ear off all night long. That's only one of the many reasons why I love her. =)

She's honest. That's a quality you really can't find in a lot of people nowadays, which is very very sad. But I love how she's NEVER (and I mean never) afraid to give her honest opinion. Ask her what she thinks, she'll tell you. I remember not very long ago, we were going to hang out with some friends by the river, and I was trying to find an outfit. I really didn't feel like putting much effort into it, so I threw on some jean shorts and an old tshirt. I turned to her with my newly acquired "look" and said: "Whatcha think?" ..she took a moment, asked me if I wanted her honest opinion (to which I replied with a convincing 'Of course'), and responded with (and I repeat): "You look like you just got finished painting a house. Find something better." turning away with a smirk, she then gave me a drawn out "I looooooooooooooooove you!".

I love you too, Niki. And miss you more than I ever imagined possible. <3

Becca: Geneva!(?)

I got a car today! A red/burgundy 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix! And Heather was the first person to ride in it with me! We went and got Mountain Dew from the gas station where the awesome singing guy works. Anyway, I love it! I have decided that it is probably a girl, and my current top choice for a name is Geneva. I haven't decided yet, though, because Ian hasn't seen her/it, and I want his opinion.

But yes! I "moved in" to her/it today, and will be vacuuming/detailing her/it tomorrow and Wednesday morning. :) I moved my CDs into the little console thing and have fixed the radio the way I want it, and am figuring out her/it's little tics and eccentricities. I think she/it and I are going to have a lot of fun together. And, tonight, as Heather and I were driving down the road, Heather looked at me happily and said, "We're getting closer to Saint Louis all the time!" And I was happy. Yay!

I also started my new (AWESOME) job at Starbucks yesterday (4/9), but it still feels like today because I haven't been to bed yet because I wanted to post here because I didn't last week like I was supposed to because the last week has been unusually stressful and I didn't want to dump that on you. :) And did I mention that I get free drinks while on the job at Starbucks? So I had caffeine today in the form of a Raspberry Caffe Latte. Hehe! Which is probably also part of why I am still awake. Well, that, and the Mountain Dew. And the rush from the go-go-go!-ness of today.

But it was such a relief to go to Heather's house and just hang out and talk with her for a couple of hours! Besides hanging with Ian, I think my very favorite way to relax and wind down in to chill out with my Heather. And, no, I'm not just saying that. Yeah, she's probably the second-easiest person in the world for me to butt heads with, but most of the time I can't think of a better way to wind down than to crash for a while with my strawberry blonde sister. :) Just wanted to put that out there.

Well, I have to work in the morning, and get Geneva(?) her "nametag" before then! So, I'll chat with you all a little later!

Keep on Smiling! <3

Becca: Vacation!

Sorry I didn't do my post yesterday, all! I found out yesterday morning that we have Wi-Fi here at the condo, which is, yes, nearly on the beach here in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

So, all I really have to say is that Alabama has been stinkin' AWESOME! The beach is gorgeous, jellyfish are scary, dolphins are awesome, and seeing the sun rise over the ocean is amazing!

And hiding a very fuzzy coconut in a teenage girl's bed after feeding her a cockamamy story about Alabama Sand Rats is a very funny experiment. :)

Alright, well, I will check you all when I get back!

Keep on smiling!

Heather: Red? Blond? I'm confused.

Myyyyyy hair. It confuses me(thus the title of this post).

Once upon a time not so long ago, an older lady stopped me in the library to tell me how much she loved my hair. The conversation went something like this:
Randomlady- *Stopping me* I'm sorry dear, but I would just like to tell you how much I LOVE your hair color!
Me- (Thinking: Well, thanks. I worked really hard on it.) Thank you! I rather like it.
RL- Yes, yes. Its just lovely. A beautiful red. You know, I once dyed my hair that color. But it didn't turn out that pretty.
Me- Well, I'm sorry it didn't work out for ya!
RL- Yes, but oh well. Your hair is just beautiful! Gorgeous.
Me- Thank you again!
RL- *Holding me by the elbow* Mmm. *Stares at my hair*
Me- *Feeling rude to tear my arm away from her death grip, I just stand there.*


...Yup. She ended up just walking away after 4-5 minutes of staring at my head.
But anywayyyyys, I'm guessing(by her comments) that she voted it red.

Now, I'd be happy to agree with that! But MANY of my friends get touchy when I call it red, seeing as though its not a true REDred. ...They then have to point out the fact that it really is more of a blond than a red. Hey, TAKE IT UP WITH THE LADY AT THE LIBRARY. She'll knock some sense into you I'm sure. ...Not that I really agree with her that its that red, just, well, I dunno. :P Oh well. You tell me! Red? Blond? Maybe a calmed auburn. So confusing. 

ANYWAYS. So, the last time I posted I told you about my friend and I writing songs together, correct? Well lucky you, I'm gonna post the lyrics to one of our songs. :) ..I guess without the music, its just a poem. But its still hackin' awesome. xD



Neon Forest  -JN&HH
The mice are called to follow
To leap from cloud to puffy cloud
With no restrictions but cuffed to ball and chain

Falling through a red sky in my thoughts again
Landed on a burning cannon
A destroyer being destroyed in what time?
(pre-chorus)
Memories of past and future what feeds the false of life
A realm of blind to see with an open mind
(chorus)
The lovely lady stands over the modern sky
Inviting to every living thing but will deny
Life of a creative bus, rolling through a neon forest

In the distant dimensions of earth
Reality is for the works of surrealism
Oozing out an open wound of not flesh but soul

My mind wanders and looks
Tis what I see the man, or is it the devil?
Surely no, just his helping hand (chorus)


Yuuup. :) It sounds really cool with the music.

Well, I guess its time for me to go do something productive! Toodles, don't spray paint your poodles, and smile. :) <3

Becca: Eureka!

I have no idea what the post title means. It's just there, okay?

I logged on today to find that Heather posted this week! :) It's like my whole life got a little better in that one moment. I'm gonna cry ...

The sad part? She got my reaction exactly right.

I slept for all of maybe 3 hours last night. So I made up for that by accidentally taking a nap that ended up being about 3 and a half hours long. So ... we'll see if I can fall asleep tonight. Heh. Heh. But I kind of have to, because tomorrow Heather and I are going to be making phone calls for the Ian Hauer for County Council campaign. (Can I hear a "Woot! Woot!"?!) So there's that.

The weather here in Southwest Indiana is being stupid. I mean, here it is, mid-March, and it's 80 stinkin' degrees outside?! Don't get me wrong, I woke up one morning this week and realized that I was actually feeling energized and pleasant, and then made another happy realization: my winter fog is officially over and I will start operating like a human being again! Woo-hoo!!

Explanation: Every winter, I go into a funk where my mind doesn't quite work properly, and I find it nearly impossible to be in a mood higher up on the "Good" scale than "Moderately Tolerable". Not that I'm depressed or angry or sad all winter, I am just not a cold person. My body and brain (which is a part of my body, yes, I realize this ...) rebel against it. Or, rather, rebel against me when the cold sets in. I have been told that in order to suit my body's preferences (read: non-negotiable demands), I need to move to California. But, I won't. Mostly because I love the people here too much. :)

And yes, of course I am procrastinating on my math homework to write this post. Why else do you think I write here? ;)

(No, seriously, I am actually procrastinating on section 5.4 of my MyMathLab homework right now. It's open in another tab. But who really needs to know how to square binomials anyway, am I right?! A-heh. A-heh. ... A-heh.)

So ... I'm going to be seeing the midnight premier of The Hunger Games Movie next Friday! It's a-gonna be a double date with me, Ian, and our friends Grace and Landon. You want to hear a story? (Ofcourseyoudodon'tlietome.) Well, when the boys took us out to dinner a couple of months ago, Grace and I made a passing comment that we ought to take them out some time. So the boys said, "Yeah! You guys should do that! For the Hunger Games. Yeah. You two should take us out." So Grace looked at me and then turned to the guys and said, "Alright, fine. We will!" And I looked at Grace thinking, We will?! and then jumped in, head-long, without looking to see whether or not I was going to hit something made of concrete, with "Yeah, that's right! We will!" So we're taking the boys to the midnight premier of the Hunger Games, which we want to see and they will tolerate, and we're going to make them dinner. :) (Note: If you were to ask either of the boys how that conversation actually went down, they would probably give you a moderately if not very different account of the discussion. But, this is my blog post, and I'm gonna tell it like I'mprettysure it is. Yeah.)

And then I'm going to Alabama with Grace and her family next Saturday (the 24th)! So yeah! Busy busy busy.

Two things: 1) Why is "busy" pronounced "bisy"? 2) I think "moderately" is my word of the day. How many times have I used it in this post already? Honestly.

As you can probably guess, the Alabama thing means that I have to kick it into high gear this next week and do two weeks worth of homework in one. Which is, of course, why I am working 4 sections ahead in math this weekend. (That's right, I don't actually have to be doing sections 5.4 and 5.5 tonight. I'm just doing it because, while I am quite an accomplished procrastinator, I might actually kill myself if I start out next week with any more than two sections left to complete before Friday on top of that English paper.)

Today I paid 3.25 for a bottle of contact solution at the Dollar Store, when I know for a fact that I can get a bigger bottle for 1.25 at Wal-Mart. Would someone please explain this to me?

And the reason I didn't do my blog post for this week yesterday is that my schedule got all thrown out of whack, so instead of having to leave at 4:00 pm, I ended up leaving at 1:00 pm, and didn't get even half of the stuff I wanted to do, done. But, it's all working out. (It'll all work out, eventually ...)

Okay, I'm done now. :)

Keep smiling, everybody!