Living With Creativity, Activity, & Service

A Time Of Rest And Family My 2018 Thanksgiving break was very chill, relaxing, and filled with movies and family. I started off my break enjoying time with family and with lots of sleep. After so many weeks of school, it was incredibly nice to be able to just rest and not have to worry about work. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of the time spent with loved ones, the cooking, and the weather. This year it was nice and cool, and was the first year since 2011 that it was only my mom, dad, sister, and myself celebrating together. It was sad to not have a house filled with family this year, but it was great just being able to have a laid back Thanksgiving instead of being hosts. Due to not having other family members join us, we were also able to do more activities. Breakfast And Volunteering On Tuesday, we went to Jerry's Country Kitchen for breakfast and then to the Carroll County Animal Shelter again to volunteer. We spent time petting and playing with three beau...

The Celebration That Never Ends I turned 17 years old on September 20th this year. It was an amazing birthday spent with family and absolute love, laughter, and joy. A tradition in my household has always been to spend the actual birthday with family and then, later on, continuing the celebration with friends. I'm known by my friends to really extend my celebration, for my birthday parties always take place a month, sometimes longer, after my actual birthday. One year, my birthday party took place all the way in April! This year, my birthday party with all of my friends took place in October. My parties always consist of very close friends, adventures, music, glow sticks, and food, and this year was no different. Friends Arrive My friends Haley, Taylor, Alexia, Katie, Mikenli, Adrianna, and Cirel slept over to celebrate my 17th with me. I had invited a few more people, but they weren't able to make it. One by one, my friends showed up on the Saturday of my party, and, as they a...

A Concert Surprise Last Friday, I got to experience my very first concert. I was able to see Ed Sheeran perform live at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and also got to hear Snow Patrol open for him. The day before the concert, I was working in my mom's classroom when she suddenly walked in and told me and my sister to listen because our uncle had invited us along with him and his daughter to the concert the next day. At first, it was literally the last thing I wanted to do. I had already made plans with myself to sit on the couch, watch TV, and paint my nails, but Zooey admonished me saying that was really dumb and she wanted to go to the concert with me. Ed Sheeran? I had never really listened to Ed Sheeran before, but already knew my music taste was extremely different from his songs. However, to please Zooey, I said I would think about it and continued to work, while going on YouTube to play some of his songs. He still wasn't my favorite singer in the world, but I didn't want...

The Season Homecoming 2018 The 2018 varsity volleyball season was a long and challenging one, filled with many fantastic and forever lasting memories and relationships. The preseason began in May and continued through July, until we eventually got to pour our hearts out on the court in August when the games began. The season then came to a close in October when we lost the Elite Eight we had fought so hard for. Although it was heartbreaking to end the season and watch the seniors leave, it was still another amazing and exemplary season. Throughout The Years  Our last tournament of the 2017 volleyball season  Homecoming 2016 Ever since eighth grade, I have been apart of the high school's Lady Trojans volleyball team. In eighth grade, I played on the ninth grade team as a middle and outside hitter and blocker. In ninth grade, I was my positions designated server. Then, in tenth grade, I was a right side hitter and blocker. Throughout the years, I continued my journey from a...

Pinocchio!!! Last Friday, I got to experience the amazing play, Pinocchio , performed at the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center. The actors and actresses were truly enjoying their craft and clearly had worked so hard for their moment. The sets were well done, and the costumes glittered throughout every dance. The Child AND The Glittering Fish  My little sister, Zooey, is an amazing actress and singer and performed in the production. She got to play a child visiting Pleasure Island, hoping to play on the rides and eat cotton candy and popcorn. She also got to act as a glittering fish trapped inside the belly of a whale. She led the other little sea creatures in a little twirling dance and played with a long, colorful ribbon. The Puppeteer I also got to watch my teacher, Mr. Brewer, perform in the show. He had the outstanding yet evil role of the puppeteer trying to trap poor Pinocchio. Mr. Brewer did an excellent, terrifying, and hilarious job as his star role as villain. I was ve...

The Adventure Begins The other day, I babysat one of the best kids I know. Nichole Chetti-Bush, my mother, and Marsha Hook, our family friend, love to go on runs after school on Wednesdays and Fridays. On that particular Friday, Marsh's son, Hunter, had come to the high school early by bus and had no one to watch him while they were on their run. I have always loved playing and being with Hunter, so my mom came up with the great idea to have me babysit while they were exercising. I, of course, agreed and couldn't wait to see him. Dancin' and Singin'  After school, I hurried up to Marsha's classroom to see Hunter. He gave me a big hug and we rushed over to my mom's room. My mom and Marsha went on their run and left us to it. Hunter really wanted to play music, so I got on YouTube and played some Imagine Dragons. We danced to the songs for a while, not caring about anything else. Hunter would sing at the top of his lungs and spin around the room as I laughed and t...