Mom for the weekend

I used to pretend that I was a mom when I was little with dolls. This weekend I played mom, but with real kids. The dolls were so much easier! I babysat four kids and my brother for three days (including nights). I was not near home, actually I was in Illinois, so I couldn't run home and get things or ask my mom to come and help. You know how two year olds ask questions like no other, yeah that is how I felt, asking question after question. Most of them went unanswered or were just silly questions.
I thought that I would share... so here they are, the questions of a weekend mom:

Why do I eat more when I drive?
Is my car supposed to be making that noise?
Was that a police man?
How much above the speed limit can I go without getting pulled over? What about a ticket?
Why do kids get up before the sun on the weekend?
Where am I supposed to go?
Am I lost?
What is that truck doing?
Where is the sunscreen?
Why do kids come near me to jump into the pool?
What does aloe gel do for sunburns?
What time do I have to start making dinner in order to have it done by 5:30?
Should I cover the casserole with tin foil to cook it?
How much are these kids going to eat?
How am I supposed to sleep when I am all sunburned?
Why doesn’t the underside of my forearm get sunburned?
When do you normally go to bed?
How long have you been playing video games?
Did I make enough pizza? Am I going to get some?
What's that smell?
Does your mom let you?
What is in the cat's mouth?
Where are the band-aids?
What day is it?
What does a wart look like? Or is this a bee sting?
Do I turn here? (asked quite a few times on the way home)
Why are there adult boutique stores on the side of the highway?
Why are highways so hilly?

I am not sure what it was about people on the side of the road holding cardboard signs, but I never really felt bad for them. Yeah they would claim they were homeless or broke, but I would always tell myself that they were probably drunks and needed more money for their next shot of alcohol. I would always lock my doors and look away. However a song has recently changed my thoughts about these people. Carrie Underwood’s Change has made me stop and ask myself what I can do to help people. Especially the first verse that says,
“What'cha gonna do with the 36 cents
Sticky with Coke on your floorboard
When a woman on the street is huddle in the cold
On a sidewalk vent trying to keep warm
Do you call her over hand her the change
Ask her a story ask her her name
Or do you tell yourself
You're just a fool
Just a fool
To believe you can change the world”

I am reminded of a boy who wanted to change the world; well he did in the movie called Pay it Forward. This is such a touching movie about a little boy who developed a theory of randomly helping three people who would in turn help three people each. These random acts of kindness would spread and change people and the world. People did not think his plan would work, but throughout the movie they are proven wrong.

And as Carrie Underwood sings, “Oh the smallest thing can all the difference. Love is alive. Don't listen to them when they say, You're just a fool Just a fool To believe you can change the world”
It is amazing how some songs and movies can inspire to do such great things. Someday I hope I can change someone’s world even if it is a small thing.

Its official

I still cannot believe I am done. That I am now technically a college student. I am so thankful for my parents, teachers, and friends that helped me get her and was glad to celebrate with them.

Integrity

I have been working on making a little book (folder) of stories that tell of times that people I know showed integrity. I loved hearing or reading each story told by various family members and friends. I learned quite a bit about each individual and have a higher level of respect for each. To some integrity can be as small as not drinking a soda that they didn't pay for while for others it can be never telling a lie.
I have realized that the hardest part of integrity (at least for me)is not choosing to have integrity, it is following through with the choice when you know that there are others who are not and they seem to have an advantage. For example people cheating on a test. For me cheating is never an option, but it is so hard to take a test knowing that my grade might be affected by someone who cheated. Although sometimes I feel like I can never do as good as the people that cheat, but I know that later down the road of life when it really matters, I will be able to pass the test.

The Last Stretch

I couldn't have asked for a better last week of high school (aside from wanting it to last longer!). It has been such a nice "do everything one last time" type of week. Yesterday I went on my last field trip to an outcrop with my Earth Science class. We rode a yellow school bus (my last time in a Twinkie) to some place outside of Camdinton to look at rocks and then went to Haha Tonka for lunch. It was fun to spend some time with friends outside of the classroom setting and to listen to stories from my teacher (I love stories).


The whole crew.


(Mr. Snyder) I am going to miss that guy, even with all the teasing!

Another last was giving blood, which, to me, is part of high school. today was my last time donating in the Kickapoo gym and thankfully I didn't pass out like I have in the past. I got two t-shirts (one for donating blood the other for project grad.) which I will be adding to my huge stash of school shirts. (In high school if you join anything or go to things, you get t-shirts and I will miss that!)

Tomorrow is the memories assembly and the last day for seniors (I am going to be coming back Friday to take two finals and say some last good byes).

I cannot believe how fast this year has flown or my whole high school career for that matter. I wish I could go back... all the way back to when I was a freshman so that I could change a few things. Like slowing down and enjoying the time that I had in high school. I wish I would have branched out and made more friends instead of waiting for others to come to me. I wish that I would have thought more about the classes that I took and prepared for my future better. I wish I spent less time in my room and more time out with friends. I wish I went to more sports events and showed my school spirit. I wish I would have been thankful for the protection that high school provided me rather then find ways to get out class. I guess there are a few more things that I would like to change than I thought. Hopefully, five months from now I won't care about all of these little things. But for right now I can't help but think about the could have and should have dones.

I guess what I am trying to say is I am not ready. I am not ready for tomorrow's memories assembly (I have a feeling I am going to be crying all day.) I am not ready for finals on Friday. I am not ready for Tuesday when I graduate. I am not ready to leave the people who I have grown up with or the people who have taught me. I am especially not ready to leave those of whom I have become friends with and those who have become role models to me.
The hardest part about leaving is saying good bye.
And I am not ready.

PROM NIGHT

Last Saturday I had made up my mind that I was not going to be attending my senior prom. But that soon changed when my friend Justin, a junior at my school, asked me to go. After I said yes I realized that I had less than a week to find a dress, shoes, set up a hair appointment, and get him a boutonniere. And then he told me that he needed to know what color my dress was going to be before Wednesday when he was going to be picking up his tux. Oh boy! I ended up deciding on the dress that I had worn to my church prom because the selection at the stores was not so great. And everything turned out alright!

Pinning on a boutonniere is one tricky task! Dangerous too!

He had the easier job.


We both decided we should wear Converse shoes.

Here is the whole crew.


We took a bus! I think we were the only ones that did, but it was a blast.

We had dinner at Harunos Japanese Sushi bar and grill. It took a long time for the food to get to us so there was a lot of goofing around as you can tell.

I don't think I have ever learned how to use chop sticks so this meal was a bit of a challenge for me. And when I finally got a slice of chicken with them I had to get a picture. Luckily the picture was taken quickly because it dropped out of my grasp before making it to my mouth. I also tried a California roll thinking it was crab, inside only to discover I had eaten Salmon eggs (not falling for that again!).

Excited for prom, we are almost there!

I didn't get very many pictures at prom, which makes me sad, but I did get one with my twin! Sarah and I were born on the same day three hours apart.

Prom was not really what I was expecting as far as the dancing goes. But the decorations were so nice! (I wish I could have gotten a picture) It was fun to get all dressed up and see everyone in formals. Over all I had a fun night!

My life as a flower

My life's journey has not been much different from yours pretty flower.
We have both traveled long and hard to get here.
Sometimes we could roll effortlessly on our own
other times someone was there to gently nudge us
and when we needed more help we were carried.
No matter how,
we did it.
We made it!
We're here!

Our growth is not much different, no very much alike.
We have needed guidance and care along the way.
We learned from our surroundings and those around us
We have become beautiful through storms we have endured.
We grew and became who we are now.
Pretty
Bright
Alive

We may question why we are here.
Are we here for others to look at?
For others to judge our beauty?
Are we here just because?
Or are we here because someone loves us.
Someone who wanted us to learn,
to grow,
to become beautiful.