My Life Story

Life @ NU

2008-09-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

I'm finally starting to adjust to my classes and professors. It has been a huge change from BCC. Some good, some frustrating. It's hard to believe I've been here for 3 weeks already. When you're busy, time passes quickly.
On the 30th, I'll be playing my first jazz concert. It is in Wenachi, so I have an excused absence for my classes :). It should be a fun experience.
At 9 or so, Matt and I are going to go biking, which is exciting and scary at the same time, as I haven't biked in forever. Then, I'm going to a baby shower for my uncle's girlfriend before coming back to my apartment to host games and food. It'll be a crazy day. Oh, the exciting life of a college student!

Transfer Student Crisis

2008-09-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Now that I've been here a week, I've settled in and gotten into the swing of things. The theory and music classes here are run drastically different from those at BCC where I used to attend. The teachers are super nice, but I think the teachers at BCC were better actual teachers. I miss my theory class friends. The theory class here is kind of like my theory class in that the students all seem to know each other and are friends. However, as a transfer student, I don't know them and don't quite fit in. My friend (from junior high) was in the classes with me, but then failed an essential test which caused her to have to drop them and start at a lower level so I'm all alone now :'(.
On a happier note, the art class seems fun, my teacher is a real kick. He's so different. You have no idea what is going through his head. However, I think he has alot that he can teach us.
My apartment roomies are nice. My actual roommate is never home, but some of the other girls from the apartment are here. I live in a 3 bedroom apartment with 5 other girls, so we each have a roommate. All but one of the other girls have either boyfriends or fiances so it makes for alot of boy drama.

So that's the spill in short. Ask questions!

Campus Life

2008-08-29T13:19:00.001-07:00

I moved in at Northwest on Wednesday and things have been non-stop since. I've gotten all my classes finalized, gone to orientation upon orientation, and set up audition dates for jazz bands.
It's funny cause I've met several people whom I didn't know attended here which is kind of cool. Today I bumped into Todd who was in my theory classes at BCC. I think
I've talked him into joining vocal jazz, which would be awesome cause he's really good.
Also, I've made some new friends. Yesterday I had over a few people to my apartment and taught them how to play Killer Bunnies which was really fun. We might play again tonight.
Well, I should practice some guitar so, I guess I gotta go.

2008-08-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

Wow! Life just keeps getting busier. I'm looking forward to moving to Kirkland in 2 weeks for school. It should be lots of fun. Not much has been happening in my life, since I'm always working. I've been trying to find a few cute outfits for school, but have yet to find anything that strikes my fancy and is in my price range. I'm getting really tired of looking... Well, I should go, its almost time to leave for work.

Pink Martini

2008-08-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased the Pink Martini album Hang on Little Tomato off of i-tunes. I'd highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys jazz and latin styles of music. Pink Martini is a mini orchestra which plays jazz and latin style music. Their members have an interesting make up of nationalities. The vocals are in a variety of languages; English, French, Japanese, and Spanish.

It's Been Awhile

2008-07-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, I really haven't been keeping up on my posting... I got a job at Target a couple weeks ago, so I've been really busy there. I work an early morning shift from 6:00-2:30. I'm on the pricing team which means that I put sales tags on merchandise, straighten things up, and change the yellow price tags when a product changes prices. Just a couple days ago, I got another job. I'll be working at Godiva's chocolates in Bellevue Square. I'm really looking forward to this new job. I'll be working part time after I get off of work from Target, then I'll keep the Godiva's job during the school year. It should be fun.
Another thing I've been putting alot of time into is guitar. My goal is to practice at least 15 hours this week. So far, I'm on track with this goal and I'm hoping my teacher will see the improvement.

Albi the Racist Dragon

2008-07-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

2008-07-04T06:17:00.001-07:00

All music is folk music. I ain't never heard no horse sing a song.
~Louis Armstrong

Music Misconceptions

2008-07-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here are three common misconceptions about music that frustrate me.

1. Michael Buble is Jazz FALSE!!!
Michael Buble is from the genre of big band swing. Although swing is related to jazz, as they share a swing rythm, they are
different. If you'd like to hear modern jazz artists of today, try listening to Dave Koz, Norah Jones, or my personal favorite,
Jamie Cullum.

2. Rock with trumpets is NOT ska.
Ska is dependent on the style of guitar, not on whether or not there are trumpets or brass. In ska, the guitar is played with
mainly up-stroke rythms. (By the way, there is ska that has no brass section)

3. Anyone can play guitar, it's easy.
Well, anyone who wants to learn Mary had a Little Lamb on piano can, however, that doesn't make them a pianist. In the same
way, playing a three chord song on guitar doesn't make one a guitarist. Try learning a 3-part Bach invention on guitar and then
tell me that guitar is easy.

Please give your opinion on these topics, I'd love to hear what you think.

An Uneventful Summer

2008-07-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

So far this summer has proven itself to be fairly uneventful. I have fallen into a daily routine and it doesn't seem to change much from day to day. Pretty much, I sleep in, apply for jobs or go to an interview, get home, practice several hours of guitar, swim the mile, and watch a movie. I need to come up with some activities to make it more exciting. Thursday night, the EMP is going to be open from 5-9pm for free, so I'm hoping to talk some friends into going, also some of the art museums will be open on that day, including the SAM, so maybe I'll go to that. We'll see...

2008-06-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

And the weather continues to become hotter...

Today I went to church with my family in the morning. After church, there was a picnic which was fun. There were some Australians around my age, but unfortunately, they're only going to be here in the US for like a month. I was hoping that we would actually have some younger people at the church for a change. After the picnic, Matthew had a couple friends over and we went swimming and there were over 100 people IN the pool. It was crazy!

It's Crazy Hot!

2008-06-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

This morning my family went to see Kung Fu Panda at Kent Station. I had already seen it with my internship group in Centralia, but it was fun going out to the movies with my siblings. I never realized how many stars they had in the cast. There was Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, and Lucy Liu. Not many childrens' movies have four bigger actors/actresses in the cast.
After the movie, I went to a friend's graduation party. Unfortunately, she lives in Covington and I drove during traffic. I got frustrated when I had trouble finding one of the turns (I haven't been to her house in over a year). On the way home, my sister saw a thermometer that read in at 97 F. I don't want to know how hot the car was. All I can say is that I'm sure glad that Seattle doesn't get as hot as Cambodia or Thailand. The heat there is killer...

A Day in the Life

2008-06-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. This morning, I went with my mom and some of my siblings to Green Lake. Ri and I bladed around it, I think its 5 miles, so its really easy to blade. Then I had an interview for Godiva's in Bell-Square. I think it went well, I'm going to a second interview on Tuesday. Then, when I got home, I swam a mile with Matthew and Mason. By the way, swimming makes me eat like a junior high boy. I am shocked at how hungry I've been.

2008-06-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

All I try to do is write music that feels meaningful to me, that has commitment and passion behind it. And I guess I feel that if what I'm writing about is real, and if there's emotion, then hey, there'll be somebody who wants to hear it.
~Bruce Springsteen

Swimming

2008-06-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Matt talked Arita and I into going up to the pool to swim laps. He set the goal of swimming a mile. It was my first time actually going to swim laps this year and I managed to swim the entire mile. It felt amazing, so we've decided to try getting up there everyday and swimming a mile.
I also went with my family to the Farmer's Market in Renton. It was fun, as I enjoyed walking around smelling the smells and looking at all the beautiful flowers.

Home Sweet Home

2008-06-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've now been home for a week. Things are very different and that's for sure. I no longer have to be somewhere at 7:30 every morning, so I've gotten into the habit of sleeping in. I've decided that today is the end of that. I hate wasting perfectly good days by sleeping them away. However, after the last 9 months, I deserved a little extra rest.
Since I'm going back to college this fall, I'm looking for a job to help cover the expenses. So far, I've applied at Jamba Juice, American Eagle, and Godiva's. Today I'm going to put in an application at Starbucks. The lady working there the other day said that I was almost for sure going to be offered a job there.
On Wednesday night, I have my first private guitar lesson. It'll be interesting to actually have assignments and things that someone has given me to work on. I'm used to just playing whatever I feel like. I'm really looking forward to improving my skills. Well, that's what's been going on recently.

Bowling and Painting

2008-06-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our mystery trip was bowling. It was funny though cause I can't bowl at all. I rolled lots of gutter balls and did the worst by far. Everyone got a good laugh out of me though.
Today Liana and I had a girls day. We went and got mochas in the morning and headed to the mall in Olympia. At the mall, Liana bought some cute earrings and then she found these really cute tennis shoes that she bought me as a going away present. Next we went to the Painted Plate which is a ceramic art gallery and painted dishes. Liana painted a mug and I painted a Japanese soup dish. We didn't finish though so we're going back tomorrow after church.
Before going home, we went and got lunch at Chopstix, which is an Asian food restaurant. They serve dishes from all different countries in Asia. I got the Japanese dish which was soba with chicken. It was really good.

Mystery Trip Day

2008-06-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today as a GTC group we're going to a team event surprise trip. It should be interesting. We have no idea what it is. Yesterday we finished our final scripture test so we are done with homework for the year. Hallelujah! I am sooo happy. Tomorrow Liana (my host mom) and I are going to go out for mochas and go to a ceramics art gallery to paint. We're going to have alot of fun. I can't wait. Well, I'll have to post again after the outings to say how they went.

Graduation

2008-06-05T09:38:00.001-07:00

On Sunday the 15th, I'll be graduating from GTC! Huzzah! I'll be moving back home right after the ceremony. If you want to, come to the graduation. It'll be at Destiny Christian Center @ 7:00p.m. If you want to carpool, talk to my family, as I'm pretty sure they have room in the van. Hope to see you there!

Cambodia & Thailand Trip

2008-05-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Cambodia! The trip was amazing. I don't know where to start. We spent most of our time working with orphans from three different orphanages. One of the orphanages was in a village with no electricity or running water, when we worked there, we lived with the kids and learned to take bucket showers and sleep on the tile floor. It was a cool experience. However, my favorite kid was at a government orphanage in Battambang. He was named Lyda and was 1 1/2 years old. Sadly, he had hepatitis B and was a little sickly. I visited him many times and by the time I left, he was sad to see me go. (I have pics if anyone wants to see them.)
A cool thing about Cambodia was our transportation was mottos which are a cross between a motorcycle and a vespa. They were so much fun to ride. We also rode tuktuks, but I liked the mottos more. They were awesome.
Another thing we did was clean an AIDS hospital. I'll leave it at that. I would never go there again. It was my least favorite part of the trip.
After the missions part of the trip, we went to Thailand for a few days before flying home. There is a mall in Bangkok that is amazing! It is full of designer clothing stores and car dealerships (nice cars like mazaratti and porsche). In the bottom was an aquarium (the biggest in southeast asia) which had sharks. You could rent glass bottom boats to go boating in the aquarium or you could scuba dive. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford to go. In the top of the mall, there was a movie theatre which showed western movies. The seats were leather recliners, and the people massaged you and fed you during the movie. (With GTC rules about movies, there wasn't anything we were allowed to see, but it looked awesome!)
Well, I have tons of stories about different things that happened, so talk to me if you want to hear more! :P

Missions Trip

2008-04-10T07:24:00.001-07:00

This Tuesday, we had our first meeting about the missions trip. It is going to be so much fun. Over 80% of the population in Cambodia is under 30, so there are lots of kids. While we're there, we'll probably spend alot of time working with children in the orphanages and schools. We'll be helping teach them English! I'm so excited... Its less than a month away.

Back to the Schedule

2008-04-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'll be headed back to Centralia and all the craziness of GTC. I've really enjoyed being with my family and will miss them the minute I pull out of the driveway tonight. This month, I'll be finishing up my last Northwest class this year before heading off to Thailand and Cambodia next month. I'm really looking forward to the missions trip. It will be quite the adventure I'm sure. Hopefully we'll get to ride elephants...
I attended Mars hill last night with my brother and friend. I really enjoyed it and I plan on attending regularly when I move back in a couple months.

Spring Break

2008-04-05T23:46:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a wonderful break from the craziness of GTC. I'm really enjoying being able to hang out with friends and relax. When I'm at GTC, I feel that I have to be careful or else I'll accidentally break a rule. At home, people simply don't care. So far, I've gone shopping, listened to a local jazz group, gone to college group, and hung out with several of my friends. I'm having so much fun, I'm really looking forward to this summer.

Jamie Cullum

2008-04-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

It's my dream to one day play piano like this guy!!! He's one of my favorite musicians.

Easter

2008-03-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I celebrated Easter with my family. It was lots of fun. We went to my cousins' farm and hung out with extended family for most of the day. Then, in the evening, I went to Mars Hill with my brother and his friend. It was such a good service. At the end, there was open baptism and crazy as it was, I got baptized! It was so cool. I should have been baptized way sooner, but it was so cool to finally take that step. I'm so happy.

St. Patricks Day

2008-03-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

So, for anyone who didn't know, I went home this last weekend for St. Patricks Day. It was alot of fun. I hung out with my family and my good friend Tirzah. Tirzah slept over at our house and we talked till the wee-hours of the morning. We're hoping to go shopping next weekend when I'm home. Now I just need to catch up some sleep.

Things that just don't happen in Seattle

2008-03-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

1. You can't take a shower in the morning because the well broke....
2. If you miss your exit, you have to drive another 15 miles to turn around
3. It takes 45 minutes to drive to the mall
4. The only job you can find is working at an alpaca farm (for you city folks- an alpaca is like a lama)
5. The only style among youth is grunge (and Carharts and Romeos, if the guy shoes are Romeos, why aren't the girls Julietts?)
6. Going to town is a half hour drive
7. Deer regularly chase your car

I'll add to my list as things happen

3 More Months

2008-03-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

Its crazy to know that I've already been here in Centralia for over six months. I miss Seattle alot, but I'm sure God has plans that I don't even see. I'm so excited for the Thailand/Cambodia trip. Its going to amazing, I just know it... Also, I'm looking forward to seeing my family for Easter and spring break the first week in April. I think that its been good for me to get out of the house for a school year and grow closer to God. I'm learning that I have to fully trust him. I often get frustrated, but I'm sure it'll all work out in the end.

Crazy Busy Week

2008-03-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

This last week I've been on the go... Sunday through Wednesday I was in Seattle working a Microsoft conference in Seattle and Thursday through Saturday I worked at the Northwest youth conference in Yakima. I miss my family and friends from Seattle alot. I'm looking forward to Spring break the first week of April. It seems like I'm constantly going, so it will be nice to have a breather... Also, I'm going home for Easter which will be very nice. It would be a shame to miss all the family traditions.

Audition Results

2008-02-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

The auditions went awesome!!! First, I did a piano audition, which just so happened to be done by Pastor Steve's piano teacher. That was crazy. She was this cute little Japanese gal and she loved my playing and wanted to know who my teaher was. The actual jury doesn't award scholarships, they only recommend to the financial aid people who deserves them. Anyways, she gave me a high recommendation for a scholarship.
Then, I did the guitar audition. The peoples looked at my application and said that since I hadn't ever taken private lessons, maybe the audition wasn't for me. I was shaking with nervousness by this point and they eventually gave in and let me play. Apparently they were very surprised at how well I played. Oh yeah, and the head of the jazz department came to my audition thanks to my friend Jodie, who just so happens to be the dean of NW's daughter. That was pretty much awesome cause everyone who listened was shocked and the head of jazz took me to his office afterwards and said that he wanted me on his jazz band! Jazz is the hardest style of guitar and I've never ever had any training in jazz and he picked me out of the hundreds to train for his jazz group! So I also got high recommendation for my guitar.... Hopefully the scholarships are big!

NIck Pitera

2008-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

This guy is amazing! You've got to watch theses videos.... You won't regret it!

Audition Day

2008-02-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Today's the big day for my audition. I'm a little nervous and stuff, but I'm looking forward to it at the same time. There are few things that I enjoy more in life than music and I actually love taking music classes in college so I'm really excited to go back to school. I'm thinking of doing a double major in jazz guitar and piano performance. It'd be pretty sweet.
I think it'd be really cool to teach theory, music history, and private lessons at a college... Its kind of a crazy job, but I think that it'd be a blast. It'd also give me a huge opportunity to witness to students, which would be awesome! It'll be interesting to see where God takes me in the next few years.

Northwest Audition

2008-02-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

On Monday I'll be auditioning for a music scholarship from Northwest University. I'm really hoping that it goes well, cause I really want to be able to afford Northwest. I'll be playing Alla Turca from Mozart's Sonata K331 and Paderewski's famous Minuet on piano and then I"ll play the Beatles Blackbird on guitar.

Valentine's Music

2008-02-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

Great Love Songs
1. Oh Boy- Buddy Holly
2. Do You Want to Know a Secret?- The Beatles
3. Lifehouse- You and Me
4. Faking My Own Suicide- Relient K
5. Might Have Ben Hur- Switchfoot

Break-up songs, the not so happy part of love... For people like me, who don't have a boyfriend.
1. View from Heaven- Yellowcard (not really a break up song, but lost love)
2. Swing Swing- The All American Rejects
3. My Happy Ending- Avril Lavigne
4. I'm Gonna Find Anoather You- John Mayer
5. Ghost of You- Good Charlotte

The Joys of Highschool

2008-02-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

I saw this and the first part reminded me of the joys of being a stupid highschool. ENJOY!

Valentine's Day is Upon Us

2008-02-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

Its hard to believe its only a week till the day of the year when all the chocolate sales go through the roof and everything is pink and red. Yet another Valentine's Day... I still have yet to experience one when I have a significant other but thats alright. I absolutely love Valentine's Day. I don't need a boyfriend to enjoy the holiday. Traditionally my family exchanges Valentines and we have a fancy breakfast of dinner (usually consisting of strawberry crepes). This year, however, I'll be in Centralia so I'll be missing the family celebration which is sad. Maybe I'll make some crepes for the Sowas

American Idol

2008-01-24T12:26:00.001-08:00

I started watching American Idol this season. I can see why its such a popular show. Some of the auditions are hilarious! Its interesting to see how many people think they have vocal talent who are dreadful singers. You'd think that with how bad some of them are, they would at least know that they aren't going to do well at the auditions let alone win. However, there are some extremely talented individuals as well. This guy is my favorite so far. He picked an awesome song too.

A Visit Home

2008-01-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

I went home to Seattle Sunday night and all day Monday. I miss my family and friends sooooo much. I'm not a huge fan of Centralia. But hey, God knows what's best, right? Sometimes its frustrating to follow without knowing why he wants you to do something. I mean, I really wish I could stay in Seattle, but I really felt called to come here for the year. I just hope that it becomes more enjoyable as the year goes on... If not, at least I can still visit home every once in a while. It'd kill me to move any farther from home.

LIfe and love and lost

2008-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

I love working! Tonight, I"ll be getting my first paycheck and I'm sooo happy. Also, Lifehouse is coming to Seattle next month, so I'm gonna try and make it work out to go. Its one of my days off, I'd just have to get an extended curfew. It would be super fun!
Sunday I'll be going on my first ministry trip, so that's pretty exciting. We're going to do a human video that we learned this week.

Northwest Weekend

2008-01-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

Its been crazy this weekend. We have 9 hours of class crammed into 2 days. We are now taking Bible Interpretation and our new teacher is really cool. He's always cracking jokes and stuff.

New Job

2008-01-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

I started my new job yesterday. I work for NGG Alpacas. Unlike people seem to think when I mention the business, I DO NOT scoop poop. I work in the office filing receipts and inputting the animals' information into the computers. I work Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for a total of 10-12 hours a week.

Wow! The things people think!

2007-12-30T13:49:00.000-08:00

I had an interesting experience at church this morning. I was talking to this college-aged guy named Ian and Madie ran up and hugged me. He stopped talking, got this shocked look on his face, and said "You have a child?" Apparently he hasn't paid much attention to comments made about my family. Nearly everyone knows that I have many siblings, most of whom are younger than me. My mom was laughing pretty hard about that one. She doesn't think Madds is going to help me attract many boys. Ha ha... It doesn't really matter since I can't date while I'm in the internship program anyways.

After Christmas Shopping

2007-12-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

I've gone shopping the last couple days. My family was going to go visit my grandpa (on my dad's side) who lives in Eastern Washington but the pass was snowey so my dad changed his mind. So, instead we've been hitting up the after Christmas sales. I went to Bell-Square with my sister and mom then today I went to the Southcenter mall today with my siblings. It's kinda crazy that we've gone shopping so much since none of us really have much money except for Ri and Mason. Ri has been the only one who has actually spent any money. Oh well, so is life. At least were not sitting around doing nothing...
I go back to Centralia in less than a week. I'm not sure how I feel about going back. I'm going to miss my siblings but I enjoy having more independence. So I guess it has both positive and negative elements.
Dewa!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here's one of my fav. Christmas songs of all time. Enjoy...

I Celebrate the Day
~Relient K
With this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know
How much You've touched my life because
Here is where You're finding me
In the exact same place as New Year's Eve
And from the lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I wanna be

And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did you realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that You opened your eyes
Did you realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare
The things I've felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me
And the hope that
That You give
That You were born so I might really live
To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me…

And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And I
I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day
Pray for You to save my life
Pray for You to save my life
Pray for You to save my life

Sweet Song

2007-12-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

I really have started to enjoy Paramore. She can really rock! There aren't that many female led rock groups that I like. Paramore and Flyleaf would be the main 2 exceptions to that.

my new template

2007-12-20T14:14:00.001-08:00

I finally put up my new template. I really like the black/grey/orange color scheme. Also, notice the music notes on the title. I love it! Matthew helped me put it together this summer but we never finished it.
I'm home now for a couple weeks. I'm upset though because they cut my Christmas break from a month to two weeks! It stinks! But hey, there isn't anything I can do about it... Its hard to believe that its less than a week till Christmas. Fortunately, I've already finished my Christmas shopping.

3 More Days

2007-12-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

Things are so busy here in Centralia. I finished my paper for the NW University class and I'll be taking the final tomorrow. I'm looking forward to going home.
This afternoon, I'm hoping to go to Olympia and do some Christmas shopping. Then, I'll finish up my Christmas shopping while I"m home. Matthew and I are going to hit the malls together. I love shopping!
Saturday night, I'm going to go rollerbladding for the GTC Alumni Reunion. Its going to be fun. I haven't been skating in a rink in forever.

One more week and a long weekend

2007-12-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

I'll be heading home for Christmas next weekend. I'm really looking forward to spending my time with family and friends. I miss my siblings a ton. Matthew will be flying home tomorrow and will hopefully be able to come up and visit for a day. However, before all the fun stuff, I still have 2 tests and a paper due and tonight and tomorrow I have 9 hours of Northwest University lectures... Ick! I like the teacher but I hate sitting for so long.

The Holidays are Upon Us

2007-11-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

In all the business of the season, I find it so enjoyable to see all the beautiful Christmas decorations and the Christmas displays in all the shops. Here in Centralia, the lights are up on the trees along the street. Unfortunately, I haven't heard much Christmas music yet. But, I have put together a sweet mix of Christmas rock. So if anyone needs some good Christmas music (and some really crazy unique stuff) feel free to ask...

A Weekend Home

2007-11-24T17:04:00.000-08:00

I ended up getting to stay home for almost a week. I got a half day on Wednesday and I don't have to be back until Monday night. Its kinda nice having some time off from GTC. I end up spending alot of time there worrying about accidentally breaking a rule.
Today, Ri, Mason, and I raked the yard. Boy, that maple drops ALOT of leaves. Kathleen helped for the first while then she had to go home to see her brother before he left to go back to college. Tomorrow, I'm going to play guitar for worship at Bellevue which I'm really looking forward to. Also, I might go to college group which could be fun.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

I drove home to Seattle yesterday afternoon but within a few hours of getting home, left yet again. This year we went to Spokane to visit my cousins for Thanksgiving. Not wanting my car to be gone when we get back, I took it to my aunt's house until I get back from Spokane. We'll be having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner tonight and then we'll head home tomorrow so that we can spend some time as a family before I go back to Rochester.
Things have been relaxing. It is so nice to not have any homework for a few days. Hopefully nothing drastic while happen during this break. I've been enjoying not having too much excitement this weekend.

A Long Hard Weekend

2007-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

So, it all started on Friday. I was super excited to go to Seattle and visit my family also, it was blessing partner day which is kind of fun. However, after lunch, there was an announcement made at GTC that my friend had been kicked out of the internship program and would be flying home to Texas the next day. Harsh! Steven was the only other musical person in the program... So, now I'm kinda the loner.
After being released early because of the incident with Steven, I drove home. Upon arriving home, I helped my mom make Zach a cake and ran to the store several times to pick up things which had been forgotten. Then, Sunday morning, I got up early so that I could play on the worship team at Bellevue. My car was parked behind my mom's van so I went out to move out of her way so that we could leave and found that my car had been broken into yet again! However, this time it was much worse. The trim on the outside was ripped off and my dashboard was smashed into many pieces, my car wouldn't start, and perhaps the worst part was that my entire CD collection which was sitting on the back seat was stolen. That was every CD I owned. Over $1000 worth of music. It was one of the few things that I invest money in and now its gone. I'm so mad!
By this point, I had a complete melt down. I handled the last break-in fine and I had managed to hold myself together when Steven left but everything finally let loose in me and I couldn't hold myself together. I'm so tired of all these things happening to me. And, to be honest, it seems like since I made the decision to come to GTC, my life has been slowly but steadily falling to pieces. I need a break from all of the chaos life has thrown at me the last couple months before I lose my sanity.

Going Home

2007-11-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

After classes let out today I'm heading home to Seattle till Monday. Then, on Monday I'll bring Ri back with me and she and I will go to class together Tues. and Wed. before going home yet again for Thanksgiving.
I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and friends. I'll actually get to go to my church this Sunday. Its awkward going to church here, I don't have any good friends.
Tomorrow, I"ll be able to help my mom put on a birthday party for Zeezers which is cool. He's really excited that I'm going to make it home in time for his party. I bought him some Pirates of the Carribean action figures that I think he'll really like.
Till next time,
Dewa!

Its getting close to the holidays

2007-11-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, the last few weeks have been a blur. Things happen so fast here. We're a week into our second Northwest course. We're taking New Testament history which is actually kinda fun. However, I haven't had anything due yet, so that might change.
I'm getting to know the people here in Centralia. On Sunday, Pastor Bill had everyone make a list of people they knew in the church. His goal was for everyone to have 40 people on their list by the end of the month. I had over 40 on the first Sunday. Being that I've only been here a month and a half, I think that's pretty good.
Zeezer's birthday is coming up in a couple weeks on the 20th. I'm hoping to go home for the weekend before Thanksgiving so that I can celebrate with him. If everything works out, I'll come home for a few days and then I'll bring Ri back with me for a couple days before Thanksgiving. It should be lots of fun. Time has been passing so fast.

Microsoft Conference

2007-11-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday through Wednesday I worked at the Microsoft Conference in downtown Seattle. GTC does this as a fundraiser to keep down tuition costs. The pay is amazing, $17 per hour and we were working 16 hour days! Unfortunately, none of this money goes directly to us, but rather to the program.
On Sunday, we only had a meeting during which we were told what the different jobs were and how to carry them out. Three of us were to work on inputting information on computers while the other ten of us were room monitors. As a room monitor, the person hands out and collects surveys and keeps the trash picked up in the room. We also answered peoples' questions and pointed them in the right direction.
Monday I was told that I was one of the lucky three that got to input the survey information. Pretty much we used a spreadsheet program to say what people thought about the speakers. I did that for quite a few hours. Towards the end, my carpal tunnel thing started acting up though so I switched off with someone in charge of room monitoring. In the evening, we were invited to the Microsoft VIP halloween party. Microsoft rented out the Space Needle, EMP, and Sc-Fi Museum. They bought all of us GTCers costumes and so we pretty much enjoyed the party. We even had the private room at the EMP for our use which was pretty sweet. The food was really good and they hired break dancers which was pretty cool.
The next two days we did the same jobs. Microsoft had catered meals for us which were pretty good also. On Tuesday we went to Pastor Steve's house and played mafia which was fun. Pastor Steve made hot peanut butter cookies for us too.

So thats whats been going on with me...
Dewa!

Book Review

2007-10-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

So, its like 6 AM here in Centralia. Somebody didn't read their chapters for book review and so the book review was moved to 6 in the morning the next day. I'm NOT a morning person. I went to bed at 9:30 and still didn't get eight hours of sleep. In my opinion, its not Biblical to be punished for other people's mistakes. I think that is just WRONG! I can't help it if the guys slack off.
On Sunday evening, we're going to Seattle to work the microsoft conference. I'm looking forward to going to my hometown. I really miss Seattle and my friends.

Relient K's New Christmas Album

2007-10-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hey music fans... You all should support Relient K this month and buy their new Christmas album "Let it snow baby... let it reindeer" on the 23rd. It'll be amazing. It contains several songs off of "Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand" and 3 brand new cuts.
Also, they'll be in concert in Seattle in early December. They are touring with Switchfoot and it should be an awesome concert. I wish I could go, but I don't have the money. So go, see the concert and post some pictures! :P

My Babies

2007-10-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've really been missing these two... People here are nice but its definitely NOT home. I'm looking forward to coming home for a visit.

Back from CALI :P

2007-10-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! The Cali trip was alot of fun... We drove down in a 15 passenger van. Since there were 15 of us in the van, it was a squishy ride, we got to know each other really well. We stopped at a church for the first night and finished driving down the next day. The first night in LA we went to Red Robbins for dinner. With the Alumni, our group numbered 45.
The next 2 days we spent in Disneyland and California Adventure. Since we had park hoppers, we went back and forth between the parks all day. I went to the Aladdin show both days, it was so good the first time, I just had to see it again. Anyways, how can you get tired of "A Whole New World"? My favorite rides were Space Mountain and the Indiana Jones rides. On the second night, I went to the cute little ice cream shop in Disneyland, it was so good. In the evening, I went to Downtown Disney and went shopping. I bought Maddie a birthday present there and a sweat jacket. We rode through the night home, the full 19 hours! So yeah, thats pretty much my trip in a nutshell.

Disney Land

2007-09-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, the GTC group will leave for California :) We're going to drive all the way there. Tomorrow night we'll be staying in a hotel and then by Friday we'll be in California. We have 2 day park hopper passes so we can go to California adventure and Disneyland while we're there. Its going to be fun!

GTC

2007-09-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, the last few days have been crazy. Here at GTC, I'm not allowed to use any of the normal words that we use back home when we get angry. The rules are kinda like the PCC rules minus the skirts. The homework is deadly. The last couple days, I've had to read 30ish chapters, study for a test, and write 2 papers. Ick!!!! Supposedly, it gets easier. I sure hope so.
Teri and Leanna (my host parents) are super nice. They also have a really nice house. They live in Rochester and have a tennis quart, basketball quart and a soccer field in their front yard. On Saturday, their son Jack is going to have a b-day party.
Yesterday the GTC group went to the local gym and played wolleyball. Weird game, kinda like volleyball inside a room and you can bounce the ball off of the walls... After gym, we went to Kim's house for pizza. So yeah, thats whats up with me. Oh, and I can still post on guys blogs, I just can't email them. Yippee!

Saying Good Bye

2007-09-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

The last few days, I've been saying good bye to my friends and relatives. Its hard to believe that I won't see them for so long. 2 nights ago, my Aunt Janet and Uncle Chris came by and we had dinner together and they brought Ri and me birthday presents. Today, I taught my last piano lessons. I'm going to miss those girls. Tomorrow, Justin and I are going to hang out and get haircuts which we're both in need of. Then, Friday, after the drive test, I'll be going shopping with Kathleen and I'll sleepover at her house. Something tells me, things will never be the same. I'm not sure where I'll be next year, but I'm guessing that God has some more surprises in store.

Becoming Jane

2007-09-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, I watched Becoming Jane. It is perhaps one of the saddest movies I have seen. Throughout the movie, you think that things will work out for Jane and her sister, by the end, however, both of them end up with broken hearts. The reason Jane's stories all have happy endings is because her life story was so sad.

A Busy Life

2007-09-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Time has just flown by the last couple of weeks... I've been getting ready to move to Centralia and have been practicing my driving. On Friday, I'll be taking the drive test. Then, Sunday, I'll be moving to Centralia. Its funny how life plans can change so fast. This last school year, my plans were to attend either Northwest or CBC and continue working on my music performance degree while working full-time. Now, I'm going to do an internship program in Centralia.
During the last few weeks, I've really been seeing the truth in the following Bible verses...

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:3
Commit to eh Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

I've really been learning to trust God in my decisions. Ultimately, He has control of my life. Lately, I've been doing my best to pray and listen to God's answers. I think I've heard more from God in the last couple months than I have ever heard before. Maybe because I've been trying to be more willing to listen. So often, it is easy to tell Him what you want but not listen for His advice and answers.

More information on my internship

2007-09-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

Proverbs Chapt. 31

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

This is quite possibly my favorite passage in the Bible. It describes a beautiful Christian woman who lives for God and others. I try to model myself after this woman.

About GTC. I haven't posted much about where and why I'm moving. So, for those of you who might be curious... I'll be moving to Centralia, Washington on September 16th, so next Sunday. I'm super excited. At the internship, I will be taking strenuous Bible courses which I will be receiving Northwest University credits and I will be doing hands on ministry. The group of students will travel to different youth groups preaching, playing worship, and doing human videos. This spring, we will be going on a missions trip to somewhere in Asia.
Something that suprised me was that girls and guys are not supposed to call each other or email each other. It will be different. Not that I email or talk to many guys anyways.
So thats the scoop. Any questions?

Craziness

2007-09-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

The last couple days have been packed with activities. Yesterday, we picked up our Japanese exchange student, Megumi. She is a very sweet girl. We have been helping her practice her English. Also, it was Arita's birthday. For Ri's B-Day, we went to lunch at Nordy's Cafe and then we went shopping at Bellevue Square.
Today, it was my turn to share my testimony with the youth group. Each of the leaders was given a week this summer to share their testimony and today was my turn. I was really nervous, but people said that I did a good job. I hope they're being honest. I'm not a very talented speaker.
Well, my life's been chaos so thats all for now. Ja!

Last Weekend of Summer

2007-09-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, summer is over... Its hard to believe that in only two weeks, I'll be moving out. I'm so excited. My friend, Jesse (who told me about GTC), leaves next Sunday. He keeps asking me if I'm excited and of course the answer is YES. I'm thrilled to see what God will do with my life. Its not all going to be easy though. Since I'm really short on money, I'll have to work part time.
At church today, all the Northwest students were back. In other words, there's more than like five college age people. Peter came back, he played drums for worship. It seems like he and the other students have been gone forever though its only been a few months. Also, we had a picnic after service today. It was really fun. After eating, the younger people played volleyball and football (or in my case, attempt to play).
This afternoon, I started going through my stuff for moving. So much stuff to sort and pack. I have pretty much everything packed except bedding, clothes, and my toothbrush. I'm so excited.
Tomorrow, our Japanese exchange student comes over. Her name is Meg. We've been emailing back and forth and I'm really looking forward to meeting her in person. Matthew has already met her.

Sleepover

2007-08-31T22:00:00.001-07:00

Last night, I slept over at Hope's house. We had alot of fun talking and watching Walk the Line. We were up till past 4 in the morning. Man, I'm really tired. We got up at 11 and took her car into the shop to get checked out. Lucky for her, nothing was wrong with her car. This afternoon, we went to Bellevue and picked out a birthday present for her boyfriend. I'd put in more details, but his birthday isn't for a couple weeks. My friend Aaron was making a commercial for Nesquick this afternoon and was short a girl to act so I went over and let him use me in a couple scenes. It was fun. We were laughing so hard, he had to reshoot the scenes lots of times so that it would look serious. So yeah, thats what I've been up to the last couple of days.
And now, off to get some rest.
Dewa!

No Reservations

2007-08-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

I watched No Reservations this evening. Being short on money, I watched it online, rather than pay to go see it in theaters. It was a really cute story about a chef, Kate, (played by Catherine Zeta Jones) whose sister dies, leaving her young daughter for Kate to look after.
As Kate struggles to take care of her sister's daughter, her boss hires a new chef to help at the restaurant. The daughter, Zoe, loves the new guy who eventually falls in love with Kate.
Unfortunately, it is implied that Kate and the guy end up sleeping together. None of this is shown, it is just strongly implied. Other than that, it was an excellent movie.

Car Theft

2007-08-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Sorryz I haven't posted in awhile... The last couple days, my internet connection wouldn't let me access this page for some reason. I never figured out why so I'm using firefox instead of safari.
Friday was crazy. I went to go driving with my mom and when I walked out to my car, the driver's window was smashed. Surprised, I assumed it must have been my little brother's fault since he plays soccer near my car fairly often. However, when I took a closer look, the bottom of the steering column was broken open and someone had attempted to hot wire my car. AGhh... I only got the car a couple weeks ago. The window cost about $150 to replace which was irritating. But, I guess it could've been worse, if they had stolen my car, I don't know what I'd do.

Camp Pictures

2007-08-22T17:33:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from camp. If you're interested in seeing more, I have tons posted on my Facebook. So visit my page!

Here's the Group (take 1)

Mia & Me

Me & Jesse

Mason & Amanduh

Group (take 2)

Vanessa, Kunbi, Me, Jesse, & Joy

Road Rage!

2007-08-21T09:22:00.001-07:00

With all my frustration in driving, I figured I'd post this clip from Malcom in the Middle... Enjoy!

MOVING

2007-08-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

For anyone who hasn't already heard, I'm moving to Centralia next month. It is going to be an adventure. I have decided to do an internship through a church there. I will be taking some Northwest University classes and will go on a missions trip in the spring. I'm really excited to see where I go.
It feels so strange to know that I'll be out in the big world without my family... I've been praying about it alot and feel that this is where God wants me to go. My friend Jesse is also doing the internship but other than him, I won't know anyone down there. Kinda scarry... Also, I am going to be really tight on money so prayers would be much appreciated.

Driving

2007-08-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, my dad and I went for a drive. I'm working on getting comfortable to take my driver's test. We went all the way to Snoqualmie Pass from my house. This took close to three hours. I'm so exhausted. Unfortunately, I don't enjoy driving at all. It scares the heck out of me. Hopefully it won't be so bad as I do more of it.

Youth Camp

2007-08-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

So, I went to youth camp! It was alot of fun. We went to Ocean Shores and stayed at the Ocean City State campground. It was so cool to be able to spend three days with those youth. The kids are really amazing. Last night, each of the kids shared their testimony and it was unbelievable what some of them had been through. One of the main goals of the camp was to unify the youth group. The camp was definitely a success. So many kids whom you would never expect to hang out together became good friends and everyone ended up hanging out with everyone else. It was a blast. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some pictures to post.

Fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away

2007-08-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

Last night, being Matt's last day home, he invited Jesse over after youth group. Matt, Jesse, and I played risk until the wee hours of the morning. It took Jesse and I two games to beat him. But WE DID IT!!!! It's nearly impossible to beat Matthew at Risk, its like all the probabilities and stuff are second nature to him.
This evening, my cousin Jenny is coming over to visit and I am volunteering at an Indian Independence Day celebration at my church. I'm really looking forward to it, it should be tons of fun. Tomorrow, I leave for camp, so I won't be posting for a few days. But I'll be having lotsa fun with the youth group.
Laterz

my meeze

2007-08-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

The Rocket Summer

2007-08-13T21:31:00.001-07:00

I love this song and the little video is kind of cute. Bryce Avery is super talented...

Crazy Weekend

2007-08-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went shopping with my brother so that he could get some clothes and school supplies before he flies back to Japan. It amazed me how long it took us to pick out a couple of shirts, some socks, and a few school thing a majigs. By the time we got home, it was evening. Then, in the evening, we watched "Persuasion" which is based on the novel by Jane Austin. By the way, it feels good to be home.
This morning, as usual on Sundays, I played guitar in service, so I had to get to church an hour early for practice. Then, after service my little sibs had quiz practice so we had to stay an extra hour and a half. When we got home, Evan and Aaron came over and we did a quick run through before heading over to the retirement home to do the church service. Afterwards, we went out to Starbucks and chatted. This evening, Masy, Ri, and I went up to the school and played soccer (kind of) and picked blackberries which we made into muffins for dinner.
As is obvious, I've had an exhausting weekend.
Till next time
~Dewa!

Welcome to my Life

2007-08-10T14:09:00.001-07:00

These guys have some good lyrics...

Homesick

2007-08-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a real whimp. I've only been gone for like 5ish days and I miss my home. Part of it is that I know my best friend Kathleen is home from working the camp and I haven't seen her in like a month. It's killing me. I'm really looking forward to going home this evening. I heard that my brother set up a board game party for tonight so that will be fun. I'll have to see if Kathleen wants to come over.
As for house sitting, its going pretty good (except for Ri locking us out and the pipe exploading....fun times!). The dogs finally learned that they're supposed to do their business outside, so thats nice... For our last day here, Ri and I are going to go up to a little cupcake and coffee shop at the junction. Its this cute little shop that has all different kinds of cupcakes. Well, till next time. JA!

House Sittin

2007-08-08T20:26:00.001-07:00

House sitting has been a blast. Ri and I have been swimming, hottubbing, going to the beach, and shopping at the junction. Okay, so a funny story, Ri and I were hot tubbing on Sunday night and we decided it would be fun if we went and jumped into the pool at like 10 or something. So we towel off enough that we don't get the house super wet while we run down to the pool, then we get there and jump in. The pool was supposedly heated to 82F which for a swimming pool is moderately warm. However, due to complications, the pool hadn't been heated, so we jumped into a freezing cold pool right after hot tubbing. Then, on Tuesday, RI and I decided to walk up to the junction. I was out in the hamock waiting for Ri and she came out and shut the door, locking us out of the house. So after like half hour of trying to find a way in, Ri climbed through a window and almost fell on a fountain.

House-Sitting

2007-08-06T11:44:00.001-07:00

This week, Ri and I are housesitting for our aunt's family who is going to Disney Land. We came over last night and we'll stay till Friday evening. Last night, we enjoyed ourselves by making personal pizzas, watching movies and hot-tubing. After we sat in the hottub for what seemed like forever, we jumped into the freezing cold pool. We're having lots of fun.
The only problem is that we have to watch their dogs as well. They have a pug and a chihuhua (did I spell that right?) Well, Chico, seems to like pooping everywhere, so we have to keep cleaning up after him, Aghhhhh.... Well, I'll post more later
~Dewa

A Miraculous Comeback!

2007-08-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

My celly had a miraculous comeback. Nevermind about phone numbers... I probably should replace it though. We'll see, I don't have the money now.

No Celly

2007-08-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning and found that my celly was dead... I"m so upset, I used that phone alot. Well, I did have it for 2 years and it worked well for me then. Unfortunately, this means, I will need to buy a new phone and since I'm already running painfully low on money, this is not good. Also, I lost all of my friend's numbers, since I didn't have them written down anywhere. So, if one of my friend's (i.e. Kathleen, Hope, Jesse, Justin) is reading this, please shoot me an email with you number. Hopefully, I'll be able to replace my phone sometime this week.
This afternoon, my mother, sisters, and I are taking MIkako to Theo's Chocolate Factory. For those of you who have never been there, they sell THE BEST chocolate in the world. It is the only chocolate place in the US that imports cacao beans and makes the chocolate from the actual beans. Theo's milk chocolate is over 40% cacao and the dark chocolate is around 97%. So, if you're ever in Seattle, you should go there, you won't be dissappointed (except maybe by the price, it is kinda pricey!).

A Beautiful Friday

2007-08-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

I love Fridays, they are my favorite day... For some reason, even though I'm not in school anymore, Fridays are still the best day of the week. Today, I helped my mom clean our house. Then I re-washed my car windows. Mase helped me yesterday, but they were still smeared, so I redid them. Then, I went to my Auntie's house and she gave me the run-down. (I'll be house-sitting for her next week. Then, I went to the DOL and got my permit renewed. I'm hoping to have my license by mid-September. Hopefully my plans work.

New Car!!!!

2007-08-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, I bought my first car... I'm so hyped. Its not perfect, but its not bad either. Its a Honda Civic and its candy apple red. Since my uncle works for a car dealership, he was able to get me a really good deal. He sold it to me for half of what it would sell for at a dealership. This afternoon, my siblings and I washed and vacuumed it. Now all I need is my license!

Another Day in the LIfe

2007-08-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to youth group as is the norm for Tuesday nights... Yesterday was Extreme Volleyball which was fun even though I didn't hit the ball even once. Several new kids came which was really cool and some youth who hadn't been there in awhile. Afterwards, we went out to McDonalds to celebrate one of the guy's birthday. It was lots of fun hanging out and chatting with my friends late into the night.
This afternoon, I'm going to go to Green Lake with my friend Julia... It'll be fun, I haven't been there since last summer.

Worn Out!

2007-07-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today my family invited some relatives over for a BBQ and swimming. Ri and I decided to go to the pool early and get some laps in. We swam for a couple hours... Just the laps we swam were about a mile and a half! It took us a while but we feel really now that we did it. Ahhhh, endorphines feel great!

Back on Track

2007-07-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

Its sad how easy it is to fall off track... This summer has been hard for me. Before I graduated, I made three goals for this summer, 1. To get a car & my license, 2. To get a full-time job, and 3. To start private guitar lessons. Unfortunately, none of these has quite worked out for me. On top of all this, my best friend has been gone all summer working at a Boy Scout camp. With all these things, I've been getting depressed. I like to be on top of things and know where I"m headed. However, life isn't as easy as we wish.
I decided last night that I was going to get back on track with my spiritual life. Lately, I've been putting it on hold. So, I decided to start reading more in my Bible, praying more, working setting a Christian role model for my little sibs, and last of all, listening to ONLY Christian music. Now, the Christian music thing is really hard for me, I really like Yellowcard and the Beatles, however, I decided that I could give up the secular music for a week if it meant growing closer to God. So, today was the first day. It's been hard not listening to Yellowcard, the Beatles, or Good Charlotte. However, its funny that when you start doing what's right, things start falling in place. Already, I've seen a difference in my attitude and the way I've handled my siblings when they're being obnoxious, however, the most amazing thing is.... my uncle came up to my dad today at the wedding and it sounds like he found a car for me. All I can say is that when you follow God, he always comes through for you.

The Summer Bore...

2007-07-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of Creation Fest, in other words, all my friends are off watching cool bands perform while I stay home and clean the house and babysit. Unfortunately, since I'm not one of Anna's (some rich girl from my old church) friends, I don't have anyone paying my way and since my parents aren't helping me find a car so that I can get a job and earn money, I can't afford to pay for it myself. In other words, I'm really bummed out. I had been looking forward to Creation Fest for quite a while, thinking that I would have a job this summer and would be able to afford it, I was wrong.
Tomorrow is Friday, which used to be my favorite day of the week, not any more... Now I perfer Tuesdays and Sundays because I get to see my friends at church. I miss seeing my school friends 5 days a week. It's crazy that I actually miss school. This summer has mostly been a bore.
The good thing is that I'm learning to play some John Mayer songs on guitar. The other day, I bought the Continuum guitar book and so i've been working on "The Heart of Life" and "Stop this Train". The songs are actually coming along quickly, since I have nothing better to do.
Yesterday, I hung out with a couple of my friends for a few hours. Hope, Leann, Ri, Gabby and I played the game of Life. It was fun, being girls, we joked about how many kids we ended up with and what our hubbies names were.... Fun stuff... Hope, Leann, and Gabby are lucky that they live so crazy close to each other! I miss Kathleen crazy bad, she's been staffing boy scout camp all summer and I've only seen her like twice the entire summer. I wrote her a letter this afternoon, so hopefully she'll have time to write back
In a couple weeks, my family is getting our first Japanese exchange student for this year. She will be staying for a week... Part of that week, Ri and I will be house sitting for our aunt though.

I'm Supergirl!

2007-07-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl		73%
Robin		67%
Superman		65%
Green Lantern		60%
Wonder Woman		58%
Hulk		55%
Batman		50%
Spider-Man		50%
The Flash		50%
Catwoman		30%
Iron Man		30%

Lean, muscular and feminine.
Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Ahhh its Friday

2007-07-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

The only thing good about Friday is that its almost Sunday... On Sunday, we go to church and I see people. I've been pretty lonely this summer. However, I did manage to get out of the house yesterday. I bought piano sheet music for "You and Me" by Lifehouse and a Continuum by John Mayer guitar tableture book. I've been working on learning "The Heart of Life" and its actually coming along quite well. I've already learned "You and Me" but I'm much better on piano than I am on guitar. I'm hoping to be really good at several songs from the Continuum book by the end of the summer since I have nothing better to do. When I was at Kennely Keys, I talked to the guy there about guitar teachers. Apparently they have a teacher who would give me jazz guitar lessons for $100 a month which is average. When I get a job, I plan on starting up private lessons.

Malling and Music

2007-07-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, Trebonte, Matt, Ri, Mase, and I went shopping. We went to Southcenter and hit the mall along with a few other stores in the area. I picked up 3 new CDs; Another Journal Entry (expanded ed.), Secret Weapon, And Paper Walls. I'm so hyped to listen to them, I haven't had the chance yet. Well, I'm kind of listening right now. Anyways, we had lots of fun shopping, Matt and Trebonte both got checkered Vans. I won them over! Huzzah! No more boring tennies. I have 2 pairs of Van slip ons and they are the most comfortable shoes. Anywho, we had tons of fun.
Today, my mom is hoping to get a good portion of the kitchen painting finished. I hope we can get it all done, I'm sick on working in the kitchen. Talk about, boring! At first it was kinda fun, but its been drug out way to long. Ri and I are going to do our room next. However, since we're motivated, it won't take us 2 weeks to paint :).
Off to listen to my music!

Summer Sucks

2007-07-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

Man alive! Nothing interesting has been happening lately. I hate sitting around and wasting time. My best friend leaves every summer and works a Boy Scout camp. Aghhh, so frustrating. When I was graduating, I imagined a perfect sumemr, getting a car and a job at the Guitar Center or Kennely Keys. What ended up happening was quite the opposite. I didn't get a car and thus, I can't get a job. I've asked my parents to help me find a car several times, every time, they've completely blown me off.

Today three must have CDs came out
Secret Weapon-MxPx
Do You Feel-The Rocket Summer
Paper Walls-Yellowcard

unfortunately, due to the fact that I don't own a car, I haven't gotten them yet...
okay, I'll stop whining, I'm just ready for change.

I Actually Miss School

2007-07-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd say it, but I really miss being in school. At BCC, I had lots of friends that I got to see everyday and fun assignments from theory and guitar class. Without a challenge, life is boring... I can't believe that I'm taking off an entire year. It wouldn't be so bad if I had a car, but my dad doesn't seem interested or like he cares to help me find one and I have no idea what to look for in a car... As for friends, its funny how much I took them for granted while I was at school. There was rarely anytime when I wasn't hanging out with at least one friend. My friends and I would even sit through each other's classes. Ahhh, the good times! I can't wait to be back in school.

Face Book

2007-07-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

I set up a facebook account since my friend Hope raves about it.... Anyways, if you want to visit my face book, its under Emily Lickey. Have Fun!

Happy Birthday Matthew

2007-07-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

A happy birthday to you a happy birthday to you and the best that you've ever had! Today is Matt's birthday... He's got to be the best big brother a kid could have. Tonight we'll be having some of his friends over for dinner and games.

Party Time

2007-07-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

This evening, Matt's having his birthday party.... I'm looking forward to playing board games. We're making tacos and hanging, nothing fancy, but it'll be fun.
My mom decided to revamp her kitchen. Today, we started by painting the inside of her cabnets. She picked out the colors from a Martha Stewart magazine. The inside of the cabnets are peach and the kitchen will be a peri-winkle blue color. So far we've only painted the inside of the cabnets. My arms are coated in paint that won't come off, oh well.

This Weather's Killin Me

2007-07-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Wow! Seattle is NOT supposed to get this hot! Today the temp got to be around 100F outside. Even with our air-conditioning, it was over 80F in our house. Yuck... I don't do so well in the heat.
I haven't done a whole lot today. However, one thing I did do was I went and looked at paint for redoing my bedroom. Ri and I are thinking of doing our room in a blue called frosty. It is a light blue with a hint of green. If we decide to use that color, we will probably do our accents in a deep red. I'm really looking forward to it.
Matt's birthday party is coming up. It is in 2 days. Unlike the usual LAN parties he has, this year, he's having a board game party. I'm actually looking forward to it. I love playing board games and some of his friends are fun to hang out with.

Till Next Time
Saiyonara