Just 'cause I'm slightly OCD.

I need to round out a solid 10 posts for two thousand and six.
Pointless for the most part; whatev.
Countdown: 52 minutes

Bittersweet New Year's Eve

It is December 31, 2006. In 8 hours and 9 minutes, it will be January 1, 2007.

I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this transition quite yet; I feel like I'm not done with 2006. It's not that I had anything specific I was really hoping to accomplish this year, but I just don't feel like it's should be finished so soon.
I am, however, looking forward to two thousand and seven. It holds a lot in store: NYC (I am so excited!), finishing my freshman year, the ending of first semester and beginning of a new one, saying goodbye [and then hello again] to swimming, meeting new people, making new friends, learning more, growing more...the list goes on.
There's a lot to look forward to and a lot to look back on, and I'm appreciative of that.

The end of my trip:
On Wednesday we (we = my mom, brother, aunt, + 2 cousins) went to the city on a 11:27 train out of Poughkeepsie and to Grand Central. It was obviously going to be a huge tourist day, so we decided as a group to veer away from the galleries and museums around NYC. It evolved into a shopping/browsing trip, and we made a rule that we would stop anywhere anyone wanted to go. With that in place, we would barely make it a city block before jumping into a vintage clothing or high end shoe store.
We stopped at a deli for lunch and eventually (after searching and searching for an open seat) sat down in Little Italy for dinner. We all got our own dishes and decided to split a pizza, too. My aunt ordered that for us and unintentionally (we hope) ordered a pizza with capers, anchovies, and black olives on it. I was the first to take a slice and went to take a bite, but taking it out of my mouth because it was too salty. "Auntie," I said to my aunt, "Is there seafood on this?" She broke out into hysteria and told us that she had been pressured by the waitress to order and just picked something. Suprisingly enough, we all choked down a slice, but when my aunt went to eat her second piece, she got a big bite of pure anchovie. She spit that out immediately. Then, searching for something to drink, she grabbed the club soda that had accidentally been brought to our table. That she spit out, too. Oh, fun. I love my aunt.
My two cousins were going to see their cousin from the other side of their family at her first show in a club called the Knitting Factory. We dropped them off there and then took the subway to Grand Central and caught a 8:26 train. We took the long way home and stopped for ice cream on the way.
I had such a good day that day.

Thursday: My grandma, grandpa, uncle, and cousin from my dad's side came from Connecticut to bring us out to lunch and we went to Olive Garden to eat. Then we went to the mall and I bought this amazingly cute jacket at H&M with my Christmas money. Unfortunately, by the time we left the mall, I was feeling nauseous, tired, and sore-throated (not a word; I know). The minute we got home I went up to my bed and fell asleep. I woke up, still feeling bad, but more energized. I didn't need that energy; I just sat around all day.

Friday: I woke up at 4:26AM to catch our 8:30AM flight in the city. My throat hurt and I was extremely tired. I slept on the way to the airport. At the airport, we checked our bags and then my grandpa treated us to breakfast. We boarded our plane (no problems, no delays) and I fell asleep for the first two hours. We landed without any problems as well and my dad brought us home. We were home by 11 our time and I went to sleep again. My dad made lobster bisque for dinner and I went to bed early.
I woke up feeling much better, for the record.

That's my trip in a nutshell for ya. Hope you [slightly] enjoyed reading.


Happy New Year's Eve. (I, myself, unless I find something to do, might be going to bed early.) Celebrate for me, too.
:]]

PeeEssEss: There are now 7 hours and 42 minutes.

Headed to the Big Apple

Here I am, in New York. It is the day after Christmas and the family is gathered in the living room, enjoying eachother's company.

So far:
On Friday we left for the airport at about 8:00PM to catch our 12:35AM flight. We got to the airport at about 8:50PM and waited to get our bags checked for about 30 minutes. There were people lying on the floors and on cots, sleeping and expecting a notice for when they would be able to get out. I later found out that my aunt's brother, who lives north of us, stayed the night there and waited for a total of about 5 hours to get to his gate. It was overall chaos, but we were lucky to have been able to avoid it. Our flight was delayed only about 50 minutes. Everything else went smoothly, except for when the flight attendant woke me up-midflight-to check to see if my seat belt was fastened. We got into LGA at 6:45 their time and I slept all the way home. We got our bags in and then slept for hours and hours. I woke up at 2 and just stayed in my pajamas, watching t.v. and such for the rest of the day.

On Sunday I slept late and then waited for my aunt to show up around 2. I played Frisbee with the boys until she showed up and then watched a movie and wrapped presents. As a family we made a vow to make it to church on time (if not, early) because we were known for walking in after the service began every year. We were ready to go by 4:30 and got to church with 10 minutes to spare. After church we went over to my aunt and uncle's house for lasagna and Christmas cookies galore. We had a good time and I played Nintendo DS & DDR with my cousins. We went home, watched A Christmas Story, and then went to bed in the wee hours of the morning.

On Christmas day, I woke up at about 10 as the second-to-last person to wake up. My cousin Ben woke up about an hour later and we began opening presents around 11:30. That took about an hour and a half with the six of us and then my aunt and uncle (cousins, too) showed up. We quickly scarfed down some French toast and then played and lounged around with the fam. We ate dinner in the solarium (Roast beef + twice baked potatoes) and then Doug (my aunt's significant other) played his accordion and we sang Christmas carols. The youngest (and oldest) drifted off into their rooms and the rest of us stayed up to watch the wonderful, magnificant 2006 Spelling Bee rerun on ESPN2. It was a good day.

Here I am now, on Tuesday. Today was a laid-back-do-whatever-you-want kind of day, and I mostly sat around, eventually mustering up the energy to take a shower and get dressed. My aunt, uncle, and cousins showed up again after my uncle from Brooklyn and his new bride (her family, too) arrived. Today was necessarily as good as the rest of them; I felt kind of...antisocial. I don't know. I get kind of standoff-ish after I'm around the same people for hours and days at a time. Little things got on my nerves and I couldn't enjoy the day as much as I would have liked. I'm feeling better after a little alone time, though.

Well, the family is eating dessert downstairs and Joe and I (Doug's son) probably should go grab some. Merry [belated] Christmas to you all, and I hope you have enjoyed your families and this so very wonderful time of year. :)

P.S. I'm headed to the city tomorrow-I'll talk about that (if there's anything exciting) when I get back home.

Snow!

Hooray! It has been coming down since we left for school, but got pretty severe around 8 or 9. During 2nd period the principal announced over the PA that we would be released after one more period. It was very exciting. I went to my class and my teacher told me I could leave, so I went over to a friend's house for homemade chili and then came home. I'm going to make cookies soon-chocolate chip-and probably some hot chocolate, too. It's a good day. No more school until the 2nd of January and swimming is cancelled too. The only thing I'm a little worried about is our flight on Saturday morning, but I checked weather.com and it said that the snow will have stopped by mid-tomorrow. 2:47 pm: "Governor Bill Owens is declaring a disaster emergency as a winter-like storm bears down on the eastern half of Colorado, saying he wants to free up additional resources to help cope with the weather." (9news.com) It's scary now...they've stationed emergency vehicles up and down the interstate and the National Guard has been activated. Pray that safety be with those still on the roads.

We opened presents on Sunday from my dad since he won't come with us to New York. He made sauerkraut soup and Kelsey came over. Kelsey (who calls me Nonners) got my mom this really funny book called If Dogs Could Talk and it has some really funny pictures in it. She got my dad this book called How to Break 90 about golf, and he was excited, and from her I got me really soft slipper socks and an American Eagle gift card. She's such a sweety. My dad got my brother some XBOX Live points, a golfing glove, and membership to a golf course so that he can get in for like $2. He got my mom a TV because she took one of his computer monitors to use for one after ours broke and he really wanted it back. :) I got $100, $75 to Old Navy, new goggles (I really needed them!), and new headphones for my iPod because one of the speakers stopped working on my old ones. It was a good time.

Well, I think I'm going to go bake cookies now. I wish all you guys a wonderful Christmas (or...Christmahanukwanzakah)! Happy New Year, too!

♥♥♥

A Holiday Meme, for those interested.

Holiday Time Meme
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
I'm actually not a huge fan of either, I like a latte with some kind of festive flavoring, myself. If I had to choose though, it'd be Egg Nog.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Depends on how much time he has. ;)
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White on the house and tree.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nah.
5. When do you put up your decorations?
About 2 or 2 1/2 weeks before Christmas.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
I'm a big carb fan, so I really like rolls and such. Mashed potatoes, too!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Well, I am a child. But, I really enjoy Christmas morning when it's just the kids up and we're itching for the adults to rise and shine.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I'm not even sure if I ever believed in him, but if I did, the way I learned was when my dad acted like him and I recognized his cursive (after he had taught me how to write it!).
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Nope. We stick through and do it all on Christmas day.
10. What kind of decorations are on your Christmas Tree?
Ha! We actually forgot/didn't have time to decorate ours this year, so it just has some tinsel, white lights, and a cheap blinking WalMart angel on top. Whatev.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it for the most part, except for getting in the car after it's snowed and it's absolutely FREEZING.
12. Can you ice skate?
Yes, and I love it.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Not really. I remember getting my TY Beanie Baby "Peace" and thinking it was pretty amazing, and, I have to admit, I really loved my iPod too.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Family & enjoying the time
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
I really like sugar cookies and pumpkin pie. Actually, any pie.

"I also love the holiday M&Ms. I've always had this deal where I only eat the green ones
in a normal bag...now I eat 2/3 of them because there are only three colors,
red, light green and dark green. It's something I've done forever." -Sherry
One of my friends does the exact same thing. Weird.
16 What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Having our youngest cousins and their parents over for dinner and then unwrapping the gifts that have yet to be ripped open.
17. What tops your tree?
A cheap blinking WalMart angel. It's a little cramped up there with the ceiling, actually. :)
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Both.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Carol of the Bells - Trans Siberian Orchestra
Breath of Heaven - Amy Grant
Mary, Did You Know? - pretty much anyone
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yummy?
They're okay. I don't like eating a lot of them, but a couple every once in a while is good.

Harvard's teacher-student ratio is 1:9.

Just a random fact I learned.

Today was our city meet. I swam the 200 I.M., the 100 breast, 50 free in a relay, and 50 fly in a relay. That was a lot of fly, among other things. But-I'm going to be perfectly honest-I actually enjoyed it. It's hard, but it challenges me and I actually have a decent stroke.

I am officially signed up for NYC07. I am so excited. I'm going to pick the photography track, and it's going to be amazing. I believe that 7 people from our church our going: Zaya, Austin, Kyle, Katy, C.J., Matthias, and myself. I hope it's going to be as powerful and life-changing as they say it will be. Oh, and sponsors can still apply-yes, you know who you are. (http://www.waterfirewind.com) =] I know that's really out there, but I thought that it might as well be suggested.

Lately, I've literally had very few friends. Three of them were literally stripped of me when they met a sophomore whose locker is down the hall from ours. Her name is Sarah and she is-no joke-LOADED. I believe that that is one reason why my former friends are so latched on to her (that and her being older). It's major sucko to watch people I know to be so shallow. Her MySpace page talks about how she "loves to get tipsy" and when talking about her friends, one of them said "- my drinking buddy,..." No. That's not okay to me. Gah. It's so frustrating for me to watch.

And then one of my friends is hanging out with a couple of other bad influences, and while she's not completely giving in, she is changing-and it's not for the better.

One of my good friends from 8th grade has become really cocky, too. She's a sychronized swimmer and is very intelligent, and every single time something like that is brought up, she finds some way to rub it in other peoples' faces. I wonder if I've been hanging with all the wrong people up till now?

So, that's me lately. I feel kind of stupid for always writing about swimming, but that is honestly my life these days. Hope things are good in your guys' worlds. (:

I kind of need to vent.

A few things today:

My 100 butterfly at the meet was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I actually should have been DQ'd after doing a breaststroke kick into my last turn, but the official didn't see me. I finished (in last, of course), and Maria told me I probably wouldn't swim it again. Hallelujah. But it unfortunately didn't get better from there. One of my friends was in the event after me-the 100 free-and for some unknown reason, started throwing up in the gutter. She finished the race (for which I was happy) but then got out of the pool and starting tossing the lunch monkey once more. Ew. She got better, though, and we finished out the meet with a win. I guess you could call it bittersweet.

My mom reserved seats for us to go to New York on the 23rd. We're leaving at 12:35A.M. The redeye. Ugh. She said it was significantly cheaper, though, and that also means we'll have the whole day with my grandparents. I guess it'll be fun no matter what time we get there.

And, my dad said we're going to be getting a Christmas tree today. I don't honestly know the point, seeing as how we're not even there for Christmas and he doesn't really care. It seems almost like he's entertaining the tradition like a parent tries to keep the spirit of the Easter Bunny alive. A nice gesture, I suppose, however.

I'd like to talk about the youth group a little, too. Lately, it's constantly been on my mind. It seems that since our former youth pastor left, we've had a falling-out of sorts. Not exactly a lack of attendance, but a lack of interest, and more importantly, respect. Our newest leader came into the group with high hopes, and I don't know if many of those have been fulfilled. The teens seem to think that youth group is now just a social meeting to catch up on what has happened since Sunday. The new leader's biggest weakness is with authority. It was actually on my birthday in September that a new "couple" had risen from the group and were literally sitting on top of each other. She did nothing. She often tells us to sit 5 or 10 feet apart from eachother to do individual studies after she does the lesson, and no one listens. They just sit by their friends and talk like they hadn't heard what she had said.
It's frustrating to watch people my age act like they're six. At our most recent WNL, a girl in my grade (who is actually older than me) was pitching a fit because she was in a competition with my brother and he wasn't letting her win. She refused to follow the rules and just started yelling. I don't even feel like I fit in among the freshman and sophomores of the group. I think that's a problem, because, while I do really enjoy hanging out with the upperclassmen of the youth group, I also feel young there.
The four people I talk to the most in the group-my brother, Kyle, and Katy-are constantly eyeing eachother with annoyance as we listen to our leader try to get something across and having it go in one ear and out the other of our peers. Kyle made a speech once about the lack of respect in the group, and everyone shut up for probably a grand total of about 3 minutes. My brother and I often return home from the church on Wednesdays feeling exasperated. It's sad that that is what has to happen.
So, that's my vent about the youth group. I feel a little bad for making it seem like the four of us are the angels in the group, but, even though we are guilty of disrespect, too, that's often how it comes across.

Christmas in 16 days. Hooray!

I am SO afraid.

Today at practice, Maria notified me that I am swimming a 100 fly in the meet tomorrow. I mentioned yesterday that in dual meets I'll be swimming harder and longer events, but I didn't think it'd be this bad. I cannot even do a 50 fly, let alone a 100! Ugh. I don't want to be DQ'd for not doing my kick wrong, I don't want to be flopping around in the water like a fish out of water (ironic?), and I don't want to be pitied for being the last person in. I probably sound like a worry wart, but I am scared unlike I've ever been for swimming.

I am going to finish Top Chef (anyone watch that?) and then head to bed. I'll need all the energy slash luck I can get. Be praying.

God bless. :)

Wow, this is difficult.

I wonder if I will be able to keep this up -- life is soo incredibly busy right now.

I just got out of the shower after returning from my 2nd swim meet. I did well. I'm actually swimming better than some upperclassmen, which, I must admit, feels very good. Coach mentioned a lot of variety in dual meets (a.k.a. I'll be swimming harder/longer events that I'm not comfortable with), and that scares me. But I trust Coach. He knows what he's doing, seeing as he has been a coach for 25 years. The other very hard thing about swimming is how much we practice. On Mondays and Fridays, we practice at 5:30-6:45am and 3:15-5:15, and on the rest of the days, we practice from 3:15-5:15. It's hardcore. But I'm getting in shape, and that's a good thing!

Clogging is starting to regulate, too. I started in October, and since then I've passed off the Copper Level, which, had I not clogged prior to starting up again, would take about 6 months. That's certainly something to be proud of. Our first recital is on Monday, and I'm dancing a dance that I still need to perfect. I'll have to work on that.

School is not too bad. Boring sometimes, but not too bad. We're reading The Miracle Worker in English, and the work our teacher is assigning is taking up a lot of time. That's why study hall is just so amazing. Geometry is easy-I have an A. Actually, if you don't mind me tooting my own horn, I have a 4.0+ GPA. (: All I would like to raise is Personal Fitness, where I'm about 1.2 percent from a B. I'm such a pefectionist/overacheiver/paranoid sometimes. Gah. But it's not a bad thing that I care about my grades, is it?


P.S. I'm liking this blog thing so far. Heh.