I know I haven’t posted in forever! Well, not since over a month at least. Anyway, marching band and school have both started now. Robotics club starts next Thursday. So, life is busy. I’ve been trying to leave time to spend with my family, but it gets hard sometimes. I have tomorrow off of school, but I should probably some work instead of just lazing around. I haven’t accomplished much this weekend-mostly due to me getting sick.
I’m feeling a bit better now, which is good.
I’m not much of a wander. I like Ohio. I like my home in Ohio. Why would I leave? Well, apparently to visit relatives in Canada.
I brought Sprinkles and Cupcake with me. Sprinkles at least is much more adventurous than me. Though, being small as she is; my house is like a town to her. Cupcake’s happy as long as he’s with her.
Still, they were pretty lazy in the car going up. Good thing too; we wouldn’t have room for them to be rowdy.
It was a pretty rainy journey up.
Though it had its moments of sunshine.
Sprinkles and Cupcake really liked my Uncle’s cabin. Which is good because as soon as we got up to Canada we spent most of our time there. Occasionally we’d go to the lake or the community center.
By the way, this lake happens to be lake Winnipeg, which is a really huge lake. Large enough to be a sea, I believe, but fresh water, so isn’t. If you’re ever in the area, it’s a really cool place. And since we went before it was really ‘summertime’ in Canada (the kids were still in school) it was not super crowded!
The community center is also awesome. We mostly went there fore Wi-Fi access, but even without that, it has this really awesome mini museum about the area. Also, tanks filled with live fish. Apparently they also had turtles in the tanks last year.
This is a model they have of what the beach front used to be. It doesn’t look like this anymore. This picture also only gets a very small part of the model.
Anyway, I know most of you don’t care about the models and such, but I found them super cool.
Also, another thing I found super cool at the community center was this sign:
As a reader, I consider this awesome.
Also, on the note of signs, this is one I found at a gas station, I don’t see in Ohio very often.
Anyway, I’m back home now. As much as I like that area of Canada, Ohio’s home, and I personally love home. Jacob’s still up in Canada with our Aunt and Uncle, but that’s because up there seems to be better for his health than Ohio. Hopefully he’s enjoying good health and fun.
I haven’t really posted much this summer. I apologize to my very few and far between readers.
I’m heading off to Canada early tomorrow to go visit my Aunt and Uncle at their cabin by the lake. Which should be fun. I’m staying there for around a week and a half to two weeks. There is an unfortunate 19 hour drive time (which is being traveled in 2 days) but that can’t be helped.
Anyway, here’s what I’ve accomplished so far this summer:
1. Organized major amounts of three rooms
2. Baked a strawberry shortcake, and a couple strawberry pies
3. Read Jane Eyre
4. Knitted a water bottle case
5. Knitted mini boots for a teddy bear
Someone asked me whether I’d rather live in this chaotic world, or die where it’s peaceful.
Look, I’m not going to deny that this world sometimes sucks. Evil is celebrated, cursing is not only expected but respected, being a jerk is okay if it’s for laughs, and the response to kindness and politeness is to make fun of them.
I’m not completely oblivious here.
The thing is that because of this, anything good is considered unimportant or unrealistic. And then they wonder why their so miserable. You’re not going to see good unless you look for it.
The way light filters through leaves.
The way a new mother looks at her child despite all the pain she’s been through.
A small compliment from one acquaintance to another.
I know it’s a hard world to live in. I myself have dreamed of the chance of peace I might find after this life. But until then, I’m going to continue to look for the good. It’s little, but it’s struggling to survive.
Humanity has so many good things about it. The thing is that humanity has started to reject its own goodness, and instead only believe in evil.
But the world still beautiful.
Honestly. This week has been such a rush. The musical is this Friday and Saturday, so I’ve been busy with that, as well as schoolwork and church responsibilities. I kind of just crashed today.
Still it’s weird looking back at what I did last week and remembering just how recently it happened. I mean…
Just last week I made a Phantoms of the Opera costume for my stuffed seal (the seal is a good luck charm for band, and we’re doing a Phantom of the Opera medley so it felt appropriate)
And I made a “resurrection garden” and a carrot drawstring bag to celebrate Easter.
This week felt like it took forever.
But it did end.
Because time doesn’t stand still.
You know, I really wanted to write something motivational for Easter. Most of Easter weekend has been great for me, and I am extremely grateful for what Jesus Christ has done for me. It’s an amazing thought to know just how much he would go through for the world.
But I’m finding it hard to find the right motivational words. I’m being faced with two very tough decisions for me, and I feel like I’m at the breaking point. So it’s hard to be happy and inspired when I’m in this much pain.
But isn’t that part of what Easter is about? How pain and suffering can lead to triumph? Did not Christ’s pain lead to the salvation of the world? Could not this pain lead to the triumph of me?
I don’t know entirely. I can’t see the future, and I don’t know where I’m going. But I do know that Christ did atone for me, and the entire world.
So, with that I do have two very important things to say.
1. I am in all likelihood not doing marching band anymore. I just don’t love it enough for it to be worth the pain.
2. I really do love all of my friends. You guys are some of the few people who have been able to care for me. But… you guys don’t have the same morals as me. Which is fine, except that it’s getting harder and harder for me to feel comfortable around you guys. So, for the sake of my own sanity, I might be a little distant.
So, the Spring Musical, of which I am both a cast member and set painter of, is the last week of this month. The band concert is the Tuesday after that. State testing is in between now and then, along with both of my honor classes picking up heat.
I am, what you might call, stressed.
Still, I’ve just got to look at the positive side of the situation, right? I’m not dead yet. I’ve managed to get several projects done, and I am enjoying the musical, even though I do find it stressful. I do actually enjoy History and English, which is something school has a way of making me forget. And I’m relatively good at one of the songs for the band concert already, except one section, but that can be fixed.
Well, talking like that does make me feel a better. It doesn’t stop it from being stressful, but it does stop the stress from going to the head too much. I honestly suggest it for stressed people. Talk through the problems, write them down, break them into chunks and schedule/plan them out. Stereotypical advice bit it does work.
Also, find time to do something that you’ve passionate about. For me, that was taking the time to cook some chocolate chip scones and buttermilk pie yesterday. I get grumpy when either I don’t write or don’t cook. Stress baking is wonderful. Partly because the stress makes me hungry, though I guess I ought to be eating healthier.
Also on a completely unrelated note, it has been raining so much that places that are usually land have flooded, and so I saw geese swimming around behind my church where usually there’s land.
Unrelated, but amused me.
Spring Break! So, the most basic summary of Spring Break for me:
Friday after school: Collapse
Saturday: Tried to work, but instead got distracted by stories online
Sunday: Actually manages to work
Monday: Works
Tuesday: Lori came home from her mission! Also, I burned a cake.
Wednesday: Spends time with Lori
Thursday and Friday: Cleans and organized house with Lori
Saturday and Sunday: Last minute panic finishing projects
What projects and work? Well, first of all music and dance practice. Then I hand sewed a skirt (I messed up on it though). I also made two videos myself, helped Lori and Jacob make another. 
I finished writing Cat and Wolf. And drew a picture of the characters from it as they would be within the Harry Potter world.
And another picture.
And I finally got around to finishing a bracelet I started nearly a year ago.
So among the midst of schoolwork and exhaustion, I somehow found time to do several crafting/cooking projects. Yay!
So, one of the cooking projects I did either earlier this week or late last week was a repeat of these flower-shaped lemon tarts. I managed to improve on the filling recipe by adding flour and lessing every other ingredient in the filling. This created the right texture.
Also, I’m drew/colored these pictures last week while I was sick, but I only got around scanning them today. The first picture is entitled “Lost in the Deep Blue Sea.” It was inspired by my looking at fanart where people were turning characters into mermaids, so I did it for two of my own characters. I was surprised by how well the sea came out.
The second picture is called, “Found You” and it was also inspired by fandom. This is based off of “childhood friend” AUs. Anyway, the picture is based off of this idea of what if my characters Diamond and Stray met when they were children playing in the woods instead of young adults scared for their lives. I don’t really like how the picture came out, but the concept was cute.
Anyway, after doing those I had a hard time finding time for crafting until Saint Patrick’s Day, when I finally decided that busy or not I was going to spend some time enjoying myself before I go insane.
So, I attempted to make Saint Patrick’s Day cupcakes, which had the icing melt and run all over the place, so they don’t look great. The cakes themselves started out really fluffy, but after being in the fridge turned really dense and weren’t great, though my family says they liked them.
After the cupcakes I made these two crafts. One is a tin can covered in paper shamrocks. I use it to hold my combs and brushes. The other…you know I’m not entirely sure what it is, but it’s some sort of Saint Patrick’s Day decorations.
So, I made those Friday. Today I finally finished this project I’ve been planning to do for years. I knitted myself this vest/cardigan/thing-y. It’s not the best done project, but doing it relaxed me, and the finished project is very soft and fun to wear. I think it took me around 5-6 hours total to make, but I’m not sure.
First of all, Happy Birthday to my wonderful boyfriend. He’s turning sixteen today. I turned 16 last Friday. Our birthdays are really close to each other, which is kinda fun. It’s kinda ridiculous though just how many birthdays I know within the first week of March. Not quite as fun as my friend who was born on leap day, and therefore has only has four birthdays, but still fun.
I really enjoyed my birthday though. My Dad made me a cake that his mother used to make a lot when he was growing up, and I got some nice gifts. Also, my school at large was very nice about wishing me a happy birthday (though by the end of the day I was a bit sick of hearing it).
Anyway, I’m very happy about it, and I hope all you people celebrating birthdays have a wonderful birthday.