Thoughts on: Personal statement essays...

To whom it may concern,

How do I go about pin pointing who I am while limiting myself to 500 words?
How do I capitalize on my strengths, showcase my personality and convince you to like me in 500 words?

500 words isn't a lot you know...

Though I don't envy your job.

And I suppose, for that fact, I will limit myself to 500 words
And hope that my 500 words are unlike everyone else's 500 words.
Maybe you'll be able to see beyond my 500 words to my strengths and personality...
And you'll learn to appreciate me thanks to my 500 words.

But still it's only 500 words...

And instead of writing 500 words about me right now I've written a bunch about writing 500 words.

Dear God, give me strength! And adjectives...

Sincerely,
Taylor

Thoughts on: Bob Lazar

I think he's legit. I mean there's gotta be aliens out there somewhere and if there are then... I feel like we would know about it... We being the United States. Not the common people.

And why would Bob Lazar lie about that? You know what I mean? I'm not sure. Everyone's all like "there's no evidence he's right!" But I'm just like "there's no evidence he's wrong..." If he did work at Area 51 and then spilled stuff about it the government would delete all records of him...

AHHH the awesomeness. I wish I worked at Area 51...

Thoughts on: Young Goodman Brown

"'There,' resumed the sable form, 'are all whom ye have reverenced from youth. Ye deemed them holier than yourselves, and shrank from your own sin, contrasting it with their lives of righteousness and prayerful aspirations heavenward. Yet here are they all in my worshipping assembly. This night it shall be granted you to know their secret deeds: how hoary-bearded elders of the church have whispered wanton words to the young maids of their households; how many a woman, eager for widows' weeds, has given her husband a drink at bedtime and let him sleep his last sleep in her bosom; how beardless youths have made haste to inherit their fathers' wealth; and how fair damsels--blush not, sweet ones--have dug little graves in the garden, and bidden me, the sole guest to an infant's funeral.'"


TRANSLATION (by me :D) "Here's everyone you thought was holy from the time you were young, you idolized them and compared your "sinful" life to their seemingly perfect life. But here they are (on this path of sin) and tonight I can show you what they did to sin in secret: 1. old men having sex with young women, 2. wives killing their husbands, 3. sons killing their fathers in order to gain their money, 4. young women killing their unwanted children." BAAAASICALLY. Don't hold me to it :]


Nathaniel Hawthorne must have been a dreadfully interesting person while he was alive. I have recently spent a good portion of time on one of his short stories, "Young Goodman Brown". It is another one of those stories that is more than a little unsettling because you can see so much of reality in the words. The story is a giant allegory for sin and how - though one may think other wise - once they sin once they fall into a terrible pattern of sin, hypocrisy, and distrust.


Basically Young Goodman Brown (who is the main character) is led down a path by this old man (who symbolizes the devil, by the way) and the old man tries to convince him multiple times to continue down this path (which represents the path of sin, by the way). At first Brown refuses to go further, saying that he wouldn't go there because he didn't want to break his wife's heart... (whose name is ironically Faith) eventually he gives in only to find that everyone he has ever trusted or looked up to is on this path... everyone he thought was flawless had sinned.


That's what the above passage is about.


He then continues to live his life in complete suspicion of everyone around him (because he has seen that they are capable of sin). 


I think that one of the biggest battles we face in life is escaping from this mentality. Those who fall victim to this - being skeptical of everyone around them - are really being blind to what they're doing. They're not protecting themselves from being hurt by the sins of others, they're allowing their souls to be taken over by their own massive sin. This sin, of course, is fixating on the flaws of others to the point where you don't see your own. 


The most important thing about this isn't that other people have flaws. We're human, we all do. What IS important is knowing that YOU have flaws. And what makes that OK is that you try to fix them. As long as you repent and try it will be seen as absolved. 


No body be a pessimist now. 

Thoughts on: CCC!

Chocolate Chip Cookies...

I don't what what makes me so good at making them...

But if you had one of the cookies I make I swear you would never want to eat another cookie besides mine ever.

Thoughts on: Obstacles

I think I would much rather something be incredibly tall than incredibly wide... At least something incredibly tall is reletively easy to get around.

Hmm.

Thoughts on: Sinus Infections

THING THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST #105 (is it 105? or 104? Je ne sais pas)

I'm sorry everyone, but since no one has been able to make a medicine that cures these sorts of things in one day I am going to have to take it upon myself to save the world.

I will apologize in advance for stealing away all the long hours of work that those who have worked towards this pinnacle have put it. Sadly it must be done. 

Thoughts on: Cough Drops

Dear Cough Drops,

Without you I would be totally lost. You soothe me beyond words :]

Thank you <3

Thoughts on: Justin Bieber

Probably THE most precious 15 year old in the world... Am I allowed to say that?

Thoughts on: Boys

My lip really hurts right now, and that's irrelevant but it's right on my lip... so that means it's never going to heal because I'm just going to keep biting it because I bite my lips when I get nervous and I get nervous a lot. There's no reason I get nervous... so I guess I should call it thoughtful... not nervous. I have thoughts, you know.

Anywho. Boys.

As a younger-teenage girl, I used to spend probably about 50% of my time trying to analyze the reactions of the boys around me. I got my heart seriously, or what I thought was seriously, broken for the first time when I was like... 14. I was just SOOOOO in love with him and with him gone I was like... what?

As I have advanced in my years (as much as you can say... considering I'm 17...) I have had drilled into my brain by the lovely voice of my parents that ALL BOYS WANT IS ONE THING (we all know what this one thing is) and "Well, boys are so much less mature than girls... there's no way you can find any boy who actually likes you for you... ever. Until you're like... 50." But what's up with the people around me who have like have the same boyfriend/girlfriend for what seems like eons?

Recently, I've been between two possible causes of my lack of good relationships...

1. It's me. I'm simply incapable of love and that's the way it's meant to be. 
2. It's them. No boy could ever possibly be smart, handsome, witty, interesting, independent and awesome enough to entertain me for more than a few months. (I believe all of this stems from my blatant lack of trust in anyone besides my family, Emily and Katelyn.) 

Or I supposed that there's a third... possibility... That God really does have a plan and Mr. Wonderful will happen.

So I guess I'll just sit back and wait? 

Thoughts on: America

I hate the fact that we're all terrified of our neighbors. I hate that we think everyone is out to get us. I hate our endless ability to turn to "divine right" as an excuse. I hate our attitude towards everyone else in the world, and how that makes everyone else in the world view us. 

I'm not sure who's to blame for all these things. I think it might be the generation that is currently in charge. Not only are they scared of countries besides our own - they're scared of the younger generation that will someday be the operating unit this country.

Maybe I'm biased because I'm a part of the up and coming generation... but I think that's just the change we need.

Either that or the citizens of our country need to start trusting each other and not stabbing each other in the back.

We're all we have, guys... And we've come an awfully long way to let everything Americans have worked for for hundreds of years to be in vain. 

Shape it up. Goodness. 

Thoughts on: Google Chrome

Google Chrome read my mind and put everything I could ever ask for into an internet browser.

Ten reasons I love Google Chrome:

First, it has Google Desktop. You can get these desktop gadget things which are totally cool, tell me when I have e-mails, let me update Twitter really quick, tell me the time in one quick glance, and can do tons of other stuff depending on what you put on them

Second, it has Google Themes. My current theme is these adorable stripes. And I love it. And there are like literally hundreds of themes you can pick from. It makes the internet more fun. 

Third, it has Google Documents, which is like Microsoft Word except like 50 times cooler because it's portable. Like how many times have you gotten to school and been like... UGH I FORGOT TO PRINT OUT THAT PAPER AND NOW I DON'T HAVE IT BECAUSE IT'S SAVED AT HOMEEEE. OK, fear not, you can save documents on your Google and they go everywhere with you. Awesome.

Fourth, it has Google Reader, which puts all the blogs you're subscribed to in one place and tells you when someone posts a new one so you can read them all right there in one window. AH.

Fifth, it has Gmail. Which stole my heart the second I learned it existed because it just makes e-mail look so much more fun, and it has it's on "IM" service right in there. 

Sixth, OK it's GOOGLE. And that fact alone means that it rocks any other search engine out there.

Seventh, it has Google Tabs! On the homepage of your internet there is a selection of 8 tabs and guess what, each of them is a site you visit often! For example, my first tab is Facebook :] All you have to do is click on one of the little tab pictures and it brings you right to the site.

Eighth, downloads happen right in the internet window at the bottom of the page. So your computer doesn't freak out and try to open a new window every time you go to download something. That was a big plus for me because the extra window that came up for downloads made my computer freeze up. Problem solved.

Ninth, it's FAST. Like... it just happens, stuff just happens.

Tenth, you can drag and drop tabs. If you have like 5 tabs open in one window you can click on a tag and move it out of the browser bar and it will OPEN IN AN ENTIRELY NEW WINDOW. Ah. So cool 

Google you're the best. And I love you. I would never use Yahoo of AskJeeves or Bing over you. You are my one true love. Props to those who invented/are still improving Google. 

DOWNLOAD IT. http://www.google.com/chrome

Thoughts on: Human Life (Derivatives and Illness)

Today in Lit class we talked about this short story called "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Though a stiflingly disturbing work of literature, I suppose the if you're looking for something to read you might as well read it. I won't discuss the ending just in case you do chose to :]

What I instead want to mention is how messed up society is. Yes, that was quite the risky jump in logic, but when you read the story you'll understand (http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html). This isn't present day logic... on the surface, but I want to bring to mind that THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. OK? Maybe not this story in particular, but these events took place. Think about it. How would you feel?

Yeah. Now keep reading.

Maybe it's because of the way I was raised or maybe it's because of my faith but I fail to understand the ability of people to completely turn their backs on one of their own and be OK with it.

I admit that at times I have not been the most considerate person in the world, not the best of friends, but I don't consider myself as sadistic as the people in yonder story (^). Reading this story really brought up the issue of human worthlessness.

I am a strong believer that every individual is here for a reason and without that reason they wouldn't be here and THEREFORE everyone who is here is meant to be here and should never be exterminated by any means besides those that are natural and not caused by other humans. This story, as well as many current events, are challenging the way I feel.

The story says that human life is left up to chance. UGH. Annoying and wrong and ugh. Two current issues that bug me most... today:

1. Voluntary Euthanasia - OK... no. If this was instated it says that every person over 65 (I believe) has to attend a meeting/seminar about voluntary euthanasia. (Euthanasia is like the death sentence... sometimes people chose to have it done, sometimes doctors chose these things, sometimes family. All in all, right now it is ILLEGAL.) I have never been to one of these seminars, obviously, but nothing good can be going on there. Suicide is a sin. Call it "voluntary euthanasia" all you want, but another term for it is Physician Assisted Suicide. Hello?. Life is given to us by God and is to be taken by God. Not one's self. Not the Italian Mafia. Not fast food.  Agreed? Yes. Onward. 
2. Abortion - I could write for days and days all the things that are wrong with abortion. If you have sex and get pregnant - bas decision, live with it. If you get raped - I'm sorry, but it happened for a reason. Don't kill babies. Just... don't. 

To wrap it up, this is purely opinion, anyone who doesn't see the sanctity of life and leaves it in the hands of someone else needs a reality check. I feel better letting people know.

2ND! Derivatives... I'm pleasantly surprised. Not so terrible as I expected them to be. AP Calculus you shall not have the best of me!

3RD Illness... OK. So being sick sucks, but America needs to chillax about swine flu. Excuse me, H1N1. 80% of us are GOING to get it. And it's going to be just fine.

Thoughts on: Chinchillas

THINGS THAT ARE AWESOME NUMBER 104

thanks you jessiboo<3

Thoughts on: Mismatch Day

Today is Wacky Wednesday at school

It's my favorite. I think there should be a national holiday where everyone has to wear not matching clothes...

Currently, I am wearing:

1. a gray tank top
2. a white t shirt
3. a white tank top with bring yellow cheetah spots
4. pink and black checkered stockings under
5. pink panther pajama shorts
6. with one white and pink sock and
7. one black and red sock
8. with a converse shoe on one foot
9. and a sandal on the other
10. bright orange heart necklace 
11. and black and white striped earrings

i also did two different color makes up on each eye :] 

and Katelyn is my best friend.

Yay <3

Thoughts on: Nail polish

It's about time someone invents nail polish that won't chip. Ever. Until you purposely remove it. I'm tired of applying and reapplying nail polish just to my hands look pretty.

Maybe I should just take it upon myself to do that.

Yes?

Thoughts on: Isaac Newton

"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants"
(that quote always gives me goosebumps, he was referring to Galileo and the like)

Mr. Newton,

If I were to meet you, I would be in awe. To be as brilliant as you is next to impossible. And I just want to thank you for the wealth of knowledge you've given to the world. Understanding inertia is awesome.

I hope that if you were alive today you would be proud to know of the amazing world of Physics/Mathematics you've created.

It is absolutely baffling.

The fondest regards,
Taylor

Thoughts on: Turnitin.com

THING THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST NUMBER 104

thanks to sawyer - and yes, our teachers should trust us

Thoughts on: Follow up "what I want more than..."

i deserve to feel like people in love songs feel
i deserve to feel like people in love songs feel
i deserve to feel like people in love songs feel


lesson 2: if you believe it, you achieve it!

Thoughts on: My day

my brain feels like it's going to explode


lesson of the day: it will all be worth it. it will all be worth it. it will all be worth it






oh and i have this thing with songs on repeat lately. i think that's a good sign. it means i'm getting better at committing to one thing and not flitting around never settling. i used to be a moth. i am now... a.... (something that doesn't flit around like a moth...)

Thoughts on: What I want more than anything in the world...

is to feel the way people feel in love songs

Thoughts on: The "bonsai kitten" hoax (circa 2006)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai_Kitten

totally NOT FUNNY. who would THINK of even joking about that.

Thoughts on: Toe stubbing

THING THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST NUMBER 103

Thoughts on: What if...?

What if the world is a huge shell and inside is another race of people who live in a world much warmer than ours. The equator is the hinges... but also where the heat leaks out. And the poles, being farthest away from the hinges, are the coldest...

HMMMM.

We've never been there. How would we know?

:D

Thoughts on: Blogging

Having this attention deficit like ... thing is absolutely terrible. My mind is in shambles :]

These are not meant to make sense.

(With the exception of a few that I actually think/care about)

Thoughts on: Happiness

Just for the record: there is nothing in my life to constitute me always being happy. Given that there are definitely times when I feel as though I just want to curl up in a ball and make the world go away, happiness is a choice. The truth is simply that being happy is easier. Why should you dwell on bad things that have happened in the past and waste your life away?

Lesson of the Day #2: Never let other people control your moods. If someone says something evil or something along those lines let it roll right off your shoulders.

Thoughts on: Mysterious mouth pains...

THING THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST NUMBER 102.

Thoughts on: Obama's Health Care speech

We have had to watch said speech in my "Participation in Government" class the past two days. While I am a strong supporter of Obama and of everything he stands for, I know not how realistic his speech was. I know that it has been said before to Americans that "all we have to do is change this" and "we just have to approve upon that!" and everything will be better. Sadly, I find myself being a pessimist and wondering if it could ever be that easy...

(We'll see in four years... when this new health care plan is supposed to take flight. Blog to come in 2013!)

Thoughts on: Being so busy

Now that school is once again in session, I find myself rarely finding myself doing things that I love doing. (Such as doing... nothing) But I guess I've decided that there is beauty in being busy. Not only does it distract you from any unhappy thing that may be on your mind, but when it's all over and done with you feel like you've accomplished something amazing. :] Which you have

Lesson of the day: Congratulate yourself. You deserve it.

Thoughts on: Word processors

I think the world has come so far. Like 50 year ago if you showed people all the cool gadgets we have today they'd be like ... woah. Especially word processors. Imagine what it would be like if we have to use type writers! I mean I know that they're cool every now and again to just play with... but what happens if you make a mistake! You can't just go back and be like "backspace". You have to either go through the whole complex process of covering the mistake with something and going back and typing over it or typing the whole page again.

I think we're very lucky people.

But I guess our world does have some disadvantages.

Thoughts on: Things that are awesome

1. bubbles
2. discovery channel
3. brightly colored nail polish
4. vera bradley
5. khaled hosseini 
6. channing tatum
7. the gigantic variety of music out there nowadays
8. bowls that are small, cute, and have fun shapes
9. strong museum
10. apple ipod touch 
11. all the things you can find on the beach
12. technology (specifically google chrome, email and cell phones)
13. getting older but still feeling the same 
14. book covers
15. huge magazines full of tons of ads and no actual words or articles 
16. anything bright yellow
17. anything blue flavored
18. my little brother, my mom, my dad and my grandparents 
19. dry erase boards
20. pillow tops
21. dogs that are smaller than cats
22. dogs that are bigger than bears
23. dogs in general
24. animals in general 
25. (specifically ones with fur)
26. but i like fish too!
27. and lizards...
28. anything that helps someone be organized
29. going green
30. people who are smart
31. people who like adjectives
32. people who like to read
33. people who like twilight
34. edward cullen
35. tooth paste and floss and anything dental related
36. texting
37. stickers
38. obama
39. change in general
40. flea markets
41. 50% off or more sales
42. pearl earrings and necklaces
43. collared shirts
44. italian dressing
45. men's cologne
46. sweaters
47. the few days in upstate new york when fall looks amazing
48. trees turning bright colors in the fall
49. the smell of fall
50. the smell of snow
51. the smell of laundry detergent 
52. most hair clips (but not the ones that hurt)
53. the smell of shampoo!
54. MIDNIGHT BOWLING
55. snow boarding
56. snow
57. the way santa can still exist in my mind and no one has to know about it
58. hot tubs
59. getting out of the hot tub and running around the house even though there's snow on the ground...
60. massages
61. post-its
62. the way disney world never gets old 
63. waking up after sleeping in for a few hours
64. drinking cold water after a hot shower
65. the way underwater feels
66. colored sand/sand art 
67. state fairs 
68. dried flowers
69. japan and anything japanese (except sushi...) 
70. park ave
71. learning to just be quiet and listen sometimes
72. but then again concerts are pretty awesome too...
73. letting go of the past
74. having a clean sheet of paper and a pen in front of you - just so you know you will never have more options in your life than you will at that moment in time
75. new roads
76. babies
77. reclining chairs
78. bicycles 
79. anything soft. unless it's going to bite me if i touch it 
80. sunglasses
81. highlighters 
82. black pens
83. funky colored hair brushes
84. sally's beauty supply store
85. streamers
86. tim hortons iced cappuccinos 
87. the smell of cookies!
88. times when you let go of everything your body is telling you to do and do exactly the opposite 
89. times when you let go of what everyone around you is doing and make your own path
90. being the first to do something, being the first to finish something
91. the universal symbol the green means go
92. the fact that bold type is always the first thing you want to read
93. cliff hanger endings (gotta love 'em)
94. old pbs shows
95. all of the things you can find at a scrap book store (that are always too expensive to actually buy)
96. the beatles 
97. the art museum 
98. foreign countries 
99. any kind of mint flavored gum
100. my friends
101. the feeling you get before you leave for a long trip
102. dinosaur bbq
103. being alive

Thoughts on: Things that should not exist (my version)

1. quick dying cell phone batteries
2. the ability for computers to freeze up
3. uncomfortable seats in movie theaters
4. uncomfortable chairs in general
5. chairs made out of wood
6. dead batteries
7. small, alien-esque sunglasses
8. highlighters that end up being darker than the text you are highlighting
9. almost all languages besides english
10. reliance on paper. for everything.
11. over heating car engines
12. over heating anything
13. other cars when i am driving
14. ozone destroying fumes
15. lies
16. fire ants
17. any sort of line spacing on microsoft word besides single spacing
18. 2003 ford taurus
19. the transmission in most ford vehicles, especially explorers
20. centuries old ipods
21. paper clips less than an inch in length
22. blue pens
23. retractable lipstick
24. permanent markers that AREN'T PERMANENT
25. staplers that don't staple
26. gel pens that don't write
27. blankets that are too small
28. leather couches
29. gum that hurts your jaw
30. the fact that cars can stall
31. the fact that there are only a handful of naturally pink colored animals... there should be more
32. graphing calculators that "connect the dots" and therefore confuse me greatly about asymptotes
33. chalk that washes away in the rain
34. boring books
35. dogs that bark at five in the morning
36. paper cuts :[
37. stamps that aren't free (i think they should be)
38. plastic straws with tears in them that make it impossible to drink effectively
39. swiss cheese that isn't in a turkey club sandwich
40. any flavor of hummus besides garlic
41. coffee that costs about seventeen times as much as it should cost
42. bad milk
43. dust
44. crab apples
45. and the bees that come with crab apples
46. crab grass
47. florida grass
48. all the things that LIVE in florida grass
49. the flu
50. the insane price on post-its
51. the insane price on everything!
52. neck aches
53. back aches
54. headaches
55. crime
56. people who straight up smell
57. people who straight up smell like they bathed in cologne
58. people who are mean
59. people who have bad teeth
60. people who don't like freeze pops
61. people who don't think before they speak
62. people who judge before they know
63. origami that is just way too hard
64. sharks!
65. deadly jelly fish (why.)
66. mosquitoes (WHY.)
67. body hair
68. not sharpened pencils
69. the lack of beaches in most of the northern states
70. the season in between summer and fall where the weather SUCKS
71. the season sometimes misnamed "summer" where the weather SUCKS
72. the weather sucking
73. nail files that don't file
74. cosmetic instructional videos on youtube
75. the hills (on mtv... or whatever)
76. shows that even closely resemble the hills
77. alcoholism
78. poverty
79. communism
80. jammed lockers
81. plastic packaging that is impossible to get into without scissors
82. people who mix up "their" "there" and "they're"
83. people who mix up "then" and "than"
84. people who get engaged under the age of 18
85. that time of the month
86. final exams
87. cancer
88. cds and dvds that are scrached right at your favorite part
89. the fact that no one likes vhs anymore. i think vhs is awesome
90. mysterious itches that seem to be inside your bones
91. the untimely breaks in most television series' seasons
92. things that sting
93. THE FACT THE STEVE ERWIN DIED :[
94. the fact that billy mays died :[
95. posers
96. paris hilton's music
97. silver plated jewelry that changes color
98. can openers that don't open cans
99. can tabs that are like impossible to open

and 100. hang nails.

101. mascara smudges (for lauren :D)

Thoughts on: Cashews and the Beatles

1. Cashews are awesome. That's all I can say. If I could eat only cashews for the rest of my life I probably would!

2. They had it right. Love IS all you need. Disagree as much as you want. I refuse to listen and you can bring it up again once you become a positive person.

Thoughts on: Chemistry, PocketGod and People.

1. CHEMISTRY IS AMAZING. People who say that they don't like it... I just don't get it. Nothing around you would exist without Chemistry. When I think about how much I love Chemistry I almost choke up. It's kind of hard to explain. I understand if you don't understand. But you don't know the world until you know Chemistry. And once you learn Chemistry you look at the world in a whole different way. Once you learn Science in general.

2. I got this app on my iPod called PocketGod. It's kind of like the primitive version of Sims where you can do minimal things. The welcome screen is all "This is a race of pygmies, they worship and unseen force... YOU!". But then you get in to the actual game and that only things you can do are terrible things... Like you can pick these poor little things up and drop them in the water so they get eaten by sharks or you can fire them at a volcano or you can bowl with them. I just think that being the "god" of someone and only being able to do bad things to them is terrible. What kind of message does that send? (I might not have played the game to its extent. But from what I have seen it's bad.)

3. I just started school again. Senior year. Awesome. But I think people got more mean this year. I'll leave it at that. But it makes me uncomfortable.

Thoughts on: Things that make me say "AWW"

June 24th! Just a cute heart warming story :]

Last night I was babysitting this kid. He's kind of hyperactive and what not, but overall he is absolutely adorable and just getting more adorable every day.

He was raised in a different way than most kids and is about to be entering first grade for... well he's been there more than once. Though many people in the neighborhood (I have a Desperate Housewives neighborhood) seems to think that 1. He's stupid or 2. His mom is insane, neither is true.

Anywho. I was talking to him and he asked if I could drive. And I told him no. And he asked why. And I told him that I failed my road test. (because I did) and he looked me right in the eye and said "What is fail?"

To me it's just super great that he hasn't been taught to think of failing, and even though some people don't really like him, he's a happy kid anyways. I think the power of the love of a mother is a beautiful thing, and it's so great what she's doing with him.

OK, just wanted to say. I thought it was cute. :]

Adios.

Thoughts on: My garage sale

July 23rd!

Today is not really a special day, and there isn't really a reason for it to be. Besides the fact that I was awaken at a deathly hour to someone ringing my doorbell.

At first I was like "Yeah, not happening, I'm in bed." But then whoever it was continued to ring my doorbell. The thoughts that started going through my mind were like it's my dad, he got locked outside. It's my brothers friends, they can wait.

When I did finally get downstairs and looked out the peep hole in the door there was no one. And I didn't see anyone anywhere until I looked across the street and saw this old green car and this cute little old lady in my driveway staring hopelessly at our closed garage doors. I couldn't not open the door...

So I did and when she spoke she had an accent. I could tell she wasn't really understanding everything I said. But what she said was along the lines of "Garage sale! Is it open?" and I was like "No, not until nine." (It was ON the SIGNS.) and she was like "Oh, well since I'm here, can you open it for me?"

OK stop there, because therein lies what I am trying to say.

The world doesn't work like that!

1. Sometimes you're going to have to wait. And if you really want something then waiting should be something you are just prepared to do. Especially when you're an hour early.
2. The world isn't going to change for you. You have to change the world. If you sit around and depend on other people to change things for you, sooner or later it's going to bite you in the butt.

I'm not saying that this old woman's way will doom her to hell. But I am saying that it was a terrible thing to wake up to. Especially when I can't say no to anyone.

She ended up buying a disco ball bead curtain. That was mine when I was five.

And now everyone thinks that the garage sale is open now instead of nine.

Absolutely lovely.

Thoughts on: Kentucky

Sandy Hook/Grayson/Middle-of-Nowhere! Kentucky - July 2009.

At the beginning of this month I, as well as five of my class mates and three of my teachers, took a trip to Kentucky. When I first heard about the trip it was like an "Oh, cool! I can get all of my service hours for my senior year done before the year even starts!" reaction. Soon after departure it turned into something much more than that.

Originally, when I thought of Kentucky I thought of someplace that was full of people who didn't really have a clue. OK, maybe they farmed and they knew a thing or two about how to fix a truck. And it didn't help that the first day we were supposed to work, we arrived at this "worksite" (which, by the way, was a trailer up in the mountains...) and my immediate thought was ....Uh huh.

This place was a wreck. The gardens were all over grown. The pond was full of some foul smelling liquid that surely could never have been anything resembling water. The people all seemed to have this drawl in the way they spoke and acted. Not to mention the appalling odor coming from under the trailer (which we later found was caused by the genius idea to cut the sewer line RIGHT under the toilet. EW?!) and from the kitchen (which we later found was caused by the month old dishes and mouse poop found in small mountains.) Now I, being the modern woman that I am, was horrified.

I had the idea set in my mind that all I would do was do what I was asked and what was required of me. I did not even expect to get as much out of the experience as I did...

Some of the obvious things that I learned:

1. Boys really do like Dairy Queen, and will do treacherous things in large vehicles to get it.
2. Salamander eggs look like small rocks. And salamander mommies are very protective.
3. Some pond fountains have built in filters, and a whole bunch of bugs (like mosquitoes and black flies) are born from larvae that live in water.
4. Febreeze really is a lovely thing that can mask (destroy?) any odor you throw at it
5. Girls can have a very good time, even without a sense of direction.
6. Euchre is totally complicated, props to those who are good at it!
7. Kentucky is not full of hicks. While it is full of a people who live a different life than I (we) do here in NY, they really know what's going on, and I was super wrong to make any kind of judgment before I met them.
8. The best feeling in the world is country music, on a boat, with new friends, light rain, beautiful scenery and warm water just waiting for you to swim in it!
9. Waterfall doesn't always mean WATERFALL.

Some of the less obvious things that I learned:

1. Sometimes, all it takes is a little TLC to make someone feel "like it's Christmas." You can change someone's life drastically with only a few simple actions.
2. The greatest (and least expensive) gift you can give is love. Always.
3. There is always more to a person or to a place than meets the eye. The beauty of any situtation is in the time you take to familiarize yourself with it.
4. The most important things you have in your life are the things you have when you have nothing.
5. Knowledge is endless. Never think you know it all.
6. With your attitude, you can make any situtation a good situation or a bad situation.
7. Uncertainty is a gift from God. He gives it to us at times when we need to step back and take a look at the big picture. And if you can see it that way, I'm sure you can see everything in a different light.
8. The most heartbreaking of things can lead to the most beautiful of revelations.

While my back probably could have been spared a week of sleeping on a floor that was a step up from concrete, and my stomach could have been spared the intensity of Dr. Callan's driving, and my Snuffy could have been spared the stress she went through!!!, the Kentucky trip was just what the doctor ordered for my heart. Especially in a world like the world we live today, it was beautiful to almost take a step back in time and see the way that other people live.

This trip was revealing to me - it showed me that, while I may not always get cell phone signal, I can always get conversation that is ten times better with the people around me. It showed me that, while I may not always love being around my mom and my family at home, there will never be a time when coming home to them is unwanted. And most importantly, it showed me that, while something may not always be appealing on the outside, a judgment on it is never fair until you know it backwards and forwards.

Overall:

• Cut Sewer Line [FIXED] - thanks to the lovely plumbing skills and stomachs of Mr. Danforth, Dr. Callan, and Mark.
• Every Single Ceiling of the Trailier [PAINTED] - thanks to the lovely painting skills of Stephanie and AnneMarie and Emily
• Every Second of the Trip [DOCUMENTED] - massive props to Emily and her filming skills(z). I helped :]
• Every Garden Surrounding the Trailer [PERFECTED] - thanks to the amazing leadership and gardening skills of Ms. Hansen/Jessica/Kate
• Kitchen of the Trailer [CONQUERED!] - thank you Kate!
• Pond in the Back Yard [IT WORKS] - Mark rules
• Gravel aka Driveway/Back steps [SHOVELED, LAID and TAMPED] - the girls tried, the boys actually did it. Except for the tamping. Because Kate is a tamp MASTER.
• Newts [RETURNEDTONATURALHABITAT] - thanks to Chase... and the... creek... =D
• Holes Behind the Fridge [PATCHED] - Props to Dr. Callan for braving the ants :]

I really hope that I'm not forgetting anything that we did, because we did a lot.

So, end note being that Kentucky is a really great and beautiful state, full of life changing and exciting opportunities. If you ever come across the chance to do something like this, don't hesitate. You will be SO pleasantly surprised with what you learn.

Special Thanks To:

• Sally and Maritia and all the Sarah's Place volunteers: once again, you made us feel like we were at home even when we were thousands of miles away. You washed our laundry and let us use your showers and allowed us to make a mess of your kitchen repeatedly. The love and faith that you have for humanity is stifling and astounding. For what it's worth, every day that you guys work is a day that improve the lives of so many people. There will never be enough thanks for that. (For those who don't know what Sarah's Place is, find out at: http://www.sarahsplace.com/)

These were also great:

1. The Hiking-esque trip we took on Thursday. Who knew that Kentucky had such beautiful cliffs? I know that I didn't. That was truly unforgettable. http://www.kaht.com/multiple/tygartscreek/laurelgorgeculturalheritagecenter.htm
2. And of course, the Grayson Lake day trip, complete with AUTHENTIC Kentucky Fried Chicken :]

(And no, I don't know this man, I found this picture on Google. It just shows how pretty it was)