"Speed it up a little!"-Hayley
Christmas Tree Capers
2 hours ago
Saturday, October 17, 2009
My New Favorite Show Is...
..."I Love Lucy". I was channel surfing the other day when I turned on the Hallmark Channel and started watching the show. I had seen it a couple times before, and thought it was hilarious, but had never watched it regularly. I looked through the guide on the TV and saw that it was on from 5-10 Monday through Friday every week. I've been watching it every night for about 2 weeks now, and I love it. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen! I know it sounds funny that I'm just now discovering it, but keep in mind, I'm 16 and born at the END of the 20th century! Although now, I wish I was born in 1935 so I would be 16 when the show first started! :)
"Speed it up a little!"
"Speed it up a little!"October
October is by far my favorite month of the year. I love the transition from summer to fall, the rain, the cold weather, Halloween, pretty much everything that goes along with this month. But this October doesn't seem to be going as well as they have in the past.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to have a traditional Halloween this year. This year, I'll be spending my Halloween day and evening participating in the BHS Dramafest 2009 One Act Plays. I'll be at my high school from 1 PM to 1 AM acting, watching plays, doing makeup, and attending an "awards ceremony". But I guess it's not all bad. We do get to wear our costumes to the awards ceremony, so that's a plus. I mean, all I do on Halloween anyway is hand out candy to little kids and watch "Hocus Pocus".
On a less interesting note, I've been hit with a bad cold. Cough, headache, tired all the time, etc. At least it's not swine flu. Lots of people at my school have been hit with H1N1, but not me! I got my flu shot today, so hopefully I can avoid a repeat of last year (pneumonia and the flu on the night of the Twilight premiere...ick!). If I do get the flu, let's just hope it's not swine!
Also, Homecoming is coming up a week from today. My cousin Katelyn sent me her old homecoming dress, and it fits perfectly. Unfortunately, my friends are lame and don't want to go to Homecoming. I'm in ASB (student council), so I'm kind of expected to go, but I have no idea what I'm going to be doing there if none of my friends are there with me. Also, I don't know if I should try and put together a group to go or just put on a dress and hang out with whoever I happen to know. I'm thinking about going with the second one...it seems like the only logical option right now.
So that's pretty much my month so far. I'm not feeling incredibly creative in my blogging right now, partially because my left arm is asleep from the shot and also because my head feels like a sumo wrestler just sat on it. I guess I'll go eat some chicken noodle soup and watch TV. Exciting weekend huh?
-Hayley
Unfortunately, I won't be able to have a traditional Halloween this year. This year, I'll be spending my Halloween day and evening participating in the BHS Dramafest 2009 One Act Plays. I'll be at my high school from 1 PM to 1 AM acting, watching plays, doing makeup, and attending an "awards ceremony". But I guess it's not all bad. We do get to wear our costumes to the awards ceremony, so that's a plus. I mean, all I do on Halloween anyway is hand out candy to little kids and watch "Hocus Pocus".
On a less interesting note, I've been hit with a bad cold. Cough, headache, tired all the time, etc. At least it's not swine flu. Lots of people at my school have been hit with H1N1, but not me! I got my flu shot today, so hopefully I can avoid a repeat of last year (pneumonia and the flu on the night of the Twilight premiere...ick!). If I do get the flu, let's just hope it's not swine!
Also, Homecoming is coming up a week from today. My cousin Katelyn sent me her old homecoming dress, and it fits perfectly. Unfortunately, my friends are lame and don't want to go to Homecoming. I'm in ASB (student council), so I'm kind of expected to go, but I have no idea what I'm going to be doing there if none of my friends are there with me. Also, I don't know if I should try and put together a group to go or just put on a dress and hang out with whoever I happen to know. I'm thinking about going with the second one...it seems like the only logical option right now.
So that's pretty much my month so far. I'm not feeling incredibly creative in my blogging right now, partially because my left arm is asleep from the shot and also because my head feels like a sumo wrestler just sat on it. I guess I'll go eat some chicken noodle soup and watch TV. Exciting weekend huh?
-Hayley
Saturday, September 19, 2009
High School Excellence: The Real Story
I absolutely love how Hollywood portrays high school. (ahem. Sarcasm.) In most movies, the main characters hardly spend any time actually doing school stuff at school. They gossip, they chat, they make out in the hallways. Sadly, there is very little time to do any of that stuff. Except for the making out stuff. I've seen so many people making out in front of the science classrooms, I don't even notice it anymore.
No, school is not the social Wonderland that John Hughes and Steven Spielberg make it out to be. Allow me to explain.
I'm kind of an overachiever. I'll admit it; it's a character flaw, one of many. I spend hours of my Saturdays Googling (this is actually a real verb) potential colleges and finding out exactly how many extracurriculars I need to do and how high my SAT or ACT scores have to be. In order to get in to a good college, you have to be involved. Oh, I'm involved all right. Here's an example.
On Tuesday morning, my phone buzzes from under my pillow at 5 AM, alerting me that it's time to wake up. I get up, shower, dry my hair, throw on some clothes, do my makeup, then get picked up by my friend Laura at 6:30 to head to school. We get there around 6:45. School starts at 7:10. I went through all my classes, got all my assignments, and nearly fell asleep reading "The Great Gatsby" in English class. School ended at 1:40, and from there, I made my way over to "The Black Box" (the drama room) to find out where One Act (the fall plays) rehearsals were for "Perfect", the play I'm in this year. After finding out the location, I went to practice from 2-4. At 4, I went in to the cafeteria and attempted to finish some of my math homework. I got about half of it done, then was called in to help put up posters in the ASB room. At 5, I had an ASB meeting about our assembly that was happening the next day. At 5:30, we started rehearsal for the assembly. After sorting out many, many bugs in the production and rehearsing to near perfection, I glanced at the LCD screen on my phone and realized that it's 7:03. I announce that it's 7, and my friend, Carly, our activities coordinator, decides that it's time to wrap it up. We congregate, then decide that a before-school practice is absolutely necessary to the well-being of the assembly. So then, I text my mom and let her know its time to get me. At 7:25, my mom pulls up in front of the school and drives me home. We get back at around 7:45, and from there I do my homework. I'm working on homework until 10:30 PM, then decide to scrap my math homework and get some sleep. I go to bed. I'm woken up at 4:30 by a text from Carly: "I'll pick you up at 5:20". Not a second too late, she picks me up at 5:20 AM. I'm at school by 5:45 in the morning. I spent nearly the whole morning yawning and drowning myself in cups of coffee. Oh, and sneaking in the last three problems of my math homework while the teacher is going over the answers. :)
As you can see, high school excellence requires some sacrifices. Like sleep. And your social life.
I may not make it out of this place alive.
xoxo
Hayley
No, school is not the social Wonderland that John Hughes and Steven Spielberg make it out to be. Allow me to explain.
I'm kind of an overachiever. I'll admit it; it's a character flaw, one of many. I spend hours of my Saturdays Googling (this is actually a real verb) potential colleges and finding out exactly how many extracurriculars I need to do and how high my SAT or ACT scores have to be. In order to get in to a good college, you have to be involved. Oh, I'm involved all right. Here's an example.
On Tuesday morning, my phone buzzes from under my pillow at 5 AM, alerting me that it's time to wake up. I get up, shower, dry my hair, throw on some clothes, do my makeup, then get picked up by my friend Laura at 6:30 to head to school. We get there around 6:45. School starts at 7:10. I went through all my classes, got all my assignments, and nearly fell asleep reading "The Great Gatsby" in English class. School ended at 1:40, and from there, I made my way over to "The Black Box" (the drama room) to find out where One Act (the fall plays) rehearsals were for "Perfect", the play I'm in this year. After finding out the location, I went to practice from 2-4. At 4, I went in to the cafeteria and attempted to finish some of my math homework. I got about half of it done, then was called in to help put up posters in the ASB room. At 5, I had an ASB meeting about our assembly that was happening the next day. At 5:30, we started rehearsal for the assembly. After sorting out many, many bugs in the production and rehearsing to near perfection, I glanced at the LCD screen on my phone and realized that it's 7:03. I announce that it's 7, and my friend, Carly, our activities coordinator, decides that it's time to wrap it up. We congregate, then decide that a before-school practice is absolutely necessary to the well-being of the assembly. So then, I text my mom and let her know its time to get me. At 7:25, my mom pulls up in front of the school and drives me home. We get back at around 7:45, and from there I do my homework. I'm working on homework until 10:30 PM, then decide to scrap my math homework and get some sleep. I go to bed. I'm woken up at 4:30 by a text from Carly: "I'll pick you up at 5:20". Not a second too late, she picks me up at 5:20 AM. I'm at school by 5:45 in the morning. I spent nearly the whole morning yawning and drowning myself in cups of coffee. Oh, and sneaking in the last three problems of my math homework while the teacher is going over the answers. :)
As you can see, high school excellence requires some sacrifices. Like sleep. And your social life.
I may not make it out of this place alive.
xoxo
Hayley
Sunday, September 6, 2009
First Day O' School
Freshly sharpened pencils. A new backpack, complete with not one, but TWO mesh water bottle holders. Pink erasers that still have that rubbery smell. Binders with customized name collages decorating the front flap. Spiral notebooks with exactly 70 sheets.
Riding the bus in the morning. Mom obsessively taking pictures of your every move. Greeting those friends you haven't seen all summer and totally forgot about and yet suddenly you 'Can't believe we haven't hung out all summer! Let's make plans for this weekend!'. Meeting your teachers and finding the desk that is yours, all yours.
Such are the joys of the first day of school. Unfortunately, the magic of the first day of school kind of wears off once you reach your junior year of high school. Instead of "I wonder if all the swings on the playground will be taken?", the thoughts going through your mind include "Exactly how many extracurriculars do I have to take to be accepted into Big-University-College?" "Can I get all my credits in with this schedule?" and "Hmm. How many hours until the weekend?"
All sarcastic remarks aside, this is a summarized play-by-play of my first day of 11th grade.
Woke up at dawn-thirty. Why is it so dark? Slumped upstairs to fix my hair and apply the needed amount of flaw-hider (i.e., makeup). Slumped back downstairs to get dressed. Greeted my sleepy mom at 6:10 AM so that she could take those "Back to School" pictures every child dreads yet goes along with anyway. Hugged my mom goodbye and walked up the street to my best friend Laura's house. Drove with Laura to school. Got a second copy of my schedule. Found my locker. Said hi to those forgotten friends. Cringed at the unusually loud school bell. Went to first period Honors Math class. Got the low down on the year. Also got a dirty look from some girl in the back row. Go figure. Went to second period ASB. Said hi to all the people I had worked with all summer. Had a class meeting. Went to third Period Spanish. Made fun of my teacher behind her back (I had her in 9th grade Spanish too. She made me cry). Made up about 23 new inside jokes with my friends Geena, Susan, and Brian. Went to fourth period US History. Loved my no-nonsense "Don't you dare think about pissing me off" teacher. Found out that the grossest and least hygienic guy in my grade is in that class. Sat far, far, far away from him. Went to fifth period English. Found out that my teacher is blind as a bat. Texting during that class will be very, very easy. Went to lunch. Sat with my friends Laura, Carly, Erica, Lauren, Susan, and Kellie. Filled up on PB&J and juice boxes. Went to sixth period Honors Chemistry. Found out that my teacher likes Death Cab For Cutie and lighting magnesium on fire. This will be my favorite class. Leaped out of my seat when the bell rang. Drove home with Laura. Spent an hour on Facebook. Did my first day homework. Realized that this is going to be a long, but fun, teacher-mocking, off-campus-lunching, early-morning, for-once-in-my-life-makeup-wearing year.
xoxo
Hayley
Riding the bus in the morning. Mom obsessively taking pictures of your every move. Greeting those friends you haven't seen all summer and totally forgot about and yet suddenly you 'Can't believe we haven't hung out all summer! Let's make plans for this weekend!'. Meeting your teachers and finding the desk that is yours, all yours.
Such are the joys of the first day of school. Unfortunately, the magic of the first day of school kind of wears off once you reach your junior year of high school. Instead of "I wonder if all the swings on the playground will be taken?", the thoughts going through your mind include "Exactly how many extracurriculars do I have to take to be accepted into Big-University-College?" "Can I get all my credits in with this schedule?" and "Hmm. How many hours until the weekend?"
All sarcastic remarks aside, this is a summarized play-by-play of my first day of 11th grade.
Woke up at dawn-thirty. Why is it so dark? Slumped upstairs to fix my hair and apply the needed amount of flaw-hider (i.e., makeup). Slumped back downstairs to get dressed. Greeted my sleepy mom at 6:10 AM so that she could take those "Back to School" pictures every child dreads yet goes along with anyway. Hugged my mom goodbye and walked up the street to my best friend Laura's house. Drove with Laura to school. Got a second copy of my schedule. Found my locker. Said hi to those forgotten friends. Cringed at the unusually loud school bell. Went to first period Honors Math class. Got the low down on the year. Also got a dirty look from some girl in the back row. Go figure. Went to second period ASB. Said hi to all the people I had worked with all summer. Had a class meeting. Went to third Period Spanish. Made fun of my teacher behind her back (I had her in 9th grade Spanish too. She made me cry). Made up about 23 new inside jokes with my friends Geena, Susan, and Brian. Went to fourth period US History. Loved my no-nonsense "Don't you dare think about pissing me off" teacher. Found out that the grossest and least hygienic guy in my grade is in that class. Sat far, far, far away from him. Went to fifth period English. Found out that my teacher is blind as a bat. Texting during that class will be very, very easy. Went to lunch. Sat with my friends Laura, Carly, Erica, Lauren, Susan, and Kellie. Filled up on PB&J and juice boxes. Went to sixth period Honors Chemistry. Found out that my teacher likes Death Cab For Cutie and lighting magnesium on fire. This will be my favorite class. Leaped out of my seat when the bell rang. Drove home with Laura. Spent an hour on Facebook. Did my first day homework. Realized that this is going to be a long, but fun, teacher-mocking, off-campus-lunching, early-morning, for-once-in-my-life-makeup-wearing year.
xoxo
Hayley
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
WOW. Time for an update?
Oh jeez. I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Well, I'm not going to waste time making excuses. Here's an update on my summer so far...
Hannah and Jessica after a long week of camping!
From August 2nd to August 9th, my family and I went to Pacific City, Oregon, along with Jeff's dad, step-mom, brother, sister-in-law, nieces, step-brother, step-brother's girlfriend, step-brother's new baby, and step-brother's new step-daughter. Complicated, huh? I spent the week sleeping in until noon, avoiding too much sun exposure, and watching Wizards of Waverly Place (it's a Disney show) with my cousins Maiya and Makayla. Hannah's birthday, August 9th, was celebrated with an 11-hour car ride (we took the long way around, up the Washington Coast and around Puget Sound), frequent stops at places like the Tillamook Cheese Factory, a petting zoo, a purple and pink ice cream place, and Astoria's famous Haystack Rock (the one in "The Goonies"). Throughout the week, knowing Hannah would spend most of her fourteenth birthday in a car, I frequently made cupcakes, cake, and brownies in celebration of her big day. Just call me Cake Master H. :)
Well, that's it for my updates. It's a very exciting life I live, I know. (sarcasm) In other news, school is starting again on September 2nd. I'm going to be a junior, Hannah is going to be a freshman, Harrison is starting 5th grade, and Arlie is starting 6th. We've gone supply shopping and clothes shopping. It's coming up fast! Yikes! :)
Hope you're all doing well!
xoxo
Hayley
~~~
On July 7th, I celebrated my sixteenth birthday with my friends at Martha Lake. It was supposed to be really sunny, but instead, it was cold and a bit windy and eventually it started to rain. Luckily, we had the party in a covered area ( decorated by my friend Leslie ) and stayed dry - that is, until, we went swimming and turned blue from the cold! We finished the party by going back to my house, watching "Push" and "Confessions of a Shopaholic", and staying up until 4 AM talking about iPods and why guys wear their pants so low (is it even comfortable??). All in all, it was a very fun birthday. :)
Jumping off the dock at my birthday party!
~~~
From July 17th to July 19th, my family and I, plus Harrison's friend Tonaiya and Hannah's friend Jessica, minus Arlie, all went camping at Flowing Lake in Snohomish. We went to the Kla-ha-ya days festival and almost got killed trying to control our 3 insane dogs. Hannah, Jessica, and I, all spent about ten hours on Saturday reading books on the king size bed we all shared in the camper. Jessica was reading "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks, Hannah was reading "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" by Stephen King, and I was reading "Parties and Potions" by Sara Mlynowski. Quite a diverse collection of books! The weekend was very fun and somewhat painful, as my dog Shade decided it would be funny to run so fast curing his walk that the leash wrapped around my hand so tight that I got a blister the size of a quarter at the base of my finger. Ouch much?
Hannah and Jessica after a long week of camping!
Our lovely camper. :)
~~~
On July 24th, I departed for ASB (Associated Student Body) camp at Mount Rainier. The week was filled with dance-offs, talent shows, "Head-Shoulders-Knees-and-Toes", and of course, a lot of learning about how to be a good leader. I made a ton of new friends, and we've all been keeping in touch through Facebook, MySpace, and texting. The week was pretty crazy and SO much fun, and if I were to describe it all I would break the world record for longest blog post about a single subject and get my picture in the Guinness Book of World Records. And, since I don't photograph well, I think I'll just say that it was one of the most amazing weeks of my life and leave it at that. :)
ASB Camp (my cabin, the Boombox)!
~~~
From August 2nd to August 9th, my family and I went to Pacific City, Oregon, along with Jeff's dad, step-mom, brother, sister-in-law, nieces, step-brother, step-brother's girlfriend, step-brother's new baby, and step-brother's new step-daughter. Complicated, huh? I spent the week sleeping in until noon, avoiding too much sun exposure, and watching Wizards of Waverly Place (it's a Disney show) with my cousins Maiya and Makayla. Hannah's birthday, August 9th, was celebrated with an 11-hour car ride (we took the long way around, up the Washington Coast and around Puget Sound), frequent stops at places like the Tillamook Cheese Factory, a petting zoo, a purple and pink ice cream place, and Astoria's famous Haystack Rock (the one in "The Goonies"). Throughout the week, knowing Hannah would spend most of her fourteenth birthday in a car, I frequently made cupcakes, cake, and brownies in celebration of her big day. Just call me Cake Master H. :)
Maiya grew quite attached to this stray kitten we nicknamed Carter.
I painted our lovely flag!
One of Hannah's many birthday cakes. :)
My amazing (or not-so-amazing, however you see it) sandcastle!
~~~
Last weekend, August 14 through the 16th, I went to Lake Chelan to celebrate my best friend Laura's sixteenth birthday. Her birthday was actually in March, but who wants to go to Chelan in March? The only time of year that it's suitable for visiting is June 1st to August 31st. Or in other words, summertime. During that trip, a miracle happened. I went from pasty-white-like-a-vampire to red-like-a-fancy-restaurant's-lobster-special. Now, the painful sunburn is turning in to (here's the miracle!) A TAN! I never thought that it could happen, but I'm actually slightly tan. I know, I'm as shocked as you are. I guess that's what happens when you spend fifteen hours every day in the sun for an entire weekend! While we were there, three of the girls (Laura, Clarissa, and Maddie) decided to would be fun to go skinny dipping (or as they refer to it, Chunky Dunking). I decided to sit this one out. I'm just not a big fan of jumping into near-freezing water without any clothes on at 12:30 AM in the pitch dark! Lindsey also sat it out with me, as well as Laura's sister, Cami, and her friend Rachel. We didn't want to get caught by the office people (and risk getting cited for indecent exposure), so right after the girls hit the water, Lindsey, Cami, Rachel and I hit the deck, literally, and pinned ourselves to the dock. The girls only lasted about a minute in the water before begging us to help them out and wrap up in their towels. Good times, good times. :)
Me, Clarissa, Maddie, Laura, Cami, and Lindsey chilling out in the hot tub.
Maddie, Laura, Clarissa, and I on the dock.
Cami, Maddie, Lindsey, Laura, Me, and Clarissa.
Me getting thrown in to the lake!!
We washed our hair in the lake. And yes, it was very counterproductive.
I can't dive, but apparently I can walk on water!! :)
~~~
The most recent update I have is about Harrison's friend, Tonaiya. She's been hospitalized for several days now and has been diagnosed with encephalitis, a rare and sometime deadly disease. Since it is unknown where she got it from (the chances of contracting it are about 1 in 100,000), she's been in isolation at Children's Hospital where she is only allowed three visitors at a time. She is mostly unresponsive but can squeeze your hand for "yes" and "no". The last time my mom took Harrison to visit her, Harrison swears that he heard her say "Read" when she wanted him to read her a book. Nobody else was around, but it is possible that she managed to speak. If she did, that's a good sign. Anyway, we're asking for your prayers in hopes that she makes a speedy and full recovery. My mom will most likely be posting consistent updates on her blog, http://www.chaostimessix.blogspot.com/, so be sure to check there. Get well soon Tonaiya!
Harrison and Tonaiya at Flowing Lake's Kla-Ha-Ya Days Festival!
~~~
Well, that's it for my updates. It's a very exciting life I live, I know. (sarcasm) In other news, school is starting again on September 2nd. I'm going to be a junior, Hannah is going to be a freshman, Harrison is starting 5th grade, and Arlie is starting 6th. We've gone supply shopping and clothes shopping. It's coming up fast! Yikes! :)
Hope you're all doing well!
xoxo
Hayley
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Bible School - Dancing in Music Class
I decided to take a video of the kids dancing to one of the various songs we learned that week. You'll see the whole group, as well as Shari, the music room leader, Allana and Paige, the helpers, and Amelia's mom, who taught music on Thursday and Friday. Enjoy!
xoxo, Hayley
Bible School - Friday
Friday was Purple Day. Alexa went on vacation and Blake had to pack for a plane trip, so we were down to 7 girls. By far the easiest of the days! Here's the photographs! 
The group photo with "Blaze" and "Sparks".
Monique brought her camera and took lots of pictures during snack!
Hamming it up for Monique!
Tori went on a rampage with my camera. She took a lot of pictures, but this was the only one that came out okay! :)
Stephanie, being the excellent storyteller that she is.
Reagan and Tori listening oh-so-attentively.
Amelia, Kaeli, and Amanda listening to the story.
xoxo, Hayley
Bible School - Thursday
Thursday was Red Day. Here's the pictures! 
Discovery Time!
Monique
Our experiment of the day: pouring water down a string!
Best Friends, Kennedy and Tori
Best Friends, Kaeli and Reagan
Music class!
Craft Time! (Amelia, Blake, Tori, Reagan)
Monique helping Alexa!
Kennedy coloring her mini-mural!
Snack time! (Amanda and Alexa)
The whole group!
Silly faces!
Stephanie!!
Molly, being a ham.
The photo wall of awesome. :)
xoxo, Hayley
Bible School - Wednesday
Wednesday was Green Day. Here's some photos of the fun! 
In Discovery Time (Science)
Music Class (L-R: Reagan, Amanda, Molly, Kennedy, Blake, Tori, Alexa, Amelia)
Music Class (L-R: Amanda, Molly, Kennedy, Blake, Tori, Alexa, Amelia)
Music Class (L-R: Kaeli, Blake, Kennedy, Tori, Reagan, Alexa)
Streamers (Kennedy and Tori)
Kennedy
Reagan
Amelia
Kaeli
Alexa
Molly
Tori
Blake
Amanda
The Water Bottle Game (Blake)
My helper, Monique, is a little bit obsessed with M&Ms.
I wrote out the names of the whole group, leaders included, in chalk.
xoxo, Hayley
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Bible School - Tuesday
Tuesday at Bible School was Yellow Day. Most of the kids wore yellow, and we learned about the Three King's Trek to Bethlehem. Here's some pictures! 
Playing with the paper streamers in Music (front: Molly and Kaeli)
Music Class, singing the theme song! (L-R: Kaeli, Reagan, Blake, Kennedy, Molly, Amelia)
Arts and crafts, making the treasure boxes. (Alexa)
Arts and Crafts, making the treasure boxes. (Kennedy)
Recreation, playing with the parachute! (Front: Amanda's mom, Kaeli)
Playing under the parachute! (Molly and Kaeli)
Molly, running at top speed during the water balloon game!
During the Frisbee game! (L-R: Blake, Kennedy, Alexa, Kaeli)
During the Frisbee game! (Molly and Tori)
xoxo,
Hayley
Bible School - Monday
As I've said before, I'm not an incredibly religious person. That aside, I do volunteer every year at a Bible School at the church where I went to pre-school. This year, I'm in charge, mostly by myself with limited help, of a group of 9 first graders, all ages 5 or 6. There are 8 girls and 1 boy. Their names are Tori, Alexa, Kaeli, Blake, Kennedy, Amanda, Reagan, Molly, and Amelia. Its actually a really easy job, because they're all very mellow and quiet.
Monday was Blue day. All the kids were supposed to wear blue. Most of them did, but a few forgot. Our schedule for the day was Discovery Lab (Science), Music, Crafts, Storytelling, Outdoor Recreation, and Snacks/Mission Story. Here's some pictures of the first day with the group!
Singing in the music room (L-R: Amanda, Molly, Tori, Reagan, Kaeli, Blake, Kennedy, and Alexa)
Coloring in Crafts (Clockwise from bottom left: Reagan, Amelia, Tori, Kennedy, Blake, Alexa, Kaeli)
Story time! (L-R: Kaeli, Blake, Kennedy, Tori)
Human Bowling (Blake)
Snack time! (Clockwise from top right: Reagan, Kaeli, Alexa, Kennedy, Blake)
Snack time! (Clockwise from top right: Amelia, Amanda, Tori, Molly)
Stephanie, my good friend and assigned Storyteller!
During Mission/Snack.
xoxo
Hayley
Friday, June 26, 2009
12 to 80 in 24
As some of you may know, my current Facebook status is "[Hayley] Is it possible to feel really old AND like a 12-year old at the same time?" Well, fellow readers, is it?
I ask this because that specific statement is currently bouncing around in the empty cavern that is often referred to as "Hayley's Skull". Today, within the course of 24 hours, I went from feeling like an almost-16-year old to a 40-year old to a 12-year old to an 80-year old. I know what you're thinking. "Hmm. Why did she feel this way?" Yes, I know, it is the highlight of your day to know how I'm feeling. Here's a little insight.
I woke up around 10:30 this morning. I had had a sleepover with my friend Laura the night before, and we had decided to sleep on the pullout couch. We wake up, watch a little bit of TV, make pancakes (sorry for the mess, madre. =] ), ate the pancakes, and then Laura left. I rushed to throw on a clean shirt and pants, since I had to run Harrison over to my mom's work up the street then go to an all-day babysitting job. So begins the day, and I feel my age.
Then, my "client" picks me up so I can go babysit her daughter while she takes her older daughter on a shopping spree for her 14th birthday. While I'm talking to the girls's mom in the car, it comes to my attention that I'm speaking like a 40 year old at a job interview. I'm saying "can not" instead of "can't", "have not" instead of "haven't" and, well, you get the picture. I try to snap out of it and attempt to talk my age, but to no avail. I have noticed though, that when I'm around adults, I automatically switch in to "no-slang, high-pitched-voice, perfect-posture" mode. I feel like a robot. "Hello. How. May. I. Serve. You. Today. Miss." Creepy stuff.
Then, we arrive at her house, I walk in, receive a giant hug from the girl I'm watching, get a run-down of what the mom wants done in the 9 hours I'm there, and wave goodbye like a 1950's housewife, complete with a smiling, "Have a nice day!". The girl and I (her name is Sara) spend about fifteen seconds staring at each other before she breaks out in a huge grin and says "Wanna watch Disney?". I reply, "Sure!", and we engage in a "Sonny with a Chance" marathon playing on Disney Channel. Before I know it, I'm laughing along with Sara at Demi Lovato and Tiffany Thorton's antics as "Sonny" and "Tawni" try to get revenge on "Chad Dylan Cooper". I literally had to smack myself across the face to snap out of it. Ergo, 12-year old.
We continued watching TV, then went to a nearby park for about an hour. Sara insisted that we role play as Sonny and Tawni. I was Sonny. Oh the joy. Then, we head back to the house just in time to Sara to shampoo and condition before the premiere of Disney's new hit movie, "Princess Protection Program". Snacking on popcorn and chocolate milkshakes, we watched the entire movie, start-to-finish, no bathroom breaks and no getting up during commercials. Shocking part about the entire situation? I actually enjoyed it.
Her mom came home around 10, and my dad picked me up. The 12-year old feeling began to fade as my dad and I had a conversation about my college plans. I began to feel older and older during the drive home. About a minute after I walked in the door and plopped myself in front of the TV, I started to channel surf. The only thing on our limited cable (i.e., our 20 channels, 13 or so of which are infomercials) that was worth watching was the movie "Anchors Away" with Gene Kelly on PBS. Yeah, you guessed it; and 80-year old took up residence in my empty skull. Now, I'm watching the movie, feeling like I should be donning red lipstick and a peasant skirt, and blogging about my rapidly aging mood.
Oh yes, I have a VERY interesting life.
xoxo
Hayley
I ask this because that specific statement is currently bouncing around in the empty cavern that is often referred to as "Hayley's Skull". Today, within the course of 24 hours, I went from feeling like an almost-16-year old to a 40-year old to a 12-year old to an 80-year old. I know what you're thinking. "Hmm. Why did she feel this way?" Yes, I know, it is the highlight of your day to know how I'm feeling. Here's a little insight.
I woke up around 10:30 this morning. I had had a sleepover with my friend Laura the night before, and we had decided to sleep on the pullout couch. We wake up, watch a little bit of TV, make pancakes (sorry for the mess, madre. =] ), ate the pancakes, and then Laura left. I rushed to throw on a clean shirt and pants, since I had to run Harrison over to my mom's work up the street then go to an all-day babysitting job. So begins the day, and I feel my age.
Then, my "client" picks me up so I can go babysit her daughter while she takes her older daughter on a shopping spree for her 14th birthday. While I'm talking to the girls's mom in the car, it comes to my attention that I'm speaking like a 40 year old at a job interview. I'm saying "can not" instead of "can't", "have not" instead of "haven't" and, well, you get the picture. I try to snap out of it and attempt to talk my age, but to no avail. I have noticed though, that when I'm around adults, I automatically switch in to "no-slang, high-pitched-voice, perfect-posture" mode. I feel like a robot. "Hello. How. May. I. Serve. You. Today. Miss." Creepy stuff.
Then, we arrive at her house, I walk in, receive a giant hug from the girl I'm watching, get a run-down of what the mom wants done in the 9 hours I'm there, and wave goodbye like a 1950's housewife, complete with a smiling, "Have a nice day!". The girl and I (her name is Sara) spend about fifteen seconds staring at each other before she breaks out in a huge grin and says "Wanna watch Disney?". I reply, "Sure!", and we engage in a "Sonny with a Chance" marathon playing on Disney Channel. Before I know it, I'm laughing along with Sara at Demi Lovato and Tiffany Thorton's antics as "Sonny" and "Tawni" try to get revenge on "Chad Dylan Cooper". I literally had to smack myself across the face to snap out of it. Ergo, 12-year old.
We continued watching TV, then went to a nearby park for about an hour. Sara insisted that we role play as Sonny and Tawni. I was Sonny. Oh the joy. Then, we head back to the house just in time to Sara to shampoo and condition before the premiere of Disney's new hit movie, "Princess Protection Program". Snacking on popcorn and chocolate milkshakes, we watched the entire movie, start-to-finish, no bathroom breaks and no getting up during commercials. Shocking part about the entire situation? I actually enjoyed it.
Her mom came home around 10, and my dad picked me up. The 12-year old feeling began to fade as my dad and I had a conversation about my college plans. I began to feel older and older during the drive home. About a minute after I walked in the door and plopped myself in front of the TV, I started to channel surf. The only thing on our limited cable (i.e., our 20 channels, 13 or so of which are infomercials) that was worth watching was the movie "Anchors Away" with Gene Kelly on PBS. Yeah, you guessed it; and 80-year old took up residence in my empty skull. Now, I'm watching the movie, feeling like I should be donning red lipstick and a peasant skirt, and blogging about my rapidly aging mood.
Oh yes, I have a VERY interesting life.
xoxo
Hayley
Thursday, June 25, 2009
100th Post
Wow! My 100th post! I can't believe it!
First off, I would like to say that today is sad day in Hollywood. Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon have all died in the past 2 days. It comes in bunches, I can tell you that. RIP.
Secondly, I would like to "celebrate" my 100th post by asking everyone who reads my blog (subscribers or silent readers) to leave a comment. Just so I can, you know, make a ballpark estimate about who reads my lame attempts at humor.
Thirdly, I know everyone who reads this who doesn't live in Washington won't see this as a shock, but there hasn't been a single day of constant sun here since I got out of school 6 days ago. Its not summery at all, and yet everyone else wants to participate in summer activities. I'm sorry, but nobody wants to run through a sprinkler when its 50 degrees and cloudy! At least, nobody who has any shred of sanity left. I feel like I should be outside, attempting to tan in the sun, listening to the shrieks of little children getting hosed down by their friends. But instead, I'm spending my days wrapped up in a blanket by the fireplace watching CSI. Blankets! Fireplaces! IN JUNE! I hate you, Seattle.
Ah well. Maybe Mr. Golden Sun will decide to come out from behind Mr. Gloomy Cloud sometime soon. But until he does, I'll be pulling out my winter clothes and donning a ski jacket and slippers.
xoxo,
Hayley
RIP Ed McMahon, 1923-2009
RIP Farrah Fawcett, 1947-2009
RIP Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Where are you summer?
Basically, it's summer. I finished my sophomore year of high school yesterday. But it doesn't feel like summer. Probably for 3 simple reasons.
1) Its cloudy, rainy, and gray. Yes, having lived in Seattle my whole life I AM used to this, but this is June, gosh darn it, JUNE! I believe the saying is "April showers bring May flowers and mayflowers bring pilgrims", not "April showers bring May flowers and May flowers suck all the color and life out of suburban Seattle". Screw you, mother nature. Kiss my grits.
2) School's only been out one day, and I didn't even get to leave after it was done. ASB is one massive time suck, I can tell you that. An enjoyable time suck, because I get praised a lot by my teacher for my "creative and organized approach" to ASB, but a time suck nonetheless. The bell rang for early dismissal at 9:10. I left at 12:30. Joyous times.
3) I haven't had my first summer "mall/movie at a theater/red robin/movie at home/sugar rush/pass out" sleepover yet. I'm sure that when my friends and I start up our tradition again, the summer fever will kick in. Either that or I'll be too tired/hyper to care.
So to sum this all up, I still feel like I'll be returning to school on Monday. My mom keeps telling me that I'm having a really terrible nightmare and that soon I'll wake up at 5:45, realize I'm late, and run to the shower. Thanks for the support, mother dearest, love you too!
How's your summer so far?
Pretty much exactly what the countryside looks like right now. (no, I did not take this photo)
xoxo,
Hayley
Monday, June 15, 2009
Shot Down by the Creationists
I'll admit it. I'm not a very religious person. I believe in God and all, but I don't really attend church that much.
Apparently, a lot of people in my physics class are VERY religious people. Today, we were continuing our week-long discussion on the Theory of Evolution. When my teacher asked if someone could summarize the Theory of Evolution, I shot up my hand thinking "I've got this. Heck yes, I know this stuff!" So I begin explaining the theory that the variation of species on our planet is due to natural selection, mutations, migration, and long periods of time. All I was doing was explaining the theory. Although I am a firm believer in evolution and everything that goes along with it, I didn't actually SAY that. I just gave a run-down of what scientists have formulated over the years as an explanation for life as we know it. I finished my one-minute monologue, and got a smile and an "Exactly! Great Job!" from my teacher, Mr. Frederickson. Suddenly, I feel that unmistakable feeling of a thousand eyes penetrating your skin and glaring into your pores. I turn my head slowly to the right, where three of my classmates are shooting daggers out of their eyes and into my heart. They were gripping their Gatorade with clenched fingers, their knuckles sheer white. Here's how it went down:
Me: *hesitantly* Heyyyy guys...
Student One: Really?
Me: What?
Student Two: Evolution? Don't you know that's a bunch of crap?
Me: Um...well, there is a lot of evidence to support it...
Student Three: Evolution! *scoffs* That's bullsh**!
Me: Well, if you want to believe that, you can, but I'd like to hear what the teacher is saying.
Student Two: They shouldn't make us learn about this if they aren't going to teach about Christian Creationism too.
Student One: Tell me about it.
Me: Well evolution is an important part of scientific discovery and research.
Students One, Two, and Three: *glares*
From there, some harsh words, some directed towards me, some not, flew from their mouths. A little part of my soul died in agony. I shouldn't have even opened my mouth after "Really?" They might as well have whipped out an AK-47 and pumped lead into my chest. That probably would have gotten their point across faster. :)
But oh well. There will always be evolutionists, and there will always be creationists. I guess we'll just have to work to co-exist.
On the bright side, I never really liked students one, two, and three. All three of them kind of irk me. They're always off task and never leave me alone! I guess that stops my endless days of having to answer their stupid questions! "Wait, is an atom something scientifical?" Hit me with something, please. A frying pan. A curling iron. Anything!
xoxo
Hayley
Apparently, a lot of people in my physics class are VERY religious people. Today, we were continuing our week-long discussion on the Theory of Evolution. When my teacher asked if someone could summarize the Theory of Evolution, I shot up my hand thinking "I've got this. Heck yes, I know this stuff!" So I begin explaining the theory that the variation of species on our planet is due to natural selection, mutations, migration, and long periods of time. All I was doing was explaining the theory. Although I am a firm believer in evolution and everything that goes along with it, I didn't actually SAY that. I just gave a run-down of what scientists have formulated over the years as an explanation for life as we know it. I finished my one-minute monologue, and got a smile and an "Exactly! Great Job!" from my teacher, Mr. Frederickson. Suddenly, I feel that unmistakable feeling of a thousand eyes penetrating your skin and glaring into your pores. I turn my head slowly to the right, where three of my classmates are shooting daggers out of their eyes and into my heart. They were gripping their Gatorade with clenched fingers, their knuckles sheer white. Here's how it went down:
Me: *hesitantly* Heyyyy guys...
Student One: Really?
Me: What?
Student Two: Evolution? Don't you know that's a bunch of crap?
Me: Um...well, there is a lot of evidence to support it...
Student Three: Evolution! *scoffs* That's bullsh**!
Me: Well, if you want to believe that, you can, but I'd like to hear what the teacher is saying.
Student Two: They shouldn't make us learn about this if they aren't going to teach about Christian Creationism too.
Student One: Tell me about it.
Me: Well evolution is an important part of scientific discovery and research.
Students One, Two, and Three: *glares*
From there, some harsh words, some directed towards me, some not, flew from their mouths. A little part of my soul died in agony. I shouldn't have even opened my mouth after "Really?" They might as well have whipped out an AK-47 and pumped lead into my chest. That probably would have gotten their point across faster. :)
But oh well. There will always be evolutionists, and there will always be creationists. I guess we'll just have to work to co-exist.
On the bright side, I never really liked students one, two, and three. All three of them kind of irk me. They're always off task and never leave me alone! I guess that stops my endless days of having to answer their stupid questions! "Wait, is an atom something scientifical?" Hit me with something, please. A frying pan. A curling iron. Anything!
xoxo
Hayley
Finals
Finals - F***, I Never Actually Learned this S**t.
Seriously. I'm realizing more and more that over the semester, things go in one ear and out the other. Those things hover in my brain long enough to pull out an A or B on a test, but then they're just gone. For example, this morning in math class, I was working on a review sheet for our final on Wednesday. I came to a problem about exponents. The problem was as follows:
(-3x^-4y)(-2x^3y^5)
________________
6x^-3y^2
I began by dividing my exponents. x^-4/x^-3 = x^(4/3). I get to problem 9, and my teacher Mr. Morgan (the dork from my farmer tan post) comes over and says "You subtract those exponents." Then he walks off all nonchalant like its not a big deal. Not a big deal? I had finished half my worksheet doing the problems the wrong way!! It was awful! I had to erase all my problems, but, due to my enraged state of mind, I pressed on the page too hard and ripped a hole in the paper. Nick, the junior who sits in front of me, laughed his something-or-other off. I kicked his chair and got a new paper. I also got a short lecture on the importance of how saving paper saves trees from Mr. Morgan. Thanks, hippie.
Anyway, I'm not looking forward to finals. I have a study schedule all planned out. It begins in 20 minutes and ends on Thursday during Physics. Wish me luck!
xoxo
Hayley
P.S. Don't feel bad if you didn't understand the math portion of this post. I didn't get it until today, apparently.
Seriously. I'm realizing more and more that over the semester, things go in one ear and out the other. Those things hover in my brain long enough to pull out an A or B on a test, but then they're just gone. For example, this morning in math class, I was working on a review sheet for our final on Wednesday. I came to a problem about exponents. The problem was as follows:
(-3x^-4y)(-2x^3y^5)
________________
6x^-3y^2
I began by dividing my exponents. x^-4/x^-3 = x^(4/3). I get to problem 9, and my teacher Mr. Morgan (the dork from my farmer tan post) comes over and says "You subtract those exponents." Then he walks off all nonchalant like its not a big deal. Not a big deal? I had finished half my worksheet doing the problems the wrong way!! It was awful! I had to erase all my problems, but, due to my enraged state of mind, I pressed on the page too hard and ripped a hole in the paper. Nick, the junior who sits in front of me, laughed his something-or-other off. I kicked his chair and got a new paper. I also got a short lecture on the importance of how saving paper saves trees from Mr. Morgan. Thanks, hippie.
Anyway, I'm not looking forward to finals. I have a study schedule all planned out. It begins in 20 minutes and ends on Thursday during Physics. Wish me luck!
xoxo
Hayley
P.S. Don't feel bad if you didn't understand the math portion of this post. I didn't get it until today, apparently.
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