Summer!

Whoop!!! It's summer! We just got back from camping for a few days. Maya came with us. We took the boat out onto the lake (Lake Billy Chinook) and found a nice big cliff to jump off of. Jake and I never had before and it was seriously scary. But YOLO. I kept straight but I was tilted slightly backward when I hit the water, so I have a nice big bruise from my upper right thigh to my butt. The worst part was that my swimsuit just about cut me in half. It was a good experience overall though.

The next day, yesterday, we found a spot and Andy set up a zip-line. It wasn't very successful though and I zip-lined into/through a tree. My legs are all scratched up...oh well. :)

Jake, Maya, and I are all going to be in Fiddler on the Roof this fall. I'm so excited. I'll be playing Chava, the third daughter. I fall in love with a Russian guy who isn't Jewish and it's a big deal.

It's weird to have to make plans to see my friends all the time. It still hasn't really hit me that it's summer and I'm a SENIOR. In less than a year I'll be graduating high school. Geez. I'm still trying to decide if I want to take a year off before college. I've got a pretty good plan for after high school, I just need to figure out the nitty-gritty stuff. It's all kind of scary to think about, so I'm trying to hold off a little until it gets closer to all happening...I've started figuring out some things to take with me when I leave home. I have a box of kitchen stuff. I think I'm mostly worried about being homesick.

I should get my report card in a couple days. I'm hoping for straight A's...these would be the best grades I've ever had in my high school career. :) Kind of exciting. I should get my AP Exam score sometime in July. I hope next year is a good one...I would really love it if the drama would just go away...

New Places

There are so many things I've been doing, it's incredible. First of all--Philadelphia. The first thing we did was take a tour of Independence Hall. The capital of the US used to be Philadelphia. I had a real Philly cheesesteak sandwich from Pat's King of Steaks and it was literally one of the best things I've ever eaten. After that we saw the Liberty Bell, and unfortunately I learned nothing about it. We saw where Ben Franklin's grave and the place where he worked and ran up the steps from the movie Rocky. :) We were all yelling victoriously at the top. We drove through Amish country in a town called Intercourse... We had a lot of fun toying with that name... I did learn a lot about the Amish but I have too many other things to talk about. Gettysburg was the last place we went to in that area. It was very cool, and again, too many other things to talk about.

After ariving back in DC, my grandpa had to go straight to the hospital for emergency eye surgery. He had a retinal detachment and couldn't even see out of his right eye. He had a cataract surgery abnout 30 years ago which, for some reason (we don't know why), can cause a higher risk for retinal detachment. They put a gas bubble in his eye to push his retina back against the supportive tissue. (He had us research it so we'd know all about it.) We had planned to do a few more things in DC but he couldn't drive. He's doing better now though.

My dad, brothers, and I left for New York on the 5th and met my aunt and uncle there pretty late at night. But time doesn't really matter there, so we were out 'til like 3 in the morning. We went to Times Square and got peanuts and a big pretzel from some carts. It was sort of mesmorizing just to see everything there. I feel like I should be more used to seeing tall buildings. The next day we went to the top of the Rockefeller Center and got a great view of the city. At FAO Schwartz we played the Big Piano and actually got to see a couple of the employees there perform a few songs! We all got animal puppets. We walked a very tiny bit into Central Park just to sort of get the gist of it. While looking for a taxi at the hotel (we needed two for 6 people), my dad got us a LIMO! The driver (Adelson) took us where we could see the Statue of Liberty from a distance and the Bodies Exhibit by the seaport. That was very interesting...There's a bunch of real (dead) people that are all cut open and have no skin. They somehow replaced all the water in the organs and things with silicone...something silicone. They were all just stiff, out in the o[en, in different action poses. There were a bunch of different sections--skeletal, muscular, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, reproductive, and there was a separate room for fetal development. I couldn't stand to look in any of the bodies' eyes...it made me realize that they were real people. And they just looked pretty weird. After that we went to Ground Zero...It was very emotional. We had dinner in Little Italy. It took us a long time to leave the next day. We took a subway just for the experience and it got delayed. We were going to go up the Empire State Building but we kind of got that experience at the Top of the Rock, so we just hung out at a restaurant at the bottom for a little while.

That night, my aunt and uncle took us up to their house in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. On the way there by brothers stuck their puppets out the window and talked to people with them. They got an elephant and a hippo; mine's an alligator. It only took 35 minutes to drive through Rhode Island. The next morning we went to the beach right next to their house. The Atlantic is way warmer than the Pacific and it's calmer but the beaches are much rockier. We also went down to Rhode Island for some nicer beaches and other things to see. We looked at some big mansions that people use in the summer and it was totally the Great Gatsby setting. We drove out to a (private) beach and enjoyed the waves for a bit. The sand was much nicer there. It started pouring down rain and the waves picked up a lot, plowing me over several times. It was extremely fun though and one of the best times I had on my whole trip. The next day we went to Boston. First thing, we took a Duck Boat tour of the city. After that we got a tour of Fenway Park! Most of the people there were Yankee fans. :P Boo. Red Sox all the way. That evening I slurped an oyster for the first time, and it wasn't bad! I put cocktail sauce on it and it just tasted like the sauce. Why is it you're "not supposed" to chew it? The next day we went to another beach and we swam in the ocean a bunch. This was a very rocky beach and I cut my foot. It hurta a lot more now but hopefully it won't be infected. That salt water burned. We went to Boston again the day after that and walked the Freedom Trail. We saw Paul Revere's house and grave and did a lot of shopping. That evening we went to a restaurant and I had lobster for the first time too! I'm kind of a pro at getting the meat out...no big deal... But I'm pretty sure I prefer crab to lobster. We took a plane back to DC. It was so fun to go there and I'd really love to come back some day. :)

Today in DC we went to the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. My grandpa was actually in the Vietnam War but he was stationed in Japan. He knew a couple guys that died in the war and we found their names on the wall. While we were there it started DUMPING rain and we all got totally soaked. I'm going home the day after tomorrow! Jake is going to Europe tomorrow with my dad. I'm so jealous. He'll have so much fun! A few days after I get home I'm going to Seattle. This summer is sort of great I think...besides my stupid foot, that is. And now I'm sick.

Softball Updates/Injuries

The first softball game of the season is tomorrow. I'm a little nervous. I've never played in a varsity game before. I'm not sure what I'll be doing. I'm expecting second base or right field. The real first game was supposed to be last week but it was postponed to the 30th because of the weather. That was a JV game. There was also supposed to be a varsity game yesterday but it was also postponed to the 30th. It was really nice to have a break from it though this weekend. It was starting to mess up my body. My arms and back were getting really sore but they're fine now. They're going to decide where the game will be tomorrow morning. It should be a lot of fun! The team is really great and we're all very supportive of each other. I'll be in a JV game on Tuesday, too.
At the last practice, I was taking a grounder at shortstop and the ball bounced higher than I expected. It hit me right in the throat. It bounced off and I finished the play before proceeding to cry behind my mitt. :P I seem to be the most injury-prone person on the teams. Both teams for that matter. Early on in the practices, I took a line-drive to the forearm. Recently, I've gotten a bruised knee from sliding and a burn on my elbow from 'diving back to first' in the wrestling room. Gotta love softball.

Well I feel stupid.

Joe came home with the dog from the park and told me and Kate there were some total punks on the way. Kate got the idea to go and mess with them and dress up like punks and act really cool. We went through the garage and I found 2 skateboards. We saw them on a corner up the street. When we were going to go, I started off too fast and just ate it on the sidewalk. I laughed for a second but then I realized how much pain I was in. It was horrible. And on top of that, Kate said they were laughing at me. I landed on the side of my leg and scraped it. I just sat on the sidewalk and said a few cuss words because it hurt so bad and Kate asked if I was ok. Then I started crying. I felt like such an idiot. I didn't look at the people on the corner. I made my way back to the garage and tried to hide my embarrassment and tears. I went up-stairs and looked at my leg and there's a huge scrape on the side of my thigh. This happened like 15 minutes ago. Also, as it turns out, there's a scrape on my ankle. It doesn't hurt but it was bleeding while the other thing wasn't. I put a Marvel Wolverine band-aid on it and Kate got me ice. I felt like crap. Kate told me some embarrassing things about her and made me feel a little better so I'm fine now. Ugh...damn skateboard.

Face Shot

Yesterday I had a softball game at my school. It's the second to last game. My last one is on Saturday. I can't wait for this season to end. In the first inning, a really high pop-up went by the first base line so I went to catch it. It slipped past my mitt and hit me right in the jaw. It hurt SOO BAD!!! I went back to first and tried to shake it off. My coach called time-out and I let a couple tears flow. She made sure I was okay and we continued the game. I have a mark on my face now. It'll turn into a bruise soon. It hurts even if I barely touch it. There's a bump.

But in the last inning, another really high pop-up went around the same area and this time I caught it! I was so happy to redeem myself!

After that, Kate came over to my house and we just hung out. It was a lot of fun. :) Then my mom embarrassed her in the car really bad when we dropped her off. It was hilarious!

As of today, school ends in 1 MONTH! I can't wait for summer! And the Tri-Schools Dance is tomorrow! The 3 main schools are going to one place. It starts at 8 but they're only letting in 950 people. The doors open at 6 so we'll probably get there pretty early to make sure we get in. Annie, Kate and I are going to have a little competition when we get there. ;)

Sliding

Yesterday after school I hung out with Kate before practice. She got to stay and hour after. Since it was Wednesday there was early release and I had to stay about 2 hours before practice started. It was okay though because I got to finish up all of my homework. Anyway, so we mostly stayed in my former English teacher's room. Kate plugged her ipod into his speakers after he left. We messed around a lot and I got a few bruises but it was fun. :) After a little while, my friend Rae came in. When Kate had to leave, Rae played her guitar while I did history homework. She's really good! Then I looked at my phone and freaked out! I grabbed all my stuff and sprinted down the hall to change into my softball stuff. Then I ran down another hallway, past the commons, past the gym, and out the door. My team was nowhere to be seen. I checked the gyms. Not there either. I went back outside and called Michaela. She told me, "It's only 2:45!" I felt so dumb! I took my time going back inside and found Rae.

When my real practice time rolled around, I went to the field with my whole team. We mainly did drills but I slid into third! It was the first time I slid on dirt! But the bad thing is that I was wearing shorts! My leg is so scraped up now! It really hurt. But now I'm not afraid to slide and hopefully I'll get to in the game today. I'm pretty much 1st base now. It's really fun. I love it when I stretch really far and catch it. Well, I'm in yearbook and I gotta go interview someone. Bye.

Flame and Unrelated Pain

The other day in science I volunteered to help the teacher with a demonstration. He was putting methane gas into bubble solution and I was given a yard stick with a candle on the end. I had to touch the bubble with the flame before it hit the ceiling. They burst into huge flames! It was sooo cool!

Then later that day I went to a softball clinic with my team to help little girls practice and so we could see potential players. It was snowing and freezing. One girl threw the ball to me and it popped up off the ground and whacked me in the lip! It gave me a double fat lip and I tasted blood. My eyes watered a little but I kept my cool and kept catching. But that freakin' hurt!!

I have a game tomorrow. Also, the 80's dance is tomorrow! I'm really excited!

Just sad...

Today I had to go to a softball clinic thing. We were teaching a bunch of parents, who were going to be coaching, softball drills that they could use. For some things, we could just fool around while our coach showed them what to do. So I was playing around with some whiffle balls. I threw one way up in the air and tried to catch it but it nicked my pinkie and now I have a blood blister! It freakin' hurts! It hurts to type with that finger! :(

Wow. This is kind of sad.

Sleepover

Yesterday at 1 PM I went roller blading with my friends Jessica, Jenny and Jessica's friend, Emily. It was really fun! And it was only $5. I tried both inline skates and quad skates. There were very few people there. Maybe about 20 little kids. I fell about 25 times though and now I have really bad bruises on my knees. They're really big.

After roller blading, we went to the movies and saw Bounty Hunter. It was better than I thought it would be! It was really funny.

We all spent the night at Jessica's house. At about 1 in the morning, we were all awake except for Jessica. I decided to start talking to her and see if she would talk back in her sleep. She did. :) We all talked to her for about an hour and a half! She said the strangest things! For example: "It's raining tater tots." "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." "Just keep swimming...You're on a diiiiet." "I love Miley Cyrus." "Re-e-e-ed Robin. Yum" She also said that she is going to marry me. And Miley Cyrus. And she did a lot of whimpering when we said things like "Shadows" or "Darkness." And when we said "Paranormal activity" she whimpered more than ever and moved around in fear. She hates that movie. :) But the worst part was when I told her that her dog died. She started crying! I didn't know she would believe me! You believe anything you hear when you're sleeping, I guess. It took about a minute to calm her down and distract her! I felt sooo bad! It was still a hilarious night though. I might just have to try it on some other friends...

This morning, we had muffins for breakfast. We mostly just played around a lot. Then Jenny went home. At 6, Jessica, Emily and I went back to the roller skating place. There were way more people today. 100 people easy. Probably more. I borrowed Jessica's knee pads this time. I used quad skates the whole time. I find them easier to balance and move in. I only fell 7 times! This is a major accomplishment! But the most embarrassing part was when I tried to join the limbo game and I fell and knocked the bar off when it was at the very top of the thing! I didn't try again after that. But later on, I got 2nd place in a quad skate race! They gave me a head start because I'm a girl. :P But it took this really good skater till the very end to catch me! I was pretty proud.

My goal is to learn to skate backwards. Then I want to get better with inline skates. I'm really proud of myself. :)

--Quad Skates
 Below: Inline Skates

Ouch.

A lot happened today. First in history class, my teacher asked if anyone did anything cool this weekend. I said I went to a chili cook-off. He asked if I brought chili. I said no but that I made cornbread and won 3rd place! Then after people started talking again a boy asked me how many people were there. I said about 50 or so. He said, "That's pro." It clicked in my mind at that moment that he was talking about people in the contest. There were actually only about 6 or 7. But I just kept my mouth shut and fought a smile. He'll forever think that I'm a pro cornbread-maker.

In ceramics class we're making Japanese lanterns. Not the paper kind, but the rectangular kind with a lid and stuff. I didn't know I was sitting on the broken stool. The broken stool's top comes off if you life it. Underneath the top is a metal square thing that's attached to the stool's legs. I tried to lift it while it was under me so I could scoot it forward. I lifted the top off and sat down before I realized it. I sat down with my finger between the top and the metal thing. I sprung back up and grabbed my finger, fighting back tears. It hurt so bad! My friends pretty much knew what happened. Then I looked at my finger. I was completely shocked to see a bunch of blood! My friends said my face got all pale and my eyes got all huge. I ran to the sink and washed it off. I started crying now. My teacher came over and asked me what happened. I tried to explain but I was crying and whimpering a lot. He had to say, "What?" once. It was so embarrassing! He got me a Band-Aid.

After school I went to softball practice. By the way, I'm on the JV team! Michaela is on the team with me. We don't have a pitcher or a catcher yet. They're all on the Varsity team. So today we had a sort of pitching/catching try out to see how people can do. When Michaela was pitching I had a fence behind me as a backboard. She pitched one that went over my head so I turned around to catch it off the fence. I was too slow. It bounced off and hit me right in the jaw! Ow.

After practice I went to Kate's house for dinner and we worked on the script some more. I love it! It's hilarious! It'll take us at least all summer to do it, though. We're trying to save money for props and stuff. It's very low right now, but it's ok because we're only writing the script right now. I'm so excited about it! I try to add to it whenever I get new ideas. Then I show them to Kate and we edit it. Today was a really packed day! So much pain... So much fun!