Sweet Sixteen!!!

Hey everyone! So, I'm sixteen today...just so you know. Haha. Well, I've officially been a year older since 8:08 this morning, but still...

So, today, I woke up at 8:00, and officially got to see the clock turn to 8:08...at which point Mom promptly texted me a "Happy Birth-Minute" message. And so I kinda chilled until 8:15 and then took a shower and got ready for the day. Dad had a "Happy Birthday" note on a post-it on the bathroom mirror, along with a "Happy Not Your Birthday" post-it for Quinn.

Once I had gotten myself all dressed (my skinny jeans and lavender/grey striped top), and my makeup on, I went downstairs and watched The Shopworn Angel, which was pretty good, but I think I'm bias because I love anything James Stewart is in...but anyway. So, after that, I came up and had lunch (taco soup and cornbread leftovers...because we had a ton left over). And then I washed the tiny pile of dishes.

Next was homework...I finished my world history book last week, so that's done. And I'll finish with A Tale of Two Cities by the end of this week, so that's cool. And then Mom came home, with the mail in hand...three more birthday cards. So, I opened and read all of them, and then promptly wrote out the 'thank you' cards for them, so they could go in the mail on Tuesday.

So, we ended up just chilling for the afternoon. Mom and Dad had a flower arrangement delivered to the house this afternoon as a gift, which was amazingly sweet. And it's super-pretty. Then we chilled some more, and when Dad got home at 6:00, we all piled into the car and headed to Village Tavern for a birthday dinner, which was awesomely good.

Then, we came home, and Mom popped in our latest Netflix rental, The Last Airbender, which I sorta watched. I was kinda working on the crossword for the first half and then reading over my driver's handbook for the other half. When it ended, I went downstairs and let Ella run around while I watched Pretty Little Liars, which was pretty cool. My favorite part this week was Ezra picking Aria up in the limo...so cute!

Random thing...but I think I wrote 'thanks' and 'thank you' about a bazillion times today. Between the cards and the wall-posts on Facebook, some from people I haven't talked to in forever, I swear could now write/type 'thanks' and 'thank you' in my sleep. Just so you know...

Anyway, so that was pretty much it for the day. Tomorrow, I go to the DMV to try for my license...fingers crossed! Right now, I'm not nervous, but I'm sure once I wake up, I'll feel it...no idea why though. Nothing much else going on for the rest of the week, but that's alright with me. :)

Figure Skating, Basketball, and A Little Bit of Partying...

So, I'm going to post this as being written on Sunday, even though most of it is being written in the early hours of Monday morning. What counts is that it's 11:50 as I'm typing this sentence, so it's still technically Sunday...but whatever.

The past few days have been amazing. Friday was pretty normal. I was able to finish my homework and all that good stuff and then just hung out for the day.

On Saturday, we got up, ate breakfast, and then the four of us headed to Greensboro. Dad had tickets from Komen for the morning pairs session, so we got to the Greensboro Coliseum at 11:00, and watched the pairs free skate (I think the long program) and the pairs ice dancing competition. The routines were pretty good; I'm not very technical with the terminology and what's higher difficulty and all that, but it was neat to see. The costumes were gorgeous, and the music was really pretty - one of the pairs did a routine to "All That Jazz" and "Hot Honey Rag" from the movie "Chicago", which was really cool.

So, then we hopped back in the car, and headed home. We just chilled for a few hours, had lunch, and then Dad and I went to the Wake/Virginia game. And guess what? Wake actually won! Their first ACC win...which honestly, I don't think many people expected, with how bad the team has been playing. But, cool, anyway. When we got home, we ordered dinner from Frank's, picked it up, and ended up watching Phineas and Ferb: Rollercoater, The Musical, which was cute. And I cleaned Ella's cage,

Today was pretty amazing. Mom and I went to the grocery store this morning, and came back, had lunch, and then started the prep work on the taco soup, a new recipe she was testing out on us. So, we put it all together, and turned on the slow cooker, and let it go. Then, we cleaned the house, and Dad went and picked up my cake. And he came back with not only the cake, but a balloon bouquet from Party City, which was so cool.

And then, Mom finished up the cooking, and all the family started arriving. Lynne and Herb, Bob and Carol, Tweetie and David, and Granny, were all there, and we all had taco soup and cornbread, which was delicious, and chatted and laughed and had a great time. Then, everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and we had cake and ice cream and talked some more.

I opened my gifts next...I got money from the aunts & uncles and my grandmother. Mom, Dad, and Quinn gave me an American Girl "Breakfast in Bed" set, which I had seen in the magazine and thought it looked absolutely adorable (yes, I'm still a little girl at heart...buying doll clothes and accessories). They also gave me the Letters to Juliet DVD, a movie which I really love, and a stand-up make-up mirror, which not only lights up, but the base is touch-sensitive, so when you tap it, it changes the light setting. I was so not expecting that, and it was awesome. And Mom got me again with the bags of coconut. She used them yet again to weigh down the box containing the DVD, so I got a good chuckle out of that.

And then, we sat and talked for a while longer, and then everyone started to leave. After we said goodbye to everyone, and the last car pulled away, Mom washed the dished while I dried them, and then I went downstairs to let Ella out while I wrote out some 'thank you' cards, because I'm trying not to procrastinate on my cards this year (this past Christmas included). And then, we all said goodnight, and went to bed.

Okay, so enough with the recap. (And I'll probably post the pics of this evening's festivities to Facebook within the next few days, just so you know.) One thing I have to mention is that I have discovered the most amazing singer/songwriter, Emma Wallace. Her music is pretty amazing. She has a really cute sound to her songs, and the lyrics are really pretty. So, check her out online if you can...I love her.

So, on the agenda for the next few days...tomorrow (well, today, since it's technically Monday now) should be pretty normal during the day. The four of us are going to Village Tavern in the evening for dinner, but that's pretty much it. And then on Tuesday, I'll be going to the DMV to try for my license, unless it's raining super hard or something, which hopefully, it won't.

Busy Few Days...

So, I guess I'll just summarize the busy days...or day, really.

Wednesday was actually pretty busy for me. Mom was home, so we ran errands most of the day. We stopped at the post office, the bank, and then I drove to Lewisville/Clemmons for an appointment with our insurance agent, and I got added onto our insurance plan and all that good stuff. Then, we drove to the mall, and I went into Forever 21 looking for a black lace shirt to wear with my black strapless dress (also known as my LBD, little black dress).

So, I tried a couple of options on, and found one I liked, and then we paid and headed for Rack Room shoes. I needed a pair of black heels to go with said dress, but guess what? I have freaking kid's feet! I can't even fit into a women's size 6! So, all the pretty shoes wouldn't fit, and the only ones that would fit were the babyish ones in the kid's section. Needless to say, I did not get any shoes... :(

And then we went to Casanova's, and as we were driving, the snow started to fall! And so I drove in blowing snow for a little while, which was pretty cool. So, we got to Casanova's, and picked up some coffee beans (their "Romeo & Juliet" blend, which I used today and loved). And we ordered some hot drinks to sip when we got home.

Then, we chilled for a while at the house, and watched Oprah, and then Mom, Quinn, and I went to my grandmother's house. We picked up McDonald's to take over for dinner, and we ate and watched some tv, and then Dad came over. And we watched a little more tv and then headed home and watched some more tv...haha.

So, today, I woke up later than I wanted to, and went straight to working on my laptop, because the night before, the battery light was blinking even though it was charged and plugged in. I ended up trying a couple of things, and it ended up going away kinda on its own. I had lunch, and then washed the dishes, and then, of course, did not feel like doing my homework. But I did, except I almost fell asleep reading...not because the book was boring or anything, I was just tired.

When I finally got my homework done, I waited around until Mom got home, and we ended up making coffee. I went back into my room while Mom watched a movie downstairs and Quinn worked on his homework. And then, we made dinner, and ate, and watched the news. Dad is coming home pretty late tonight; he's at the Greensboro Coliseum manning the Komen booth at the Figure Skating competition and won't be home until ten or eleven.

So, right now, I'm downstairs, letting Ella run around. I'll be back upstairs in a little while to watch The Office, Community, and 30 Rock, and then that's pretty much it. The next few days are going to be busy...not so much Friday, but Saturday we're going to Greensboro to watch some of the figure skating, and then Dad and I are going to the Wake/Virginia game. And on Sunday, the family is getting together to celebrate my birthday, and then on Monday (my official birthday), the four of us are going to go out to eat to celebrate. And then, hopefully, I'll be able to go try for my license on Tuesday. Unless it rains, which there's a chance of...because I'm not taking my driving test in the rain.

Lots of Things to Talk About

Okee-dokee, here I am, finally. I am totally exhausted right now...I did a ton of stuff this weekend, so now I'm super tired... But anyway, here's what I've been doing,

So, I finished my homework Friday morning and just chilled for the afternoon. Just after five, I drove my mom and brother over to Elizabeth's Pizza, and we met up with Robyn and Aaron and Robyn's mother and baby sister. We had dinner, and chatted for a while, about books and movies and Harry Potter and things of that nature, and then my dad drove us over to Marketplace Cinema.

Robyn, Aaron, and I saw Megamind, which was pretty cool. I didn't think I was going to like it, but I actually did. It was quite cute and funny. So, we watched that, and then Robyn's mother picked us up, and we went back to Robyn's for a little while. We ended up reminiscing over the Hanes yearbooks Aaron had brought, and looking at all the photos and notes people had written and sharing memories.

Robyn and Aaron, both master pianists, played some beautiful pieces, and then we played a couple of rounds of Bananagrams, which was really cool. And at 10:30, Aaron left, so Robyn and I retired back to her room for a few minutes, discussing and listening to Sinatra and Astaire songs, until my mom showed up.

Then, on Saturday, I woke up super-late, as in 11:00, and Mom and I went over to Walgreens for a few things that afternoon. When we got back, I chilled for an hour, and then Dad and I went to the Wake/Duke basketball game. Wake lost, as we expected, but not as badly as we had thought. So, it was okay. And after we got home, we made dinner, and watched The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which was pretty awesome. "Secrets" by OneRepublic was one of the main songs in the movie, so I kept jamming along with that the whole time.

Today was cool. I got up early, and Mom and I went to Target, Barnes & Nobles, and the grocery store. We picked up James Blunt's new CD, Some Kind of Trouble, which I can't wait to listen to this evening. "Stay the Night" is the only one I've heard, and I liked it, so hopefully, I'll like the rest of the CD. I already loaded the disc onto Mom's iPod, so mine will be the next one to get loaded.

And we basically chilled for the afternoon. Mom and I watched The Missing, which starred Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones. It was definitely pretty cool...the plot's kinda hard to describe, but it's basically about them finding Cate's daughter, who's been taken by Indians to be sold into Mexico...set during the 1880"s, which was kinda cool, too,

So, right now, I'm just sitting here. We had dinner - Mom made this chicken tortilla bake thing, which was awesome - and Mom and I played rummy (card game) for a little bit. I'll probably go down and let Ella out soon, and then maybe come back up for a cup of coffee and something sweet.

Oh, cool thing. Sony Vegas lets me upload videos directly to YouTube, which is so awesome. I've got some experience with the program now...I just uploaded my first video today, actually. I like the program - it's a lot more customizable than Movie Maker, and it has a ton more effects options and transitions, which I love.

So, anyway, nothing much on the agenda for the next couple of days. Mom's home on Wednesday, so we're going to meet with our insurance agent to get the "proof of insurance" form for when I get my license, and I'll get the "New Drivers" speech from our agent. Mom and I are planning on doing some shopping and running some errands afterward, which should be fun. But, nothing much else until the weekend.

I Love This Commercial...

So, I was watching tv tonight...and on comes this commercial...




Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor...superimposed from this video, which I happened to have seen prior to viewing the commercial...




I love life...just saying. :)

"It Was The Best of Times, It Was The Worst of Times..."

Alright, so here I am again, bored and blogging about...well, I don't really know. But whatever.

So, this week has been pretty normal, I guess. Nothing much to report in that respect. Mom and I did some shopping at Costco, and Barnes and Noble this weekend...must have been Saturday evening or Sunday...can't remember.

Either way, I started A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens this week for school, and so far, it's pretty good. I've seen an old movie version of it, so I already know the storyline, but it's been neat to read. I had no idea the first line is the immortal, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...", so it was cool to read that. I'm not terribly far into it right now, but I should have it finished within the next few weeks, considering I'm doubling up my Language Arts stuff for a while.

We had dinner with my grandmother last night, after a two week lapse (because of Wake basketball games). So, Mom made pot roast, mashed potatoes, rolls, etc for dinner, which was all really good. And then we watched a little tv before we took my grandmother home, and after we dropped her off, Dad and I listened to the Wake/Georgia Tech game on the radio, and Wake was playing horribly. We ended up watching the final few minutes on tv when we got home...the Deacs didn't even score 40 points the whole game! And Dad kept laughing at all the comments on the Wake sports board online.

I was able to watch a couple of movies this week. On Tuesday, I watched British Agent, which was neat, and State Fair, which was cool to watch since I had seen Reagan's production of it last year. And today I got to watch another Best Picture winner (this one from 1936), The Great Ziegfeld, which was good, but extremely long (almost three hours).

I am very excited for tomorrow...I'm getting together with Robyn and Aaron for a meal and a movie. I haven't seen either of them in forever, Aaron since Emma's goodbye party, and Robyn since the Christmas party I threw back in 2009, if I'm not mistaken. So, we're getting together for a good old reminiscing session about the Hanes days and all that good stuff. And I can't wait!

So, on the agenda for the next few days...obviously, the get-together I just mentioned, the Wake/Duke game on Saturday, which should be...interesting, to say the least, and just some relaxing over the weekend.

Fairly Busy Day...

Today was good...I guess. I ended up waking up pretty late, and got up and got ready. Mom came home from running errands, and we had the doughnuts and Dunkinchino's she brought back. And then, we chilled for a little while and then headed out to Target. We needed a couple of things...shampoo, birthday gift for my uncle, a couple of cards, etc.

So, we left Target, and went to the grocery store for a few items. Then, we went to my aunt & uncle's, and sat around and chatted and gave my uncle his birthday gift (his birthday isn't until Wednesday, but he'll be in Charlotte then for work). And then, we drove over to Subway and picked up a salad to have as a side for dinner.

We got home, and Dad had on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, so we watched a little of that before Mom called in the order for pizza, and we went to pick that up. And we got home, and ate, and watched the rest of the movie. And then, Mom and I washed the dishes, and I went downstairs to clean Ella's cage and watch the second part of The Suite Life On Deck Twister special...I have no idea why I'm watching it, but it was kinda funny tonight, seeing as there's a Wizard of Oz spoof-scene and all.

And then, I came upstairs, and Dad and I watched the last few minutes of the Wake/Virginia Tech game on tv, and Wake lost by like 29 or something, which sucks. We changed it over to football after my mom went to bed, and now, I'm just sitting here, chilling out in the living room while Dad works on his laptop.

So, this is what my screen looked like today...I've been trying to figure out how to work Sony Vegas...

It's very complicated, as you can see. Not at all like Windows Movie Maker... So, I'm working on a video, just for kicks, so I can figure out all the bells and whistles. I found this very cool instrumental piece, Taylor Swift's "Love Story" that blends into Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". So, I'm using that, and trying to pick up on some of the beats and things so I can try some new techniques.

Um, anyway, that's pretty much it. Nothing much going on in the next few days...just going to be chilling. Something cool, though...we're going to one of the pairs ice skating sessions/competitions for the 2011 Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, I think on the 29th, which is going to be pretty neat. But, that's still a while off...

Another Short Post...

Okay, so I've been a bit negligent in my blogging duties...but whatever. Here I am now...

So, nothing much has been going on this week. Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal, except for all the snow and stuff. Mom and Dad were home on Monday, which was different, and so we just kinda chilled...

On Wednesday, I didn't do anything until the evening. Dad and I went to the Wake/Maryland basketball game, and it was really bad. Wake played horribly...so horribly that my dad and his seatmate were yelling at the Wake coach (can't spell his name...Bzdelik? Something like that...) from our seats upstairs. And we saw Anita on the jumbotron...again.

Today was fine, too. Normal...which is fine. I'm trying to figure out how to work my new video editor, Sony Vegas, which is what I did most of today, after I did my homework. We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and then watched Winter Wipeout and CSI: NY from Friday, and then let Ella out.

Tomorrow should be a little better. Mom and I are going to the bookstore to get A Tale of Two Cities, because I need that for school next week. But, that's pretty much it.

Wow, I come on here to blog, and I can't even think of anything to say...this is going to be a super-short post again. Is this even worth posting? Eh, I'll do it anyway, cuz I'm cool like that. Haha.

My Weekend Activities

Okay, so now I'm apparently using the "old editor", but it's really the "updated editor"...? Either way, I'm confused...

So, nothing much went on Thursday or Friday, or at least nothing that I can remember, except that we watched Inside Man on Friday night, which I had sorta seen before, but it was still pretty good. On Saturday, we chilled for the morning and afternoon, and then we went over to my grandmother's to take down her Christmas tree, and then had dinner with her and watched some tv and visited. I came home and cleaned Ella's cage, and that was about it for the night.

Today (Sunday), Mom and I went to the grocery store in the morning, and then we came home and chilled for the afternoon, doing little chores and things. And Mom and I played cards for a little while. Mom made this beef stew slow-cooker thing for dinner, which was really good. And I took Ella out, while Quinn watched Disney channel and Mom played Chuzzle. (Dad was working on some stuff for Komen.)

Then we fixed this banana's foster bread pudding for a late dessert, which took a while to make, and was totally not worth making...needless to say, we won't be using that recipe again. But, you live and learn, I guess. And then, we relaxed for a little while, and watched the news...public school is closed, but we'll still be working...but that's okay because we won't have to make up a snow day. And Quinn is sick, so I'm trying to stay out of the danger zone ('trying' being the operative word here).

And that's pretty much it right now...yeah, kinda a short post, but whatever. :)

Blogger Issues And What Happens When I'm Bored...

Okay, so right now I'm pretty mad at Blogger...I just had to switch back to the old editor so I could actually post because the new one just sat there and failed to load. So, instead of having written this a few hours ago, when I had nothing to do, here I sit writing it now...after midnight. Ugh.

So, anyway, not much going on, but I thought I'd post just because. Dad and I went to the Wake basketball game against High Point tonight (well, yesterday now)...Wake won, thank goodness. Wasn't terribly exciting until the last ten minutes or so though. And I can now say that the Tabor band is much better than the Reagan band. Tabor played during one of the games a couple of weeks ago, and Reagan played tonight...and I'm sorry, but whoever was on trumpet or whatever was horrible. They really obliterated the Wake fight song, and I could've used less drums...I think there were like a bazillion drums down there tonight, when the student band from Wake can get away with the one set.

Because Picnik is so cool, and because I basically have no life, this is what I do sometimes. I take black and white pictures...this one being Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse from The Band Wagon...

And color them, using the tint feature on Picnik...

This is the one I worked on today, from The Adventures of Robin Hood...

Before:

After: (I don't think I felt like doing the background on this one...)

Yep, so anyway, that's what I end up doing when I'm not doing anything else. But anyway, I think that's pretty much it for now. Oh, but I have to mention somewhere that Pretty Little Liars is back on, and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here!

Just Posting Because I Feel Like It...

So, I hope everyone's New Year started off wonderfully. Mine pretty much has.

Really, I've just been sort of hanging around. On Saturday, Mom and I went to Enchanted Cottage and just looked around and picked up a couple of things...glitter pens and letter stickers for me. Because I was bored. And that was pretty much it...or at least what was important anyway.

I don't remember when we did, but I forgot to mention that we watched Up In The Air at some point this weekend, maybe Friday or Saturday night. But, whatever the date, it was a pretty good movie. I didn't think it was going to be very good, but actually, it was neat. I liked the plotline, and the characters, and all that, and overall, it was a good movie to see.

So, today, Mom and I went to the grocery store in the morning, and then Dad and I went to the Wake basketball game versus Gonzaga, which Wake lost, but whatever. And we kinda got on camera...well, sorta. Our section was the Meltdown promo section, but we weren't one of the ones with gift cards under our seats, and the cameras didn't really highlight specific people anyway, but whatever.

And then, we came home, and I chilled for a while, and actually took a short nap for whatever reason. When I got up, we ordered subs (or, in Quinn's case, lasagna) from Frank's, and I drove Mom and Quinn to pick it up. And we came home, and ate, and watched Disney Channel, which Quinn had on. And then, I let Ella out and chilled down in the basement. And Emma and I had a wonderful discussion on Facebook...love you, Emma. :)

Well, tomorrow is going to be pretty much back to normal. Mom and Dad will be at work, which means I can get back to my normal routine. Of course, that means back to full homework schedule, but whatever. Mom and I need to head back out to Enchanted Cottage tomorrow afternoon...well, technically just to Casanova's, the coffee shop next door, for fudge...my dad gave his holiday gifts at work too late (one of his co-workers was already on vacation), so he needs more fudge, which is what he gave away to everyone else.

Anyway, that was a bit of a long story...haha. Not that I have much else to talk about. Just trying to get a few get-togethers going for the next few months, and trying to stay sane. Lol. :)

For Auld Lang Syne...

First of all, Happy New Year, everyone!

Okay, so I thought this pic was cute, seeing as I'd just seen Holiday Inn and all. Anyway...

So, my first thing on the agenda is my recap of the past day or so. Last night, we went out to Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse for dinner, which was really nice. We determined that we hadn't been there since my birthday celebration almost a year ago...wow. So, that was cool.

Today, I went out on an errand run with Mom to the post office, the mall (we needed calendars), the bookstore, to lunch, and then to the bank. And then we went to my aunt's house to celebrate her birthday and then over to the grocery store. And then we came home and cooked dinner while I finished my homework...I finished Emma by Jane Austen today...great book.

We hung around and watched the news and Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy while we waited for dinner to finish cooking. Then, we ate, and watched a couple of Criminal Minds reruns, seeing as there was nothing else on, and then I went downstairs to let Ella out while I watched the performances on the first part of the New Year's Rockin' Eve special.

And then we watched the news for half an hour, and then flipped to CBS for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, and watched the performances and counted down to the new year, and then toasted with sparkling grape juice. So, we all sat down and chilled and watched the performances for a while before heading to bed.

So...recap over, and here's my short list of New Year's Resolutions...that I may or may not keep...you know me. :)

1. Spend more time with family and friends

2. Exercise more often.

3. Be a better person (okay, that one probably sounded really cheesy, but y'all know I'm a cheeseball anyway, so whatever.)

Yep, that's all I got for tonight. I am super-tired right now, so I am definitely sleeping in! :)