I can't believe I haven't seriously updated this since January 30th (The Promised Update). SO much has changed in the past eleven months that I don't even know where to start!
I guess I'll begin with my usual laundry list =)
School:
I'm a SENIOR! School this year has been difficult but incredibly rewarding at the same time. I'm taking classes that I love (English Tragedy, Modern Latin American History, Biology, Physics, Calculus Theory II, and Honor Choir) and doing quite well in them (though we'll see just *how* well when I get my finals back next week)! Calc Theory has been the most difficult class, as our teacher sometimes sets his expectations too high for our abilities. Last test, for example, the class average was a shocking 35%. Luckily, MrL allowed us to retake the test, but I still ended up with quite a low score, which brought down my semester grade. I hope that next semester will be better!
I've also been extremely busy with college applications, and after visiting Duke and researching the university more, decided to apply Early Decision in October. I just received my acceptance on the 14th and am SO excited to attend my first choice university! We are having a little worry, though, about finances and financial aid, so cross your fingers that it all works out =)
Because of four AP classes and college applications, school work has been very busy. I haven't had a lot of time for having fun with friends, but hope to rectify that next semester.
Friends:
Friends and relationships have remained quite the same. H, R, V and I are still "besties," though V doesn't spend much time with the group. T and I are still a little weird around each other, but it's gotten MUCH better and has been WAY less awkward. I've truly learned to appreciate my good friends and have already started to miss them for when we all part ways next year. I do hope that we will stay in touch and remain friends, but I know how much college will change things.
On a slightly different note (one I don't think I've brought up on this blog yet!), there have been a few guys in my life over the past few months. I met J1 on a family river rafting trip, and we hit it off right away. Spent a couple of weeks talking and going out with him, which were really fun =) Unfortunately, summer and summer plans made us drift apart, but we still chat once in a while. I had known J2 (I don't know what is up with all the Js!) for a little while before he went on a trip with my friends, and got to know him much better over the trip. We had fun and continued hanging out for a few months afterwards, but fell apart when he did something unforgivable. Right now, I'm single, but who knows what will happen in the future ;)
Riding:
As I had planned, I got back into riding in late March/early April. I began with a new trainer (LH) and have learned so much and have been given so many opportunities from her over the past months. In May, she helped me find two catch-rides: Q, an experienced eventer with an amateur owner who wanted him to go around the course with another rider, and B, a big lovable boy who took me clean through my first Training and even earned me 4th place! Since that May event, I competed out-of-state with another catch-ride, S, one of LH's own horses. In order to pay for the expensive out-of-state event, LH let me groom for her, which was an incredible experience. I loved being so up close with the highest levels of the sport.
LH has been EXTREMELY generous, and because she knows that I pay for all of my riding myself, she has hooked me up with many jobs, including riding for her, grooming for her, tutoring her daughter, and even an independent contracting position with one of her other clients! Additionally, when I didn't have another horse to ride, she has given me her personal horse to lease and compete for the next season. F is an amazingly talented, yet opinionated, thoroughbred, and he has taught me so much in the last four months, and we've begun to develop a close partnership. I can't wait to show him next year!
I cannot thank LH enough for all that she has done for me, but try to every day =)
Other:
Finally, I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas (if you celebrate), and Happy Holidays! I'm spending Christmas with family friends, including baby A celebrating his first holiday =) The past four days with them have been magical, and just what I needed after a long first semester.
After this long post, I'm starting to remember why I liked writing this blog so much. I don't think there will be quite as long a hiatus until next post ;)
Love, as always,
-E
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
It's Been A LONG Time
Wow, it has been FOREVER since I've last updated this. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to make any promises to update again soon - I just had to share this quotation:
"You are not given the people you want; you are given the people you NEED... to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you, and to make you into the person you were meant to be."
"You are not given the people you want; you are given the people you NEED... to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you, and to make you into the person you were meant to be."
I thought this quotation was extremely powerful, and SO fitting for my life right now. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you to think about/figure out ;)
-E
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Coming Back Home
I've returned from my whirlwind Tahoe/East Coast trip, but, as usual, am a little too tired to give a full update now. I'll definitely post again early this week, but I figured I'd leave you with a little tidbit:
I visited four colleges, and, as of now, my order of preference is: DUKE, Cornell, Northwestern, and UChicago. I LOVED Duke, and hated UChicago, and Cornell and Northwestern were somewhere in between. I'll let you know more later though =)
Hope you all have a fantastic week!
-E
I visited four colleges, and, as of now, my order of preference is: DUKE, Cornell, Northwestern, and UChicago. I LOVED Duke, and hated UChicago, and Cornell and Northwestern were somewhere in between. I'll let you know more later though =)
Hope you all have a fantastic week!
-E
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tahoe and College Visiting!
IT'S FEBRUARY BREAK!!! YAY!!!
Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, I thought I'd let you know that I am leaving today for Tahoe to go skiing, and then on Tuesday, am flying to Ithaca, NY to visit Cornell University; Durham, North Carolina to visit Duke; and Chicago to visit Northwestern and University of Chicago. I'll be back on Sunday the 21st (if I can get a flight back - *crossing fingers* for no snow!), and will update all about it then!
Have a good week (especially if you're on break too)!
-E
Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, I thought I'd let you know that I am leaving today for Tahoe to go skiing, and then on Tuesday, am flying to Ithaca, NY to visit Cornell University; Durham, North Carolina to visit Duke; and Chicago to visit Northwestern and University of Chicago. I'll be back on Sunday the 21st (if I can get a flight back - *crossing fingers* for no snow!), and will update all about it then!
Have a good week (especially if you're on break too)!
-E
Monday, February 8, 2010
On Family
7 dinner plates, 7 dessert plates, 3 little bowls, 6 glasses, 2 pairs of chopsticks, 15 forks, 5 spoons, 8 butter knives, 2 tupperware containers, 3 serving plates, 2 kitchen knives, 1 ladle, 3 ride spoons, 1 salad bowl, 1 cake tin, 2 cutting boards, 1 cake knife, and 1 set of tongs, and that's not including the pots and pans, which (thankfully) were washed earlier. All washed, dried, and put away. *Sigh of relief*
Oh, having a large family can be SO much fun when you're the only one washing dishes (not!). And this is a *normal* dinner for us, we have been known to use even more! I love my family, I really do, but sometimes I think about how nice it would be to just have three, or even four of us. Having only a few dishes at night to wash, not having to wait in line to use the clothes washer/dryer on the weekends, being able to back the car out of our crowded, driveway without worrying about hitting Mom's new car... that would be nice! Although, I think I would miss my huge family. There are eight of us in total, and though we have our arguments, it's so much fun to sit down for dinner every night and talk about whatever comes across our minds. And I love that there is *always* someone to talk to, at nearly any time of day or night. I guess there are some benefits to having a large family, and, as the old saying goes, "you can't choose your family," so I guess I'll be happy with what I've got =)
-E
Oh, having a large family can be SO much fun when you're the only one washing dishes (not!). And this is a *normal* dinner for us, we have been known to use even more! I love my family, I really do, but sometimes I think about how nice it would be to just have three, or even four of us. Having only a few dishes at night to wash, not having to wait in line to use the clothes washer/dryer on the weekends, being able to back the car out of our crowded, driveway without worrying about hitting Mom's new car... that would be nice! Although, I think I would miss my huge family. There are eight of us in total, and though we have our arguments, it's so much fun to sit down for dinner every night and talk about whatever comes across our minds. And I love that there is *always* someone to talk to, at nearly any time of day or night. I guess there are some benefits to having a large family, and, as the old saying goes, "you can't choose your family," so I guess I'll be happy with what I've got =)
-E
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Promised Update =)
Okay, this is the real thing, I promise! Though, I can't guarantee how happy/enthusiastic it will be, since I'm kinda in a downer mood right now, but I'll try.
China: China was... fantastic, and amazing, and too good for words. It (despite the frigid temperatures) was probably the best trip I've taken in a long time (and I go on some pretty incredible trips!). Rooming with one of my best friends (let's call her H) went really well, and we got closer than ever - which I didn't think was possible! =P The food was phenomenal, but a little weird at times, and I ate WAY too much, as usual! The people we met and the places we saw... oh my goodness, it was just so cool! It was honestly a life-changing experience (not to be too cliche/cheesy), and I feel that I, along with the rest of my grade, came back knowing a lot more about China, its people, and ourselves (okay, the not-being-cliche/cheesy thing isn't really working out!).
I had a terrific time in China, but came back SO incredibly tired. I know a few of my classmates slept for 16+ hours straight upon returning. That I think was the only downside of the trip (besides the smog, I guess, which gave me a horrible cough that is still lasting to this day). Unfortunately, we didn't get much rest before we had to be back at school and so that has made these past few weeks pretty difficult, as I was trying to catch up on sleep and stay on top of everything else.
Musical: As I mentioned before, I designed lights for a musical (Honk!) last weekend! It was my first time designing for a *real* show (because Pantomimes are different), and it was a lot of fun! Another friend of mine (L, who is a year younger than I am) ran the lights as she will take over as resident light designer when I graduate (at least, that's the plan). The show was pretty good, but not great, mostly because the actors were all in middle school! There were a few terrific actresses/kids cast in the perfect roles, including Ugly, the Cat, Lowbutt, and Queenie. I must admit, Drake was also one of my favorites =)
Though the musical was a lot of fun (and the director LOVED my lighting, which was really nice!), it did mean tech rehearsals and tech week. I spent most of my MLK, Jr. weekend at tech rehearsals, and the entire week after that, I was at school until 8pm. Scariest moment ever though - the lightboard broke on Tuesday night, just two days before our opening, and we COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG! I was SO worried that we would lose all of our cues and/or not have any lights at all for the show, but thankfully, we were able to get an electrician in who figured out that the air-flow sensor wasn't working properly, which caused all the lights (stage *and* house) not to work. Thank goodness we got the board working again before our final dress!
School: I haven't really updated since I got my finals back, so I guess I'll start with those. My finals, on a whole, were pretty uniform, though a little bit lower than I usually get. Math, in particular, was not one of my best scores, but it didn't make *that* much of a difference. Surprisingly, English (my worst subject) was my best final! It really does help to have a good teacher, as for the past few years, I've been stuck with mediocre ones. This semester, I have almost all of the same classes, except I'm taking British Literature in English. We've been reading Pride and Prejudice for the past few weeks, and I have really enjoyed it! I must say, though, 3rd quarter is my least favorite. It's the longest, and we have nothing to look forward to at the end of it. My grades *always* slip during third quarter, so my goal this year is to make it through without declining too much. Hopefully, I can!
Other: Well, as you know, I'm taking a few months off of riding (tentatively beginning again in April, but taking it very slowly), and so, I've had a lot of free time. With this, I've signed up for/been asked to take part in a lot of class governmental-type things. For example, every year, the Juniors put on a banquet for their Seniors (the theme of which is top-secret), and I'm heading a sub-committee along with H. Also, the Juniors and Seniors have "rivalry" every year, which is a huge tradition consisting of decorating the school in another top-secret theme, and basically going head-to-head with the Seniors for a week. It's a TON of fun, and I am Rivalry Head (with R) for our class this year, which I'm really excited about! Third, my "principal" has asked me to head a committee about China, and the changes we should make for the trip next year. This is exactly the sort of thing I like to do, so I can't wait to get started =) I just hope, with work, school, and these three commitments, I don't overload my plate. We'll see how it goes!
Thanks for reading this (if you got through it all!), and I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I'll try to be more consistent =)
-E
Friends: *Sigh* Nothing much has changed in this department, except for maybe even further drifting apart. It's been really difficult for me, but I am not the type of person to go up to someone and just lay it all out. I just can't do that, and I think that's what we need... I don't really know, I've never been put in this position before. I worry that if I try to keep us together, she'll just end up resenting me (even more than she does now?), and so, I do nothing about it, even though it hurts. What worries me most, though, is that is seems like she is drifting away from everyone. I know she's tired, and stressed, and somewhat sick, but she seems really unhappy, and I don't know that I can do anything about it. I just hope I/we can figure this out before something irreparable happens...
Okay, on to a happier note!
China: China was... fantastic, and amazing, and too good for words. It (despite the frigid temperatures) was probably the best trip I've taken in a long time (and I go on some pretty incredible trips!). Rooming with one of my best friends (let's call her H) went really well, and we got closer than ever - which I didn't think was possible! =P The food was phenomenal, but a little weird at times, and I ate WAY too much, as usual! The people we met and the places we saw... oh my goodness, it was just so cool! It was honestly a life-changing experience (not to be too cliche/cheesy), and I feel that I, along with the rest of my grade, came back knowing a lot more about China, its people, and ourselves (okay, the not-being-cliche/cheesy thing isn't really working out!).
I had a terrific time in China, but came back SO incredibly tired. I know a few of my classmates slept for 16+ hours straight upon returning. That I think was the only downside of the trip (besides the smog, I guess, which gave me a horrible cough that is still lasting to this day). Unfortunately, we didn't get much rest before we had to be back at school and so that has made these past few weeks pretty difficult, as I was trying to catch up on sleep and stay on top of everything else.
Musical: As I mentioned before, I designed lights for a musical (Honk!) last weekend! It was my first time designing for a *real* show (because Pantomimes are different), and it was a lot of fun! Another friend of mine (L, who is a year younger than I am) ran the lights as she will take over as resident light designer when I graduate (at least, that's the plan). The show was pretty good, but not great, mostly because the actors were all in middle school! There were a few terrific actresses/kids cast in the perfect roles, including Ugly, the Cat, Lowbutt, and Queenie. I must admit, Drake was also one of my favorites =)
Though the musical was a lot of fun (and the director LOVED my lighting, which was really nice!), it did mean tech rehearsals and tech week. I spent most of my MLK, Jr. weekend at tech rehearsals, and the entire week after that, I was at school until 8pm. Scariest moment ever though - the lightboard broke on Tuesday night, just two days before our opening, and we COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG! I was SO worried that we would lose all of our cues and/or not have any lights at all for the show, but thankfully, we were able to get an electrician in who figured out that the air-flow sensor wasn't working properly, which caused all the lights (stage *and* house) not to work. Thank goodness we got the board working again before our final dress!
School: I haven't really updated since I got my finals back, so I guess I'll start with those. My finals, on a whole, were pretty uniform, though a little bit lower than I usually get. Math, in particular, was not one of my best scores, but it didn't make *that* much of a difference. Surprisingly, English (my worst subject) was my best final! It really does help to have a good teacher, as for the past few years, I've been stuck with mediocre ones. This semester, I have almost all of the same classes, except I'm taking British Literature in English. We've been reading Pride and Prejudice for the past few weeks, and I have really enjoyed it! I must say, though, 3rd quarter is my least favorite. It's the longest, and we have nothing to look forward to at the end of it. My grades *always* slip during third quarter, so my goal this year is to make it through without declining too much. Hopefully, I can!
Other: Well, as you know, I'm taking a few months off of riding (tentatively beginning again in April, but taking it very slowly), and so, I've had a lot of free time. With this, I've signed up for/been asked to take part in a lot of class governmental-type things. For example, every year, the Juniors put on a banquet for their Seniors (the theme of which is top-secret), and I'm heading a sub-committee along with H. Also, the Juniors and Seniors have "rivalry" every year, which is a huge tradition consisting of decorating the school in another top-secret theme, and basically going head-to-head with the Seniors for a week. It's a TON of fun, and I am Rivalry Head (with R) for our class this year, which I'm really excited about! Third, my "principal" has asked me to head a committee about China, and the changes we should make for the trip next year. This is exactly the sort of thing I like to do, so I can't wait to get started =) I just hope, with work, school, and these three commitments, I don't overload my plate. We'll see how it goes!
Thanks for reading this (if you got through it all!), and I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I'll try to be more consistent =)
-E
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sorry!
I know I promised an update after last weekend, but I have been so incredibly busy that I won't have a chance to write until this weekend. However, I "cross my heart, hope to die" promise that I will update this weekend, by Sunday at the latest. If I don't, you are all welcome to come make me! =P
-E
-E
Saturday, January 16, 2010
I'm Back!
I'm back from China!!! It was SO much fun, but I'm exhausted (even though I technically got back almost a week ago). I will definitely post a long update after the next musical is over (which I'm designing/running lights and sound). The musical opens on January 22nd, and will close that Sunday, so I'll be sure to post more sometime that week =)
-E
-E
Friday, January 1, 2010
Off to China!
This is going to be very short, because I am busy packing for my class's trip to CHINA!!! =)
Break has not been all that great, I've mostly been working and going to the chiropractor. I've quit riding for the next few months, because after I ride, I literally can barely walk =( It will be really difficult, but I think it's the right decision for now, and hopefully, will allow me to ride in the future.
Christmas was fun, we had a lot of good food, and I got some pretty nice presents (my favorite had to be the five "golden" rings, which were actually green ($$$) =P). New Year's was super fun, I had a sleepover at a friend's house and we stayed up super late, and watched Love Actually.
As I said earlier, I'm leaving for China tomorrow! I'll be gone for 10+/- days, and will be back with pictures and stories. I think it will be very exciting, and am ecstatic to room with one of my best friends =) The only thing I'm worried about is my back, but we'll play it by ear.
Hope you all had an amazing few weeks, and I will post again when I get back from China!
-E
Break has not been all that great, I've mostly been working and going to the chiropractor. I've quit riding for the next few months, because after I ride, I literally can barely walk =( It will be really difficult, but I think it's the right decision for now, and hopefully, will allow me to ride in the future.
Christmas was fun, we had a lot of good food, and I got some pretty nice presents (my favorite had to be the five "golden" rings, which were actually green ($$$) =P). New Year's was super fun, I had a sleepover at a friend's house and we stayed up super late, and watched Love Actually.
As I said earlier, I'm leaving for China tomorrow! I'll be gone for 10+/- days, and will be back with pictures and stories. I think it will be very exciting, and am ecstatic to room with one of my best friends =) The only thing I'm worried about is my back, but we'll play it by ear.
Hope you all had an amazing few weeks, and I will post again when I get back from China!
-E
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