Eight Months is a Long Time...

Okay soooo....I think it's been eight months since my last post. Wow, you can totally see how on top of things I am... Not. Anyway, what have I been up to? Good question. Pretty much everything. Since I last updated, I moved into 10th grade (yippee!), had volleyball season, got my license (wowza...), got a CAR, AND got a JOB! Plus who knows how much else.

So, starting from the beginning, 10th grade really hasn't been all that exciting. I moved up a rung in the social/grade level ladder, and I'm doing okay :) Not much to descibe. But I did take my PSAT back in October, and I scored pretty well. Lately I've been getting a whole bunch of goofy letters and emails from different colleges around the US saying things like "Kasey, you are on our radar," or "Kasey, you've caught our attention," but we all know that they're really saying "Kasey, you should really come to our college/university because we want your money." xD  Not that I have anything against that, I just think some of the wording they use is funny. I'm really excited though, my mom and I have decided that we're going to go on a college road trip, probably within the next year and a half! For general places, we're thinking Montana and California with several stops on the way :)

Volleyball season went really well, I made JV team captain! No, it's not varsity, but the only times I ever got taken off the floor was if we were winning by a whole bunch. That's something I never would have gotten if coach had put me on varsity, which she even told me. She basically hinted that I'll make varsity this coming season, but I'll still have to work really hard for it. But that's what I do best, working hard :)

So now, (usually) the most exciting part in every teen's life, we come to the license! You're already thinking, did she pass it her first time? No, I didn't :( Laugh if you want, but I'm perfectly fine with it. I was really nervous, and hey, it only took two tries for me to pass it right? :) Leading to my car...Which actually has a kind of funny/amazing story behind it. So I'd been car shopping with my parents for a couple months, but I just hadn't found it yet. Considering I was paying for the car myself, or at least most of it, I wanted it to be the right one, but I didn't want to be too picky either. So when my parents told me they "found a car, but it's kind of an ugly green color, but hey! It runs great and it's got low miles" I thought I might as well go and see it because what the heck, the worst thing that could happen is I didn't like it and I went home without a car. So we all get ready to go and we're taking the dog's outside to the back yard behind our fence before we leave. I'm kind of lagging behind trying to put my coat on, so they're yelling at me to hurry up. When I finally get back to the area behind the fence, my jaw drops. To the ground. There, sitting in front of me, with a big bow on it, is a beautiful red 99 Olds Intrigue. Oh yes. And it was all mine. I found out later how "I" had been able to afford it. Initially it probably would have been out of my price range at about four grand. What my dad did was really awesome; he used the money that I was already going to put towards the car and then paid for the rest, but we got a really good deal on it because my step-dad knew the dealer! So because of how much of a "Gem" my car was to find, my car's name is Gem or Gemma :) So, long story made short (if that's possible with me xD ), I am now my dad's personal maid to pay off my debt ;)

So because I have a car now, I obviously needed a job to pay for it. So guess where I'm working? H&R Block! Very random, and a little obscure, I know, but it pays well, everyone is really nice, and I like the job. Except when you get an angry customer, but it doesn't happen often enough to be a problem ^.^ Anyway, I just got my second paycheck which just about had me jumping up and down because it was a pretty hefty sum :3 Haha, and it's enough to pay for a new graphing calculator because mine was stolen -_- But enough of my griping, as stressful as it is, it is really nice to have a job and be, as my friends have named me, "the international business woman of America" ;)

Well, that's pretty much it for today, and hopefully I'll actually post again in the next year!
     ~KJ

Finally back to blogging

Well, it's been a couple months since my last post. Mostly cause I've been super duper busy, but also a little lazy when it comes to blogging >.< School ends on tuesday, which is a half day, and I'll be out for the summer!! But I have so much stuff this summer I don't even know when I be able to relax at all... :'( But at least I won't be bored, right?! So much stuff has happened since I last wrote, so I'll try to sum it up:

For starters, my big brother just graduated from high school -sniff sniff-!! It's crazy that he'll be in college next year. When I was little, it felt like life went by so slow and I couldn't wait for it to speed up a little. But now it seems like life is just speeding by and I have to hold on tight to stay on board. Only 3 years of high school left and then I'll be off to college too. As much as we sometimes fight, he's a real good brother that always looks out for his little sister, and I'll miss having him at school with me. And to top it all off, he became a legal adult on wednesday! Sheesh, what happened to the time?!


During the last few days of school I have finals -bleh-!! Thursday was Spanish (writing), friday was health and digital communications, monday is math and english, and tuesday, the last day, is science and spanish (culture). It's kinda lame that we have finals all the way til the last day, but I know the reason they do that is to keep people from skipping the last days of school.

I realized pretty recently that I won't really have much of a summer :( The day after school ends, College Bound starts, and I'll have that for six weeks. College Bound is this really cool program that lets you prepare for college really early. Over the summer, I'll be taking college classes in math, english, and science. The awesome thing is that these classes count as credit towards my regular high school classes too! Plus we get to travel all over Washington and even a couple of other states to visit colleges and go on other fun field trips. The only thing thats kind of disappointing is that the classes go from 8:30 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, and then I'll have work on most days after that, so I won't have a lot of freetime. Other than that I'm really excited for the program.

Speaking of work, I guess I should mention that I got a job even though I'm only 15!! =D It actually just started out as a one-time thing, my mom's friend on facebook needed some help weeding at her business, but I did a really good job and she liked me so it turned into a full blown job! I do all sorts of things like yard work, news letters, mailing, etc. Basically just whatever she needs help with. I don't work a whole lot right now cuz of school and all the other activities like graduations and birthdays in June, but I should work a little more in the summer.

Also, I discovered a new passion for photography! =D I'm not extremely good, but I really like it. Here's some of my favorites:

One last thing (I promise this is the last, sorry for the long post >.< ). I got accepted into NURSE CAMP!!! I'm so so so so excited about this!!! My dream is to be a doctor, so this is the coolest thing for me. Nurse camp is just like it sounds: a five day program where I get dropped off at the hospital at 7:30am and picked up at 4:30pm. During that time I get to do tons of hands on things in the hospital, like job shadows in all of the areas. I also get a free pair of scrubs and a stethoscope =D It was really hard to get into. I had to do an application that was kind of like a college application: I had to write an essay, answer questions about my interests, get recommendations from teachers, include a school trascript, fill in background information, etc. It took awhile to do, and on top of that, they only accept 100 people into their program! To top that off, they don't accept very many freshmen (which I am) in that 100, probably only about 15. So when I got my acceptance letter, that was really...really....I don't have a word for it, but I guess you get the picture ^.^

Like I promised, that's it for today!

      ~KJ

This Week

Happy March!! ...I know, I'm a little late, but it's the thought that counts right? :)

The official Tennis practices started on monday!! I've been doing pretty well I think, considering it was my first time on a team. I feel like my serves are getting a little better and I'm starting to get the feel for forehands and backhands, even though I keep messing up... >_< Grrr!! But I've been practicing really hard every day, so as long as I keep trying, I'll get better! I'm really excited for tomorrow because I'm gonna stay after practice to actually play, instead of just drills! :) I know that drills are really good too, but I think actually playing is the best part about the sport, as it should be of course! (;

Lets see, what else is new...I'm applying to go to nurse camp this summer!!! They only accept 100 people, so I reeeeaaaally hope I get in! The application is really long and complex too. You have to write a personal statement, get two references from teacher/coaches/etc, a recommendation from the assistant principal, and a transcript from school! Eeeek I have my work cut out for me....But if I get in, then it'll be totally worth every minute :D

I've been super busy with school work lately, it seems. Maybe it's just because I just came back from break so I suddenly had to kick myself into gear xD Maybe it's strange, but I'd rather be busy with work than be bored...I just don't like sitting around.

Well, I think that's about it. Comments are always welcome!! :D
      ~KJ

That Fluffy White Stuff...

IT'S SNOWING!!!! :D I'm really excited that it's snowing and all, but isn't it a little wierd that it's snowing now, in late February, when it didn't even hardly snow in the middle of winter!?! Washington is just plain wierd.... >.<

And now, because it's snowing, the tennis courts at my school are also covered in snow... *sigh* Which of course means I can't play today :,(  I might go play at the Sprinker Center courts though if the weather doesn't clear up. Seriously though, why is it snowing now???

Here's a few pictures of the fluffy white stuff from my backyard :)

These first two are the view out of my kitchen window. The third is from standing on my patio outside.

I think snow must be one of the most beautiful things in the world because you just can't capture it in a picture.

Always,

~KJ







A woman should be so lost in God, that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her. ♥

"A woman should be so lost in God, that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her. ♥"

You know, I really love that quote. It may sound silly, but I think it's a good reminder to all women that their man should respect them and love them enough to go through anything to find her. I may get a little lost in my thinking sometimes, and doesn't everyone, but its little things and quotes like this that really remind me of my love and appreciation for God. It's not just the beauty of the words themselves, but the deeper meaning. And I don't just mean that a woman should be respected, what I'm trying to say is that by loving God, you open yourself up to so many positive, for lack of a better word, "things" in life. I'm not saying either that loving God is the only way to live. Of course not, I just think it gives you a better picture and perspective on life to have someone like that in your life. I'm not trying to preach or anything, it's just that I was looking through blogs today, and came across some really inspiring blogs about God and how he has affected people's lives. It made me remember to always be thankful for what I have, and made me really want to be more active in a church again. I would really like to find a church that I can attend consistently its just that I feel like I never have time. I don't think that is a bad thing, but I just wish I could devote more time to God. ♥

God bless you and please pray for me too :)

Always,
      ~KJ

February So Far! And Tennis!!!

Well, not many interesting things have happened to me this month...Another valentine's day has gone by and I am yet again without a valentine, but hey, I'm still young! On the 17th, I graduated from driver's school (yay!!) and come october, I will be 16 and officially licensed!! It's gonna be so nice to be able to drive myself to all my activities and not always worry about whether my parents are working or not. Only 8 months left!! Better enjoy it while I can, because after that I'll have to pay for gas :( And everyone knows that gas prices are sky-rocketing right now...Ya, not looking forward to that part of it...

I'm on mid-winter break right now, so no school for a week (yes!!!) !!! And after break is over, next monday, TENNIS STARTS!!!! I'm soooo excited x 1000! I've always loved tennis and I've played with my family since I was little, you know the "haha-fun-play-without-caring-about-rules" type of playing, but this will be my first time playing on a real team with the rules (which I honestly don't even know yet xD). I'm pretty nervous for the first day of practice, but we are doing some non-mandatory practices over break plus I've been practicing a bunch with friends, so hopefully I won't do too bad!! I feel a little guilty cause I just got a new $100 (eeeek!!!) racket and a pair of $90 (eeeek again!!!) tennis shoes, but I absolutely love them and as long as I get a lot of use out of them, my mom doesn't mind too much. The really cool part about the racket is that we bought it at the Sprinker Pro-shop, so it's really high-end stuff, and I actually got to watch my racket be strung! Even cooler, my racket was strung by a legend!! He was ranked #3 in the nation at one point and he has coached some of the best tennis players out there!! And he strung my racket!!!

Here's a picture of the amazing racket and shoes :)

And one more big piece of news...I now have 3 followers!!! (yippeee!! a personal record xD) Thanks Kellie and Kralovics, and of course my mama :) You guys make me feel loved!! ♥

      ~KJ

Whats Up?

Hey anyone who might happen to read this :) I know I have like one follower, so I'm probably just writing this for myself, so I would really appreciate it if someone would read my blog!

Anyway, Driver's Ed. classes have been going really well and when I go out driving with my parents I think I'm doing pretty good, or at least getting better! I haven't crashed into anything yet if that's a good sign! I get to do my first scheduled drive with an instructor this friday, but I'm kind of nervous...haha I just hope that I won't do anything stupid.

Urg, my school has finals this week and I'm kind of worried. I think I'm ready and I've been studying a lot, but there's still that fear in the back of my mind that I'll forget everything once I see the test :( I guess it's just nerves...Well, our first final is math on tuesday, so wish me luck!

My sister Jamie is home for a visit (yay!!) but...she's leaving tomorrow for Michigan again. She went to the doctors while she was here, but she's leaving too soon to really have it make a difference or get anything done to make her better. All because she misses her boyfriend! :( From what I hear, he still isn't working, and Jamie said that she's not happy in Michigan. But of course, she's gonna go back because she's "in love." I know that she feels like she really is, and it's not that I don't like that she's found someone to love, but I can't be happy for her because of her situation over there. And she gets so upset when we ask her to stay home or when we try to talk to her about her boyfriend that we just don't know what to do anymore...She and Jennifer fought quite a bit while she was here, and of course it was all because of Chris (her boyfriend). I don't think that even if Jamie ever does come home for good that the twins will ever be as close as they used to.

Btw, if anyone is looking to read a really good book, I just finished one called Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. It's a little strange, but it's really good :) I'm kind of a book worm, always looking for good books, so if anyone knows of a good one, you should recommend it!

Well, gotta get back to my studying so that's it for today :) And I hope that somebody will read this!
      ~KJ