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

I GOT MY PERMIT!!!

AHHH!!! I got my permit today!!! :) I've been really looking forward to this! I'm going to start my Driver's Ed. classes next week on monday, and I'm really excited to start driving, but I'm kind of nervous too...All of my friends have been making fun of me because I'm only 5'2"! They keep on saying that I'll never be able to see over the wheel :( It's kind of depressing since I haven't grown for awhile XD But I don't really mind, I like being short! Anyway, after school, my mom took my brother and I to the liscensing department place for him to take the test to get his permit (since he's 17 and hasn't taken Driver's Ed.) and for me to get my permit for the classes. It's kind of funny cuz when we got to the place, I saw someone I know from school! I know it's not that uncommon or anything, but it was kind of nice because there was a long waiting time so he and I talked for awhile. He was there to take his test so he was kind of nervous. I think that talking helped a little. After that we were finally called up to the counter (finally!! that place is famous for its long waits) and my brother was sent off to take his test and I had to get my picture taken for my permit. Of course, as always, the picture on the permit turned out horrible even though my mom said it was fine...Isn't that how it always happens though? On pictures that you really want to look nice in, it turns out horrible, and random, around the house pictures always turn out the best. It's just plain wierd...haha. Anyway I was really happy to get my permit! :) Can't wait for classes to start!!

I'm really excited for this weekend too! My dad's side of the family is taking our annual cabin trip up to somewhere around Packwood. It always turns out to be pretty cramped because our family is so big, but it's probably one of the only times that almost the whole family gets together, so we all enjoy it! :)

Well, I know it's a little late, but since I haven't written in awhile, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!! :)

      ~KJ

Christmas Along With Everything Else...

It's been a while since I posted, but I've been super busy. I finally got all of my Christmas shopping done yesterday, and I'm almost done making that pair of socks for my mom. I made a couple mistakes in the first sock, but they're not that noticable, and the second sock turned out just fine so far.

One thing that I always seem to notice about myself when I go shopping is that I'm very frugal...just like my dad. I seem to get most of my traits from my dad and my brother gets his from our mom. You'd think it would be the other way around. Anyway, I have this habit of finding something I really like and I'm thinking that I'm about to get it, but then I make myself look at the price tag before I absolutely fall in love with it and it turns out to be some stupidly high price, so even if I can afford it, I'll put it down and walk away. My brother on the otherhand, if he finds something he likes and has enough to afford it, he'll buy it with a lot less hesitation. I guess either one can be good in its own way, but I always end up having more money...haha I guess I'm just wierd like that :)

Anyone who has read my previous post would know that I absolutely love to cook, which I guess isn't very strange for a girl. But I tried making something new today (I like trying new things) - caramel flan! It looked really easy at first, but I think I made it more difficult than it really needed to be...it took me three tries to get the caramel right. I ended up going on google (haha) to figure out how to get the sugar and water to turn into a nice light brown caramel. Finally on the third try it worked, and it really wasn't that hard. The flan just came out of the oven and is cooling off. I hope it'll be good! I put way to much effort into making those little custards for them to not turn out right!

On a more serious subject, I'm not sure if I already brought this up, but my elder step-sister, Jamie (18 years old) moved to Michigan a couple months ago to live with her boyfriend. None of my family or hers approved because she met this guy online when she was 16! Not only that, he's a whole 10 years older than her. He came down here to Washington to visit us once before Jamie moved, and we didn't really like what we saw. As much as we tried to persuade Jamie to stay, she was set on leaving, so now she lives in Michigan. She says shes doing good down there, but I'm guessing (well, it's not so much guess as it is fact) that she's not doing as well as she says. There are a whole bunch of problems that she's not letting us know very much about, but my other step-sister, Jennifer (Jamie's twin), is hinting about. To top it all off, Jamie has some very serious health problems that have been going on for a long time. She's been sick for a while now in Michigan, and we can't exactly help her since we're all the way over here, and I don't think she really knows what to do either. She says she's going to see a doctor, and I really hope she does. Her boyfriend doesn't seem to be taking very good care of her either, and I think she's working way to much. She's been working over 40 hours a week, which I know is normal, but think, she's not feeling good at all, and her boyfriend apparently isn't working very much, which puts everything on her shoulders. I'm really worried about her...Please, if you have read this, pray for my sister to come back home, or at least get better. I love you Jamie ♥

I always appreciate comments to let me know you've read. Thanks!
      ~KJ

Peanut Butter Balls!

Well everyone I tried making something new today! Peanut butter balls! They're for my best friend Koryna, who's birthday is tomorrow! I always try to make something for my friends on their birthdays because I love to cook :)

It was kind of interesting because I had never heard of chocolate-flavored confectioners' coating before this, so I was just planning on improvising by melting chocolate morsels that you would use with chocolate chip cookies. My mom actually called while I was just thinking this out and asked how it was going. She said that she could stop by the store on her way home and just pick up some dipping chocolate, but the problem was that neither of us knew what "chocolate-flavored confectioners' coating" was. I had to google it (gotta love Google :P ) and try to explain what it was over the phone. It turned out all right though and the chocolate worked perfectly. It was actually kind of fun trying to figure out how to dip the peanut butter balls because I've never made anything that requires dipping, and neither has my mom. But I think they turned out pretty good considering it was my first time making anything like this. I just hope they taste as good as they look! Well I guess I'll find out tomorrow! :)
      ~KJ

What's New With Me :)

Hey everyone! Well it's been a couple days and I've been really busy, but I've had a lot of fun.

Yesterday I went quadding with my dad and his friends up around Orting. It was really fun! I'm not exactly amazing at quadding because I'm still not very experienced, but every time I go, I get better and I feel more comfortable riding my dad's quad. My dad always goes quadding with his friend Billy, who has a couple quads, so we have quite a few people come. Unfortunately, there aren't enough quads for everyone, so there are always a couple people who double. I always ride with my dad until we get a big open area, where we stop and take a break. The adults get off the quads and let us kids ride around for a while. We went to this one place yesterday that was on private property, so we had to be kind of careful not to go too close to the road because we weren't really supposed to be back there riding...but everyone does it anyway :P

Today I had kind of a bad day at school. I mean, it was as good as any to start off with, but during P.E. (we are doing a basketball unit right now) we were doing free shooting, so there was a lot of people shooting at the same hoop. I looked down for a second, and I'm not sure who, but someone threw a basketball really hard and it hit me square on the side of the face! I know they didn't mean to and I'm not sure if the guys who were playing with the basketball even knew who threw it because a bunch of guys came over to me and apologized. I was so embarrassed because I started crying...I hate crying when I'm around other people because my face gets all red and my eyes swell up. People tell me that I really don't look that bad when I cry, but I think they're just being nice...haha. Anyway, the weird part was that it didn't even hurt very bad, or else for some reason I didn't really feel it. I think it was more the shock of the hard impact on my face that made me start crying. I hadn't really been feeling all that great this morning (and several people in my family are sick right now) and when I cry I tend to gag...blehblehbleh! Well of course it just had to get worse and I started retching, and I had to run out of the gym trying not to throw up on the floor. Luckily I made it to the garbage can before I got sick. Because I got hit in the head and threw up after that, of course the P.E. teacher and nurse would think that I got a concussion so I had to go up to the nurses office riding in this stupid wheelchair thing. I really just wanted to walk, but they wouldn't let me...ugh, it was so embarrassing! :(
I turned out to be alright, with no concussion, so it's all good.

So I have these two projects going right now. One of them is for me, and one is for a Christmas present for my mom (I hope you don't read this before Christmas, mom). First, I have made a commitment to myself to get up and work out before school every morning. After volleyball ended, I got so lazy, and I need to stay in shape for when tennis starts :) So I'm going to get up at five every morning and do this workout called "thirty-day shred." Jillian Michaels - ever heard of her? She's this kick-butt trainer who is in amazing shape and does all these different workout videos and she's also on TV. Well her workouts are really good. Today I got up and did my first workout at 5am, and oh my was that fun...but it'll be worth it. I just hope that by posting this that I'll actually have the motivation to get up every morning. Wish me luck!

The second project that I have going is that I am hand making a pair of knit socks for my mom! I'm so excited and I hope they turn out well. I'm not exactly a really artsy-craftsy person, but I really like making things and using my hands. Let's just hope I get the socks done before Christmas!

Thanks for reading! I appreciate comments to let me know you've read! Bye for now :)
      ~KJ

Happy December Everyone!

Well, it's December now! I find it so hard sometimes adjusting when the month changes. During school, I have to write the date, like, 10 times a day, so during first period today I was going to write the date and I had to stop and think about it!

I just love the month of December. Not sure why, but it just feels...special! I love the snow and even the cold, although sometimes it does get a little too cold. But I especially love sledding and skiing. My mom and I are planning on taking a skiing trip during my winter break! I'm so excited. I only got to go once last year and I hadn't been for a couple years before that.

Well, that's it for today! I always appreciate comments from anyone! :)
      ~KJ

Our New Puppy Jak :)

As I said in the last post, we just got a new puppy Jak. Here's a couple pictures!

 Posing for the camera :)

Awww....he's yawning <3

He has been so cute today! When I got home from school he came over wagging, so I got down on my knees and he climbed up on me! So adorable! I just can't get over it!

      -KJ

Two big things in my teen life :)

Hey again to anyone who is reading this!

Well, we just got a puppy from a pet shelter about two weeks ago and boy is he a hassle! He's so adorable though, so I guess that makes up for it. His full name is Black Jak, but we just call him Jak. He's a lab and shephard mix, and he's almost completely black except for his white stomach. He has the cutest little baby face, and he would be absolutely perfect if he didn't bite me all the time (playfully of course) and pee all over the house...ugh! We're still trying to "house-train" him, so I don't think he gets the concept that peeing on carpets is not okay! He seems to be mellowing out a little when it comes to the biting, but I'm putting a big emphasis on little! When I'm playing with Jak and I offer him a toy, he deliberately goes around the toy to chew on my fingers or feet. My brother thinks he has a foot fettish =D It's really funny. Or like when I'm washing dishes, he'll come right up to me and just flop down on my feet. He really just likes being near people.

The main thing I was worried about with getting Jak is that we already have a dog, and she isn't exactly too social with other dogs. For the first couple days that we had Jak, Shyla (Our other dog, a girl lemon beagle) just ignored him and it was perfectly clear that she was thinking "If I pretend he's not here, then he'll go away"...she's not very good at sharing...at all. Well, she finally excepted that he wasn't going to go away after the first week was over, so they've started playing with eachother. It was pretty cute at first, and I guess it still is but they act like they are trying to kill eachother. Jak bites Shyla's neck, Shyla pins him to the door and growls at him, Jak gets up and goes for her throat, she howls at him...This goes on all day...Actually I'm listening to the two dogs growl at eachother while playing tug of war right now. It's nice that Shyla finally has some activity in her day though, she used to be so lazy.

Another big step forward in my life - I finally got my braces off!!! After 22 months of being so careful with what I ate and how I ate to make sure I didn't break those $5,000 metal pieces in my mouth! Finally! I can chew gum again! That was honestly the thing that I was most excited about when it came to getting my braces off. I didn't mind how I looked with braces, it just bothered me that I hadn't chewed gum more times than I can count on my fingers in almost two years. And, God, it felt good to get those things off my teeth and actually see my real smile, which I was super happy with, by the way. The orthodontist did an amazing job with my teeth. So worth it!

Well, that's it for now, so if you have any similar experiences or have anything to say, please comment! I would love to hear it!

      -KJ

Hey to anyone who might be reading this! :) I'm new to blogging, so this is kind of just for fun and without a specific purpose. I appreciate comments from anyone, and I'd love to hear anyone's opinion or advice on the things I post. Thanks for reading!
      -KJ