What a Wonderful Weekend!

My weekend was one to blog about. It wasn't the usual one, with me sitting around doing NOTHING, wishing I was doing something. It started early Saturday, and my mom and I went to my grandpa's house so we could take care of his flowers. He's unable to do it, and my mom's brothers that live at home just don't do it. Oh well, it gave us some time to all be together. Mom, my aunt and I worked really hard, and the guys couldn't work on anything we asked them to do for any length of time. Mom was right: guys can't work and talk at the same time. My grandpa came out and watched us, and he seemed like such an old man, just like a dad with his son with his "don't talk to me with that attitude!" I asked him to tell me some war stories, but he was ashamed because he said that because he wasn't on the front lines, he's not worthy to be a veteran. It's pretty sad, since he told me when he was giving me my "military service talk" that for every person with a gun, there are hundred's of people behind the scenes to keep everything moving. I don't think it's something to be ashamed about, being in World War 2. Part of me wants to go into the Air Force and become a medic, but the other thinks that I couldn't handle it, while I'm all for discipline. Anyways, we worked for a good 4 hours at least, and I feel it, My shoulder hurt from pushing the broom over and over again, and I did a lot of squatting, moving, and I've gotten pretty red, more than normal. I don't regret doing it though, even if I was exhausted in the end.

Then today, we had church as usual, with the last Sunday School class until next year. We had a pot luck breakfast, but I kept myself from eating too much, even though I had a donut, a waffle and DELICIOUS French toast casserole. I was pulled out early for bell choir, to play music I was supposed to look at, but didn't. I played it well when we were supposed to at least, but until then I was pretty bad...oh well. The service pretty much put me to sleep. After church, dad, my brother and I went to the Towpath to ride our bikes. We go a few times a summer usually, and today was an awesome day to do it, and we weren't the only ones with that idea. We bike 6 miles from the parking lot to a small town, where we stop to have ice cream (I declined...gotta lose 5 pounds in 3 weeks!) and then go back. I lead the way the whole way there, just listening to my music and enjoying nature. When I arrived in town, a Thomas the Tank Engine train was at the station, and it just made me smile.

I have a confession to make. Deep down inside, I love trains. When I was a kid, I had an obsession with Thomas, the foundation of my tomboy nature. Something in me was wakened today. A few minutes after I arrived, a huge engine called the Saint Lucie Sound pulls up, blowing it's horn and chugging along. The engineer waved at us and I just teared up. I'm a pretty sensitive person, but this just made me smile, and I was glad that I was sweating and wearing sunglasses, because I wouldn't want anyone to see me crying like that. I don't know what it was, and as I walked away, I was still filled with sadness, because it's only a matter of time before trains become obsolete and no other children can enjoy them the way I did, and still do to a degree. By the way, the picture is of the actual train!

So to wrap up, I'm sitting here with my upper back thighs screaming at me. They don't want to walk, and they hate that I have to march tomorrow. It's my last parade! D=. It's all coming to a realization that I'm going to become a senior next year. It's so crazy...I can't believe it. It's so close, yet so far away. I can't wait to go to college, and yet I'm scared that I won't be able to support myself and stuff. Only time will tell, and hopefully soon I'll have a job to get myself a car and stuff. I still have time to work!

Happy Blogging!
-Devon

It's On!

So I get my senior pictures done in less than a month. More like...3 weeks exactly and I want to look my best. Therefore, I have made it my goal to lose at least 5 pounds by that time. I have never been successful in the whole weight-loss department, and I have been overweight most of my life. I'm sick of it, and many times I have tried to do something about it. About 2 years ago, I gave up Pepsi. Lately, I've had 2 cans and it BURNS. I just wanted something cold and quick. I won't do it again. But now it's summertime, and you know what that means...ICE CREAM. My mom just bought this amazing cookie dough ice cream, and I want some so bad, but I know I shouldn't have any. I need to stay vigilant. Tomorrow I'm hopefully going to my grandpa's and I'll help my mom plant flowers and do some manual labor which will keep me from eating and keep me moving. At our field commander sectional today, we moved the stands from the bottom of the hill to the marching band field at the top of the hill. It's a little slope, but it was work carrying that big stand up. The two other girls had to stop many times for just the little stands, and I laughed, but that was me last year, always bellyaching. I went the whole way with no stopping, and I was proud of myself. I could feel those abs working, but I don't do that everyday. Maybe I should. I just can't wait for my days to be filled with stuff so I don't have to eat all the time. Soon I can start swimming and stuff, and hopefully I can volunteer at a local hospital which will keep me busy and on my feet.

Anyways, to help me with this endeavor, I purchased a bottle of Acai Berry Supplements. I'm a skeptic, but hell, desperate times call for desperate measures. I have about 2 weeks worth of pills, so if I up my activity and down my calories, I should start to see results. If I don't, I'll have wasted my cough drop money. Why do Halls have to be so nasty? Bleh. Well they came in handy for my fellow field commander/cheer leader who was losing her voice, so I guess they came to good use.

I really need support, so anything would be awesome!

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

Pocket God: The World In Your Hands!

So yesterday I decided to spend my $1 in iTunes money, and this app cost $0.99. It's called Pocket God, and it's strangely addicting, probably due to its pointless nature. Bolt Creative brings the world a game where everything is completely in your control. There are five island areas, but the game updates often, so that is subject to change, where 6 little islanders called Pygmies can roam. They can go fishing, swim in the ocean and dance about as you please. Now, sounds sissy right? WRONG. This is where the God part comes in. You can control their demise, and then just bring them back with the touch of a button. You can chose to have a T-Rex come and swallow them whole, spear them through in the ocean, or use them as shark bait, as well as many other things. It's all there for you to explore! Each Pygmy keeps a tally of their "gifts" and "sacrifices". Gifts can be catching a fish, going "Into the light" as a ghost or just becoming a ghost, while sacrifices deal with death such as getting caught in an explosion, drowning or even holding in urine until they explode! It's fun to see what all can happen when you're not even expecting it, and the little Pygmies are just so cute you can't help but love them in spite of your violence toward them. It's a good game for when you're feeling particularly vengeful or just having a violent mood. I use this app a lot more than I do most of the other apps I pay for, so it was a wonderful deal. The thing is though that it's kind of a battery drainer if you play it a lot, unlike many other apps I have, so if you get addicted, you'll find yourself needed frequent charges.

Happy Blogging!
-Devon

Stick Shift Troubles

My family has a truck. That's all it is, a truck. An appliance white 1996 Ford F150. I hate it. Mom hates it. We've tried to sell it, but no one wants it, so it sits idle in our driveway half the time, and we store it in the winter. What a life huh? Still, my parents insist on me learning how to drive a stick shift, because it's a skill I'll never forget. If I stay in the US, I don't see why I'll ever need it, because sane people buy automatics. If I go over to Europe, there is more of a chance that I will get a stick shift, but even that is a stretch.

So anyways, I started to learn to drive the abomination a few weeks ago in the nearly empty high school parking lot, and I was able to shift to second gears, turn, "park" and all the jazz. I just can't start from a dead stop, which is kind of important, especially when you have impatient people behind you. However, I did drive the whole mile home after that lesson. Then my next driving experience came on Friday, after an NHS meeting. Dad drove the truck to school to pick me up, so I thought I could drive home. With the younger NHS kids watching, I managed to stall twice, and I gave up. Little did I know that the parking brake was on. I'm so good. Then there was today. Dad drove me around the neighborhood and I watched his feet the whole time. Regardless, I stalled about a million times as I followed his route, twice at a stop sign in front of my neighbor's house, with all of them outside, and then about 4 times at another stop sign with someone behind me. I sat at one intersection for about 5 minutes, because I couldn't start and I would wait for cars half a mile away to pass before I tried to go again. I messed up a lot, but I can still shift gears. It's at the point where I don't know if I'm stalling, or if it will buck and keep going. I went in a big loop, but at least I got that far. I just can't start the damn thing. That would be really nice. I need to learn how to drive the thing so I can drive it during band, hauling the heavy stands to and from the football field a quarter mile away. We've been mooching off another girl and her truck for a year, but she's graduating, and I don't trust her little brother, so I gotta trust my undriving abilities.

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

Back in the mid-1970s, we adopted some fairly ambitious goals to improve efficiency of our cars. What did we get? We got a tremendous boost in efficiency

                      ~Jay Inslee

Woot! 10th Post!

Wow, I was exhausted by 11 after the banquet last night. What a full day, but it was a wonderful day, so I'm glad I was tuckered out. I slept for like 9 and a half hours, which never really happens since something always wakes me up. I completely kicked my sheets and electric blanket off the bed, but hugged my comforter. How I do that, I will never know. Mom took me out to JCPenney's to get a fabulous bathing suit that I found on my boredom drive a few days ago, and I'm so excited to wear it! I'm very self conscious, so getting excited about a bathing suit is about as likely as having Haley's Comet go across the sky on the day you're born and/or the day you die. But it's sooo cute! It's like a little dress, so I'm not as worried about my thighs and hips. Lovely!

But a shopping trip for a bathing suit soon turned into something a lot more. We went to World Market, this amazing store with merchandise from many parts of the world, and I wanted to get a print that said "In Love With London" on it, but it needed a frame and I couldn't afford it. They have candies from Europe, Japan and China, Moroccan scarves and decor, and fun party things and house ware. I love that store so much, but I never really go there because no one else wants to go. Then we went over to Old Navy.

oh.   my.   gosh.

It was worse than black Friday. It was a One Day Wonder, with $1 flip flops. When we got there, a line was weaving through aisles halfway around the store, and the only flip flops left were black and white, and maybe some beige or gold in another size. We went to look for shorts, but we couldn't find any, and we weren't going to wait in that God awful line either. There were team members in clashing outfits with a megaphone horn giving out random prizes, and the black ladies would go crazy if they won. It was a complete zoo, and we had to push our way out of there. No more one day wonders for us!

So my mom walked down the strip mall to the Dress Barn. I have a new favorite store (kind of). I've been getting more and more addicted to dresses lately, and I don't really know why, but this place was FULL OF THEM (who knew?) We went in looking for dresses for a friend's wedding, and my mom never wears dresses, ever, so it was a new experience for her, and I loved helping her out. I tried on a few styles, but one was too old-lady for me, one was too big and too fancy for anything and the last one was cute! I got a salmon sundress for myself, to wear to the wedding probably my friend's grad party, and my mom got this cuuute soft blue dress, that flattered her fabulously, and I even found some matching shoes. They had this strap she didn't normally like, but she LOVED these shoes and they were on sale! It was a great day for a mother/daughter day. We had Panera, and I was exposed to their Caesar Chicken Salad SANDWICH and I wish I got two! It was GREAT. We ended up getting pastries too, and even though we were still full from lunch, we had them too.

Basically, I love shopping. I love getting new things and buying new clothes to look beautiful. I love it when I can make people look better too. That's why, if the whole nursing career doesn't work out, I'll work as a fashion consultant or just at a department store. I don't know what about being a woman makes most of us like shopping, but it's just so much fun! I love going with my friends when they'll try on stuff with me, or I'll try stuff on and they'll give me their opinion. I hope I still have friends like that in a future, and some that don't, because I have those now and they're amazing people!

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her.  

                      ~Marcelene Cox

Ahh! Forgot to Post!

Wow! I was so bored yesterday after school, and yet I didn't blog anything! Well, I have a legit excuse (yes, legit. I don't say it often, but it slips). Yesterday was our final band concert of the year! That is, unless you count graduation, but that's not our showcase, plus, it's SOOO BORING. I hate graduation, because it depresses me, at least it did last year. I see all of these people going onto another part of their lives and becoming successful, while I'm just doing NOTHING with my life. But I'm trying to change that. 

Anyways, last night was the band concert, and we had a great program. The concert band did an awesome job and the symphonic band killed it, sometimes in the good sense and sometimes in the bad. We played 5 songs: Timestorm, Disney Blockbusters, Space and Beyond (Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets), Pie Jesu (pronouced Pee-ay Yee-sue Dx) and Phantom of the Opera. I think Phantom was my favorite. In the middle, one of our members had to scream, and then a girl in the concert band in the audience screamed back. It was like an echo, but different tones and I just wanted to laugh. Someone always seems to scream at these concerts. Two years ago, as a freshman, the concert band did a song called "Electricity" and at one part, all the lights in the auditorium go off at once, and one girl screamed. It made us laugh in the dark. 

Tonight though, was the band banquet, a time when most of the band, colorguard and their parents, come together for a night of food and recognition. We get to cheer with our friends, wish off the seniors, and get pepped up for a new year ahead. Awards were given to outstanding people in each class, amazing seniors and to a junior for a senior picture package (too bad the girl was already a rep for another company!) Anyways, there was a lot of happiness and fun in the room, and it was nice getting cheers after being so shy for so long. I've been coming out of my shell with this wonderful group of people, through the hard times and the bad, and I just hope to make it an even better and more enjoyable group of people, as the head field commander and now historian on the Council! It was bittersweet though. All of my friends got on council except for my best friend in the whole wide world, who has wanted it for years. My other friends just want it for a college resume, and she wanted it because she loves the band, and I hate how she felt and looked after the whole thing. She's such a happy, bubbly and amazing person, and I hate to see her upset. I hope I can do something, anything to help her out.


I'm looking forward to a hopefully awesome senior year with the band kids, and hope that everything plays out well! (haha, band pun)


Happy Blogging!
-Devon

It's our senior year and will be closure for our marching band experience

                     -Katherine Smith

Spells by Aprilynne Pike

In a literary world where vampires are a dominant subject, it's refreshing to know that some people can be original and break "norm" with another good book. Spells by Aprilynne Pike, is a faerie book and a sequel to Wings the first in the soon-to-be trilogy/series. Wings came to me in a shallow sort of way: it had a pretty cover! With it's simplicity and beauty, as well as the summer weather, it was the perfect trap for me to pick it up and take it home. The series tells the tale of protagonist Laurel Sewell, who is a faerie living in the human world. She never thought that there was anything different about her until one day, when a bump starts to form on her back. At first she believes it's a tumor of sorts, but eventually, it blooms into a flower. Not exactly normal, so she is forced to hide it while trying to balance out her developing social life, transitioning from home schooling to high school. I haven't read Wings in about a year, so it's hard to summarize it here, and I had a rough time starting this book, where there were references to the last book and I couldn't remember anything about it, such as people, places and things. Laurel and her "parents" live on "the land" as it's referenced as in Spells, and the family has some financial issues, so when a shady real estate agent tries to buy the land, it seems like a wonderful deal. While the woods always seemed magical to Laurel, little did she know that the gate to the faerie land of Avalon rested in the trees. After learning this, she must do everything in her power to prevent the land from being sold to Jeramiah Barnes, enemy to the faeries.

Spells picks up a year after the end of the first novel, when Laurel is called to enter The Academy, a faerie school, for six weeks of training. Before she came to live in the human world, she had lived in Avalon for seven years, but she remembers nothing about it, leaving her far behind her other classmates. With the help of a good looking Tamani (her watchdog of sorts) she adjusts to the Nirvana of Avalon, but after the six weeks are up, she knows she needs to leave Tamani and go back to the human world, where her boyfriend David awaits. The constant threat of trolls and the romantic war between David and Tamani, as well as the straddling between two lives leaves Laurel in a state of disillusionment as conflicts pile up.

Usually I'm not one for faeries, but these books are very well written, and MUCH better in the romantic department than the Twilight Saga. It has a balance of normal problems with a fantasy twist, and the descriptions are beautiful and you just want to fall into the pages and live in Avalon. Vampire books get old after a while, and once you're tired of blood sucking, too-good-to-be-real gorgeousness, go to your local bookstore or library and check out Wings and at least get a taste for something different. Reading a wide range of novels is healthy, especially for book addicts like myself, and hopefully for you. Now, I must ask you:

"Do you believe in faeries?"
-Peter Pan

Happy Blogging!

-Devon