West Coast Walk For Life 2015

I'm back from San Fran! Sorry, I should have done this post Monday but I was so exhausted...

I worry waaaay too much. The whole trip was exciting, amazing, and overall a really great experience. I live in a little city on the coast and so to me, a four or five story building is pretty impressive. I'm used to small buildings, grassy yards, and friendly, familiar faces. So after our long car ride up to San Francisco, I thought I had prepared myself for the big city. 
Not. Even. Close. I went into the city with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. 

How beautiful

That hill was super steep. I don't think this picture captures the steepness. 

But lets back up a bit. The car ride. 
We left the school at about one and to be honest, the eight hours I spent in the car wasn't that bad. I had a pretty good car, all my friends were in it. We basically had music blaring the whole time. We made Uptown Funk our theme song and listened to it about a million times (which is strange, 'cause its a weird song. It is pretty catchy though...). We spent a lot of time waving to people driving by. We were driving by a military base and we saw a military truck with boxes in the back labeled "explosives." We waved to the guys driving it and they waved back. 
Then, at about seven-thirty, we drove into San Francisco. We had Uptown Funk blasting and we were dancing and bouncing up and down so much that the car was shaking. A bunch of people on the streets were giving us weird looks, but some smiled and waved, and some even started dancing with us! 
Then we got to the wharf and everyone split up in groups to get dinner. SF at night is creepy. On every corner, there was some sort of street show or homeless guy asking for money. There was one guy dressed up as a dog and another Michael Jackson impersonator dancing in the middle of the street. There was another guy painting, which was super cool to watch. It was some sort of spraypaint-on-canvas thing that I've never seen before but it was impressive. 
We stayed at a covent. It was really nice, actually. We got a big room to sleep in (we all had to sleep on the floor, naturally) and the nuns gave us the whole first floor. So we basically were up till eleven at night in our pajamas and socks, running around the halls or playing card games or just sitting in the hall talking. It was a lot of fun. 

The next day we went to the Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito for breakfast. We saw the biggest sea lions when in Sausalito! 

Look at them! They're so cool! And we were so close to them!

Morning sunrise behind the bridge 

Fast forward a few hours to the actual walk. 

Squished in the very large crowd

About 100,000 people showed up to protest against the murder of babies and to defend life! How great is that! 
A lot of people showed up to protest against our protest though. The people who were pro-choice, I noticed, were a lot more aggressive. Three got arrested. One guy was holding up a sign that said, "Abort babies, kill children, save the planet!" 
WHAT??? 
First of all, save the planet from what exactly?? Children are the future for this big earth and if people keep killing them, then who's going to be left? All these mothers should want their children, and if they don't, if they really cannot take care of their child, then let me introduce you to a marvelous word: adoption. 
Christ gave up His life so that we can live. Abortion is the opposite. Abortion is the mother saying to her child, you give up your life so that I can live. What kind of mother is that? 
Many people say, "Oh, abortion is okay because the baby isn't really formed yet, it's a fetus. It's still dependent on its mother." If its not a human, if life doesn't start at conception, then when does it start? God gives us a soul at the moment we come into the world: conception. Mothers have no right to take their lives. We may be small at conception, we may not be fully formed, but we're a person. A baby person who is completely vulnerable. A person who will someday grow up to be someone who has the complete capacity to do God's will. All these babies that are murdered every day... They'll never grow up. They'll never be able to serve God, or see the blue sky, or smile, or laugh, or experience all the great things in life: school, college, friends and family, music, hobbies, marriage... They never get to see God in the beauty of the world. But mothers do. How could they deprive their child from that, simply so they can do what they want and not have to take care of the child? 
My latest poem: 

Two Hearts by moi 

Two hearts that beat as one
My life is small, but I want to live 
And someday maybe my life 
Will be bigger 
Bigger than this
Where I am vulnerable

So much to live for
I want to live for God
I want to serve Him
Love Him 
Know Him 
But you wont let me 

You cut my lifeline
My soul has left 
I am only a fetus in your eyes
A problem
An obstacle 
We had two hearts together
That used to beat as one

Mine has gone silent
But I loved you
Why did you not love me too? 

I may be trapped 
You may not care
But during my short life
--My small, vulnerable life
As fragile as a twig that snapped--
I loved you
And I wish my heart
Still beat with yours 

That pretty much sums it up. 

On Sunday, we went to Chinatown.  Chinatown is so cool! If you haven't gone, find the Chinatown near you. I'm not sure if they're all like the one I went to, but it was a lot of fun! Ironically, we didn't get Chinese food, or at least I didn't. I got Subway (in Chinatown. They have Subway in Chinatown.). But in my defense, I thought we only had twenty minutes before we had to leave so I wanted something that I could get quickly. Turns out, we had an hour and twenty minutes. 
So I got a really cute San Fran bag instead. 

Love it!

Chinatown

Well, that was my trip. I should sign off now, but before I do, 

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY RONNIE!!!! 

(It was actually on Tuesday. I'm a day late. Ssshh...)
--Abby

Stressing

I leave for San Fran tomorrow, and I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous. I haven't even packed yet! I guess I'm kind of looking forward to the whole thing being over, but I'm like this all the time before doing something like this. When we actually get there I'll be fine. 

But can you really blame me for stressing? I'm going without any of my family members, staying the weekend in a place I've never been before (with two other random schools! We're all staying in the same place), and walking around protesting in a city where there are people who literally hate my guts for protesting. 
But I'll be with my school. And they're like a big family to me. I'm going to be fine, but somehow my brain keeps telling me to stress. 

I think part of it is also that I've never done anything like this before. Next year, if I do this again, I'll feel better about it. 

I tried to write a poem to take my mind off of everything, but it turned out horrible. I might try to fix it, but if I do, it'll be next week. After this weekend is over. When most of my boulder of stress has crumbled. 
This month hasn't been a generally good month for me, emotionally. I hope February is better. 

But I'll bet I'm going to come back and do a post about how great the trip was. And I eagerly await the day I shall write it. 

I'm off the have tea. Or pack. Not sure which I should do first. 
--Abby

Updates

Back with a few updates. 

Update #1: 

I've dropped out of the play. I KNOW I was all excited for it, but honestly, I'm not much of an actress. I look back on every acting role I've ever had and think, ooooooooooh boy... I'm not good on stage. I had to lector at Mass on Tuesday and I think I almost fainted. So yeah, not good in front of crowds. 
But Abby, you say, you're a dancer, aren't you? 
Okay, thats different. If I'm dancing on stage, I don't have to do any talking. It's easier to pretend that the audience isn't there, at least for me. 
Anyway, I think it'll be more fun to watch it. H.M.S. Pinafore is a hilarious play. If I was in it, I wouldn't get to appreciate it as much as I can by watching the whole thing and not knowing what's going to happen next. 
(Well, technically I do know what'll happen next, I still have the script the director gave me... sshhh...) 

Plus, I want to do another semester of art. I really liked that class and we're going to do some paintings and stuff this semester. My grandmother wants me to paint her a specific painting, and so I'm going to start working on that, but I'll do another post about it when I'm finished with it. It's got a really interesting backstory... 

Update #2: 

I'm going to the San Francisco Walk For Life next weekend! The Pro-Life club at school, plus some other high school students who weaseled their way in, are all driving up this coming Friday. I'm glad I'm in the Pro-Life club because I got a definite spot for the trip. There were fifty spots available, and the club gets first choice. Then the leftover spots are open to others. (There's only like twenty kids in the club, though, so it was pretty fair. I think there's only about fifty or sixty kids in the whole high school...) 

It should be a lot of fun. I'm not so eager for the car ride, however. It's going to be six to eight hours long! I'm in the same car as two of my friends, Em and Grace, and we're coming up with ways to pass the time. Grace, who happens to be a wizard in the kitchen, is baking lemon bars and cookies and stuff and Em's going to bring movies. Me? I'm hoping I don't curl up into a little shell and become all anti-social and grouchy and sleepy. It tends to happen on car trips. I'm bringing a book and music to listen to in case I do retreat into a little hole. 

I'm also happy that I get to stand up for what I believe in. Abortion is so horrible in every way. I don't see how these people think it's okay. Why is murder illegal, but abortion isn't? It's the same thing. ust because the baby is inside the mother doesn't make him or her any less human. 
(At this point, I usually go into a long rant about abortion, but I need to wrap this post up soon, so I'll leave it at this: 
How much does an abortion cost? 
ONE HUMAN LIFE.) 

Update #3: 

This morning, I was reading Josie's blog and she was talking about this thing she was signed up for where you paint fifty wooden pegs to look like a saint (you do all the pegs the same saint). Then in the Summer theres a huge exchange and you end up with fifty different peg-saints. 
I was thinking about it when my mom came into the room with a big smile on her face, "Guess what I signed us up for?" 
Wow. 
My mother has fabulous timing. 
So we're doing Saint John Paul II. He seems simple enough, and to be honest, I'm kinda looking forward to it. It should be interesting. Although, what we're going to do with fifty painted peg-saints is beyond my knowledge. My guess is my sisters will lose them within the week. 

So now y'all are updated. Sorry for my lake of posting of the late. 

--Abby 
I think my siblings are watching Spiderman in the next room. I'm hearing a lot of crashing and screaming and witty banter going on...

Little Moments

This morning I woke up and it was raining. Six hours later and it still is! I'm hiding in my room with the laptop, a cup of tea, and peppermint bark. My version of a perfect afternoon x).  

(Have you ever tried dipping peppermint bark in tea? It tastes like Christmas, winter, rain, and everything amazing about this time of year.) 

And in case your wondering, I am not athletic, BUT I am excited about the Patriots-Ravens game. I watched the first half with my dad at a little pizza place near my house, and now I can hear him watching the rest of it in the next room. And yes, I know close to nothing about football, but I know enough to watch a game. Ish. 
My dad was born in Baltimore, but raised in Mass., so it's kind of an interesting game for us. But we're Patriots fans, all the way. Also with any other sport; Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and all that. 

"New England has a harsh climate, a barren soil, a rough and stormy coast, and yet we love it, even with a love passing that of dwellers in more favored regions." -- Henry Cabot Lodge 

All this wintry weather reminded me of a poem I wrote a year or so ago in math class. (It's not like I wasn't paying attention, I was multi-tasking) Anyway, here it is. The rhyme scheme, I now realize, of the last stanza is different from the others, but bear with me. It feels wrong to change it now, after it's been sitting in my purple writing folder for a year. 

Little Moments by moi 

Rain falls 
Misty mornings 
Frozen breath 
Cardinal calls 

Dark clouds 
Deep silence
Purple lips 
Say no sounds

Frosty bite 
Thick sweaters 
Windy songs
Dim light 

Dancing fires 
Lively sparks 
Smell of rain
And rubber tires 

Ice-cold air
Steaming drinks 
Sleeping babies 
With teddy bears 

Little things 
That places bring
Make these moments 
Seems to sing 


Ha! A poem that rhymes! It is possible for me to still write these ya know. 

Well now I'm off again. My peppermint bark awaits and my tea is getting cold. 

--Abby

My second novel and Audrey Hepburn

As you can see, I've made some changes. I'm actually not done and will probably keep moving things around confusing all of you. Sorry 'bout that. 

I started my second novel. I'm only about a thousand words into it, so not much has happened. I'm hoping to get much farther than I did with Claire's story. Her's was only about 8,200 words, approximately. 
I'd rather not say much about this book yet. My english teacher made a good point. She was writing a book (not sure if she still is or not. It might be in the publishing process) and we asked her what it was about. She wouldn't tell us because she said if you talk about it, all the excitement about it kind of deflates. You don't become as interested in it as you were before, and I have a huge problem when it comes to sticking to a story. I'm trying my best to stay interested in this one so I can actually finish it. 

I actually have two stories I've started but I'm not sure which one I want to finish first. I'm thinking the one I mentioned above because I like the plot more and there's something about the whole story in general that makes me want to finish it. 

School starts back for me on Tuesday. I kinda have mixed feelings about that. This morning I slept until eleven-fifteen and I wont be able to do that once school starts. 
But I think the only reason I slept so late was because my brothers and I stayed up really late last night. They were trying out my new card game Quiddler, and I was making all these fabulous changes to the template. 

In other news, I drew a picture of.....

drumroll please

Breakfast At Tiffany's

...Audrey Hepburn! 

Ok, it's not amazing, but I'm pretty proud of it. Sorry it's so light. Every once in a while I'll draw something that doesn't look like garbage. Remember Elsa? I was pretty proud of that too x). 

Today's been a bit of a slow day. I already drank my cup of tea for the day (in my fancy new mug that changes color if you put hot liquid in it!!) and so I'm stuck wondering if I should have another. 

--Abby

New Years Day

We have a New Years tradition. There's this awesome park we go to every year on New Year's Day. We come and bring lunch and the boys play football and stuff.

The view from the park is amazing: 

My beautiful beach town. Sorry that tree's in the way. 

How cool is that!? 

I have my own tradition too here at this park. Every year I bring my sketchbook and draw the view here. Then I can look back and see how my drawing skills have improved. This year, it was kind of quickly done. I'd rather not post it because my brothers could use it as blackmail material. I really could have done better. But, I have definitely improved drawing-wise over the past few years. 

On the way home, Penguin and Blaze played their favorite car game: sweet and sour. Everyone was cracking up, it was hilarious. There was this one guy we passed and Penguin, with a total poker face, saluted him. The guy, with and equally funny poker face, waved back like it was totally normal. 

Have I ever mentioned that my brothers are insane? 

2014 was a pretty great year. The summer was the best though. Over the summer, I learned guitar, we went to Palm Springs, Maddie and I went to Costa Mesa and had a two-day shopping spree (naturally), Blaze taught me how to dive under waves at the beach (how depressing, I had to learn from my little brother) so now I can swim out really far without freaking out whenever a wave comes, among many other things. Throughout the whole year, not just summer, I turned fifteen, I went to a wedding, and I wrote more poems. I graduated middle school and started my freshman year. I finished my first novel. 

My New Years resolution is to finish my second novel that I'm currently working on with my newest character, Miette. And also to be a better person and all that. Be nicer to my brothers, play with my sisters more, etc. 

This past year has been filled with lots of time at the beach, stress about school, and being locked up in a quiet room with the laptop writing. I have to say that 2014 was a really great year. I did some things I would have not been able to do a year ago. 

The weird thing is, 2014 will never come again. No other year will be just like it. Even so, I hope 2015 is just as great. 

--Abby