"And They Were Filled with the Holy Spirit..." Acts 2:4

Last night I was confirmed in the Catholic Church. For those of you who don't know what that means, I chose my faith. At Baptism, our parents chose our faith for us, in a way, but in Confirmation, I choose it for myself. 
The archbishop of our diocese came to my perish to say the Mass. He gave a beautiful and inspiring homily. One of the things he said was that God--the almighty and everliving, the powerful and infinite Creator of the universe--want to be with each of us. He wants to be with me--sinful little me. 

Being a Catholic these days is hard. But the archbishop pointed out that it's actually is a great time to be a Catholic because Christ's Way isn't supposed to be easy. There are challenges at ever corner. 
I don't feel too different. I walked into the church, I walked out, same as I do every Sunday. But now, I'm an adult in the Church. When the bishop took his thumb, dipped it in oil, blessed me, and said, "Lucy, be sealed with the Holy Spirit..." it became official. 
My saint was St Lucy. She was about my age when she died and was so brave that even the violent threats that were all around her didn't shift her faith and love for God. That's something I want to have as a Catholic, but I think it's going to take some work ;p. 

I'll always remember my Confirmation day. It was really amazing. 
I also got to see a friend of mine who moved to Montana about a year ago. It was really great to see her and I'm super happy that she's visiting :). 

In other news, yesterday afternoon, I went to see an aerial show that some friends of mine were in. They were all amazing! Lately I've been feeling a little... hesitant about continuing aerial, but when I watched their show, I thought, This is what I want to do... You don't realize how amazing and beautiful it is until you sit down and watch it. When I do it, I try to think about making it look pretty, but often I'm thinking about how sore I'll be the next day or how big of a bruise I'll get... But I really do love doing it. When you watch it, it's breathtaking, and when you do it, it's... I can't even explain it. Thrilling, riveting (painful, in some cases). 

Today was a lazy day, and I got no writing done. I really need to get this first draft done this summer, or at least before November. 
We'll see how that goes. 
--Abby

More Pictures

Back only for a sec to post more pictures from the last day of school: 

I couldn't figure out how to turn this one...
Pretty fancy editing, no? Thanks, Em!  

Poor Hannah xD

Em, Jill, Sister, Hannah, and me 

Lol, so many people weren't ready for this picture

I love this one.
(The one with the beard is a teacher xD)

In the past three days, I've written about 2,000 words! I wrote 1,000 just today! That's big for me! *confetti* 
I've decided that I want to try NaNo this November. I'm super excited! I'm going to get this first draft done before then, and then do the second draft in November. I am going to be so tired... 

--Abby 

A Post with Pictures in it.

Today we went on a hike with some family friends. I took some pictures, and therefore I think a photo dump is in order. I'm going to stop talking now: 

How amazing is this scenery?? 

Ok, so we walked past those huge golden fields (first picture) and I was like, "BLAZE take a picture!!" 

I have this idea for what I want my Senior picture to be, and when I saw this field I knew I had to take a picture--and then come back in three years and take another. 

Blaze is actually a fairly good photographer. 

We heard some rattlesnakes in the fields, but I decided to risk it because really, I love the idea of this picture; beautiful, golden fields with a mountain backdrop. I'm probably going to come back in three years for my Senior picture. And this time put makeup on and wear something pretty. And I won't be fiddling with the rubber band on my wrist. Not saying that there won't be a rubber band on my wrist. Not pushing it. 

Also, here are a few pictures from the last day of school: 

I love this photo. This was when we were on the soccer field at the end of the day.

After school, on the hill (I look so scary...)

I'm a dancer, but I couldn't get my legs to straighten. That's sad. 

There are more, but I don't have all of them yet. More to come, more to come... Possibly a video if I can figure out how to post videos... 

--Abby

SUMMER!!!

I FINISHED OMIGOODNESS I'M SO HAPPY IT'S SUMMER!!!!!!!!!! 

Guys, guess what. 

I'M DONEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Yesterday was my science presentation and I didn't realize how nervous I was until Tessa and I actually got up there. IT WAS SCARY. I didn't talk nearly as much as I should have, but Tessa was great. I'm just so glad it's over and that we finished it on time. 
Yesterday morning, I was so done with school and so ready for ninth grade to just be over already. I was so ready, in fact, that I put milk in my fruit tea. 
*hums It's the end of the world as we know it...* 

I had so much sugar at school. Em did her science presentation on the affects of coffee on the human pulse, so we all got coffee. Then some presentations were baking-related, so I also ate cupcakes and cookies. 
After school was the awards ceremony and I GOT ON THE HONOR ROLL!! I also got silver in the Latin exam I took last March!! That's big! I did not expect that!  

Then there was the annual Seniors-faculty volleyball game, which the faculty won. Not everyone stays for that, but a lot of people from my class and I stayed to watch/took a million selfies on the soccer field. 

The girls of my class have an annual end-of-the-year sleepover party, but this year we cut out the sleepover part and just made it an afternoon-evening thing. Tessa couldn't make it, but Jill, Grace, Em, Hannah, and I had a blast.
 We wanted to take some fancy pictures to commemorate the end of our ninth grade year, so we found a high hill overlooking the whole city and took pictures. I asked Em to send some to me but she hasn't sent them yet, so we'll hold off on the photo dumping until later. 
Then we went to see Age of Ultron!!!! It wasn't as good as the first one, but it was good. It was really funny, and the plot was exciting. It was super LONG though. I just kept waiting for them to wrap it UP already! I also didn't like how it was so anti-Catholic. Like, really? You just decided to not be cool anymore and start making fun of us? That's low. The first anti-Catholic quote was Ultron saying, "Upon this rock I will build my church," and I was thinking, okaaay..... Then when the Vision showed up, I immediately didn't like him, and that was before he said, "I am, I AM." 

fjnjeuickrjdnxuieJXDMIEKLXJWUmdejkwxrhjduekjrnxmd 

NO. 

But other that that, it was a pretty good movie! Quicksilver was amazing and Hawkeye has forever been my favorite. When we got out of the movie theater, we were all in the three-minutes-to-suit-up-and-save-the-world kinda mood. Plus, we were pretty hyper from the candy and chips we smuggled in (shhh). Em's mom was supposed to pick us up, but we couldn't sit still so we just started walking and met her half-way. 
We couldn't stop talking about it. Hannah and Jill even made plans to join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s boot camp. Every time they had to do something, they would pose dramatically and say "NEW MISSION!" If they needed water, "NEW MISSION!" Making lemonade, "NEW MISSION!" Em has a tree house in her backyard, which was declared the new Avengers HQ. We kept having to remind ourselves that the movie wasn't real.  
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 
Favorite quote: "Actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything, make everyone look cooler."  

We made s'mores, watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and did races on the street in the dark. Em carried me, and Hannah carried Jill, and Grace filmed us running down the street--but only for two seconds because Em tripped and dropped me. 
My butt hurts. 

A TON of pictures were taken all day yesterday, and as soon as I can get them, I'll put them on here. But until then, I'm off to enjoy the beginning of my vacation. 
Happy Summer! 
--Abby 

Possibly My Last Post About Stressing for Finals for the Year.

The time has come. 

Weekend before finals. 

Also known as: 

Most stressful few days of the entire YEAR.  

Seriously, I'm freaking out. I thought I was prepared for my math final, which is on Tuesday morning at nine, but NO I'M REALLY NOT. 

And then on the same day, at eleven-fifty (such a weird schedule), I have to take a Theology exam and OMIGOODNESS I'M SO NOT PREPARED! 

Don't even get me started on history. 

Okay, I'm sorry, but how can you not love Calvin and Hobbs??

History is so confusing. All the names and dates and events get blurred together in my mind. 

UGH. 

I always devote the weekend before finals to intense studying. I never really last as long as I'd like to. 
On top of everything else, I'm falling behind on this science final, which is due THIS THURSDAY! I've had over a month, and I'm still behind. 
This time next week, it'll be all over... 
Can that really be true?? It seems like it wasn't too long ago I was dreading the start of this school year. 
I know, I say that way too often. 
Well, it's time to hit the books. I may or may not post this week, so in case I don't, I'll see y'all on the other side!

--Abby

Me and My Tea Problems.

So yesterday was Mother's Day, and so we went out to brunch with my grandparents to this nice hotel. 
I have never eaten so much food. 
Call me a pig if you must.

I ordered tea, and the waitress left without asking me what kind of tea I would like. So I had a moment of tea-panic (worst kind). But then she came back with a tea kettle and poured hot water into my little mug. I almost looked at her like, umm, where's the tea...? 

AND THEN SHE GAVE ME A LITTLE CUP WITH LIKE TEN DIFFERENT KINDS OF TEA FOR MY CHOOSING!! 

God was smiling upon me that day. 
Usually I can contain myself when I mentally freak out over teas, but this time I couldn't. I think the waitress thought I was crazy. 
I had the best chai tea ever, but it was so hard to choose! I was debating between chai, camomile, earl grey, and English breakfast tea. But I have camomile, earl grey, and English breakfast a lot. It's been years since I've had chai. 

Pardon me and my weird tea obsessions. 

As we were leaving, I grabbed all the tea. All of it. All. It's sitting on my desk. I'm proud. 

So that was my Mother's Day. 

NEXT WEEK IN FINALS WEEK. I'M FREAKING OUT. 
Ugh, ugh, ugh, my science final and my other finals... and I also found out my favorite teacher isn't coming back next year... SO MUCH STRESS. SO. MUCH. 

I'm going to sign off before I start ranting. 
--Abby

My Post-School Adventure with Coffee and Books.

You guys. 

You. Guys. 

Books. 

Like, seriously, must I say more? 

Today, Blaze, Penguin, and I went straight from school to the bookstore. And then Starbucks. Which we probably shouldn't have done because coffee makes me either really hyper or reallllllllly tired (yesterday I had coffee in the middle of the day and I almost fell asleep in Theology class). Plus, Starbucks supports abortion and all that, but I mean, they have this new drink called the s'more frappuccino which was kind of amazing. 

But back to the point. 

BOOKS. 

I love bookstores. Walking up and down the aisles, knowing that there were whole worlds under my fingertips when I picked up a book is so awesome. I kept running into different copies of Emma; they were everywhere! I started to wonder if it was a sign from God: Buy this book! Buy this book now! 
I didn't buy it, but in my defense, I already have it. Plus, it probably wasn't a sign from God. 

I can get so wrapped up in fictional worlds. If you haven't cried over fictional characters, if you have NEVER sat in your room at night, hugging your knees and morning over the death of a loved one that some writer you've never met before created out of their own imagination, then you have never truly lived, or had a childhood, or loved. 
Have I ever mentioned I tend to exaggerate? No? I tend to exaggerate. 
I'm sure you've all had a childhood and loved and whatnot. 
BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE THIS!!!!!!!! 

I picked up a book on one of the shelves, and opened to page one. Yup. Me, standing in the middle of the aisle in my Catholic-school uniform, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the large bookstore, started reading my new adventure. I stood there for like two or three minutes before I suddenly blinked and pulled myself back into reality. After a moment, I saw Penguin going down the escalator with his impish grin, giving me the shaka sign, and I remembered where I was. 

I bought that book, and frankly, I'm a little reluctant to admit it, but that book was Divergent. I kind of cheated and watched the movie with Maddie last Christmas before I had read it. Now I'm reading it. And I know everything that's going to happen. *whimper* 

Blaze and Penguin and I were reading in Starbucks, which was actually attached to the bookstore, for like twenty minutes. It was kind of an awesome afternoon. 

So, I only have to school ten more times. Yeah, ten. Seven more normal days, three exam days. 
Also, yesterday was my last aerial class for two months. I'm already kind of missing it. I'm going to be SO out of shape when I go back... 
But on a happier note, I mastered this new drop I've been working on... As in, I would wrap myself for it and be about to drop, but then I'd think about it and walk myself out of it. You fall BACKWARDS. Not forwards, backwards! It's terrifying! Especially when you're twenty feet up! But I did it yesterday! I had been talking to a friend of mine right before class, and I told her how scared I was for the drop. She said to think of her right before I dropped. So the last thing I thought before I dropped was her, and then I took a breathe and dropped backwards. Half-way through, I mentally screamed, "What the heck am I doing???" 
But I did it!! 

Alright, I have to go do some Theology homework. 
--Abby

My Little Aerialist.

Two posts in one day--because I can! 

So, I saw this on Pinterest earlier: 

And it immediately made my day. This position is actually a lot more comfortable than it looks, despite the fact that if you let go and don't immediately bring your knees together, you become a little more acquainted with gravity than you would've preferred. 

So I started looking up other aerial stuff on Pinterest and saw an awesome t-shirt that said: Aerialists don't defy gravity; we defeat it. 

But that's irrelevant. 

So, anyways, I decided to try to draw the above picture. 

It's really light. And it looks better in real life. And it's slightly disproportionate...

Every once in a while, I'll sit down and pretend I can draw. Like with Elsa and Audrey Hepburn. 

I would say more, but I have to go eat dinner before my siblings devour it. 
--Abby

H.M.S. Pinafore

Last night, I saw what has the potential to be one of the best plays I've ever seen in my life! I might be exaggerating a little... Maybe it wasn't the best, but it was my favorite by far! 

It was so wonderfully done, the music, the costumes, the acting, everything. I almost

regretted not being in it. But there's always next year... Grace's older brother Matt played Ralph. At the part where he was tying himself to the anchor so he could toss himself overboard, he was shaking and crying and.... I think my heart actually broke for him. He is such a good actor! He was shaking and crying so hard he couldn't try the knot, so, of course, Dick Deadeye came over ad offered his help. 

Words cannot describe. 

The girls wore so much makeup, they looked fake. And the GUYS... Wow, it was hilarious. They all wore spray-on tan on their faces and necks, and their hair was slick back with gel. They looked like sun-burnt mannequins. It took me a second to recognize some of the actors and actresses because of all the makeup they wore. And most of them are friends of mine, so it was kind of interesting to see them pretending to be someone else for a bit.

TECHNICALLY you could say I helped on the set, because we painted some of the flags and stuff they used in art class. So yeah. Technically. 

I loved everything about the play, it was amazing. I can't wait to be a part of it next year. 

(Watch as I end up not doing it.) 
(I can dream, can't I?) 

Tessa and I got a lot of our science final out of the way today. I'd say we're about 1/3 of the way done. We wrapped up data collecting and research today, as well as the procedure paper and the data tables. Now we have two weeks to finish up...another 2/3. 

Fun. 

--Abby

This Post Does Have a Title, Believe It or Not.

Lecturing wasn't too bad. I mean, I didn't die or anything. I was shaking pretty hard in my seat beforehand, and as soon as the priest had said, "through Christ, our Lord, amen," I whispered to Grace, "Wish me luck." Then I stepped out into the aisle before I could come to my senses and think about what I was doing. 

"A reading from the Acts of the Apostles..." I started shaking immediately. I read it faster than I should have, but I knew if I went any slower I would collapse or something. I gripped the sides of the podium, which helped a little, but I'm sure that my white knuckles were a give-away to everyone that I was super scared. I tried not to look anyone in the eye, especially Blaze and Penguin. The night before, I had practiced in front of them and we would always crack up at this one part. So when I had to read that one sentence, I sort of spend past it and kept my eyes on the words. 

I finally finished, got back to my seat, and sighed with relief. It took a few minutes to stop shaking, but I finally got control of myself around the petitions. But right before the petitions, the priest stopped suddenly and said, "Who was the reader?" 
I wasn't sure what to do. Raise my hand? There was a teacher behind me and she pushed me forward, so I stumbled back up to the podium. As I approached the podium, I realized I had my hands in my jacket pocket and I hadn't bowed. I was super flustered. 

So, the priest had me read the petitions, which is unusual. Usually at school Masses, the priest reads them. 
But to be fair, we don't even have an actual chapel, so... 

Reading the petitions was easier because everyone was standing, so it wasn't as intimidating. When I finished, I glanced at the priest to see if I was needed for any more surprise readings, left the podium, made an awkward bow, and went to my seat--again. This time for reals. 
I'm glad it's over. 

So, I guess the real reason I'm here is to give you all an update on Late Have I Loved You. I'm going to give you two little "Favorite line(s) so far" because I can't choose between them. The first one I may have given you before, but I really like it, so I'm giving it again. Aren't I generous? x)

Current word count: 5,762

Today's word count: approx. 530 

Favorite line(s) so far: We ran outside, Caeli's shaking fingers dialing 9-1-1. We stood there, watching the sickly beautiful flames engulf the house where Caeli and I had, not twenty minutes ago, been daydreaming about France. Now it all seemed like just that-- a dream. Soon, sirens blared and a hot red firetruck made its way on the scene, but we all knew it was too late. 
Caeli and Thomas's house was gone. 

and 

Caeli and I were sitting on the swing on our back porch, with a great view of the ocean. The sun was starting to go down, "ending another day of trial and error," as my mom always says at sundown. Today was mostly error. 

Also, the H.M.S. Pinafore is tonight!! I'm kind of glad I'm not in it, although I sort of miss the day-of rehearsals, being there all day in costume, the pre-performance butterflies, the backstage, store-bought lunches brought by some mom... Memories of the Nutcracker  are flooding back. 

Anyways, I can't wait to see it. 
I should go do homework. I have a seminar in English class on Monday and I need to prepare for it. 
--Abby