Exams are horrible

I DID IT!!!!!!! 
I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!
ALMOST!!!!!!!! 
ALMOST IS CLOSE ENOUGH THOUGH, RIGHT? 

I have all my exams completed!! All I have to do now is present my parakeet project tomorrow morning and I will be GOOD! Until school starts up again in a few weeks. 

But seriously, I've been stressing so much the past week, it feels so good to have it all (most of it all) behind me. Today was my history exam, and I am NOT good at history, but I think I did alright. I'm not very good at memorizing names and dates and events that happened centuries ago... It all blurs together. Nero, Constantinople, 410, Charlemagne.... It seems all like fiction, like stories that should begin with, "A long time ago, in a whole separate world far, far away... Constantine moved the capital to Constantinople... Rome got destroyed.... The  Battle of Tours..." and on, and on, and on, because history never really stops. As longs as the clock keeps ticking, history keeps marching, and some day, fifteen year old girls are going to be reading about stuff that happened today and look at it like it's fiction. 
History isn't my forte. 
Instead of an english exam, we had a seminar today on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was two hours long, but it felt shorter. We could have talked about it for hours. I love doing seminars. I don't really understand the play, though.I mean, I liked it, a lot actually, but every character is an idiot in their own special way. The Nurse, Romeo (especially, in my opinion), Capulet, Tybalt, the list goes on. Romeo, you're sixteen.  Get a grip on yourself! 
(Is it normal that I talk to fictional people? Yes, yes it is.) 

It was raining hard last night! With thunder and lightning and everything! I woke up to thunder at 1:30 AM and wanted to stay awake to listen to the rain and thunder and watch for lighting, but I was barely awake and plus it's exam week and I'm always tired during exam week. 
I'd better go start preparing for my presentation tomorrow. Wish me luck! 
Oh, and to all you who prayed for me on my finals, THANK YOU! 
--Abby

Fish, fish, and more fish

Today we went to a little fair near our house in the harbor. It was really small, maybe only ten rides, but it was fun. At first, I was reluctant to go because I wanted to get all my normal homework out of the way today so tomorrow I could study until my brain falls out. Plus I'm not really into rides. But the fair was only going to be there for a few days, plus my grandparents wanted to meet us there and my grandma's birthday is in a couple days, so what the heck, right?

I'm really glad I went. The rides were a lot of fun. I went on a ferris wheel for the first time ever with Blaze. Blaze and Penguin found this ride called the Spinner where you sit in this seat and it spins you around really fast. They went on it two or three times! I went on it too, but not three times.
We also won six gold fish. Six. Why. So now, two live in Blaze and Penguin's room, two live in Lilian and Ronnie's room,and two live in mine and Rosie's room.
Ronnie's: Sqishy
Lilian's: Seasquatch (is that a name?)
Rosie's: Felix
Penguin's: Finn
Blaze's: Black Finn
Mine: Robert Downey Jr. (or Iron Man for short)
I just realized that no one gave the fish a girl's name...

Lilian and Ronnie are going to kill their fish within the next week.

Then we walked down the harbor a bit along the shops and stuff. There was some people singing carols and we stopped to listen. On the corner, they were blowing fake snow around and two guys dressed up in snowman andpenguin costumes were walking around taking pictures with kids and giving high-fives and stuff. Then we got ice cream and left. Well, actually, Rosie and I used the last tickets to go through the fun house, which was a let down. I said we should have gone on an actual ride, but noooooooo, Rosie wanted to go through the fun house.

I shall now procede to eat shrimp and count down the minutes until Christmas. Or count down the minutes until the end of my last exam. Either way is good.
--Abby

"I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas..."

It was FREEZING today!!!!!!! It was amazing! It was weird, though. It was sunny, extremely cold, and raining. All at once. Strange, right? But its actually feeling like December! We were singing White Christmas at school over and over again. The downside was, it was really, very cold, as I mentioned, and about three-fourths of the campus is outside. So during recess we were all outside, freezing to death. We could have gone into the hall, which we tried a few times, but there's not heating system in the hall (if there is, its not being used properly). People brought scarves and blankets and beanies and yeah, it was cold. But it's better to be cold with friends than to suffer alone. We ("We" being the entire school. It's THAT small) spent the day making each other laugh, stealing each others beanies, huddling like penguins, and doing stuff like this: 
Bob and Emma were acting out a little scene where they were pretending to be two old people: 
Bob: Emma, how old are you? 
Emma: Sixty-three. 
Bob: Ha! When I was your age, I was sixty-four! 
(They weren't making fun of old people, which is incredibly rude and should never be done, they were simply being stupid XD) 

The concert was really fun last night. The singing was beautiful and we kept the mess ups to a minimal. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures or videos at the moment, but I'll try to post them when I get them. 

Mid-terms are next week and I'm STRESSING. S-T-R-E-S-S-I-N-G. I'm going to study all weekend... Or try to at least. It never works out that way. I always get super freaked out over these exams and then they end up being pretty easy. But prayers would be much appreciated :). 

I also need to start getting people Christmas gifts. I wish I could post pictures of the gifts, but that would kind of ruin the whole surprise element. I will after Christmas. 

I need tea. In my fancy little Snoopy mug that I got for my birthday. And rain. Lots and lots of rain... 
--Abby

It's actually cold for once...

Right now, its gray and cloudy and very very cold and I'm drinking a cup of tea so hot that its burning my tongue. What could be better... It's actually supposed to rain really hard this weekend. Im super excited! All this fall-like weather reminds me how close to Christmas we are and how quickly Advent is flying by. It also reminds me how close exams are. It's sad; this weekend its supposed to pour and instead of drinking tea and listening to the sound of rain for hours on end, I have to study for hours on end. Study, study, study... This time next week it'll all be over, though. That thought's what keeps me going x). 

I feel like I haven't done a post about aerial in a while so thats what I'm going to do. 

Yesterday we had a sub for the third week in a row. I'm not sure where my usual teacher is, but I hope she comes back soon. I really like her :). Our sub was pretty cool too, though. She introduced us to the Knot Game. This is where you're in the air and someone's telling you what to do... "Turn upside down, hook your left leg, separate the silk and pull through..." etc. Eventually, you get tangled up in this huge knot and you have to figure out a graceful way to get out of it. Oh, and the ground in hot lava XD. My sub, Charlie, said "If you ever get stuck in a real routine, there are two rules: 
1) Don't freak out 
2) Turn upside down and hook something" ;P
Charlie's a lot of fun. 

Tonight is the school Advent concert. I have to wear the same Audrey Hepburn dress I wore to the auction. It's going to be freezing! I'm actually pretty excited for the concert. The high school choir does some songs, the middle school boys do some songs and the middle school girls do some songs and then the youngest kids do some songs. Not necessarily in that order. I'm in the high school choir and we're singing a french song and then this really long (really really long) version of the Gloria. 

I am really not good with technology, I recently found out... 

I'll post about the concert tomorrow. 

--Abby

Recitals, shoes, and sore feet

Today was our very first ever piano recital! It was in a cute little church about a half an hour away. We all got very dressed up (I actually got a new dress for the occasion) and I put on makeup, which is a very rare occurrence for me. I hate taking off makeup, for one thing, and it also makes me feel kind of....artificial, I guess? I mean, I don't mind it, but I wouldn't wear it on an ordinary day to school or anything. 

Ok, I'm going off on a tangent. 

We got to the church and got organized and such. I was seventh, and I was super nervous! Lilian went first (have I mentioned that she and Penguin started piano too? Well, they have) and she went on stage and announced her name and the song she was going to play and then went over to the piano and played like five notes before getting up, bowing and walking back to her seat and I think I died laughing. She was so adorable and didn't freeze up or anything! It was hilarious! She's so cute. 

Then Mary Rose went. We had been able to wrestle her into a skirt and blouse and broke it to her that no, she could not wear her hat on stage (she doesn't go anywhere without it). And she looked nice! She did well on her song too. 

Then Penguin went, then Blaze, then me. I was so nervous, I was shaking the whole time. I was having this mental panic attack as I sat down at the piano: Omigosh I'm going to mess up, my hands are shaking so much, I'm going to forget all the dynamics... 
Then I had another mental panic attack because for a brief second, I forgot what song I was playing! But then I started playing and I calmed down. I played We Three Kings. And naturally, I totally left out the dynamics, but its all over so theres nothing I can do about it now. 

The other kids were great too. There were a few who played songs from the Nutcracker, and that was fun to hear. The very last kid had been playing piano for six years, I learned afterwards. He was amazing! He played The Turkish March by Mozart, and he played it perfectly! is hands were flying, it was so cool! 

There was a couple weird songs. A few from Avatar that were beautiful, actually. Then there was this one kid who got up with a guitar and played Grenade by Bruno Mars. Yeah, we all felt his Christmas spirit XD. He even sang it. *face palm* 

On Friday, we had a rec day at school and we all went ice skating. I haven't been ice skating in five years or so, so naturally I stunk. I only fell once, though. I landed on the ice and threw my hands up triumphantly and shouted, "Falling gracefully!" Now that I think about it, I should have said something like, "Yup, the gravity still works!" XD Anyway, it was fun, a lot of my friends were there and so we all went slightly crazy. Blaze and Penguin were naturals and they haven't been ice skating for like five years either! I wasn't a natural.... When I got home, all I wanted to do was soak my poor, abused feet in hot water until the soreness went away. They're still sore.  

Speaking of feet, I fell in love a few days ago. Click here and I guarantee you'll fall in love too. ;) The thing is, I really like moccasins. I used to wear them all the time before I met Converse and Keds. They're so comfy and they're the kind of shoes that you can wear forever and love forever. I saw some Minnetonkas at a store yesterday and inside I was dying: 
"Oh Minnetonkas, how I wish I could take you home with me!" 
Then why don't you? You love me and I love making you comfortable. Its a win-win! 
"But I can't! Sadly, theres this thing called money that I don't exactly have with me..." 
But you have enough! 
"I KNOW but I'll be near broke if I buy you right now!" 
But look at me... Sitting on this rack waiting for someone to make happy... I'm so lonely! 
"mrkhglvguhirutkrdnhutrhn" 
(That was me struggling inside) 

I'll probably end up buying a pair for myself as a Christmas present (to myself, from myself. Maybe I'll gift-wrap them too...) and maybe I'll get someone else a pair too as a present 'cause I'm generous. x) 
--Abby

A lot of random thoughts

It feels like a while since I've posted, even though it's only been three days. 

So, it RAINED!! FINALLY!!! I woke up Tuesday morning at 7:30 and it was raining in sheets!! Seattle style!! Then it drizzled a lot Wednesday. We played volleyball at school yesterday during our free period, and there is nothing better than playing volleyball in the rain. The ball gets slippery, for one thing, and that adds an extra challenge. Then the basketball court gets all wet (thats where we set up the volleyball net. Have I mentioned I go to a really small school? Theres no room for a separate volleyball court!) It was really fun. I love rain so much. 

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I didn't wake up to my alarm clock. This means, my brothers had to wake up on their own (I wake them up usually) and then wake me up too. But  they don't have and alarm clock, so they would wake me up at 7:30, or on Wednesday, 8:00!! I was quite panicked, yes. Every once in a while, I'll sleep through my alarm clock, but three days in a row? That's weird. Maybe my brain went on a vacation and didn't come back to me in time to say, Abby, your alarm clock's ringing! Wake up! 

Ok, by this time you might be bored of listening to my Christmas traditions, but I PROMISE JUST ONE MORE AND THATS IT!! 

Every year, around Christmas, at random times during school, while we're having class, a class will scream loud enough for the whole school to hear: JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!! And that starts a riot. Classes start shouting this at random times, not all at once thankfully. That would be complete chaos. But after he first shout, every four seconds you can hear a class shout. 
I was in theology class when this started today and my class shouted it twice. Its a simple, but a really fun tradition and it wouldn't be Christmas without it XD. 

Instead of a science exam, we're doing a HUGE science project about a parakeet that is currently staying in the school lab. We basically have to do a lot of research on this bird and do a lot of printing out papers, doing observations, making one of those foam board things... the list goes on. I'm kind of stressed about it, but I have about one-fifth of it done and it's not due for two more weeks, so if I work on it every night, I should finish. 

I'm at a loss of things to blog about so bye! 
--Abby

Christmas traditions

I know what you're thinking. Yes, it did take me five minutes. 

I kinda like it so I'm posting it. It is my blog, after all... 

Anyway, it's December. 

Abby, you have a keen grasp of the plainly obvious. 

Thank you. 

You didn't let me finish: It's December, which means CHRISTMAS!! Christmas is my favorite time of year. The carols, the baking, the decorations... Oh, don't get me started on the Christmas lights! Driving down our street is like walking in a winter wonderland...Ok, no its not 'cause this is California and when the heck does it ever look like a winter wonderland here. BUT STILL it's pretty magical. All the decorations and the colorful lights are so beautiful, it reminds you that Christmas really is upon us. 

Every year, we get together with our cousins and our grandparents. Usually we go up to our cousins house, but this year they're coming down here. We have a bunch of family traditions we do together, and this post is basically going to be covering those. I love Christmas traditions. XD 

So lets travel back in time to one year ago...

We departed on our six-hour car trip up to our cousin's house (It's Maddie and her family. I'm getting tired of typing "our cousins") on Christmas Eve. We reached their house that evening and got settled. The older kids and the adults went to the midnight service while Maddie, Lanie (Maddie's sister), and I stayed back to babysit the younger kids and watch movies and drink hot chocolate. 

The next morning, we opened our stockings and had a Christmas breakfast. Then Maddie, Lanie, myself, and whoever else hadn't gone to the midnight Mass went. 'Cause we're good Catholics and all...XD. Then we opened presents and had our annual Christmas concert. This is one of our Christmas traditions. All the kids sing Christmas carols for the adults. Its mainly our Christmas present to our grandmother because her birthday is around Christmas (and before you call us cheep, she ASKED for this). The kids in my family do a song, then our cousins do a songs, then we partner up and do songs together. Theres a lot of practicing beforehand, and we do little twists sometimes. One year someone sang Silent Night in German. Another year, Blaze and I sang Silver Bells, him doing melody and me doing high-soprano. It sounded pretty good actually :). 

My cousins live right next to this HUUUUGE reservoir. Its big and brown and amazing (no snow, but the chilly wind and ice-y cold weather make up for it). There are all these hills and trails, and the view from the top of one of those hills is absolutely breath taking. Last year, we all went for a walk around there. We all had our thick sweaters, windbreakers and scarves, and we set off. 

Theres something you should know about me and Maddie: movies. We love watching them and making them. I think I mentioned this before, but we love old movies; Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Audrey Hepburn, etc. Any chance we get we'll whip out a camera and start filming. 

So the others went home after the walk, Maddie, Lanie, and I got inspired and spent Christmas afternoon filming and editing. It was amazing. Being out there, running around the gigantic reservoir, the cold wind biting, coming up with a plot, editing ideas, characters... It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. :) The movie didn't win any academy awards, but I don't care. I loved making it, and that's what matters, right?  

So, that's basically Christmas with my family. We don't have any big reservoirs here, but I'm sure we'll find something XD. What I'm trying to say with this post is: I love Christmas, and I can't wait for it to come. 
Of corse, for Christmas to come I have to survive finals first.... 

--Abby