BACK TO THE GRIND

VOLLEYBALL HAS STARTED, ONCE AGAIN! Which means that my knees are now covered in bruises the size of my fist. Oh how I love this sport!! 

I may or may not be being sarcastic. 

No but really, even though I'm not a huge fan of the stressful games and Coach yelling at me every two seconds, I love my girls. They're the best and always so encouraging! We make the best out of being bench warmers and look good as heck in our uniforms, hence all the photos.

This year we're losing a lot of great seniors, including my girl Kryn!!! That's right, she's all grown up and ready to take on the world, and looking fabulous while doing it, of course. Honey, I love you so much! I'm really going to miss you on the court next year! We definitely need to have that "play in your pearls and high heels" game before you graduate because priorities!

MERMAIDS FOR DAYS

Because when you make Bostwick into a mermaid, it has to be properly documented. 

#mermaidsrule

P IS FOR PROM

Yes, homeschoolers have proms, too!

(And we have some mighty good ones.)

Last Saturday, me and like twenty of my friends threw on some fancy clothes and danced the night away. We also ate some really good tacos.

UPSIDE TO HAVING PROM ON THE BEACH: it's so pretty and picture perfect!!
DOWNSIDE TO HAVING PROM ON THE BEACH: the wind is strong and sometimes your pictures are not so perfect. Exhibit A and B are right here.

Our group kind of made up the majority of prom, but hey, the more the merrier! Most of these kids have been my besties since middle school (ah, middle school...the wonderful age of awkardness and bad style.) so it was pretty great. I'd say that the blistered feet and tangled hair were worth it.
#swingprom2k15

When all the homeschoolers get together

What better way to kick off the summer than with a trip to the beach with your favorite people?!

(the fact that we had burgers for lunch is just a bonus.)

Our day was spent playing volleyball, climbing on rocks, listening to good music, witnessing manatees kissing, and getting really sunburnt. Also, I lost my voice, conviently the day before I was supposed to give a speech for school. Which turned out alright because I never gave it.

Oops.

Anyway, my last final exams were yesterday, so I'm DONE! And I hope summer comes with a lot more days like this!

SWEET SIXTEEN (literally.)

GUESS WHO TURNED SIXTEEN YESTERDAY.

That's right, it's me!!! Let's all rejoice!

Although I still had to study for finals and you know, do life, it was still a pretty decent birthday because (1) no one forgot it was my birthday, (2) I got a dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme, and (3) I had Chick-Fil-A for dinner. What more can you ask for?! That's the perfect birthday if you ask me.

I didn't have a big, fancy sweet sixteen party like everyone normally does. Instead, me and a few of my closest friends stayed in the sun all day long (and we have the sunburns to prove it) playing volleyball, listening to good music, and watching manatees.

Don't worry, there will be a post about that coming up soon! But for now, enjoy this picture of my perfectly stacked birthday donuts. Please note that it took me about half an hour to arrange them just right.

Advice from a wise sage (that's me!)

WHY IS TIME GOING BY SO FAST. 

My sophmore year is almost over. My sister is graduating high school. My best friends will be graduating next year. I'm about to turn sixteen. WHAT IS HAPPENING.

Guys, you've probably heard this a million times already, but one more time can't hurt: we need to cherish every moment. Every laugh, every tear, every post on Instagram, every chicken nugget. We're only young for so long, and don't we want something to smile about when we're sitting in a rocking chair while watching Wheel of Fortune sixty years from now?

Take risks. Go on adventures. Try something new, even if it's a new salsa for your tortilla chips.

We're only a couple weeks away from the end of the school year and after this, I won't be going back to Heritage. I'll really miss it, even though I had to give several speeches and read way too many confusing books. And yet, so many of my best memories were made there! (my favorite being the time I hit one of my teachers on the head with a ball) But it's time to grow up and experience new things, so I'll be spending my junior and senior year at our community college.

Knowing that everything is changing so quickly, I've been able to appreciate everything a little more. The beach days, photo shoots with Kryn, and spontaneous swing dancing with friends. When you look back at all the fun things that've happened, you realize that life is truly beautiful! I encourage you to do the same, friends!!

SHOW TIME!

 I'm freaking out for one reason, that reason being...

Opening for A Wonderful Life is in two days. 

We have one more rehearsal before the big show, but I can't figure out if I should be saying "we only have one more rehearsal" or "we still have one more rehearsal" It's all about phrasing, my friends!

I'm so excited, even though my excitement is mixed with a little nervousness and the constant feeling that I want to hide under my bed every time we have a show. But, I think the whole cast is having the same feelings as me, so we'll just have to pull through together!

Ignoring the nerves and such, I have really enjoyed being apart of this musical. I've made so many new friends and shared way more laughs with them than I thought I would. New inside jokes were formed (some of them about my hideous costumes), and goofing off backstage has become a must for us every rehearsal.

I love this cast and I'm looking forward to some wonderful shows!!

School Can be Fun...right?

Being homeschooled has its perks, such as your "school" isn't actually a school. It's a little group that gets together once a week and discusses things like Bacon's philosophy (Bacon the person, not the delicious food that everyone loves) and absolute phrases. Since we only meet once a week, that means that I don't have to try and look presentable 5 days of the week, which is a blessing because I don't have the energy for such things!!

Though I'm not a big fan of all the textbooks and, you know, the learning, but we always find a way to have fun with it. And in case you haven't noticed, most of our fun comes from taking snapchats in class and going on quick little donut runs.

And yes, we do have to wear uniforms, but we can make them work! I mean, look at Kryn here. She's always wearing a cute little skirt and big necklaces and making all the jaws drop. It's her specialty!!

All I'm trying to say is, homeschoolers can have fun too. And this post proves it.
#lovemyhomies

Shake it Off

"Cause the players gonna play, the haters gonna hate, I'm just gonna shake it off, shake it off"

So this new Taylor Swift song...

Other people may just listen to it and not even think about what it means. And I did that too, at first. But the more I heard it, the more it began to speak to me.

"Heart-breakers gonna break, fakers gonna fake, but I'm just gonna shake it off, shake it off"

There are some things that have happened in my life, and I always have trouble moving on from them. They stay in my mind and often appear in my journals. Sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep at night because I'm still thinking about those moments. 

But after hearing this song, I've realized: what's the point? Why should I keep obsessing over the past when it's over! It's done! I can move on with my life now! I can shake it off. 

I'm trying to think more positively now and live my live with more smiles, laughs, and all things pleasant. I'm trying to forgive and forget, to love people. 

I know it'll still be hard. I know that these thoughts will still creep into my head sometimes, but I have to remember this: I am not alone. I have been blessed by so many friends that love me and care about me, and I have a God that is always with me. We are never alone, because our God is always here and always will be. 

Because cake

I've been taking a cake decorating class with some of my friends for a while now, and let me tell you, our teacher makes all of us look like professionals!! I mean, now I can stack cakes, work with fondant, and even make those cool little flower things! This class is doing wonders!

(By the way, that beautiful cake you see up there is not mine. That cake was made by none other than the very talented Kryn!)

I could go on and on about how much I love cake and that we're soul mates and all that stuff. If we lived in a perfect world, we could eat cake all day long and not gain any weight! Wouldn't that be lovely?!

Anyway, point is that cake and I can't be separated. Peace out, kiddos!

GOODBYE TO SUMMER

I have one day left of summer and how am I spending it? On the computer!! Am I smart or what?!

I'm sad to see summer go already, it seems like I just got out of school two weeks ago. But even though my summer didn't go as planned (I only went to the beach once. Pathetic, I know!), I still had fun! I had fun while eating macaroons with my Krynnie. I had fun while going on a picnic with my sister and our friend Angela. I had fun touring Germany with my grandparents and my cousin, Tyler. And I had fun with my donut raft, of course.

Everyone always dreads going back to school after the best summer of their lives, and I admit, I dread it as well. But I think this year, I'll try to be a little bit more optimistic about things and have fun while at school!

Anyway, my school starts on Thursday. And I've already planned how tomorrow will go: netflix, netflix, and more netflix. The perfect day!! You guys will probably be spending your last day at the beach or something productive like that. But I prefer to go a different way. So netflix it is!

I hope you all have a GREAT school year!

SUMMER DAYS.

Lately my summer schedule has consisted of Netflix and sleeping in. But I had hoped to actually get out of the house once in a while, rather than staying in gym shorts and no makeup all day! So I finally did one thing that I consider a good summery event, and that was a picnic in the park. 

It was so nice! We biked to our neighborhood park and laid out a very nice picnic blanket, played some music, and ate muffins (which the flies soon got to). I love picnics, and when you have the perfect picnic blanket it makes it 10 times better. In other words, go out and buy one! 

Hopefully I'll keep doing things like this. I am still yet to go to the beach!! But it's okay because I have been drinking plenty of frappuccinos from Starbucks and listening to some summer playlists. Also, heads up: in the end of July I am going to Germany with my grandparents, so brace yourselves for about 50 thousand pictures. (it's going to be my first time going out of the country, so yeah. Lots of pictures.)

I'll stop rambling on now. How has your summer been? 

The bestest Kryn in all the land!

After Kryn made her sweet blog post about me, I decided it was time to return the favor!

This girl is just too wonderful for words. She is super gorgeous and funny, and we have countless inside jokes about the stupidest things such as celestial light and Frozen songs. (so he's a bit of a fixer upper!) 

I enjoy every second I get with this girl, she is such a blessing to have in my life! She's always there for me if I need someone to talk to (a.k.a. when I vent about dumb stuff for like 4 hours), when I need a laugh, or a Spongebob buddy (it's our favorite tv show).

Kryn, you are the loveliest person alive and I am so thankful for our friendship! Love you always!

ADVENTURES WITH THE TRIO

Birthday bliss! I was spoiled yesterday by getting together with my two favorite girlies and having tons of fun. It was an adventure; we walked about a mile but what seemed like 40 years, took lots of cheesy self timer photos, and went to the dollar theater to see Frozen. Also, Kryn tried her first sip of coffee and cringed all the way through it! I was so proud of her, though. 

(Emily was obsessed with these leaves. I just thought you should know.)

(Also, I am happiest when coffee is in my hand.)

We had the greatest time! Hiding from people in the mall, happy hour at Starbucks, (half of frappuccinos!) and taking pictures of everything.

Thanks guys for an awesome early birthday! Love you much!

spring calls for a photo shoot!

Since it's spring and the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming, Kryn and I went on a photo shoot! Note: if you're planning to go take pictures, check the weather first. Make sure there's not a 50% chance of rain all day, because that can screw things up. 

But luckily there was a 30 minute break in the rain and we could run out and snap a few! 

Okay, you should know that to take these pictures, we went in front of a stranger's home (a beautiful one, at that) and they were home. But, no shame in our game! They were staring, though, just watching us be dorks and tapping on the windows as a signal to leave their property. 
But Kryn decided we needed to take a few more pictures before we left. 

So we stayed, and they were mad I'm sure. 

Nevertheless we got some great ones. And on the way home it started raining again so it was just perfect timing. The rest of the day was filled with snapchats, Spongebob, and graham crackers with icing.

Moral of this post: 1) check the weather 2) don't leave when strangers tell you to because the pictures are worth it.