New Years Eve

Whoa. I'm beginning my third year of blogging. Next year I'm turning 16. o_O Freak-ay!!! The world was theoretically ending 10 days ago. 2013 is right in front of me.

SO. New year's resolutions. Typically, I don't like telling people about my resolutions, but... I do a really bad job of actually sticking with my resolutions. Therefore, I'm putting them on here. I really don't know if anyone but Lilli reads this, but I'm hoping it'll help keep me accountable anyways. Here we go:

-Read the Bible. Every day. Every stinkin day. Right now, I'm terrible about this. I hardly ever open my Bible, which is really sad. I like reading it, but it's just getting up and actually starting that's hard.

-Work out. Oookay, this is desperately needed. I am ridiculously lazy. Here's my goal: three times a week to start out with, I'm gonna do something athletic/physical. And hopefully I'll get more intensive as I go on.

-Write. 300 words a day, not counting journaling or schoolwork. That's a little  more than a page ish.

-Keep my room clean. Except exercising, this is gonna be the hardest. But this is also really needed.

Annnd, I think that's about it. OH!!! Okay, so one of the ladies whose blog I follow does this and I think it's brilliant. Each month, on like the first or whatever, she makes a list of goals. Then at the end of the month, she grades herself on how well she stuck with those goals. I'm thinking about doing that, because it's easier to think in months than in years. :P

Happy New Year!!

P.S. M'kay, I'm kinda dying to brag to someone. I finished the semester of school with As in every stinkin class, even Biology and Geometry!!!! AHHHH!!! :DD

Christmas

LOTR trilogy

One Direction and Taylor Swift

YAYAYAYAY!!!!! I'm sooo excited. These have been on my wish list for a while. Hollers got a giant panda and an art set,  and Mac and Kensi got about a thousand Legos each. I think my favorite present was this: Each of us girls got a bracelet with a cut out in the shape of India and the word "pray". Mac and Dad got the same thing except in a key chain.

Merry Christmas. :)

Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…

Merry Christmas!!

Us looking totally attractive. 

Twas the Night before Christmas,

And all through the house...

The children were singing and dancing around. 

Addi sat typing her words with care, 

In hope that her readers soon would be there. 

Annnd... I got nothing else. :P Poetry is not my forte.

Well, it's Christmas Eve!! :D I can't believe the year is over... so much has changed since last Christmas. Well, last Christmas I was in Paris. And the year before that it was India. Weird!! o_O 

Today we drove back from Oklahoma, where we spent the weekend. We had a lot of fun there. We went to the park twice, I drove a sports car, we ate sooo much ice cream, climbed trees, colored our hair, watched the Princess Bride, talked, and celebrated Christmas.
Sydney, Holly, Ezra and Kensi and I colored our hair. I know mine looks red, but it's pink. Sydney did purple, Ezra did blue, Hollers did blue and green, and Kensi did blue. We used chalk, and it actually worked really well!! The lighter the hair, the better, so Hollers and I got the best results. 

Sydney and I coloring our hair. 

Me, Ezra, Sydney

Holly's cheerful. (You can't see her hair very well. :P)

This morning, we opened cousin presents! Which kid was assigned another cousin to buy a gift for. I got Weston, the youngest of the cousins, (he's three) his present. It was a little bulldozer thing. He was delighted, so I was happy. x) Sooo many Legos were received between all the kids. It was ridiculous. 

Now! I've got to finish a section of a story, email it, publish this, get ready for bed and read before Santa can properly come, so I'm going to turn in. Feliz Navidad!! 

\

Leaves

Addi's Current Favs

   

Merlin.
Ooohhh. I love this TV show. xD I discovered it via Pinterest, and found episodes on the internet. I'm up to season 2 now. Yeah, it's pretty awesome. I've been reading Dragons in Our Midst, a series about King Arthur and Merlin and dragons, so I enjoy the parallels.

Writing Letters
I mentioned this on my "Holidays" post. I've been writing letters back and forth with a girl in California, and I very much enjoy it. She decorates and draws on the envelopes, which makes them almost epicer. :D Plus, she's a writer, so I  get to anticipate more of her stories, too. 

Musicals
Okay, this is more than a "current" favorite of mine. I have always loved musicals. Right now, however, I am in one. I'm in Babes in Toyland, and I play a sheep and a spider. It's a lot of dancing, which is awesome. :D Of course, Tech Week is the week before finals, so my grades could go down immensely. Auditions for Fiddler on the Roof, the school musical, are tomorrow as well. Which I'm pretty nervous about. :P
Now I must sleep!
Bye! 

Stress

Well, it's officially December!!
And Tech Week for the musical has begun, and finals are next week, auditions for Fiddler on the Roof are tomorrow, and I'm starting to get stressed. I feel like I've taken on a ton, but I don't want to give any of it up. :P
Oh, and I failed at NaNoWriMo. I think I have 13,350 ish words. Haha, it was really fun though. I would sit here and write more, (I'm in the mood to) but I need sleep. :P
So farewell for now!

Holidays!! :D

Mac playing with the Nutcracker

Super Christmas Daisy

Yesterday, Holly, Lillian and I went to Grandma's house and "decorated". Yeah... It was more like: Sing Christmas music at the top of our lungs, eat, watch TV, read Harry Potter, plan our Christmas skit, help a little, be really goofy. When we left it pretty much looked like Christmas had thrown up in their living room. >_> In our defense, they don't have a tree yet, so there isn't anywhere for us to put the ornaments. Our house, however, is decorated. :D And it makes me very happy.

For Thanksgiving, we went to my cousin's house, and ate food. And played card games, laser tag and bounty hunter. We learned that the tree house is the best place for laser tag because it is an easily defended point and you can shoot your opponents easily. Plus, if they don't know you're there, you have the element of surprise. >:D

We also learned that Lillian and I are an awesome team for the card game of Pounce. We won about  50% of the time. ;)

On Wednesday, we went bowling. That was fun. I failed epically the first round, but the second I got third place. I was very proud of myself. We got the fun lanes with black lights and music videos. They were weird videos, though. So Lillian and I went up and asked if they could play Taylor Swift and One Direction. They did. We got to dance around and we sang every single word. xD

What else have I done this week??

Last night I finally wrote a letter which I have been procrastinating for no reason. I seriously love writing letters, but I am freaking lazy. >_> Fail, me. I really like writing letters, but I only have one correspondent.

Oh! And I've been writing in my story. I currently have 41 pages. :D I'm very proud of those 41 pages. It's a lot of fun to write this story. I love it. :D One of my favorite parts is that one of the main characters, Jeremy, is a writer, so I can work some of my short stories and freewrites into it. Mwahahahaha. >:D

Linus being silly

I'm soooo excited for Christmas. I'm hoping for a trampoline and Amazon/Barnes and Noble giftcards. For BOOKS!! I have a list of books to read. It's rather long. :P

Speaking of trampolines... Guess who landed a flip on one of those the other day?? That's right, Addison Grace Herndon. Boo-yah. :D I am immensely proud of that feat. 

Our Christmas Tree

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

And I must depart. Adios y'all. :D 

Never alone. 

NaNoWriMo

I have decided to do something crazy. Bold, exciting, fun, time-consuming, exhausting...

I am going to write a novel in one month.

Yes, a novel.

50,000 words by midnight on November 30.

That is my goal.

I have no idea if I can do it, but I'm going to try. It'll be tough. I'll be busy. I have school and rehearsal. But still. I want to write a novel, and why not use this as my excuse??

So. Don't expect me to post much in November. You'll be lucky if I post at all. I'm going to write a 50,000 word novel. Ooh, that fills me with excitement!! :D

Journaling

Quick explanation: My friends and I started a little, mini-writing club and I'm kinda, sorta in charge of it. Here's the first thing I sent out

Hey!!! 

"My journal is at the heart of my writing. There I record dreams, memories, funny happenings and wild ideas. Free to play, I write in different directions and colors; I draw, I tape in leaves, notes from kids, boarding passes. From such compost, poems, stories, and even novels grow." - George Ella Lyon

Well, I found this in my lists of writing quotes. And I wondered, do y'all keep journals?? I do, but I'll be honest, I am bad at writing in it. 
I have this blog, which helps me document  my adventures. Another thing is, when I get really passionate about something, I express it in a story. My friend emailed me and said he was really upset, and I told him to either throw pillows against the wall, or go write, haha. And it worked. xD

But how do you guys keep track of your lives? 

Here's the challenge: Write in a journal or diary everyday this week. If you already do write in a journal, then this'll be easy. If you don't, then find a random notebook and write!! :) 

Hey, what kind of genre do y'all prefer to write and/or read? Like, I love fantasy and sci-fi, Madelyn seems to like more classics, etc. (Madelyn, I'm not sure that's right, that's just what I have observed, so correct me if I'm wrong) I'd like to know, because it'll be easier to find/make up freewrite prompts that are easy to write with. 

Reply soon and write lots!! :D

Adios!! :D

Yo.

I was too lazy to think of a cute title. >_> Anyways...

I'm sitting at computer, like I have for the past hour or so. I've been stalking my friend's blog, messing with Pinterest (I got an account x), looking up books, figuring out a calender...

I should REALLY go write. And by write, I mean work on Sparx or one of my SLs. I can't remember if I've explained SLs before. It stands for Storyline, which is the NSA name for a story which two or more people work together on. I'm in three. And I haven't written in them in many a day. :(

A few random things:

I hate Biology. I used to like Science, but Biology... @_@ I'm horrid at it, and it doesn't make sense to me. Molecules and protons and microbes and enzymes... My head starts spinning.

White Collar is my favorite TV show. Holly and I have been going through season one lately. We saw an episode or two in India, and we were in love. Ooh, Neal's cleverness, Peter's smartness, Mozzie's funniness, Elizabeth's general awesomeness... It's epic. I'm really into it and curious about what will happen next.

I intend to write more. A LOT more. I've found some fun pictures for freewrite prompts, and somebody gave wise words to the effect of this: When facing writer's block, keep writing. Press through. Even if you hate it. So!! I will. I will go write. Right now.

Nevermind. I'm going to bed. :P I'll write tomorrow...>_> Hopefully.

Sleepy.

WELL!!! This has been a looooong week. I am exhausted.
Monday was just the longest day I've had in a long time. The last couple weeks have been full of drama, both for me and my friends, and Monday was one of those climax moments. :P
Today we had PLAN test, which are like practice ACT tests. It was not fun. The afternoon was a LOT better. It was my school's Grandparent's Day!! :D Unfortunately, all my grandparents are out of town. The good news is, my aunt and uncle came instead. :D It was a fun day, and it included a little mini-concert that I was a part of, which went smoothly (Thank you, Jesus!!).
Tomorrow is the school's Barn Dance and I am crazy excited!! :D We don't have homecoming until basketball season, which is kinda sad, but we have Barn Dance.
Now I NEED to get some writing done for my friends and SLEEP. 

First Home Game!!!

It's my school's first home football game of the season tonight!!! :D I'm pretty excited. Right now I'm sitting in a little sandwich shop downtown. Then we'll go home, pack stuff up to go to our grandparents house for the weekend, and I'll go to the game. It'll be sooooo much fun!!! 

Addi's Current Favs

I am a dork. I love posting these. xD

VERY true

Pinterest.
Technically, I do not have an account, which requires Facebook, which I'm not allowed to get. But I follow my friend's boards and, OMC, I want one so bad. :P The problem is I would get sooo addicted. :P

Legolas = Epic

Archery.
I love it. Dad, Mac and I take a class on Tuesdays, and it is a ton of fun. It's pretty epic feeling. ^_^

Wednesdays.
At school, we have "block days" on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It basically means we have only four classes instead of eight. Sounds tedious, but I love it. Wednesdays I have my fun classes, Bible, English, Intro to Theater and Spanish, plus chapel. My school's chapel is AMAZING.
I loved today's especially. We sang this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uumI-PdeZzY (Beautiful Things by Gungor)
There was a harp, mandolin, and violin, as well as guitar, drums, voices, keyboard, etc. It was beautiful. The speaker's message linked back to as well, which was awesome.
He talked about whatever pain or struggle we might be going through, it's just part of the process of God making us something perfect for His glory. He's making us beautiful.
 I just want to leave y'all with that. :)

Writing...writing...

Guilty as charged... it is fascinating. 

I'll admit, I have not written any new short stories, poems or chapters in Sparx for y'all to read. >_< I have, however started a few new novels-in-progress, and I'm working on several fun stories with friends. :) Maybe I'll post a couple chapters from one of them up here some day. Anyways... I shall write more.:D
Fare thee well, my friend!

And this is why I keep ending up writing five different stories at once.

Holly's Cross Country Meet

Well, we are at her meet, and I am FREEZING.
It's cold, and rainy, and cloudy. Holly's warming up with the rest of her team, and they all have these sweatsuits that are WAAY too big. They all look so cute and tiny... and then they run about a thousand times faster than I could.
Mac and I have been playing British Star Wars Ninjas which is epic.
Holly finished up with a time around 7:41, which is awesome.
Now to celebrate with donuts. :D

A Bit of Randomness

I am sick. :( So on a normal day, I would be in school right now. Instead, I'm at my grandparents house, doing homework, watching Messy Mondays videos, blogging, reading those funny teenager posts (xD)... I don't really know WHAT to blog about, but I most certainly want to write something.

If you have not seen Messy Mondays videos, GO LOOK THEM UP!!! They are hilarious and awesome.

I'm not the only one!! :D

OH MY COW I KNOW WHAT TO WRITE!! Tuesday night, my little brother, my dad and I did archery. It was my first time, and I loooooved it. It is such an epic feeling to nail the center of the target. I just love it.

I'm procrastinating right now... I really don't want to do Biology. >_>

Well... I will go do something.

Don't let the porkypines bite!!
And may the kinkajous be ever at your side.

Wild Goose Chase

Saturday night was the first major event for my school, (well, besides school starting). It's basically a huge scavenger hunt all over the city, ending up at a party.
May I say right now: IT WAS EPIC. I had sooo much fun hanging out with my friends, cranking up the radio and singing along, goofing off, getting into the competition...
The theme this year was comics, and everyone dressed up. It varied from superhero t-shirts to full out Mario costumes. I wore a superhero t-shirt. :)
We all ended up at the ice skating rink, which was really fun. I hadn't ice skated in a long time, and I was pretty surprised at how easy it felt. It was really fun to skate around with my friends. I would post pictures, but I failed and didn't take any.
Summary: Wild Goose Chase = EPICNESS. Savvy? ;D

Last Day

Last day of summer vacation AND of being fourteen. It's kind of sad, turning fifteen. I guess to me, fourteen was kind of the last year of being little. Now I have to start high school and grow up and be responsible. Obviously, it will be a work in progress, but this is where it really starts. Thirteen started the preperation, and fifteen is another milestone, for me anyway. Maybe because I like numbers divisible by five.
Anyway, to celebrate tomorrow we're going to Grandma's house with our cousins for cupcakes, pizza and High School Musical. The reason behind watching HSM is that a) I love that movie (not gonna lie, it's hilarious) and b) My best friend, Lilli, and Holly and I have decided to watch it on the first day of school every year. So, that's what we're doing. Everyone thinks I'm crazy for wanting Papa John's for my birthday, but it is my favorite pizza place ever and I haven't had it ages.
Anyway, I have to go to bed right now, so, adios!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.... ME!!!!

Woot, woot! Today was my birthday and the first day of school! I was crazy nervous, but I survived! And I managed to get my locker open THREE WHOLE TIMES WITHOUT HELP! I am quite proud of this magnificent feat.
To start from the beginning:
We had breakfast at Starbucks. :) (frappichino and coffee cake, my friend. It was delicious)<br>
Then we drove to school. And a LOT of seniors, juniors and a couple sophomores were standing on the sidewalk as we drove up to the building, with signs and screaming. I waved awkwardly. When we actually got to the doors, more older kids had a tunnel with their hands that I ran through. Inside, there were a lot of freshmen standing around awkwardly not knowing what to do. After a couple minutes, we were directed to the auditorium by the ambassadors (older kids). The Principal talked to us, the Student Council President talked, they did a little skit. It was highly amusing.
We went to our classes for twenty minutes each, so the teachers could help us find the rooms and get to know the teachers and other kids.
Then was the most interesting part of the day- Lunch.
Somebody (my amazing aunt) dropped off a present for me at school, and a lunch I suddenly hear, "It's Addison Herndon's birthday! Addison, come up here!" And so I went to the front of the commons and stood on a chair and they sang Happy Birthday. It was slightly awkward, but fun at the same time. They gave me Aunt Mimi's present, which was a HUGE basket with a ton of cookies in it. Her note: p.s. do NOT leave any cookies for me!
We did eat quite a few. :)
The rest went down pretty much the same way.
The day made me really excited for the school year, and I love the people. 

Short Update

Well, lately I've totally failed on posting. :P BUT I have done quite a bit of writing in stories that I keep to myself.
I've had a very fun and memorable week. We went swimming everyday, got to go to Exploration Place, ate WAAAAY too much ice cream, and generally had fun.
And I have good news!! Holly, my 12 year old sister, is going to school this year. It's a different school than me, but it should be good. It'll me so weird for everyone having us both in school. And I have to go, adios!!

Grandma Camp!!!

Officially, it's a week of the four girls (Addi, Holly, Lilli and Kensi) staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house, helping them, sewing, cooking, and being sweet, perfect granddaughters.

In reality, it's a time of laugh attacks, ice cream, singing at the top of our lungs, swimming, movies and occasionally cooking and sewing. It's awesome. 

Sleepovers, Parties and Math

I'm in the car on the way home, with Lilli next to me. Yet another sleepover! :)
Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY CREY!! He's 12 today. :D
Tomorrow I have to take a math placement test for school. How fun. -_-
Annd my phones about to die so I'm gonna cut this post short.

At Gramma's House

At the moment I am chilling, listening to music and comparing notes about Europe with my cousin. ;) she got to go on a month-long tour of Europe, because her parents were the chaperone-y people for a college trip. (Total awesomeness). We went swimming today, and I loved it. The pool is like ten feet deep, it's amazing! Oh, and we watched the Olympic opening ceremonies. It was really cool! I really loved the torch cauldron thing. ;)
And that's about it. Adios!

To Do Today

Take Dad to the airport
Pick-up swimsuit from Grandma's house
Run laundry
Take Holly to the orthodontist
Finish packing
Go to Tulsa

:)

[Note: this was supposed to be posted on the 25, but due to complications (aka bedtime) it didn't happen.]
Well, I didn't post yesterday, because I was busy. But it was a fun day. I went to a Bible study/devo thing with other freshmen girls that go to my school. It was good, I got to meet quite a few, and it was a good lesson. :)
Afterwards I went to Aunt Mimi's classroom where Holly, Lil, Kensi and Crey already were. We helped out a tiny bit, played Hangman and ninja, and ate a lot. xD (think popsicles, Chick-fil-a and goldfish).
Dad picked the girls up and took us back to my house, where Holly, Kensi and I threw some sleepover stuff together. Then we went to Gramdma's house. :D we played, danced around, swam, slept, talked, laughed, ate, talked, talked and laughed. ;) we had good time. And today was mostly the same. Just general funness (with a large side of ice cream).

Separated

Well, Dad goes back to India today. He comes back in about a month, which everyone in my family is bummed about. Right now I'm sitting int the car, waiting for mom and dad to finish filling up the gas. We're actually on our way to the airport to drop him off. Speaking of driving, in April I got my learner's permit, but we had to go back to India before the actual card got sent. Well, it never got sent. At least, that's our suspicion. No one seems to have seen it. I called today to see about it, and they said we'd have to go to the office, pay again, and bring my temporary receipt and my birth certificate. This seriously ticks me off, because the people at the office didn't even know if it was sent. So its their fault, and yet we have to pay. Its a little frustrating. (Later) I'm sitting in Red Lobster, finishing up lunch. We've dropped Dad off. About 20 minutes after we leave the airport, Mom and I both get a text that says "Flight out of Wichita delayed 30 minutes." Mom was talking to him just now, and all flights out of Chicago are delayed. Pray that it gets sorted out and he makes all his flights easily.

Delays

Dad's flights are so delayed he's staying here tonight. We'll take him back to the airport tomorrow, and later in the afternoon drive down to Oklahoma to visit Gramma, Papa and the cousins.

Addi's current favs... :D

Lord of the Rings
Holly and I are like twins a lot of the time. We know each other ridiculously well, and have pretty much the same interests. (Well, her's are more athletic, mine are more nerdy or creative ;) But we are both obsessed with Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. OBSESSED. Holly more so, almost. I've seen the three LOTR movies, and read the Fellowship and some of the Two Towers. Holly is obeying the sacred law of bookworms and reading the books before seeing the movies. :D I've trained her well. Our plan is for her to finish the books before the Hobbit movie is released, and go to the midnight premiere in Imax with some friends, and go right into a Lord of the Rings marathon. (Actually our friends thought of this, not us :P). But still, tis a brilliant plan. Mwahahaha!!!!! Now if we can just convince our parents...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Starbucks
Hehe, I seriously like frappichinos. Enough said.

Freewrite Parties!!
When I was in elementary and middle school (haha, that feels so weird. When I was in middle school), I had the best writing teacher ever. At the start of every class, she made us do freewrites for the first ten-fifteen minutes. A freewrite is when someone gives a prompt, either a sentence or a picture or theme, and you write within a time limit to do the best you can. In class, some of them were really, really, really hard. Recently, on my online school, I got connected to a girl who graduated last year. She is really nice and creative, and got a LOT of kids interested in creative writing, me included. She started freewrite parties on Skype. A whole bunch of kids get on Skype at a scheduled time, and we write for hours. The hard part is the fact that we live all over the world- Hawaii, India, Israel, China, California, Russia... it gets hard to find a time that works for everyone. :P
Here's a prompt I made up, maybe you could try one!

The dark heavy smoke filled what used to be a cool blue, and I saw the last of my old life shatter.

If you do take advantage of this, please send me what you come up with! It's really fun to see how different people interpret the prompts. One girl made it funny, I made it darker, so it can go however you want. ^_^ Feel free to try it! 

And I am going to go do a bit of reading... Addi out!  

Jet Lag and Other Things...

It's about 5:30 am here right now, and we've all been up for like an hour. Yep.
So it's the morning of our second (full) day here. It's been amazing seeing Grandma and Grandpa and our cousins. And I have seriously enjoyed bacon and root beer. xD
Mom and Dad have been looking for a car, with not much luck yet. We did get the beds we needed, so that's good. :D

That evening...
We spent the day at the pool, Freddy's and watching TV. :P But we did see a friend or two, which was good. :D And so far I know three people who are starting the same school as me this year. That was encouraging. :)
So, that's about it. Talk to ya soonish! 

I hate goodbyes. :(

"The worst feeling ever is when you are about to have to says goodbye to someone who you'll never see again until you get to Heaven. It makes ya wanna scream... xD But yeah. I'm not looking forward to it. It's like taking a knife and sending them away with a piece of you heart. Just like ripping a piece of duct tape of you arm... It stings. There is no cure. :/" - JMP

This is what I'm experiencing. I'm seriously I wreck right now.  

Martha and Madelyn, two of my besties

Madelyn and I being goofy :D

Saturday was the final goodbye to almost everyone. We met at our friend's coffee shop, ate ice cream and cookies, drank coffee, chatted, giggled, played ninja and almost cried.  Then my family went to the girls home we've helped put at to say good bye to them. Oh my cow, that's when I lost it. I, and the rest of my family, have grown really attached to these girls. I'm dead serious when I say they are the most grateful, sweet, generous, adorable people I've ever met in my life. 
Mom gave them some presents and then we prayed. 
By the end of it, almost everyone was in tears. 

Sunday we exchanged farewells with Bhuvana, our "nanny", who has seriously become like family to us. We'll miss her a lot, especially Mac and Kensi, who love her to pieces. She's been a huge help in the past year, watching the little two so mom could help Holly and I with school, taking us to the pool, helping us with chores. We will miss her sweet smile in our family. :(

And then yesterday, we met with one last family.
So that's it. We've said farewell, we're leaving tonight. This chapter in my life draws steadily to a close. Only a few hours, a few more words on the page, before a new chronicle begins. A chronicle of the adventures and mishaps of being an American highschooler. 

Moving out

Well y'all, today's the day we actually leave our house. The flight back home is in less than a week. Our house is sorted, packed and a bit messy. In just a few minutes the guys will come to pack and collect out stuff for shipping.
We'll go to a hotel later, but we'll still hang out here at the house in the next week. It's a really, really, really weird feeling. I still don't believe I'm actually moving in just a few days. Is this how it felt the first time? I honestly can't remember. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing my friends and family again, within the next three weeks!! Yay!!
One a less happy note (to put it mildly) moving back also means saying goodbye to all the amazing people we've met here. They have seriously impacted me, some just a little and others a LOT. I've really learned from these people, and I hope I never forget the lessons they have taught me. <3
Some of you may know, Dad has to come back to Bangalore for about a month. :( so he's coming back with us, helping us get settled, then flying back to India. We're all pretty bummed about that.
Another thing is, I'm officially going to school this year!! My traveling chapter of my life will end, and the high school one will begin. Scary thought. I've only been to "real school" one year in my life and that was second grade. So I'm pretty nervous, but excited too. Ok, so I'm really nervous. I honestly don't feel like I can handle it. Pray that I'll get through the next four years. :P ;)

[A little while later...]
The packing dudes have come. There is a moving truck outside my house!! I've never had a moving truck outside my house, the closest thing was the teeny tiny U-haul that took our stuff to the airport. So it feels odd. Haha.
And while the packing dudes are packing, some other guys who bought our beds are taking them. So the house is CrAzY.

[Quite a bit later...]
Holly, Mom and I are hanging out in the hotel. We brought the stuff, checked in, and made sure our favorite channel was in the TV. xD (the main shows are Masterchef Australia and White Collar)

Anyways, this was a pretty long post. I'll wrap it up here with a few prayer requests:
First, obviously we're leaving the country soon, and we still have quite a bit to get done. Please pray everything will get done and settled without any crazy complications.
And to extend on that, when we do get back to the States, we're gonna be dealing with jet lag, culture shock and the fact that we have to move back into our house. So, pray that we'll be able to handle all the chaos and go quickly and smoothly.
And finally, one not about us. A little boy we know is really sick. He had to go the hospital and have a blood transfusion. He's doing a bit better, but please pray he will get well quickly and that it won't be terribly expensive.
Thanks y'all!!
Have a nice day!!

Latest trip...

Hello!! I'm writing this on mah iPod in a ridiculously long line in the London airport. Yup, London. We'll be here for about five days and then go to Amsterdam. Mac's birthday occurs while we are here, so we're going to Legoland one day. And the part that I'm most excited about are the two Broadway style musicals we will see. The Lion King, and Mom, Holly and I are also going to see Wicked. I've wanted to see that since I knew it existed. So, it looks as though are trip will be awesome. =D
In the line, we are holding up alright. I'm blogging and playing games on my iPod, Mom and Dad discuss ways to make ridiculously long lines more efficient. Mac and Kensi try to stay awake and Holly people watches.

Alone With You- Poem

The music of daylight draws to a close
A soft wind blows
The cool cement against my back
All is deep black
The warm night pressing from all sides
I close my eyes and hear your voice that guides me
Jesus, I’m alone with you
Things I could never put into words flood my heart
The stars and the moon shine above
Constant reminders of your love
All the distractions that pull on my mind fade from view
Jesus when I’m here alone with you
The call of the crickets mingle with my prayers
Here in the darkness, I’m not forgotten
I feel your presence, the touch of your love
The peace and trust I have in you calms my restless soul
I’ve been restored and am whole

Crafty. :D

 Well, I was feeling crafty and stylish, so I created this. :)  I'm sorry the pics are so terrible, I was taking them on an iPod.

So, I can get bangles here for epicly cheap, and I just took five thin bangles and started wrapping embroidery thread around them. I did three colors, black, white and gray. Just knot ti when you start, wrap around, and I didn't do this, but I think I should have glued the end down when I finished it.

Mixed feelings

WARNING: This is gonna be rather long and confusing, rambling and weird. :P

It's 80+ and we can't turn the AC on bcuz it trips the power. I'm completly worn out, but don't want to sleep. My bottom hurts, but I'm too tired to get up. My brain hurts, so I don't want to write. I spilled perfume so my room smells like Bath and Bodyworks. I have a headache and my siblings are being loud.

But I have a bed underneath me, friends I'm chatting with, food, I'm no longer on an airplane (Halleluiah), I have a fan giving some cool air, and my cold has mostly cleared up. And I'm home. :)

I'm happy.=D

Well, the family is back in India. :) I don't know how, but I have seriously fallen completely in love with this country. I live in a city, so I've never even seen any of the beautiful parts of it, except the Taj Mahal. Where I live, it's dirty, hot, loud, frustrating, sad...the list goes on. So why do I love it? Because I love the people. They're so lost and I want to reach out and pull them out of prisons and cages that fill this country. I just wish I knew how to start.

Why am I happier here than in America? I think I kinda know. It's been dawning on my slowly the past few months, and I also read recently in a book that someone felt the same way. Life is easy in the U.S. It's too easy. It's easy to forget about God, to feel like you can do stuff "On your own". And I don't like it.
Another thing is (and this is really stereotypical, but it's what I have experienced) I don't like going to church in the U.S. because it's not as real. I don't know how to explain this, but the churches I've been to in India seem so passionate. In the States, it's more of going through the motions. :P I doubt all churches are like this, but that's what I have experienced. :(

Maybe I'm the only problem. I know I'm one of of the problems, anyway. :P

Sorry for making you read this. I had to get it out. :P

What are you guys going through? :D

Friendship

Friends are amazing. They're the people who will pick you up, encourage you, make you laugh, cry with you, let you be yourself and just be there to help you stand up through everything.
I'm so blessed with lots of friends. Tons of friends. :)
But sometimes it stinks to have so many friends. Like when you have to say good-bye to a really awesome friend. :( It hurts.
And sometimes the only thing thing that keeps me from crying my eyes out is the fact that Jesus is always with me, He is my best friend forever!! Even when I feel lost and lonely, He'll lift me up and encourage me.
Sometimes I honestly think I can't take another move, another time to leave people I love. And then God whispers to me: "With Me, all things are possible."
I can't do it. Not on my own. But with God I can do anything. :)

Matthew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but God all things all things are possible."

Proverbs 17:17 - A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Do you guys have a friend who's helped you out in a rough time?

Pics from our trip...

Mah best friend 4eva, Lil. :)

Holly getting her ears pierced!!

Cutest little face!!

Little girls goofing off in their tent. 

Us eating Chick-fil-a for the first time.

A flower. :)

The boys on a mission.....

Woot, woot!!!

I passed my test!! I have a learner's permit for driving!! =D You should have seen my Dad after I got it. He was so excited. :P And then he went and emailed this picture to EVERYONE and posted on Facebook. Grrrrr.....xD There's one minor  problem...the card doesn't come in the mail for one to two weeks. I have to wait until AUGUST!! =P

Hey, hey!!

So our time in the States is almost over. It's been really fun. We spent a weekend with the Herndon side, Mom and Dad went to Florida and Mexico for a week, we stayed up til about 4 am watching Star Wars, and I landed an airplane three times! =D

Mom and I took a Pinch Hitter course, which just means we know how to fly an airplane if an emergency happens. I don't mean big, commercial airplanes, I mean little planes. :) It's been really fun. I have one more flying session, and I'm looking forward to it. ^_^

When Mom and Dad were out of town, our cousins came over and we stayed up watching Star Wars. We couldn't get a hold of the Phantom Menace or Revenge of the Sith, but we watched the rest. Mac is actually the only one who lasted for all the movies.

When we went to Tulsa, all the kids camped out. The first night us older girls watched Harry Potter too. It was pretty creepy, because we watched it on a laptop in the tent, and then had to walk through the dark, cold, silent, eerie night to give the laptop back to the adults. But we braved the darkness and completed our mission. :]

Oh, and last night Holly, Dad and I went to a Newsboys concert. Anthem Lights, Abandon and the City Harmonic were there too. IT WAS SO COOL!!!! When they sang Jesus Freak, the drum set went up, then tilted until it was completely vertical, and then SPUN AROUND!! and he KEPT DRUMMING!! It was crazy. We went for Holly's birthday, and we got to meet Abandon, which was really awesome. One of my friends introduced me to them, and I bought one of their CD's awhile ago. Here's a link to one of my favorites by them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTY1dj4HOG0

And then, today, we went to see The Hunger Games. The book was better, but it always is. I would tell you more, but I will not spoil it. I would give it 7 stars out of 10.

So what'cha y'all up to?? xD

Poem

Hey y'all. This is a poem I wrote a while ago.


Lost and Found

I'm trapped in a maze of my questions,
Locked in room of uncertainties.
I keep praying for a map, a key.
I'm not getting an answer,
At least not one I can see.
I don't know where anymore,
It's getting harder to move.
Which way do I go, I'm so confused
I'm facing an army of doubts.
I need a sword,
Is it right in front of me?
Then I hear it, a whisper.
A quiet call that I've been ignoring.
A ray of sunlight shines through
My darkness is overpowered
The way is clear now,
Now I understand.
I'm letting go of my past life,
Following the Light.

Slumber Party!!

Last weekend, six other girls came to my house and we had an awesome sleepover. :) Complete with Anne of Green Gables movies, yummy food (think chips, chocolate and pop), swimming, dancing, singing, talking, handshakes...It was awesome!!

Us watching Anne of Green Gables

Worship on the roof. In PJ's!!

Think profound thoughts

Racing

Chicken Fight!!

Lol, the sign at our pool.

All us girls. :) From left to right: Martha, Kensi, Clara, Holly, Madelyn, Bethany, Grace, me, Hannah. 

Okay, for those who don't know, my family is leaving tomorrow night for the States! It's been kinda crazy packing and such and saying good-bye (even for a short time) to the awesome friends we've made. :)

What do you do on a boring Sunday??

My friends and I run through sprinklers, push each other into the pool, climb over fences, snarf three bowls of popcorn and throw shoes into the fountain. :) We are sweet little angels...

My friend Ayesha trying to figure out how I got over that fence. :)

Rebekah drying off after I dumped her in the pool.

Rebekah with a popcorn bowl on her head. 

Me suntanning in a dress and leggings. :)