Amanda-isms

There are a few things I don't enjoy doing at all..

Like:

Being forced to read something: I enjoy reading already, when someone makes me do it it's like that sucks all of the fun and pleasure out of it.

Packing to go somewhere: ARG, I hate that feeling of "I know I forgot something, what was it!?" Because no matter where your going, how long you'll be gone, or even if you HAVEN'T forgotten anything.. You always have that stupid nagging feeling in the back of your head. (I'm packing right now to go on a mission trip to go to Tennessee/To see DCI tomorrow *woot*)

Homework: Enough Said

Practicing Scales: I'd much rather practice an actual song.. practicing scales is so boring to me.

Trying to get my dog to come in at night: Because who wouldn't like to stand out on your back porch clapping and screaming your dogs name, and making kissing noises things *wow, that sounds really weird when it's put that way) just to have your dog come to you. When it's practically the middle of the night. (in the day I could care less if she comes to me, let her stay out there I don't care)

But not to be all Lazy.. There are also a few things that I enjoy doing a lot:

Spending time with my friends and family together: It's always a good time. Nothing can beat playing spades with Janice, my mom, and dad.. (and me and my dad WINNING). Or playing rock band with dad and daniel and janice.. And playing the drums until my arms are in pain. (yeah yeah)

Band Trips/football games/anything non-marching marathon practice related: You know, the times when you just spout out laughing uncontroleably for no good reason. And overall just having a REALLY good time.

Going on little day trips: Long trips are fun too. But every once and while it's fun to just break up a long boring week and just go to the beach for a day.. or just go do something different. You know, shake it up every once and a while.

There's a lot more.. But that was just mindless procrastination of going to bed.. So I suppose I'll go to bed now.

I remembered the purpose!!

It finally remembered why I came to this website! GO ME. ok.. don't go me.. but whatever..

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

So each wednesday in the summer our youth group has a dress-up night.. quiz.. and all of this competing fun jazz.. and usually it's like a little trivia quiz on what we learned that night at the end. First one who stands up and answers it correctly gets points for their grade.. and all that fun stuff..

Well last night instead of doing the usual Bible Butt (also know as Buff.. but we won't get into that) Quiz.. Each grade had to send people up front on stage to talk about what we've learned all summer.. And yeah.. Well I was the one sent up for 10th grade.. And you see.. I'm WAYYYYY more comfortable talking to a bunch of people behind a computer screen. Because you see when I'm talking/videoing behind a computer screen.. or typing to a bunch of people.. It's not as scary.. because usually I'm in the comfort of my own room, by myself, and usually I'm in my pajamas.. So I'm much more at ease..

But you see, the moment you stick me up on a stage it's like something triggers in my body that just makes me shake uncontrolably.. It's actually quite frustrating for me. Because it happens EVERYTIME I'm on a stage by myself.. band being the exception.. But that's different in a way.

Because mentally I'm not that nervous. Mentally I know I'm fine and I know that I won't make a complete and utter fool of myself.

But physically.. I don't know what it is.

This becomes increasingly frustrating and annoying at piano recitals. Mentally I know that I'll do just fine.. But physically my hands are shaking, and my legs are shaking.. Which kind of makes playing a little difficult...

So my thought is, is it so wrong to be more comfortable sitting in front of a computer screen with the possibility of talking to a thousand people (on youtube.. not on blogger.. haha.. I don't think people really know I have a blog.. or if they do they don't really care) and not even a remote sense of nerves. Than it is to be standing on a stage, holding that microphone, in front of a hundred plus people?

I do realize that sometimes this sense of not being nervous while making a video and posting it to youtube.. or even just carelessly saying something online.. Can also sometimes be a bad thing.. Like not thinking about/or realizing the effect that action can have on people. But if you do realize that.. Is it bad?

*SIGH*

that was just my random mumblings.

(oh, and btw I got our grade first place in that little thing last night. Which honestly I can't take to much credit for. Because literally I just wrote down basically everything we said upstairs.. and read it on stage more or less. haha.)

I'm still alive

God hasn't struck me down.. yet..

(wow, that sounds like the beginning of a really bad story. You know the kind where your like.. 'I've just done something horrible. And this is my nice way of starting out the story.' But I don't have a story like that.. So sorry to disappoint.)

Do do do do do.. what did I last talk about? Harry Potter? License? Yes, that was it.

umm.. nothing is really new on the home front home skillet slices (ok, I'm going to talk now. No matter how hard I try I could never be classified as a "cool cat" but I'm ok with that).

I just cleaned the whole downstairs.. minus daniels room.. the piano room.. and the laundry room.. (Ok.. so 3 out of 6.. not to bad. I really don't care what my piano room looks like. I love that room.. It's the room no one goes in or checks on. It's forgotten, it's like my little hide-out) Maybe the cleaning supply fumes were getting to me.. WOOOO..

Where was I going with this? I promise originally I did have a purpose in typing "blogger" into my address bar..

*thinks*

Well I've forgotten what that purpose was. But in news of today Osama Bin Laden's brother was killed. wooo.. I got my a debit card to get gas with. woo.. I turned in my parking application at high school. woooo... I ate lunch at this seafood place for the first time. wooo.. I played rockband country pack with my dad and brother. woo.. I played scrabble with my family on my phone. woo... I went to walmart. wooo..

Don't you wish you could've had that DELIGHTFUL day. I know that right now your just thinking "wow. She is so cool I want to spend every waking moment with her and just bask in her fun-ness so that maybe, just maybe it will rub off on me". Ok, so your really not thinking that. It's ok, because if you were thinking that EXACT thing.. truthfully I'd be just a little bit concerned.

UMMM.. *awkward silence* um.... *cricket cricket* I'm going to see DCI in Atlanta on Saturday.. WOO.. *cheers*

We kind of had to be a little last moment in actually buying the tickets just to play it safe with Daniel's surgery date and what not.. So I mean.. we don't have the WORLDS GREATEST SEATS.. but they're seats.. And it'll still be amazing!!

*Cricket cricket*

I'm going to Tennessee next week on a mission trip.. I get to teach 7 and 8 year old girls. WOO-HOO..

I'm really excited about that..

I'm going to go now.. this is going no where FAST.

OK BYE!

BALKFDJHGA

You know what one of my really big pet peeves is?

When I take a bunch of pictures somewhere. And I'm actually quite proud of my pictures, and I've done a lot of work with them. And someone starts talking to me purely for the purpose so that I would delete every single picture they are in.

Yes I understand both sides of the arguement "well it's a picture of them. And privacy. And bla bla" But it's not like I'm showing these pictures to each person I meet. These pictures are privated.. And you would have to make an effort to see them.

And then I hate even more when they say well "I look so ugly in it".

No you don't, now shut your face.

I'm sorry that every single picture can't look like you just came off the runway. But I think that's what makes the pictures even better. It's purely you. And believe it or not, I did filter through all of them.

GRR..

(btw, these are not by any stretch of the inappropriate pictures. I think I made it seem like they are. They're not.)

Can some people just get a sense of humor and learn how to laugh at themselves once in a while?

(I'm not normally this heartless. I promise. I'm just really frustrated right now... and this is my place to vent!)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.. and license

I know this doesn't really matter in the long run.. But I went to see Harry Potter 6 yesterday.. And I had some big mixed feelings. I think I would've LOVED the movie if it weren't for the fact that I just finished re-reading the book. 

Yes, I loved the acting.. I loved the humor... It had perfect timing on ALL of the jokes... And everyone laughed in the right places.. And it WAS a good movie...

BUT

I just felt like it was missing some things. Like what about the battle at the end? There was no battle at the end.. Are they going to just completely leave out the whole part of Bill being bitten by fenrir Greyback? Are they going to leave out all of Bill and Fleur in the next movie? How will that work?

I just felt like they focused on Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny a little to much. When they didn't really build up hatred/confusion towards Snape. Or compassion towards Tonks and Lupin. And Lupin's childhood backstory? There won't be very much gut-wrenching compassion in the end of the seventh movie(s) because we aren't that attached to several of the characters.. the focus was just never put there at all.. 

The other main part I'm not as upset about, because I can kind of see where they might take it. And I see that it isn't really that horrible. But why didn't they have Kreacher in it? I wish that they had started it in the burrow with Harry's anticipation of "he's coming. He's not coming".

The Harry/Ginny kiss. Although I would've LOVED for there to be the original scene. I kind of liked how they did it. I realize that there's the whole issue of the diadem.. But I figure they had to of had a plan. I'm going to give them a little credit. 

I wish they would've put more scenes of Snape in. They didn't focus at all on how Snape had stepped in and taught Harry's favorite subject.. when he was Harry's teacher. I wish they would've at least put in some of Harry arguing with Dumbledore about Snape being good or bad. 

Another thing, which I figure they would be able to work in somehow, they didn't give any hints as to what the other horcruxes may be. 

In other un-Harry Potter-related-things. I got my license today!!! :D

and the first place I drove to was.... yupp.. none other than.. dollar tree. 

hahahahaha

my parents were constantly bugging me "do you really want dollar tree to be the first place you drive to. And that be what you remember the rest of your life". 

But whatever. 

Right after I went home and got my bathing suit and then went to Janice's house and swam. 

I have QUITE the tan line on my stomach.. it's a really funny tan line actually.. Because I was laying down on a float.. so it's literally just the strip on my stomach that's tanned. So as I turn around the stripe disapears. haha. 

and then the third place I drove to was to the church to pick Daniel up. (haha) quite the role-reversal! 

Atlanta Trip.. Legally Blonde the Musical...

So here it goes, all of those thoughts that have been swirling through my head:

I'm mad that I was disappointed with the musical.

My first issue: the person who played the role of Emmet. He played it differently than the original person (Christian Borle).

See the way he (DB bonds) played the character didn't make you fall in love with him. It didn't have you rooting for the underdog the whole time. Because he sort of made Emmet seem like an arrogant jerk. It reminded me of this guy I knew in middle school. And that certainly made me even less want to "fall in love" with the character. Even the way he said "doc" in my favorite song from the musical (chip on my shoulder). It was as if he was being condescending the whole play. Which I didn't like. But that really isn't as much criticism against the actor, I mean he had a nice voice and all. But *sigh*.

And now into the other issue (which had nothing to do with the play more the people around):

The first act the entire time there were these girls who sat behind us who were clearly drunk, they looked underage, and they talked THE WHOLE TIME! It was very agitating/frustrating.

So our whole little circle of people around them banded together and one of them told the ushers, who then told the higher-up people. And needless to say, we did not have that problem in the second act.

But now onto positive things.

The theater that the musical was in (Fox theater) was very impressive. And I was not expecting what I walked into at all. I had only been to two professional musicals before. And the theater those were in was nothing special. But this theater was something else.

First thing you see when you walk in is a ceiling that was simulated to look like the sky. I guess you could kind of relate it to Harry Potter, you know in the great hall where the ceiling acted like the sky? Well, there were clouds and stars moving the whole time. And that alone made a cool atmosphere.

And then the next thing you see, are all of these castle looking things. It literally looked like the set of Peter Pan. It was really cool.

The stage had a lot of cool architecture around it too.

But the next thing is most of the seats were in the balcony. The balcony was HUGE, it extended to about the fourth row on the floor. And we had great tickets.

And the orchestra "pit". Well it wasn't as much a pit as it was just on ground level with the rest of the seats on the ground. But the seats in the balcony were really the better tickets. So you were looking down on the stage. Which was different/cool.

The theater was really cool too.

So enough about the musical.

The next day my parents let me and Daniel sleep in, and then when we woke up. We went to eat at the "largest drive in restaurant in the world" (The Varsity), which quite honestly I didn't see the big deal about it.

And then we went down to the part of Atlanta where the aquarium, world of coke, and CNN world headquarters. Where we took a tour of the CNN center..

and then we walked around a while through the centennial olympic park.

And then we went to eat at some old friend's house. Which was fun.

And then today we went to an outlet mall and came home.

And that was the first leg of our Atlanta trip (haha, we're going back next weekend to see DCI :D....)

The past two days have been amazing :)

I feel like this day should be fully documented. Because after all "you only turn sixteen once" *in a mocking of my moms voice. haha*

But I'm going to rewind a bit and start from yesterday.

Yesterday Janice and I had a "movie marathon" and watched all of the Love Comes Softly movies.. (ok, so we only truthfully finished six yesterday, but close enough). It was a really enjoyable/memorable day. And we never (or at least I never) even thought about the whole church thing, and so it was overall just a pleasant day. Just like old times. It was HILARIOUS when the first guy died, Willie. It wasn't hilarious that he died because, I mean come on, they were my all-time favorite couple pairing in the whole series. And he was pretty cute.. but that's just me (I'm probably going to live to regret saying that). But it was hilarious because of Janice's reaction. She was MAD! *said with some sass*. She was so mad she threw her pillow at the wall. And I just reminded her how I felt when reading Ever After, and that it worked out. But BOY was it hard the first three movies not saying anything when I knew he was ultimately going to die.

We finished the first six movies and I suggested that maybe we should go to be (I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open at this point) she agreed that that was probably a good idea, but I told her first she had to watch the first two minutes of the next movie. HAHAH, I thought the rest of the pillows had to be thrown of course. Because yup, the next girls first husband died. Which honestly I wasn't as sad about, I wasn't to giddy-up with the pairing in the first place.

So she threw the pillows at the wall, and we went to bed.

And then we woke up around 10 (which is earlier than I've been waking up lately. haha, and a lot earlier considering I don't usually go to bed at 2:30.)

And then we watched the next two movies, ate some chocolate chip muffins that my mom made me (yummm). And then she went to check on her sister whom just had surgery to remove a cyst from her ear.

I basically just lounged around on the internet, played a little on the piano, and dozed off for a couple of minutes.

And then we went out to eat dinner at Macaroni Grill (my family and I plus Janice. She's practically apart of the family anyway :D)

Now a little bit of a side note, we all pretty much matched each other color of our shirt wise. My mom dad and brother matched better and me and Janice matched better.. but over all we were in the pink/red family. haha.

So we walk in and I swear we could've passed like the whole thing was completely staged for a movie, I'm not quite sure how we managed to stand in a perfect group standing thing, they could've taken a beautiful family portrait, that's the kind of position we were in. And ALL of the waiters were standing up front. And they were all commenting on how we looked like "the perfect family out of a TV show" and how we all matched and looked like family. And then they named off some TV show we resembled. I think it was called the cold family.. or something like that. To which my dad replies "let me guess, someone dies in that movie" and the waiter person says yes. And then my dear loving brother replies by pushing me out front as if signaling that they have chosen me the one to be killed.

But here's where my mom's hard efforts to get them to sing to me came into play. Literally ever chance she could get whenever a staff person was around to say something like "well she's the birthday girl" or "no we can't kill her, it's her birthday" or even just "happy birthday". And finally my dad saved me and told her we weren't idiots. And the waitress said they could sing to me. And she said that the person was a good opera singer. and yadda yadda yadda. So we ate, I was sang happy birthday by someone singing opera in italian. And we ate chocolate cake.

And so on the way back home, me being an idiot I was playing with the free book light that came with the snuggie I had gotten in Orlando. (yes I bought a snuggie.. I was cold)..

And I was clipping it on the handle of the bag that held our left overs. And well, the clip was being stubborn and not going over so I shoved it harder. and SLICE, yepp well it went over.. At the expense of slicing my thumb. WOO-HOO, nothing like bleeding on your birthday.. Good thing we had a roll of paper towels in the back :). I got the bleeding to stop, put a band-aid on it when we got home.. ALL BETTER. (Except for the fact that I'm pretty bummed that I won't get to play the piano for a little bit.. we'll see.)

And then we went home and ate more cake (cookie cake to be exact) and this time we had ice cream. I opened up presents (which honestly I didn't think I was getting any more from my parents, the car was a big present!) I got a lunch box (hahaha.. side story to that.. but not worth telling), another wallet like the one I already have because my mom thought mine was about to have to retire, and another wallet thing.. it's sort of like a small clutch... It's actually quite nifty. I think a lot of times I'll probably just use THAT as my wallet to hook to my keys.. because it holds more than money.. but is still small enough to not be a burden. (I hate carrying purses.)

And that was my day :). Tomorrow for sold out the dress up night is disney night, and I really had my heart set on dressing up as pinochio, but it doesn't look like that'll be happening/coming together. Not that it even matters really.

OH, and I set my drivers test appointment. Next Tuesday at 9:00 hopefully *cross your fingers* I'll have my drivers license!!!! FINALY!

!! ;( !!

And it basically starts all over again.

And I'm a stupid selfish brat who makes it such a big deal, when in comparison to other things this is SMALL.

Driving "lessons"

So today my dad gave me driving "lessons" to practice for my driving test in a little under two weeks (*woop woop* I FINALLY get my license).

And though I would love to say that this little shin-dig was nothing like they portray in movies and books, and overall just the cliche experience it can be. But boy was it.

There's just something about a teenage girl being behind the wheel with their dad or mom barking out orders in the front seat that just guarantees it to be a frustrating experience.

On more than one occasion this afternoon did I want to just get out of the car and just walk home.

For instance: we were practicing in the parking lot of the methodist church in our neighborhood, and my dad told me to leave the parking lot (at this point my mom was also in the car) and so then he tells me to turn on this street, but at the last second he tells me to make a u-turn. But then there is a car coming straight for me at that time, and I had to make that car wait because I was making this u-turn and my dad was barking out more commands just confusing me even more. And then so I finally see the church again and my dad tells me to drive home. Then I get even more frustrated because I was at the right street before I hooked a U-turn, and now I had to go the crazy way, to which my dad says "well your the one driving". !!! WHAT?! he's the one who told me to make the U-turn. ARG!

So let me finish that story re-enforcing that I really do love my parents a lot. Sometimes things can just be frustrated.. haha

:) Amanda

5 days until my sixteenth birthday :D and 12 days until I get my license (assuming that I pass the test and that Jesus doesn't come back before then. and yadda yadda. haha)

WOAH

WOAH NOW!

I haven't posted in 12 days? Someone should punish me, seriously.

So much could've happened in those 12 days, it would just be a huge hole of nothingness. You don't know what happened. You didn't even know if I died in that time (well actually, I don't think you would think I died.. because obviously you know me.. and blah blah blah)

So to be honest, absolutely nothing has really happened the past 12 days... and that's no exaggeration..

well, I mean some stuff has happened..

To start,

Last week I was at Daniel's orientation (BOOOO) The most boring thing EVER! But it's ok, because my parents and I weren't actually paying attention to most of the presentations. Instead we sat there and played scrabble on my phone. And then we skipped the afternoon sessions one day and walked aimlessly around the UCF campus, and were passed from one building to another in our pursuit of brochures of the film and digital media degrees. (we ended up with no more information than we had before) BUT I did learn that the film school only takes 30 people (AGG!). Needless to say I need to come up with a back-up plan if I were to not make the cut. But I'm not going to be negative nancy, I'm going to take the requirements and run with them. I'm going to work hard at it! And if God doesn't want me to be in the film school, he'll shut the doors. It's as simple as that. But I do need to pray about it still.

*sigh*

And then on July 4th I went to the beach with some other friends and people from church. And we swam and ate and saw a rather puny display of fireworks. But it was a really enjoyable day regardless. And I didn't get either burned or tan. Which is actually I suppose ok, but I was kind of holding out for a tan. But I guess lathering on SPF 70 guarantees no tan. haha

And then yesterday I went to the movies with Holly, which was nice. Holly and I haven't been the closest friends. We used to take her to school, but it was nice to spend time with her more and chillax and eat ice cream at TCBY.

I'm listening to pandora right now (my new obsession).

Apparently my "feel good and relaxing" style of music is:

something with a rock guitar feel, with harmonic voices, and major tonality, with subtle piano

that wasn't the exact wording, but close enough. haha

I like listening to popish kind of music when I'm just kinda chilling on the web..

And when I'm studying I like to listen to songs that have no lyrics, because lyrics distract me, so stuff like jazz with no words, or piano. But NOT band music. Because that distracts me even more, it's like I switch into band mode and I get to into it.

And when I'm in a somewhat hyper mood. I like listening to broadway music. or music from musicals. hahahahah