Camping

I got back from the Ojai Valley School Outdoor Education trip (6 day camping) this past Friday. It was an interesting experience. I hiked up to Machu Pichu once, but the porters carried all my stuff so I hadn’t backpacked before.

We washed dishes with dirt, went to the bathroom in the wild, didn’t shower for 6 days…

But other than that, it was a fun trip. On the first day, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Since I was walking with the marine science teacher, she answered every question I had, which made it more fun and interesting!

On the second day, we backpacked about six and a half miles with a 25- pound backpack on my back and the camping began. I had bruises on my shoulders and my back but I felt accomplished after it all.

We played card games, hiked a lot, and saw many amazing vistas, it was so inspirational.

This is the OVS outdoor education website. Camping pictures will be up soon so check them out ☺

http://ovsoutdooreducationupper.wordpress.com/

College

I want to go to college right now. Like, right now.

So, I went on a college visit today. The college I went to is one of my top choices right now. It’s a Christian college, and campus is relatively small but people are very friendly and nice. I had a meeting with the track coach there, and met some of the runners. They are so friendly that they called me over and let me join the prayer before practice. There are some Olympians and nationally recognized runners there. I can totally imagine myself practicing with them and with the coach on their track. I can’t wait to run a bunch of meets and practice all year with my teammates and wear the same Nike team shirts and jackets.

I really can’t wait for college. I could go out during weekends whenever I want! I want to meet more people!

5 more months to go…

I just want to graduate.

Fat Sundays with Tom Cruise

Huddled together.

Light cutting the darkness like blades

through the spaces between the blinds.

Our heads come closer to the screen,

our limbs intertwined.

A mess of blankets and

the overwhelming scent of Chinese food.

Golden Moon did it again.

Our stomachs are aching

but, we don’t mind.

Tom Cruise is almost dead,

Julia with a gun in her hand.

HE’S ALIVE!

We all let out a sigh of relief,

our hands let go of each others.

This is a good Sunday afternoon.

Surrounded by my friends,

just being fat and lazy.

I am so happy.

This is happiness.

“Friendship is a special kind of love.”

My Excellent New Years

This year, I had no plans for New Years Eve until the day of.
I drove home with my friend from Tahoe the day before, and then on the 31st, I decided I would take a nice 7 hour drive to the Los Angeles area to visit some friends.

The drive, as always, was beautiful, despite being all lonely in the car for 7 hours. But the 101 never fails to be an amazing, comforting drive.

When I arrived in the area, I went and had an amazing sushi dinner with my friend Emma and her family, who I love dearly. It was a great start to a great night.

To end the night, I attended my good friends party, where I met so many cool new people and had an amazing time.

The next day, my friend and I decided spontaneously to take a trip to Venice Beach. He lives in the area, but I had only been there once before, and it was really great to return again. It’s such a beautiful place; there are so many different kinds of people, different shops, great beaches, and beautiful artwork.

We spent the whole day exploring the endless strip, sat in on a massive drum circle, and watched some graffiti artists at work; it was so interesting to watch them transform the art-covered walls.

And when the day was over, we ended the night with my favorite movie, Finding Nemo! Overall, I’d say it was one of the best New Years I have ever had. I only hope the next one will be as good 🙂

TETRIS BATTLE!

Tetris Battle is one of the most addicting games I have ever played in my life.

I used to make fun of people at this school who played it, including almost all of my friends. But one night I succumbed to the temptation and got sucked into the never-ending addiction.

Tetris is one of the oldest games for computers. I remember playing it when I was younger on my parents big old desktop computer.

Now, it is even more fun than ever to play a competitive version through an application on Facebook. You are allowed 2 minutes of time where in you and your opponent battle it out to see who can get the most points. At the end, depending on who wins or loses, you earn or lose stars, which help you earn a higher rank and win money so you can buy new cool features for the game.

The winner is determined by the number of “Lines Sent” – Higher number means you’re the winner!

You can play against one or more person at once, and also request to play your friends.

I know it’s terrible how much I love this game now. I really should be studying for final exams, but tetris battle is always lurking in the background, calling my name and waiting to distract me!

Cheers to the weekend!

This weekend was one of the best that I’ve had in such a long time.

On Friday, I went to a really cool art show in Ventura with a few people.
There was so much beautiful pottery. I love pottery, and I haven’t had time to go to the studio recently, but this trip gave me some new inspiration and I can’t wait until I have time again. There were so many different artists with a variety of work that all took my breath away.

The next day, I got to sleep in until 10:30. BEST FEELING EVER. I have not spent enough time with my bed recently, and seriously, it put me in such a better mood for the whole rest of the day, which consisted of going to a gingerbread house making party and a birthday party!

I spend about one who hour making a masterpiece gingerbread house with my best friend. We made sure it was very colorful and cute, and let me just say, it was some high quality work!

It was so much fun to decorate a gingerbread house; I hadn’t done it for years, and it made me feel like a little kid again, which I love.

Then came the big “dance party,” I guess you could call it. When really, it was just a bunch of loud music, and people jumping around making fools of themselves (including me). And I’d have to say, that was definitely my favorite part. Having fun without anyone to judge me or anything else to worry about. I spent time with close friends, and others that I’m not as close with, but still had an amazing time with both.

I did, however, underestimate the amount of work I had to finish, and overestimated the ability I have to do so. But a little bit of a time crunch is just the price to pay for a pretty amazing weekend 🙂

Finally Relaxed

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All the stress is gone after the last two weeks. I had one of the most stressful two weeks that I have had in a long time. But with the help of my teachers and friends I was able to pull through and go off to my Thanksgiving break nice and relaxed.
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Being home provides a form of comfort that you could never find anywhere else. Family and friends are two of the most important and amazing parts of my life, and seeing them is great. I love home.

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Thanksgiving is a great time to remember what is most important in life, whether it is family, friends, food or money haha.

I really love this holiday!!!

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What do you think about Thanksgiving?

Spudfest!

Face painting, tie-dying, rubber chicken tossing, water balloon tossing, dunk tank, laser tag – you name it, Spudfest’s got it.

This Friday was the best day of the school year so far, and will most likely be one of the best overall.

I got up at 7 and went to breakfast as usual, came back, put on my team comp shirt, and went to blow up orange and black balloons in the spirit of Halloween, then doodle with some chalk in the black hole with my best friends 🙂

And then we went to play team comp where my team, the Mosquitoes, DOMINATED!
Especially in the chicken launch where I was the launcher.
Teaming up with the 8th graders was surprisingly fun, too. It was good to have them up here and show them a good time.

So many good things happened that day, including dunking one of my best friends in the dunk tank on the first try, making friendship bracelets, tie-dying some awesome designs onto my t-shirts, and painting faces.

This day really reminded me of how lucky I am to be here, and how great it can be.
And it also reminded me how great my friends are.
I love all of you. Spudfest is fun and all, but it wouldn’t be fun if each and every one of my friends was there. I am so thankful for that.



Sky High


Ok so for those of you that don’t know, Sky High is a trampoline gym in Camarillo.  There is a giant court where the entire floor is trampolines and all the walls have trampolines on them as well.  They have a foam pit as well that you jump into and, my favorite of all, TRAMPOLINE DODGEBALL!

Now I think Sky High is one of the coolest places in the area.  For me, I go to Sky High about five times a week.  Two days to work and the other days to jump.  I think everyone should go atleast once and see whats its all about, because let me tell you, it is FUN.

Its also any age appropriate.  We have a separate room for kids under eight, with all the same things as the main room, and a parents lounge where you can watch TV or one of the courts to watch your kid jump around.

My Passion for Volleyball

Volleyball has always been a passion of mine. I love the sound of tennis shoes scuffing against the waxed gym floor, the feeling you get when you celebrate a victory with your teammates, coming into the center of the court to cheer each other on, the release you feel when you snap that ball down onto the other side of the net, and then quickly prepare for it to come right back. I love that in volleyball, you have to always be on your toes, low and ready to play every ball. The trust and relationships that develop between you and your teammates is something truly beyond words. I cannot express the love that I have for each and every girl on my team. Volleyball is all about team work and always trusting your team mates to do their best with every ball that comes their way, but, if they make a mistake, you are right there to tell them “shake it off, we got this, good try.” I know that this sport will always be a big part of my life and i am happy to share my experience with other girls at OVS.