Takes a trip down Memory Lane...

...to know how to get one Your Future street.

I've always been the one who got good grades. The first time one of my grades dropped to a C my mom kind of flipped. She and my dad have always been part of the reason for my grades. They've always had higher expectations for my education than many other students in my grade. The thing is, neither of them are especially smart. Don't get me wrong, it's not like they're stupid or anything. They both went to college. They just didn't have it, you know? Maybe that's why they pushed my education so much. They didn't want me to end up like them, stuck behind an office desk all day, going to a job I never really planned out for myself nor really wanted. With a good education, I could be what I wanted, go to college where I wanted, and actually have control of my life...as long as what I wanted would lead to a good life, the college wasn't a community college (preferably a university), and having control wouldn't mean totally wrecking.

I keep talking like this has all already happened, as if I've already gone through college, moved out, and made something of myself, but none of that's true. I'm just a junior in high school, who happens to be thinking about the future, and, more importantly, potential colleges.

It seems to me, that whenever I start thinking about the future, I have to look back at the past. I mean, you can't go somewhere new without checking to see where you've already been, right? So, as I get ready for some new experiences, I can't help but reminisce about the ones I've already had.

I can still remember in preschool, at nap-time, one specific teacher always came to rub my back, and when she did, she would tell me the story of Cinderella. It happened every day, and every day I would lie there waiting for her to get to me. It was something I looked forward to every day.

I still remember the rocket ship game we played in Kindergarten, lying on out backs and listening to the record.

I still remember in second grade, having a teacher that my brother had had as well, who also happened to live down the street from out house (where he still lives today. I often wave when I drive past him and he's out doing yard work).

I still remember winning the Mother's Day essay contest in third grade and having my mother show up and surprise me.

I remember the first day of fourth grade, when I met my friend, Duck (names have been changed for safety/privacy). I'll tell you right now, we met in a very strange fashion. But I won't go into details right now.

I remember sewing a pillow for my fifth grade teacher that had dogs on it, because I knew how much she liked dogs.

Sixth grade, I remember having a locker for the first time.

In seventh grade, I remember having the Academic Olympics. You were assigned to a certain teacher/country. You would take academic tests and win "medals" for winning them. It was a lot of fun.

In eight grade, I remember being a part of the book club and having treats every time we had a meeting.(Oh, how I miss book club!)

Freshman year, I remember having my first serious (well, for high school) boyfriend. I remember spending Valentine's Day with him (sort of. Long story). I remember watching NCIS for the first time at his house. I remember playing with his cat, Motor, whom I miss terribly. I remember eating pasta at his house...a LOT. I remember playing guitar hero with him. Well, let's just say I remember a lot about him, and us.

Then, Sophomore year, I remember him breaking my heart. (Don't worry, I'm all good now) Basically, that was a sad year for me, at least for a little while.

Now, I'm here in my Junior year. And I am all-too ready to get to college. I know. I know. I still have a year and a half left before college, but I still cannot wait. It's an exciting thing for me, thinking about what college life will be like.

But I think, more than anything else, I'm really just excited for the freedom it will give me.

So, yeah. Hope you enjoyed this little trip through my life. I know it took a lot of thought on my part, so...I REALLY hope it didn't get too annoying.

~Keyda

Random Thought: I feel like this post isn't as good, considering how long I spent on it...oh well...Oh! and my friend got me gum for Christmas! How awesome is that?! (and a mixed CD)

30 Day Challenge: Day 6

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

This one took a bit of thinking, but in the end I decided to just go with a fairly obvious choice. I hope I never have to sit in a tub full of worms.

It would be disgusting.

...That's about it.

Oh! I also hope I never have to choose between my boyfriend/fiancee/husband and my friends. If I ever had to make that choice, I don't know what I would do with myself.

Anyway. I'm just letting you guys know that I'm actually working on a blog post, and a fairly long one at that. I'll go ahead and say it; this thing is basically making me go through my life, starting with step 1. Hope you enjoy reading it whenever I get finished and post it.

~Keyda

Random Thought:...Honestly? I got nothing.....ILIKECHOCOLATE!

Teeth update

So.

For those who didn't know, I had braces.
As of yesterday, not anymore.
Which is, completely exciting, especially considering I had had them on for...about 4 years and 10 months....and only two pieces of gum in all the time....Obviously it was awful.
Well, now I have to wear a retainer, which isn't so bad; I just can't talk with it in. Seriously, all my 's's turn into 'sh's. I literally cannot use a 'th' sound, and making my 't's not sound like 'd's without totally enunciating is just plain out.

BUT.

I am still happy.

After all, what's life without gum? And soda? And hard candy? And caramel?
...
But mostly gum.

~Keyda

Random Thought: My friend got herself an Ipod Touch this weekend, which is awesome, because she is so musically deprived, this is my chance to help her learn to love the world of music. (Once, I asked if she ever listened to Three Days Grace and she replied with a "Who?"...I almsot died.)

What I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving

Yes, that's right, I'm jumping the Thanksgiving bandwagon!
So, here's a list of everything I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1.) A great family that I'm able to spend this holiday with. Everybody's gathering at my grandma's house, just like every year, and it's always wonderful to see everybody.

2.) Wonderful friends. This morning I got two text messages from two of my friends wishing me a happy thanksgiving, and it just put a smile on my face.

3.)A nice home that I can come to every night. I'm very grateful that I never have to wonder where I'm sleeping at night.

4.) This country we live in where everyone can speak their minds and read/watch/listen to what they want

5.)Our troops fighting for this country, willing to give their lives for thousands of people they don't know and will never meet.

So, there are the things I'm thankful for. If I reeeeally thought about it, I could probably come up with tons more, but I'll end the list here.

~Keyda

Random Thought: ROLLS!!!!!!....that is all.

30 Day Challenge: Day 5

Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life.

This one is difficult simply because there are so many things I want to do in my life.

If I had to choose one, I would probably say...traveling around Ireland.

I've always thought Ireland as this just beautiful, magnificent country, and I would just love to tour around the countryside, especially to see the castles! And the Blarney stone! Even though I'd probably be too scared to do it, I'd still love to see it.

The thing about traveling around Ireland for me, though, is that I would HAVE to do it with no plan in place. I mean I would obviously have a few cities/tourist attractions that I would definitely go see, but mostly it would just be me wandering around the countryside with absolutely no idea what I was going to do that day. I wouldn't even know whether or not I'd be sleeping in a nice comfy bed, or my car. But that would be just the way I'd like it.

So here's me, setting up a life resolution: Travel around Ireland with NO plan whatsoever.

I feel so accomplished.

~Keyda

Random Thought: As you all know how big of a Harry Potter fan I am, I'm sure you're just itching to know whether or not I went to see the new movie? Nope, sorry, I've decided I hate everything Harry Po-....Okay, I couldn't even finish it. Yes, I saw the movie; yes, I loved it; and yes, I still absolutely, positively LOVE Harry Potter. Bet I had you worried there for a sec, didn't I?

30 Day Challenge: Day 4

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone else for

Wow, I'm really going to have to dig deep into my pocket of grudges for this one.

I'm going to have to go with something that happened today, actually.

You see, we're doing a fundraiser in band so that we can raise money to go on a trip in April. If everybody sells at least 6 products, we get a doughnut party. If a person sells at least 20 products that person gets a 5 pound bag of (the world's best!) gummy bears. (might I mention this is for EVERY 20 products? So if someone were to sell 75 products, they would get THREE of these bags!). Lucky for us, the nice fundraiser lady let each of us have a handful of gummy bears (that bag wasn't lying, they really are the best). While I was munching on mine over by my friend's stand, this guy we know came up and stole one of them! (I know, terrible right?)
...
I don't care what you say, those things were delicious, and I'm still upset about it!

So there, something I have to forgive somebody else for.
~Keyda

Random thought: Anybody wanna buy a cheesecake???? >:)

30 Day Challenge: Day 3

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for

Alright, I had a bit of difficulty with this one. Not because I'm vain enough to think there's nothing which needs forgiving. More...it's not something I really wanted to spend much time thinking about. And if I really thought long and hard about it, I could probably come up with plenty of things.

Oh, and, for whatever reason, I've decided to share this prompt in the form of a letter to myself....so yeah....here we go...

Dear Me,

*sigh* Alright, you've been thinking about this for a year. You've been wondering what you did wrong, what you could have done better, even if it was because you just weren't pretty enough. But, here's some news for you, it wasn't your fault! If things were meant to work out between you guys, they would have. So, really there isn't anything to forgive, but I know you still feel like it. Like you somehow unconsciously betrayed yourself and caused him to leave. But it wasn't you.

He just missed out on a great girl. ;)

Sincerely,
Me

~Keyda

Random though:..........nya?

30 Day Challenge: Day 2?

Okay, so, obviously I fail at this 30 days of truth challenge. I know it has been a few days since the last time I posted, and I'm supposed to post everyday, but I just forget. So, I suppose this will end up being longer than 30 days. More of a 30 whenever-I'm-not-busy-on-Facebook challenge. Either way, I am determined to finish this! So here goes:

Day 2: Something you love about yourself.

I just have to say it; I love how musical I am. There have been times in my life when I just don't know what I would have done without my black nano ipod. Man, do I love that thing! (His name is Vincent) I play both piano and clarinet; the clarinet I have to play every morning for band. The thing about it is, I am almost always in a good mood after playing my clarinet. For those who don't know, I am not a morning person, so, honestly, I can be in a pretty bad mood in the mornings, but playing the clarinet always helps. Music is such a huge part of my life that I just really don't know how I would have gotten through so many things in my life.

So, yeah, my musicality is what I love about myself.

~Keyda

Random Thought: I miss Cait...(NCIS)

30 Day Challenge: Day 1

So I've decided to try out the 30 Days of Truth Challenge. I've heard about it and today Jumble Mash did the letter to yourself one and I just thought it might be a good idea. I will post everyday with the prompt of the day.

Today's Prompt: Something you hate about yourself.

Well, thankfully enough, I have a fairly low self-esteem, so this is actually not that difficult. I really hate that I,at least in my opinion, can give great romantic advice to my friends, but when it comes to my own life, I cannot take my own advice whatsoever. For example, I've helped out my friend with so many situations before, I can't even count them. Yet, when I am in a situation myself, and I think of what I would tell my friend, all I can think to myself is "I could never do that!"

Unfortunately, when it comes to relationship/almost-relationship/was-relationship/even just liking-a-guy I am terribly shy about the whole thing.

So, with this being put out there, I am going to do my best not to be quite so shy about this. Now, don't you all go getting excited; this doesn't mean I will be making any declarations of love (*coughTomcoughAprilcough*), but I will try to not hide everything so much.

I will flirt more.
I will tell myself that this can work.
and, maybe if I'm lucky, I will get the guy!

~Keyda

Random Thought: I really don't get why some people don't like pickles/pickle juice so much. It's delicious! I remember when I was still dating this one guy, he wouldn't ever let me kiss him after I'd had a pickle, unless I brushed or rinced with water first! CRAZY!

College Visit-Loyola

I really should have written this last...Sunday? Yeah, last Sunday. But I got distracted and whatnot, but here you go. Your inside scoop to my very first college visit. Loyola University Chicago!



So, my fabulous day started out waking up at 5 in the morning. For those who don't know, I am not a morning person. It's quite difficult for me to even get up at 6:30 a.m. for Madrigal rehearsals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But I am also very stubborn. I refused to give in to my sleeping needs. Luckily for me, it is a battle I am used to fighting often enough that I won this time. I stayed awake the entire time.

The ride up there basically consisted of reading my book (Rainbow's End by Irene Hannon), playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, and, near the end, watching parts of Pride and Prejudice. Time well spent, in my personal opinion.
Oh! and I also had a hot chocolate (in a Styrofoam coffee cup :D)



...It was delicious.

Anyway, we finally got there after three and a half hours of driving. Loyola turned out to be really awesome. We toured four of the five freshman dorms (I like Regis the best;it used to be a hotel!) and at the end, Dad and I got a campus tour. One of my favorite parts was when we went through the church they had on campus, I got to see their new-ish pipe organ. It was beautiful! (I've never seen a real live pipe organ, so that was awesome.)
Another one of my favorite parts was the view of the lake. They had a walkway that was a little ways up from the lake, but had an amazing view of it. I just wanted to sit and look at it forever. Anyway, a very nice university overall.

On the way back, we stopped at an IKEA store, which I had never been to before. Let me tell you, IKEA=AWESOME. I have back-up for this

1.) It's like a frickin' maze! If they didn't have the arrows pointing where to go, or the signs, then you could get seriously lost in there. Heck, you could get lost in there anyway.

2.)All of the kitchens actually have utensils and bowls/plates/pots/pans in most of their drawers/ovens/cabinets/lazy susans. Seriously. Mom and I had the most fun opening all the drawers and seeing what was inside. It was like we were pirates and all of the utensils was our treasure!

3.)Hello, tiny stuffed snake I named Sebastian!


I had the most fun taking pictures with him:




Anyway...We also stopped for supper at T.G.I. Fridays, which was delicious (hello potato skins!)

Finally we got home, which I celebrated with an ice cream sandwich. Again, delicious.

~Keyda

Random Thought: I'm going to Six Flags: Fright Fest on Saturday! Have you ever been? Is is really as scary and frightening as they make it seem?

The Learned Ladies

Last night, I had the extreme privilege to see Moliere'sThe Learned Ladies at the college in our town. Let me tell you, I enjoyed myself all night long.

This play is, at its very core, a sad play, but on the surface it's very much a comedy, something the audience definitely appreciated. Throughout the entire play, I was laughing my head off.

The acting was extremely well done. It was hard to believe, at times, that we weren't in their house watching these scenes unfold before us. Two of the actors I have seen before in the college's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The actress who played Armande was Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. She did very well in both, and, I believe, she's only a sophomore!

The other actor I knew played Trissotin in this play and was Toby in Sweeney Todd. He was absolutely hilarious as Trissotin! I mean, he was probably my favorite character from the whole production. He was pompous and only wanted to marry Philamente for the money he would receive. He was very full of himself, even though his poetry was borderline dreadful, and, because of how full of himself he was, he had a hilarious scene in which he got in an argument with his "friend", Vadius.

One of my favorite parts in the whole play was probably when that guy bit his thumb at Trissotin. Mainly because there is a group of us at our school, the ones who were in English I Honors, that have an inside joke. We read Romeo and Juliet, and our English teacher explained how biting your thumb at someone in those times was basically "the same as flipping someone off". Now, whenever we get in an argument we will bite our thumbs at each other. Of course, when he did this, I turned in my seat to glance at one such person. He, alas, did not see me. Ah, well.

All in all it was a VERY enjoyable experience and I'm very glad that I was able to see such a wonderful production of such a wonderful show.

~Keyda

Random Thought: Okay, maybe not so random BUT! If you want to know more about our Drama Club's trip to the theater, check out the latest post in The Ginger Files and then check out some other posts and press that little "Follow" button right next to it!

Welcome~

It has recently come to my attention (just noticed today) that Jumble Mash is now following me! This makes me excited, considering I follow her and am always ecstatic when I see she has a new blog post out! So....Hi Jumble Mash!

I wish I could say this was a real post, but I was just too excited to not put this up. Maybe I'll have a real one up soon....HA

~Keyda <3

Random Thought: For those of you out there who actually care, Darren Criss (Star of A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel is going to be on Glee!!!! Super-duper excited. He definitely deserves it. He's hilarious and he can sing his butt off.

Autumn Giveaway...

No guys, I'm not holding a giveaway of amazing prizes and such....but Indy Grrrl is over at her blog. Of course I entered! In fact, I was the first to comment! But since taking a look and seeing how others have entered a few times, I've decided to up my chances by blogging about it here. So, wish me luck! And if you want some awesome prizes (including lip balm made by here!) then go ahead and enter for yourself!

~Keyda <3

Random Thought: Shopko already has their Halloween decorations/costumes/candy out....Yay :3

If you ever need a friend...

I hope he knows that
even after all the crap that's happened
and every terrible thing he's been through
I will still always be his friend.

Nothing can change that
no matter how long I live
as long as I have something
I promise to give.

If he ever needs to talk
or even just a shoulder to cry on
I will always be here
with a tissue to blow your nose on

I know when you asked me
I couldn't put it in words
but I hope, even though it's too late,
you understand what I'm trying to say.

I love you and always will
and though it may not be the love that we used to share
know that this love will never die
will never vanish into thin air.


.........

~Keyda

Random Though: .....I like Corvids....

He should call himself Butt-Kick...

...That doesn't even make sense.

So, tonight I had the...obligation of seeing the movie Kick-A%$...(which shall be henceforth known as Kick-Butt in this blog)

I should tell you people...Kick-Butt? Terrible movie. I mean I just hated it. I'm being completely honest. I think the only scene I really didn't mind was when Marcus and..Big Daddy? (sorry, Nick don't recall your character name!) had that scene where Marcus read the comic and then Big Daddy came in. Why didn't I mind it you ask? Why, with all the awesome fight scenes, (which, I will grant you, were fairly awesome) did I choose that scene? I would have to say because it took some real acting and not cussing every other sentence. Did ya'll notice how much they cussed in this movie? I mean I've seen R rated movies before...but it's never that bad! It was like in every 10 minutes of the movie the 'F'-bomb was dropped atleast 8 times! Seriously guys? Was that necessary? And the little girl? Who was probably...eleven? Must you have her cuss too? Isn't that just a little over the top?

Anyway, the music wasn't bad. In fact I actually enjoyed the music. It was quite enjoyable.

...I wish I could ask Nicholas Cage why he felt like he should associate himself with a movie like that. If you don't know, I really like Nicholas Cage, loved him in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, so I found it slightly funny that in this movie, he played a character that, appearance-wise at least, reminded me of the creepy dude from The Lovely Bones...I haven't even seen The Loevely Bones!

As you can see I do not recommend this movie, unless you're a dude that likes all the blood and gore and cussing (for the record, I do like action movies,when they are well done. this one, I felt, was not).
If, however, you are like me, and would honestly much prefer curling up with a loved one with a big bowl of popcorn to was something like 27 Dresses than watching an action movie, then I say to you, do not watch. Go re-watch Pride and Prejudice for the 5 millionth time.

I know that's what I'm probably going to do tomorrow.

~Keyda

Random thought: I miss all the old shows we used to watch. You remember those? Like Rocket Power and Doug and Rugrats...yeah...back before we had to worry whether or not a movie had too much cussing or blood...It was a nice time.

Lovin' books

Today, my mother and I took a trip to Galesburg to run some errands. First place we stopped by was a party place to return some things we ended up not using at my birthday party. Lucky for me, this place also sold used paperback books. So, I went to the back to peruse the books, while the parental figure made the returns. And, what do you know, I make a find! I found a very nice copy of a book called Diary of an Ugly Duckling by Karyn Langhorne (also the author of Street Level). It’s about a woman, Audra, who goes on a reality T.V. show known as Ugly Duckling to become prettier so that she can win Art Bradshaw, who has chosen the very pretty Esmeralda Prince. It seems like a good book, and I am very excited to read it.

On our way out of the shop I noticed a pair of fake fangs, at which point I tell Mom that we WILL be coming back for those some time. While Mother was checking out, I also noticed that they carry deck cases for Magic: The Gathering; just another reason for me to come back with my wallet in hand.

Next, we went to Stone Alley Books & Collectibles, which we hadn’t been to before, but had heard about from my cousins and uncle. It was very nice to visit this quaint little bookshop, and I definitely recommend it to everyone out there. The best part is I made another find! Two in one day; how do I do it, right? Anyway, this one is called Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore. Honestly, this inside flap seemed a little confusing to me, so I’ll let you read the description here: http://www.amazon.com/Bite-Me-Story-Christopher-Moore/dp/0061779725 (seems like I've just found out that it's the third book in a series...maybe I'll look for the others at the library?). Sound good, no?

After the bookshop Mom went to do a couple other errands, including stopping by Target (where I saw a book that looked good, Fallen by Lauren Kate, but didn’t get it). We drove by the theater, but didn’t really see anything good; and at the drive-in it didn’t have any movies posted on the board. So, we just came home and now here I am.

I can’t wait to read my new books, after I finish the Mortal Instruments series, of course…and linger…and, possibly, re-reading the Darkest Powers series. Why do I always get more books, even though I know I still have a bunch to read?

~Keyda

Random Thought: Watching Love & Basketball on ABC Family…that’s it.