I laugh

Wow, It's been such a long time since I last posted. Haha I laugh.  Anyways to sum up what has happened in the last..i don't know...3 months:
 - I love being a junior in HS. It's where I belong
 - Marching Band made it to finals!!! yay! It was a rough season but we pulled through :)
 - My Grades are good as usual. Except for Physics. Bahhh
 - I have some awesome friends out there <3
 - Music has become such a huge part of my life, especially this year..I don't know what I would do without it
 - I am the bands photographer in a way...every event that occurs I usually end up taking 200-400 pictures. No matter how short the event.
 - I need a real camera. Not some tiny digital compact.
 -  I have discovered more of who I am and I love every ounce of it :)
 - HS sucks. Not the drama and friends..I can deal with all of that. But the workload and the exhaustion caused by it all...it sucks. I can't wait for college.
 - I found my twin :)
 - 2010 was quite the rollercoaster year!

And that's pretty much it. I'll post back later talking about 2010. Cuz boy has it been a hectic year or what!!!

Success!

As you may know, I recently auditioned for the Jazz Band. Mr. J, our director, was to chose 2 alto saxes for the ensemble. I was one of the 3 who auditioned. While I do not like to boast, I would say that I was one of the better amongst the three of us; however, I have yet to acquire any jazz experience - an area in which the other 2 have excelled in since the beginning of their musical careers. With this thought in mind, I knew that I would have to work extremely hard to beat them. We received our music one week before the audition. I practiced the etude for 2 hours almost every day. On days when I was unable to practice at home, I practiced during school. I was obsessed with making it into the ensemble. Without it, I would have no music this year and that's not acceptable. I can't live without music. At. All. So, the day came for me to audition. I was ready; I knew I was. In spite of my obvious preparation, I was still extremely nervous. My director had heard me play the etude countless of times through the hallways of the music building. He knew I could play it almost to perfection. When I walked into the audition, it was obvious that I was nervous especially when I messed up the etude in places that I had never messed up before. However, having heard me successfully play it, he asked me to play those parts again to confirm what he had originally heard. After the audition, I walked out mad at myself for messing something up because I was nervous. I should have been more confident. I was pretty convinced that I would not make it into the band. Two days later the results are in....I made 2nd alto! I was soo happy!!!!!!!!! This is going to be extremely fun, and I can't wait! I'm kind of nervous though because I've never done it before so it's a completely new environment for me. But, I'll make the best of it :) Our first practice is tomorrow! I can't wait!!!! ♥♥♥

Long Time

Wow, it's been a long time since I last posted anything! Sorry about that. Well, school finally started today! My first day of Junior year in High School!!!! Incredibly exciting as well as nerve wracking. From what I've heard, it's one of the hardest years for AP and IB students...Senior year is actually the hardest contrary to belief. I have all AP/IB classes!!! This is my Schedule:

1. Math Analysis Honors/IB
2. Physics B AP
3. German Language 4AP
4. English 3 Honors
5. US History AP
6. Con Wld Iss Honors (M.U.N.) 
7. Marching Band 

Sadly I have no music classes outside of marching band this year!!! I'm very depressed about that! Music has been my way of relieving stress since Freshie year. What am I going to do?!? The Jazz band is after school, so I'm auditioning for that. Really nervous though because I am the only alto sax trying out who has yet to be in an actual jazz band. Hopefully I make it! I am also starting a Pink Ribbon Club and I am in the German Club. I am on the Secretariat board for M.U.N, and I am in the Marching Band Leadership. I am a member of CSF and Tri-M Music Honors Society. This year I plan on joining the German Honors Society and National Honors Society. I have so much going on this year! It will be exciting though :) ♥♥♥

Summer Job

I got a job Babysitting the doggies of my family's friends. It pays a decent amount, so I'm excited to be wrapping up the rest of my summer with it :) It's good for me too because I can study and sew in piece and quiet without the normal hustle and bustle of my crazy house :) I have 2 projects to complete : 1 for my brother's 13th birthday and the other for my friend's 16th birthday. I am also going to study for SAT and ACT, finish AP US assignment, and read my English books!!! So much to do, but I have time to spare so might as well put it to good use. ♥♥♥

New and Improved

CLA Camp ended on Sunday! It has taken me a full 2 days to recuperate from the whole experience. It was the best 3 days of my life! I have seriously changed the way I think, live, and see the world. On top of the wonderful lessons I learned, I truly feel like a better leader than ever before, and I'm really excited to put my new knowledge to test during Band Camp :) I have already used some of it during the sectionals that we have had and it's paying off :)

So due to my 3 day life altering camp, I haven't been able to take a full on SAT test in the past week. So, it's back to the books for me! But my oh my! This week is so busy! I have a leadership meeting tomorrow, sectionals on Thursday, and my Best Friends Birthday Party on Friday!!! Life is speeding along, now I've just got to catch up to it :) ♥♥♥

Camp

I am so excited for this weekend! I am going to be away at California Leadership Academy with all of my fellow Marching Band leaders :) I have heard that it is a lot of fun and that you learn a bunch about how to be a great leader! I am super excited! Can't wait! ♥♥♥

1 SAT Book Down!

So I decided that I should probably read through the chapters of my new SAT study books so that I can gain as much advice and knowledge as possible. Before, I was just going through 2 practice tests a week and not taking into consideration the fact that there is a lot more to studying for the SAT than just knowing the test layout like the back of your hand. This weekend I started to skim through the chapters of one of the books, and I was thoroughly shocked at the amount of information that it contains! I have been reading 1 chapter a day since Sunday, but today I decided that I was going to finish the whole book (Power read!). So I sat on my bed with classical music on my iPod (studies show that you learn more with classical music..it really helps actually), and I studied my book from 11.00am to 3.30pm :) Tomorrow morning I am going to take an SAT practice test to see how much I have truly learned; I'm so excited!!!

The book that I finished reading is Kaplan's SAT Premier Live Online 2010 Edition. I highly suggest it!!!  :) I can't wait to move on to my next book! ♥♥♥

New Study Books!!!

So, as you know I'm using this Summer to study for the biggest tests of my life as of right now: SAT and ACT. I've been on a great streak lately in terms of studying, and to make it even better a good friend of mine generously gave me all of his previous study books (he is now a Senior and done with his tests). I'm soo excited to delve into the informative depths of these books! ♥♥♥

Long Time, No Blog

Wow, it's been a long time since I last blogged!!! I've actually been amazingly busy, but it's been really fun. I officially finished all of my projects as of Sunday night, Yippee! I have also taken a lot of pictures within the past week which means it's time for an update on my Photo Page! Exciting!!! :) Summer School is coming to a close, and I am surprisingly semi-sad about it. I know that sounds weird considering the fact that no one can imagine having fun with school in the summer, but the teacher is so much fun, and it helps that I have one of my close friends by my side in class :) Even though I will miss Summer School, I am excited because now I can finally begin my REAL Summer!!! For me that means volunteering and band :) 

On July 10th my Mum and I went to the 2010 Lilith Fair, a fair in celebration of women in music. It was so much fun! We were honestly not expecting it to be that great, but boy were we wrong! The musicians were so good! The last 2 performances were the highlight of the night: Miranda Lambert and Sarah Mclachlan! They both have exceptional talents and definitely know how to keep the audience entertained! My mum and I plan to go to the Lilith Fair ever year from here on out, our new Mother and Daughter Annual Tradition!

One more day of Summer School! Then it's relaxation time for about half of a week, and then volunteering starts :) Yay! As of now I  have been filling my days with hours upon hours of sewing. I have learned so much, and sewing has truly become one of my most beloved pastimes. On my Crafts Page I have posted updated pictures of my projects as well as the original inspiration for my projects so feel free to explore :) 

Hope you are have a perfectly perfect summer! ♥♥♥

Taco Pie and Movies

My mum made Taco Pies yesterday for dinner. My dad brought the recipe back from Sweden. They were surprisingly good! I'm not sure what the exact ingredients are, but I think that it consists of a pie crust, taco beef/meat, sour cream and hotsauce, cheese, and tomatoes. In order to serve it she cut out pie slices as if it was an actual dessert pie. Then she topped it with some chopped lettuce and blue corn chips! It was delicious!

So in the past week I have seen 2 movies which I would highly recommend. The first being A-Team! The movie was so funny and action-packed, and the cast worked greatly together! This movie is definitely worth your money! The 2nd movie, which I just saw today, is Toy Story 3. Although this movie isn't spectacular, it is still pretty cute. I found a lot of parallels between this Toy Story and the first one, so I thought that that was interesting. It's a good movie for children and for adults and teens who want to reminisce back to when they saw the original Toy Story :) ♥♥♥

Study Saturday

Hey there! So yesterday was Study Saturday. Basically, I just study the whole day. Great way to spend your Saturdays, right! Yeah, on Saturdays I usually take a practice SAT, and then I read my school books. I practice my sax and oboe too. But, I didn't play any music yesterday. Next week I will be getting the Marching Band show music (exciting!!!) I'll start memorizing music then. Yup, so nothing exciting happened yesterday.

Today, my BF and I had planned to go and hang out at the Spectrum, but last minute changes. So, now we are going to spend the day at my brother's baseball game (fun!!!). Ha, apparently there is a movie theatre around there. We are going to watch A-Team, hopefully it's good. Then we are going to walk around the area for a bit. Yay for last minute changes!!!!

(Sorry for my sarcasm, rough morning)

My Sewing Machine still hasn't been fixed yet!!! So my 2 projects are currently sitting on my craft table (a.k.a. the kitchen table). I have all my stuff laid out and everything. I've already cut the fabric and pinned it. And I was just about to sew it together, and poof - my machine breaks. I'll definitely keep you updated on its status. :) ♥♥♥

First Day of Summer

Yesterday was the first day of Summer, well school summer. It felt very...empty. I didn't have the normal hustle and bustle of school, and this year flew by so fast that it feels like I'm on a normal 2 day weekend. So I guess I haven't quite settled into the whole 'summer attitude'.

I broke my sewing machine. Yeah, not so good considering the fact that I'm currently working on two projects. The repair people said it will take about a week!!! The damage isn't even that bad! What am I supposed to do after summer school next week??? Guess I'll be doing a lot of reading which is fine :)

My mum dragged me around with her while she ran errands. I wasn't doing anything at home anyways so I figured I might as well keep her company. I ran into a fellow bando at one store! You can never really go a day without seeing a bando.That was fun :)

And that's pretty much all I did yesterday. Not that interesting. I know..hopefully once I get some momentum going for summer I'll have better posts =P

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!!! The weather is quite gorgeous! ♥♥♥

Last Day of School!

Ok, so today was the last day of school! And although that may seem exciting to many of you, if you think about it...it is kinda sad. Seniors graduate which means that the friends that you have had for so long will be moving on with their lives. Some stay close to home; others travel far away (across the country). It's hard to say goodbye to the people whom you have known for the past 2 years, and whom you have grown so close to. For those of you who don't know, I am (was) a sophomore in HS. This coming fall I will be a Junior (finally!). But, life goes on and I'm pretty sure I'm not the first one to have to face such a depressing event. So, I will live :)

So update on my goal towards becoming Valedictorian! This past sophomore year...*drum roll*...I got STRAIGHT As!!! Yippeee!!!! That makes my GPA a total of 4.8! I am currently ranked #1 with 4 other students. We have survived the first half of our high school career...2 years left! And they are the hardest of the 4. To be honestly honest, I am actually quite scared to venture onto Junior year. It is the year that could make or break my dreams...being a combination of rigorous IB courses as well as multiple tests (SAT, ACT, etc). If I survive this year (and I will) then I am on my way towards Harvard! And the only daunting thing left is College Apps! But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it :) Wish me luck!!! ♥♥♥

Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to my brand new blog: Books. Pics. Life! I will be keeping you updated with my goal of reading the 101 Great Books (CollegeBoard). It is a daunting task, but I love reading so much! On top of that I will keep you informed with my daily life. Ha, my life is quite hectic! Ranging from marching band to sewing! I'm an avid student who takes academics seriously (ranked #1). So it would only seem fitting that my schedule be jam-packed! In the midst of all of this madness, I do find time to participate in one of my oldest hobbies: photography. And so, (as the lovely title states) I will be posting some of my favorite pictures that I have taken as well as some that I have found on the web =)

I hope that you enjoy it!!! Feel free to comment on anything  ♥♥♥