Black Friday–Makes My Heart SO Warm!

I hope everybody had an amazing Thanksgiving! I spent mine with my close family and friends, and it was a wonderful kickoff to the holiday season.

 

It seemed like everybody that I talked to had a huge family gathering for the holiday and it made me a little jealous. I wish I had a huge family. It was just my parents, my brother, my 2 aunts and I. We’re the only family in Colorado and the only family on my dad’s side. They are great, I just with there was more of them. BUT I had a good time, because we’re all very close. Our dinner was more of a lunch because my mom had to work, which worked out well because I spent the evening with my best friend at her friends restaurant.

 

Of course, we braved the cold and wee hours of the morning to hit those Black Friday deals! Jennifer and I started out at midnight. yes, midnight. Old Navy had $15 jeans, there was no way I was passing that up. We got there about 1130 and the line was already 2 stores down. Despite our numb extremities, we had a blast!

 

My favorite part of Black Friday is the people that I meet in line. The people behind us this time were actually shopping for a family that they had adopted for the holiday season. They told us about how it was a family of 11, many of the children were adopted. The family had been doing well until the mom had been bitten by a rattlesnake and then the medical bills put financial strain on the family. They were there buying 5 dollar t-shirts and other clothes for the kids. How inspiring, huh?

 

And the funny thing is, when you meet cool people in line, you keep seeing them throughout the day! We went to Old Navy and then slept in my car until 3 when Kohls opened. While we were waiting to check-out we saw them again, of course we all had to update each other on where we’d been and what our mission was. It’s fun meeting other people in line, I love it.

 

Then you have the crazies, the real ones. We were in Old Navy and there is this guy running around with a Chihuahua in his jacket. 1.) it’s midnight and you feel the need to just throw your dog in your shirt? 2.) It’s cold waiting in line, Chihuahua’s have that weird shaky thing goin’ on any way, really is that a good idea? and 3.) people go nuts on black Friday. taking care of a yappy little dog: not on my priority list.

 

We got home around 5:30 and I slept until 1pm. By that time my mom had gotten home (I usually go with her, I was bummed that I couldn’t this year ). So we ended up hitting the mall in the afternoon. So in total, I made it to Old Navy, Kohls, Dillard’s, Victoria Secret, and JC Penny. Definition of a girls perfect day.

 

Christmas music is playing, lights are being put up all over the neighborhood. It makes me so excited and happy!

 

Some photos from my holiday:

 

Line at Midnight!

Bearing the cold! Not a pretty picture of me, but that’s just everybody at 230, in the cold. haha

Sleeping in my car.

Making up for that bad photo! haha

Don’t Mention Connie.

It’s break. whoooo!

 

Okay, not so much. Today I still had college classes and a dentist appointment. I don’t do so well at the dentist. But let me tell you about today’s experience.

 

So the dental hygienist at my office is awesome. We only schedule our appointments with her because she is just the best. She has never ever hurt us and even if she has, I haven’t noticed because she is so enjoyable to talk to the entire time (well listen to, I can’t talk much while in the chair).

 

Any way, I get there today and the desk lady tells me she had to go home because her son was sick and that I could have Connie. 1st off, Connie is a bad omen for me. When I was maybe 6 or 7 I had this dream where I went into my basement and this lady came out of the bathroom and said, “Hi, Im Connie!” and then she killed me. Ever since then, haven’t reacted so well to the name Connie, weird, huh?

 

Turns out I have to go back to the dentist next Friday because of a few small cavities, which is so unfair! I brush and floss and my brother doesn’t and who gets the cavities? yeah, me! I didn’t have cavities for like the first 16 years of my life. And knowing that my teeth aren’t perfect makes me cry. After I left I cried as I drove around town for a little bit. I hate drills and I hate the sound the drill makes (that is the WORST) I told my mom she has to go with me that day, no excuses!

 

So my Tuesday? Not so great. I’m still in need of a hug.

 

On a different note: I went and saw Harry Potter on Sunday. It was good, I guess. I never read the books, I just go because I like the way Harry Potter is filmed. I posted it on facebook, but I seriously loved loved loved Emma Watson’s wardrobe throughout the entire movie. She’s always been so classic in my mind and this just added to it. It was very Brit-autumn-relaxed.

 

I also saw the preview for Red Riding Hood coming out in March of 2011. Definitely not a kids movie. Its like sexified, hot Red Riding Hood:

 

REALLY excited!

Tell Me: Am I Addicted to You?

If bullshitting had an Olympics category, im pretty sure id qualify to compete for the United States. Yes, I know, that sounds cocky. But, at the core, this is me.

 

I just finished my best friends AP Environmental Science homework about a movie, I have never watched. AND I kicked everybody’s ass on that forum, including the teacher’s. I love me at times like this. My best friends computer was acting up so she asked if I could just log on and write a couple of sentences. We all know this is not how I do things. I wrote three paragraphs. Yes, three! Told you I kicked ass.

 

That seriously makes me the coolest nerd EVER. I would take being me over anything any day. I was thinking about it the other day and my days are made when I have a really intelligent conversation with somebody. In Botany one day we were talking about the Bermuda Triangle and all the discovery shows we watched about it… This had nothing to do with my science class, we were actually very off topic. The rest of my day was amazing, just because I talked about magnetic fields for 15 minutes.

 

I don’t know if it’s because I’m in the middle of possibly my best debate season ever, or what… but I’m so on top of the news, foreign policy issues, science, politics. YET, I can barely make it to school for a full week. You know what I say? Fuck the public school system. I would be so much smarter if I didn’t have to deal with all this stuff. The teachers, the students, the homework. I just want to sit in a class and learn. If you other kids don’t want to… then they can leave. I could really care less if they’re having babies or smoking nutmeg, or whatever they’re doing these days.

 

I’m so addicted to being with smart people. And not like smart dull people, like quirky, weird, eccentric, smart people. I strive to be that person every day!

Am I the Only One? Yeahhhh.

Today…. I took what my best friend and I like to call a “mental health day”. It’s sort of funny because, I take these a lot, and they never seem to have quite the effect I hope they’ll have. Though sometimes they do put some things in perspective for me.

 

I thought a lot about the people in my life today and you know that saying that goes a little like:

 

Don’t worry about the people from your past, there is a reason they didn’t make it to your future.

Well, I’m starting to really believe it. My best friend and I talked about how all throughout high school we’ve always been each other’s best friend even when other people would come and go. I’m so grateful for her. All of my really good friends are my really good friends for different reasons, and I think that is really good for me. Some of them I love because they push me to do better, some are there for support, others I have a lot in common with. I’m not sure what I would do without them, and right now I’m just very thankful they are all in my life.

 

I call Jennifer my best friend because she isn’t afraid to tell me I’m a nerd, or speak her mind, even if sometimes I don’t want to hear it. Today my mom, her and I were watching VH1 and one of the classic songs was from the 90’s. I was like what the heck?! I am NOT old, im from the 90s!

 

Long story short we found an old Backstreet Boys CD and a Dream Street CD (for those of you who don’t know Dream Street, that would be Jesse McCartney’s first music project) and I thought that was like the greatest thing that has happened all week, seriously! Jenn just made fun of my music tastes from a decade ago. In fact, I’m pretty sure she took her own car to town just to avoid the fact that I said we were listening to BSB on the way there. haha!

 

I think about when I was IN LOVE with that band, and my god how things have changed! Regardless, I think my music taste has always reflected my personality… and therefore, my music taste is pretty awesome. Basically, I’ve concluded from the music I listen to that I am:

 

- part of the main stream.

- pretty mellow.

- a total sucker for piano because its so classic ==> id like to think im pretty classic.

- reluctant for change but give it a chance.

- have a decent sense of humor

- and a little crazy, but only sometimes.

 

With that being said, I leave you with my song of the day! haha You know you loved them too.

Getting There.

I’m sitting here desperately trying to study for my criminal justice test tomorrow, but I can’t stop thinking about other things.

 

I’m so scared. I’m scared about not knowing what I want. Mostly in the terms of college but other things too. What’s even scarier: the person that I trusted for advice told me that I didn’t have to know what I want yet, and they still don’t even know what they want. That can’t ever be me.

 

I mean there are plenty of things I know I want… nice cars, a law degree, the security of knowing I made it in this world. But the bulk of things I want, aren’t tangible, and most of the time I think that is a problem, but sometimes I don’t… which REALLY is a problem.

 

Everybody tells me I’m so ambitious.. but I don’t even know what I’m ambitious for. For being that person I know I’m capable of? For proving that I can do everything I say I’ll do? Does it even mater?

 

In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt the slightest bit ambitious. I’ve felt motivated. Those aren’t the same things, by the way. I do what I do because that’s what I’m expected of, that’s how things are supposed to work.

 

I also consider myself a very strong person. I don’t tolerate people who aren’t strong very well. But lately, it’s easier to see that more and more people that I surround myself with are not as strong as I thought they really were. I walk around school and I hear comments like, “how does she get a boyfriend and I don’t?” Well, it’s because you have standards and you know what you deserve. don’t ever tell yourself you don’t. Then I have the friends who rid themselves of people that have wrecked havoc on their emotions, did nothing but play with who they were and because that feeling of love or lust or hate or whatever was “real” they can’t get over it. They’ll go back. I’m told I don’t understand, and I don’t want to. I’d rather know what I deserve and keep walking than resort to the past just to get back a feeling.

 

I know I don’t have all the answers… obviously. I’m so scared of what I don’t know, but what I do know is that I’ll keep working really, really hard for what I don’t know and maybe learn something on that journey rather than harness something I don’t believe in.

 

This post is really more of a cheer to a new chapter. I know I'll keep walking and though there’s people who I really do love… I can’t wait, and I don’t have the guts to say that I can’t wait, because if they asked me to I would… but they won’t, so…..

 

on to the next.

Competition? I’m There!

This weekend has been like, super long! I’m sitting here yawning (even though I slept 12 hours last night haha) but it was pretty good, nonetheless.

 

Friday night was the big football game against our newest rival, South High School. I had a blast. I was on the field taking pictures for newspaper and its so different on the field than in the bleachers, I have to say. The energy is incredible, but at the same time it’s a lot less tense than most people would think. At one point I was standing in front of a bunch of players and they were talking about how the dude standing next to them looked like an Avatar. I had to laugh. We lost, in overtime and it sucked! Such a good time, such a good game.

 

However, I did come to the conclusion that I am too much of a fan to be a photographer. I would find myself getting really into the game and then telling myself, “oh crap, kara, take pictures!” I haven’t had a chance to see the pictures I took, though. Tomorrow! Hopefully, they turned out pretty well!

 

Saturday was the first, official tournament for Speech and Debate. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t as prepared as I have been in the past. My partner and I did pull off a third place, despite the lack of preparation. I’m super proud of her! She’s a freshman and placed third in a senior category, I think she’s goin’ places. We didn’t make the final round by just points, how lame, huh? We plan on creaming everybody next week though. IT IS ON.

 

I think the gist everyone should be getting from this blog is that im uber competitive. haha!

 

After the tournament some of the varsity members and I went out to dinner. It was nice. Speech meets are so loud sometimes and rowdy, plus these are the people that will make me better so we try to recap the day a little bit.

 

This weekend has been all over the place and I’m ready to start a new week, im rarely ever ready for that. lol.

Top three Senior PF teams

I Stand Here

I’m taking a short break to blog, I feel I need it. I should blog on a more regular basis because I always have a lot to say but it seems like a lot of the time things just all happen at once and my thoughts go about a million miles a minute.

 

My weekend started a little early with a High School Journalism Conference on Thursday at CSU-P. The speakers were not what I expected, and truthfully, I thought I was above most of them, however, it was a good place for me to get excited about my newspaper again. Yes, I call it my newspaper. I feel like its my senior project almost. The paper used to be so good and it was just let go. Even though it isn’t, I feel like its my duty to get it back up and running again. It’s special to me.

 

There is another thing about newspaper… I’m finding it harder than ever to draw a line between being friends and being a boss. One of my best friends is a staff member. She’s wild and crazy and I love her to death but I really want things to work out for the paper and I feel that because she has a grudge against the teacher at the moment and isn’t planning on sticking around next semester she’s in no way benefitting my job. I’m sort of at a loss, because this paper isn’t just for me, its for future students. I don’t know really what to tell her, or if I should tell her at all.

 

Among other things on my mind, my social life has been much different lately. I’m not sure I like it either. I’ve always been so introverted and cynical and nerdy, but lately I’ve been going out and hanging with some new people (wanting to hang with a few others… trying to make that work) but the more I do, the more I realize why I am who I am.

 

Example 1: Went to haunted houses this weekend and met this guy, who I wasn’t really interested in but he said he could maybe hook me up with a paranormal investigation, which id be all over in a heartbeat. But now, he txts me all. the. time. and oh yeah, calls me beautiful. what the hell? And mind you, this is the second guy in a row to throw that clingy shit on me! I am SO not about that.

 

Which leads me to the next thing on my mind: The moment a person (guy) tells me they admire my ambition and keep feeding me compliments, it is over. It sounds weird, but I never want to be the person in a friendship/relationship/etc. that is the best. I want some sort of competition and that other person to make me work harder at what I do. I thrive in that environment.

 

It seems like I just keep getting deeper into my projects and become more okay with it. Today I totally felt like an assistant. I had to create a budget, and ive been taking/transferring calls all night. Right now I feel really balanced, and I’m just taking the punches as they come.

 

2 college apps down, and I'm really proud of myself for that! Things are feelin’ really good right about now! I’m really scared for college, but somebody told me yesterday that its okay if things change, and its okay not to know the next step, and I took that with as open mind as possible. I worry, but I feel a little bit better now.

 

So I suppose this break is over, I feel better writing (well duh, journalistic instincts) The rest of my night consists of more assistant work and texting my best friend about the soap opera shes watching on telemundo. love her!