A yummy looking award...

I have been awarded The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award! Haha, I must have all of you fooled!

Just kidding, I'm a relatively sweet person in person. What?

I have to list 7 random things about me, then give it to other peeps, so here goes.

1. I like carousel horses.

2. I own a baseball that might have been a homerun in a Cardinal's game.

3. I have a large hope chest. Actually, the chest that it is in right now is not very big at all; it only fits a part of all the things that will be in my future home!

4. I have OCD

Not that OCD is a real, physical ailment, but I do have whatever it is that makes me want to organize everything and have everything around me perfectly straight!

5. I love milk and drink it ALL the time. Santa would be proud. Wait, doesn't Santa like milk?

6. I have a pink, stuffed pig.

Yep, that's Peter the Pink Pig. I just call him Pete. I've had this little dude for forever! He's goes on all my adventures with me! And vacations. That picture below was actually the very first picture that I took with my camera. That's random.

7. I own many vintage Disney posters, a vintage Candy Land game box cover, and a black light bulb from the 70s that was my daddy's!

Now then, you didn't know any of those did you?

I give this to Bre, Taylor, Kirsten, and Adelyn. And anyone else who wants it!

bBj

funky colors and happy tears

So, I noticed that it's almost February, which shouldn't come as a surprise. It always comes right after January.

I went back and read my list of things to accomplish and things that I was excited about for 2012 a while ago because I want to keep them fresh in my mind. I might do that at the beginning of each month to see progress. Being on January, I haven't done any yet, but am closer to most of them! Except a job. I still really need a job, so I can have money, so I can spend it. *smirk*

If you remember, one of my resolutions, actually, the only one, was to drink a water bottle every day. I have so far, and am enjoying its good effects!

I also wanted to learn guitar.

I know a few chords and my fingers are getting a little bit calloused. No one would be able to tell but me, because I am trying to feel them! They hurt like billy-oh!

I also want to dye my hair a "funky color"!

Not all over! Heaven forbid. I know a few people, mainly in my family, *coughcoughparentscough* who would turn over in their...*thinks* beds? It wouldn't be acceptable, and I don't want to anyway. All that to say, I want to dye a very small part of it blue or purple or both. What do you think?

Thanks to Anna, I've already done this one! Oh heavens. *chuckles to myself because I know that whatever we were laughing about would make no sense to anyone else*

This one is coming up rapidly, which excites me a lot! w00t! Have you read them? Will you be going to the midnight showing?

bBj bids you farewell until next post

PS I found my ring! Yeah, the one that you didn't know existed or that I had lost a week after buying. I'm just happy about that!

Oh, I also watched this!

So good! It was my first Johnny Depp, with him playing a relatively normal character!

Ok, I'm gone for real now.

Bye Bye Birdie

I know I have mentioned it, but in case you didn't know, I am taking part in a production of Bye Bye Birdie. It is with our homeschool group Cast N Crew, and I have done one play with them in the past. We did Annie the musical last sping, and I am proud to say that two of my sisters got large roles, and I got a bit part. Don't feel sorry for me, I didn't want a singing role.

Now, I can sing, but I was afraid that I would be scared to sing in front of people when the time came.

That was not the case at all. I realized that after the four months of rehearsing, I knew the songs, choreography, and lines backward and forward, so why be scared? The director kept telling everyone to smile and put a lot of energy into the songs, but she never had to tell me! I was absolutely beaming the whole time I was onstage. I couldn't figure out why everyone else was not, I mean, I was having the time of my life! Why in the world are they doing drama if they aren't having fun onstage? Golly. Also, you know all the people that you are performing with, and have spent a lot of time with them by that point. Everyone sees you mess up during rehearsals, so you get that out of your system.

So, I decided that I wanted a singing part in Bye Bye Birdie, which is a play set in the 1950s, one of my favorites time periods, about a rock star. It is a satire on teenage idolization of rock stars, like Elvis. Conrad Birdie, the rock star, is based loosely off of Elvis, and more so off of Conway Twitty, who was one of Elvis' biggest rivals in the early days of their carreers. Elvis was drafted to go into the army, and this play is about Conrad giving one last kiss goodbye to one of his biggest fans before he leaves. It's a publicity stunt that his manager, Albert, who is really the star of the show, comes up with.

The play is hilarious! I find most of the songs very sarcastic, which is fun to do, mostly because we can't act in a sarcastic way, but have to show the audience hwo wrong everything is. For example, one of Conrad Birdie's biggest numbers is called Honestly Sincere, which is grossly funny because he is totally fake!

After much description... I got the part of Debra Sue, who is one of Kim's best friends. Kim is the girl that is chosen to receive Birdie's last kiss. As I see parts of the script, I now know that I am in more scenes that I realized at first, which is pretty cool. We have only had two weeks of rehearsals, which means about four so far.

I'm having a lot of fun, and getting to know new people! Updates will be coming.

By the way, don't watch the movie! It is absolutely nothing like the play at all! Listen/watch parts on YouTube, and you'll see why I can't help but smile!

~Debra Sue

On the town!

Saturday was fun! That's all I can say. Actually, I can, and will, say a lot more!

An outing was planned. That's all I knew. Well, I did know that it would include friends and food, but that's all.

Me, M, and J

I got up super early and got ready for the day, even though I had gotten in bed really late the night before and was therefore tired. My bed was literally calling my name, wanting me to crawl back in, but I stuffed cotton in my ears (figuratively) and did not heed the siren call. Did you notice how dramatic that was? Anyway, I got decent in time for M's family to pick me up and take me to the place of "dropping other kids off and picking another friend up". That's the official name of the place.

We went downtown and drove around while deciding what to do first. First, we went to a bakery for breakfast. I am omitting names to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent, referring to my friends and I!

I don't believe in staged pictures!

I, like the tightwad that I am, bought a pastry, and only a pastry. Of course I did mooch off of M and J's food too. (Those are the initials that I am using to refer to M and J...what?) We talked there for a while, then walked to the Main Library, which I had never been in, taking pictures all the way on M's camera.

This is the "Manhole" dance.

We immediately walked/rode the elevator up to Level 4, which is the all-teen level, which had been redecorated a couple of months before. The place was amazing...

...and had this display outside! Me gusta.

Me being a typical teenager...

The books were all cool, but the decor was even better! It didn't seem to me to be too "let's get teens to hang out at the library because it looks all hip and stuff", but did end up really groovy. Yeah, I said groovy, deal with it!

There were lots of computers, pillows by the window on which you could read, and orange chairs with swivel desks on them.

Can you see the wavy, purple table with silver ottomans?

Lovely M

The lovely J

There was a big tv room where they have movie showings, and the seats were these big, round, yellow, rocking chairs! Adjectives! Too bad I didn't get a picture of them, so you could've seen how perfect my description was. Anyway, it was much too fun of a place to be quiet, but we were...mostly.

Then there was the section with vending machines, booths, and a popcorn maker. There was also a toaster, but I can't imagine what that was for. The tables had bottletop surfaces and upsidedown cups as seats.

Best of all, in my humble opinion, were these cool, green chairs that are really hard to describe!

M obviously doesn't have a care in the world.

Can you see what I mean? There is a frame, from which a stretchy, meshy fabric is stretched taut, and you just kind of sink into it! I want one. So. Stinking. Badly! I'm honestly thinking of having my birthday party there! No, I'm not too old!

Next, we took some more pictures and walked over to Ten Thousand Villiages. I didn't know what it was, which was probably a good thing, seeing as things like that usually make me sick. You know, the sob stories about random things being made by African women to keep their families alive! and stuff. Anyway, that's practically what it was, but I really liked it! Everything there was really cool and almost everything was something that I wouldn't mind having in a future home! The prices weren't outrageous either. I came home with a hackey sack from Guatemala, but could've bought the one-person hammock, the pretty, encouraging word stones, the cute figurines, the set of dice, or any manner of thing if I had had enough dough to spend! I have to go back. (I really have no earthly idea why the font changed! Maybe it was just bored?)

Aren't we cool? We didn't even plan these poses!

We went a few other places and hung out a bit more while waiting for everyone to get their kids in their cars and such. The family that I was with forgot about me going home and took me to lunch, which I didn't have a problem with! I had Thai food for the first time. I even ended up getting home on time.

in which the book lover in me squeals with delight

I got on Goodreads! I love it. Not just like, love.

Pages and (internet) pages of books await me!

I rated all the books that I have read (no, not all of them), and am currently in the process of moving my to-read spreadsheet over to teh interwebz!

Of course, I'm billyBobjoe on there, but I think it messed up and shows me as "Billybobjoe", which you should all know, is NOT how I spell my name. I just wanted to clear that up before I get bombarded with, "That's not how you said to spell your name!"

Abanyhoo, if you like to read in the slightest, you should get on there! If you don't....start liking to. It'll change your life. If you are on there, make me one of your friends!

I just finished The Hunger Games, which are amazing! I honestly don't like the writing style, but the story is great. The way that the author describes those characters that you need to know is interesting. I love the way that symbolism is used. If you are planning to read them soon, look for fire, and the mockingjay symbols. Those should seem obvious, because of the titles, but they come in the story in different types of ways. Full reviews on each to come....hopefully.

I'm off to study!

bBj

teenagers = drama

Now, I know that all of y'all have dealt with this in the past, but I had to deal with a stinkin' TON of it yesterday.

Mostly, I like my homeschool co-op Comm. Central, but yesterday was awful! A bunch of people were there, which made it louder. Three girls who are normally in the class weren't there last week, which gave me delusions of quiet-ness. And one of the girls knows the new girl from a previous school or something, which means that they can be loud together. Are you catching the sarcasm and annoyance? Good! They're like two strong winds that, when together, form a big, annoying tornado! Yeah, it's bad.

Anyway, I know this is kinda angsty, but what is a blog for if not to express yourself? I'll get over it, because I honestly do like going. *sigh* OK, I feel better!

bBj

chutes and ladders and summers

So, yes I was reading a book instead of doing history the other day. Ride the slide back down to square number four.

And, yes I was listening to Michael Buble while doing logic homework. Wait, that good! Go up to square number ninety-seven. Yes, go up that far!

All this to say that I'm back in school and liking MB a lot! In other news:

I met two girls who are twins and really cool the other day, so I've been texting them to get to know them! I have a lot in common with both of them and hope they join our church!

So, you see? The world is out to get me, and get me not to do my homework! Dastardly plan, no? Oh wait, now I'm writing a post....never mind, I need to!

Does that happen to you? Of course it does! Now I feel better!

I really want summer to come! I'm sick of winter already. I'm glad that I didn't have to live in Narnia when the White Witch was ruling, because "all winter and no Christmas" would have sucked. People are made to desire change, especially for the different seasons, but I have it BAD! (I intentionally used an adverb and left off the -ly!) Spring is the best time of year, followed closely by summer, and I can't wait.

We moved a year ago, and our new house has this great tree in the front that I read under ALL THE TIME in summer. Actually, I read, write, and think under it, but only when the creeper neighbors aren't out. o_0 Literally, in summer, I am outside more than inside. The Great Outdoors becomes my home, and I walk out the front door and onto the lawn like I was walking out of my room and into the hall.

I don't have any big plans, but that's the joy of summer, no? I just want to watch the few clouds on my back with my aviators on. *sigh* Classic.

I hope I didn't make you too discontented! If you go do the homework that you are avoiding, I'll do mine. Deal? Okay, fine.

bBj

I'm a little late...

....to be cluttering your Dashboard up with 2012/New Year's Eve stuff, but I am anyway!

I am, for some reason, super excited about this year. 2004 and 2008 were good years for me, so I wishing on a comet that this one will be too!

I didn't make any resolutions, except to drink more water. I don't like water at all, and often get headaches from dehydration. Oh well, I'm working on it.

I have a bunch of things that I'm excited about too! Here are a few:

001. I freaked you out with the double zeros didn't I? you thought I had a hundred!

002. Turning 16

003. Finishing Sophomore year

004. Starting Junior year

005. Getting a job

006. Getting a driver's license (working on this one!)

007. Going to CA to finally visit my friend

008. The Dark Knight Rises

009. Star Wars in 3D (because I wasn't old enough to see them in theater)

010. The Hobbit Part 1: An Unexpected Journey

011. The Hunger Games (not totally sure because I haven't read the books)

012. The Avengers

013. White Collar Season 3

014. Being in Bye Bye Birdie

015. Learning to play guitar

016. Growing (it's a serious hope!)

017. Traveling

018. Being in a food fight (I think the best food fights are spontaneous, but I seriously am looking forward to it, whenever it may take place)

019. Dying my hair (only part of it)

020. Learning a new language

What do you think? These are only a few! What are you looking forward to?

-bBj

PS 021. Looking forward to the end of the world. Major sarcasm. :)