Updates for April

Hey, everybody out there! I'm sure you've noticed the template change! I really do hope you like it. It's been really busy around here lately, and I haven't gotten enough chances to blog. Let me give you some updates...
-We just got back from our spring break trip in Cocoa Beach! I had a really good time. We belong to this new Hilton timeshare now, so we got this trip basically for free (i would explain how that could be, but it's really long and confusing and my fingers can only do so much). The room we stayed in at the resort had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a good-ish kitchen, a family room, and a balcony. It didn't look out to the ocean, but you could see it if you tilted your head over to the side. We spent a lot of time at the pool, we went to the beach, we did Kennedy Space center (so awesome!), we went on an airboat tour and saw lots of neat wildlife, rented a lot of movies, played a couple games, and just hung out. After a while though, I was getting a little homesick and I'm glad to be back to the norm.
-There was this piano competition I did that was part of BRASS (Beaches Residents Actively Supporting the Symphony) a few Saturdays ago. We're not actually beaches residents, but we live pretty close and it was okay for us to come. I played two of my piano pieces, and the judges awarded me first prize!! I got a check of $75!! Mom promised she'll take me out to this Irish store called Celtic Charm so I can totally splurge.
Well, that's pretty much it. I'll try to blog more, so keep tuning in! Bye!

Goodbye Lance

You're probably wondering who Lance is. Well, he's my youth leader at church. He's in charge of the whole thing. Like, if the whole church was just made up out of the youth, he would be the pastor. I'm saying goodbye because Lance says that God is speaking to him and he feels like that he should be doing something else. He doesn't know for sure what it is yet, but he talked to Pastor Michael about it and he isn't going to be the youth minister anymore. :( Lance will still attend our church with his wife Carleen, but we're getting a new youth minister named Drew Pilkenton. I hope I like him and I also hope that he's as funny, caring, and helpful as Lance was.

Easter

Tomorrow's Easter!! I'm excited about it. We go to church at the regular time, but of course it's a special service. After all, there would be no Christianity if Jesus hadn't risen from the dead. After church, some of our very old friends (not old as in elderly, but we've known them a while) are coming for dinner at 5:30. It'll be 10 people all together. Liz (we've known her since we used to live in Virginia when I was little. She worked on Capital Hill. Then she retired and moved down here. She is very sweet and really cares about us.) and her boyfriend Tom, the Murrays (Marrienne, Jim, Claire, and A.J. who we've known since we moved to Florida when I was six) and us Roses. That's a lot of people, but it'll be fun to all be together again. We have the house decorated with little bunnies and roosters, and we have candle holders with eggs in them. Easter seemed to come a little early this year, but that's fine with me. I'm ready for spring and Easter whenever they come.

Talent Show

At my school, there's going to be a talent show! I have a few talents, one of them being singing. I LOVE TO SING!!!!!!!!! When I get older, I'm probably going to get a college degree in voice and be a professional (just ike Meav, except her degree is in law. She found out that singing was her passion. She is so my idol!). Right now I'm at Wards Creek Elementary with Mom, and I'm on her school-owned Gateway laptop. I was just on iTunes and I found a great karaeoke version of "The Prayer" from Quest To Camelot (I originally heard it from Celtic Woman singer Chloe Agnew). I'm pretty nervous because I don't want to mess up in front of all those people, but mainly I don't want people to think I'm stupid because of the song I picked. Most of the kids will be doing hip-hop songs. But I know that it shouldn't matter and I should just move forward with my passion.

Listen to "The Prayer" from Celtic Woman Chloe Agnew:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sASfv9EEhrw

Celtic Woman Concert

The night of March 5 was easily one of the best nights of my life. For me it was like a dream, having Chloe, Orla, and Mairead performing in front of me! Lynn and Alex were new, though. Lynn is actually really pretty (keep in mind-doesn't even come close to Meav), but she doesn't around all that much, and I think she could use a little more expression. As for Alex, I didn't really like her that much. I didn't like the style of her voice, which was kind of a broadway style, and it didn't fit in with all the other voices and the Celtic music. But I welcomed both newcomers in my mind. Speaking of in my mind, Mairead was definetly the star of the show. I used the binoculars, which were amazingly cool because I could see the faces up close. Mairead just used sooo much fun and expression in her face and her actions, like when she danced all over the stage, which had been very nicely decorated and it looked like a mini version of what the stage looked like in the DVDs. But the thing that happened that night that I will never forget is that while I was looking at her through the binoculars, Mairead looked at me. Like, 3 times. It was so awesome! She was smiling and moving her body, and she looked right into my eyes. I had seen some of the others (like Lynn and Chloe) sort of look at me but just for a second. But Mairead just held her gaze for 3 seconds or more. And I just smiled at her, nodding at her performance and how good it was. We also purchased a souvenier tourbook with really nice pictures and writing that I promised myself I would never cut out and hang in my room (it was hard). But i had a great time, and I was so sad when it ended and it was time to go home. But it was night I will never forget.

Ireland/Concert

St. Patrick's Day is now officially my 3rd favorite holiday (after Christmas and Halloween), thanks to Meav and the rest of Ireland, my favorite country. On Saturday me, Mom, and little sis Jenny went out shopping and I got all my St. Patty's day materials. I got shamrock earrings, green nail polish, sparkley green and silver bead necklaces, and the stuff to make my special shirt. I didn't want one of those Target shirts that everyone wears (Everyone loves an Irish girl, Kiss me, I'm Irish, etc.). I wanted something special. We got a white t-shirt from Michael's craft store alond with some green, orange, and black fabric paint. On the front will be the Irish flag and IRELAND written on it, and on the back (in smaller letters), it will say THE EMERALD ISLE, because that's its nickname. I hope I can wear it all year round. I also got a very nice big book on Ireland that has awesome pictures and was on sale! Yay! And speaking of Yay, I'm am now officially off of Celtic Woman recovery!! I burned a cd of them that has their 2004/2005 songs on it from their debut concert at Helix Center in Dublin. Some of the songs are One World, Walking in the Air, Si Do Mhaimeo i ("The Wealthy Widow" in Gaelic), Orinoco Flow, You Raise Me Up, and others. I just try to keep my exposure to them limited, not to watch or listen to them too much, because I will regret it later (can't really explain it to you, sorry). Their concert is in 2 days!!! It'll be so cool to watch Mairead dance with her fiddle right in front of me, and to watch Chloe and Orla sing in the same building! Lynn and Alex I don't know yet, but I'm sure they're talented. And Meav and Lisa, we all miss you so much!!
So...Look out Ireland, here I come!! (someday...) ag deireadh! (The End)

I Got Sweeped

If you go to Pacetti Bay middle school, you probably know that we have tardy sweeps, and if the Dean sees you out of class when the tardy bell rings, you have to come with him/her to the auditorium and get a punishment. Well, until Monday, I didn't know what the punishment was until it happened to me. If you go to my school, you probably know how long it is from the band room to the green house, where most of my classes are. If you don't, well, IT'S LONG. It takes me a while to get to geography from the band room. And Dean Gifford was in the green house at the time, so when I was about 25 steps away from my classroom, the bell rang and he ordered us to the auditorium. This usually only happens to bad kids and if it happenes to many times, you can get demerits, detentions, and even worse. So when I went in there, I saw Mrs. Sparkman (principal), Mrs. Calloway (vice), Mrs. Seaton (guidance), Dean Gifford (man dean), Dean Cooper (woman dean), and Officer Keisler (school cop) all in one place. Wow. They gave us a harsh lecture about getting to class on time. I felt really bad. I mean, Mrs. Sparkman's my friend, and I don't want her (or Dean Cooper) to think that I'm a bad kid. The high majority of the kids in there were 7th graders, too, and everyone had to write down their name so they could keep track of who's been there. Well, let me just say this. Mrs. Sparkman, I know you know I'm not a bad kid, and I was late for a good reason. And Dean Cooper, you don't really know me that well, and I want you to think highly of me, so don't judge me by this. This is something I will definately try to not let happen again.