Autumn

(Now that we've had our first dusting of snow, it's time to post fall pictures.)

Some from home

 

 

From club (I had nothing better to do than take pictures of trees during LD class)

Some more from home

Deerwander 2014

A couple weeks out, I'm pretty sure my junior year of camp was the best yet.  It's my sixth summer in a row with these people :)  I didn't think I'd be able to go (I had a lot of schoolwork to catch up on) but at the last minute Mom and Dad told me I was going to camp anyway.  So it was another week of GaGa Ball, Ultimate Frisbee, terrific dining hall food (thanks Bethany), great preaching, cute little kids running around among us teens, laughing until I cried, ridiculous clan activites, and the coolest cabin in the world.  Some highlights from the week...

A gorgeous sunset, only visible on the girls' side of camp

Emma :)

My cabin- Maddi (in pink) had to leave early, so we all took pictures together.

The only year where Sam, Emma, and I are all together as campers.  This is us in our skit costumes: Sam's a news anchor, Emma's a cannibal, and I'm in chocolatey Celtics pajamas.

My cabin- Addie, Praise, Kayla, me, Alisa, Leah

Sam on top of a pyramid

Most of my wonderful grade- Addie, Ben, Nathaniel, Nate, Ryan, John, Praise, me, Jason, Schaeffer, Ethan, Asher, and Sam

Ben, Addie, Alisa, Sam, and Asher at the banquet

Emma and me

One interesting thing that happened at camp was the appearance of Paul Andersen, a man my parents have known for ages.  Over a decade ago when our church was without a pastor for several years, he provided pulpit supply for us a lot.  I knew he was a counselor at Deerwander when Alex was a camper, but I didn't expect to see him; he'd never shown up in my years as a camper.  It was fun meeting him again, not as a little kid anymore.  ^_^

Thanks for the awesome week- see you all next year!

Sweet Sixteen

Oh, that beautiful, special, once-in-a-lifetime day marking the earth's sixteenth full revolution around the sun since I was presented to the world as an individual.  Here's what you need to know: I didn't have a party.  Basically.

No, the convention I'm actually here to complain about is the saying "Sweet Sixteen and never been kissed".  Thank goodness, no one's said that to me today.  Besides being pretty much totally meaningless, I only see problems coming from it, whether it's true or not.  I mean, who really thinks "It's such a wonderful feeling to be sixteen years old and to have never kissed a boy!  BEST THING EVER!!"

No actually I read something written by a girl who turned sixteen and hadn't been kissed.  So as she heard that saying thrown around she became determined to change that status of "kissless".  Every boy she dated she quickly kissed, to show them it was going well, until kissing became meaningless to her.  Why?  Maybe because of a useless little saying.

And then the girls who have been kissed.  OK.  There's this toddler who's kissed me many times.  He was one when he gave twelve-year-old me my first kiss.  And I don't care.  I mean, he's four.  How could I love him OR hate him for it?  But maybe there are other girls who feel guilty.  Who feel like they're impure because of what was probably innocent contact with someone they like.  It becomes an expectation, completely arbitrary, that fifteen-year-olds cannot kiss anyone.  Because... because... why?  The magical change that occurs on the sixteenth revolution around the sun since birth.

Here's the thing, girls.  If you haven't been kissed, don't sweat it and don't rush it.  If you have, you are not a slut, it happens when it does.

EVERYONE ELSE STOP SAYING THAT IT'S STUPID

ok I'm done now #endrant

What is it that makes me different?

I feel different.  Sometimes I act like the other girls around me.  I laugh at most of the same jokes, I enjoy a lot of the same activities (except volleyball).  I like being friends with them.  We talk about all sorts of stuff.  We get along.  But even sometimes when I'm laughing at something they just said, I feel this otherness.  There's a world I'm part of that they aren't in.  Maybe the world is just in my head.  I look at them and I know I'm with them, but there's also all the Something Else behind me, beyond me, where I am and they aren't.  What is it, that makes me a young lady rather than some teenage chick?  Why do they like the guys that I'll admit are cute, yet still feel no real attraction towards?  I find myself more interested in industrious guys, the hard workers, who love what they do.  There is a little mystery to them- what makes you so diligent?  Then maybe there is that  knowledge that when I get married, I'll do better by the side of someone who can support me than someone who looks pretty.  It's the difference between the teenager, a fairly recent invention, and what they used to be.  Young people.  Somehow I have the long view.  I don't know why I have it and others don't.  If my parents had carefully raised me that way, then my siblings would have it too.  I can't speak for my brothers, but my sister is a fairly typical teenager.  Maybe her preferences aren't quite "mainstream", but the way she thinks is pretty normal.  For a teenager.  Yes, sometimes I get little crushes on guys.  But it tends to be with the thought that in a few years I won't be 15 anymore.  I'll be an adult.  And some man somewhere, he's going to be my husband one day.  A fling might be fun, but in ten years how would I be able to talk to my husband about it?  Better, I know, to not risk it.  I'd rather have a life of love than a few weeks with a hottie.  And there's no experience I can point to that planted this long view in me.  It just happened.  I pick my companions based on who I want to say I spent years of my life with.  I think often of the past and look to the future.  When I was faced with a choice like this, how did it work out for me?  What consequences might this have down the road?  It's what your average teen rarely does.  Looks to the heroes of the past and the consequences of the future.  I ask myself all the time.  Who do I want to be when I'm 30?  What do I want to be able to say I've done with my life by 50?  I have to get the perfect outfit for this event?- No thanks.  How is what I'm doing today forming who I'm going to be, that's the big question.  OK, maybe I'm not perfect.  Right now I'm supposed to be writing a book report.  But I am thinking about it.  I'm OK with being the kind of woman who sits in her house in yoga pants and a sweatshirt, writing some meaningful message on my blog.  Not everyone will agree that blogging in my pajamas is more important than schoolwork, but that's the choice I make.  I don't need to be free, screaming, "It's my life and you can't tell me what to do with it!"  I need to be good.  And the years when I'm a young person, between 13 and 19, are when I learn to see for myself what is right and what is wrong.  I'm not "choosing my own path" in the world.  I'm growing, to the point of maturity where I no longer need my parents to tell me which choice is right and which is wrong.  I'm coming to some situations where there might be more than one right thing to do.  Blogging is not wrong.  Schoolwork is not wrong.  Which is better, though?  Which will form me into the woman I'm soon to be?  Over the course of years I'd rather have a college degree than a long list of blog posts.  But in this one instance, today, I choose my blog.  No one will remember the excessively thorough book report I wrote on Great Expectations.  But someone might remember this.  They might say it changed their life.  I gain experience by having more responsibility.  I make my choices considering the long view.  Who says being a teenager is such a great thing?  The number assigned to my age ends in "-teen".  This is when I grow up.  This is where I become a young woman.

I need to make this declaration.

Reg10nals 2014

 The last regional tournament of the year was a time of fun and encouragement for everyone.  I felt strangely idle, doing only two speeches, but in a sense it was nice to finally be done.
We had beautiful weather the entire time (except one sudden onslaught of rain that drenched us all instantly and lasted about five minutes- but that's another story).  It all made for some great pictures!

Gabbie being Gabbie

Emma, Naomi, Hayley

Sam and Naomi watching Humorous

Abby in HI

Some beautiful trees!

Braidon looking almost tough

Nate... and Spiderman

Grace :)

Blossoms

Little Elias fell asleep on Chase's lap :)

Random still life

CANDY

Blue sky through white flowers

Joel... being Joel...

I am SO grateful for the opportunity to compete this year, to grow and learn among awesome people and Christian friends.  See some of you in Virginia when I go to observe Nationals...  See the rest of you next season!

2014 Ultimate Frisbee- Game 1

Today after church it was so balmy that we had to go out and play Ultimate*.  It was a tad windy but not too bad.  The sun and my bare feet made it really feel like summer.  Oh my goodness, what fun.  Something about playing Frisbee just demolishes any self-hate that exists.  Even when I lose I can't help but feel perfectly content with myself and my conditions.  It's like that song that my sister will kill me for quoting "Because I'm happy, happy, happy, happy."  Deal with it.  ^_^

*N.B. Skinny jeans are not the ideal pants for playing Ultimate Frisbee.  And wear a T-shirt next time, not a long sleeved button-down blouse.

New Jersey Qualifier 2014

Region X's last qualifying tournament was a hit!  It was the biggest tournament we've ever had.  It was also a great opportunity to continue growing in our speaking skills.  We've got happy news... I broke to semifinals in Apologetics, and Sam broke in Humorous Interpretation and Impromptu.  Besides that, he and his partner also broke in Team Policy debate!  Three teams from our club broke to quarterfinals.  Two of them debated against each other, so only one could go on.  But that team, and Sam and his partner, made it on to the semifinal rounds!  I felt like it was our two-year-old club's most successful tournament.  Caleb, who hadn't yet broken in his Thematic Interpretation, won in that category.  And Simeon, who hadn't even meant to sign up for LD debate, rolled with it and qualified to Regionals.  So in a couple of weeks everyone will be headed back down to New Jersey to compete in the Regional Qualifier.  Here are some photo highlights of the week.

My awesome buddy Braidon

L to R- Justin Ketcham, Jessica Ketcham, and Joseph Corbett preparing to face off in quarterfinals.

Sam and his partner Alex Caron introducing themselves to the judges for semifinals

Emma <3

L to R- Silas La Borde, Lindsay Murch, Emma Florez

Lois Johansen

Braidon's hilarious sister McKenna!

L to R- Sam Florez, Joy Johansen, Paul Liu, Sydney Travis... goofing off

Rebecca Murch, another photographer girl

What happened to us?

I was just reading a children's novel written in 1920 about events happening to little girls in Charleston just before the start of the Civil War.  I was noticing how one little ten-year-old girl, on several occasions, went to the houses of men she didn't know, hung out with them, ate their food, told them all about stuff in her life, and then went home, safe and sound.  I thought about how different that world was from today.  The girl wasn't being foolish or naive, not really.  She knew the strange men wouldn't hurt her, because they wouldn't.  These days I can't look people in the eye or walk on the same side of the street.  I can't go anywhere alone or accept anything from anyone who isn't already a close family friend.

Then it struck me.  When did we stop trusting each other?

Granite State Qualifier 2014

I know, I know, (puts hands up defensively) this post is horribly late.  About three weeks late, actually.  But I have an excuse!  I took around 270 pictures at this tournament, and it takes ages to upload all those while also needing to banter with friends catch up on schoolwork.  So here they are, better late than never.

Before the "big kids" tournament started, we had an opportunity to judge for junior speakers.  (They were low on nametags, so Emma and our friend Naomi and I tore one and shared it.  ^_^)

The church hosting the event

The church/school had a lot of insightful and encouraging posters!  I loved them.

Club protect fail: These two teams from our club aren't supposed to have to debate against each other, but apparently it still happens sometimes.  Ketcham/Michaud and Caron/Florez (names are in order)

My little buddy Abby

 Grace Hopkins with her camera :)

The Collins area bunch of sneaks, so after moving away to another region they showed up at our tournament without telling anyone. :)  Bridget was thrilled by an indoor flying machine.

Abby again, the only person in the world I know of who LOVES the game 52 Pickup.

Yes... I broke for the first time!  I made it to Impromptu semifinals, and now am qualified to compete at Regionals in that event.

A big thank you to everyone who made this tournament awesome :)