SPRING!!!!!

Spring is here. No more snow. The trees are all pretty and everything is born again.:)

Ok so I couldn't think of a good idea for this free topic blog because I was distracted by thoughts of summer. So I decided to talk about Washington Island, a place I go every summer for a few weeks. It's an island in the middle of Lake Michigan...so consequently middle of nowhere. Population: 200 year-round, 1000 during the summer. There's many interesting things to do on the Island: fishing (where if you catch a fish, everyone on the incoming ferry comes to the railing and cheers), hiking (where you will meet with the friendly wildlife), horseback riding (where you will find me...as well as the owner...be ready for verbal abuse, a long wait, and a beautiful view), swimming on the beaches (Sand Dunes Beach is basically overgrown now, but Schoolhouse is always insanely busy. You will most likely freeze. Also, the rocks that make up the beach are famous. $50 fine or higher for taking a rock.), eating (It's all fish. If you don't like fish, then you're gonna starve in a hurry), baseball games (the Islanders vs. someone from the mainland...this is always interesting. You will hear the announcer blatantly insult the opposing team, until someone takes his mic away.), bar hopping (this isn't just for the adults!! Bring the kids too!! I've been playing pool and darts in the bars since I was 11. There are like FOUR bars and only one grocery store. That amuses me :), the many museums (which are NOT family friendly, as your children may die of boredom or you kill them because they're whining or both. Some are interesting, but kids have the attention span of a gnat.), and boating (there's many beautiful inlets and coves around the Island. At the 2 major marinas, Detroit and Jackson Harbors, there's motor boat and jet ski rental.) My favorite thing to do on the Island besides riding is taking pictures. Some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world are here because there's absolutely no pollution or city lights (that would require people). The sunsets there rival the ones I saw in Cancun. I also love to go to the many restaurants there. The people know you by name if you go up there enough and they'll most likely stop and talk to you for a while. The people up there just seem to be different. I've had many interesting things happen up there. For example, I had my first near death experience when my horse took off on me into the woods and I got scraped off by a tree. Also, I almost ran over a baby grey fox on my bike. He slipped away, but that's how close you are to nature. I also got dive-bombed by the bats that were in our cabin. The main event on the Island is the Island Fair in August. We're usually up there for this. It's small in comparison to Peoria festivals, but all 200 residents and many tourists turn out for it. There are many interesting floats. The most interesting was the Red Hat Society. This is for older women. Their float was a hot tub on wheels and there was white and blue balloons filling it like they were water. Then the ladies were wearing tube tops, but hiding by the balloons, so people would think they were topless!! It scared me because I thought they WERE topless. Some of the ladies were in their 80's and 90's, but that apparently didn't make them any less fun. They whistled at the men in the crowd and got everyone's attention. The main attraction for the men (besides the topless seniors) is the beautiful shiny truck. But instead of raffling it off, the men wait in line to take a swing at it with a baseball bat. The more damage you cause, the more manly you are. It's really fun to watch all these men go at a pickup with bats. But that just goes to show you what kind of people live on the Island. They're all characters up there, every single one of them is memorable or odd or crazy in some way. They're basically all different sorts of people inhabiting a tiny beautiful island in the middle of nowhere and perfectly happy. To most teenagers, it would seem boring. And I understand that. Who doesn't like Chicago or NYC or California?? And my parents were sure that once I turned 16, I would freak at the idea of going to a small island in Wisconsin. But I know I'll never get bored of the Island.

Service Project

I worked at the Y for my service hours the summer of my freshman year. I worked with the little toddlers at the summer camp program. The kids were monsters sometimes and liked to ambush me with squirt guns/water balloons/hoses. They also got into fights with each other that resulted in tears, bruises, and bloody noses. The girls most of the time were very good. They liked to put my hair in styles that I would be embarrassed to wear around my own house. The girls made up the most elaborate games that usually had a central theme: Miss Libby would be tackled and pinned to the ground. I'm not very big on harsh discipline, but I did keep the kids in line when need be. I didn't like the methods that my co-workers employed. After all this WAS summer camp and it's no fun to play the "quiet game" all day because your counselor is in need of advil. My methods ultimately resulted in the kids loving me best, my fellow counselors leaving the kids with me to take breaks because I was low-person on the totem pole, and getting a offer for an actual real paying job this coming summer.

My Spring Break Plans

Actually, I'm writing this in the middle of break, so this rather late, but my spring break is pretty uneventful so far. I've hung out with my friends a lot, but those sorts of things are never planned. It's all mostly spur-of-the-moment.:) I've been to my friend, Meredith Lohr's house for a party and yesterday, I went shopping with my other friend, Carrie Toner. That was fun. We basically ran to Steak and Shake, frightened all the wait staff and other costumers, and shopped for prom dresses. (neither of us are going, but she seems to think I'm going to be asked, so I need to start looking for a dress.:p she's insane.) Today, I might have her and this guy we know over to play soccer or we might just hang out. Tomorrow, I'm traveling up to Ohio to see my grandpa and spend Easter up there. That's pretty much my spring break. I wish I was going somewhere exotic and WAAARRRM...*sigh* but I'm here. I'm still trying to sleep in and stay up late like I can't do during the school week. So that's good.

My Invention

The invention I would want to create is a chocolate that makes you lose weight. There are lots of false claims out there saying that some people's chocolate is "slimming" when actually all it has is vitamins in it that help weight loss. Even worse, the chocolate sometimes has harmful substances inside designed to flush things out of the body. That's just bad for you and wouldn't be at all helpful in the long run. My chocolate would safely rev up your metabolism instantly, making you lose weight visibly and instantaneously. If that was a hit, then I'd introduce other instant weight loss foods such as pizza and ice cream. This would not only solve a lot of problems, such as obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many other horrible maladies associated with being too overweight, it would also be valuable to many aspects of the consumer market. Dieting women would line up in the streets for it and moms would use it as a healthy but delicious alternative to other desserts. I don't think it really should take the place of food, but it would certainly help people lose weight...and I would probably eat it all the time.

How My Lenten Season Is Going So Far

My Lenten season is going okay so far. I was SUPPOSED to be giving up sweets, but that kind of failed...so when I confessed that in Confession, Father suggested that I give up gossiping instead because gossiping is a problem at Peoria Notre Dame High School and I shouldn't contribute. This has been going better, but it's rather difficult to discern what is gossip and what isn't. However, I am trying very hard and putting in the effort. I am also trying to be more patient and controling my temper better so I don't lash out at unsuspecting people. This also is working out quite well and I feel much better. To add to all this, I also attempted to go to bed earlier and not stay up 'till 12 am texting...but that turned out to be more than I could handle so I just stuck with what I had before.:) Overall, Lent has been a challenge for me, but I'm determined to be better.

My Irish History

I was glad to see that the blog topic was something Irish because that's a topic that is pretty close to me. My dad was adopted from Ireland when he was two years old. My family's true last name is "Leonard". That doesn't sound very Irish, I know, but it's one of the oldest Irish family names. It means "lion-bold" which I thought was pretty neat. "Brost" is my dad's adopted last name. It's German, but I'm not German at all. I am 100% Irish and as you maybe can tell, I'm more proud of that than anything. St. Patrick's Day is my favorite holiday because I grew up as part of the Peoria Irish community and I just love the amazing people. They have such fascinating stories about their families. I've walked in the parade since I was a toddler and I always enjoyed it because all the older Irish generation would see me and call me things like "Wild Irish Rose" which made me feel special. It's a really close "family" there. I love Irish music and have many of the old traditonal songs on my ipod, but also newer music like "Flogging Molly". The food is amazing as well. My best friend, Caroline Toner, is also like 100% Irish. She's the stereotypical Irish with the red hair and the blue eyes, while I'm "dark Irish" like my dad. Carrie and I joke that we're racist against anyone who's not Irish...we're joking, of course, but we are both incredibly proud of our heritage. I met my dad's family two years ago in a little town of Tullamore in County Tipperary, I believe. It was amazing to learn about them and get to know them. My dad's real mom and dad have since died, but there was a sister still. It was all very interesting because apparently, my dad was born of a "scandal" between his dad and mom, which was the talk of the little town for years. It was like a soap opera. For this reason, the older generation of the town was resentful of us at first and standoffish. Finally, they came around when they realized that all me and my family wanted was to meet them and learn about our history, not to bring up bad memories or demand some sort of inheiritance. It was an amazing trip and I learned many things, like that one of my ancestors was the King of Connaught, a rugged and wild and to the west of Ireland. I was amazed by my family history. I am more proud of being Irish than I am of ANYTHING and I am excited for St. Patrick's Day to come.

My Role Model

There are many people I look up to, but my role model is Scarlett O' Hara. She's not a real person; she's a character in a book, but I respect her and hope I can be like her one day. Not many people like Scarlett. Many think of her as the bratty girl in the classic book, Gone With The Wind. But I think she's just misunderstood. She's actually headstrong and spirited and the reason she was so cruel is that she had a very difficult life. So many tragic things happened to her that of course she hardened. I also admire her because she reminds me a lot of myself. We're both headstrong, impetous, determined, and bad-tempered. I admire her because she never let life get her down. She fought for herself and those she loved. Also, she acted out against the ideas of the Civila War era and went to work to earn money. This was scandalous to people around her, but she ignored the criticism because she knew what had to be done. Some people said she didn't have a heart, but there were many moments when her compassion showed. She truely loved her parents, her daughter Bonnie, and even came around to liking Melanie. She was clever and practical and I hope to have her confidence and self-assurance someday. These are all reasons why Scarlett O' Hara is my role model.

Computers Class So Far

I am really enjoying computers class so far. I am already more efficient on a Mac and I know I'm learning skills that will help me in  college and my future jobs. Since technology is becoming mainstream in offices and workplaces, it is crucial that I learn how to work fast on a computer. I wasn't very proficient at firs, but I am learning. My favorite project was the imovie so far. I really liked experimenting with editing and such. I also like the blogs. They are fun to write, even though I don't always remember to do them. I believe that they help me with learning how to type faster. (I am a very slow typer.) I think that this class is going well and I am excited to do more projects.

Things I Want To Do Someday

There are some things I would like to do before I die...like the "bucket list".

They include:

1) to be able to touch my toes

2) to see the Northern lights  in Alaska

3)  to see the Bears win the Super Bowl

4) to see the Cubs win the World Series

5) to ride the Vertical Velocity roller coaster at Six Flags

6) to do something that means something to someone

7) to see Barack Obama in person...even from a distance

8) to watch the Olympics live'

9) to stop biting my nails

10) to not be afraid of planes

My Favorite Movies

I like many different movies and genres. My favorite genre would probably romantic comedies such as "She's the Man", "Sweet Home Alabama", and such...but I also enjoy action movies like the Terminator series, the Mission Impossibles, and Die Hard movies, as well as other similar films. My favorite genre would probably be period films such as "Pride and Prejudice", "Princess Bride", "Sense and Sensibility" (really anything Jane Austen, but only the 6 hour long Pride and Prejudice, the new one's not NEARLY as good) and old classics. I'm also a fan of old Bob Hope movies, the "Road" series with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby and such old favorites as Alfred Hitchcocks and "Arsenic and Old Lace". Suspense like "The Sixth Sense" is good as well. I don't care for gore. It's not very entertaining. These are just some of my favorite movies and genres.

Umm...I'm kind of confused

So I didn't really understand what to do for this post but I put this photo in...I hope that's what we were supposed to do. Also, I commented on Savannah Colvis' blog, Ms. Brown. :)

Vice Versa

This blog post is going to be obviously about Vice Versa Dance. This year will be...memorable...I'm sure.:) It was fun to shop with my friends for dresses and accessories, even if in the end, we didn't buy anything and just ran around the stores, took pictures, skipped across streets, and ate gummy bears. We all have our dresses. Some of my friends either made their own or had family members make one for them. Some ordered dresses off the internet. (Having to wear a flapper dress makes it hard to find the perfect dress.) But my mom found a red tassled dress for me at a small costume store in Ohio, so I'm all taken care of.:) We have a pretty large group of around 27 people, so it was difficult to find a restaurant that would have enough room for us...but in the end, we decided to get a back room at the Lariat Steakhouse and it should prove to be quite nice. I'm excited for the dance and I can't wait for Friday to come.

Meredith Is One of the Coolest People Ever

Meredith is simply amazing. She is one of my closest friends. There are a few reasons why she is awesome...first off, she makes me laugh. She's a very funny person and she'll always cheer you up when you are having a bad day. Secondly, she is so pretty!!!! We take amazing pictures on photobooth because we think we're cool. :) Also, Meredith has AMAZING fashion sense. She's always wearing the cutest and most random clothes that she finds in odd places. She's always very colorful, too. It brightens my day.:) She is a great friend and I'm glad to sit next to her in computers. All this is why my friend Meredith is amazing.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was always a traumatic time for me when I was a kid because I was weird and nobody liked me so I rarely got any valentines. It kind of scarred me for life. My friend and I made up a list in 6th grade of the pros and cons of Valentine's Day. The cons were: anxiety, nervous breakdowns, heart ache, and teasing...There was only one pro: chocolate...so we decided it was a good holiday. :P I remember decorating a shoebox when I was little with hearts and colors and making a little slot so people could cram valentines into it...if they wanted to. Valentine's Day was overall a depressing holiday when I was younger, but it got much better when I got into high school. Now it's one of my favorite holidays...but MOSTLY because I get candy. :)

Oscar Picks

I agree with the Oscar picks because I believe that every movie could win in its entered category. I have seen most of these movies and I think that they all deserve a award. "Wall-e" should win an Oscar because of its adorable animation and wonderful music score. "Slumdog Millionaire" was exceptional and it has a wonderful plot. Also "The Dark Knight" was such a hit, it's sure to win at least one or two awards. I agree with the Oscar picks this year because it has been a year of box offices sensations and every single film deserves an Oscar.

I have many thoughts on the election. I am a very liberal person and I was glad to see that Obama won the election. He is the BEST man for president. I definitely did not want to see Palin anywhere near the White House. I support Obama's environmental policies and his plan for healing the wounds with relations with other countries that were inflicted by the former administration. The US is in a state of disarray but Barack Obama can bring about change. There is definitely something about him. Other countries were incredibly excited when they heard he was to be president. They knew that a great change was going to occur. I have lots of other thoughts about the election like global warming, tax cuts for the middle class instead of the Fortune 500, and other such issues, but I'm not going to get into that.:)...so there's my thoughts on the election.

Spirituality in High School Assignment

High school is a period that is pretty hectic and sometimes I lose sight of why I attend PND : because it's a Catholic school. My parents wanted me to go to a Catholic high school so I could learn good values and morals. Unfortunately, I haven't been concentrating on that. However, I am going to try to do better by paying more attention in Mass and in church history. My mind wanders when my family prays before meals and I think about other things during Mass. But now I am going to try to fix this by actually writing down notes in class and not doodling all over my papers or talking to friends. Also, I am going to try to think about each word that I pray to understand it better. Hopefully I will be a better person by the end of the year.

First Impression of Computers Class :)

My first impression of computers class was that is was probably going to be interesting. I had heard a lot about it from other people and I was excited to start. The Macs looked really fun and my friends had told me that this class was interesting and useful. I am excited to learn how to use the Macs because they seem faster and more capable then our old computers. I am looking forward to making movies, posting more blogs, and other interesting projects.