The Saleswoman

Alright, well, I have a lot of blog material to write about, and so little time. Let's get to it, shall we?
As you should know by reading previous posts, today and yesterday was what I like to call 'hair season', so we've been home all day braiding hair. So yesterday I was in the kitchen making breakfast, and my mom was in the living room. All of a sudden Karleigh comes out of their room and is holding a baby doll. Then she eloquently informs us that this baby's name is Kela, and that she got it from Kiara's tummy. Then Kiara comes in and, again, tells us her name is Kela, and that they got it from Kiara's tummy and adopted her from California! So I think what happened there was that they mixed both ways of having kids into one scenario. I found that one extremely funny.
Then today was another fun day of braiding, so we're all sitting around in our pajamas, hair a mess, and no thoughts of how we look, when the door bell rings. My dad answers the door, and there was a door-to-door saleswoman standing there, shifting her weight from one foot to another asking to use our bathroom. Since my dad really didn't know what to say, he told her she could, as my mom and I are trying to scramble out of sight. Believe me, it would've been very funny if it were happening to someone else. So this woman goes into my bathroom and stays in there FOREVER! And we knew she was finished, because we'd heard her flush the toilet and wash her hands. Then my dad goes into his room and comes out with a gun!!! For anyone who knows my dad, you'd know that he doesn't get excited very easily. So him coming out holding this gun was a huge shock to me. So dad is standing in our living room with a gun behind his back, hollering to the lady in the bathroom and asking her if everything was alright. And, if any of you know me, I'm finding this mildly exciting. How often is it that my dad has a gun in his hand, especially when there's a possible target? So he sits there and hollers for her a couple of times, and she doesn't answer. So my dad, still with the gun behind his back, carefuly walks into the entry way, and finally the lady comes out. She cordially thanks us for our restroom, and abruptly leaves. Well, I'm kind of bewildered here, and my dad tells me to go check the bathroom and see if anything was missing. After checking for quite awhile, we're all convinced that nothing was taken or placed back in there. Then later, my mom starts telling my dad that she doesn't want that gun to be accesible, because of my sisters getting bigger and being able to reach us. My dad's reply is that it wasn't even loaded.
Talk about bursting my bubble. My dad's supposedly protecting us with an empty gun!
Well, anyway, I think that was the highlight of my day. I just thought it was funny that my dad's prepared to use an empty gun to protect us from a salesperson. How ironic!
Well, I better go. C ya later!

Back Home Again (in Indiana... ) [it's a song for those of u who don't know]

I'm finally home! We all enjoyed ourselves while we were camping, but the highlight of my weekend was seeing Jim Carey. Yeah, you heard me. I saw Jim Carey in Cracker Barrel today.
Okay, so it wasn't really Jim Carey, but I saw a guy who looked just like him. Before we left, I asked him if anyone had ever told him that he looked like Jim Carey, and he said no, but he doesn't really have Jim Carey's money. I'm not exaggerating, they could have been related! The guy we saw looked a little older, but hey, what has age got to do with it? I was going to ask him if I could get a picture and put it on here, but when I came back in to ask him, he was gone. So instead, I'll just use a pic I found on Google. I guess it really doesn't matter if I got a pic of him or not, because this pic will show you exactly what he looked like.

Okay mom, since you insist on me blogging, this one's for you! (jk)


Well, actually, nothing much has been happening with me. We're going camping tomorrow, and then we'll come back on Sunday, so this'll be my last post until then.


Where do I start? Well, yesterday we went out shopping... yeah! I got 2 new pairs of shoes... double yeah!! I had to pay for them myself, but I earned it back because I babysat last night. Then after we were done shopping, we left to my grandparents house. This is a picture of that 'strange' grandfather that I have.



I told you he was weird. He keeps insisting that he's going to create a blog himself and put a whole bunch of dirt about me on it, but since he doesn't have anything, i doubt that anyone would look at it. I guess some people were just born weird... that means you, grandpa!!
Anyway, yesterday we went 'park searching'. My mom and I started looking around for new parks to go to, because the one that we usually go to has a ton of kids running around, and it's out in the sun. We started thinking, and almost every neighborhood has a playground... my mom came up with the idea that she would just take my sisters on rounds around each different neighborhood until they throw us out... what's wrong with this picture?! My mom is such a great role model, isn't she? jk mom! ur great
well, i need to go. my mom just fell asleep and it's time to get my sisters up from their nap... how convenient for mom to drop out now!

HAIRSPRAY

Oh my gosh!!! Tonight we went to see the movie Hairspray, and it was soooooo good! I loved it... i don't think anybody wouldn't! it was extremely funny, but there was a good message to it as well. So, y'all have to see it! (Apparently, my dad didn't learn anything, because as we were coming out of the theatre, we saw this couple. The guy was extremely thin, and the woman [not to be offensive] was stockier. When my dad sees them, he goes "wow! he looks awefully thin to be with that woman!")

Anyway, we went to church this morning, and then we went out to eat... we went to Sahm's and it was really good. then we went to my grandparents' house for the afternoon. As usual, my grandpa acted strange. (jk grandpa!!!) I don't know what we're doing this week, but on thursday we're going camping at Heartland with my aunt and uncle. Then the weekend after, we're going to haitian camp... okay, let's do a subject change! all this is reminding me that i'm going to be starting school again in about 4 weeks!

well, i better go. i have some stuff to do before i go to bed, and i'm tired! l8r!!!

New siggy!!

How do you like my new signature???

Auntie Cecilia

Well, we've finally finished hair!!! (thank goodness!) My mom finished today at about 5:00, and then we all hurried and got ready to leave, because my mom's friend was coming back from haiti at 9, so we all went to see her come home. We stopped and ate dinner on the way (we went to chili's... don't ever hesitate to get their southwestern eggrolls- they're great!). When we finally did get their, we found out that her flight had been post-poned til 9:30, so my parents sat and talked to cheryl's husband and niece while I sat and did... um... nothing! Actually, it wasn't that bad. I love watching people (not that I sit and stare at them, of course!). If you really take the time to look, you see a whole bunch of interesting-looking people around you, all the time. Like tonight, I saw an old woman who spoke with an italian accent (I made a whole story up in my head about how she immigrated to America when she was in her 20's, and had to leave her family to be with the young man that she loved, who wanted a better life for his soon-to-be bride, but he died soon after they got here from a disease, and so she had to return back to her old life- working in factories and doing everything she could to get by- only in a different country. She eventually started to slip away, slowly but surely slipping into a grim reality of hard work, heartbreak, and pain, until her brother and his wife immigrated here as well, even though it was against their parents' wishes. Then, she finally found a reason to keep living. Her brother and sister-n-law had 3 rambunctious kids, and they loved being around their 'Auntie Cecilia', because she told them grand stories of adventure and love. Finally, she grew old enough to see her niece's and nephew's children, and was only at the airport to pick one up!... very intersting, non?) and I saw an older african man with no teeth (okay, so I didn't make a story up for this guy, but he looked very interesting to me... i love seeing old people! I know that sounds incredibly weird, but the way I look at it, all you hear about on the news and television is about how people are dying and all this other terrible stuff. So old people sort of give us hope that terrible futures don't await us... even though it may seem like it.) See? I had all of that fun while my parents were chatting away! Well, I better go... gotta check my facebook. l8r!

Facebook

hey, for any of you who's interested, you should all create a facebook at www.facebook.com. I'm on there, so don't forget to make me your friend!

Braiding!!!

This day is going sort of slow for me. My sisters' hair was getting really fuzzy, so today we chose to stay home and braid hair... how fun. Honestly, it's not that bad for me. My mom is the one who does all the work... i just sit and do whatever until she needs something or needs beads put on the bead threader. Now I'm just sitting here, blogging, and watching Bringing Home Baby with my mom.

Tomorrow we have to take my smallest cat, Sophie, to the vet. She has a big piece of matted fur on her back, and they have to cut it out. I probably would've been able to comb it out, but I didn't say anything, so now it has to be cut out. I feel sorry for Sophie, because she's never been out of the house before, and she's really skittish of anyone but me.

Well, I better go... c ya l8r!

My Birthday Weekend

Well, this weekend, my parents took me and my friend, Ashley, the Indiana Beach campground. On Friday, we picked her up, and then we drove over to the campground and got set up. After that, Ashely and I went walking around until we had to come back, because it was getting dark. Then we stayed outside all night playing games and talking... trust me, talking all night wasn't an issue for us! Then Ashley and I stayed in my grandparents' camper. We started watching a movie, but we only lasted for about 30 minutes! Then on Saturday when we got up, we all got ready and went over to the park. Ashley and I walked around by ourselves, while my family took my little sisters to all the kiddie rides... they loved that! Then at about 6, Ashely's parents came down to let Anna, Ashely's little sister, ride the rides as well. We all ate dinner together at a restaurant inside the park. They had a guy playing live music there, and he started talking to us, and found out that it was my birthday, so he sang/played happy birthday to me, with the whole restaurant singing along! I was a little embarrassed... okay, a lot embarrassed... but it was fun! I'd say my favorite ride was the Chaos, because we went upside down. Ashley's favorite was the Shooting Star. We both were able to ride every ride we wanted to. The park closed officially at 11 o'clock, but they didn't start shutting the rides down 'til about 11:45. My grandparents were bushed, so they and the rest of my family left, while Ashely and I stayed and rode every other ride that was opened still. We (literally) ran from one ride to another, in order to ride them all. I think we rode on the Galaxy 5 or 6 times! Then on Sunday, we had to leave. We still had a fun time on the trip home, though, because we played word games the whole time... well, the whole time we weren't asleep! We're both avid readers, so it was fun challenging eachother about our word choice. I know it sounds like a really nerdy game (which it was!) but it was fun! It was really cool having Ashley with me, because even though we've been friends since 3rd grade, we hadn't had a chance to be together outside of school activities for a long time, and we both have a lot in common. We're both christians, love to read!!!, would love to become actresses, and our parents seemed to hit it off really well! Plus, she's hilarious, and had me cracking up most of the weekend. Well, I think I should probably get off of here because my parents are back home, and my mom has a huge migraine. BTW, here's a pic. of Ashley and I on Sunday... I only have a hat on because I forgot my straightener... trust me, you wouldn't wanted to have seen me w/o my hat on!!! C ya!

Here's a pretty good story that I got from my mom's blog... read it, then let me know what you think!

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in an pink foil box. "Oh Mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?". Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box & then looked back in to the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face." A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you to do & in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthdays only a week away & you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma." As soon as Jenny got home she emptied her penny bank & counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores, went to the neighbor & asked if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill & at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up & grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet they might turn her neck green. Jenny had a very loving daddy. Every night when she was ready for bed he'd stop what he was doing & come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?" "Oh yes, Daddy. I love you.""Then give me your pearls." "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite." "That's okay, Honey, Daddy loves you. Good Night." He brushed her cheek with a kiss. About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?" "Daddy, you know I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She's beautiful & you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper." "That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." As always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss. A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed in Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling & one silent tear rolled down her cheek."What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. When she opened it there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy, this' for you." With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace & with the other hand he reached into his pocket & pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls & gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.
So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He's waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our life so that he can give us the beautiful treasures.
Author Unknown

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Well, that's that. I thought some of you might like to seem some pictures that we got when from caming, and then from our day in Chicago!

I'm Officially 16!

Well, it's true... I am officially 16! Yesterday was my birthday... we went to Chicago for the day. We had to go there anyway, because my mom had to do some stuff for a friend's adoption, but my parents just chose to make a day of it. We got to do some sight-seeing, and then we went to the Navy Pier. There we took a boat tour of the Chicago coast, did some fun shopping, and then ate dinner at the Be-Bop cafe. It was really fun, and my sisters seemed to have fun, too. Our morning started out a little rocky, because my mom thought she lost a bunch of money that was Barbara's, and she totally flipped. We had to go to the bank, who said it wasn't deposited, and then she went back home to search for it, and it wasn't there. We really couldn't do anything else, though. Last night when she finally called Barbara, though, she told Mom that she deposited it in a different account and had already spent it! I thought my mom was going to cry, she was so relieved... seriously, she looked like she could. Even so, she still had a fun day, too.

We also got to eat at my favorite mexican restaurant, Pepe's, in Lafayette for lunch. It was great... as usual! When we first got in there, though, I was suddenly bombarded with text messages and phone calls of people telling me happy birthday. Somehow, they all subconsiously chose to tell me at the same time! It was confusing, but I finally replied to everyone. It was still a lot of fun, though. It is also final that Ashley is going with us this weekend to Indiana Beach. I can't wait!

Well, I had better go check my sisters. I'm babysitting, and for some reason, Kiara can't seem to stay in bed. Plus, my mom's on her way home, and I need to pick the house up a little bit... you know how that goes! Well, l8r!!!

It's July Already!

OH MY GOSH!!! It's already July! I wake up this morning at 11 o'clock, prepared to go on and enjoy another beautiful summer day (most likely doing nothing!) and as I'm talking to my mom, she points out that I have 5 weeks left of my summer before school starts again! I really am looking forward to my sophomore year because I have a lot of fun classes on my schedule, but I am sooo not ready for summer to be ending!

I have been doing some really exciting things this summer, though. At the beginning of the summer, we went to Florida and got to see some pretty cool thins. When we went to Disney World, we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which was awesome for me... I love those movies! I got two shirts with POTC stuff on them, too. Then we went on Space Mountain, which was my second favorite ride. My little sister, Kiara, who is 5, went on it, too. She loved it, and kept her hands up the whole time!

Then, we went to Universal Studios and we all saw Shrek and Donkey... that was fun. It was neat getting to see their 'Main Street', too. They had the street set up like an older New York street, with lots of cute little shops. It was really neat getting to see the stuff in the shops. We also got to go to Cocoa Beach, and went to Ron Jon's surf shop... that was awesome! I got a shirt, a really cute purse, and some other funs tuff from there.

We've also went camping this summer for the first time last week. We went from Tuesday to Sunday with my Nana & Grandpa, and almost all of my aunts and uncles, plus several cousins. One of my cousins that came was Tiffany, which was awesome for me, because besides being related, we're really good friends.

Then last night we went over to Cicero and watched fireworks. That was cool for me because all of my family was there, including my brother... I don't really get to see him a lot, so that was fun. We all ate pizza and candy (I chose Gobstoppers... yumm!) and watched the fireworks and the people.

I think next weekend we're going camping at Indiana beach, and I think my friend is coming with us. Then 2 weeks later we're going to Haitian camp, which is a weekend camping trip at a church camp where anyone who is even remotely tied to Haiti comes and everyone just sits and talks and all the kids can go and play. It's a lot of fun for me, though, because I get to see a lot of my friends that I hardly ever get to be with because of distance and stuff like that, so I'm looking really forward to it.

So, even though I haven't blogged in a month, I AM doing some really exciting things.

Plus, in 5 days, I'm turning 16!!! I can't wait! I already received my birthday present from my parents, though, because it only had a 15-day warranty, and they wanted to make sure it actually worked. They got me a Zen Plus, which is an awesome mp3 player. It's extremely small, and can store 1,000 songs, pictures, videos, and pretty much anything you can think of... needless to say, I love it!!! Yesterday we went to Fry's Electronics, where my brother works, and I got a 3 covers for it. My actual player is black and lime green, and then I got a clear, black, and blue cover for it, with a clip for each one to hook onto my pocket, or something like that.

Well, I better go, because I've been on the computer for, like, ever! Hopefully I'll remember to keep this up! C ya :)