Desert Violet

16 Super Boring Facts About ME

2012-02-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

Since tomorrow is my Sweet 16, I decided to post 16 amazingly random (oh and Boring) facts about me :)
1. My favorite book that I can read over and over is Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
2. My favorite movie keeps changing over and over...
3. I LOVE purple
4. I'm a night owl AND a morning person...and I love to sleep
5. I've always got my iPod with me
6. I love to watch movies and know every little detail about them
7. I love snow but I hate the cold weather (I hope Heaven has WARM snow or something like it..)
8. I love to read but I mostly read Realistic Fiction
9. I will do anything to make someone happy :)
10. Music is amazing
11. Hi, I'm Alicia and I'm an ISFZ
12. Twelve is my Favorite Number
13. I like to be random
14. I probably should have called this Post '16 Super RANDOM Facts About ME'
15. If these are boring you, then you should probably stop reading them now
16. I Love being a Christian!

2012 Update

2012-02-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven't been on in a really long time! Mostly because of school (they're REALLY loading us down with the homework and tests) and because I just haven't felt like writing anything.
So, I'm back and hopefully I'll be updating my blog at least once a week or four times a month! :)
Since January 1st, I have been to Park W with some family and friends, back into school, making new friends, and doing lots and lots of praying! Every day, I'm always adding to my list of who I need to pray for. For example, I spend a lot of time on Twitter so I like to occasionally pray for the people that I chat with.
ANYWAY... Next Sunday (February 12th) will be my 16th birthday and I'm really excited about that! So far, I haven't figured out how I'm going to celebrate it but I know that it's going to be awesome no matter what I do!

I'll try to write more over the weekend but right now, I've got to get back to my homework :P

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning at like 7am to open presents and eat breakfast before heading to church. This year I received Skittles (which is awesome because we never get those out there!), make up, lotion, 2 empty journals, a stack of Melody Carlson books (yay!), jewelry, and the Super8 DVD. Supposedly, there's still some more things coming for me in the mail.
After presents, we went to church for about 2 hours and then came home and prepared the house and food for our Christmas dinner. We had 3 families come over and celebrate with us. Before the guests arrived, I wanted to watch Super8 with John just because I hadn't seen it since the plane ride back to Niger. So about 15 minutes before the movie was finished, the guests began to arrive so after the movie was done, I was told to restart it so that the guests could watch the first 10 minutes of the movie. We made it through almost the entire movie before it was time to start dinner. Then, after eating, the kids came into my room and we watched Rodrick Rules (which happened to be one of the DVDs that John got for Christmas) and it was time for everyone to leave.
This Christmas, I feel really blessed. I mean, I had less presents than I have ever had but that was okay because the whole day was wrapped around family time and things not having to do with presents. And for the first time at Christmas, I really celebrated Jesus' birthday and not just the whole holiday feeling of Christmas. I couldn't have been happier! Seriously, this has got to be one of the best Christmases I've ever had with my family. :)

Merry Christmas, Everyone, and Happy Birthday Jesus!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2011-12-24T01:01:00.000-08:00

Just one more day until Christmas Day which means one more day until Jesus' Birthday!
This year, my Christmas is wrapped around the Family. We have less presents and we're just having a few friends of the family come over. I actually prefer Christmases like this to having a HUGE get together and more presents than you need.
The other day, I was thinking about Christmas and we never refer to it as Jesus' Birthday and that's what it is! We're celebrating the birth of Christ!
In the book of Luke, the Nativity story is told, starting first about Jesus' cousin John the Baptist. You can read all about the story in Luke 1-2.
Pretty much what happens is Mary, Jesus' mother, is just a teenage girl when an angel comes to her and tells her she will be become pregnant and give birth to the One who will save and world from their sins! At that time, Mary is engaged to a man named Joseph but he will not be Jesus' biological. So Mary visits Elisabeth for a few months and then returns to Joseph. Meanwhile, Joseph knows that Mary is pregnant and secretly decides to divorce her but then an angel comes to him in a dream. So Joseph marries Jesus' mother and the two travel to Bethlehem for the census. And while they're there, the time comes for Mary to give birth to Jesus. However, there isn't any room for them in any of the inns so they end up staying in a barn.
A group of shepherds outside of Bethlehem are told about Jesus' birth by a group of angels so they go to find the baby. And Wise Men (magi) follow a star to Baby Jesus so that they can worship him.
The whole story of Jesus is really amazing with all the events that led up to his birth.
So after thinking about it, we shouldn't really be celebrating presents and snow or whatever; we should be celebrating Jesus! He grew up and told thousands of people that he would save them from their sins, then he died on the cross, and rose from the dead. If we didn't have Jesus, we wouldn't have Christmas, and we wouldn't have ANY hope at all. Without Jesus, what would happen to us after we die?

So, since today is Christmas Eve, I'll be spending a lot of my time helping my mom prepare all the food for tomorrow. Then we'll finish up any present wrapping and then go into our Christmas traditions. Every year on Christmas Eve, we open our stockings and sometimes we even get to open one present from under the tree. We also watch 'It's A Wonderful Life'.
So, Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy Birthday Jesus!! :)

Prayer

2011-12-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

I started to think about Prayer this morning so I decided to do a little blog post on it :)
According to most people, Prayer is simply talking to God. That could include thanking him, asking for something, or just telling him about your day, problems, and feelings.
One of my favorite books (Antsy Does Time~ Neal Shusterman)also talks about prayer. The character in the story, Antsy, defines prayer like this: " —that’s when I realized that prayer isn’t for God. After all, He doesn’t need it. He’s out there, or in there, or sitting up there in His firmament, whatever that is, all-knowing and all-powerful, right? He doesn’t need us repeating words week after week in His face. If He’s there, sure, I’ll bet He’s listening, but it doesn’t change Him, one way or the other. Instead, we’re the ones who are changed by it." And finally, the Bible talks about prayer but doesn't really give it a definition. Philippians 4:6-7 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"
Why is Prayer so important to me?
Well, first of all, I'm a Christian so prayer is the way in which I communicate with God. But there's a lot more to that for me. In the quote, Antsy says that prayer doesn't change God at all and I believe that's true. Yeah, we're talking to God and we're asking for all this stuff but none of it changes God. He doesn't get more powerful when we prayer and when we don't pray, he doesn't become weaker. We pray, so that we can talk to God and we pray because it changes us. I feel a lot better after I pray. Usually, if I'm praying for someone or something, I feel pretty peaceful afterwards.
Lately, ever since this summer, I've been praying a lot more than I used to. I pray for a lot of people, most that I haven't even met. For example, I pray for Justin Bieber. Yeah, most of my friends find that really strange but I still pray for him every night. First off, It makes me feel like I'm making a difference because I pray for his faith, his safety, and his family and team. I also think it's really important. Another example would be Joel Courtney. I pray for his faith, his health, his safety, and his family. Both of them are in places where they have a lot of impact and influence on people.
I pray for my birth sister and birth family that they will become Christians one day.
Whenever I'm feeling doubtful, scared, or when I'm happy, I'll pray to God and thank Him for everything that he's given me.
Since it's almost Christmas, I have a lot to be thankful for which means I get to thank God more! This Christmas, I have my family, my friends, presents, my Bible, my music, love, food, Internet, and so much more. I've really been blessed.
And even when I pray, I listen for God. So, since prayer changes us, hearing what God says changes us too. It's a lot more effective than a devotional actually because it comes straight from God.
For me, since I'm really introvert, I don't like to spend a lot of time talking (yet my parents seems to think otherwise..) especially in front of a lot of people. So when I'm praying, I know it's just me and God so I find that a lot easier. Maybe that's why I pray so much.
Oh, and my favorite prayer quote is "God Speaks in the Silence of the Heart. Listening is the Beginning of Prayer" (Mother Teresa). Before you start to pray, you should listen first to what God wants to say to you and then go from there.

Christmas Break

2011-12-20T04:23:00.000-08:00

5 Days before Christmas!
This week, I've got a lot of Christmas shopping to do this week and a lot of Christmas movies to watch! :)
Hopefully, I'll make good use of the 4 weeks I have off from school.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thank You

2011-12-18T01:55:00.000-08:00

"What If You Woke Up Today With Only The Things You Thanked God For Yesterday?"

If you just read the quote above, think about it. Imagine you wake up tomorrow morning and look around your room. There is nothing in it, maybe just your warm bed and the sunlight coming through your windows. Then you go down the hallway and your house is dark, silent, and probably empty. Then you realize that only what you had said "Thank God for..." the day before is still left in your house.
God has blessed us with so much, and so much of it, we take for granted. Have you ever stopped and thought about how lucky you were to have:
~ a different set of clothes to wear each day?
~ five senses that make it so much easier to enjoy life?
~ a TV?
~ junk food like Skittles, Hershey chocolate bars, and potato chips?
~ books to read?
~ friends that love you even when you don't feel it?
~ a Mom and a Dad?
~ a house?
~ an iPod or MP3player?
~ a clock?

You don't fully realize how important something is to you until it's gone.

Ever since I began to realize how much I take for granted, I have been thanking God for everything that He has given me. I have friends that love me ALL over the world, there are people who pray for me every day, I have a warm bed to sleep in, I have a life, I have parents, siblings, my own computer, my own iPod, food, and my own Bible...
When things seem to be going perfectly for me, I still pray and thank God. Because he can easily take away all that is making me feel so happy if he believes I am being too greedy or not being thankful. Besides, He is the one who gave me every. :)
During this Christmas season, when you're opening up your presents or sitting in a warm house, remember there are people all around you who don't have as much as you. So be thankful and don't just take it all for granted.

And, REALLY think about it... "What If You Woke Up Tomorrow With Only The Things You Thanked God For Yesterday??"

Super Kid, Super Future | Movies & TV | Christianity Today

2011-11-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

An interview with Super 8's Joel Courtney (who plays Joe Lamb in the movie) about the movie and his Christianity. :)

Super Kid, Super Future | Movies & TV | Christianity Today

Keith

2011-10-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I watched this movie called Keith. It came out in 2008, starring Jesse McCartney and Elisabeth Harnois.
The movie is about a teenage girl named Natalie who's popular, beautiful, and thinks she has it all. Then, she is assigned this boy named Keith as her lab partner in chemistry class. Keith is almost the complete opposite of her. He drives this yellow truck, doesn't care what other people think of him, and has nothing to lose.
As the movie progresses, Keith and Natalie become close friends, which shocks Natalie's best friend and boyfriend. Because Natalie is part of the popular crowd and Keith is considered a loser, they aren't supposed to be friends or even be seen together.
Near the end of the film, Natalie discovers that Keith has a very deep secret that he refuses to share with her. She becomes obsessed with figuring out what is wrong with him, which gets her suspended, pulls her away from her boyfriend, and causes conflicts with her parents.
At the end, Natalie discovers that Keith has cancer and that he is dying. At this point, she realizes that Keith loves her and she loves him back.

Keith made me realize that life is very very short. We really don't know if we'll make it to tomorrow or if we'll ever do the things we want to do. No matter how much we try, we cannot make time stop, go slower, or speed up. Our two choices are to make the most of what time we have, or to waste it all.
This leads us to salvation. As a Christian, I believe after I die, I will go to live in Heaven forever. There will be no time. And I also believe, any one who refuses to make this decision and dies, will go to hell. There will be no time and they will be stuck there forever.
A lot of people say there is no God or no heaven/hell. But then, what happens to us after we die? It's not as if we're a top and as soon as it stops spinning, that's it. No more. If that was it, life would depend on luck. You're lucky if you don't die as a baby and you make it till your old age. And in contrast, you're unlucky if you die young. That would automatically make life unfair. And if there is no God, how did we end up here and living? If it's evolution, who created everything and how did everything evolve? Who created the Earth and how come the world is how it is? Where did good and evil come from?
The simple answer to all of that is God. He's the one who created everything and he is the one who's in charge. You can either believe, question it and keep looking, or have nothing to do with it. Refusing to believe, is so dangerous because, like I said before, we don't know how much time we have. We can die in just a second and our life is over. Questioning God and choosing to keep searching is a wise decision but it is also dangerous. If we put something off as important as God, what happens when we die while we're searching? We go to hell. And if we believe God is the one who put us on earth, is the most powerful thing in the universe, and his son Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we go to heaven after death. No matter what, we'll live forever. But it will either be in Heaven... or in Hell.

I'm really not entirely sure why this has to do with Keith . But this is all that I was feeling while I watched the movie. Keith had all these dreams he wanted to do. He wanted to go to London, Ontario. He wanted more time with Natalie. But he didn't get to go to London, Ontario. And his time with Natalie was short. His life ended and all he really got to do was spend not more than a a month or two with Natalie. Keith ends with Natalie graduating from high school, without Keith. She drives his yellow truck to London, Ontario, and we assume that she lives on a lot longer.
There's stuff out there I want to do too. I want to graduate from high school. I want to go to college, get married, have children, and hopefully die in my old age. But I may not even make it to the school dance next month. Life's way to short. So, seriously, decide what you believe and find out what will happen to you after you die.

N.U.T.S Ending and October Break Beginning

2011-10-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

After 2 1/2 full days of watching softball, cheering for Sahel, and hanging out with friends, N.U.T.S has come to an end for 2011.
This year, the Angels, a Burkina Faso team, took home the trophy for the Competitive teams. For the Social teams, the Crocodiles won.
Sadly, no wins for Sahel this year. :(
I had lots of fun watching the different teams and there was lots of funny things that happened out in the field (none that im going to mention on my blog..).
For most of N.U.T.S I hung out with a couple of my girl friends and when they weren't playing, I hung out with some of my new guy friends.

Starting tomorrow, all the dorm kids will travel back home to spend a week with their families and I'll get to spend a week with mine (sorta)!
I plan on studying for my PSAT, watching LOTS of movies, Facebook, Twitter, listening to my ipod 24/7, sleeping, eating snacks, hanging out with friends, and catching up on Me Time.

Believe it or not, I'm really going to miss my class this week. It's been great getting to know everyone and hope this week goes by quick enough so that I can see them all again!

N.U.T.S

2011-10-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again!!
Every October, Niger has a softball tournament called NUTS. This year, Sahel has about 3 or 4 teams. I've never actually played during NUTS but I'm always there to watch and cheer on the teams.
To get all the students in the mood for NUTS, we have Spirit week where we dress up in different themes each day of the week. MONDAY: Superhero/Villain Day, TUESDAY: Movie/Video Game Character Day, WEDNESDAY: Ancient Culture Day, THURSDAY: Circus Day, FRIDAY (tomorrow): Sahel Spirit Day. I tried to dress up for Monday and Tuesday but no one really knew who I was. But today, I was dressed up...as a clown! And tomorrow, I'll wear yellow and black, Sahel's colors, to show my school spirit. Tomorrow is also the first day of NUTS.

The softball tournament ends on Monday and that's when the October break begins. We all get about a week off from school! What I plan on doing is watching A LOT of movies, listening to music, Facebook, sleeping, eating, and having fun! Unfortunately, all my friends will be with their families so I won't really have anyone to hang out with. But that's okay. It's only a week. :)

GO SAHEL!!! :D

Being an MK

2011-09-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't been a missionary kid. What if my parents had adopted me, had John, and then we moved back to the States before I even turned 3. I'd probably have this weird feeling that I don't really belong in the States. Plus, I'd miss out on all the friends and family I have. I would have never been able to meet my sister and my birthfather, I would have never met my best friend, and what about all the awesome spicy foods in Niger?!

The hardest thing about being a missionary kid is that you never stop saying goodbye and no matter where you are, you'll always miss somebody.

I'll admit, there have been lots of times that I've wanted to just go back to the States because while in Niger, everything looks so much easier and cooler there. But when we go back for forlough, I feel lost and scared. It seems like everyone had a lot of money and can afford pretty much anything (yeah, I know that's not true) and their world views are pretty stinkin' small. Then, I want to go back to Niger again where I have pets, friends, food, school, and I'm more comfortable.

Even though I really don't have a home, I have to remember that God wants my family in Niger. And the more I accept this, the more I'll be happy and blessed. God has already made it possible for my family to stay with me wherever I go. That's a big blessing because I wouldn't do well on my own. I have great friends NO MATTER where I am, and I have the Internet so that I can stay in touch with almost everyone.

So no matter what happens in my life or your life, if you keep you eyes on God and trust in him, everything gets much better. :)

Being an MK

2011-09-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't been a missionary kid. What if my parents had adopted me, had John, and then we moved back to the States before I even turned 3. I'd probably have this weird feeling that I don't really belong in the States. Plus, I'd miss out on all the friends and family I have. I would have never been able to meet my sister and my birthfather, I would have never met my best friend, and what about all the awesome spicy foods in Niger?!

The hardest thing about being a missionary kid is that you never stop saying goodbye and no matter where you are, you'll always miss somebody.

I'll admit, there have been lots of times that I've wanted to just go back to the States because while in Niger, everything looks so much easier and cooler there. But when we go back for forlough, I feel lost and scared. It seems like everyone is rich and can afford pretty much anything (yeah, I know that's not true) and their world views are pretty stinkin' small. Then, I want to go back to Niger again where I have pets, friends, food, school, and I'm more comfortable.

Even though I really don't have a home, I have to remember that God wants my family in Niger. And the more I accept this, the more I'll be happy and blessed. God has already made it possible for my family to stay with me wherever I go. That's a big blessing because I wouldn't do well on my own. I have great friends NO MATTER where I am, and I have the Internet so that I can stay in touch with almost everyone.

So no matter what happens in my life or your life, if you keep you eyes on God and trust in him, everything gets much better. :)

One Week Truly Being a Missionary Kid

2011-07-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

When I hear someone say 'missionary kid', I know they're referring to kids whose parents are missionaries and they live with their parents overseas. But this week, I found a new definition for being a Missionary Kid.
From last Friday to today (Saturday), the high school group from my church here in the States went on a missions trip to the Adirondack Mountains in New York. We went with an organization called Youth Works. There were about 40 kids, including John and me, who went (I think..)
It took us two days to get to the Adirondack Mountains so we spent Friday night in Buffalo, New York. When we finally arrived, we were greeted by the four Youth Group staff leaders.
After getting settled in, girls in the main church and the guys in a church a couple miles away, we learned the schedule to the week and got to work. All 40 kids and leaders were divided into groups. In each of our groups, we would work together, sometimes cook dinner, and help clean up around the church. In my group, there were about 3 girls (including me) and 7 guys.
The first ministry my group did was yard work for an elderly lady. In my opinion, the best part of the day was getting lost and trying to find the lady's house. We had no cellphone service (but we got to see our youth group leader walk around in circles holding up his phone looking for some) and we weren't very familiar with the area. The worst part of the day was dealing with all the snails in the garden! :P When we got to her house, we got to work pulling weeds from her garden and making sure it looked really nice. I also got to tell the lady a little about my parents being missionaries. Afterwards, we piled back into our van, took our showers, and went to the Million Dollar Beach. Monday night, was the Fourth of July so we watched fireworks above the lake.
The following day, my group went to another elderly lady's house to paint her garage. This job was a lot more messy but it was so much more fun. The lady even gave us a tour of her house!
Wednesday, my group got to work in the Youth Works Kids Club. This was probably the highlight of the week for me because I love little children. :) My group was in charge of the skit and the Reading Group. The parable for that week was the Parable of the Four Soils. I was the group leader for the 8-12 year old boys and girls. All the children were fun to work with but many of them fought and would not listen to me. However, I spent a little time getting to know a few of the little girls and that was great. I plan on praying for them every week.
Wednesday evening, we had supper and went to see some pretty amazing caves.
Thursday was our last full day in the Adirondacks. My group started the day by going to a Nursing Home and spending the day with some elderly people. They were all super nice and I had so much fun with them. Around 11:30, we left the Nursing Home and headed to the Kids Club. Because it was the last day of Kids Club for the week, we had an afternoon of water games. I'm pretty sure all the leaders and kids got wet! :) After cleaning up, we said goodbye to the children.
Friday and Saturday were spent all day traveling back to Chicago.

In my opinion, I did so much more missions work than I've done in Niger. The kids in our youth group spent all day helping out the community in so many different ways. We prayed, hung out together, made little kids laugh, and did so much more. The whole week wasn't spent on our iPods or watching TV. We were making a difference in the Adirondack community.
My new definition for being a missionary kid is not being a kid whose parents work overseas for God. Being a missionary kid is being a teen sent by God to do work for others in a different area than your own.
Our theme for the week was being Different. And I can honestly say that all 40 kids came home a lot more different from when they came.
If I had another opportunity to go on a missions trip, I would definitely do it! And if I could have one wish for my youth group here, I would wish for them to take a missions trip to Niger and help out there for a bit. :)

My Testimony

2011-05-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight, our devotional reading was on how Christians should always give their testimonies. The more you give your testimony and share your faith with your family, friends, and even strangers, you will become a stronger believer.
So I decided I needed to give my testimony... FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!
I've always known about Jesus and God because I grew up in a Christian family and environment. My parents have been missionaries since before I was born. When I was about 2, I asked Jesus to come into my life..but I don't think I totally meant it.
As I grew older, I kept believing Jesus was there for me and was my 'Heavenly Father' but I still didn't fully understand why.
From the ages of about nine to eleven, I always kept having to ask Jesus into my heart frequently because I wasn't completely sure I was saved. Even now, at 15, I have doubts (but that's only when I compare myself to other Christians).
When I was around 11, my younger brother and I were baptized. This means we were making a public declaration of our faith. Even then, I doubted.
Going back to the States for a year and being in public school, I slowly began to realize Jesus was ALWAYS there for me and loved me more than I could imagine.
I think when I was 13 or 14, I finally understood what it meant to be a Christian and that it wasn't something you grow into. Personally, I think it's much easier to live for and love Jesus when you become a Christian on your own without 'growing up' into your faith.
Now, being 15, I'm glad I have a personal relationship with God and not with any other god or religion. I'm still learning about Him and learning to read my Bible on a daily basis though. Another thing I'm working on is actually 'hearing God's voice' and knowing what He's saying to me.
As I grow older and mature, I hope God will show himself more in my life so I can become a stronger Christian. :)

Okay, that was my short attempt at a testimony. Hope it was understandable ;)

Easter

2011-04-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

Every year at my school, we have this special week we call Spiritual Emphasis Week. Its when we work on our relationship with God. Sometimes we have guest speakers who share their testimonies and sometimes we watch special videos. This year, we watched videos.
Our youth pastor found this video series on Jesus last days on Earth.
The two most annoying things about the videos were the American accents of all the actors and all the graphic scenes of Jesus' crucifixion. A lot of my classmates say, and i agree, that the graphic scenes are necessary to show how much Jesus went through for us. So whenever it got too bloody or 'freakish' for me, I'd just look away.
Jesus came to Earth to die for our sins. He forgave ALL the sins from before he was on Earth, while he was on Earth, and even today. That's why he had to endure so much pain and suffering. That's how bad the evil things we do are.
Jesus was crucified because the people of his time thought he was blaspheming against God when he called himself the 'Son of God' and other big titles. But of course, all of this was correct. He really is related to God and he really will come back and give us eternal life-- if you believe in him.
3 days after Jesus died, which is Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead. One of the reasons why he didn't just go straight from death to heaven was because he was showing us that he really was God as he was able to overcome the worst possible thing in our lives: death. If he had been able to heal the sick and raise others from the dead, but not himself, then he would have been a fraud.
I think year's Easter will be much better than any other. I finally understand exactly why we celebrate Easter and why Jesus had to die.
Happy Easter!! :D

4th Quarter

2011-04-04T02:21:00.000-07:00

Well, my lovely break has almost ended. Today is the very last day before I head back to school tomorrow.
Honestly, this break has been very good for me. I've gotten time to really rest, read my Bible, listen to A LOT of music, and be myself. I haven't had to think too hard about certain things and I've just had a relaxing break. :) (I've also had lots of chances to help and pray for people--some i don't even know)
In this 4th Quarter, we'll be doing about a month of swimming, IGCSEs, exams, packing, and lots of work. I think I'm looking forward to everthing except for the exams and IGCSEs. :P
Hopefully, I'll update you tomorrow (or the day after) about how my first day of 4th Quarter went.

Verse I've been reading: John 3:16-17, 21

Spring Break

2011-03-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a while since I last wrote. This time, though, I'm not going to update you on what has happened from the last time I wrote because that will take way too long. :P
Since Monday, we've been on our Spring Break. Here, it lasts about 2 weeks because it gives kids in the dorm a chance to spend time with their families.
I plan on using my break VERY wisely. For last couple days, I have been sleeping in, doing at least 30 minutes of Wii Fit everyday, watching movies, hanging with friends, and eating lots of yummy food!!

Over these 2 weeks, I'm also trying to become closer to God. I read my Bible and pray every day and think about different ways I can change myself for the better.

I'll try to write more soon!! :)

The Far East Banquet

2011-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

Just a small update with what's going on. Sometime this weekend or early next week I'll do another one.
At school, we've been drowning in homework all week! I had a French Test today, a lot of reports to turn in, and tomorrow, I have an Art Test. But you know, all this work is worth it because when it's all done, we have the weekend which means... the Banquet!!
Every year, mostly every 2nd semester, Student Council will have a Banquet. This year, they chose to have the banquet on February 12th! Now, that doesn't sound like a very exciting date but it is to me. I was born on February 12th! So I have two things to look forward to on Saturday (plus, Friday is when Justin Bieber's 3D movie Never Say Never hits theaters in the States!). Even before the date of the banquet was announced, everyone was talking about it. Now that we know the date and the theme, everyone's still talking about it. And of course, next week afterwards, it will still be a very popular topic.
The theme of this banquet is 'Far East' which is all Asian. So they will be showing Disney's 'Mulan' for whoever doesnt want to dance, we'll have Asian cuisine, and fireworks!
Also, this year I have a date for the banquet. But that isn't very surprising (partly because I had on last year...) because more than half of high school students have dates too.
I'm sure this year's banquet, and my 15th birthday, will be the Best Ever!!! :D

Home Sweet Africa

2011-01-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been back in Niger for almost two weeks!
We got back around 6 am from a very tiring trip. My mom's suitcase handle wasn't working well, and we had to switch tubes on the way to the airport. I'm so glad we got home safely!
The day we got back was the day our spiritual life conference started. that made me pretty anxious because I'd get to see my friends and a few friends I hadn't seen in months. So when we got home, we all slept (I was stuck in my mom's room for a while because my room was taken by a guest) and then I snacked on my favorite food that I'd been missing (onions fried wth a salty seasoning).
The conference was awesome and it was probably the best one I'd ever been too. One reason for that was because I had friends there who normally invited to the conference. The second reason was because the group that came out had been out before a couple years before. Included in that group was a Christian band called The Reel (they're on Facebook AND Twitter so you should look them up). Each family that came to the conference was given a bag full of goodies from the states including The Reel's CD. The Reel did a small concert (they're having another one in about a week) and also hung out with the youth group a bit. It was great!!
Anyway, 2nd semester starts tomorrow and everyone's pretty excited. 9th and 10th grade is getting more students (YAY) and I think there also may be some new teachers.
2011 is going to be an amazing year!!!:)

Goodbye England

2011-01-03T09:38:00.001-08:00

Well, today was my last full day here in England. Tomorrow around 11am, we get on a train to the airport.
I've really really enjoyed England. Besides the freezing temperatures, I've had a lot of fun with my family. We've gone to see castles, exotic birds, saw Voyage of the Dawn Treader in theatres, ate at Pizza Hut and Subway, and spent a lot time as a family and with the lady whose house we are staying in. And a couple weeks ago, I found out about a very cool boy band called One Direction (and I'm now a dedicated fan).
Even though I will miss England a lot, I can't wait to get home to Niger. I realy hate traveling but it will be worth it. When I get home, the first thing I'll probably do is see if my pets (dog, birds, and tortoises) are still alive. Then I'll make myself my favorite snack (onions and peppers cooked with a salty seasoning) and probably sleep for a while.
Hopefully, in the future, we'll come back to England for a visit.
Pray that we have safe travels tomorrow! :) :)
God Bless you ♥♥♥♥

Leaving England

2010-12-30T05:47:00.000-08:00

We head back to Niger on January 4th. My dad is staying in England for about 2 weeks to finish up his studies. So we came to England without my dad and we're leaving England without my dad.
This is my last full week here. I'm actually going to miss the snow, food, and maybe ever the cold weather... actually I'm not going to miss the cold weather.
I need to get home!!

One Direction: Nobody Knows

2010-12-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

England: Wk 2

2010-12-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well, my family had a great Christmas last Saturday! Christmas Eve, I wasn't too excited (the last couple of years have been the same) but I wasn't able to sleep that night. When I woke up the next morning, I got dressed and the family had a Christmas breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice, and baked beans. We also watched a modern day Christmas Carol.
John and I took turns being 'Santa' and handed out gifts to everyone in our family. For Christmas I got loads of chocolate, make up, a banquet dress, shirts, leg warmers, rainbow toe socks, knee socks, a protective cover for my ipod, a Justin Bieber poster, and some other cool stuff. I think I got more gifts than anyone in my family but that's because it's always easier to shop for girls! :)

Afterwards, we headed over to the church for a service. Unfortunately, we have to walk to church every Sunday and it wasn't any different on Christmas. :P
When we finally got home, I listened to music (using my dad's new speakers) for a while before we went over to a friend's house for Christmas dinner. We recieved gifts at her house and guess what we got? More chocolate!!
John and I walked home early from the dinner and I spent the rest of the afternoon on Facebook and Twitter.

I think this year's Christmas here in England was not the best Christmas I've had but it was a great and wonderful Christmas! I will remember it forever!! ;)

England: Week 1

2010-12-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

We didn't have any real trouble getting here to England. But when we landed and finally got to Leister, John and I were FREEZING!! I hadn't really dressed warmly because it wasn't that cold in Niger and Casablanca. My mistake. I was almost in tears because I was so cold!
Week one has been really enjoyable. We're staying in the house of one of my mom's friends here. It's a small house called a maisonette. John and I share a room and it's pretty messy but that's ok. We went to Pizza Hut the first night we were here and it was great to have food like that. It's been about two years since I last had Pizza Hut. We've also eaten at Subway (now THAT was good!). A couple days ago, we went to the movie theater and saw Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader . It was really really good and I think my whole family enjoyed it. I especially liked the ending.
Don't have many pictures of what we've done here but when I have pictures, I'll post them up for all of you to see. :)

Later!

ENGLAND

2010-12-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

Friday night (really late) we fly to England! This week has been really really hectic and stressful, mostly on me. I know my mom is probably been feeling stressed but she's not the one taking exams at school, packing, saying goodbye to friends, and trying to make it through the drama in high school! :P
Honestly, I haven't finished packing yet and we leave in less than a week. Even though I'm not biologically related, I think I take after my dad when it comes to packing. He waits till the last minute for packing and usually is able to get it all done...usually. My dad's already in England working. He left sometime last week.
A couple friends of ours just came back from England and said its below 0 degrees!! Well, I'm not EXCITED about England now that I know I'm gonna freeze to death.

Last week, we put up our Christmas tree. If you want to see pics of all the fun, check out my Twitter (@desert_violet).

Happy Holidays! Christmas is just around the corner!!

Justin Bieber - Pray

2010-12-05T03:07:00.000-08:00

Saying Goodbye

2010-11-27T01:42:00.001-08:00

As an MK, or even a TCK, we're always having to say goodbye. About 4 years ago, my best friend had to go back to her home in Norway and leave me in hot, dusty Niger. That really hurt me (not because she left me behind) because I thought I was losing my best friend. Of course we still stay in touch with email and Facebook but it's not the same. I can't wrap my arms around her when I'm upset or laugh with her when something funny happens. She even came back to Niger but I was in the U.S. on forlough.
Just yesterday, two friends of mine headed back to Australia. I hadn't known them for more than maybe a year and half but it was pretty depressing saying goodbye. They were like a brother and sister to me.
The good thing about being an MK and having to say goodbye (EVERY year) is that we'll all see each other in heaven and we'll NEVER have to say goodbye after that. I'm looking forward to that day. I have friends from Europe, Africa, N. America, Asia, and Australia and some of them I haven't seen since 2nd grade. It will be good to meet with them in heaven.
Of course, every MK knows all the bad things about living in a different country like your friends are always leaving (or you're always leaving).
Without email or Facebook or mail it would be almost impossible to keep in touch with your friends and family.
But just knowing that when you say 'goodbye' to all your friends who believe in God, it won't be the end. 'Goodbye''s more like 'See you soon!'
Whenever I'm missing someone that I love like a friend or family member, I just pray. I know that God will be with me until I meet my friends again. So to all my friends that I haven't seen in years: See you soon!!
dedicated to Nat and Mikaela O.

Field Day-- IT'S OVER!!

2010-11-24T09:05:00.001-08:00

Field day wasn't really that bad this year.
Well, the day started out pretty bad... for my family. After we finally got out of the house, we figured out that our car battery had died so we really couldn't go anywhere. My dad called a friend of ours to come get us but he was already at the stadium so we had to wait a bit. I could tell John was upset and I guess my mom could tell too so we walked down the big sandy road near our house until we found a taxi. We safely got to the stadium... 40 minutes late. We'd missed the cheers and one of the John's events. Oh well, at least we had made it.
I had signed up for 100 meter race, 200 meter race, and the Long Jump. We're required to sign up for 3 events and that's usually all I'll do. I'm awful at High Jump (probably because I have an embarrassing memory from elementary...), can't run long distance, and didn't practice discus or shot put this year.
Anyway, I won my two races!!! We have this new girl in our class and she's probably faster than me... so I'm not quite sure why I beat her.
My team had also signed me up for the relay and unfortunately for the Green Greek Fire, I didn't win (that's probably because I was running against the 3 fastest kids in my class- boys included!)
Between and after my events, I hung out with my guyfriends and girlfriends. We cheered for our teams, laughed together, and talked. One of my friends says that her favorite thing about Field Day is all the socializing between events. If I was forced to say what my favorite thing about Field Day is, I'd probably say that too :) .
After spending the morning at the stadium, we headed over to Sahel for lunch and the final events. Lunch was relaxing and fun (partly because I got to talk to a few people in my class that I don't know very well). After lunch, we got into our teams and played water games and tug of war. That was cool!
Golden Eagles came in first place, 2nd place: Ketchup, 3rd place: Blue Angels, and 4th/Last place: Green Greek Fire (my team).
Thanksgiving is tomorrow! You know what I'm thankful for? FIELD DAY'S OVER!!!

Field Day-- Yuck

2010-11-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I was hoping this day would never come but it's just around the corner. This Friday, the whole school will be participating in Field Day. What happens is we are all divided into four groups and we pick a name and a color. This year, my team's name is the Green Greek Fire. Pretty unique but I think my team may have a chance at winning... maybe. But even if we don't win, I don't care.
Anyway, on Friday, we go to the stadium to do our events. There's running, high jump, shot-put, discus, and long jump. All the teams are competing against each other but we do our events according to age and gender. This year, they put the 9th graders with 7th and 8th grade. Part of me is okay with that (because I dont exactly want to be competing against Seniors) but the other half is tired of doing things with the 7th and 8th graders. They tend to put us with them because there's not that many 9th graders and there are a lot of 7th and 8th graders. Oh well, it will be different next year.
Back to the most dreaded day of the year. We spend about 7 hours out in the sun trying to get our team to win, i don't know, a few pieces of candy.
Well, I'm not going to complain anymore because I'm sure this year's Field Day will be lots of fun... hopefully. If not, it's only a day!
GO GREEN GREEK FIRE!!!!

My Future

2010-11-06T03:17:00.000-07:00

I've always loved children. But I never really started LOVING children until about 2 years ago when we came back from the states. I wanted to babysit because I had babysat twice in the states and loved it.
Well, because I can be a bit shy sometimes, I didn't really send out my Babysitting cards quickly. I gave some to my mom and she handed them out to some of her friends. Since we've come back from the states, I've babysat once here for a close family with 3 small kids. But I'm not disappointed that I haven't been making money for watching children. I work at with the nursery at church once in a while and that's always a joy because the babies (0-2 years old) are so adorable and sweet.
Besides loving babies, I love to help people. So if I put the two together, I guess I love to help babies. When I'm older, I want to work with deaf children. I love Sign Language and learning about the deaf. I think it's so interesting!! I hadn't chosen what one day until we were watching 'Sue Thomas: FBEye'. It used to be a show on TV about a deaf woman who joins the FBI. They use a lot of ASL (American Sign Language) in the show and sometimes I can pick out words or phrases that I know. We were watching one of the shows with a little boy who was signing and that's when I knew I wanted to work with deaf children! :)
The hard thing about living in Africa when you want to work with deaf children (who use ASL) is that there is no one here who knows ASL. But I do know a deaf man and I've seen some deaf children around. I'm just not sure how to communicate with them because American Sign Language and French Sign Language (or whatever sign they use here) is different.
When we go back to the states for 3 months next year, I hope I can take a class on Sign Language. :)
I especially love children who have disabilities (differently abled children). I don't know why I'm so attracted to them but I'd love to work with them. I did a project in 7th grade about Down Syndrome and I became interested in that. Plus I've read books about kids with autism (we also have a neighbor who's so incredibly cute with autism).
Hopefully, I'll stay interested in this so that I can help children who are 'differently-abled' one day

Christmas in England

2010-10-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know Christmas is still like 2 months away but we already have it pretty much planned out!! My family's going to England for a couple weeks over Christmas break!! I can't wait because I've never been to England and I don't think we've ever left Niger for Christmas :)
My mom's been shopping for all of us lately because we don't have any warm clothes to wear in England. I have my Converse (keep my feet warm!), my Gurrie sweater (keep me warm!), socks, long sleeved shirts, and jeans. That's about it. I have no coats or hats or gloves or boots. You can really buy coats, boots, or gloves in Niger because no one needs them. In winter the temperature only goes down to about... maybe 60 or 70 degrees I think. That's not much but for me, I find it a bit chilly (yup, that proves I'm a real African :D ).
A couple of our friends have been to England recently and they 've told us a bit about the restaurants, places to visit, and other interesting things.
I really cannot wait to get out of Niger for Christmas!
I promise to take tons of pics while we're there and post them up on my blog! :D

NUTS

2010-10-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well, NUTS is over for this year. Unfortunately, none of the Sahel teams won (a few didn't even make it that far) but our Competitive Suns team won the tournament!! CONGRATS
Now, we're off from school until Monday..
soo boredd no one's really around

NUTS

2010-10-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Here in Niger, we have a softball tournament every October. It only lasts 3 days but it's 3 very chaotic and busy days. This year both my dad and brother are playing only on diff. teams. John's not even playing for a Sahel team.
Anyway, as usually Sahel had it's pep rally. I thought all the of the cheers were great (the most amusing was the 1st and 2nd graders and maybe the 5th and 6th graders) :). The loudest was the one by Ray, Wes, Zeb, Rotimi, and Josh. They used electric guitars and a drum. Pretty cool!
The first game that we went to was the Scorching. Some of the guys on the team are in my class (this includes 9th and 10th grade). Unfortunately, they lost but they were very entertaining. :)
I didn't see the second game (my dad's team the Competitive Suns played) but they lost too.
Half of me can't wait for tomorrow because I think Sahel softball teams are going to be very good this year but the other half of me doesn't want to wake up so early just to watch people toss a ball around. :P
Oh well. I'm just glad it only lasts 3 days (and then we have a week off from school)
GO SAHEL!!!

Braids are Beautiful

2010-09-19T05:31:00.000-07:00

Two days ago (Friday) I was able to have my hair braided again. I find it so much easier than just leaving it natural. I don't have to worry about combing my hair every morning.
We went to a different place to have it done and I think I like our old place better. It doesn't hurt as much. For most of the time I had about 3 or 4 women working on my head. It was uncomfortable, boring, and painful!!! It felt like they were tearing my head apart or something! But after about 4 hours, they were done. I wanted to go the movie night at Sahel (they were showing 'Monsters Inc.' and 'Invictus'.) but we got there about 8 because it took so long to have my hair done. I had wanted my hair to be curled as well (they braided it REALLY long!!) but it was too late for that so the following morning we went back.
I'm so glad it's over and that my braids will stay for a few months!

Here are some pics of my new hairdo:

G L A S S E S

2010-09-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

4 day vacation is going well. this afternoon, i worked on my English homework and studied a bit for my tests on Tues.
The big news is that this morning, Mom and Dad took John and I to the optometrist. I had been complaining about my eyes for a couples months now. I knew that I was nearsighted. Anyway, we got to the eye doctor and found out that I need glasses for seeing the blackboard at school and watching TV. Not a biggie because I'm just glad I don't have to wear them 24/7.
Then we spent 20-25 minutes finding the frame for me. I saw a really cool purple pair but i wasn't that interested in them.

So at the moment, I don't have my glasses. I get them on Monday which means I start wearing them to school on Tues. I really hope I won't be laughed at because I find it hard to see myself wearing glasses. I mean, everyone else in my family wears glasses except me and all that changes on Tues.

This is def. going to be a new experience! Maybe I'll write a song about me wearing glasses. :)

4 Day Weekend Here We Come!

2010-09-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow at 12:00am, we have our 4 day weekend! You see, Sahel always lets us have a day off for Ramadan and this year, they gave us two days (not exactly sure why though...). I'm sure everyone's excited and happy about the relaxation period but the bad news is that the teachers gave a lot of homework! :P
My plans for tomorrow? I'll probably sleep in, have pancakes for breakfast, work a little for my Community Service, and just enjoy the day.

It's been a while since I last wrote. Between now and then, we're in our 3rd week of school! In my class, we have about 2 new students. Unfortunately, there are only 2 girls in the 9th grade. But that's okay because I'm basically friends with the guys in my class. :)

Don't really have much to say today... Oh! I'm registered on Twitter now. I figured it's one way to stay updated with some of my fav. stars. I know it's not really that important but...yeah whatever. My twitter is @desert_violet . Didn't think I should use my first name.
God Bless you! ♥

Went to Ouaga, Back from Ouaga

2010-07-29T01:42:00.000-07:00

After spending about 10 days in Burkina Faso, we are back in Niger. Ouaga was fun and relaxing. It rained a lot while we were there. The house that we stayed in was pretty good (but I missed my bed SO much!) and it was a short walk to SIL. John, AJ, Rachelle, and I played Monopoly a lot there and I wanted to continue playing it here but John's Monopoly game is lost (he takes out pieces and accidentally loses them :P).
Anyway, like I said in my last post, we went out to eat at the Paradisio. I think I ordered a hamburger and fries. While in Ouaga, we shopped, went swimming at ISO, ate lunch and dinner at ISO, went shopping (I found an awesome purple back partly made out of plastic bags. oh, and i also found earrings), and did some other cool things.
After Ouaga, we spent two days in Fada with the Ottosons. That was fun even though it was just a short stay. While we were there, we ate at their house and we kids played Risk (don't like that game). Nat played Axis and Allies with John and AJ (hate that game. It's SO boring.)
Unfortunately, we weren't able to go bowling or visit the Sacred Crocodiles. But we got to go Miniature Golfing and that was fun. AJ and I tied for second!
We only have about 3 weeks left of summer so I'm glad we went to Ouaga when we could (even though it was a shorter stay).

Ouaga Here We Come (this time for real)!

2010-07-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay so nix the Staycation thing. That only lasted about 3 days. But it was a fun three days. Day 1: stayed home and did nothing. Day 2: spent a whole day at a campsite with 3 other families (we had TONS of fun). we also had a very big rain storm! Day 3: spent 3 hours having my hair done and also finished re-packing for Ouaga.
im gonna miss the staycation but it was fun and memorable. :D
But I'm really looking forward to Ouaga. The evening that we get there, we're probably going out to eat at the Paradisio.
Pray for safe travels!

No Ouaga... Instead: Staycation

2010-07-10T03:42:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday morning we finished packing up the cars, said goodbye to everyone, and headed to Burkina. We got to the Burkina Faso boarder when we were forced to turn around. Apparently, the price of the visa went up (its like 94,000 or something). So we went back to Niamey and began to plan our staycation (staycation: instead of vacation... I have no idea who came up with that). Anyway, we're all pretty upset and disappointed about not going to Ouaga. But we might end up camping with a couple other families tonight and spending all of tomorrow at the campsite. That should be tons of fun! ♥

OUAGA!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrows the big day! The Watts and the Benitezs leave for Ouagadougou Burkina Faso!! Please pray that we have a safe trip! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

OUAGA!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-07T07:11:00.001-07:00

Less than 2 days until Ouaga!
I'll try to write a bit while I'm in Ouaga but I'm not sure how good the internet will be where we're staying. ♥

Babysitting♥

2010-06-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

I happen to get my ideas from the weirdest sources. When I was younger, I watched a movie about princesses and I immediately began to act like one. When I cleaned my room, I'd pretend I was a slave working. These days, when I read books, I pretty much do the same thing. Just a couple days ago, I finished reading a Baby Sitters Club book. I've read them before but I really really liked this one (#11: Kristy and the Snobs). It made me want to babysit again. While I was in the states about 2 years ago, I babysat twice for the same family. It was great! I loved hanging out with the kids and watching movies and playing. When I came back to Niger, I wanted to babysit a bit but no one asked me. It was probably because I wasn't very serious about it. I sent out a few flyers but I didn't really care if they asked me or not.
But after reading this book, I've decided I want to babysit again. I can really use the money because my weekly allowance isn't enough for phone credit and food. Last night and this morning, I researched babysitting and took about 10 pages of notes (not big long notes but shorts ones).
And maybe I can start a small business with a couple friends! :)
♥♥♥♥♥♥

Another Boring Summer Day...

2010-06-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am again telling you what's going on in the life of an African mk person. :)
Lately, I haven't really gotten out of the house. The only times I leave is for my mom's Career Classes and for the rec. center on Saturdays. Maybe I'm just making my summer boring.
Ever since last week, I've really decided that I'm going to start reading my Bible EVERYDAY. I mean, I've always known I should but I never really had the discipline. Well, now I do and I discovered reading the Bible is very interesting!! I'm reading through John and right now I'm on chapter 7. I've been trying to read about 1 chapter a day but some of them are pretty long.
Niamey is REALLY deserted these days. No one seems to be here. I have friends around but many of them are leaving either for years or just for the summer. I have nothing to do!! Facebook is becoming boring and I've listened to my iPod way too many times. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should do before I die of boredom?! :P
Anyway,if you know me well (like really, really well) then you know I love to find out about celebrities. Especially boy celebs. Right now, I'm pretty interested in Justin Bieber (duh! so is everyone else), Jason Dolley (i learned some very interested facts about him today), Nick Jonas, and Luke Benward. So I've been spending many summer days researching them on the internet.

Not to complain or anything, but I still wish my American family would come out here and visit us. I've seen many of my friends' family come out here to visit and that always makes me a little upset. And the summer is the best time to come because school's out of the way and we kids start to get really bored!!!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Summer: 3 Months of Boredom

2010-06-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not writing!! It's been about a month since I last wrote something.
Well, it's about the 2nd or 3rd week of summer (I haven't really been keeping track of the time or the date). At first, I was glad to get away from exams, homework, and teachers but now I'm missing school! The most I miss is seeing all my friends in one place. During the summer, you have to organize dates whenever you want to see someone (even if it's just a buddy).
Thankfully, I got to read a little bit. I just finished an awesome book by Louis Sachar called "Small Steps". It's the sequel to "Holes". I loved it so much!! And for some reason, it inspired me to be a better person. :D
Yesterday was the 2nd time Mom and I did our Bible Study. We're reading "Lies Young Women Believe". It's pretty good at the 2nd chapter. We also got to bond while we were learning more about God.
I haven't had much time to hang out with my friends but that's okay. I'm glad for Facebook, Email, and Skype.
In a couple weeks, my family and another family are going to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. I can't wait because the last time I was there was for 3 days. We're going to be there for 2 weeks this time. I'm desperate to get out of Niger!!!!!! (no offense to my friends).
Mom's starting an "Exploring Careers" summer class for 8th and 9th graders. I think it was inspired by me because I'm having a hard time finding what I want to do when I'm older. At the moment, I'm thinking of doing something that has to do with helping disabled children or deaf children. I love kids (especially babies and toddlers).
Well, I'm gonna stop talking now! Facebook me!!

Summertime

2010-05-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's coming back to me again,
this feeling I love
Hanging out with all my friends
I just can't get enough
'cause it's a crazy world were in (but thats alright)
I don't really care what we do (it's alright)
Everything is cool when I'm with you

Yeah I can't get it off my mind
I think about it all the time
It's a feeling that I get, I can't deny
It's a feeling that I get, I can not hide
I can't wait for summertime
I can't wait for summertime

I wish the sun would always shine
'cause it feels like a dream
but if it's cloudy we'll be fine
yeah it keeps us guessing
It's like a roller coaster ride (but it's alright)
every days a different mystery ( its alright)
I don't care as long as your with me
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com

Yeah I can't get it off my mind
I think about it all the time
It's a feeling that I get, I can't deny
It's a feeling that I get, I can not hide
I can't wait for summertime
I can't wait for summertime

Lets go for a ride
Lets have a good time
I just want to fly away
I can't wait for summertime

Yeah I can't get it off my mind
I think about it all the time
It's a feeling that I get, I can't deny
It's a feeling that I get, I can not hide
I can't wait for summertime
I can't wait for summertime
I can't wait for summertime
I can't wait for summertime

~PureNRG

God is Great!!!

2010-02-18T13:47:00.001-08:00

Wow! What a day!! Today started out as a really fun day because we girls had to get the boys hearts (I got three!!). But around 1pm, some of us heard gunshots. Then the lock-in siren went on. Everyone thought we were doing a drill so we just rolled our eyes and followed directions. But then all the teachers were acting all serious and checking the locked doors and asking us if we were okay. Then we began to get scared. Thankfully, Pastor Dave filled us in on what was going on. We found out that the president's palace was being fired on. There was also some firing on the bridge so it was REALLY close to us. A few of us even heard machine guns!! I was SO scared!!! We had to stay at school until 5:30pm! We weren't allowed out of the high school building or library. So we spent the time praying, singing, playing games, and working on homework. I'm so thankful God kept us all safe! ♥

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2010-02-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

February 12th, last Friday, I turned 14!!! My second year of being a teenager!!! Unfortunately, my birthday was on Sofanwet weekend. Sofanwet is the softball tournament we have in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. So we spent the day of my birthday traveling to Ouaga. It was really tiring and it didn't even feel like my bday. That evening in Ouaga, we spent a whole hour getting ourselves lost trying to find a certain restaurant that we never found. We ended up going to a smaller restaurant called the Paradisio where I got Steak and Fries. It was really yummy!! My mom had brought along some of my presents for me to open. I got "The Secret Life of the American Teenager Season 3 DVD", a Sign Language book (I have become VERY interested in Sign Language), some lotion, a little bag, 10 000 cfa, and a couple other things. I was so happy!! I'm getting to the age where I don't really know what I want for my birthday or for Christmas so I'm happy with whatever I get!!
When we got back from Ouaga, a ton of people had written "Happy Birthday" on my FB wall. I was so happy that no one forgot about me!! :D
This was one of the best birthdays I have ever had!! <3

An Overview

2009-12-31T05:11:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry I haven't written in a while!!! Some days, I've been really busy and other days I just don't feel like blogging.
Well, I feel like blogging today so I'll just tell you a little about what's been going on.

We've been off from school for a couple of weeks now and we have like 2 more weeks before we have to go back. :( I'm actually missing school and my friends!!!
Thankfully, when we go back, we won't have any more exams. This was my very first time taking the exams because I wasn't at Sahel last year. it was pretty hard and I didn't really like to study. But I got through them all and I only got bad grades on about 2 of them (Math and something else......). Anyway, on my report card, I had all B's. There were B+s, B-s, and just plain B's. I'm proud of myself but my parents aren't. They think I can do better. I can but I guess I just didn't try so much last quarter.
Christmas was a lot of fun. This year, I didn't really ask for anything. I'm no longer in that stage where I want Barbies, movies, and toys. I don't really know what I want. But my family found some things for me. For Christmas, I got make-up, clothes, scarfs, SimsPetStories, shoes, candy, and few more things. Luckily, I was able to find things for my family. Last year, it was so much easier because we could just go to Wal-Mart or Target and find everything that we were looking for. Here, we have to go EVERYWHERE!!! It's not that fun. Boy, I really miss the States!! :(
On Christmas day, we had the Benitez's over for breakfast. Someone from LGBC sent us some bacon!! That was really a treat even though I only had four pieces. Thank you to who ever sent the bacon!!! :D After breakfast, I played with my Christmas presents and then helped get ready for the Christmas dinner we would be having with a lot of other friends. Plenty of people came and we had plenty of food. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the big mess of crumbs I had in my bedroom because of the party!! :(
Today we just finished taking down Christmas things. I hardly helped because I was cleaning my room. In case we have any surprise guest, I want my room to look nice and clean.
Later today, we're going to Sahel for my dad to play softball. Ugh, I'd rather stay here and write a few stories.

That's it for now!!!! :D God Bless You all!!! <3

The Three Watts

2009-12-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago on a Saturday, Mom left for Kenya. She had some training she had to do for her job. Since Mom is so organized, she left us a menu and a whole bunch of instructions. She's coming back on Monday!!
It's been pretty different without her because she's usually the one who wakes John and me up in the morning and drives us to school. Now Dad has to do that. Dad also has to help us with homework, remind us to do our chores, and still work! It must be really hard for him!!! I don't really like it when our family is separated and I'm glad it won't be after Mom comes home.
We have the Christmas bazaar tomorrow. I can't wait!!! There's lots of food and sometimes small things you can buy for Christmas. The hardest thing is hiding the presents while you're trying to have fun!!!

When Mom comes back we're going out to eat. Hopefully the place we go has spicy food!!!

Info on What has been going on......

2009-11-10T13:12:00.001-08:00

Last week, we had some men working on our septic tank. We weren't allowed to let water down the drain or flush our toilets!!!! That was pretty gross. I don't know how I lived through that! The house was smelly!!! Thankfully, it's over now and we can flush whenever we want!!! :)

Field Day is just around the corner. I'm not as excited as I should be because I don't really enjoy Field Day. I'm always hot and I dislike the fact that it lasts all day. I really hope it's better than it was the last time I was here.

Since I haven't written in such a long time, I'll give a summary of what I happened during NUTS for the Sun Rays. There was about 2 or 3 girls that didn't participate in NUTS either because of their parents or they were even in the Niamey. So we had a small number but we had fun. The crowd really liked our cheers but by the third day, everyone was getting tired of hearing us, even us!!! Next time, I hope we can learn a lot more cheers so that we aren't repeating. During the Pep Rally, we did three cheers (We've Got Spirit, Rowdie, We say Sahel). Everyone loved them especially Rowdie and We Say Sahel. Those are probably my favorite.
I think Sahel one a trophy but I'm not sure. I was too busy organizing the cheerleaders. All in all, cheerleading was fun but I really doubt we're going to do it again. I had a few problem with some of the girls because they didn't always cheer when they were supposed to and a few were rolling their eyes at me. So I don't think we're going.

That's it for now, I have to get to bed. I have 2 tests tomorrow!!!!!!!

Back at Sahel!!

2009-09-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been here in Niger for probably a month and a half now. We have all the animals/pets that we are supposed to take care of. 3 dogs (Pepper, Ethel, Jackie), 1 cat (Oliver), 3 turtles (Hoity Toity, David, Goliath), and 2 Senegal Parrots (Papaya and Peanut). Our house seems a lot like a zoo!!!
School's going okay, I guess, but I never though 8th grade would be this hard! I've already failed a few tests!!! Oops!!! I've made lots of new friends as well.

The Sun Rays are almost a success now!!! But, instead of having a secondary squad, it's more like an elementary squad. We have two from secondary (Iman and me) and about 8 from elementary (mostly from 4th, 5th, 6th grade). It isn't official that the elementary girls are going to be on the squad but I think it's a pretty good idea. NUTS is in about 4 or 5 weeks so we have basically plenty of time to learn the cheers. So far, we know one. But hopefully we'll be practicing twice a week and learning 3 a week.

Like I said, Sahel's great but I miss Gurrie a lot!!!! It's been quite a difference from Gurrie but I getting used to it. For example, at Gurrie I was able able to use calculators in Math. But here, I can't. Also, Sahel's a lot smaller so my classes feel different. Anyway, I'm getting used to it!!!!

The Sun Rays

2009-08-05T03:10:00.001-07:00

After being at Gurrie, I've decided that Sahel needs cheerleaders. I'm calling them the Sun Rays. All I need to do is talk to the principal of the school and see what she thinks. I really hope lots of girls want to join because it's a great way to make friends and get exercise. A tailor is going to make the uniform skirts for us and Jessie C. is helping me!!!!!!!
More on cheer leading later!!

Welcome Home!!

2009-08-05T03:05:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm back in Niger now! I got back on Thurs morning and I was so glad to go to sleep! The following day I got to see all my friends (well, at least the friends that were there). Niger seems so lonely because not all my friends were there.
Over the week, we've been collecting our pets but we've only gotten one. We found Oliver out in Torodi. Thankfully, he's okay but he was REALLY skinny. I'm trying to fatten him up a bit.
School starts next Wed. and I can't wait! I know it's going to be so different from Gurrie but I'm ready. It will be good to get back in school and see all my friends that I didn't see at the pool.

C U In 2 Yrs!!!

2009-07-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

I leave tomorrow for OK. After we're there for a few days, we're going to Texas. And that's where we're flying out from Texas to Niger.
I'm really going to miss everyone here!! I'll miss Gurrie, everyone at Gurrie and my friends from church and all the other friends I made this year. This was a great year here in America. I will remember it forever.

I can't wait to get back to Niger. The first thing I want to do is make sure Oliver is still alive and that we can find him. Please pray for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It will be great to go back to Sahel. I know I've missed everyone there. And there will be some new faces and new buildings but I'm definitely ready after being at a public school.

Ready or not (hopefully you're ready) here I COME!!!!!!!!!!

The Last Day of School

2009-06-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Well, school's officially over now. I'm pretty sad that I won't be going to school on Monday. But I had a great year at Gurrie. Today was the LAST day of school but yesterday was the last full day of school. Yesterday, we got our yearbooks and we had everyone sign them. I tried to get all my friends to sign them but not all of them were there like my 8th grade friends. So hopefully, they're on facebook so I can stay in touch.
Today started off pretty bad. I got sick and I didn't really want to go to school but it was the last day of school. Anyway, I went to the bus stop and there were 3 of us waiting for the bus. But the bus never came. It was 7:56 when Abby called the school. They just told her that they were going to call the bus company. So I went home and got a ride from my dad. It turns out that a bus did come for Abby and Kayla but it was the wrong bus (like it took the wrong route). When I got to school, I went to my advisory and waited until after the announcements before we went to our new 8th grade advisories. They gave me an advisory even though I'd be there for one day. I really wish I could stay at Gurrie another year. I really enjoyed it. But I'm ready to go back to Niger.

I have all my teachers' email address so I can stay in touch with them and many of my friends. The principal really wants me to stay in touch with the school and I'm looking forward to doing that.

Seussical

2009-05-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's all over. But it was SO MUCH FUN!!! After just three performances, we have finished with the musical of this year. We really didn't have that many rehearsals but it really helped to listen to the audio music every night. Both John and I were in the musical. It was pretty weird having John in the musical with me because he was always goofing around and sometimes disrupted the rehearsals. But it's still pretty fun to be performing with my brother.
I played Gertrude McFuzz in the performance who is the bird who finds the clover for Horton and helps him take care of the egg.
Last Tuesday was our dress rehearsal. It was the very first time that we went through the whole entire musical without having to stop after every song to fix our mistakes. I was pretty happy because it gets pretty annoying to stop so much. Some of our parents came to watch us and take pictures. Video taping wasn't allowed. I thought I did pretty good that day. But I did SO much better on Wednesday. We had to be at Gurrie before 6:45 even though the performance started at 7:30. We went over some of the harder parts of the musical before it was time to go up on the stage. There wasn't more than 30 people there but that was okay because it was just our first performance. We got all our props into place before we sat quietly on the stage with our eyes closed. Some of us practiced our dancing. Then it was time. The first performance was great! Afterwords, we got lots of compliments and then we went home. John and I got home probably around 9:30. We also got frosties to celebrate!!!!!!
On Thursday, we were doing one performance during school and one in the evening. i was REALLY nervous about performing in front of everyone at school and so was everyone else. But we did awesome and I even got a standing ovation from my English class!
Then that evening, it was our last Seussical musical. I was pretty sad since I really enjoy singing and dancing and acting. Before the performance that night, we signed each other's books so that we'd remember each other. It was lots of fun and I think I got everyone's autograph in my book......... The last musical performance was great! Mom and Dad brought me flowers and John got some choc. One of my friends got money flowers!! Lucky!!

I'm sad I won't be here next year to be in the musical. But hopefully I can start one at Sahel.

Babysitting

2009-04-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first time I babysat. I mean, I've helped take care of the toddlers in the nursery at church but I've never actually babysat.
I babysat for two kids: Kevin and Elaina. They're 5 and 2 1/2. It was so much fun!! I also had my friend Hannah helping me since it was my first time. It was so much easier with her there. After their parents left, we were lucky there wasn't any crying. We got to see the room they shared and then we went downstairs to watch TV while they ate their pizza. Afterwards, they each had a few oreos before we started the movie. We watched Speed Racers but we never finished it. They had to be in bed by 7:30 but we got them in bed by 8. Bedtime went smoothly and then Hannah and I had the house to ourselves. We had a few snacks/sodas and then watched America's Top Models. I've never really seen it before but it was so totally AWESOME!!
Kevin and Elaina's parents came home a little late than they were supposed to but that was okay. I got $40 for babysitting them. I can't wait to babysit again!! I hope that's soon!!!!

Relaxing: Spring Break

2009-03-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well I finally have a chance to get away from school and IL!! My fam went to Arkansas for a week since John and I were out of school. We're at the Broom Tree Refuge. It's really refreshing even though it's pretty cold outside!! My uncle and aunt from OK. came over to see us too. We had lots of fun watching DVDs and fishing. Sadly I didn't catch any fish. John did but I made him throw them back in!
When I'm not with my family I'm with my three animal friends here: Riley, Curly, and Blossom. Curly's my favorite. We've watched TONS of movies here. I spend a lot of time on the computer (even though we don't have Internet at the cabin) and watching the TV. Two of my favorite things to do.
We leave on Saturday (I think) but it will take us two days to get back to IL. I sorta want to go back since I left my two fish there. They're being fish-sat but I still miss them a lot. One good thing that comes out of staying here is that I get to eat all the food I want!!!!!

Gurrie Seussical the Musical

2009-03-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

I didn't really think I was going to do the school musical since cheer leading had just ended and I was tired of after school activities. But after thinking about it, I decided i'd try. There weren't that many people at the first audition. Most of them were from Spring. But I was glad to see three girls from Gurrie. So we did some singing and some dancing before it was time to since by ourselves. I was PRETTY nervous singing in front of everyone alone. But I did a good job I guess.
I got an email from Mrs. Kay and she said I had made it to the Call Backs!! I was so excited. Then just yesterday after school, I went to the band room for the audition Call Backs. Most of the girls were 8th graders. I was really hoping I could get the part of Gertrude McFuzz since she was the most like me. I had memorized all of Gertrude's songs and I couldn't wait to sing them. There were a few Spring Ave. kids there but they didn't sing with us since they were working on different parts. Finally, the end came and Mrs. Kay and the other teacher were talking and looking at us. I was pretty nervous and scared. So I tried to ignore them and have fun. Then they called us over to tell us what part we had gotten. Tess got Mayzie (I think she'll do a great job!!), Sara got the Sour Kangeroo, and I got Gertrude!!!! Yay!!!!!
I can't wait to start singing, dancing, and acting!!!!

The D.A.R.E Basketball Game

2009-02-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

Well, cheer leading is officially over. I know I'll really miss it. Our last basketball game was today. It was 8th grade against the Hodgkins, Countryside, and the LaGrange policemen. The 8th grader cheerleaders cheered for the 8th grade boys and the 7th graders cheered for the cops. Before the game, the cheerleaders had their 'end of the season pizza party'. I had 5 1/2 slices of pizza!! It was a wonder that I could still cheer!!! Afterwards, we still had 2 hours so we did our homework. Then the 7th grade cheerleaders got our DARE T-shirts to wear over our uniforms. Mrs. Ray chose ME to be the captain!! I did a pretty good job. That's better than when I was captain for the first time. No one listened to me!! But this time Maggie helped me and everyone listened to me. It was LOADS of fun!!!!
I remember the day I tried out the squad. I was so scared!! Now cheer leading is ending. I'm really going to miss it. But I hope I can start a squad in Niger.

The Mall of America

2009-02-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

Since we're in Minnesota until tomorrow (Sunday) we wanted to see the Mall of America. So we woke up at 10:00 and drove to the Mall of America. But it wasn't that simple. Dad hadn't gotten the right directions to the mall so we go lost along the way. It took us about an hour or more to get there after asking like three different people for directions. We were supposed to meet someone there but they had already left since we were so late. So we were alone in the Mall of America!!! First, we went to the Caribou to get some lattes. They were pretty good!!! The shop was right next to the Nickelodeon area where there were probably over 40 rides!! i think we were going to go on them but we decided not to when we saw the price (and when I saw the age group). So John led us over to the Lego area since he was looking for some lego men. that was SO boring and probably a waste of time since we didn't find what we were looking for. Afterwards Mom and I went to Claire's while the boys waited for us. We didn't find anything in there but there was a lot of stuff on sale. then I wanted to check out the American Girl area (Yeah, I know I'm getting too old for dolls but it's really cool to see all the different things that people buy for dolls and make for dolls...... Plus I wanted to check out the Addy dolls since that's the one I have). We weren't in there long before John and Dad went to GameStop and Mom and i went to Wet Seal. We always find cute things there. Sure enough, there was a deal on 5 items for 20 dollars so that's what we did. By then, I was STARVING (as usual) so we went to the Food Court and got some tacos from Taco Bell. Mom and I bought some stuff from BathandBody Works. Then we FINALLY left and found our way home.

What a day though!!!

Turning 13

2009-02-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that my 12th birthday party was a lot better planned than my 13th. For the 12th we knew what we were doing and had a schedule. We also watched HSM2 for the 12th and we watched The Clique Movie for my 13th.

Well I woke up on Thursday morning at 6:15 because I had choir at 7:20. My mom wasn't up yet so I had to wake her up. She made me breakfast and I opened a few presents. i got a Newsboys CD and some body shimmer. After choir, I went to my first class (which is PE). While i was in the locker room changing, I almost missed my name over the announcements since they announce your birthday. All i heard was "Birthdays today are.................Watt". It was SO loud in the locker room that i hadn't heard it. But everyone else did. All through the day everyone would stop me in the hall and say Happy Birthday to me!! That's so different than Sahel where I had to tell everyone that it was my birthday. Anyway, after school was my birthday party. My dad picked us up from school and took us home. My rough schedule was that we'd go downstairs (that's where we'd watch the movie and eat the pizza and snacks) and fool around until the pizza came. But that didn't work out so well. We had a lot of fun while my mom was gone having her hair cut and then picking up the pizza but there was a little delay. the girls were supposed to leave at 6:30 but Mom called and said that Pizza Hut had mixed up our order and they were going to give us the pizzas for free but she had to wait a bit. So April, Susan, and Lisa called their parents to ask if they could stay till 7:00 instead. then we started The Clique Movie without the pizza. When it arrived, we finished the movie (and the pizza) and it was time for them to go home. We took them home and then i had to pack for Minnesota since we were leaving the next day. But i also wanted to check out my facebook and write some comments and stuff like that. So I went to bed at 11:00 that night.
so it was a pretty long day but it was great way to turn 13!!! Now what am i going to do when i turn 14..............................?

Valentine's Banquet

2009-02-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

I just came back from the Valentine's Banquet at the church. It wasn't a dance or anything but because I was in junior high (in PowerSource. that's the 7th and 8th grader youth group) I had to help serve the food. Actually, there were a few people who didn't sign up. Anyway, Hannah, Joanna, Rhianna, and me went over to help. We were supposed to wear black pants and a white shirt but Hannah and Rhianna wore ties along with it. All the boys did that but I had no clue that the girls could wear them too. So I was 'forced' to put on one of my dad's ties and go over to the church. I didn't really feel confident that I looked good but I tried to have a good time. We were all assigned to a table to serve along with a LightWave (those are the high school youth group.). We had to have one Light Wave and one Power Source person at each table. Because Hannah has some problems with one of the Light Wave, I partnered up with him. I didn't really think he was that bad but................. Some of us were assigned to serving drinks whenever anyone needed them. I tried that a few times but it REALLY hurts your index finger because that really whats supporting the pitcher.
After the dinner, there was some really cool Irish dancers (one of the went to the church and she was a senior). They let a few kids come up and learn some steps. I didn't want to go up but it looked really cool. Maybe I'll think about doing some Irish dancing next time I'm in the states. Afterwards, we played Family Feud with some of the Spiritual Life Groups (those are what the adults' groups are). We had done something similar in Niger but I thought it was better in Niger at Sahel. We could create our own families so I made a family with my friends Chung and Timi, including John and my parents, and we called ourselves the WattJonesLee (Watt for me, Jones for Timi, and Lee for Chung). We got called up and we went against the Bliss family (and they WERE a real family. They didnt' just find friends and join them like we did). i think they ended up wining but it was fun.
All together, it was a really good evening, and I'm looking forward to an evening similar to this!!!!! I just hope I don't have to serve again. I know it's good but it's hard work and after having to wait 20 minutes walking around because no one would sit at the table I would rather be served.

My 13/I'm Finally a Teen Birthday (Party)!!!

2009-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be a teen in like seven days!!! I can't wait! This will mean I'll have my own facebook, I'm no longer a child, and I can babysit when I get back to Niger!!! I want to have a birthday party with some of my friends from school then another one for my church friends. The theme of my party will be PURPLE so each party guest will have to wear some purple to my party (it could just be the nails or maybe a bracelet.)!!! My favorite color is purple too! With my friends at school we're supposed to watch The Clique since they haven't seen it. Then we'll do something else like eat or something. My 12 birthday party was REALLY special to me because it was my Golden Birthday so I had like eight girls over and we watched High School Musical 2 (I now think that's a really weird movie). we stayed up late and ate lots of junk food and told secrets. It was really fun to turn 12. Now i can't wait to turn 13!!!!!!

I HATE Being Sick!!!

2009-02-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

This whole week, I've been sick with a cough and a sore throat. I was out on Tuesday and Thursday (today). I'm hardly EVER sick (I'm the healthy one in the family) so I wasn't really happy when I got sick.
Today, Mom set up a doctor's appointment so we could see what was wrong with me. I was thinking I had strep throat!!! It took us like 40 minutes to get there (but there was a train and A LOT of stop lights!) but we found out that I didn't have strep throat!!! Yeah!!! But now, I have to take this really awful medicine EVERY day for four days!! Ew!!!
After the appointment, we got some whoppers at Burger King and then went to Repeat Boutique so that we could shop for clothes. I was looking for the American Girl Babysitting book because I am thinking about babysitting when I get back to Niger. But I didn't find the book. So i helped my Mom look for clothes and I found a few shirts.
After that, we went home. I was VERY glad to get home since I was feeling really tired and sick. We left at 10:20 and we got home about 2:00. John had an early dismissal (actually all the schools in the district had an early dismissal) so John got home about the same time we did.
It was a pretty good day after all. I spent plenty of time on the computer playing SIMS2. My favorite game now!

MC Flew AWAY!!!

2009-02-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Our MC (back in Niger) flew away!! My 6th grade teacher was taking care of him when she got back from school and found his cage open slightly. She thinks he must have forced himself out!!! I really hope he comes back alive. Or maybe someone will find him!!!!

We were going to bring back some presents for MC. We got him some toys and a ladder to his cage.
MC was such a good bird. It took him a while to get used to him. Like on Christmas Eve when we gave him to my mom, he tried to bite her and was making these growling noises. It took him like 3 months or longer before he began to nip my finger. It hurt at first but he started to bite a little softer and then he let me pet him on the head. After that, he just got tamer and tamer. That's how MC became such a good bird. It was all love!!!

If we never see MC again I'll still have many other pets to keep me company. When we get back, I want to get a rabbit and a guinea pig (or maybe just one). I really like to take care of a lot of animals and I'm really good. That's why I want to be a veterinarian when I'm an adult.

Matt Wilhelm Assembly

2009-01-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday, we had an assembly during 8th period and a famous bike rider named Matt Wilhelm came to our school (he also went to John's school 7th Avenue earlier that morning) to talk to us about staying off drugs and starting/keeping goals. Matt also showed us some of his most dangerous tricks. I thought they were AWESOME. He also gave some kids some stickers, calendars, and DVDs. I didn't get any but I was okay with that. if you go to his website at www.mattbmx.com you can see some pictures of him and some videos. I tried to get an autograph but our principal didn't let me. Oh, well. I'm okay with that.

The Last Basketball Game

2009-01-16T17:23:00.001-08:00

Well, the basketball season is over. I thought it was REALLY short. Yesterday was our last game. We were playing the Highland Hornets and the Tigers didn't win. It was a little embarrassing for the Tiger cheerleaders. We were messing up over and over. I think that was because we were so worried about the halftime cheer. We didn't do the cheer/dance because we weren't sure if the Hornets would have speakers so that the music could play. And we were pretty bad. The Hornet cheerleaders had a great halftime cheer though. The Hornets also had the band playing so sometimes you couldn't even hear us!!!

I've really enjoyed cheer leading and I'm glad I tried out and made it.

Willow Springs (Wolverines) Game

2009-01-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the Gurrie Tigers played the Willow Springs Wolverines. All their players are MUCH shorter than ours so I was thinking Gurrie had better win this game!!!! And they did. I cheered like crazy and we cheerleaders had a great time. I was even happier because my friends from Niger (Ruby and Shelley) and friends from here (April and Susan) came to my game to see me. They have NEVER come to my games so this was a great time for me.
The cheerleaders were pretty silly too. We were messing up but having a great time. After the game, Shelley, Ruby, they family, and Scott and Lornel and Canyon came to our house for chili. That was pretty fun even though it was a little crowded.

Cheer leading ends next week. For the passed few days, we've been working on our cheer AND dance that we're going to do next week. I can't wait because it's a really cheer and the dance is so much fun. The back spotters (that's what I am) have an important job too. Usually, I don't have much of a job except for making sure Natalie, the flyer, doesn't fall out her herself. But this time, I actually am the most important. In the dance, we lift Natalie onto my shoulders and then take her into a half. It's pretty hard if you aren't strong and fast enough. I'm glad that we are. Angel, Jessica, Natalie, and I learned the 'scrunch' (I think that's what you call it) first out of the 7th graders. We also were the first to learn the cradle. We even got to teach the other girls how to do it.

I'm REALLY going to miss cheer leading because is really fun and I made a lot of good friends. This is also my first time cheer leading. I still remember the day of the tryouts. That wasn't very fun because my stomach was full of butterflies and I didn't know if I was going to make it or not. That same night I went to check and found my name!!!!
I'm still going to bring cheer leading back since I won't have it for 3 years. It will be good for Sahel to have some more spirit. We can cheer at the soccer games, I think.
I hope the Tigers win their last few games before the season is over.

Back to School After Christmas

2009-01-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

Well, today I went back to school. It was GREAT to see my friends and teachers. A few of the teachers thanked me for the Christmas email I had sent them (the day before Christmas I had sent ALL my teachers a sweet email/ message that said "Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great break with your family." I'm glad I did it.
After school, I had cheer leading practice. We have a game tomorrow but we aren't going because we don't have a halftime cheer. It's an away game but we have two more games this week that are home games. Today we worked on our dance and a new cheer that we're going to do at the last game. It was really fun. But we ended early so we had to do 25 kicks, split stretches, and jumps. It was very tiring and I KNOW that I'll be sore tomorrow. Because the basketball team has sweaters with their names on it, our coaches decided it would be a good idea for the cheerleaders to have sweaters with OUR names on it. I can't wait. I'll bring it back with me to Niger.
I can't wait for tomorrow. I've really missed school. I even had no homework today!!!!

My New Year Resolutions

2009-01-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

I decided I'd make some new year resolutions even though I won't be able to keep some of them that well:

1. I will try to have some time with God every day
2. I will not wear the same outfit twice a week
3. I will not spend more than a dollar of my allowance the minute I get it and 10% goes to my church
4. I will be in bed by 10:30 every night (except on the weekends!!!)
5. I will eat more fruit
6. I will try not to fight with John (that's going to be really hard)

I hope I can keep these. I've got a whole year.
4.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad that it's 2009!!! A new year, a new age, and six more months here in the States before I go back to Niger. This is a little of what happened while we were here in the states.

My schedule is ALWAYS full with homework, cheer leading and games, choir (before school), and just friend time. School's not that hard and so far, I'm getting A's and B's in school; even in Math!!! I have tons of friends too, but I'm not so sure any of them are Christians. I love Gurrie and I think it's a really good school.

I think John's enjoying Seventh Avenue but I'm not sure. He spends most of his time at his best friend's house so I don't seem to see him that much.

My mom and dad are busy too. Every day they work out at The Cardinal Fitness Center nearby. I've never been there but they seem to like it. Sometimes they come home sore.

Half of me can't wait to get back to Niger to see my pets and friends. But the other half wants to stay here where I can go to McDonalds and stay at Gurrie for another year.

PRESENTS!!!!!

2008-12-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

We started our day with breakfast of course. mom made us sausage, pancakes, and orange juice. i LOVED the sausage. afterwards, we opened our stockings. i got some lipgloss, speakers for my mp3, more lipgloss, charms for my charm bracelet, somthing from lornel (a little bear cheerleader ornament!!!!), a usb holder, and some other cool stuff. i gave comet and colby (my fish) their bloodworms even though i'm not sure they're going to eat them. under the tree we had even cooler gifts. i was happy my parents liked the gifts that we gave them but i'm not sure she liked the cheese slicer i got for her. John got a DS, computer, mp3 and speaker, and some other gifts. i got a camera yesterday and it's so cool!!!!!! i got a lot of the same things that john got: computer, mp3 speaker, but not the DS. maybe i'll get one for my birthday.
this is one of the best christmases that i've ever had!!!!!!

Duma

2008-12-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

Duma is a Labrador Retriever. His mother and father were from the states (Rocco was a French dog). Duma was VERY jumpy and sometimes could be dangerous but we loved him. All my friends were always trying to tell us that our dog was too dangerous. I think my parents agreed sometime 'cause there was a time they wanted to put him down!!! I saved his life. We never saw Duma as an adult dog. He ran away about a year ago because our guard left the gate open (he didn't go after Duma either). I miss Duma A LOT but I hope he's with a family. Duma was an American dog and you could tell that so I really believe that someone could have taken him in. We put up signs and everything but he never got back to us. Duma had a white cross on his chest (he was a black dog so it really showed). We named him after the movie DUMA after the cheetah. I don't know why we chose that name. Oliver and Duma got along perfectly. They were like brothers. Except when Oliver was enjoying his lizard!!! (Both Duma and Rocco loved lizards as much as Oliver. Only they ate the whole thing!!!!!!)

HoityToity

2008-12-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

HoityToity was the tortoise that we got from the same family that had given us Rocco and Chester. They had been having problems with him 'cause he was eating all their good plants. So we took him. I think I acted like he was my pet instead of for the whole family because I would feed him. HT would hide in the yard and sometimes we could even find him. During the winter he would hibernate and we didn't have to worry about feeding him his fruit and veggies. HT had a whole in his shell from a horse that kicked him. It never bothered him even though it got filled with sand everytime he'd bury himself. HT is staying with John's best friend right now. They have lots of cool plants in their yard. I hope they're all there when we get back!!!!!!

Rocco

2008-12-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

We've had Rocco for at least five years. We had taken care of his brother (Chester) before we got him. But Chester died while we were away visiting my family. So we took his brother (another family who had had Chester, Rocco, Piggy their sister, and their mother gave us Rocco) which was Rocco. We took him back after we had gone to the states. About a year ago, we found out that Rocco had cancer. He had three or four operations and the veterinarians we able to get it out but it came back again and again. He didn't seem to be in pain but he was pretty old. The day we left for America, we put him down because no one would take care of him (it was the end of the school year and almost everyone was leaving to come back to the states). I'll miss Rocco a lot. I think my dad was closer to him than anyone else.
Rocco was very faithful and sometimes I felt like he could understand me. If I was in a bad mood, he'd put his paw in my lap and he would look at me with his big eyes. He was very considerate of our other pets. I miss Rocco A LOT.

Mango Cream

2008-12-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

Last year for Christmas, we bought my mom a Senegal Parrot. We named him Mango Cream after my gymnastic squad and because he has the colors of a mango (bright green, yellow, and orange). When we got him, he didn't seem that tame. He would bite you if you tried to touch him and he never made noise except for a screech once and a while. But after a while, I began to put my fingers closer and closer to him. Before I knew it, I was able to scratch his head and he would gently gnaw on my finger. I love MC and sometimes I feel like he can talk to me. We left him with our 5th and 6th grade teacher. He's already letting her pet him!!!!

Oliver

2008-12-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

We got my Oliver in Burkina Faso. It was originally for John but we found out he was allergic to him. And because i didn't want to get rid of him, he gave him to me. I've had Oliver for about 2 years. Every year, we celebrated his Adoption Day. Oliver loves to catch and eat mice so we often bring him into the house to catch a mouse (sometime i smuggle him into my bedroom even if there isn't a mouse in the house!!!). Oliver also likes to catch lizards but he doesn't eat them. He just plays with it and rips it up before he leaves it to rot.
I love Oliver with all my heart and I miss him a lot since we're in the States. He's staying with a Swedish family and they email me about him almost every week.

Christmas

2008-12-23T17:55:00.001-08:00

Christmas is only 2 days away!!!! I can't wait!!!!!! Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Braces

2008-12-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

I went to the orthodontist to have my bottom braces put on today, but he said I wasn't ready. I have to turn the key for 6 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(I have this appliance on the top of my mouth. It's a divider.) I'm not really looking forward to that. So, in four weeks I'm going to get my bottoms. He also changed the colors of the bands to a darker purple. I'm glad. You can see it better.

Sun Ray's Tryout Cheer

2008-12-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

This morning, with the help of John (he sacrificed his GAME CUBE to help me), I filmed my tryout cheer so that my friends in Niger, who are interested in being cheerleaders, can learn the cheer. They'll have like 6 months to practice it so when I come back, we can have the cheerleading tryouts at the beginning of the year. Like I said in my other post, I think Sahel should have cheerleaders and since I'm probably the only one who's been a cheerleader, I'm going to start a squad. I'm really hoping there are girls who are interested in cheerleading 'cause it's A LOT of fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tryout cheer is the same one that I used here, but I'm just changing it so that it'll make more sense for our school. In case I'm not speaking clearly in the video, this is how the cheer goes:
Let's go, let's go , Suns! Beat those Turtles! The gold and black are back again. Sahel Suns, let's go, fight, win! Come on, come on, Suns! Beat those Turtles! Get up, get up , Suns! Beat those TURTLES!

I'm really hoping there are girls who are interested in cheerleading 'cause it's A LOT of fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Sahel Sun Rays

2008-12-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

I think Sahel Academy should have cheerleaders to cheer at the soccer matches (yeah. I'll be in 7th grade next year which will mean I have a better chance of being in student council so maybe i can arrange for Sahel to have more soccer matches) and twice a year at the softball tournaments. When I get back to Niger, I'm planning on starting a cheerleading squad. So if you're interested in join the Sun Rays, here's some information you might want to know.
The cheerleading will be 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. There will be 24 girls all together which means eight girls from each grade if possible. Maybe the squad will be smaller. It all depends on how many girls are interested (but I think it'd be cool if we had a lot of cheerleaders). I have experience even if it's not a whole lot. I know how to stunt and I know plenty of cheers. Later, I'm going to be posting a video of the tryout cheer for you to learn so that when I get back, we can have the tryouts and the begining of the year.

If you have any questions you can post them in the COMMENTS. also, there are two videos on my blog of my some of my cheers.

Cheerleading

2008-12-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I've only got like three more weeks of cheerleading left. It's been really fun even though the Gurrie 7th grade team has lost almost every game they've played. We cheerleaders do the best we can to keep up the team's spirit. But sometimes we get miserable too. Like, a few days ago we had a game against park. The school's pretty big so they have cheerleaders and POMS. Well, during the 7th grade halftime, they took up all the time. That wasn't very fair to us so we talked to some of the cheerleaders and they told us that if we went right after the POMS, they'd stop the time so that we could do our cheer. So we did it for the 8th grade game. I think all the 7th grade cheerleaders agree that probably was the reason why we lost against Park. The cheerleaders weren't able to do our half!!! One of the games was really special to me because Lornel and Canyon (she and her husband came to Niger for ten weeks to work with my dad) came to my game. It was so awesome and funny 'cause I didn't notice she was there until i was doing my favorite cheer so I had this big smile on my face while i did it. I'm hoping some of my friends will come to at a least ONE of my games but I don't think they want to. At least Ruby and Shelley are going to be coming before they go back to Niger!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm hoping to bring my cheerleading skills back to Niger so that I can start a cheerleading squad there. I'll call the squad the SUN RAYS. My mom thought it'd be a good idea if i sent a video of how to do a cheer to Niger for the girls to learn. Then when I get there, we can have tryouts using that cheer!!! I think that's a great idea. I think the easiest cheer to teach them is the tryout cheer that I used here. I'm going to post it on my blog so that anyone can learn it.
I've tried to get my PE coach to start a cheerleading squad but that didn't work 'cause we both didn't know that much about cheerleading. But this time, I know more. The uniforms will be really easy. We'll use the Sahel T-shirts and have pleated skirts made. The colors of Sahel are gold and black. Too bad we won't be able to have pom poms.

My Christmas Break

2008-12-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

Well, the holidays have come!!! Today was our last day of school until January 6, 2009!!!!!! It was great. For every class it was like a party (actually some teachers actually had class parties but I didn't have any of them as teachers). My Social Studies teacher and my advisory gave us candy canes and the other teachers let us off easy. I had lots of fun today. And the cheerleaders didn't have practice which was even better!!! I got home early and went shopping with my family for Christmas presents (even though everything we found was for my mom!!!!). Tomorrow will be pretty busy 'cause I have a friend coming over and I have to clean my room. And during the break, I'm going to have my hair relaxed with chemicals instead of with a hair straightener. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

Project Linus

2008-12-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

Project Linus is a project (that's where PROJECT comes from) that makes blankets (that's where LINUS comes from!!!) for children in the hospital or that are in foster homes. The Student Council at Gurrie sponsored it and all the students gathered in the gym to work on the blankets. There was also karaoke but I didn't sing. Mom also came to help out too. Our goal was to make 55 blankets but we went over and made...........77!!!!! I'm so happy i was apart of that. If you decided to stay until 5:00 there was pizza and soda. Each advisory had to make blankets and if you stayed until 5, you could make them with your friends.
This also the second year that Gurrie has done this. It was so fun and I hope lots of kids thank us for doing this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Christmas Walk

2008-12-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

Today we went into LaGrange to go on the Christmas Walk. I tried to have fun but it was REALLY cold outside. We went from store to store drinking free apple cider before we took a hay ride. That was probably the worst 'cause it was so cold that i couldn't feel my feet or my fingers. I wanted to meet my friend Lisa there but we forgot to call so I never saw her. I did see some friends from Gurrie but we just said hi. Suddenly, i miss Niger and I want to go back. I can't believe I was excited about the snow!!! All i want to do is stay inside all day and watch TV (I'd rather see snow on TV than outside my window).

This morning, we went into Chicago to see Candlelight Carols at Moody. I'd never seen it before but i don't think it matters. I saw a family that was with us in Niger. We talked a bit but we didn't have a lot of time. The show was great and they did a couple songs from Africa even though i didn't understand them. I fell asleep twice during the show. I think it was just that the music was so soft and if made me sleepy.

Gurrie Tigers' Cheerleaders

2008-12-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not (without experience) i made the cheerleading squad last month. Our first game was last Tuesday and we did a pretty good job. But as you know, first games are always the worst (or so we thought). Two days after that, we had our first away game at a nearby school and we messed up really badly. I was the captain and part of the problem was that no one listened to me.
I'm hoping to bring my cheerleading skills back to Niger to teach to the girls at Sahel. I've been trying to get cheerleading at Sahel but since i had no experience it wasn't turning out so good.
Cheerleading is pretty hard because the crowd looks at you so you have to be a good role model. We can't be sloppy and we have to do the same moves together. It's all about team work. Just like the basketball players that we cheer for. Our next game is next Tuesday at another school. I'm really looking forward to that since we learned a new half time cheer. There's also a stunt in this one. I'm the "back" in the stunts. That mean i stand behind the flyer and catch her if she falls. It's especially important in a cradle because if i don't catch her, she will probably hit her head. We've dropped our flyer (Natalie) a few times, but she hasn't gotten hurt. If you drop a flyer, the whole team, except the flyer, has to do 50 situps. I think it's worth it because she could have been seriously injured or killed. The difficult thing about cheerleading is that none of my close friends made it or tried out. So I have to build better relationships with the other girls which is hard 'cause they already have their own friends. I'm working at it and I've become better friends with my stunt group.

The Radical Ah-mazing Sleepover

2008-11-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

I talked my mom into letting me have a sleepover with some of my friends. So we went to Wheaton since there was a parade and we also picked up my friends, Ruby and Shelley. My brother went to have a sleepover with Ruby and Shelley's brother. That night, we watched "The Christmas Shoes". It was REALLY sad. After watching the movie, and of course snacking of junk food (!), we settled down in my room. Well, we tried to settle down. Since we had the computer in there, we played a few games on the Beacon Street Girls website. Then we went to disneychannel.com and watched a few Hannah Montana episodes. Finally, we turned off the lights. Beleive it or not, we went to bed at 1:30.
I love to have sleepovers with my friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Braces

2008-11-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday at 2:00, Mom took me to the orthodontist to get braces on my top teeth. They are VERY painful and there's lots of things i can't eat. I'll have to wait for 2 years to eat stuff like Snickers. I got so much going trick o' treating. So now i have to give it all up. I don't want to but that's going to happen.

The Clique Movie

2008-11-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Yesteday I saw The Clique movie for the first time ever. It was great! I thought it was TFFW just a bit. I can nawt wait to have my Ultimate Clique Party so that i can watch it with my friends.
I didn't tell you this 'cause i found out that night that I'm going to have a clique party. About seven girls are coming over to watch the Clique. It may be Sat. I'm nawt sure. It was great. We got it at Best Buy because i had a 20 dollar gift card.

From Me to U

2008-11-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been writing much on my new blog. Just trying to get my room in order. Well, here i am. Cheerleading is nawt going well. I missed three days of it 'cause i was out of the state and now i have a lot to catch up on ay-sap! Nawt going to happen if i just sit on my butt. so tomorrow after school, i'm hoping to invite Angel (another cheergirl) over so that we can work together. Hope for luck 'cause our first game is Dec. 2.