1 year anniversary!

When I first reminded my Mom about our first anniversary, Monkey got a big grin on his face. "You're married?!?" he teased. No, I'm not married. The anniversary I'm talkin' about is the anniversary of our moving to My-opolis.
I can't believe we've lived here a year already! I remember that weekend so well. Packing up everything within three weeks.....Stuffing our 'entire house' into a U-haul truck......Getting up at 4:30 am so we could get to WI on time.......Big Sis driving with me (her first time driving the car on a trip! She'd only gotten her license a few weeks before)......Listening to GO on the way up......
We had more comparative strangers show up to help move in than friends helping us move out, which was interesting.
I was the only person with a real bed a year ago tonight! Everyone else had to use air mattresses or the floor.


In the past year, the following things have happened:

• I've made numerous new friends. Let's see.....somewheres around 25. Plus new acquaintances, which are different....


• We went sledding multiple times last Winter with our new friends.


• I have played volleyball nearly every Sunday since late Spring.


• I've gotten much better at volleyball!


• My family and our friends have worked on practicing a play together. No, we haven't had a chance to actually perform it yet, but we did have fun practicing!
  
• Sis and I performed in the church's Talent Night, and did something for it we would never have dared doing at our old church! I don't think we would have done anything for a talent night in the IA church, just because....it wasn't something we'd be expected to do!
  


• I scored 4th place at the annual Uno Tournament! And won a Turtle. ------>


• I turned 17.


• My personality has changed a LOT; from someone too shy and scared of what others would think of her to a slightly more self-confident girl who speaks up a bit more. Sometimes too much, but at least I'm not mute anymore!
  I have moved one year closer to graduation!


• I have been accepted.
  
• I am a happier person because I've been accepted and, even though I'm new here, I'm not an 'outsider'.
  
• Oh, and I went to my first Cubs game last September 26th. 'Twas cool. :)

Oh, I could probably think of more things to add, but I'm running out of time. Maybe I'll save the other things for next year.
My thanks to all of you who have made this year so great! Did you know that a year ago, I barely even knew what you looked like, much less your names or anything about you?? This past year has been amazing. Let's see how great this year could be!

~Kiwi~

p.s. Don't forget about Talk Like A Pirate Day this Saturday!!

I TOLD you we should have bought a dump truck....

A week or two ago, Sis and I took a friend shopping. On the way home, we came to a T-intersection where we could have turned right or left--towards construction or away from it. I suggested left, but noooo, Sis wanted to turn right because 'she knew how to get home from there better.' So we turned just in time to be first in the line of cars that were stopped. We sat and waited. And waited. And twiddled thumbs. And I bugged her. And we rolled our eyes as the flagger waved dump truck after dump truck past us.
"I told you that you should have bought a dump truck. I told you! And I also told you not to turn right...."

So that's where the title came from. I thought of it and just had to use it, even if the post had nothing to do with the title.

I started school today. This is my senior year!!! Frankly, I'm not looking forward to this year, but I'm going to try to be pleasant about it. I complain way too much. But let it be written, chemistry is terrible, writing is hard, and literature is stuffy. Now that that is out of the way, my List of Courses to Get Through This Year in Order to be Able Graduate Next Spring is this:

• Apologia chemistry: I am already almost half-way through the book, so I might get it done.
  
• Typing: I know all the keys fairly well, but Mom says I ought to keep working on speed. My average WPM is 60, though, which isn't too bad!


• Wordsmith Craftsman writing: I only have 5 or 6 essays left, then I'm done!


• Christian Light Education's Literature course: Part-way through that, too, I just need to finish it.
  
• "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" economics: I have barely even seen the book, so I don't know anything other than what Mom told me--"It's really good!"


• History: I'm mostly just reading books and writing reports and the occasional essay.

Later in the year I'll start Government, and later in September, Mom and I are taking a continuing education art class from the community college! I'm mostly looking forward to the art class. But I'm also nervous about it. I'm just always scared of messing up! You should see all the paintings I haven't shown on here! On second thought, though, maybe you shouldn't...

So what are y'all doing for school this year? Are you looking forward to/enjoying school so far?

One random, unconnected item: Mark September 19th on your calendars as "Talk Like A Pirate Day!" Yes, folks, it's that time of year again! The time when you unpack your eye-patches and shake the mothballs off your peg legs, the time when you try out your piratey accents and start digging in the yard for buried treasure. What? You doubt the creditability of my statement? Check THIS out. Or there's the official site.

Don't forget!
I'll see y'all later,
~Kiwi~
p.s. look to your left for a new poll!
p.p.s. there's a new post on my photo blog: http://www.kiwi-and-her-pictures.blogspot.com/