"It's been real, and it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun"

Looking back on all my blog posts, most of them had something to do with what was happening that week. It freaks me out how fast this year has gone by. I thought I was going to be stuck in high school forever, and now there's only two REAL weeks left of school before exams. I literally cannot even begin to believe that high school is almost over. High school has taught me everything I know. I thought I knew a lot coming in, but I was wrong. The friends you start high school with probably won't be the same ones you leave with, and the ones you leave with probably won't be the ones you enter college with. Family is important; you may think they're annoying now, but when the countdown begins for college, you'll realize that they won't be there for you next year. A lot of things that you've always depended on them for will have to be taken into your responsibility. You'll do things you swore to yourself you'll never do. Things that will disappoint people, and things that will make people look up to you. But the most important thing I've learned, is that you will change. Your hair will change, your clothes will change, your body may change, but your WAYS will change. You'll find yourself doing different things then you would normally. You might start seeing someone else's view on things and change yours completely.

I'm nervous for college, but I know good things will come while I'm there. Once again, things will be changing. I expected high school to be the prime of my life, and obviously since I'm still in it, it has been. But along with those really amazing memories, come the heart wrenching, terrible memories. These memories will be with you forever, and the only thing you can do is make new ones and block them out. That's what I'm using college as. I'm going to remember all the good memories: dubnation, winning prom queen, graduation, blink concert, so many get togethers, but I'm going to overlap over the bad ones.

High school: it's been real, and it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun. The real fun awaits.

"I can't tell you the key to success, but the key to failure is pleasing everyone"

I would call this type of person a "people pleaser." Someone who wants everyone around them to be happy with their actions. Someone who over does things for people, and changes their opinions in the face of different people around them. I think at some points I'm even a people pleaser. I want everyone around me to be happy with my decisions. I want my parents to be happy about where I'm going to school. I choose things based on other people, and not myself.  Sometimes, no matter what you choose, people aren't going to be happy with you. I always think that something might justify my actions, but usually they just make them seem far worse. My only suggestion is to do what makes you happy. Don't commit to a college that your parents want you to go to. Go to a college that's going to be well suited for YOU and YOUR dreams.

It's basically impossible to please everyone. You can choose to take your mom out to eat for her birthday, but someone in your family might not like the restaurant. The only goal here is to make your mom happy. Don't let other people's thoughts and feelings influence your every move. Do everything you want to do, and don't care what anyone else thinks.

"Lies run sprints, truth runs marathons"

 The worst thing to find out is a lie. Especially when the lie involves you and was told by someone you truly care about. I'm not talking about a "you look great today!" lie when you really look terrible, I'm talking about a lie that destroys other peoples' feelings. A lie that shows someone truly doesn't care anymore. What I honestly don't understand is why people lie to make themselves look better. I think everyone has done this at some point in their life, but when it comes down to someone you love, it's just not a good idea.

Everyone knows that people have ways to find out things about him. I promise you, if you lie to someone, someone, at some point, WILL find out about that lie. Someone will get the truth out sometime and the trust between the people is completely broken. The sprint is over.

The truth, however, can shine through anything. Even if something bad happened, I think the right thing to do is tell the truth. In the long run, it'll be more worth it to have told the truth out front in the beginning, then to lie and cause more turmoil. If you're trying to save a relationship, just tell the truth. More trust will be formed that way.

"Drunken words are sober thoughts"

I have no idea who said this, but they are a genius. I don't understand why everyone can't always have these "drunken words." Life would be so much easier if everyone just said what they were thinking. Secret thoughts complicate things much more than need be. I think everyone should just be drunk all the time so they just say what they're thinking.

"A tattoo is only as cool as the meaning behind it"

 Tattoos are a touchy subject, especially in high school. When people save up enough money, they can get anything they want permanently inked on their body. I have a lot of opinions when it comes to tattoos so I'm going to go ahead and share some of those.

1. My first issue is couple tattoos. If you haven't been dating for a long period of time, it's probably not a good idea to get a tattoo of the other person's name on a visible spot of your body. This couple that I work with was dating, and she got a tattoo of his initials and the word "forever" on her wrist. They recently broke up and I have no idea what she's planning on doing with the tattoo. I think it's different if you get the date you've been together because the time you were together is still significant after you've broken up, even if the person isn't significant. Another thing that seems acceptable is just a matching tattoo with someone that you love. That tattoo will remind you of all the amazing times you spent with that person.

2. My second problem is princess crowns. When you're 16, walking around saying you're a princess might seem like a good idea, and getting a tattoo just to show all the other girls at your school who call themselves princesses might seem like an even better idea, but it's not. You are AN IDIOT if you get a tattoo of a princess crown. How does that have any significance? When you grow up and realize you're going to have to make your OWN money, and you're not just being handed money like princesses are, you're going to feel stupid. I have no sympathy for these people.

3. Face/neck tattoos are the worst decision you could make. You can't cover those up; you'll be able to see it through make-up. Have fun finding a job in the executive world!

4. Popular tattoos. Don't get an infinity symbol, butterfly, star pattern up your back, flower tramp stamp, or cliche quote in another language. You're not even trying to stand out; you're conforming to the rest of society.


The coolest tattoos are the ones that have meaning behind it. Nobody wants to hear you tell them a story about how you got a tattoo just because it looks cool.



This girl's tattoos are the days she survived cancer. Now THAT is meaning.

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on”- Robert Frost

April 1st is the big day, folks. That's when most people have found out whether they got into the college they want to attend. Throughout the past week, myself and a few of my friends have found out that they didn't get into the college they were hoping to go to. I got wait listed at NC State. Jimmy and Greg got wait listed at Virginia Tech. Elise didn't get into Virginia Tech. Kyle didn't get into Boston University.  Although none of us got immediately accepted into these schools, all of us STILL got into amazing schools. I got into Tech, East Carolina, Christopher Newport, and VCU. Greg's already planning where he'll live when he goes to VCU. Jimmy got into Appalachian State and James Madison. Elise got into Radford, Longwood, Old Dominion, and VCU. Kyle got into RIT and UMASS.

Getting wait listed at NC State was the last thing I wanted to happen; I had my whole life planned out around me getting accepted to the University. I still got into Virginia Tech, which was the school I'd been dreaming of going to ever since I was in middle school. When I first found out I got wait listed, I was completely upset. I cried and I was angry toward people that got in. After wasting a few days doing that, I realized that my life is going to go on no matter what. I'm going to get a college education, I'm going to be successful, and I'm going to make things work with Hunter, even though we're going to separate colleges.

I hope every single one of my friends becomes successful in everything they do. Even though they might not have gotten into the university they wanted to go to, they still have the ability to be happy and live an awesome life. College is going to be a life-changing experience, and no matter where we all go, we'll all end up somewhere great.

"The couple that fights the most is the one most in love"

This quote annoys me. If you're in a relationship, you probably know that the worst part of that relationship is getting into fights. When all you're trying to do is be happy, and have a nice time, a fight always seems to pop up and ruin your plans. I used to believe this quote for a long time, but now I just think it's a total lie. To me, the whole point of being in a relationship with someone is to be happy. They're supposed to make you happy and vice versa. If more time is spent mad/upset with each other than happy, I don't see the point in being in the relationship anymore. The other person in the relationship obviously isn't doing their job.

I've basically seen this happening throughout a relationship of two people that I'm friends with. At the beginning of their relationship, everything was smooth sailing. They were both content with everything. As the relationship progressed, they started fighting more and more, and never got out of that funk. They continuously fight when it's just them, and it seems like they're never happy anymore.

Showing that you can overcome a few big fights may prove that you're a strong couple, and you're the "most in love", but if they're happening every single day, something isn't right. If more of your time in the relationship is spent worrying about fighting instead of actually letting loose and being happy, give it up. It'll be for the better. You aren't really in love, and things will steadily get worse.

 

"The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even if the people in it do" - Andy Worhol

Pictures are probably one of my favorite items. I wouldn't say I have an obsession with them, but I really enjoy them. I like looking at them a long time after they were taken, and notice things that I haven't noticed before. Pictures capture moments so brilliantly; if you take a picture at the right moment, that moment can be yours forever. I've taken tons and tons of pictures from around sixth grade, and I still continue to take pictures every single day. I want my children to know the things that I did with my friends. I want them to know that I lived an amazing life. I want them to see the memories I made.

After a few years of high school, people I was once friends with just aren't my friends anymore, but it's still fun to go back and look at pictures that we took. It's fun to think what we were doing, where we were, where we were getting ready to go, everything. I'm going to share some of my favorite pictures, from some of my favorite times. I may not be friends with these people anymore, but the picture will never change. That moment will never be erased from my life. I will love that moment forever even if I don't love these people forever.

I love this picture so much. One of my friends had a dance party and Every Other Weekend played. Chalsa used to be my best friend and they were covering Blink-182 songs, which is who we were crazy about. You can tell what song we're singing in this (All The Small Things) and it makes me so happy. We were having such a good time, and had no worries. In this moment, I have so much happiness because they were playing one song. Chalsa and I aren't even friends anymore, but I will always keep this picture.

This is from softball my freshman year, the year I stopped playing. Our coach was Coach McAllister, and I loved her so much. Softball that year was a million times better than my eighth grade year, and I'll never forget the people on the team. This picture just shows what a great time I had that season, and how happy I was. I still catch up with Coach M on Facebook, and she's the same chill, down to earth coach I knew.

This may seem lame, but Austin, Michaela, Kaylyn, and I used to call ourselves TMNT. This day we went to the mall and hung out with Andrew Bozman. We took so many pictures and bought stupid stuff from Claire's. This was either in seventh or eighth grade, and it shows how much we've changed. All of us have grown apart in some way or another, but this picture reminds me that we used to hangout every single weekend; this was just one instance of fun we ran into.

The night of the fair. The first night I talked to Hunter. The only reason I was at the fair was by chance, and I didn't even talk to any of the people who were there, but I'm glad I went. After the fair was when I became friends with Hunter, and I had the biggest crush on him! I know after this picture was taken I was giddy that I was right next to him in it. We talk about this picture all the time and how funny it is that everyone has their arm around someone, but Hunter and I don't. Everyone in this picture doesn't even hang out anymore, but I will NEVER, ever forget that night.

YOLO!

"You only live once"

After the popular song, "The Motto" by Drake was released, this phrase became popular again. It's also abbreviated as "YOLO"  in the song. Some people may find this saying stupid, annoying, or childish, but I think it could spice up someone's life. This quote has had quite an effect on some people. If something comes up that doesn't happen very often, one might think "YOLO" to themselves, and take the opportunity to do that thing. There have been numerous jokes about this quote, and there's even a twitter account named "Yolo Jokes" that just tweets jokes that mock the quote all day. Some of the jokes are funny, like people asking, "Before Drake, did people think they could live more than once?" Well no, people didn't think that.Teenagers and young adults listen to Drake, and one's teenage years are supposed to be the funnest ones of their life. Drake could have a profound impact on these people and make their lives better than they already are. Some people may start taking chances that they would've never taken before, all because.. well.. YOLO.

I've also been known to mock this phrase. The other night in dance class, my friend told me she didn't think she could do a certain jump. I replied with, "Well.... YOLO!" She started laughing, but when she went across the floor, she still tried to nail the jump. The phrase can just make someone have more definite decisions in their life.  Although I think this phrase is completely outplayed, I know that some of my decisions will be based off of this from now on. I'm going to jump on opportunities that arise that may never arise again.

"I carry your heart with me. I am never without it. Anywhere I go, you go, my dear" - e.e Cummings

This actually isn't the official quote by e.e. Cummings. This was a verse in a song that I sang in tenth grade with the all girls show choir, Reflections. Around winter break, our chorus teacher, Mrs. Gregory, told us that she was going to be out of school for a little while because she needed to get surgery. She told us not to worry, she would be back, and we would practice harder than ever for our competitions while she was gone. While she was gone, we had Mrs. Graham. Mrs. Graham had a sort of hard attitude about her; she knew Mrs. Gregory personally and was extremely excited to teach our class, and help us clean up our shows. We worked hard while Mrs. G was gone. My first competition was coming up on Friday, March 5, and I was a nervous wreck. On Monday morning I walked into school, and I saw all of the teachers walking out of the auditorium. I didn't really think anything of it, and went to my first period gym class. As we were sitting on the bleachers (we didn't dress out that day) the announcements came on. The speaker announced that we had lost a special one of our teachers that morning. Her name was Mrs. Gregory.

I literally couldn't believe my ears. I immediately started crying, and turned around to hug Hieu. I sat there hugging Hieu for what seems like hours, thinking that this couldn't be true. Mrs. Gregory had to come back to school! She had to see our show. She had to see me perform. She had to see us place at competition. I looked across the gym at Kaylyn, and ran over and hugged her. We were both in Reflections. At the beginning of our freshman year, Mrs. Gregory had told us something important. "You are my future show choir girls," she said. Mrs. Gregory knew I danced, and the passion that I had for it. She always bragged to Mrs. Jennifer, our choreographer, whenever I had to leave rehearsal for dance class. She was so proud of me for everything I did. Every time we did a writing assignment, she told me she LOVED my hand writing. Whenever I walked down to fourth period, I could smell popcorn because that's what Mrs. G loved to snack on. Nothing was ever going to be the same.

Mrs. Graham chose for us to sing a rendition of this song at our spring concert. Every time we sung it in class, I felt chills. Some people may say this is an exaggeration, but I'm not lying. Every time we sung this I felt something inside of me stir. It's like she was there listening. We executed that song perfectly every time we sung it, and it was the night of the spring concert. I wasn't nervous about our show. I wasn't nervous about the opening song. I was only nervous about "I Carry Your Heart." I'd been waiting to sing this for a crowd, for the crowd to feel the feelings we had toward the song, for a long time. It was finally the night. A few verses into the song, I was crying. Mrs. Gregory wasn't an ordinary teacher. She was someone special. She always gave people her personal advice. She complimented students daily. She told us that she gave a student her lunch every single day, so she could spend her lunch money on her show choir costumes. Mrs. Gregory was special.

A part of Mrs. G will always be with me, just like this song says. If I hadn't gotten those chills every time we sung this song, I don't think this would be true. I think about Mrs. Gregory every single day. If I see a pink sky, she's the first one that comes to my mind. Mrs. Gregory was really an amazing woman, and I wish more people would've gotten to know her amazing ways.

 

 

"You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down" 

 - Toni Morrison

This is one of my favorite quotes. I actually had no idea that this is the way it's worded, and please excuse the bad language. I guess the only reason why this quote is my favorite is because it's completely true. After getting through about a year and a half of high school, I started dating Hunter. As we started getting more and more serious, he started choosing to hang out with me over his friends. It was obvious that some of his friends weren't getting anywhere in life. Sometimes I felt guilty about him hanging out with me all the time, but he simply told me that those "bad" friends weren't going to get him through college, weren't going to help him get a job, and weren't going to help make him successful. He said hanging out with me was important because I was going to do all of those things (he still talked to his "good" friends and has made more since he's been in college.) I'm now in my senior year of high school, and have found his reasoning to be completely true. Some of the friends that I'd had since the beginning of high school were starting to have a negative impact on me. They were either completely fake, talking about me behind my back, or just headed in the wrong direction. Being friends with them wasn't doing anything good for my life. I was going to be the one to go to college, have a job, and get good grades. I've given up tons of friends and free time because I need to be successful. Ever since I've "given up the shit that weighs me down" I've gotten better grades, kept my job, applied to colleges, and made new, better friends. The friends that I have now are going to help me through the next few years of my life. They aren't weighing me down.