The Hard Times in Life

This past weekend, I found out a close friend of mine is not doing well. It came as a real shock, as the last time I saw him, he seemed to be doing well. And that wasn't that long ago.

I have been friends with him, his wife, and his son for many, many years. I met the husband and wife at least seventeen years ago, maybe more, and then they had their son almost sixteen years ago.

So this is going to be a very hard time for both me, and them. They are like family to me, and it hurts to see them going through something like this.

I was asked if I could help out with some household chores, which I will be doing soon. I know what it's like having a parent who's sick, so I know what they are going through, and I don't mind helping them out.

When I visited the wife the other day, she had called her husband to see how he was doing, and I got to talk to him for a few minutes. He was worried about everything at home, and how his husband, son, and dog were doing.

It broke my heart to hear him so worried like this. And that he is in a condition like this. Not just his worried state, but his physical health.

This just goes to show how precious life is, and not to take anything for granted. Life is precious, and can change in a second.

Nothing stays the same, and no one lives forever. Not here on Earth. So tell those you love how you feel, and remember what they have done for you.

So, to my neighbor friends, I will be there for you through anything that happens, now and always. You have made such a huge impact on my life, and I am so thankful that we have become friends over these past many years.

Thank you for all that you have done, and for being such amazing friends.

10-Year High School Reunion

I can't believe my ten year high school reunion is coming up next month. How is that even possible?!?!

These past ten years went by so fast. Quite a few things have happened in that time, some good, some bad.

But, I wouldn't change that for anything.

To be honest, I didn't really enjoy high school. I didn't do well in my classes, I was really shy, I didn't do any sports, clubs, or activities. I didn't go to any sporting events.

Although I did go to dances throughout my high school career. They weren't too bad, but not too great either. At least I was with my friends at the dances, though.

There is no venue as of yet, but I really want to go to the reunion, which is on September 27th.

On September 26th, there is going to be a Homecoming football game, which I am planning on going to, hopefully with some friends.

There is also going to be a pre-reunion party for the class of 2004, but there is no set venue for that either.

I am slowly starting to get excited for this reunion. Some of my friends I haven't seen since graduation, and I hope I get to see them next month.

I can't wait for September 26th and 27th to get here!!!

New Friendships

When I started volunteering in the library's children's area in May/June, there was a temporary summer reading program librarian who was hired for the summer.

Her name was Dianne (the same name as me, just a slight difference in the spelling), which I thought was kind of funny, but cool.

We instantly hit it off. Our personalities are pretty different. She is outgoing, and I am shy.

Now that summer is just about over, she is leaving on Thursday, as the summer reading program is over.

Last week, she had given me a card and some jewelry she made herself, after I had given her a note saying how much I truly appreciated getting to know and talk to her over the summer.

What's great about that is that she remembered my favorite color, purple, and incorporated it into the jewelry. I absolutely love them (a necklace and a pair of earrings), and was touched that she did that for me.

I am going to miss seeing her at the library, but we had exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, so we can stay in touch. Which I hope we can do for many, many years to come.

Dianne has helped me come out of my shell a little, which is something I wanted to do.

Seeing and talking with her over the summer has made volunteering much more enjoyable this year, and I hope to be able to see her in the future as well.

So, thank you Dianne, for all that you have done. You have no idea the impact you have made on me! You are the best, and I wish you all the best in the future!!

Fun-Filled Weekend

Last weekend, I had gone on vacation with a few friends, as there was a festival going on.

It was so much fun!!

There were a lot of games, food, music, and rides. I checked out some of everything.

One of the games they had was the goldfish ping pong game. In their game, if you got five ping pong balls in bowls, you could get a hermit crab instead of the fish. That's what I decided to do when I played.

Besides going to the festival, I went swimming a few times with my friends, and just hung out a bit.

The day we were going back home, my friends did a Christmas in July celebration. They didn't tell me they were going to do that, so I didn't get anything for them, and I wasn't expecting to get anything myself.

But, I got three different presents, which really surprised me.

I got four different sizes of knitting needles (two sizes of which I already had), some yarn, and a baking book.

I am really into knitting and baking, so I was (and am) very happy with what I got.

The friend that gave me the knitting stuff said that if I wanted to, she could take me to the store to exchange what I didn't want or need for something I did want or need.

I decided to exchange the needle sizes I already had for ones I wanted/needed.

She also got me more yarn, some sewing needles (for sewing in the ends of the yarn for when a project is finished), and a bottle of lavender and vanilla scented lotion.

All in all, I had a wonderful time with my friends!!

The Fault in Our Stars Movie Outing

Well, yesterday I decided to go see The Fault in Our Stars.

Oh. My. Gosh.

So sad, so moving, so beautiful. Definitely a tear-jerker of a movie.

If you decide to go see this movie, be prepared to cry quite a bit. Bring some tissue with you.

If you don't know what it is about, it is about two teenagers, a boy and a girl, who have cancer, and are trying to live life to the fullest with the time they have. They travel halfway around the world to have some questions answered, they go through the pain of sickness and of loss.

I haven't read the book before seeing the movie (yeah, yeah, I know we're "supposed to read the book first, but I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy, and I really wanted to see the movie), so I was a little unprepared for how it would go.

I may wait awhile before reading the book, though, as I'm still kind of on an emotional high right now.

But I will definitely read it, as I am curious as to how the book differs to the movie.

Movies like this really make me realize what's most important in life: family and friends, love, living every moment to the fullest.

Movie With a Friend: Maleficent

Friday afternon, I went to see Maleficent with a friend of mine. I had posted a status update, asking if anyone wanted to go see it with me, and she had said she wanted to. So during the week before we saw the movie, we made plans for the movie.

It was awesome!!!!

I would highly recommend it to others to watch.

If you don't know what Maleficent is about, here is a description of it from IMDB:

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal - an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom - and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well. Written by Walt Disney Pictures

So, go see it in theaters if you can, or check it out from the library/Netflix if you can't.

Heaven is For Real

Yesterday after school, I went to go see Heaven is for Real at the theater.

The book was really good, so I thought I would see the movie, and how they were able to interpret the story.

Let me just say, it was a great movie!! It made me cry several times, and it showed a realistic view of life, and everything that a family would go through in life.

If you don't know, Heaven is For Real is based on a true story, about a family who went through very hard times, where the father was a pastor and was facing rough times with his church, is in a freak accident playing softball, and then his and his wife's young son, who was four at the time of this event, had to go in for surgery because of a burst appendix.

During the surgery, Colton, the boy, left his body and visited Heaven, although he did not die. It was a very difficult thing for the father to accept and then to explain to others, when Colton described this to him. But he accepted it as true, and truly believed that his son visited Heaven and saw Jesus.

Heaven is For Real was/is a very touching, moving book, and now movie. I highly recommend both.

Feeling Left Out

I've read/heard that Facebook can make people depressed or feel down, because seeing pictures and statuses of what they're friends are doing makes them feel bad about what they're doing. Like what they are doing isn't really all that great.

Well, I believe that is true. Seeing what my friends are doing makes me feel left out. I haven't done anything with freinds in quite a while, and seeing what they have been up to makes me feel like they don't want to be friends with me, as some of them still live in the same area as me, and they don't feel the need to include me in some of their activities.

It makes me feel kind of angry, and upset that they don't want to do anything with me anymore. I have invited them to do something with me, but they always declined.

It frustrates me that they don't seem to want to hang out with me anymore, so, I don't know what to do. A few of them have really been there for me a few years ago, when my mom died, helping me get through it. But now, it's like they don't even care anymore.

I don't want to let go of those friendships just yet, though. It's crazy, feeling this way when I'm an adult. But, it happens sometimes.

I'm hoping to be able to talk with them able this, and see how it goes from there.

Birthday Weekend

Well, yesterday was my birthday. I had a good day, getting a present from a neighbor family, a card and money from my dad, making a gingerbread house, putting up the tree and decorations, church with dad, baking a cake (yes, I baked my own birthday cake, which I do not mind doing at all), and watching a couple movies (Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Harry Potter 3).

I had a really good day overall. The presents I got from the neigbors were 3 headbands, a magnetic color cubes set, a dark chocolate turkey, and a card. I am already hooked on the color cubes, as I LOVE magnets. There is a booklet that came with the set, that has pattern ideas. I have already done two of them so far.

I'm not doing anything special today. Just relaxing.

Leftover candy from the gingerbread house

Finding a Long-Lost Friend After Over 15 Years

On Friday, September 30th, I found my best friend from elementary school on Facebook. I hadn’t seen/heard from her in over 15 years, so I was really surprised to find her again. But, I was so excited to find her.
But, I was also nervous, because I wasn’t sure if she even remembered me, after all these years. I was nervous to send her a friend request, because of that, and I didn’t know how she’d react.
If she did remember me, I wasn’t sure if she would be excited about hearing from me again. If she didn’t, I wasn’t sure if she would think I was some crazy person or something.
Yesterday, I finally sent her a friend request, along with a little message, about us being neighbors and classmates. I was anxiously awaiting what would happen next. I was hoping she would remember me and accept the friend request.
Well, good news!! She accepted it. Although, she didn’t send a message back, so I don’t know if she was just being nice in accepting the request, or if she actually remembered me. But, at least I can talk to her again.
Although, I don’t really know what to do next. Send her another message to get a conversation going? Wait for her to make the next move? What? I have no idea what to do now. There’s too much to say to know where to begin.
I really hope we can build up our friendship again. I want her in my life. She was my best friend, after all. I had written (or typed, actually) a letter of all the things I would say to her, if I was bold enough to do that.
I might post it on here, if I feel comfortable with that. I miss her friendship. We lived a block apart from each other, before she moved away. So I think the friendship was even more special for me.
I just don’t know how she feels about all this. I don’t want to push her or anything, but I would like to know. I would not be happy if she doesn’t want to build up the friendship again, but if that’s what happens, then there’s nothing I can do about it.
I don’t really know how to go about saying this to her, though. I don’t want her to think I’m desperate or anything, but I want her to know that I want this. Even after all these years.
I wish my mom was still alive, so I can talk to her about this. It sucks not having her around. She could give me advice on what to do. Although, I can ask my friends for their opinions. And maybe my dad, although I don’t know how he would feel about that.
I’ll figure something out soon. I hope. I have a lot of emotions going on right now (happiness, nervousness, confusion, surprise, awkwardness, maybe a little jealousy), so I want to figure out what to do soon.
Someday, if all goes well, I would like to get together with her, and talk. Hang out. Catch up on life. Have fun. Be friends. Maybe best friends. If we do get together, I would like to make something for her, that would be special. To tell her that she still means something to me, even after all this time.
Well, that’s all for now. More to come later.

A Friend in Need

I found out today that a friend of mine lost her dad to a drunk driver. I am sorry for her loss, but I'm also angry that the person was stupid enough to get behind the wheel and drive. Thanks to that person, my friend has to live with the grief and anger of losing her dad this way.

I hate it when people think they can drive after they've had drinks.  I know their judgment is impaired after drinking, but I don't get why they are allowed to get behind the wheel when they're drunk. It just gets me angry.

I wonder how that person feels, knowing that he has killed someone. I hope he feels tons and tons of remorse, guilt and shame. I hope he's put in jail for a long while, so he can think about what he's done. My friend and her family does not need to go through this. She is one of the most wonderful people I know, and I am fortunate to be considered one of her friends. She does NOT deserve this.

I will be leaving my phone on all night, probably for several nights, for my friend, if she wanted to talk at night. She was there for me when my mom died, so I'm repaying the favor for her. She desperately needs friends and family right now.

I know what she is going through, so I can shed a little light on her situation, if she has any questions for me. I'm just angry that there are people out there who drink and drive, and think that's ok. They don't really care about anything if they do that. I don't mind if people want to have a good time, but drinking doesn't have to be a part of that.

This is why I don't drink. Or, rarely drink. I don't want to put other lives in danger, because of my actions. I hate seeing people suffer, especially if it's friends and family. I just want to scream at the top of my lungs, because life is just so unfair. I know I can't change what has happened, but I wish I could tell people NOT TO DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what happens when you do. You jeopardize your life, and others' lives as well. You could end up killing someone, or yourself. You could cause a lot of grief, anger, and confusion. I wish I could ask this person why he did what he did. And how he feels. I really want to make him feel bad for what he did. But, I can't. That's ok, though. I don't want to cause anymore problems than there already are.

I really wish my friend wasn't going through all this crap. It's not fair. I hope the person who caused this finds it in his heart to apologize (even though that isn't enough for what has happened), and to feel bad for what he has done. If he doesn't feel sorry/bad about his actions, then he doesn't have a heart, and he is a  MONSTER. He doesn't deserve to live, if that is the case.

Sorry for going on like this, but I needed to let it out. Thanks for listening.

Valentine's Day and Beyond

I had a good Valentine's Day yesterday. I had a friend over to hang out. I made a card and some fudge for him. We played some games, ate, and talked a while. I had a good time. Today, I had my Success in College class. We did an in-class assignment, and the teacher handed back the quiz we took last week.

I passed with an A, so I'm happy about that. I am glad today was a short day, since I'm kind of tired right now. I will be taking a nap in a little while. I still have homework to do, that's due one Wednesday, for my Hospitality class.

As I am using the computer, I am watching Olympic skiing. Just now, a Canadian just won gold. Good job Canada.

Tomorrow, I will be working on my homework, and relaxing the rest of the day. Of course, I'll be watching the Olympics tomorrow, as part of my relaxing day.

That's all for now. More to come later.

School Starts Soon

I start school this coming Wednesday. I can't wait, but I also want a few more days before I go back. But I have to go back at some point. I'm looking forward to my classes. On Friday, I went to school to get my books, school ID, and accommodations for my classes. So I am all set to go.

I have one class on Mondays and Fridays, and 2 classes on Wednesdays. I think that's all I can handle right now. In the future, I might take more classes in a semester. Hospitality sounds like a really fun major to have.

There is a class that I am really looking forward to take in the coming semesters. It is called "Chocolate." As the name implies, it is a class dedicated to chocolate. We will be learning about how to work with it, and we will actually get to make recipes with it. I can't wait until then. It will be lots of fun, especially since I love chocolate.

Tomorrow, my mom wants me to go with her to her doctor's appointments. I love my mom, but I really do not want to go to it. I have gone to too many of them to be looking forward to it. She's able to handle it by herself. She doesn't need me there.

A couple of times, I've had to cancel a party that I wanted to have, to celebrate my birthday. Now, I have decided to wait until my 25th birthday to have a party. Unless I can have it earlier. I really hope so. I really want to see my friends again. I haven't seen them in quite a while. It would be nice to see them again.

Though, I am looking online, and checking out books, for ideas for a party. I'm looking for anything from food, games, favors, etc. I really hope to have a party this year. It would make me really happy if that would happen.

That's pretty much all that is happening right now. More will come soon.