ACCEPTED!

Today I received my first acceptance letter for college! I applied about a week ago to the University of Minnesota - Morris, one of the few public liberal arts colleges in the nation. AND on top of that, I got the highest automatic academic scholarship available: $14,000 over four years. Considering the cost is $18,000 per year, I'd say that's pretty nice, huh?

All I have to do is write and essay and interview in the spring and I could get a $20k scholarship with a $2500 stipend to use for studying abroad, or I could get a full ride! This is SO exciting, guys! YEEEEEEEE!!! It completely made my day. Actually, no. It made my year!

7-year-old Me, Part III

So you know I feel bad for not updating the blog in so long, right? Did I say I'm sorry? Well, you know, school just gets me so busy. And now I have a job at an Asian Restaurant (more on that later, guys, so stay tuned!) I wish I could write more. I wish I had more time.

Well, I sure did have time when I was 7.

"I write a lot don't I. I reely like to write I colde wright
three hole pagis. I bet I colde write for a hole day if I were bore."

Oh man, not my best journal entry, guys. Apparently I had such short attention span that I couldn't even write a 'd' on the end of the word 'bored.' And if I could really write three whole pages, why didn't I? It's like I was one of those kids...you know, the kind that brag, then when you ask them to do what they said they can do, it's like, "Oh, well I don't feel like doing it now." Okay, suuuure...

Maggie...IN ACTION!

This is my dog. Her name is Maggie. 

She is the strangest dog you will ever meet. She acts like a human, and tries to talk to us so much! At night when she wants a treat, she will grab her towel and whip it around the room. Sometimes she'll just drag it over to one of us and stare at us. Literally it's like a staring contest. What kind of dog makes long eye contact like that? What a weirdo!

But okay, I love her. She is hilarious. Sometimes my sister and I will dress her up or take funny pictures of her. This just happened to be on my phone from last Christmas. (Notice the bow on her head.) We always try to get strange action shots of Maggie. These are some of our best yet! Wouldn't you agree?

Exhibit B. Just chewin' on her bone. RAWR!

And, oh. I suppose I should show you a picture of what she's actually like. You know, just so you don't think my dog is like a crazy, rabid beast with glowing eyes. That kind of thing can scare some people.

What a cutie! She always makes my day!

Oh the things you hear from a bathroom stall...

While walking in my school's restroom after school the other day, I saw a mom in there talking to her little son who was in a stall.  While I was, you know...doing my business, I heard the little boy say:

"Mom, why do they have these little garbages in here?"
"Oh, it's just for if people need to throw something away. Like gum."
"Well people can just keep their gum. They don't need to throw it away."
"Oh, yeah."

AND THEN!

"UGH! MOM, it's too hard! EEERRRGGGG!"
"Just relax, hun."
"But it's too hard. I can't do it. I give up!"
"It's okay, take your time."
"ERG!"

At this point I was washing my hands, trying to hold back a laugh, and I glanced at the woman. She smiled at me partially like she was embarrassed, but partially because she knew how funny her son sounded. As I was walking away I heard:

"Got it, Mom."

Oh geez, the things you hear in a bathroom stall. That moment completely made my day.

12 Visits Later

As you might know, this coming school year I will be a senior in high school. I've been spending hours a day since last year looking at colleges left and right, considering all options. And finally...FINALLY, I have finished my college search. No, that doesn't mean I've decided on a college. But I'm done getting tours! Here is the list of colleges I have visited:

-Concordia College (Moorhead, MN)
-St. Scholastica
-St Ben's/St. John's
-Macalester
-Bethel
-Gustavus Adolphus
-Bethany Lutheran
-St. Norbert's (WI)
-Beloit (WI)

And I topped it off with U of M Morris on Monday and St. Olaf and Carleton yesterday. I've narrowed it down I think, to Gustavus (where my sister goes!), St. Olaf (Gustavus' rival school...uh-oh!), U of M Morris (my "cheaper" option, only 18k/year!), and Beloit (5 hours away, but BEAUTIFUL campus and academic opportunities).

Yesterday, my day was made, on the ride home from Carleton and St. Olaf. I could finally let out a sigh of relief! Then when I got home, I realized, that wasn't even the hard part. The hard part will be choosing from all those colleges which one is right for me.

Any advice out there from current/past college students? How did you decide on your college? What kind of college experience did you have? I'd love to hear all about it!

You know what they say about Friendship, right?

From 7-year-old me, I would like to present some wise words. In case you didn't know already, Friendship+Friendship= SUPER POWER FRIENDSHIP! So if you have a friendship with someone, and they have a friendship with you, then BEHOLD! You have acquired SUPER POWER FRIENDSHIP! Congratulations.

Journal of 7-year-old Me

Recently I found a notebook of mine from 2001. I remember in elementary school we would be given time to write in our journals about anything. I found quite a few hilarious journal entries, but for now I'll start with one:

Translated, it says: "And my dad cot a fish about the size of my desk and half of a difrend desk. DESK!"

So I guess that's the ever-so-exciting life of a 7-year-old. And don't worry, I can assure you that my grammar, spelling, and hand writing has exponentially gotten better since then! (And I doubt my dad caught a fish that large...just saying.)

Life's Simple Pleasures #2

Relaxing outdoors on a beautiful day. It's 85 and sunny today and I have realized that some of my most relaxing moments are spent reading outside in a swinging chair under some shade, hearing the sound of the waterfalls in my backyard, seeing my dog sleeping in her dirt hole she keeps digging, and drinking some iced tea. What could be better?

7/24/11 - The Day I Lost My Friends

Yesterday was the day I finished watching Friends. I started this little quest of mine to watch all the episodes of Friends about two summers ago. I ordered the seasons on Netflix and would watch practically a disk a day in the summer and a disk a week during the school seasons. But yesterday it all ended when I finished the last episode of season 10. Friends is one of my absolute favorite shows! I was so sad that my journey was over, but every single episode made my day!

Braces for a doll?

I don't know why, but sometimes I will find an American Girl Doll magazine in our mailbox...I'm not going to go into details, but let's just say the wind magically blew the pages open and my eyes were coincidentally looking down at it...

Moving on, I saw a picture of an American Girl Doll with braces...why!? Why would someone want a doll with braces? I don't know...it just made me giggle a little bit, and it made my day for sure!

English Problems

Okay, I know this video looks weird. And it kind of is...but it's very funny! I have no clue where it's from, but I found it pretty amusing. Enjoy!

When something pays off...

I received my AP World History score today...and I got a 4! Finally, some hard work that actually pays off. And if you haven't taken AP World History, let me tell you: I took over 300 pages of notes, both written and typed, built an ancient egyptian boat complete with clay people and the like, built a miniature statue replica of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, spent a minimum of 2 hours a night working on homework and studying, and much more work that would probably bore you if I went on. So let's just say, I am currently feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I have nothing more to worry about this summer. So there you have it. A 4! YES!

THIS Guide Made My Day

June 27, 2011 at 8:26pm, I recieved this text message from my friend Amy: "Laura, your life will not be complete until you view the youtube video How to Put Yourself Inside a Coat...it completely raises the bar as far as guides go. It is pretty inspirational." Now let me explain.

Last summer, I was at a bonfire and I was telling my friends about how to make the perfect S'more. Jokingly, I said I secretly wrote guides in my free time and I was just publishing a guide on S'more-making. So, I decided to further the joke and actually write a "guide." It was called How to Build a Rock Cave. I don't know how to attach a document on blogger, but let's just say it was a pretty hilarious guide. Ever since then, Amy and I have joked around about writing guides and perfect guide topics. So that's how it all began. [/endexplaining]

So when she sent me this video, I knew it would be great. And it is. Amy and I now have plans of creating a blog of guides. I'll keep you all updated if that happens. ; ) But in the mean time, watch the video. It made my day.

Life's Simple Pleasures

Recently my grandmother was diagnosed with liver cancer. But if there's one thing this little blog of mine has taught me, it's that even though sometimes we are given these horrible obstacles that we are forced to face, life is still pretty darn great. All these simple moments I have blogged about are some of the few things that have made my life great. Most of them aren't hugely impactful, but they still count for something.

I like to think that my grandma has had one great life. She has a huge family that loves her so much, and I hope her life was filled with simple moments that made her smile as well. I know she has made my day quite a few times, and I hope she would think the same.

Every once in a while, I'll try to make a blog post about one of life's simple pleasures. Today's simple pleasure: Laughing so hard your face hurts. My grandma Max has made me laugh so hard that my face hurt. Love ya, grandma.

Aw, a cute little baby!

I stumbled upon this website called Fubiz - A Daily Dose of Inspiration. So I checked it out, and found this array of pictures of an adorable little baby sleeping, but in different poses and backgrounds surrounding it. It's very cute, trust me! It made my day! You can click on this link to see the adorable baby!

Above is a sneak peek of what I'm talking about! So CUTE, right!? : )

A little Español to my sábado

Last Saturday my family had a garage sale. Mid-way through the day a short, plump woman in her 50's or 60's came to browse at our sale. My dad overheard her speaking Spanish to her husband, and my dad told her that I spoke some Spanish. Her face completely lit up! She walked right over to me and started speaking Spanish:

"OH! Como estás?"
"Muy bien, gracias! Y Usted?"
"Bien, bien! Estudias el español en la escuela?"
"Si, pero solamente por cuatro años."
"AH! Hablas español muy bien! Oh, que bonita hija! Ahhh, bella, bella!"
"...gracias."

At this point, she was smiling like she couldn't be happier! She kept touching my arm and calling me Bella and Bonita. She told me she was so happy that American teenagers are studying Spanish. She seemed so proud of me! She was such a cute little lady, and it completely made my day!

Finding BIGFOOT!

For no reason at all except for the presence of boredom, my family started to watch Finding Bigfoot, a new show on Animal Planet on Sunday nights. I'll admit I did get sucked into watching it. But hey, it was just too funny! The part that made my day was this commercial for the new show. "I do think there's a squatch in these woods..."

Bella y la Bestia

Walking into my last class of the day on a Friday, and hearing that we get to watch Beauty and the Beast in Spanish completely made my day!

♫♪ ¡Bella y Bestia son! ♫♪

BOB vs TOM!

Most of us are familiar with TOMS. If you're not familiar with them, they are shoes you can order online that are sold for a good cause. For every pair of Toms you order, the company sends another pair of shoes to a poverty-stricken area of the world. The company started in 2006, and they are a growing trend.

These, on the other hand, are BOBS. Bobs are made by Sketchers, and they boast that they "Help the World." They sell for about the same price and they look...well, EXACTLY. LIKE. TOMS. They started selling them just recently.

It amazes me what people do sometimes. It gave me a good laugh at the shoe store, though. And it kind of made my day.

Netherlands, Malaysia, Iran, OH MY!

I love that handy little "Stats Button" that shows you views on your blog and from what website or country they came from. How neat is it that someone from Iran, Russia, Netherlands, Indonesia, South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia and...well Canada (that's pretty close to where I live, so it's not that neat I guess)...viewed this blog. I mean, is this for real? This is crazy! It is just so cool that people from all around the world could be reading these words that I am typing right now! Oh, I just can't get over this! WOW!


Thank you, international followers! And please, don't be afraid to leave a comment! (I speak a little español, if that helps?) I hope you all have a fantastic day, because you all just made mine great! : )

Slug Bug Twin!

This is Bertie. I got her a few months ago from some British people living in the US, moving to Switzerland. They had English accents, and therefore I call Bertie by her British-accented name: "Berh-tea!"

Last week while driving home from school, another identical lime green vw bug was coming from the opposite direction. I thought, hm...a car just like mine! Well as they got closer, I saw two girls in the car frantically waving at me! It's my twin car! I waved back.

A moment as little as this made me smile. It made a boring day just a little bit more exciting. And that's why this moment just completely made my day.

Tennis Ball Game

Again, during our annual college concert, we had a break right before the show. All the students went out the back door into a large square-shaped ally, with tall brick buildings surrounding us.  Apparently someone brought a tennis ball, so everyone started to throw the tennis ball to some of the students who ran up to the top of a building. They would throw it down, and whoever caught it would try to bounce it off a wall and throw it back up.  Well this went on for about 20 minutes. Finally our teachers came out, and my orchestra teacher caught the ball. Everyone sighed, "Aww..." as if the game was over. Laughing, the teacher threw it back up at the kids.

Later, one of the students tried to throw it higher than everyone else, and it landed on the roof of another building. The game was over. But it was a blast while it lasted!

A Chase

At my high school, the band, orchestra, and choir put on an annual concert at a nearby college.  We prepare for months, and we rehearse for nearly four hours once we arrive at the college. While the choir was rehearsing, one of the band students ran up to the balcony.  The band teachers, who is a complete goof-ball/funny kind of guy ran up to the balcony and chased the band student. They hid behind chairs and kept peeking over quietly at the other, just like a cat-mouse chase.

A few minutes later, the band student ran out the door, the teacher chasing him. They came back through the door, the band teacher holding the student by his ear and waving his finger.  It was so, SO funny. And the best part? Everyone knew what was going on, except the choir teacher who was completely seriously conducting the choir during the chase. One of the best moments of the concert, by far. It made my day!

Snow Day!

Yes, every kids dream! Snow day! Well, besides the fact that our school sent out the notice too late, so I actually drove to school, looked at my phone, then realized about five people had texted me that we actually didn't have school today...Other than that it is great! Today is get-caught-up-get-ahead-on-homework-watch-movies-bake-a-delicious-dessert day. Fun, fun!

My backpack is SO heavy...

When driving home from school one day, I decided to put my backpack in the passenger seat instead of the back seat. Every time I turned a corner, a little light blinked at me telling me that I was not buckled up! Well, I was! So I was so confused until all the way home. Then I realized, my backpack is so heavy, my car thought it was a person! Geesh!

There is one upside, I guess...I now have a funny story to tell!

"Error: Printing Max. has been reached"

There was one week last semester where I had to do a TON of printing on the school computers. I needed to print out sources for a big paper for College Comp, and print out sheet music for our quartet's performance at a nursing home that week. So, added up, it was probably over 100 sheets of paper I had to print.

When I started to print another piece of music, a message popped up: "Error: the printing maximum has been reached." So, yeah...I think I was banned from printing for the next week or two? I thought it was pretty funny. And it completely made my day.

Argyle Sweater!

Walking down the hallways of my school, having a "Who can spot the most people wearing argyle sweaters" contest with my friend made my day. It's been a tradition ever since this Orchestra Festival in our area's conference. The contest originated there because of the masses of argyle sweater-wearers we spotted.  And now it's our morning ritual.

Today was a good day. I won the contest.

Spring is a-comin'!

This morning I heard the birds chirping outside my window. And to make things even better, it is 40 degrees right now! It's going to be a wonderful day. : )

My Rupper-Dupper!

Maggie, my golden retriever. AKA Maga-monster, Magatha,
Maggie-doodle, or Rupper-Dupper



  I took this picture a few days ago with my phone. She looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders--like she's contemplating a world-wide issue.  Well, either that, or she's concentrating on the squirrels outside the window...

Let's go on a Neature Walk!

So, my sister is an environmental studies major in college right now, and apparently all the environmental majors are obsessed with these videos. I watched them, and now I'm addicted too!  They are pretty funny, and it completely made my day! Hope you enjoy!

(P.S I'm not sure how this whole video thing works yet, this is my first time trying to post a youtube video, so hopefully it works. If not, search "Neature Walk" on youtube)

Pickles



Delicious pickle wrapped in
salami, spread with cream cheese. YUM!

 Ok, so it is a tradition for me to make these little pickle appetizers every Thanksgiving and Christmas because everybody loves them! It sounds really gross at first, but they are delicious! When I was cutting the pickles, I came across this little guy. Perhaps he was surprised, or even angry I cut him up. Oh well, it made my day! : )

Happy New Year!

2011 has finally come! I can't wait for what this year has to bring. I hope it will bring joy to all my readers, as well.  Last night, my parents' friends came over for a while and I had such a fun time just talking with them.  I can't really remember the last time I just talked with someone. Anyway, I didn't stay up for the ball being dropped, but I did have a good night's sleep!

I hope you all had a great holiday break and a happy new year!