Wow, It's Been a While...

I'm honestly not sure if anybody reads this blog, but if you do, I am terribly sorry. Senior year started, and blogging took a major backseat.

I cannot believe I'm nearly three quarters finished with my final year of high school. Adults tell you all the time to cherish these four years because they fly by. They weren't kidding. I'm still in shock that I'll never take an SUA literature class again or perform at another pep rally or halftime. I'm getting old.

Senior year has been quite the experience so far. My final StUD season was the most successful one yet. I am so proud of these girls I cannot even put it into words. My freshman year we wouldn't have even dreamed of competing, and now we're being noticed at competitions as a force to be reckoned with. It's truly amazing how far we've come. The team has become like a family, and our time at team bonding sleepovers is something that I'll never forget. I don't know how I'll adjust to a new team next year.

Academically, I'm pleasantly surprised. Literature was challenging as usual, but I was still able to pull of a decent grade. I now understand mathematics for the first time since grade school, which is amazing. And AP Physics has become like another family.

Design is a passion of mine, so I was so happy to find out that we have the opportunity to design and model a dress in our school's fashion show. In my Design 1 class freshman year, I never would have dreamed of being capable of helping create something like this.

Senior year is socially interesting. There are some relationships that are strengthened, some that dissolve, and some that are created anew. I suppose that as we all prepare to begin new chapters in our lives, we realize who wants to remain a part of our lives, who wants to start being involved in our stories, and who has no desire to remain connected at all.

One experience that does this especially is Kairos. I was put in a small group with 6 other girls whom I had rarely spoken to before, but the power of this retreat turned us from strangers to sisters within three days. It's truly amazing. Shout-out to K75!

Our K77 sisters are on their journey as I write this, and I am so excited to see how their experience turned out.

Part of me is going to miss high school, but most of me remains excited and energetic about what lies ahead for me. I'm going to a college that feels like the perfect fit for me. I'm creating a future for myself. I'm studying what I love - communicating with others (in case you couldn't tell by the length of this post). I will have the opportunity to meet new people, make lifelong friends, and create memories that will last a lifetime. SLU Class of 2016, here I come!

Peace & Love,

Natalie

Daschund Races

Just as the family does every summer, we took Dexter to the Daschund Races today. I just love seeing all the dogs there, and it's pretty entertaining to see 10 weiner dogs running down the horse track. Don't worry, animal activists, it's only 20 yards, and just for fun. :) Dexter, or Mr. Snuggles as we call him, is really fast, but not well trained. As a result, he lost his lead about halfway through the race and was disqualified because he got distracted by another dog and went into the neighboring lane. Oh well, we still had fun. It's also always fun to run into people you know. We ran into one of my brother's classmates as well as my French teacher. The latter was sufficiently uncomfortable, considering that I had to explain that my t-shirt was a joke. It looks like this:

So yeah, slightly awkward. But all in all, it was a fun day. :)

Have any of you been to the Daschund Races before, or had an awkward run-in with a previous teacher? Share in the comments below.

Peace & Love,

Natalie

Baby Pictures

I'm not sure why, but I love to look through old photo albums every once in a while. As I was looking through baby pictures today, I realized that I really haven't changed a bit. First of all, in most of my baby pictures, I'm making some sort of goofy face. Also found was a journal of all my firsts and whatnot:

First sentence - "I find poop."

First smile - "...might have been gas"

"Does not share belongings well with her brother"

"Loves to sing and dance"

First dentist visit - "Thought we were ready, but you threw a cowgirl fit. We had to hold you down."

Second dentist visit - "Almost as bad as the first. Held you down again."

Yep, that's me. Some things never change.

Senior Pictures

I finally got around to it & did my senior pictures! Despite the heat, it was a lot of fun and Loren got some awesome shots! Thanks, Jack, for letting us use your fancy camera, and thanks, Loren, for taking my senior pictures for me! :)

I haven't gotten around to editing all of them yet, but here are some of my favorites:

Nom Nom Nom

Noodles, veggies, and chicken covered in cheese - check. Easy to cook at 1am - check. Berry Punch & Grape punch - check.

Feed three people for less than $10 - check.

This is why I love midnight Walmart-ing. And girls' nights.

Nom nom nom.

The Chronicles of My Summer: Teaching

I was very lucky to land a job teaching at my studio this summer. Unfortunately, only one student signed up out of the thirty spots available. I was disappointed at first, because one of the classes was cancelled, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

I ended up teaching a private lesson once a week for an hour. Rose*, the girl that I teach, is 7 years old and claims to have never danced before. She is absolutely amazing, and I cannot believe that this is her first time dancing! In our first hour-long lesson, I got all the way to time steps in tap with her, and if you're a dancer, you know that that usually isn't covered until you've been dancing for a few years.

Not only is she an amazing dancer, but she has the most amazing love for dance that I have ever seen. She has her ballet book, and tells me everything that she practices at home. That's what is truly inspiring to me.

Rose* is going to go far in the dance world, because with her God-given talents combined with her passion for dance, she is unstoppable. And I am so thankful to have gotten to work with her.

* = name has been changed

The Chronicles of My Summer: Dance Team

I never truly realized how much I missed my StUD girls until I saw them again. We started out our season hosting a dance camp for 5th-8th grade girls who are interested in joining the dance team if they choose to attend SUA for high school. And despite the fact that I left my house before 8am each morning, it was so fun.

One word: snort. If you haven't played this game before, you have yet to fully live. However, it may be necessary to play with a few people under the age of 12 in order to justify yourselves. The rules are simple: keep your mouth open, and don't show teeth. Sit in a circle, and take turns passing the snort around, and yes I mean literally snort in your neighbor's face, like a pig. You can pass it either way, which may get you into some pretty epic snort battles if you ask me. You need to be extremely comfortable with yourself to play this game, but it is so worth it.

At the camp, we split up into small groups, and I was very lucky to be the small group leader for what came to be known as the Angry Unicorns. My girls were awesome, learned the dance we taught them better than I did, and even practiced without me saying anything. I was so proud! I may be biased, but our team cheer was pretty awesome. We ended it by screaming "get angry!" and charging forwards with our right index fingers serving as symbolic facial horns. I have a feeling I'm never going to live that one down.

Practices are going great as well. We've started learning a jazz routine for Varsity and a hip-hop routine for All Stars. They're going to be epic. Songs include I Will Survive, I'm Every Woman, Ring The Alarm, Move If You Wanna, and Church. Long story short, I'm Batman, and my freshman (now sophomore) is hopefully the Joker. So.Pumped.