From you to you

I’m new at this school this year, as you all know, and when I went to sign up for my classes, I had no idea what to take other than my core classes. What electives should I take? I don’t know, so I just randomly chose. When I was in my English class, there were only three girls including me. I was excited because boys are awesome and I hate teenage girls. They’re the worst! After about a week, I was waiting and waiting for the class to get harder. Well, it never did. Mrs. Caffey finally came to me and asked if I would like to be in her AP class next semester. I told her yes.

          It is now second semester, has been for a while actually. When I first came to the AP class, I didn’t really know anyone; or should I say, didn’t have any friends in that class. I played soccer with Alyssa and knew Michaela for a long time but still felt lonely and shy. I got used to the people in that class and I love my AP English class! I always look forward to going to it. Not only do we have an amazing teacher, Mrs. Caffey, who makes me laugh all the time and tells great, yet such goofy stories, but I love the students in this class. I’m sure not all of them like me, but that’s ok with me. I enjoy all of them; from very shy Ayesha who never has a bad attitude towards anyone in class to thoughtful Emily who always tells us her ideas and who’s not afraid to say it. Arletta who always sees me in the hall and smiles and waves; to Maurice, the pimp who has all the ladies and makes us all laugh. Lynn, who puts up with Maurice trying to hook up with her and Arletta; who never seems down and has awesome hair and great things to say. Josh who is not only a champ in wrestling, but also in school because he’s so smart and participates in so much; to Tess who seems so happy all the time and knows what she’s doing. Jennifer who is always smiling or laughing in class that makes everyone else laugh and makes us happy; to Karen who even though her best friend hates me, she is so nice to me and is such a sweet girl to everyone. Chelsea who makes me laugh when she tries to tell us something and it comes out wrong or not making any sense. Haha. I love you Chelsea. She’s always been nice to me and makes me feel welcome; to Alyssa who is so silly and ditsy and everyone laughs, yes at her; but she knows we all love her. Michaela, who always knows what to say and thinks so fast that all of us try to beat her to say something but never succeed; to Edel who is quiet but not scared to ask questions and is willing to learn. Randall who is a goof ball and likes to pick on me, hit my head, laugh at me, but I always find myself laughing too. And Kory, who throws his baseball glove at me then tells me to pick it up, who automatically thinks I’m his hat holder, coat hanger, glove holder, oh and not to mention telling me all the things he would order at taco bell, mcdonalds, KFC, burger king, alibertos, and A&W so the next time I go to one of those places, I must get him what he wants.

          I really do enjoy this class and will admit that I will miss you all when it’s time for us to say goodbye. = ( I hope the rest of this year is an amazing one!

That was fast!

Guys, I have to tell you something. We graduate in a month and two weeks! I know I didn’t have to tell you, because all of you already know that. But really think about it; two months! That is so crazy to think about. I don’t even feel like a senior or an eighteen year old! I still feel like a kid! I remember when I was in second grade thinking that I had so long to wait until I graduate. I thought will I ever get there? Yes Alyssa, you did and it’s right now. Do I even look like a senior? When I was younger and I looked at the seniors, I always thought they look like seniors but now that I finally am one, I don’t think I look like one. I know it’s kind of silly, but true.

            A few days ago, it suddenly hit me that I’m going to graduate and be on my own living my own life. My eyes suddenly opened! It was kind of scary and awesome at the same time. What do I do? I’ll be free! How do I get a job? How do I pay my bills? I don’t even know how to pay bills! Yikes! But hey, everyone does this and most of them survive right? I think I’ll be fine but it’s still super weird to think about. I’m supposed to go off in January. I’ll be far from home though. I’m not going to flagstaff or ever Phoenix or Tucson, but I will be going to Texas! That’s so far away from everyone. Luckily it’s only a year. It’s a Christian college that gives me college credits but when I come back and go to real college, I’ll only be a freshman so I’ll be behind all my graduate people. That means they can all give me advice about college. YAY!

            I also think a lot about my friends that are in grades below me. I’ll leave them and they will still be in the high school world and I’ll be in the college world. I hear they are two different worlds. I wonder if I’ll come back and even miss it or not. I know I’ll miss my friends and all, but I think I worry too much. I make friends really easily so I know that when I go to college, I’ll make a lot of new friends. I was just telling my dad today that after baseball season I’m going to get a job but will they let me take a week or two off for important things? He told me that some places yes, but others may not. So when us young people go into the real world, we gain some freedom….and lose some freedom. I’m excited to grow up but I definitely am not going to rush into it and neither should any of you. Enjoy being young, enjoy your life and live to the fullest!   

"I love you"

What is love? A lot of people know, and a lot of people THINK they know. To me, love is what it says in the bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It does not keep a record of wrong doings, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love NEVER fails. That’s what I think love is; whether it’s loving the opposite sex, or loving your friends or family.

Saying “I love you” is overrated, seriously. I hear so many people saying to their boyfriends and girlfriends that they love them. But do they really? Yes, I’m sure some of them mean it, but others, have no idea what love is. When I hear someone say “I love you” to their boyfriend, I think, “I wonder if they really do love them. A few days later, I find out that they left him for someone else, got sick of him, or cheated. I guess they weren’t “in love” with that person. I am very very careful when it comes to saying I love you. If one of my guy friends says they love me, I make sure they mean friendly love, and only that, before I say it back. Love is a very important and big word to use; and I’m not talking about with your family and friends. I’m talking about the love that you say to the person you will spend the rest of your life with. I have not found that person and don’t think I will for a while.  That is totally fine with me, because I am not going to rush into anything. Right now, I don’t need that person; but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he’s right in front of me. Who knows? But I don’t need to be telling boys that I’m in love with them. What I can do though, is show them God’s love. That may sound kind of weird to some of you, but let me explain. We can show God’s love by loving people; such as being nice to them, welcoming them, teaching them, etc. In the bible, it says but now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Chatchada, the Thai foreign exchanged student has recently been spending a lot of time at my house with my dad, Tina, and me. I brought her over one day so she could meet my step mom, Tina because they are from the same country and speak the same language. We all hung out and had a lot of fun together but sometimes my dad and I would leave them so they could talk in their own language. When chacha left, Tina told me that Chatchada told her that she was so thankful for me because at the beginning of the year, she had no idea what she was doing and nobody really talked to her. She told her that I was the first one to help her and be nice to her. I had helped her find Mr. Demuth about soccer information. I had no idea how much that meant to her; something so little, made a huge difference to her. Tina told me that she looks up to me so much and talks so good and nicely about me. I had no idea she thought that about me, but it made me very happy.

So even if I have not found the love of my life, I don’t have to be down or sad because I can show people God’s love through my actions and through loving others. I never saw that until Chacha brought it up; and with showing her that love, we were able to tell her about God and what he’s done for us. She was so curious and seemed like she was looking for something. I’ve never seen someone so desperate for something greater than you or me; but she was, and she found Him; Jesus Christ. Now she can go out and show people His love through herself.