• Finals
• Packing
• Finding out that Dad's letting some of the guys in his company stay in our house while we're gone
• Olivia and Sophie falling off a swing that broke in midair and Olivia possibly breaking her nose.  At least Mom had told them to slow down and they did before it happened.  Could've been worse......
• Eric whacking his head on the table
• Adam losing his wallet with all his $60 in it, possibly stolen at school.  (Many tears later, Mom luckily found it in another pair of jeans, right before she threw it in the washer.)
• Finals

• Well, first off, that I am writing this right now while I have a thousand things of homework.  But that's only because I absolutely cannot figure it out and am waiting for Mom to get home and help me.
• In Spanish, we had to get in groups of two and create a lesson about a certain concept to the class.  My partner and I taught it through a skit.  Well, naturally I took over and created the whole thing, the script and the handout to go with it, making sure it was perfect.  I don't mind that kind of stuff.  So, we performed today, and I made sure everything was super dramatic and funny.  But only halfway through the entire thing, my partner said, "Okay!  I'll hand out the worksheet now!"  What?!!!!  I gave her a look of bewilderment and tried to discreetly let her know that she had skipped a ton of the skit/lesson.  She didn't understand.  So I broke my character, tossed any thought of the rest of the storyline over my shoulder, and taught the rest of the lesson just plain (which was really awkward).  Yeah... well I just checked Snapgrades and found out that we got 25 POINTS docked off!  It's a only B, but in my world, that makes a huge difference, especially when it lowered my overall grade in the class down two percent.  So much for all that hard work!  Oh well.... What can I do...  I forgive her... 
• In Social Studies, the class listened to the song We Didn't Start the Fire.  It is basically a blob of names and events and simply random things from 1949-1989.  Well, we had to get into groups of six and write a new version of the song, from 1990-present.   The group I ended up was not doing anything the first day of working on it, so yesterday I decided to go home and write the whole thing myself.  Then today I found out that it was supposed to have some internal rhyming.  That wouldn't be too hard to change a few things around, I figured.  So you'd think that, since I wrote the entire song by myself, that they'd think they should probably help me fix up the internal rhyming.  Nope!  Only one out of all my five group members helped me!  Hey, at least it gives me more control of the assignment and thus my grade!
• Tonight was the Hurricanes Award Night.  For the second year in a row, I have gotten an award from a teacher I totally did not expect.  This time it was math, which is by far my lowest grade (though still an A) and my least favorite subject.  At the same time, I was awarded for working as hard as I can, which I really do try to do, even if I make really stupid mistakes on some of the tests sometimes.    

  Today I had to leave school early for a dentist appointment.  Ummmm... yeah.  I found out that I HAVE to get braces.  FOR.  TWO.  STUPID.  TEETH.  They are in the very back, and they are diagonal, pressed extremely tight against the teeth beside them.  One is so tightly pressed that there might be decay, but they can't even tell.  One of the other things to be fixed is that my teeth are slightly pushed from when I sucked my thumb.   So yep.  I'm getting them on ASAP and they will be on for 11/2 - 2 years, plus a retainer for the rest of my life after that.  There's no getting around it.  I actually have people ask me if I have had braces before now because my teeth are so straight, but that's beside the point.   I was furious when I found out, but too bad so sad, apparently.
  When I got home, I had to do something (other than homework) to calm myself.  (Doesn't that sound so bad?  Normally I'm pretty positive, but two years of those suckers....)   So I went to the piano.  I love how music just takes the whole world away from your mind!  I immediately relaxed, and eventually I started straying from my lesson songs to do songs like "Clocks" or the Phantom of the Opera.  That way I could sing as I played.  If I know the song, that is basically my most favorite thing to do ever.  Then I dropped the piano and started testing my range.  I found out that I can sing from a low G to a high C (To be honest, I don't know which one is better-sounding- the G or the C.  I just know that I am definitely a soprano because, even though that is quite high, it's much easier that way.  My voice is a bit sore, but more from the low notes than the extremely high ones.)  Then Rachel started testing her range.  She is definitely an alto.
  But here is the best part.  Mom walked in- on the phone- when Rachel was in the middle of failing a high note!  We just hope that the person didn't hear... but...  Yes, we were definitely cracking up.  And my anger about the braces had definitely vanished.        

Basically that's what my days have felt like.  Never.  Ending.  Homework.  I know homework is for our benefit, but sometimes it just takes up my entire night.  Can't I have a life?  It's the math that mostly does this to me.  I can do math (I am in Honors), but I really do not like it.
  And speaking of math, I have a giant math test tomorrow (along with another test and a quiz which I am not nearly as worried about).  Somehow I always do great on every single homework assignment, and then the tests... lets just say that I either do really well or horrible.  Always stupid mistakes too.  And ironically the homework does not effect my grade in any way, yet the tests do.

Or at least, that's what Mom says life's like right now.  One after the other, things have been happening to us that make us just want to cover our faces with our hands and shake our heads, mumbling, "Seriously?!" And just in two-and-a-half weeks!

1. Adam and Olivia got pneumonia, and everyone else got sick except for me and Rachel (luckily because of finals).  Those two got sick right after we skipped two days of school for Disneyland, so they had so much make-up homework by the time they finally went back.  Olivia even got a letter from the district saying that if she missed just a few more days she would be kicked out of Neely!  Seriously, Livy is a straight-A student!   She did miss more than she was allowed, but the doctor sent a note right in time.
2. The Mercedes died.  Literally.  Actually, that's more of a fortune, not a mis-.  That thing was as old as Rachel, had a lot of things wrong with it, and gave me a headache every time I rode in it because it smelled weird, due to the gasoline that had been spilled on the carpet at some point.  In its place we got a Mini Cooper!  It has four seats and is stick-shift, and is the fastest, most awesome little sports car ever! (It also has the Broadway station in the radio!)  It is all white with a black stripe down the middle.   
3. Mom had to have dental surgery.  She was in bed and hurt like crazy.
4. The same day Mom had surgery, Eric fell off his bike and got a concussion.  Mom was on meds and Dad was helping in the kitchen, and we thought Eric was with the other kids still.  But they had gone inside, and he took off his helmet.  After an hour, my mom couldn't get him to wake up, then made him stand up and he vomited.  Immediately he was all chipper.  He was given a blessing.  But then it happened two more times and he went to the ER with my parents.  Yeah, my mom was still suffering from the surgery.  They were up until 12 or 1:30 in the morning.  Fortunately he was fine, and actually he was really funny the next morning.  "I got to see my brain!  It's huge!  I am so smart!  Sophie's not smart because she has a small brain."  Etc.

      5.  Not 24 hours later, we were taking my friends home from a late night.  We saw a little dog        wandering around, and pulled over to help it, because it was a nice dog my mom had met before.  Of course we couldn't just let him be lost when we knew who he belonged to!  Kylie picked him up, and as my mom reached to look at his name tag, he yelped and bit her!  We dropped him and he ran off.  There was blood everywhere and it was really bad, with many teeth marks including one that had gone underneath her nail.  Now the nail turning purple, and her whole finger looks terrible.  We dropped the girls off and went home, and my dad took my mom to get it examined.  She has been soaking it in epsom salt to draw out any infection.  No stitches were needed, but it still hurts.  They went to the owners' house that night, and he had returned home, but they were so sorry.  It turns out that he had even bit the babysitter last week, though  he didn't break the skin.  Apparently he hates clipping his nails and assumed my mom was reaching for his paws, so he bit her.  Still, they have a baby who like to pull his beard, and he could easily take off her finger the way he bit my mom.

When I scrapbook, I like to use the burning effect.  It makes the paper look antique and more beautiful in its own way.  I was feeling sick yesterday, and since someone had to be with the puppies, I just stayed home from church alone.  I have a ton of homework to do.  So, I was working on my scrapbook project for  Honors English, and when I lit a candle to burn the page just a little.... it really caught fire.  And not just one of the little ones that blow out super fast.  Luckily the paper wasn't too big, but I dropped it onto the plate that holds the candle and was freaked out.  Luckily again it finally went out and only the paper was burned, but it was sure scary and I'm glad the fire alarm didn't go off.  (How much does it take for it to go off, because I don't think it was too much smoke...???)  Anyway, I don't think I will be using fire for a while.  I don't know what I'll tell Mom and Dad when they get home.......... So I guess I will just get another piece of paper and just use the char from a not-burning candle..... And then work on my two giant essays and science homework......

Today, for some reason, I decided it was time to organize.  I am a very organized person, but there are still always those little things called "desks," "closets," and "dressers."  Ever heard of them?  Yes, those little stinkers.  So I opened them up and pulled out all those books, papers, pictures.  There is old stuff strewn all over my whole bed and floor... if I were to have walked in when somebody else did this to my room, I would have had a heart attack.  I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with everything, but I will figure it out, and it will feel really good in the end.  Besides, isn't it fun to find memories from when you were a little Primary girl?  Or give away useless things like 20Q's and old jewelry boxes to your younger siblings who end up gasping with excitement?
Wish me luck.... 

If I had known that I would get the stomach flu on Saturday...

I would have done my homework on Friday before going to see Letter's to Juliet with the girls.

Yes, I held it off. I just figured that I would do it on Saturday since I had to study for finals anyway. We invited a bunch of friends from the ward to see Letters to Juliet, since all the boys were away for Father and Sons'. (It is a very cute movie, BTW...) Then I woke up on Saturday feeling sick. And guess what... Mom had to leave at 6:45 to go to this all-day dog thing, and the boys wouldn't coem home till one. Great day to start throwing up. But seriously... maybe that isn't sarcastic.... since finals are next week and now I know I'll be fully better by the time Monday comes around. It's funny, because I thought I was safe. Rachel and Adam were sick last Sunday, and Olivia on Tuesday. Shoudn't the sickness have gone away? I am not throwing up today, but I woke up feeling weak and had to skip the Hila Valley Temple dedication (there was a youth morning side at 6:15 this morning at the actual site, and then the actual dedication was broadcasted at the much-closer stake center.) I was sad about that. Luckily, there is still the Gilbert Temple to be built, and most likely I won't be sick the day that temple is dedicated. I feel better, so I guess I have no excuse to keep putting off that difficult math review packet and the loads of studying... Wish me luck... School's out in 3 1/2 days...

I am sick right now..... slight dizziness, scratchy throat with a cough, all that. Almost my whole family has it. Oh well. At least I caught it the very night we came home. The guys had it nearly the whole vacation! I am just hoping I won't miss school (not that I enjoy it that much, but I definately don't enjoy make-up work!!!).

Okay so like five mintues ago my mom asked me to get an onion from the outside fridge. The garadge was open because Adam and my parents had just gotten home from flag football. Walkin' on Sunshine was stuck in my head, so while I was searching through the fridge, I was singing that. Suddenly I hear someone say, "Helllllooo!" The voice, I think, had been calling me and had kept singing, not even hearing!!!! I whipped around, and it was this teenage sales person, peaking into our garage!!!! She asked for my parents, and I quickly went inside. I was so embarrassed, I wanted to scream!!!