Monday, January 30, 2012

I'm Skipping School Today.

This is something I rarely do. Mainly because, I'm terrible at being sick. Meaning: I hate doctors, so I don't go to one. I hate medicine, so I don't take it. I hate skipping school, so I don't. I even went to one of my classes when I was almost literally on my death bed at home with the flu. True story. That was pointless, though. I was so out of it I might as well have been at home sleeping. Oh yeah! And I went to voice lessons every week when I had bronchitis (bronchitis typically lasts 4 weeks...but I got it again a week after it went away for a grand total of 8 weeks). And I did a recital. I sounded terrible, but I just don't do the whole staying-in-bed-resting-taking-medicine-doctors-orders thing.

Anyway, so I'm not at school right now because for the past two days my stomach has felt weird. We think I have some sort of virus. I'm feeling a little better today than I did yesterday or Saturday, but you never know with stomach viruses what could happen. And it might be contagious or whatever. Sooo here I am, missing school, kind of enjoying it but at the same time feeling guilty because I honestly don't feel that horrible right now, and bored out of my mind.

So, I thought I'd share something extremely funny that happened yesterday in my elementary school girls' class at church (no, I'm not in the class...I help teach it).

We were playing a review game where the girls were asked a question, and then 3 of the assistant teachers each gave a multiple choice question. The girls then conferred with their teams and chose the correct answer. (Some of the multiple choice answers were pretty obviously not correct).

Anyway, here's the funny part. I'm person B.

Teacher: Okay, the next question is...who was the Bible inspired by?
Person A: I think the Bible was inspired by Jesus, because the whole Bible is about him!
Person B: Well, I think the Bible is inspired by Pastor Harold*, because he just has so much wisdom!
Person C: I think it was inspired by President Obama, you know, because he's the president and everything!

...wait for it...

Little girl: But he's not wise at all!!

*The pastor of my church
___________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: I share this story simply because it was funny to hear coming from a 2nd grader's mouth. I am in no way looking for a political discussion on this topic and any comments reflecting political views will be deleted. So please, enjoy the story and keep any political opinions to yourself. (I probably won't have a problem with this, but better safe than sorry. :-) ) Thank you!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

This is Getting Ridiculous, Y'all.

What's getting ridiculous, you ask?

Everything. The getting lost. The malfunctioning technology. I'm as tired of it happening as you are of hearing about it. But oh my goodness...there is seriously something wrong with the directional part of my brain. You know, the part that most people have that contains a map so that they usually have some concept of where they are and what direction they need to be heading in? Yeah, I don't have that.

I just have eyes that know how to read a map and street signs, but occasionally that method fails me too.

As many of you know, I got a GPS for Christmas. Which was really exciting, because I can't count how many times I've gotten lost in the year and a half I've had my license. I've used my GPS twice since I got it: the first time I was only traveling about 5 minutes from my house, and I didn't get lost (yay!). The second time was last night. This is essentially the SparkNotes version of what happened:

I had a church event starting at 7:15. I got out of school and had time to kill so I ran a few errands. Well, I had time to stop by the Northeast Mall (about 30 minutes from my house) beforehand. Yes, it was far away, but I was getting a free drink out of it (from my friend who works at Chickfila and promised me a free drink), so I thought hey, why not? So I pull out the trusty old GPS to get me there. And I got there and avoided traffic and everything. It was awesome.

I leave the mall and put my church's address in the GPS. ETA: 6:59. Please remember that the program starts at 7:15. So, I should have been early.

I went from being 16 minutes early to 3 minutes late.

So what happened? I honestly don't even know. My GPS kept telling me to turn, but I kept trying to turn earlier than I was supposed to and didn't realize it until I was in a turn-only lane and couldn't get over anymore. So, I would turn, it would re-route me, add a few minutes to the ETA, and then I'd screw up again and turn too early. And repeat. And repeat and repeat.

Finally, I just called someone, although the first two people I talked to had no idea where I was, either.

Then I hung up the phone and couldn't remember the directions I had been given. So I decided to give the GPS a second chance. Thankfully, it did not let me down and I arrived at church 15 minutes later.

So yes, it has finally happened: I got lost using a GPS. Didn't take long either.

Let's face it: I'm a lost cause. I'm completely hopeless when it comes to directions. I'm pretty sure that if I ever move to another state, the first time I go to the grocery store will be the last time I ever see my house.

Guess I can cross "taxi driver" and "bus driver" and possibly "tour guide" off my list of possible career options.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Worst. Babysitting Experience. EVER.

Okay, so normally I try to just post happy/funny/random/profound things on this blog. BUT last night was sooo frustrating, that I feel the need to tell everyone exactly what happened. And actually, there's a good chance it will turn out to be a funny story because it has to do with none other than more Kayla-deficient technology....

So, last night I was babysitting, as I often do. I mean seriously. I babysit a lot. Well, sometimes. It kind of comes in spurts. Like, there will be several weeks in a row where I babysit 2-3 times a week, and then there will be several weeks where I don't babysit at all.

Anyway, on to the story. I was babysitting a little 3-year-old girl that I probably babysit more than any other child. I usually don't have any problems with her. She did go through this one phase of, like, separation anxiety or something when she would randomly start crying because she missed her parents. But me, being the super-sitter that I am, figured out the cure for that: singing Old McDonald Had A Farm, over and over and over....

That phase didn't last long though. It was over almost as quickly as it started. But last night...I don't know WHAT happened...but she randomly started crying about 2 hours in.

"Why are you crying?" I asked.

"I don't know," she would reply. And then promptly stop crying.

"Do you want to play with your computer?" I suggested. She has a click-start Leap Frog computer or something. She was happy with that suggestion so we started it up, and I went to go make myself some toast because I had forgotten to eat dinner before I came. While I'm making toast, she walks in and says, "I'm tired!"

I look at the clock. It's 7. Her bed time is 9. I don't feel authorized to put her to bed THAT early, so I suggest she keep playing with her computer. She sits down but does nothing with it. She says she doesn't want to play it anymore. So I suggest watching a movie.

She likes this idea! Yay! A happy camper. So we pick out a VHS (or an old school video, in case you read that and went "what?") and I go put it in the VCR. As a side note, I have ALWAYS been able to work their TV in the past. But now, it's not working.

After trying various things to get it to work, I switch to a DVD. Well, guess what? The DVD player won't open. I try for a few minutes, then decide to try a different VHS. Still doesn't work. Try the DVD player again. Nope. The little girl starts crying. Fantastic.

Wait! I have a brilliantly ingenious idea! You can watch DVDs on laptops. They have a laptop. I have a DVD. Fantastic! I locate the laptops (there's two). This is so going to work and the kid will be happy and I can eat my toast that is still sitting on the kitchen counter.

Well...for some unknown reason that makes absolutely NO sense to me, the laptops wouldn't play the DVD. Neither of them. I tried both. TWICE. They wouldn't play it. I tried EVERYTHING. I opened 3 different programs on the laptops that should be able to play DVDs and I couldn't get anything to work.

At this point, the girl is FLIPPING out because she wants to watch Blue's Clues, which halfway through switched to Veggie Tales just making my life more difficult, and I'm frustrated and about to throw these laptops against the wall along with the VCR and the DVD player. But I refrain, because these items do not belong to me.

So, like I said, she's freaking out which stresses me out even more and I'm trying so hard not to yell at the poor child. I keep asking her why she's crying and all I get is "I don't know!"

I'm not even kidding, I was about to start crying. Seemed like the easiest solution at this point.

And normally, this would be the part where I tell you how I saved the day and fixed the laptop, we watched Veggie Tales and everyone lived happily ever after. But alas, that is not what happened. Instead, I gave up. Yep. I put the laptops away and the movies away and I said, "Okay, we're not watching a movie."

She wasn't happy.

Now this is the part where I save the day. She wanted to watch Veggie Tales so much, but we couldn't. So this is where my second brilliantly ingenious idea of the night comes in. I remember they have a Veggie Tales CD. Sooo I find it with my awesome scavenger hunt skills, pop it in the CD player (which is apparently the only technological item that is not part of the technology conspiracy against me), and she remains happy until bedtime.

Win.

So now it's an hour later, I've acquired a headache, and I still haven't eaten my toast. But at least the little girl was happy and there was no more crying--from either of us--the rest of the night.

I hope that ending was happy enough for you, because that's all I've got.

May all your babysitting adventures go much smoother than mine did last night.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Eleven is Such a Random Number.

But, I love random, so bring it on. :-)

I don't do these things often, but this one looked fun. Marli over at Flip Flops, Camera Shots, and Happy Thots tagged me in this (she's awesome...go read). So...here we go, and enjoy!

The Rules:
one. You must post these rules.
two. Each person must post eleven things about themselves on their blog.
three. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.


Facts About Me

one. I love being random. So be prepared for some really random facts.

two. One of my toenails grows crooked. (More than you needed to know, right?)

three. Thinking of 11 facts is harder than I thought it would be.

four. I cannot get comfortable on the couch unless there is at least one pillow on either corner.

five. I cannot stand the sound of balloons popping. I'd almost rather hear nails on a chalkboard.

six. I know all the words to I Love The Way You Lie by Eminem/Rihanna. And yes, I can rap it, too.

seven. Sometimes, I just want to get in the car and drive and not stop for a long time. I actually enjoy driving long distances (but not too long...).

eight. That being said, I promise I do NOT get lost on purpose. (I get lost...all the time...). That is actually the result of a conspiracy that google maps has formed against me.

nine. I love climbing trees. I do not love jumping out of them. In fact, I won't jump out of them. If it's too high up that I can't gently climb down, someone usually has to help me.

ten. In 7th grade I won my class spelling bee, then went on to the next level and placed second. In 8th grade, my class lined up against the wall for the spelling bee, and I missed my first word.

eleven. I think stupid jokes are funny. I don't get the ones that actually are.

Questions For Me

one. What is your favorite jewelry accessory? Why?
I have two rings that I always wear. One is my birth stone (sapphire) with diamonds. It is my purity ring, so I think it's pretty self-explanatory why I like it. :-) The other is a sterling silver dolphin that wraps around my finger. One of my best friends' parents gave it to me because my favorite animal is a dolphin.

two. What is the best roller coaster you have ever ridden?
I LOVE the Titan at Six Flags. My friend and I always ride at the front. I haven't been to many other theme parks, but that one is definitely pretty awesome.

three. How many years have you been a part of blogger?
That depends...I started a secret blog my freshman year that no one knew about...it was open to the public, but I didn't advertise it or let anyone I knew read it. Reason being it was kinda personal. Last spring, I decided to start one that I would let people read.  So I opened a new account and thus began the Uncharted journey. 

four. If you have a college degree, what is it in? If not, what grade are you in?
I am a senior in high school, but I have 15 college credit hours. I hope to major in English, but I haven't quite figured out my degree plan yet.

five. How many times have you watched the movie, Finding Nemo?
I LOVE THAT MOVIE. Hmm...I have no idea!! But I did just watch it a couple weeks ago, and I named my rabbit after the fish.

six. What is your favorite Bible character? Why?
I would probably say Esther. It's really inspiring to see how much faith she had in God and how she chose to do the right thing when she could have been killed for it.

seven. What is your favorite season?
SUMMER. Or fall. I enjoy both.  

eight. What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?
I don't eat disgusting things...? If I had to choose...a cheese sandwich. And by that I mean a slice of Velveeta cheese in between two pieces of dry bread. (It's worse than it sounds...at least under the circumstances it seemed that way. haha) But it's okay, because eating that meant more people got to eat a grilled cheese sandwich, and they needed it more than I did. 

nine. What is one of your new years resolutions?
To not have any resolutions. 

ten. How fast can you say, "Peter Piper Picked a Pepper" without messing it up? ;D
.8 seconds. BEAT THAT! :-)

eleven. Will you pass this award on to other fellow bloggers? ;) Because if you don't.....
Kinda...haha. See explanation below...

My Questions

one. What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?

two. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be and what would you buy me as a souvenir?

three. What is your favorite type of tree?

four. If you could switch places with me for a day, what do you think it would be like?

five. What's the funniest joke you know?

six. If someone were to hand you $987,654,321 (one million is too cliche...), how would you spend it?

seven. If your life was a movie, what would the title be?

eight. Why was six afraid of seven?

nine. Do you know how hard it is to come up with 11 random questions?

ten. If you were to audition for any reality show, what would it be?

eleven. Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

I Tag...

No one! And here's why:
I'm not super popular here in the blogosphere, and most people who read my blog don't have one themselves. Sooo if I passed it on, it would be to like, 3 people, two of whom have already done it. So instead, I'm going to say...if you're reading this, and want to do it, go for it! But be sure to let me know so I can read your answers. :-)

Also, if you don't have a blog (or have already posted this one) but you just really want to answer my questions because you love me that much, put it in a comment for everyone to see. :-) 

And now you all know more about me than you ever wanted to! How lucky you are.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Goodbye 2011. Hello 2012.

It's a new year. I hate that 2011 had to end, because I enjoyed it. A lot. It's gonna be hard to top. But I know God has some pretty spectacular things in store for 2012, and I can't wait to see what they are.

Please enjoy my top 5 moments of 2011. (Click on the photos to read the story behind them...I got all techy and figured out that you can put links into photos. I found this exciting.)

5.  My mission trip to Canada.

Note: I never wrote an official blog post on this, but the link that's there will have to suffice.

4. Buying a car.

 
Another note: I also never wrote an official blog post on this, so the link for this one will show up again.

3. Seeing my childhood best friend for the first time in 5 years. 

 

2. My 18th birthday party.

 

1. Christmas.


Another thing that I didn't have a blog post or really a picture for, but was definitely a highlight, was all the new friendships I made. Not new friends. New friendships. I didn't really make any new friends this year, but I did get a lot closer to several existing friends. That was definitely a highlight of the past year, because having friends who I trust and who I know will always be there for me is priceless. I thank God for putting these amazing people in my life. :-)

Okay, now on to 2012!

Here are some things I am looking forward to this year:
  • GRADUATION.
  • LOTS of 18th birthdays.
  • (Hopefully) Making it through half of my college sophomore year.
  • Senior trip!
  • Summer. I have no plans yet, I just love summer. :-)
  • Getting to vote!!
  • Buying a new laptop. Hopefully a Mac.
  • The end of the world.
  • Okay, not really. I just had to put that one in there.
  • GRADUATION.
  • Anything else that God has in store for me this coming year.
  • Oh, and graduation.

    As far as new year's resolutions go, my resolution is not to have any. And that's not because there's nothing I can change about myself or whatever. It's because every year I write them down somewhere, forget about them until New Year's Eve, then I go to look at them to see if I happened to accomplish any of them, and I can't find them anywhere. Sooo obviously that method doesn't work for me. haha

    Hope everyone had a fabulous new year, as I did. Drop me a comment and tell me your favorite memory from 2011, what you're looking forward to in 2012, or your new year's resolutions. I'd love to hear it!

    Here's to 2012, and may God bring you the best in this new year!