Homecoming!

This is the part of the year that everyone looks forward to in their high school lives. It's a week full of crazy outfits, bonfires, TPing (and NOT getting caught) and teachers not even trying to teach because the kids.. well we are NOT focused at all. (Except for Goodale.. too bad I'm not in math anymore..shucks..) You have the people who like to go all out with the outfit days, and then you have the "I'm too cool to dress up like an idiot" people.

Our week consists of something around this:

TUESDAY: Geek Day

You have people literally dressing up with their parents old clothes from the 80s and 90s, the huge glasses with tape in the middle of them, people with crazy hair that no one could ever pull off, and then of course the "dress shirt and tie under t-shirt look" to look like a teacher in our building. We won't say names.

WEDNESDAY: Construction worker/ Duck Tape Day

Some people went way all out for this day. Some had the whole construction worker look going, while others covered their head to toes with duck tape. It was CRAZY! Girls made dresses and cheerleading outfits, and some had pants and shirts.. all made out of duck tape. Now for me, that is a lot of money to spend on duck tape! I wonder how much time they had on their hands to do that!

THURSDAY: Twin Day

Mario and Luigi is the most creative I have seen today! (props to michael and nathan) There are matching shirts, dresses, tutus, you name it! This night is also the night of the PowderPuff GAME, and the bonfire after... SENIORS RULE! Tonight is the night that Homecoming king and queen are crowned!

FRIDAY: SPIRIT DAY!

This is my favorite day of the week. Not only because you get to dress up crazy to support your school, but you realize that THAT night is the intense homecoming game! (The endless games and NO CLASSES is pretty legit as well....)

Then, of course, you can't forget about the endless TPing and writing on cars and windows late at night. The adrenaline rush during this time is so much fun, but you better watch out for Sparling people.. he is one his "A" game this year. (Not that I know or anything...)

CLASS OF 2011 ROCKS! :]

i cant think of a title for this one ;]

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love..love

Love is all you need.

Today I'm in the best mood that I have been in (while at home in Iowa) than I have in awhile.

We had the event "See you at the Pole" this morning and it was a better turn out than I had expected. "See you at the Pole" is an awesome even that happens every year around the country. It's a time where fellow students and youth groupers can get together as one, and pray for their school and their school year. People involved gather around their school's flag pole in a circle and just pray. You can pray about anything you want to, and it's really encouraging to see young middle schoolers stepping out of their comfort zone and just praising the Lord. This morning we had about 20 or more students gathered around the flag pole and we ended our time by singing "How Great is Our God". It was so awesome to see everyone there! One of our teachers even came over to pray with us. Praise the Lord! :]

One other thing that I'm really excited about is that I'm going to be starting a fundraiser at my school for an orphan care center in South Africa. The Story: One of the Townships we were in while in South Africa has given our organization a huge piece of land to build an orphan care center. It had to go through the leaders of the town, and then up to the chief, but it came through! This piece of land is 4 football fields big! The center will be there for children to get something to eat each day, to do their homework and get tutored, and just a place to worship God. This care center will cost around $25,000. My goal for this fundraiser, with the high school and middle school is $4,ooo. I'm going to try to make an awesome video to help pump up the schools, and of course we are going to make this a competition between grade levels ;] With the help of friends, and the grace of God, i MAY be able to put it together! haha I suppose we will see huh?

cant get enough love

I feel like a stranger in the world that im living in. I go day by day in a weird mood of not having any desire to even get ready in the morning. i dislike school, i dislike work, and i would rather be in my bed reading a good book or relaxing with my family instead of going out. WHO IS THIS PERSON?! Before the Africa Reunion this was me, and to tell you the truth, not being with those people who reminded me WHY i loved my summer so much, is really putting a downer on my life.

Before this last weekend i was living life day by day. Two weeks after i got back from Africa i was fired up, excited for life, but then slowly started losing the pictures of those kids, that place, that i love so dearly. I was discouraged by the way that we live in America. We are selfish, cranky, rude, spoiled rotten, and it was like no one even noticed. I could not stop thinking of all the things that I have that that I take for granted everyday. I hated school.

Then, this weekend came along. I got to go to Kansas City to see my Africa family. I couldn't wait. I seriously counted the days down in my planner at school and had to keep looking at the "four more days" or "2 more days" to keep myself from completely losing it. The three hour drive for two days seeing those people is exactly what i needed. Not only being able to spend time with those amazing amazing people i get to call my family, but just connecting back to why Africa meant so so much to me. What REALLY got me was when we watched the video footage that Wes put together for us. There was footage of us when we were there, the kids singing, us just doing God's work and it completely broke my heart again. Then the words that Shawn said made my life the way i was living it change completely again. "How about Africa 2012? This group right here. I believe we can change the world guys."

And that's it. I cant live everyday sad because i live three or more hours away from my best friends. I cant be angry at the society that we live in and completely shut down. I cant be emotionally unsound that no one else sees the need and the hurt that i saw in Africa. I need to be the person that stays strong and lives every single day trying to make a difference in the world around me.

So that's just it. I need to live everyday as if one day closer to Africa 2012. And that's what im going to try to do. I say try only because waking up this morning knowing that im not going to be seeing my africa family like that for awhile makes me sick to my stomach. haha i know.. pathetic, but i love each and every one of those people soo much. AHHH. AFRICA 2012 BABY. i can NOT wait!

::my senior year::

I wrote a post today (later deleted) about how senior year is not anything like I had imagined, which is 100% true so far, but I kept going on and on about stuff like the dress code, rules rules rules, parking, and budging in the lunch line. I was so fired up about all of those new things. I was mad because we had to hold our ground in the mash pit when we were in the front of the lunch line as underclassmen and we can't budge as seniors this year. I was mad because we have to walk from the junior lot if we don't get up and going to school before the sun rises to get a good parking spot in the 'senior lot'. I was mad because we don't have the enjoyment of running around 'vetoing' underclassmen in the halls and run off giggling as we scream "seniors rule!" I was mad because even though I do understand the dress code (cause let's just face it, I reallllly don't want to see anyone's donk hanging out thank you very much) but what I don't get is that it seems like you can't wear any shorts to school without them being questioned. I had every teacher ask me to do the 'test' to see if my shorts were long enough today, and they were, but it just bothered me so much I just went home and put on some jeans. I was mad because I feel like there are people that wear some weird clothes that really distract me, but they don't get in trouble for it. And the main reason I was mad was because it seems like our high school is now a daycare, and it was really bothering me. As I read that post over, I realized how completely immature I was acting.
So what if we can't budge in the lunch line like previous seniors did? There are children all around the world that don't get a thing to eat all day, possibly for days. If they do get something to eat it's something as small as a little cup of soup.
So what if we have to walk a couple more minutes from the parking lot that is farther away. There are children all around the world that walk miles upon miles to school each day, not because they have to, but because they want an education.
So what if we have to wear clothes to school and be modest? There are children all around the world that don't even have clothes. Some have one set of clothes, and a uniform for school. THAT'S IT.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is even though senior year, it's safe to say, isn't exactly what we thought it would be like, what are the things that we're complaining about? What is so important about the things that were 'so bad' that I was so upset about. It's kind of stupidity if you ask me, and I'll be the first one to admit that I was being really immature about it, but it got me thinking back to Africa and those cute thin faces that looked up at me everyday. I absolutely miss it with all of my heart, and I need to keep reminding myself of their faces when I start complaining about stuff that is SO small. I have to remember that I have a family that cares for me, let along alive, I have food in front of me for every meal of the day, I have a huge house, I have friends that are always there for me, a job....the list could go on and on. So from here on out, I'm going to try to make this year, this last year of high school, one to remember.

'cause i just want somethin beautiful

In your ocean, I'm ankle deep

I feel the waves crashin' on my feet

It's like I know where I need to be

But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out

Just how much air I will need to breathe

When your tide rushes over me

There's only one way to figure out

Will ya let me drown, will ya let me drown

Hey now, this is my desire

Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful

To touch me, I know that I'm in reach

'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful

Oh, something beautiful

And the water is risin' quick

And for years I was scared of it

We can't be sure when it will subside

So I won't leave your side, no I can't leave your side

Hey now, this is my desire

Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful

To touch me, I know that I'm in reach

'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful

Oh, something beautiful

In a daydream, I couldn't live like this

I wouldn't stop until I found something beautiful

When I wake up, I know I will have

No, I still won't have what I need

Hey now, this is my desire

Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful

To touch me, I know that I'm in reach

'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful

Oh, something beautiful

I am in love with needtobreathe.

This weekend I got to go on our annual "family vaca" to South Dakota for LIFELIGHT. Lifelight is a HUGE event that is free. There are literally fifty Christian bands that play all Labor Day weekend long. It is such an absolute blast and I love going every year. It's outside, literally in a corn field, and there are four different stages. There were sooo many awesome bands this year which excited me greatly. We got really close to all the bands we wanted to see, and even got FRONT ROW for david crowder band (how does that happen?!) It was UHmazing. This weekend definitely lifted my spirits along with just being such a blast. :D wooooo!