AP Art

I am currently enduring the longest week of my life.  This is the week before my high school graduation, hence I have finals, baccalaureate, dance pictures, two awards assemblies, graduation practice, senior luncheon, graduation sunday at church, and oh yeah actual graduation.

Seems busy but totally doable right? Ah, can't forget my AP Art portfolio that was due this morning. You may be asking, "Why on God's Green Earth were you in AP art?" Lemme sum up how this happened.

Me at the end of my junior year: Hey Mrs. Zurmehly, can you sign my enrollment sheet for drawing/painting? I need one more art credit to graduate.

Mrs. Z: Why Hannah, you should take AP drawing!!

Me: Blank stare. I have only had one art class in my whole high school career.

Mrs. Z: BUT you get an extra .1 on your GPA and you won't even have to take the test. So basically you can just draw whatever your little heart desires.

Me: Hmm okay sounds good.

What I should've said was no I really wanna learn how to paint. HA all you have to do it draw my butt.

Long story/long YEAR short, I ended up needing to turn in a 24 piece portfolio for my final grade that was due today. This included 12 pieces of my breadth (range of expertise) and 12 pieces of my concentration. I will let you guess what I chose. Wait for it... KNITTING. OH yes. Knitting. Let me just say that I am not very good at art and I had ONE week to finish the 12 for my concentration. I took very random pictures of knitting and cried the night before because I just knew I would fail.

God surprised me once again. Mrs. Z kept my photography for an example for her AP kids next year!!! I know, I was shocked. So was my friend Alyssa who actually submitted her portfolio for an AP grade.

I can now check off one more thing on my "Things to do Before I Graduate List." I will even let you see some of my stunning photographs.

She loved the cat. 

Birthday Weekend

I am officially of age to do certain things that some people look forward to (or not):
1) Buy lottery tickets
2) Buy tobacco (Disgusting)
3) Go to the casino and actually gamble then smell like smoke for two days
4) Go to the clubs that will let me in then smell like smoke for two days
5) Vote

When you look at it this way, eighteen really isn't all its cracked up to be, but I am still excited nonetheless. My official birthday was Saturday. But this is my birthday weekend. Why you may ask?

Well Friday I had my friend party. Pizza and the movies. Oh, and a marathon of Just Dance 2. (I have cool friends)

Saturday I had a birthday lunch with my friend Shelby.  I was greatly looking forward to free chocolate cake at BWW. After we were eating our wings before they brought the cake, Shelby had to visit the restroom. "WAIT! They could bring out the cake and sing to me when you're gone!" She then assures me that she told them to wait until she got back (she is a waitress at Buffalo). So there I am, sitting in Buffalo at a table alone when BAM! Those suckers snuck up behind me yelling and singing, making everyone in the restaurant turn and look to see the loser who spent her birthday all alone at Buffalo. After they leave, here comes Shelby. Little jerk.

Saturday night was casino night with my family and family friends. Broke even (woo) but became hopelessly addicted to Cool Cats. *Sigh

So that leaves today, Sunday, third day of my birthday, spending the evening with family. Favorite dinner- faux tacos. This does not mean fake tacos or fake meat. A faux taco is basically a taco on chips instead of a shell. Nachos? Nope, tacos. Are you sure they aren't nachos? I am positive. Faux tacos. Oh and Sheree cake. Sheree was my babysitter from age 6 months to about 7. Makes the world BEST cakes. Trust me. You have not lived until you have tried Sheree's cake. (Will upload a picture later)

Overall, my birthday weekend has been wonderful. Not to mention the exceptional weather we have had these past two days. Seventy degrees in January? With a blizzard on its way tomorrow night? Ah, God spared me this year. I am extremely blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank you all.

New Year, New Projects

So my summer revelation, you know the one about cooking, failed miserably. I apparently will  never learn to cook on my own until I move out and become forced too. *Sigh* Oh, how I feel sorry for my future husband..

It is now 2011, and time to put cooking behind me. New knitting projects here I come. Right now I am working on some beautiful pink and brown socks. I like to call them my "Big Girl Socks" because the are my first socks that have a leg on them. (Picture will be up shortly) I am so engrossed in my new projects that it is hard for me to focus on the future. College is silently and slyly lurking in my near future. I am almost a legal adult. Where am I going to college you may ask? Well that would depend on the scholarship money I receive. How many scholarships have I applied for? One. Let us say a little prayer that I can put the socks down and pick up some applications.

I do not really have a New Year's Resolution. Honestly, I think they are vastly overrated.  I can give you about twenty resolutions right now. So my resolution is to wake up each morning thankful for what I have been given, and to look at all the possibilities each day holds.

Wish me luck,
Teenage Knitter

Julie and Julia

Julie and Julia is by far my favorite movie. It is somewhat strange because I am not much of a cook, but the movie itself is very inspiring. It is not only about cooking, but about love and friendship and discovering yourself.  Another reason why this movie is so amazing is probably because Meryl Streep is my favorite actress.  She is hilarious and can just about play every and any role.  

My fascination with this movie is also at the surface; I long to be able to cook. Whenever I grow up and get married, I want to be able to provide meals for my husband. Cleaning the house I think I can handle, but cooking seems to go way over my head. Why you might ask? I believe it is because I have never truly tried. Sure, I have helped my mom and grandma with the meals, but I have never cooked a full meal alone. It sounds very intimidating. But I cannot go my whole life being the sous chef. Right? 

I have many wonderful chefs in my family and family friends. Mrs. P, for example, excellent cook, but she is also Spanish.  I don't have any type of ethnicity in me. Well, French. But since I never lived there (or even visited) I am not going to count that. I cannot mention all of the successful cooks in my life, but I can say that they have inspired me. Inspired me to cook. 

That is my mission and goal this summer. I will learn how to cook. I will begin with The Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook and see what happens. 

I have somewhat mastering knitting so cooking just naturally comes next.  Stay tuned for updates from the dancer who is beginning to cook. Support may be nice too. 

Stress and perseverance

The past month has been extremely stressful for me, but the experience and lessons I have received out of it have been definitely worth it. Never giving up is the key to great experiences. Sometimes the best moments that you will have in your life are the moments that you had to work hard to get there. My favorite word to describe this work is called perseverance. Never think that you are not good enough to make things happen. Never let yourself believe that things will always be handed to you.  That is not the way life works. Start working hard now and see your life be changed. 

"We rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4

My friends are what keep me going.  Even when you think no one is there, God is always there. And I have noticed that more times than not he will provide at least one friend to pick you up. Lucky me, I have a bunch :) 

Starting Over

I have decided to start a new blog because some of the page elements messed up on my old one. Be prepared to read some more interesting posts in a few days :)

-Hannah