Interesting Discussion on Facebook....

So...I had an interesting discussion with a girl on Facebook today, after she posted this picture:

Beneath the picture, it read as follows:

My comments on her post, as I did not agree in the least?  She responds...  I respond.

She responds...I respond....

She deletes the entire post, because she has no responses.  I already screenshot everything.  I did however blank out her name, so no one knows who she is.  

One thing I would like to say, completely unrelated to this specific topic is that I really wish that Facebook had an italics option...I mean seriously, it has everything else!

But anyway, yeah, this was my interesting discussion that I had on Facebook!  Anyone got anything to say on the topic?

~Katie

**EDIT** I would like to say that one thing I did actually agree with her on is when she said "There are so many people that are so close to us that think about suicide and we have no idea about it.".  I did agree with that.

Some Art

So, I recently realized that I haven't posted many pictures of my drawings and artwork lately...so thought I would post some of my more recent artwork.  The pictures of the drawings were mostly all taken with my computer camera, so not the best quality...enjoy them anyway?

 For awhile, I had plans to get a white car and decorate it with all kinds of drawings...here are some examples that I had considered.

This is Amumu...from League of Legends.  My own drawing of him.  

This is the drawing I was looking at while drawing him.

This is my...well...I guess my African Tribal Lady.  I just started drawing and this is what happened.

This is honestly one of the best pencil drawings of a person's face that I have ever done.

I think I really wanted a hug that day.

My friend, the airhead.

A drawing I did a while back.

This was a pun on one of my League friend's usernames: Darknyancat

Timeline for my book series, The Unnamed Chronicles

Map for my book The Division, which is part of The Unnamed Chronicles series....

Pardon my odd expression in the background, this was just me, attempting to show my art to a friend.

It is quite obviously what it looks like...bondage?

Freedom.

Odd looking warrior girl?

Idk.

One of my person favorites.  Lemme know when you "see it".

And a dark(ish?) angel.

In all honesty, I love when people comment on my blog posts and it really means a lot...so if you like what I post...I'd love it if you'd leave a comment.  Thank you!

~Katie

I Need to Get a Job....

Okay...I really need a job.  Why?  I'm 18 and unemployed.  This is not okay.  I mean, for some, maybe.  After all, I'm still living with my parents, unwed, unpregnant, not a mother, still attending high school...but also, at the same time...I am independent...this lack of a job is hampering my independent-ness!
I tend to like making lists...we've discovered this.  I also seem to like making pro vs. con lists...so...that's what I'll be doing...the pros and cons of having a job....

Pros

1. Well, first of all, the most obvious MONEY.  You get money that you don't have to worry about paying back to a bank or a family member.  It is yours.
2. You get experiences you couldn't get any other way.
3. You are given a sense of accomplishment.
4. You have someone to be accountable to...which I suppose to some people it could be a con....
5. You have more structure and your days aren't filled with free time that you have no idea what to do with.

Cons

1. You lose a lot of free time.
2. You have to go to work and may not always get days off; if your family wants to go on a spontaneous trip, they may have to go without you.
3. Less time with your family.
4. The wrong boss or co-workers could be detrimental to you and possibly those you care for.
5. You have less time to take care of your mental, emotional and physical health.

And there you have it...some of the pros and cons I've thought of to having a job.  Speaking of which, I'm planning to check for a job at a nursing home in my town...wish me luck!

My Evening

My evening was well spent.  I went to a party at my Wednesday night church, with the youth group and we ate food (MAN WAS IT GOOD!!!) and played a few...interesting...games, including a game of Sit-down-in-a-circle-on-chairs Keep Away!  We also did some painting.

The boys did this one.  They did all the graffiti-ish stuff, but the word "Jesus" was already painted, but the brown around, one of the boys did.  Other than that, they did the "graffiti" stuff.  There were...four boys working I think.  Maybe five.  I think there were five.  A, K, R, C, C...five.  There were five boys working on it.

We girls were working on this one.  It's still not done.  We have a lot more detail than the boys though, because they were basically given free range to do whatever they wanted, we have more lines to follow.  I did all of the green, part of the blue and purple, and some of the rusty orange part.  There were two other girls working on it with me, and I must say, we did a fantastic job!

Then I came home and did this on my Facebook:

I seem to have a very eclectic taste in music. Here's metal, and goofy music, along with theme music, rock, possibly pop, country...so.... That's a thing. I won't tag anyone, just do it if you want.

1. Put your music player on shuffle
2. For each question press the next song
3. You must write the name down even though it sounds silly
4. Tag 20 friends
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing
6. Have fun!!
IF SOMEONE SAYS "ARE YOU OKAY?" You say?
Here it Goes Again.
BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PERSONALITY?
Kim Possible Theme Song
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Hallelujah
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
The Llama Song.
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Teenagers.
WHAT IS YOU LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Don't Bring Me Down
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Phantom of the Opera
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
End the End.
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Welcome to my Nightmare
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Eye of the Tiger
WHAT IS 2+2?
You're Gonna go Far Kid (clean)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR EX/BOY/GIRL/BESTFRIEND?
Striper the Kitty
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
This is the Moment
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Sweet Child O' Mine
WHAT DO YOU WANNA BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Wrecking Ball
WHAT DO YOU THINK/HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Reflection
WHAT WILL YOU DO AT YOUR WEDDING?
The Curse of the Sad Mummy
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Ain't no Rest for the Wicked
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Joker and the Thief in the Night
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Human
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
The Broken One
WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Jim Bridger
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Girl Crush
WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Radioactive
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Wrecking Ball (again?)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
All I Want for Christmas is You
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Hero (that song actually does make me cry....)
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
The Sound of Silence (evidently not....)
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
I Will Survive
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Bet on It (Well den)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Storytime
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Hurt (shockingly descriptive)
WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU?
Wake Me Up When September Ends
WHAT BROUGHT YOUR LAST RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER?
I Gotta Key
WHAT ARE YOU GONNA TITLE THIS AS?
Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold.

And that was my night!

~Katie

Moving...again....

So...I'm moving.  Again.  I've moved four times in my entire life.  Five if you count the hospital.  From my grandparents' to a duplex down the street, from the duplex to a house, from that house to a trailer behind my aunt's house in a different town, from the trailer to my stepdad's house and now we're moving again.  To another house.  That used to belong to my stepdad's sister.  Whee.
If you were wondering, I'm not too fond of moving...not my favorite thing to do.  If I ever get married, I'll have to make sure to marry a guy who doesn't like moving either and we can just live together in the same house until we die.
Lately, I've been packing things a bit and today I moved some of them downstairs.  I still have stuff to pack and move.  I've also come to the conclusion that I have way too many clothes.  When we get moved to the other house, I plan to look through my clothes and decide what I absolutely have to keep.  The sentimental clothes for sure, and then the stuff that I wear often, then the rest, I guess I'll just have to put up on Facebook or give to a thrift store or something.  The only thing I know I don't have too much of is books and sharp objects.  You can never have too many of those.
At this new house, I will have the entire upstairs to myself, as well as a "caboose" that's out front.
The caboose is pretty much just a playhouse that my stepdad's nieces used to play in.  I will be turning it into a "Geek Out Station".  I will pain the outside either white or black, then decorate it with color and stuff like that.  We're going to get better doors on it and turn the stairs into spirally type stairs.  There's a porch on the back and we're going to close it in partially and use the closed in part for a storage shed.  Currently, the inside is pink.  I hate pink.  It is in bad need of being re-sheetrocked, so we're going to do that, give it a tin roof, and I'm strongly considering putting cork board on all the walls.  I'll take pictures eventually, so y'all know what I'm talking about when I say putting this there and that in the other place.  I'm probably going to paint the walls blueish-green.  Then, the ceiling I'm going to paint light blue from the edges to black in the middle and hang little glow in the dark stars from the center beam.  The floor will probably just be wooden.  On the inside part of the outside door, I'm going to put all manner of things Narnia that I can.  I will have a little cabinet to put copies of my books in, to take with me when Mom and Doug go to selling places, so I can sell some of my books (hopefully).  There will also be a bookshelf that I'll be putting my filled up sketchbooks and other art supplies on.  I think we're going to find a way to get light and warmth out there and basically, it will be my...well...geek out station!
In the upstairs, I'll have my room, a guest-room, an office/living room and a bathroom!  I'll have to take pictures of the upstairs as well.  I have really big plans for it.  Now I just need to get my friends to come over and spend the night!  Of course, if they're my female friends, they'll sleep in my room...it's my male friends that would be stuck into the guest room.
I'd really like to get a small couch for my living room/office, so if anyone knows of a small couch that they don't want and would be willing to give away or sell for...really cheap...I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know.  Thank you!
Also, you may have noticed that there are now labels on my blog posts!  I figured out how to do that and went back and labelled every single post I've ever made.  So...that might help y'all if you're trying to find something in specific.  Lata!
~Katie

Poll

If you look to the right of this post, you will see a poll.  This poll is asking you what you would like to read more of on my blog.  Rants and musings, like what I typically post; personal things...like...my feelings, stuff like that; my daily life, just the things that go on all day in my life!
I was just curious as to what my readers like to read, hence why I'm asking.  I may or may not change it up a bit, but I just wanted some input...so...take the time to vote!
~Katie

Musings of a Child of a Crafter

            As the child of a crafter, I have always had cloth to sew, a sewing machine to sew on, needles and thread to sew with, yarn unlimited to crochet, plastic canvas…knot up….  And of course, if there’s something I really want or am interested in, I just go to my mom and say, “Hey, Mom, how hard would it be to make (insert crafty item here)?”

            I have always had someone to fix my torn clothing, make clothing, make a cape, make a doll carrier when I was younger and played with dolls, fix a dress, make a purse, make a computer case…I may be exaggerating my mom’s skills, but barely.  She is super talented.

            As the child of a crafter, I also am familiar with craft shows.  Load the vehicle the day before.  Get there early…sometimes before the sun is up, if it’s a one day thing, set up the tables, put down cloths, attempt to arrange things in the best manner to get the attention of those who happen to pass by, while at the same time, making the best use of the space provided.

            Then the day is spent, wandering around the craft show, looking at everything and maybe spending a little bit of money that could also be spent on food.  Always coming back to the booth, letting Mom go look at everything as well.  Hoping and praying that someone will buy the very fancy, forty-dollar, hand crocheted, baby dress, that took hours to make.

            Then, at the end of the craft show, we pack everything away again.  Load up.  Go home.  And next craft show, we do it all over again.  And guess what?  It’s time consuming, it takes a lot of time, usually we’re a bit tired at the end of the day…but we love it.

            ~Katie

P.S.  This was written while I was away from internet, on Word, so if the format is strange, that's why.

Congrats to Lucy Regina!

My good friend and fellow author, Lucy Regina (this is a pen name), has finally republished her book, Seven Troubles!  I had the honor of being the editor and am very grateful to have been allowed to be a part of her publication.

To buy her book, click this link and follow the procedures: Buy Seven Troubles

To like her page and support her, click THIS link:  Lucy Regina's Facebook Page

Have a nice day!

~Katie

Scholar's Bowl

So, on Thursday, we had a Scholars Bowl meet.  I really enjoy them, because I love trivia.  But I just decided I had to share some stories about this one.
Basically, for those of you who have never been in Scholars Bowl or who know little to nothing about it, there are many teams who go to a host school and are pitted against each other in various rooms.  There are up to five people on each team and often, each person will specialize in a topic.
You are taken to a room with a reader, a scorekeeper, a timekeeper, and a buzzer-keeper....  The reader will read a question and if you think that you have the answer, you will...well...buzz in.  You wait to be acknowledged, then answer.  If you get it correct, your team gets ten points.  If you get it wrong, the only team allowed to answer the question is the opposite team.  If you interrupt the reader, and get it wrong, you are docked points and the next team is free to buzz in with an answer or interrupt the reader as they reread the question from the beginning, with no consequences if they answer incorrectly.  If you get it correct, you get ten points, as usual.
It was the very last round and we were against a team to win first place.  Around question five, the enemy team interrupted and got it wrong.  Then, our team interrupted and also got it wrong.  Both teams were docked five points.
At the very last round, we were tied.  35 to 35....  It was time for a tie-breaker question.  Then, the enemy team coach said, "Hold up, I looked in the rules, and you shouldn't have docked them.  It should be their team 40, my team 35."  And because of her honesty...we won.
Call me stupid, crazy, whatever...I really wanted to get first place.  All the other meets I'd gone to, we placed third and I just really wanted to place first.  Really bad.  So I was praying that we'd win first...and because of her honesty not only did we win first, but she got acknowledged at the end with the awards, because my team's coach told the officiator guy.  I also told her thank you.  It would have been so easy for her to have just let them read the tiebreaker question and her team could have one off of that.  But she was honest...and that cost her team the match.  They did get second, overall though.
Then, we went to Freddie's for some food.  I um...forgot to take money....
We have two people on our team, Reed and Ryan, and their parents come to every match.  Kind of the way my mom and stepdad come to all my choir and singing things.  They said that because we won first, they were going to treat everyone to supper!  Their dad wouldn't even let me get a mini shake...he made me get a large...which is still in my freezer...sitting...with just enough to make up a mini shake gone from it...because I couldn't finish it....
But the entire time we were at Freddie's I was just all like, "God...thank you so much!  You're just looking out for me all over the place!"  In short, that was the best Scholars Bowl meet I've ever had and one of the best days of my life.

~Katie

The Benefits of the Different Schools I've Attended

As many of my readers are aware, I have attended three different "types" of schools.  I was homeschooled from Pre-K-8, attended a private school from 9-11, and am currently attending a public school for my senior year.
All of these schools are different, all of these schools have different pros and cons, as illustrated in these posts: Pros and Cons of Homeschooling and Private Schooling, Pros and Cons of Public Vs. Private Schools.  Of course, these schools have all benefited me in different ways, and that is what I am going to talk about now.

Homeschooling
While I was homeschooled, my mother also worked a part time job.  As I mentioned in my previous post, "My Hero", my mom is indeed my hero.  She homeschooled me and spent time with me, so I wouldn't be raised by teachers and daycare workers.  I don't know if any of you are familiar with the phrase, "Children who are loved at home go to school to learn, but children who are not, go to school to be loved".  It's not that my mother wouldn't have loved me...but I would have probably been able to spend three hours...if that...with my mother, instead, I got to spend my days with her.
I was able to learn in methods that I learned from easily and I was able to do this without the distraction of other children.  I was able to learn without being picked on constantly (which, there was a family we would visit, whose children did typically pick on me....) or being tempted to talk to my neighbor instead of listening to the teacher.
Basically, I was able to focus on my learning and, when I went to the private school, the only thing I was behind in was math.  But math has always been a struggle for me...so....  I was able to learn who I was on my own, without constantly feeling the need to fit in with those my own age...as a result...I rarely fit in with those my own age.
Private Schooling
While I attended the private school, I was introduced to a brick-and-mortar school, on a smaller scale.  While I can teach myself many things, this school gave me the teachers to help me.  Without this school, I would not have had a wonderful choir teacher who managed to teach me how to project and sing loudly and helped me discover my nice sized range.
While I was homeschooled, I didn't have grades, at this school, I got my first grades and felt the thrill of getting As...now it's a bit of a requirement and if I don't get an A, I flip out and do everything I can to get my grade up, which of course, should be a natural thing for all students to aspire to...but alas is not.  Of course, I understand that some people just aren't book smart...some people are hand smart.  They can do amazing things with their hands, but just can't pass tests...and they aren't any more smart or stupid than someone who can ace tests no problem.
Public School
While I currently attend my public school, I've learned how to navigate an iPad (I hate them with a burning passion), how many things you can actually do without paper (I still prefer paper).  I have so many more options here than I had in any of my previous schools.  There is an in school counselor--two, actually, but I believe that one is in training--I was in a musical, which has been one of my dreams ever since I was little, the choir is huge and I can audition for solos, instead of them just being assigned to me or someone else.
There are so many more options for me and I love it.  It is, of course, a smaller public school, but it's still a public school.  There are clubs and classes that we couldn't have at the private school and of course can't have in a homeschool consisting of one.

Quite frankly, each of these schools have been a stepping stone or stairway for the next school, and honestly, each time I've changed schools, it has been for the better, for one reason or another.  I am a staunch supporter of homeschooling...whether I support a private school depends on the private school, but they are a good idea...and not all public schools are bad.

~Katie

My Hero

In my Business Economics class, we were told to write about our heroes.  I wrote about mine and decided to share what I wrote, as I was cleaning out my binder (good grief it was a mess!!!)

My hero is my mom.  From my birth, until I was almost sixteen, she raised me alone, the way she thought I should be raised.  I was homeschooled 'til highschool, despite many people continually saying that I should attend 'the Bible school'.
She worked as a suburban driver, so that she would be able to be home and actually there for me.  She has continually giving things up for me.  I know I have her support in whatever I do.  We have the type of friendship/relationship, that even if I don't see things the way she does and vice versa, she will accept that and vice versa.
And, despite the fact that she is my mother, she allows me to make my own choices.  She is strong and beautiful and tough and she is my hero.

~Katie

The Thankful List

Yeah, I've been meaning to do this for a few days.  It is, as it states, a thankful list!  Which will of course...list things I am...wait for it...thankful for!

1. I am thankful for League of Legends.  Yeah, it seems stupid and cheesy, but I have actually met some of my best friends there and it's also a place where I can go and "hang out" with my friends who live far away.
2. Obviously, my family.  I had a blast with them yesterday when we celebrated our family Thanksgiving.  My uncle can go from lying flat on his stomach, then going to a standing position, with my cousin and I on his back, our weights totaling over 280 pounds.
3. My friends.  Definitely these people.  They give me hugs, they give me love, company, support.  I'm even going with a friend today to see a movie, unless the weather gets too bad.
4. Music.  I honestly don't know that I would still be here without music.
5. Art.  What did I put for music?  That applies here as well.  In fact, in English, the teacher had a journal prompt, asking if we thought that FHS should cut out the music and art programs to offer the more "schoolbooky" type classes at an advanced level.  I bet you can't guess what I said!  Maybe someday I'll share it.
6. I am thankful that I got the solo I wanted for the Christmas Pageant!  It's a beautiful solo.  My one problem with it is that it's called "Shepherds", but practically tells the story of the wise men...just a slight issue....
7. I am thankful for my not one, not two, but three home churches.  I have a Sunday morning church, that does not have church at night, so we go to my grandparents' church, not only to spend time with them, but to go to night church there, then of course, my church that I go to on Wednesday nights.  I've just recently started going, but so far, I enjoy it.
8. I am thankful that even though I'm 18, I don't have to learn how to adult alone.  I have my mom, my stepdad, my friends, my family to help me.
9. I'm thankful for my school and the way so many people have practically adopted me and have kept an eye on me to make sure I adjusted well.  I'm thankful for the clubs I am a part of, like FCA...mostly FCA....  I'm thankful for all the good teachers and students.
10. I am thankful for my freedom of speech.  I'm glad I can type whatever I want on this blog.  I can cuss FHS out, I can cuss IBS out, I can cuss Obama out and I have that right.  Of course, I'm not going to cuss anyone out, but I could.  I could also elope, as I have told many people, but I don't plan on doing it for awhile.
11. I'm thankful for how easy it is to publish nowadays!  I can write the stories that flow through my mind in colorful pictures and share them globally...and I'm glad for that.
12. I am thankful for God's goodness and grace, because without them, I would not be here!  And I'm thankful that he knows what's best.  And the thing is, sometimes he lets you go through what seems like misery...and very well might be...so that he can give you something.  Like...people in my life that have made me miserable...because of one of them in particular, I have met friends that I will never let go.

I have so much to be thankful for and that's not everything I'm thankful for, it's just everything that's popped into my head as I was typing.  And the best part?  We don't have to wait for it to be Thanksgiving to be thankful!  We can be thankful on Christmas, and Halloween, and our birthdays, and Valentine's Day!  And you know, any other random day or holiday in the year.

~Katie

Church vs. Gym

I'm sure we've all (well...a lot of us) seen this picture on Facebook before:

I have issues with this.
When you go to church and are greeted by a nice couple, who says that they're Christians, the husband is a deacon, the wife is a Sunday school teacher, you're impressed!  But then on Tuesday, you see the husband cussing out a kid for walking across the yard and the wife screaming at the husband telling him to quit yelling at the kid, you're kind of going to be a bit skeptical on the Christian thing....
Or say if you told the couple something in confidence, then you heard them gossiping about it to their neighbor?  Would you believe them to be Christians?  No.  That is called a hypocrite.
However, if you go to the gym and see a man or a woman who has a little extra weight and ask them if they believe themselves to be in shape...the answer will most likely be "no.".  You could even ask someone who looks like they're in shape if they're in shape and because they know themselves and their body, they could also answer with a "no.", simply because they know that they were in shape and now aren't so much.
What's the difference?  One claims to be something that they aren't and the other knows what they are and owns up to it.  Am I saying that not going to church and using hypocrites as an example is a good thing?  Uh...no, not really.  For the majority of churches, there will always be hypocrites...but there will also be good, true Christians.  Sometimes you need to change churches and that is okay...so long as it's cleared by God.

~Katie

A Scary Thought

Do you want to know a really scary thought?  No, probably not...people rarely want to know scary thoughts.  But...it's just something I've been thinking lately...don't ask why, just accept it....  The scariest part of rapists and murders and pedophiles etc., is that...they were all babies once.  Little...innocent...helpless...then they were little kids.  Running around, getting into all kinds of stuff, being cute.  Then they were older.  They went to school, maybe went to church, bought stuff at the grocery story, went to WalMart....  They probably had friends.  They had people who believed in them and loved them and cared about them!
And now...they're murderers...rapists...pedophiles...and it's got me sitting here going "How does that even work?!"  We'd like to say that those people are bad and terrible...and they are...but the thing is, we forget that they had friends at one point.  Maybe they had a good job.  Maybe they ran on the treadmill at the gym next to you.  And then...something inside them...somehow...just snapped!  And I'm over here all confused like...why?!  How?!
And that's Katie's scary/creepy thought of the day.

~Katie

Controversy in a Musical?

Okay, you've heard me mention my school's musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and how there are some cuss words that were being changed and all that.  I'm not sure how much else I said would be changed, but I decided to share some of it.
In the original, one of the spellers has two gay fathers.  We're changing that to adoptive parents.  The cast and crew of our musical went to watch another production of the musical and ate at Braum's afterward (which was delicious) and as the production we watched was done by a college, they didn't change a thing.
While at Braum's I was sitting with one of the crew members and I told her that some of the things in that production, we were doing differently.  In the original, one of the kids gets an erection...and it causes him to lose the spelling bee.  Then he sings about his "Unfortunate Erection".  Thankfully, the writers realized that some schools may not want to do that version and gave another version where he sings about his "Unfortunate Distraction", which was daydreaming about a girl in the audience.  She was understanding of that change, because yeah, even though it was hilarious, a lot of people would find it inappropriate.
However, when I told her that we changed the two gay dads to adoptive parents, she became more defensive and asked why people were being homophobes (I have a lot of issues with that word, simply because it implies that people are scared of homosexuals...disagreement does not mean fear, nor does it mean hate....).  When our music teacher told us about the change, she said that she personally didn't have any problems with gays and I told this girl that and told her that the teacher also said that it was changed because of how conservative this area is.  She wasn't happy with that.
What I thought of later, that I should have told her, but couldn't, because I hadn't thought of it, was that...this is a high school drama.  Not a college drama.  Not a Broadway drama.  This is high school.  We are doing this for fun, not to take a stand on gay marriage or abortion or anything of the sort.  There is no reason to have controversy in a high school production.
If a group of high schoolers got together and decided that they wanted to promote gay marriage or abortion or spanking or even take a stand against these things, that would be one thing, but for the fall musical, it is just unnecessary.  For a college, go ahead.  Broadway...go ahead....  But not a high school.
This is designed to be humorous and entertaining...not for promoting someone's views.  Let it be fun, funny and enjoyable and forget the controversy...please....

~Katie

IBS vs. FHS Teacher Showdown...part 2...

This is continued from IBS vs. FHS Teacher Showdown, which you can find...here.

Announcer:  We have returned after a day long break for cookies, ice cream, and Netflix to continue our IBS vs. FHS teacher showdown.  From IBS, we have the music teacher, Mr. Miller; the science/history teacher, Brother Todd; the former English teacher, Miss Montgomery; the former English teacher Mrs. B., the former English teacher Mrs. Weinand; and last but not least, the P.E. Teacher, Brother Steve!
*audience claps politely*
Announcer: And from FHS, we have the music teacher, Mrs. Fischer; the science teacher, Mr. Weilert; the English teacher, Ms. Schlabach and last but not least, the weights/P.E. teacher, Mr Barnett!
*audience claps politely*
Announcer: Last time, Mr. Miller and Mrs. Fischer tied...Mr. Weilert and Brother Todd tied...and now, we're ready for the English teachers!  English teachers--my goodness there's a lot of you....  Would it be 'a' university or 'an' university?  Write your answers on the white boards provided, then hold them up for the audience to see.
Miss Montgomery: *a university*
Mrs. B: *an university*
Mrs. Weinand: *a university*
Ms. Schlabach: *a university*
Announcer: I'm sorry, Mrs. B, you are incorrect.  It would be 'a' university, because although it starts with a vowel, it makes a consonant sound.  BUT you are not disqualified.  We will continue with our next question.  Have you, as an English teacher, made your students write at least one essay a year?
Miss Montgomery: Yes, ours was about what actually swallowed Jonah, they did research and everything.
Mrs. B:  Yes, they chose their own topic and wrote about it using the internet and practicing using note cards for their citations.
Mrs. Weinand: Yes, they chose their own topic and wrote about it using the internet, books and any other sources they found, but they had to have books as a source as well.  I let them keep track of their citations how they wanted, but they still had to cite them with MLA format.
Ms. Schlabach: Yes, they're actually in the process of writing an essay comparing two different translations of Sophocles' Antigone, MLA format, as expected.
Announcer: Very good!  A tie!  And now...the students will be the ones deciding your fate....  Miss Montgomery...your students say that you taught well and they knew they better work.  Mrs. B, a note from one of your students says that they didn't particularly like you as a teacher, but when they were able to just talk to you, they enjoyed it.  Mrs. Weinand, your students completely loved you and they said something about...apple pie?  Ms. Schlabach, And again, no complaints for you!  It's a three way tie, between Miss Montgomery, Mrs. Weinand and Ms. Schlabach!  Mrs. B...I'm sorry.  BUT you get a consolation prize of a $100 gift certificate to spend however you like, wherever you like!
*audience claps politely*
Announcer: And now...for the final two...Mr. Barnett and Brother Steve, please step forward.  What are your workout regimes for your students like.
Brother Steve: Well...we mostly just play games.  *laughs*  Volleyball when it's cold, softball when it's warm, sometimes we play softball when the girls are complaining that it's too cold, but they can live with it.
Mr. Barnett:  We play games on Wednesdays and the rest of the time, we're in the weights room, lifting and doing other workouts.
Announcer:  Well, either workout regime sounds fun and of course, we all understand that IBS does not have sufficient funds for a weights room, so the weights room does not play into whether or not a teacher is disqualified or not.  Annnd...again a tie!  But, how do the students feel about these men?  Of Brother Steve... "Brother Steve is a kind hearted man and I greatly enjoyed his P.E. class.  My only complaint is that he constantly picked the same people to be the team captains.".  Of Mr. Barnett...  "Mr Barnett is an easy going, fun loving guy, who even at a public school is still a very good Christian influence.".  Again with the ties!  What was the point of this even?  Why have a battle!  They all tied!  *flips desk over, muttering about wasting life away*  That's it, I quit!  I WANTED BLOODSHED!  I WANTED FIGHTS!
*audience watches with odd expressions*
Announcer:  I WANTED THERE TO BE A FIGHT AND BE BIASEDNESS!  WHY CAN'T I HAVE BIAS HERE?  IT'S NOT FAIR!  *begins flailing arms and legs, kicking and hitting the floor*  I WANTED A FIGHT!  WHY COULDN'T I HAVE A FIGHT?  WHY DO THE TEACHERS ALL HAVE TO BE EQUAL?!  WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Katie: And this draws to a conclusion the IBS vs. FHS Teacher Showdown....  Now excuse me while I take care of our announcer....

~Katie

IBS vs. FHS Teacher Showdown!

So, I've been thinking recently about what would happen if there was a contest between the teachers at my old school and the teachers of my new school...who would win???  Here is how I believe the showdown would look....

Announcer:  From IBS, we have the music teacher, Mr. Miller, the science/history teacher, Brother Todd, the former English, now Bible teacher, Miss Montgomery; the former English teacher, Mrs. B.; the former English teacher Mrs. Weinand; and last, but not least, the P.E. teacher, Brother Steve!
*audience claps politely*
Announcer: And from FHS, we have the music teacher, Mrs. Fischer; the science teacher, Mr. Weilert; the English teacher, Mrs. Schlabach; the art teacher, Mr. Houghton; and last but not least, the weights/P.E. teacher, Mr. Barnett!
*audience claps politely*
Announcer: To begin, we will have the music teachers stand up...  Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Miller, come forward.
*they come forward willingly*
Announcer: Please, lead your choirs in warm-ups.  Mrs. Fischer...ladies first.
Mrs. Fischer: *leads choir in the 'bottle pop' round*
*audience claps politely*
Announcer: Mr. Miller, can you and your choir upstage her?
Mr. Miller:  *leads choir in 'Ho-ho-ho Hosanna'*
*audience claps politely*
Announcer: Excellent!  You both have done very well.  Mr. Miller, you appear to have a smaller choir, but despite that you've trained them well.  Mrs. Fischer, your choir is larger, but you have also trained them well.  We collected polls from students that have "served" under these teachers and out of three of Mr. Miller's students...previous or current...all three have stated that he is an excellent teacher and that they enjoy being in his class and doing choir tour with him.  However...for Mrs. Fischer...out of three of her students...they also enjoy class with her!  Congratulations!  It's a tie!  Now for the science teachers....
*they step forward*
Announcer:  Please, demonstrate how you teach your students about the metric system.
Mr. Weilert:  *condensed and fast forwarded*  We use the English system which not even the English use.  Here, look on these crackers...English AND metric.  *tosses behind*  Can of peas?  English AND metric.  *tosses behind*  Cereal?  English AND metric!  *tosses behind*.
Brother Todd:  *looks throughly stunned*  I think something might get broken if he keeps doing that....  *condensed and sped up*  The English and metric systems of measurement are both listed on everything except for--
Mr. Weilert:  What??  There's no English measurement.  That's because the scientific measuring system is the metric system.
Announcer:  Perhaps we should have taken turns...it appears that while Brother Todd is a more laid back person--
Mr. Weilert: What now, Katie?  You're sucking me dry girl!
Announcer:  *clears throat*  BROTHER TODD IS A MORE LAID BACK PERSON...however, though they have different methods of teaching are both good teachers.  There appears to be a bit more chaos in Brother Todd's room...we have live footage of a stepfather of one of the students coming into the room with a whale puppet singing a song about...about...saving whales...I don't even know...  HOWEVER...this tie, again...will be broken by the students...and again...unanimous on both sides!  Congratulations, gentlemen.
Announcer:  You notice that we only have four teachers that are competing...this is because some of the teachers Katie had at IBS, she only took those classes while attending IBS, such as math and others she's only taken at FHS, such as art.  As such, these teachers automatically win against the ones from the opposing schools.  Principals are disqualified as they are not technically teachers, but administrators.

...to be continued...

~Katie

League of Legends

As was mentioned a post or two ago, I've started playing this game called League of Legends.  It's a team based game and is really very fun when you have people to play with.  My ex, Josh, got me into the game and introduced me to two of his friends...well, four, really, but only two that played regularly, that also played League.
When you first start League, they have you play a tutorial game that really confuses you, but if you have friends that are playing, they then take you into Bot/AI games and teach you whatever it was that you misunderstood from the tutorial.  You're given a set amount of RP (Riot Points) with which to buy skins or champs or other things of that ilk.  When you play games, you get something called IP (Influence Points), with which you can buy champs with...maybe runes, but I've never bought runes, so I wouldn't know.  Once you run out of RP, you're out...unless you buy some with real-life money...which I'm not planning on doing.
Every week you have...ten...(?) free champions that you can play, without having to buy and/or own them.  These champions are what you play in the game and each one of them has five skills.  A passive, which you can't control, and four skills that you control via the Q, W, E and R buttons on your keyboard.  The R is known as the 'ult', or 'ultimate' and you can level it up three times; at level 6, 11, and 16.  When in a match, your champion can level all the way up to 18 and you can level up your skills each time you level up, but only until each skill (other than R) has 5 points in it.
In a normal match, there are three lanes (top, middle/mid and bottom/bot) and a jungle.  In a bot match, you have two top, one mid, and two bot.  In a normal match (or a ranked match) you have one top, one mid, two bot, and a jungler.  The role of the jungler is to kill jungle monsters and gank lanes.  Ganking means that they come out of the jungle and essentially ambush the enemies that are being meanie heads to their teammate.  The top laner is typically a bruiser (which means they do damage) or a tank (which means they can take a lot of damage without dying, the midlaner is usually a mage, who scales off of ap (ability power), the botlaners are a support (a champion who keeps other champions from dying and helps to set up kills, while usually not doing any killing at all), and an adc (attack damage carry), who is supposed to do a lot of damage and get a lot of kills.

Below is a map of Summoner's Rift, which is the map that is most typically played on.

Then there's also the matter of items.  Throughout the match, you will generate gold and you will also earn gold from killing minions, which are little things that aren't champions and don't do much damage, but love to have at each other and do little bits of damage to you.  You earn gold from destroying turrets, which attack you if you go in without a minion wave( which is why you kill the enemy minions), which is generated after...I'm not sure how many seconds each, but the first minion wave spawns at 1:30.  With the gold that you get, you can buy items to increase your armor, health, mana (which, for most champions, lets you use your skills that are on the qwer thingy, though some champs don't have them.  It can be pronounce man-uh, or mah-nah...I've heard both.), ability power, attack damage, yatta yatta yatta...ask your skilled friends what to build on your champs, k?  K.

Most items have smaller items that can be built into them and if you can't buy the entire item when you first back/recall (return to base, by pressing the b button, which takes 8 seconds to load you back there and if you sustain any damage your recall is canceled and you have to stay and fight.  This also rejuvenates your health and mana), you can usually buy the little items that are built into it.

There are other game modes where you can play with three people...or six people...or have only one lane...or have only two lanes...it's a pretty in depth game, actually and I never realized how in depth before I started explaining it all....  I haven't even mentioned summoner spells or counter-jungling, or skins...wait, I mentioned skins, but I didn't explain them or anything.  There's a lot I didn't go into, actually.  There are a lot of champions to play and I own a grand total of...23...I think.

So, yes...this is my obsession, although I prefer to play with my friends.  There's also a game mode that is like the normal game mode that I mentioned, although it's called ranked.  For ranked, you play ten games and that's called your provisionals (I've played four so far) and then once you hit ten games, you can begin playing for something called LP (League Points...I think....) and once you hit 100, you get a rank.  There's bronze, silver, gold, diamond, platinum...I think....  And I think they're in that order, as well.  I am currently unranked.  But, in order to even play ranked games, you have to be summoner level 30 and you level that up by playing more games, be they bots, or pvp (player versus player).

Again, this is my obsession.  It is not the reason why I stay up until midnight every night...tonight it's not midnight yet and also, I blog and talk to people and stuff like that...sometimes I try to clean my room a bit....

To the people who hear about League all the time...I'm so sorry.

~Katie

To My Friend, Mike

I know I already made a blog post today, but then I went to my friend, Mike's, blog and read one of his posts.  I had a comment all typed up and it wound up being rather long, so I asked if he would mind me sharing his post, with my reply on my blog and he said that that was fine....

Mike's Blog Post

And here is my reply:

Sometimes crying shows strength. The man is supposed to be the example for the woman. If her man always holds back his tears and refuses to let them show, she may feel as though she needs to do the same.
Throughout the Bible, men have cried…and not just because of deaths. Jacob cried when he was reunited with his son, I believe Jacob and Esau cried when they saw each other and were making peace, the father of the prodigal son cried when he saw his son…so much crying…all by men… If God didn’t want people (male and female) to cry, he wouldn’t have made people designed to cry.
When a person is born…usually, the first thing they do after taking a breath, is cry. When you fall down, you cry. When you laugh too hard, you cry. When you suffer a painful break up, you cry. When you grow older, when you’re extremely happy, you cry. If you’re moved emotionally at all, you cry. Crying is good and healthy and something that is perfectly okay for men, women, boys, girls, babies, teens, preteens, and any other humans I may have left out to do.
God KEEPS your tears. He keeps them. In a bottle…and in a book. Psalm 56:8– “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” That wasn’t just for the writer of that psalm…that was for everyone. Including men. Which includes you.
And besides all of THAT, there are plenty of healthy reasons to cry. When you cry, it releases proteins that can cause bad moods or health issues…and I know what I’m talking about, I wrote a whole essay on it my Sophomore year of highschool. If you don’t want to cry around people, that’s fine and completely understandable…but don’t force yourself not to cry or feel weak for doing so…because it’s fine. Biblically and…professionally? No, that’s not the word I mean, but you understand what I mean, I hope.
I’m very much a hypocrite for saying this, because I force myself not to cry a lot of the time…I first remember doing that when I was four…so it’s something I need to remember too. Crying is a-okay.

~Katie

Pros and Cons of Public/Private Christian Schools

I meant to do this a long time ago, so I'm sorry this took so long!  Awhile back, when I switched from being homeschooled to going to the Bible school, I made a pros and cons list.  I thought...well, why not do the same for private Christian school and public school?  We'll start with what I left....

Private Christian School
Pros:

1. Everyone knows everyone.
2. Higher levels of freedom to worship God without being told to take it elsewhere..
3. You don't have to worry about having Evolution crammed down your throat as a fact, instead of a theory, which is what it is.
4. Smaller student to teacher ratio, so more one on one help.
5. Christian songs and pretty hymns in choir.

Cons:

1. Everyone knows everyone.
2. Hypocrites (yes, you'll see them everywhere and it is a con everywhere).
3. Strict dress codes.
4. At the school I just left, being forced to wear your hair in a bun at school.
5. If your doctrinal beliefs are different, you're looked at oddly.

Public School

Pros:

1. A larger selection of electives.
2. More opportunities to take the same class.
3. Clubs!  For example, I am in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes).
4. Dancing is actually allowed....Psalm 149:3a.....it should be allowed in Christian schools too....
5. A looser dress code...and yes, you can still be modest.  No, not everyone will choose to, but you can be.

Cons:

1. There's always that chance that you'll get told that Evolution is the only way the earth could have come into being.
2. People may not always understand when you pray over your food or why you dress how you dress.
3. Cuss words every day.
4. A bigger student to teacher ratio (although my school is actually pretty small for a public school, so we do have a pretty good ratio)
5. Having to awkwardly ask your Weights teacher if it's alright if you wear a skirt for your class instead of the required shorts...thankfully, he's also the sponsor of the FCA and understands why I wear skirts, why my mom wants me to wear skirts and why that's what I feel comfortable in, so he just nodded and said that it would be fine, so long as I had shorts underneath so no one would see my undies...actually, he didn't say so no one would see my undies, but it was implied.

So, as you can see, there are pros and cons to both schools...at least both of the ones I've attended....  And yes, I did, in fact, put 'everyone knows everyone' as both a pro and a con...because, honestly it is.  Everyone knows everyone, so you don't have to worry about talking to strangers...but also...everyone knows everyone, so if there's something going on in your life...it's gonna be pretty dang easy for everyone to find out about it....

~Katie

Goodness!

My goodness, it's been forever since I've regularly blogged!  So...let's try a recap of the past year up until this point....

January--New Year, obviously...trying to remember specific things that happened that I want to share...not really any...actually....  That could have been when new management took over at the daycare I was working at, I'm not sure.  I suppose I could go get my journal and check, but I haven't been journalling regularly either.  Ahh, after reading back posts, I remember the most duh thing of all...I got my own computer!  Which I still use.
February--I'm kinda in the same boat with this month as well, I guess.  I've been focusing mostly on these recent months and working on school and things like that.  My back posts don't help any with this, because it was merely musings.  How in the world am I supposed to know things and little details that happened during this time period, if I don't write it down??  Again, I probably did in my journal.
March--...Okay, I'm not good at this....
April--I believe that this was the month that I felt a peace about switching schools.  It was also the month of the Junior/Senior Banquet, where my cousin Andrew (who is now at boot camp :'( ) took me, because he's a sweetheart.
May--I was one of the flag bearers (grrr, I iz scary bear) at the graduation, which was lovely, as most graduations are.  I also went to my uncle's niece's graduation and was favorably impressed by the school building and all dat.
June--I started Driver's Ed and either June or May I started playing League of Legends...if you want a life, don't start playing!  I met Mr. Barnett, who is also now one of my favorite teachers.  I also went to Abilene-not-in-Abilene-anymore Youth Camp, although I think I enjoyed it more my first year.
July--Makin' new friends through League all over da place--THAT'S A SHOUT OUT TO YOU WOLFIE!...and everyone else, but I talk to Wolfie the most....
August--Eep, school started!  I was so nervous and initially, she had me in the alto section, but said that if we thought it was the wrong place, just let us know, so I did and I am now where I belong with my high notes and all that jazz.
September--Auditions for the musical and I got the part of Olive, which I was secretly wanting really badly, but not wanting to say.
October--Hey, that's this month!  I think we did auditions for solos this month, but it could have been in September, near the end, and concert, which was awesome.  I had two solos (one I was really nervous and I wasn't angling my head right, so I sounded kinda pitchy) and had a blast doing them.
Now, let's see if maybe I can possibly post once a week or something.  Once a day is a little overkill...after all, you know, school, homework, things of that nature....  But, there's a recap of my year thus far!
~Katie