Ski Trip

The 8th Graders go on an 8th Grade Ski Trip every year, and this year, it was our turn! We drove up to Snow Mountain Ranch Thursday afternoon and got there at about 5:30. Then we put all of our bags and things in the rooms in the lodge. After that, we all went down to the KIVA. Most of my friends and I had already been to Snow Mountain Ranch before and were familiar with the KIVA so we knew exactly what we wanted to do. First played volleyball and then we got roller skates and all went rollerskating together. It was so much fun!!! :) We were falling all over the place... Hahahaha... My friend, Laura, and I go ice skating together sometimes so we had a little more experience than others, but we all had a great time.

Next, we walked back to the dorms and got into our warm clothes. We all hopped back into the buses and vans and drove down to the Frazier Tubing Hill. We tubed from about 8 to 9:30 and had a blast! We did some runs individually and then we did some group runs down together also. On one run, we had almost the entire grade and all of the chaperons go down together and it was SO much fun. After that, we were all exhausted and went back to the dorms to go to bed.

The next morning, we got up at 6, got dressed in warm clothes, had breakfeast, and set off to go skiing. It was soooooo cold and the wind was blowing very hard, but we didn't care... We were all skiing and snowboarding together and having a great time! We skied from about 8AM to 3 PM and only took a 30 minute break for lunch. It was SO MUCH FUN!!!!! I started out with a bunch of my buddies that snowboard and a couple that ski and we did some blues. After lunchtime, I switched and went with my other skiing friends and we did blue-blacks and blacks and had a great time! :) The snow was powdery and perfect for skiing and I had a wonderful time!

Here are some pictures and videos of us on the trip...

Up to the Mountain

Today our choir sang the song Up to the Mountain by Patty Griffin. It is a beautiful song that honors Martin Luther King and I really enjoyed singing it. Now I don't know what our choir director or the congregation thought (haha), but I thought we sounded good. Our piano player sang the solo part and sounded absolutely gorgeous and I felt proud to be apart of the choir this morning.

As we were rehearsing before church this morning, our director pointed something out to us. He called this particular verse to our attention... "Some days I look down, afraid I will fall. And though the sun shines, I see nothing at all. And then I hear Your sweet voice, oh, oh, come and then go. Telling me softly, You love me so." He read it out to us instead of singing it and let us hear how beautiful it was. "Isn't this the reason we are all here today?" he asked us. I thought that was a wonderful thing for him to do and say because we are all usually too busy trying to make sure we are singing the right notes that we don't really notice how wonderful and meaningful the lyrics to our songs are. That really opened my eyes and I will pay more attention to the lyrics in songs now. :)

If you would like to listen to the song, I have put it on the play list on this blog. It is called Up to the Mountain. Enjoy!!!:)

Jazz Band

I play flute in the jazz band at my school and we had practice this morning. I LOVE jazz band! We play the most fun songs ever! Also, some of my friends are in it with me so that makes it even more fun! :) haha... Anyways, we are practicing the songs Take 5, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, and It Don't Mean a Thing right now and if you haven't heard of any of these songs... LOOK THEM UP!!!! Haha... They are soooo fun to play and they sound amazing with all of the different instruments(flute, piano, saxophone, trumpet, drum, bass, and occasionally, a singer).

I don't normally go around listening to jazz music, but something about playing the songs is so much fun! If you play an instrument or sing, you probably feel this way too. It's hard to describe, but something about music or playing music is so cool and I LOVE it! I listen to music all the time and I am obsessed with it!!!! :) If you play an instrument or just love music like I do, I would love to hear about it through the comments you leave!!! :)
This is a picture of my friend Amanda(on the right) and I playing a jazzy song on the flute together in 5th grade!!! :) I just found this and thought it was hilarious! We have been playing flute together since 4th grade and we always have a great time. She is one of my jazz band buddies:) hahaha

Something Funny

I have been doing a lot of quotes and poems lately but I just love them! Here is a another one:

It's funny 'till someone gets hurt... then it's hilarious!!!!

Hahaha my friend said this to me today when he was playing around with another one of my other friends and I just had to laugh!!! :)

Grandma's Poem

My grandparents on my dad's side live about 45 minutes away from us so we go and visit them a lot. I love them so much and always have a great time with them. My grandma got a poem from one of her friends in California (where they used to live)and she hung it up in her house. When I was little, I would always go into the room and read the poem. Eventually, I had read it so many times that I had memorized it and I love it so here it is...

A Special Kind of Friend

If there's someone you can talk to, someone no one can replace.

If there's someone you can laugh with, until tears run down your face.

If there's someone you can turn to, when you need a helping hand.

If there's someone you can count on, to advise and understand.

If there's someone you can sit with, and not need to say a word.

If there's someone you can trust, to keep confidence she's heard.

If there's someone you think more of, as each year comes to an end.
You're a very lucky person, for you've found a special friend!

By Doris Faulhaber

Little Quotes

One of my friends said this and I thought it was beautiful:

There are 12 months in a year,
30 days in a month,
7 days in a week,
24 hours in a day,
But only one like you in a lifetime...


Here is another one that another one of my friends said:

Love the life you live and live the life you love.

I just thought both of these were great things that my friends said and I thought you might enjoy them too!!! :)

First Time Babysitting

Last night I babysat for the first time! I mean, I have babysat my sister a bunch of times, but this was my first time to babysit a  kid not related to me in their house. I love little kids. During church, I love to go down and help the little kids in Sunday School. I think they are all so adorable and this little girl was no exception. I was very nervous that something would go wrong or the kid would get hurt at first, but after I got there and got to know her a little bit, I had a great time! I can't believe it! You go in to someone else's house and have a great time with their little kid and then they pay you! Hahaha... whoever thought of this is brilliant! Haha... Anyways, now I am very excited about babysitting now and can't wait for my next job! :)

An Introduction of Me...

My name is Elly and I created this blog so I could share my thoughts, everyday experiences, and other things from my life as a teenage girl with you. Some things you should know about me are I am 13, my favorite color is purple, my favorite animal is a peacock, I love food... Haha who doesn't?... I play volleyball, basketball, soccer, and the flute, and sing in my church choir. I am a Methodist and go to church almost every Sunday. I go and have gone to the same privat school since preschool and am currently in 8th grade. I have made many friends over the years and, to tell you the truth, I love school! There are some basic things about me that you should know! :)