This Is Family

This is family.

Sitting together and playing Uno, even when your hands are aching.

Even when it's getting annoying.

Even when you have been hit by 3 draw fours in a row.

Even when you don't have a red and have to pick through a deck of what seems like 400 yellow cards.

Because family is more than bloodlines and who lives under the same roof as you.

Family is about who would eat your overcooked spaghetti and slightly burnt garlic bread and pretend like it was the most gourmet meal on the planet.

It's about who would wake you up at midnight to ask you to switch bunk beds with them.

It's about the people that secretly promise to let you watch Paranormal Activity even after mom says no.

It's the people who can't get rid of you no matter what.

Its about the people who would sit and play the longest, butt-numbing, laughter-filled game of Uno that you have ever heard of.

Thats real family.

How Time Flies

“How did it get so late so soon? It's night 

before it's afternoon. December is here before 

it's June. My goodness how the time has 

flown. How did it get so late so soon?” 

― Dr. Seuss

Warning: This post is kind of heavy, but also very light. It has that kind of 'mesmerizing yet bubbly' kind of attributes to it.

To say that time flies is an understatement.

Time practically gallops.

I don't think it clicked with me how true that was until I met with my High School counselor today.

Yup. You read that last line right.

My High School counselor and I met to discuss my class options.

I think that it was then that I realized that it was almost April of my last year of middle school, that I was going to high school in less than 5 months and that I was graduating in less than 40 days.

Wow.

That's all that ran through my mind.

Wow. 

Time something that we crave the most, but misuse the most as well.

I'm almost in High School!

And as nervous I am, the excitement of this new adventure overshadows everything else. It's going to be amazing!

High school is the end of one chapter (a very long chapter, may I add) and the beginning of a new 4 year chapter. And I'm going to miss my friends, but I'm going to make new ones.

Thank you all for sticking by me. It's been 2 years since I started this blog and the response to it has been overwhelming.

I love you guys.

German Fest 2012

Okay guys. Here goes..

I am sorry again.

But in between studying for my entrance exam, science fair and everything else, this blog post just seemed to get wedged in between everything.

So, in case you were wondering why this post date is the 28th of December, it's because I have more posts to write and I wanted to have them in a timely fashion.

So here it is, the long awaited, German Fest 2012
--------------------

German Fest (or Christkindlmarkt) is held in Chicago every year, and this year we made a big day trip down there to see it.

We decided to take the train there and back and that was loads of fun. I actually didn't have my camera until after we had left the German Fest area, so that should explain the lack of photos of German things.

This is Kiren looking outside from Dad's office on the 39th floor after returning from  Christkindlmarkt in downtown Chicago

The view from the 39th floor.

 Okay, so it wasn't the most entertaining post ever, but it is a blog post!!

Love you all!!

Until next time,
Yuna

As Summer Subsides and Fall Begins

Fall has to be one of my favorite seasons.

The colors are just gorgeous, the weather is brisk, and it signals that my birthday is just around the corner.

Since we got our new camera, I have been a little obsessed with taking pictures. 

But then again, who wouldn't?

With all the pretty falling leaves and colors, every time I'm outside I feel like I need to keep the memories. Tomorrow I'm going to rake up the leaves in our yard and take some action shots of Kiren and Neil jumping in. 

So, bask in the change of scenery and take in a breath of fresh air.

Summer

Vacationing,Sunny

Swimming, Traveling, Relaxing

Outdoors, Golden, Bonfires, Colorful

Raking, Changing, Falling

Brisk, Chilly

Fall

Letter to 11 Year Old Me

So....
Here I am once again to write a letter. You all must think that I am obsessed with letters or something....

But I don't know exactly what is to come, but I know that I have soooo much advice that I would give to myself if I could.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Yuna,

So I know that you probably want to crumple this paper into a ball and throw it in the garbage right now because you think you know everything in the world.

But please don't, because you definitely don't know a fourth of the things in the world. And I probably don't either. But I know a lot more than you do.

You are in either 5th or 6th grade right now. You probably have Mrs.W or Mrs.Y. They are really amazing teachers. Next year you will get that laptop that you really wanted. And you will get a kindle fire. You'll get a new classmate, who you won't like at first. Don't be afraid to join volleyball. It'll seem scary at first, but it's so much fun.

You'll get a lot closer to your classmates. There will only be 16 of you in 7th grade. They will be your school family.

Cherish your time with your friends. They will become like your family.

I wish that I could tell you that your best friend is sitting 3 seats away from you in homeroom.

Don't forget your book report at home. And when Mrs.Y asks you to bring in the box of rice, tell mom as soon as you get home.

Don't skip studying for a test so that you can 'wing it'. Don't get involved with things you don't have to be involved in. Water your sunflower plant everyday.

I wanted to tell you that it will all turn out okay in the end. That through the crazy fights and that left-out feelings you will end up happy in the end. You may end up not popular or not beautiful or anything else.

You will be happy. And that's the important thing.

Love you,

Yuna

Back Again...

Hey guys!

Wow, things have been really busy over here!! So school had been pretty mellow, but after school activities are all over the place. I have volleyball practice once or twice a week, and two games a week. Neil had soccer practice once a week, a game once a week, and will start basketball January of next year. Kiren has joined gymnastics once a week and she is also doing piano once a week. We all seem to be caught up in different activities at different times.

This season our volleyball team is 5-1, so we are off to a great start. One of our teammates broke her hand at volleyball practice, so we are all hoping for her to come back before the season ends. We have about 12 games left, not including tournaments.

How are all of you guys doing?? I am really looking forwards to November this because it is a really busy moth for all of us. I an running a school-wide fundraiser for two weeks, then it's my birthday, and then it is Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year.

So as you all have noticed I am a slacker.

Yeah, I don't post once a day. Or once a week. Or once every other week. And sometimes not even every month.

Yesterday I got an inspiring phone call though (My inspiration, you know who you are)

And it reminded me that I have some amazing people behind me that are always waiting for me to post.

And I love you guys.

Well, Duh!!

Wow, I think I forgot to let you know how my Science Fair ended! I went to the State Science Fair that was held in Champagne-Urbana and won the bronze medal! Thank you all for your support. It was loads of fun and I am looking forwards to doing it again next year!

Summer of Fun: Bucket List

This is my bucket list, or list of things that I want to do. Some of these will be accomplished in the Summer, but others won't.

Bucket List

• Wear a t-shirt that says life and hand out lemons on the street
• Yell 'PIKA PIKA' before someone sneezes
• Learn how to say I love you in 10 languages
• Go snorkling in the Great Barrier Reef
• See my best friend for 10 days in a row
• Go to a wedding and do a dance
• Write and publish a book
• Sit courtside at a Bulls v. Heat playoff game (a must)
• Wear mismatched socks
• Go to a major sporting event
• Throw a huge party and invite every single one of my friends
• Complete my summer of fun!
• Swim with dolphins
• Spend a whole day eating junk food without feeling guilty
• Tell someone the story of my life- without sparing any details
• Send a message in a bottle
• Plan a fake wedding
• Make a motto for myself and follow it
• Sleep under the stars
• Go to Carnival in Rio
• Find a job I love
• Make a bowl of peeled, seedless grapes
• Ski a black diamond
• Make a family tree
• Reflect on my biggest weakness and find ways that is my biggest strength
• Skydive
• Write a thank you letter every day for a whole year
• Own a cupcake bakery
• Learn to do a flip on a trampoline
• Win a contest
• Walk along the Great Wall of China
• Build a real tree house
• Have a huge closet
• Mentor someone
• Make a diffrerence

Summer Of Fun: Kick-off Post

With only 10 days left till the India trip time is flying! Everyone is soooo busy with packing (which hasn't been done yet for our family), cleaning, and getting ready. School ended on Friday, so now I have more time to do things like keep up with my blog!! I am so excited and soo ready to go. So to start off and keep me occupied, I'll start my summer of fun!!

Summer of Fun Posts

• Letter to 23 year old me
• Write my life list
• Do the "what makes me.." list
• Things you should know about me if we're gonna be friends
• Akward and Awsome
• Blog at least once every week (or so) in India
• And whatever else comes to mind!

I'll keep you posted on everything new! (Pun totally intended!)

Why I Love Blogging

1. It helps me keep in touch.
Since I don't have a Facebook, my blog helps me communicate with my family. They know what we are up to, and they can comment and let me know what they are up to as well.

2. I Forget Things
I forget everything. Mom tells me something downstairs, and when I go upstairs to do it, I forget what I came upsatairs to do.

3.I Can be Crazy.
I can talk about the most random things on this blog, and I never have to worry about you guys making 'She's crazy' faces at me. At least I don't think you do......

4.I can preserve memories
When I turn 50 years old, and my memories are blurred up (trust me, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast this morning. There is no possible way that I will remember ANYTHING by the time I turn 50.) I will have something to look at to remind me of all my memories. And when I'm laying in bed, all sick and bedridden, I'll have something to show my children and grandchildren.

5.I love to share my passions with you.
Sometimes I read a quote and I get so excited and want to change my life and work really hard and change the world and excetra, excetra. Now, when I blog something, not only am I doing it for myself, I'm being held accountable by all of you.

6.It makes me happy.
I love it when I get views, or comments. It makes me so happy to see that the work I put into writing doesn't go unnoticed.


But most of all, thank you for giving me something to blog about.

I'm ______ Because

I saw this on a blog that I love to read, so I decided to try it.

Here goes.......

I'm wierd because....
I can’t sleep with a top sheet.
I’m scared of cats and their sharp nails.
I don’t eat the crust of pizza.
I drink from over 10 glasses a day.
I start my shopping in the sales section of every store, and most times I never leave.
I would rather watch an entire season in 3 nights on DVD than watch a show weekly.
I do a happy dance when I get a package in the mail.
I like to read a single book over and over.
I hate seafood.
I would rather be freezing cold than burning hot.
I love it when people play with my hair.
I like to straighten out the shelves at the store while mom shops.
I hate trying out clothes.
I love frozen corn and ice.
I could probably live on mashed potatoes.
I can't stand the sound of a wiffle ball hitting the floor.
I have to sleep with the door to my room completley open.
I like to buy cheap earrings, even though they give me rashes.
When I'm nervous I tap my pencil.
I hate the smell of flowers.
I'm addicted to stickers.
I check my blog constantly.
I never remember to charge anything.
I forget and lose things constantly. Seriously. Thank god my head is attached to my head or I would have already lost that too.
If I've spelled something wrong on a list or stick note, I have to rewrite it.
I keep every single letter or postcard that I get
I
I can't drink warm water.
I have way too many notebooks, planners, and colorful things.

I’m a bad friend because…
I am terrible at returning phone calls and emails.
I get so caught up in my own things that I don't see the needs of others.
When I'm mad at someone I don't talk to them first.
I keep my anger bottled up, and sometimes I explode.
I forget things.
I always say what I’m thinking.

I’m a good friend because…
I want to see those I love succeed.
I love and cherish friendship.
You can show up at my house at midnight to talk about your bad day.
I’m not afraid to get silly and slap happy.
I'm a good listner.
I can talk on the phone with you for hours on end.
I always say what I’m thinking.

I’m sad because…
I wish all my family lived closer.
I too often get consumed with guilt.
I sometimes let little things get in the way of the big picture.
I need to be better at letting things roll off my back.
I've got big dreams to fufill.

I’m happy because…
I'm alive and healthy.
I'm going to India and Canada soon.
I'm going to see all of my family.
I love my friends.
Football pre-season starts in August.
I have lots to look forward to.
I've got big dreams to fufill.

Share 3 "I'm ____ because" statements of yours in the comments!!

Heat Wave!!

Spring has finally arrived, and with it, a completley new set of temperatures. It is very hot over here, which is very unusual for spring here in Illinois. Here are two poems for you the first is a gmeral poem:

Spring

Flowy, Breezy, Nice and Easy

Winter gone, but Summer Still Arriving

Green Grass, Flower Buds, April Showers

Warm, Warmer, Warmest

Spring Has Arrived

The next poem is a little different. It focuses on two opposites instead of one particular thing.

Winter

Cold, Dark

Wet, Depressing, Bare

Snowy Days, Rainy Days

Grassy, Warm, Bright

Hot, Sunny

Summer

Yay!!

I know I have been neglecting to write recently, but I have great news to share with all of you!
I qualified for the Regional Science Fair in January. The fair was today. I had lots of fun and made many new friends. I got judged 4 times by my main judges, special judges, and even parents who wanted to know more about my project. There were almost 600 people there, but me and my 3 friends were chosen to go to the State Competition. To qualify for state, we all got scores higher than 103. We will all hopefully be going to Champagne, Illinois in May for the competition. I almost got a perfect score!!

Thank you all so much for believing in me! Your prayers and love are all greatly apprectiated!

Long Time No Post...........

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I posted last! This week we did our standardized testing and it has been pretty easygoing. We are planning  a traditional 8th grade dinner dance, and mom is doing the goodie bags, so she has been very busy as well. We reached 100 days till the India trip on Monday!! Other than that, it's realllly boring over here.


This week I have been spending extra time with my story, so I decided to let you read the first paragraph:

My name used to be Annika Luisa Matthews.

I lived in a big brown house on the corner of Oak Street and Acorn Boulevard.

I used to have a big family. I used to have a mom, a dad, an older sister named Annalisia, the little twins Nate and Eve, and the new baby Genevieve Lea.

 I used to go to St. John’s junior high.

I used to never be afraid.

But I’m different now.

But I’ll never forget that day that my life changed forever.

Ever.



What did you think? I know it's very vauge, but I don't want it to give too much away. Comment with any suggestions!!

Interview

Hi everyone! I am going to be trying out some thing new this and next week. From today till next Friday I will be interviewing 4 or so people about different things. Every few days you will get a new interview to read. The best way of learning is through others experiences! Here is the first interview:

Q & A with Rianna

Rianna is my best friend and recently moved to Florida. These aren't her exact words because I dit up a little bit before I turned it in for a homework assignment.

How did it feel moving to a new school?

It was hard to find all my classes but it got really easy and now I love this school. I have a lot of friends and amazing teachers.

Did you make friends easily?

I met new friends on my first day and still have a strong friendly relationship with all of them.

What was different from your old school?

The thing that was different from my old school was that you were allowed to use your phones at lunch time and we have less homework now.

What was the most different: Florida or the new school? Why?

Florida was way more different than Chicago because Florida is warmer than Chicago and in Miami it
barley ever snows. School wasn’t as different because it really didn’t differ from my old school.

What is your favorite part of your house?

My own bedroom and my own bathroom in my room. It is my favorite thing because in the old house
I did not have my own bathroom so I had to share with my brother. In this house I have my own
bathroom and I don't have to share it. Yayy for me!!

What is your favorite part of your neighborhood? Why?

My favorite part of the neighborhood is the people because they are really nice and helpful.

What do you have as a remembrance of us?

I have the scrapbook you made me and photos we took in Chicago of our last days there. I also have
your picture on my desk at home.

Can you describe the houses in your neighborhood?

The houses are humongous and beautiful. I love them sooo much! I love to just walk around the
neighborhood and look at them.

What is the most exciting thing about Florida?

All the people and the shops and MALLS!!!!!!!!!!

What do you miss from Chicago? Why?

I miss my friends and cousins.

Where do you go for fun and recreation?

The malls. It is amazing how many malls they have. You can never get bored of the shops. Ever. I also
babysit our neighbor’s twins. Every Friday, after school ends, all the kids in school go to the Coldstone by the school. It is really fun to see everyone there. The pool in my backyard is almost done, so that is also another place where I would go for fun.

Has your family ever moved before this?

I have never moved in my life before this, so this was a really big change for me.

What have you learned from this experience?

I’ve realized that I’m capable of picking up and moving all of a sudden. I never thought I would be able to do it, but I’ve realized that even though I miss all of you, I am adjusting to life over here well too.

Thanks Rianna!!

Skiing

Long time no blog!

This weekend we went to Cascade Mountain, a really amazing ski resort. We arrived Saturday morning and skied the whole day. My neck is really sore from all the fun!! We stayed overnight at a hotel and ate breakfast there. Now we are all back home. I did all but one of the green hills (easiest), two blue hills (harder), and 1 black diamond (hardest). I ended up getting stuck and having to scoot down one of the blue hills on my bottom. It was really funny. How was your weekends?

Sleepover!!

All of us in the tent.

Our b-e-a-utiful nails. Mine are all pink, Kareena's are pink and silver, and Reha wanted a different color for each finger.

A full picture of the tent. Sorry about the phone pictures.

On Saturday our friends Kareena and Reha came over for a sleepover. I did all their nails, and we made a tent out of blankets and chairs ( it's going to take a long time to clean up!). We ate popcorn and candy in the tent while we watched Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. It was lots of fun! We ended up sleeping in the tent yesterday night. I made waffles for everyone today morning and we are heading to Ikea soon. Hope all of your long weekends were great! I got my story-writing notebook back, so I am starting to type it up. I'm hoping to be done with it within the next few months!

New Things......

Oh, look at me posting twice in 1 day!!
As part of my resolution (I didn't blog this one) I have been carrying around an assortment of notebooks around with me to jot down story ideas, sayings, and names that come to mind. Before, I used to think of them, but by the time I got a pencil and paper I forgot what I was going to write. The answer? I made a notebook at my friend Jenna's sleepover out of a legal pad and some stamp stickers. Now I carry it around and write my strange ideas in it. Yesterday, we went to the pool and I couldn't stop replaying situations in my head and turning them into short stories. I wrote them down, and  really like the gripping thriller I am on the track of. Just a few weeks ago I wrote a little story on the life of an indentured servant and I ended up using it in a Social Studies assignment.

I also got this backpack as a belated Christmas present from my friend Brie. Perfect for India!!

Over the summer I also got this bulletin board from Marshalls. I just put some new pictures on it so I thought I'd take some pictures of it.

Wishing you all a great week!

Hello again..

Hi everyone! Long time no post. Unfortunately, my laptop charger busted, and dad tried to fix it, but he ended up chopping it up instead. So I have been waiting for the new charger to arrive, but until it does, I am going to be posting from Dad's work laptop. The work laptop takes a long time to turn on, though, so that's why I haven't posted in a while.

My school is very close knit. My class has only 16 students, so we are like a little family. We just got a new student today, so we were really excited. He just moved here from China and doesn't speak a lot of English. He is very nice though, and has adjusted well.

Kiren's Girl scout troop participates in a yearly program called 'Thinking Day.' For Thinking Day every troop chooses a country to do research on and present it to the other troops on Thinking Day ( This Saturday.) This year, the troop has decided to do India. I an going to talk about bharatanatyam and Mom is going to make idli and sambar for them.

Well, other than that, no news from here. Hope that all of your 'Superbowl' Weekends were fun.

Much Ado About Nothing............

There are so many long-term things going  on here rather than short term. India trip has just taken over a larger part of my brain, so I am thinking about it a lot. Really my schedule is empty, even though I really think it is very full. I have been thinking about the possible Canada trip, my newest story, India, homework...... lots and lots to do, it seems, but really most of this I don't have to worry about for a while. School's been fun, and I am just realizing that I am almost done with my 7th grade year. WOW! My class of 16 has been even smaller recently because of the flu. Today we only had 13 kids show up.

 Sometimes it feels good just to lay back and watch the time fly. But it's during times like those when I miss all of you.

Hoping that you are happy and safe, enjoying the new month!

XOXOXO,
              Yuna