(pc: The amazing Hayley!)

Adios, teenage life. I'm really not sure anything will really change, except that I won't add "teen" to the end of my age. I don't necessarily feel older, but perhaps a bit more adultish. 

19 was a hectic year. I started off 19 with sickness (what we now think was Covid, but I survived so does it really matter?) and a college roommate who was becoming less and less my roommate. We got sent home mid March, and I ended my first year of college online. 

It was one of my goals to quit my job at McDonald's, and I am very happy to report that I did. I learned a lot from working there, but I am thankful that that season of my life is over. 

Once summer came, I was full time at the bakery, which proved to be a blast and a half. I loved every (well, nearly every) minute of being there, and I got to decorate so many cupcakes, cookies, donuts, and I learned all sorts of new production things. I grew closer with my friends there, and we enjoyed many many good conversations. 

Over the summer I was also teaching my music students, and it was good to see them stretch and grow in their musical capabilities. 

I also broke my first bone over the summer, and also spent lots of time with my sister at her apartment. 

The fall semester was complicated, stressful, wildly fun, and entertaining. I roomed with a new group of girls and that was an excellent idea. I took the most breaks, and somehow did the best possible academically, which was nice :)

 

Christmas break was extra long, so I of course spent time working. 

So that sums up 19. It was hectic, not only in the world, but also for a college/working girl. 

(pc: HAYLEY!)

In my post last year, I said I would like to. . .

. . . get through my freshman year with grades that are well-earned ... which I did! :) Freshman year's cumulative GPA was 3.893.

. . . work at the Beethoven Festival... which I unfortunately did not do, due to the pandemic and that sort of gathering and event being highly not advised. 

. . . quit at McDonald's... which I did! 

. . . keep teaching over the summer... Also did! 

. . . make more time for friends at school... yup, did that too!

. . . remember more often that God is in control... eeee, more or less. Worry and stress are still very present.

. . . keep a cheerful attitude. I realized a few weeks into school that most people (me included) only focus on the bad things... mostly! My roommates help me with this endeavor! 

. . . take my Mom riding... nope :( There was never an opportunity, although I did look into it a couple of times.

. . . enjoy my last year as a teen! :) ... I guess you could say that I did. :) 

(pc: The amazing Hayley!)

So now, what are some goals I have for 20? I'm not sure I have specific things this year, other than to 

... keep working and teaching

... continue my friendships here at school, specifically with my roommates

... spend more time with my Mom this summer! (well, always :))

... be committed. I don't want to have half-accomplished things sitting around. I want to be fully invested in my work and have a good sense of priorities. 

... and one other thing I hope will happen but will leave a secret for now. ;) 

~Olivia

aka

Stick

What, she actually posted?

Hello, friends! I hope you've been staying healthy and safe. 

It's been a while since I've posted, I realize. In fact, this is my first real post this year. And it's almost April!!!! 

Everyone at school was watching the news, always talking about it, some hoping we would have school canceled, some hoping not. Then it was a Thursday and I had just gotten back from a walk (the weather at school had been absolutely gorgeous the last few days). I sat down at my desk after opening my window, opened up my email, and had one from the "officials." In the space of about two minutes my life flipped upside down. People in my dorm were screaming and running down the halls and banging on friends' doors. It was chaos. The email was sending us home until Easter break, and we'd be doing online classes. I was pretty sad, honestly, because we had all just gotten back from spring break and I was loving being at school. I didn't want to go home!!! The rest of Thursday I spent with friends talking and saying goodbyes. Some people skipped their Friday classes and left right away. I didn't. ;) I went to Friday classes and left first thing Saturday. I was going to surprise my sister. :) 



Saturday I drove up to the bakery where my sister and I both work, and "stole" my sister's spare apartment key. I happened to know she was at work at her other job, so I got a ride over her place so my car wouldn't be noticeable anywhere. I let myself in, said hi to her kitty (who loves it when I come over, btw), and prepared to surprise her. I set up my phone to video record her reaction, and I'm glad I did, although I missed the part where she was cry laughing. ;) 

Then I went home home. For the first few days it was nice. Now, not so much. We got another email saying that everything would be online until the end of the semester. Oi. It's been quite the adjustment into home life, into life where I am under my parents' roof again, into life without my friends, into online school. I don't much care for it. BUT, it is less stressful. 



Pretty much everything music went out the window. Quartet is over. Orchestra is over. The big gigs that we were looking forward to are canceled. Lessons continue via Zoom. One class meets via Zoom as well, and another uses it sporadically. 

I've kept my class schedule, and just do that class's homework during that time frame. It's worked decently so far. It's really weird. 

I miss my friends, my teachers, my bluffs!!! :) 

The GOOD news is that we are getting refunded for room and board, and we will be given a time to go move out of our rooms. I miss my roommate and my view! Next semester I'll have a different dorm and a different roommate, so "life in Skemp" is pretty much over. I try not to think about it. ;) 




I'm trying to be optimistic! How are you where you are? 

Olivia

The Standard Has Been Set

Hello Friends,

     This is my most recent paper for Academic Writing. My previous paper received an -A, and this paper an +A. The standard has been set, and my next paper in progress is about my generation. I'm not sure I'll have trouble with the word count this time! 

     Forgive with me for all the scrolling, this paper has 761 words. 

One Way My Mother Shaped Me

When we were little, my sister and I would beg our mother to take us to the barn where we boarded our horse Sunny. When she said yes, we would excitedly change into our “barn clothes” –grubby play clothes and mud boots. I remember when we drove up and saw the big sign, painted green and yellow with a big bay horse on a swing. “Horseplay Ranch,” it said. The brown metal-sided barns were filled with hay and lockers for tack and brushes. Other barns were lined with rows of stalls. One of the biggest buildings was an indoor arena, which also played house to dozens of barn swallows.

When I was five, on one of the glorious days I got to go with Mom, she was riding Sunny in the arena. I was sitting on an overturned five-gallon bucket, sporting a black corduroy sweater and my little yellow rubbers, watching Mom and Sunny and waiting for my turn to ride. Sunny’s hooves kicked up puffs of dust as they went around and around, and her hocks clicked as she trotted. The swallows flitted in and out of the arena, feeding their hatchlings, chattering to each other, and then swooping out again. Something landed in my lap with a little flop. I squawked as I looked down and saw a baby bird wiggling around. It was warm and fuzzy, with little feather tufts on its head. I cupped it in my chubby hands and delighted in how cute it was and hoped it wasn’t injured.    

Mom dismounted and came over. She explained how sometimes the baby birds would get sick and the mama birds would push them out of the nest. This little one didn’t look sick, so perhaps the nest was over-full and one of its siblings had knocked it out by accident. We nestled the hatchling in a corner where the other horses and riders wouldn’t step on it. The nest was too high to be able to put the baby back up, and if it was sick we didn’t want to have it pushed out again. The little bird was one of the first animals we’ve rescued together. My mom knows all about animals and caring for creatures. She’s taught me something new and different from each rescue.

I didn’t realize I had taken on my mother’s love for animals until a few years later, when my mom and I rescued a young bunny out of a crowded hutch which it shared with birds and filth. When we cleaned him up he rather resembled an Oreo cookie. We named him Hiccup. When this little bunny came along, he had a sinus infection that left him wheezing, hiccupping, and sneezing. We had to constantly clean his face and paws, even at night. He lived in a corner of my room—the only corner where sheet music wasn’t piling over everything—and every hour of the night he would wake me up with his sneezing. I would roll out of my cozy bed each time and clean his face, letting him breathe for another hour, then roll back into bed. I lost a lot of sleep over one little bunny, but because of what my mother taught me I couldn’t let him suffer. Seeing him recover was a satisfactory experience. I appreciated being able to sleep more than one hour at a time, and not waking up to a panicking bunny but instead being greeted by a healthy animal with a ready appetite. He didn’t live much longer, but I had applied my mother’s love to life and been rewarded. Of course, I enjoyed animals before, but then I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my time and effort to them.

My mom is practical. She is sensible. But she does have a soft spot, and that spot is for animals. My mother shapes my understanding of care and comfort, when to help and what to do when it’s too late. She shows me the bond an animal and a human can have. She gives of her time and energy. I admire my mom, and like Bly I say it is a great thing to be able to respect one’s parent. These short tidbits in my life matter because they opened my understanding of my mom and of who I was becoming as a person—how I was taking bits of my mother and making them my own. These stories came to mind first as an example of learning from my mother and spending time together. 

Thanks for reading! 

Wrapping up

Hello friends! 

One more week till finals week! 😊 My ACT test was rescheduled due to the huge snowstorm we had last weekend (we got 10-12 inches) and it is Saturday. Sunday is a composition major's recital that I am performing in --- he wrote a really cool string quartet for us high schoolers. Then next week I'm in a student recital, and there's a party for a retiring professor to go to. 
We are waiting on one piece still for orchestra, and we have three rehearsals left, so there's going to be some sight-reading I'm sure. Then the week following we have our Humanities final on Monday, dress rehearsal in the evening, and the concert on Tuesday. But I think for now that's all the things I have during that week. 

THEN hopefully it will be relaxing and not stressful... and spring. Maybe? I will still have some classes at home to finish up, but the travelling back and forth to SMSU will be done.

How are you, dear reader? I love hearing from you.

Adventures

Well, friends, it's been a while. A month, to be precise. . .

Dad and I just got back last night from a college visit. It went really well and I do like the college. We left on Saturday, got to the hotel at around 7pm I think, and went and grabbed some Culvers for supper. Then we went to find the church so we knew where it was. We did find it, and it was only a literal five minutes from the hotel, so that was nice.

Sunday morning we found out what "home-style" breakfast was at the hotel, and then got ready for church. The church was good, it could have been better, it could have been worse. They were having an unusual service that day, so in some respects it was hard to see what the church was really like. After the service we had some Mexican food (part of what made the service unusual was the Mexican families --- the mother of one man had made all the Mexican food for lunch). I had never had Mexican food before so I had to learn how to eat it. They had a tea --- hibiscus flowers made into a tea --- it was sweet and almost sticky. It was good though. Anyway, after church we went to the local grocer and got some supplies so we didn't have to eat out for every meal. Then we went back to the hotel and I finished reading my book and Dad rested. Then we attended the evening service at the same church, and ate supper.

Monday morning we headed over to the college and from 9am-2pm I attended classes (Graphic design II and Fantasy Fiction), had a meal at the cafeteria with a violist student who takes lessons with my teacher, and met professors. It was really great and so different from the last time I visited which was a hurried rush and go here and do this thing, so I really didn't get to enjoy it as much as this time. After that we went to a nearby state school so Dad could say hello to his co-workers and friends over there. Then it really started to blizzard, so we made our way back to the hotel. We got cozy and ended up watching The Princess Bride in the evening. 

Tuesday, yesterday, I had one more class to attend at the college, so I did that, and then we went and checked out of the hotel and checked the road conditions. They looked decent, so we grabbed some Caribou and headed home. The roads were patchy. We got home around 5pm. 

It's good to be home. 

Life Update

Life has been quite busy, and I haven't been a particularly steady blogging schedule. . . you probably noticed. 

School: 
I am working on my second paper for the philosophy class my Dad is teaching. It's on Marxism, in case you're curious. College Algebra is going fairly smoothly, and it's actually kind of fun when I know how to do it! :) The other subjects aren't that interesting. . . not anything to shout from the rooftops.
I am all registered for two things this upcoming semester (as a PSEO student) at a state college nearby. My sister is taking the one class, in the humanities department, with me, and then I am on the wait list for piano lessons with one of the music professors. If someone drops out, then I am 1st in line to get in. 

Travel: My Mom and I leave a week from today for NH. I do enjoy flying, and for some reason, airport food. I don't know why, it's just good. The airport in Chicago has some more uncommon places, and of course in NH there is a Dunkin Donuts in the airport! :) We come home the day before my Mom's birthday, and I already have her gift and card wrapped and ready for when we get back. Then three days later, the college class starts. So the long two days a week start, and I am actually excited for more practice time. But I do know it will be an adjustment. Oh, and somewhere in there I take the driver's licence test. . . ! 

Church: Still so encouraging, as always. I love my church and the families that make it up. :) I am pianist for Childrens' Choir again this year, so practices are still weekly, though now that I think about it, our last one is this Friday already. And of course I'm still in the adult choir, on the rotation for pianist, and violinist the other weeks. We went caroling, which I always love too, although this year we didn't do the outside residential caroling, which kind of had me sad, but I stayed warmer that way for sure! :) 

Music: Again, I return to the lovely squeal-worthy subject --- MUSIC! :) The competition is in a MONTH! Only one month away!!! Eek. It's going to be a tough one again for sure, no doubt in my mind. Part of me has resigned to second place again, and the rest of me is still fighting for first. Sometimes I feel really confident, but, as we all know, pride goeth before a fall, and so usually the next day I am glum and uncertain. Other than that, I am working on shifting with the first finger up and down two octaves on one string.  .  . 
Orchestra is on break right now, but starts again when school does. I miss it. 

Photography: Not gotten out much with my camera. I need ideas on what to take pictures of! I did do some designing, and we have a printer that can print color. I can't give too many details until after Mom's birthday! :) 

Blogging: I do have a really long post coming. . . about college. I did add the art tab, which was new and fun, and now I can add other drawings to it, which has motivated me to draw more. Other than that, I am not having much inspiration to post much. I almost posted a no-fail recipe today. Maybe some other time? 

Christmas events: Since Mom and I leave just two days after Christmas, we're not doing anything huge and big this year. But that's okay, I don't mind.

I think that about covers it! Did I leave out anything you were wanting to know about? 

Favorites for Friday!

Here goes for the first Favorites for Friday post! Are you excited? :) I'll keep this going all school year, and possibly into next summer! Let me know in the comments if you want to see more of these posts! This one, I will admit, is pretty girly! :)

First up is Melani's post Tips For Combining Style And Modesty This School Year

I thought Melani did a great job summing up fall essentials and she had some really cute ideas as well! 

Next is Allison's fun photography post about Amelia Island and the BEACH. That should get you to look through the pictures, haha! 

Allison is going to post Part 2 soon, so be sure to hang around for it! It's going to be awesome! :)

Next is Beyond the Search for Mr. Right, on Set Apart Girl.

I've read many posts on singleness, but this one sums up all the ones I've read so very well. I haven't talked much about singleness here yet, but it's something I'm passionate about --- and it is often so wrongly portrayed by others. "Oh, you're 16? About time for the guys to be lining up!" GAHHH. *deep breaths* Okay, so, I wouldn't mind meeting Mr Right this year (if God even made a Mr Right for me), but by saying that you're not helping and encouraging me to be content in my singleness! 

Oops. I think I derailed a bit. 😆

I think three is a good number to end on today! Keep posting --- maybe next week you'll be featured! 

A Junior

I love the detail in this picture so much! 

Whoops, I almost forgot to post today! You'll have to forgive me for the late post! Well, I guess you don't have to, but..... 😉

My Junior year of High School starts a week from today, and I'm hoping to be able to keep up with school and the blog, but I may go down to two posts a week, keeping Music Wednesdays and the Friday posts. I'll try to think of more of a theme for the Friday posts as well. They're mostly photography, I think. However, I feel the urge to keep going with the photography posts! 

With school starting I may have something interesting to write about, or share my papers here, or something. I'll have to see what the schedule holds! It may get quieter around here, but I hope the heart of the blog never stops beating! :) 

Thanks to my readers for a great summer!