Valerie's Ventings

My 100th Post

2011-05-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Creative Job Searching

2011-04-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you aren't already aware, I am searching desperately for a job. Any job! Within reason that is...
Recently I have applied 26 places with no luck. However, today, just as the monotony of filling out job application after application was becoming unbearable, I came across a delightful change of pace.
Pizza Pie Cafe's application required both a self portrait and a poem about yourself.

It's a bit sketchy because I was in a hurry, and there's almost no sense of meter, but here is my poem! For putting a whole five minutes effort into it, I am very proud. :)

Ode to Valerie

An original poem by Valerie Hart

A pinch of salt and sugar too,

A cup of responsibility,

A tablespoon of Elmer’s glue,

Keep following the recipe.

Add some fun and jumprope skills,

Don’t forget a dash of splendor.

An appetite for pizza meals,

Now throw it in the blender.

Bake at 98.6 degrees

And wait patiently please.

Here you have Valerie,

A marvelous creature indeed.

With nothing but humility,

Awesome is her creed.

We're from Madison couldn't be prouder...

2011-03-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

An epic journey to the capital of the land...

A union of the tallest men embarking on their conquest...

Five beautiful maidens sharing one bathroom...

All leading to one heroic victory.

This is their story

First game the gym fills up with a 500-600 Bishop Kelly fans and over 3,000 Madison fans.

Just to give us a panic attack our boys stayed behind for the first three quarters of the first game and decided to tie it up with just 4 seconds left in the last quarter. With 1.4 seconds left in overtime they sunk the ball to put us ahead by two. Nice work boys. We weren't worried at all.

The completion of the first task caused much rejoicing throughout the land.

The next day a trip the mall not only provided us with shopping, but prime social time.

The exodus from the land of Rexburg led to a jovial congregation in the palace of purchasing.

The previous night's success required the spirit section to step up their game. Pull out the face paint ladies!

The maidens diligently prepared themselves to behold the next challenge...

And hey, what do you know? We barely beat Twin Falls with a couple seconds on the clock by one shot. Go us.

To prepare for the championship game:

a) take out Mohawk buns hairstyle if possible, as to allow one's self a comfortable night's rest.

b) prepare for bed early so one might acquire enough beauty sleep

(And by early we mean 3:00 AM)

The maidens found excess time to engage in frivolous activities

Our championship game didn't start until 8:00, so 3D Tangled anyone?

Now the moment you have all been waiting for. The Championship game!

Congruent with any enterprise of worth, the way was paved with hardship, but the stalwart warriors pressed on.

There was no more than a two point gap the entire game, and Skyview barely missed a basket at the end of fourth quarter, launching us into overtime.

2.8 seconds left...he shoots. He scores.

This is our "we just won state!" face.

The proud victory brought forth much celebration among all those who had witnessed it. Reveling in their triumph, the apprentices of Madison High traveled home to their place of learning, hailing the conquering heroes.

The End

Senior year thus far...

2010-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

First Day of School - Valerie and a few jumpers welcome the students to their brand new Madison High Building

The students also enjoy the premiere of the senior class movie:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=1735726559549&subj=537700312

18th Birthday - Valerie turns 18, spends the day with friends, and gets a bobcat cake

Homecoming Week- Valerie participates in mud volley ball, plays powder puff, goes to the bonfire, decorates the senior class float, cheers at the homecoming game, and attends the homecoming dance

National Honors Society - As a service representative for the NHS society, Valerie introduces "character" at induction, designs t-shirts, and both plans and participates in service activities for Primary Children's Hospital, new students, and others.

Halloween Dance- Valerie and a group of friends find a group of studly gentlemen to accompany them to the Halloween dance

Tri-Wizard Tournament - As head of Slytherin house in Madison's Harry Potter club, Valerie assists the school's first Tri-Wizard Tournament by being a Death Eater in local straw maze while the house champions desperately try to escape.

Singin' in the Rain- Valerie spends three happy months playing Lina Lamont in her school's production of Singin' in the Rain.

Salt Lake Trip - Valerie travels with the choir to Salt Lake where they perform at the church office building, the Joseph Smith Memorial building, and the assembly hall. She also gets to sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas to Elder Packer and watch the Nutcracker. (Elder Packer was the cooler of the two)

Christmas Dance - Valerie goes cross country skiing, consumes large amounts of hot chocolate, and attends the Christmas Dance with Jaron Judkins.

Singing in the Rain

2010-11-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has talked to me at all in the last three months knows I'm Lina Lamont in Singing in the Rain! It's been crazy and fun!

Now opening night is coming up. I want everyone who can to come. Here's the details for you:
$4 for students (high school and younger from any old place) and $6 for adults - tickets may be purchased at the door **or ahead of time**
When? Nov 18, 19, 20, 22 - That's a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Where? NEW Madison High School Auditorium
What Time? 7:00, but come early!
Why? I'm in it, duh!

Seriously, I'll be grateful for anyone putting in an effort to come. If you have any questions let me know.

I Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet

2010-10-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

They say you are more likely to accomplish goals if you share them, so here's my new goal: I'm going to reread one conference talk once a week for the next 6 months. I'll start with talks from this October conference and then pick old ones I haven't heard for awhile.

After reading each one, I'm going to write down how I plan on following the counsel in the talk.

I challenge anyone willing to do it with me.

Summer in a Nut Shell

2010-09-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

June 23-29
Nationals in Galveston, Texas

Our team did extremely well. Paige, Stephanie, and Janessa double dutch single took first at grand masters! Congratulations to them. I didn't place in anything. I did get an eleventh place though, which was one of from placing.

July 5-8
Family Reunion in Heber Utah

All my siblings, their spouses, and their children were able to come. We rented out a cool house in Heber and had a lot of fun enjoying the hot tub, our family talent show, Bridal Veil Falls, jumproping, home made liquid nitrogen ice cream, Hart Olympics (in which I am a two year's running Gold Medalist), and most of all one another's company.

July 12-16
Girl's Camp at Rock Creek Camp

My last year at girl's camp until I am a leader. Crazy! It was so fun though. We had really fun leaders and as always great girl's.

July 18-23

Jumprope Camp in Lewistown, Montana

I went up to Montana with three other jumpropers and taught a jumprope camp for a week. In the morning we taught workshops open to the community and in the afternoon we taught the team members. The Lewistown Hoopers are a fairly new team, but really fun to work with.They were excited to learn! Our host family was so amazing! It was an awesome experience, and I met a lot of great people.

June 15 - July 28

My sister Yvonne's family visits between moves.

I love spending time with family and it was great to see the Andersons. After ten years in Hawaii they've now moved to the United Arab Eremites! They're an adventurous bunch.

My summer was pretty crazy! I was also babysitting in Rigby three days a week when I was in town and taking an online class. I guessed I should probably finally post this since I've already been in school for a month. :)

My AP History Test Score:

2010-07-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Boom Baby!

Manti Trip

2010-06-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

I just got back from youth conference! It was awesome because my ward happens to be the coolest in the entire world.
We went to the Manti Pageant and Heritage Park and spent a lot of time together on a bus. It was a really great experience. The gospel is true, rock on.

I'm No Beautician

2010-06-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today I was watching my nieces and was trying to do their hair. Camille was pretty easy; I successfully distracted her with Beauty and the Beast and Natty was sleeping. She kept relatively still while I kept starting over and changing my mind. I'm not sure she approved of the outcome. When I asked her if I could take pictures she said "No!" So I had to be sneaky.

Natalie was a little harder because they ganged up on me. My comb was confiscated by the two little rascals and Camille kept giving Natalie loves that made her fall over.

All in all I learned I'm not very good at doing hair on children and I need to get some practice in so in the future my poor little girls won't be running around looking like orphans.

Last Day as a Junior

2010-05-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Thursday was the last day of school. We had 25 minute classes or sluff periods, whatever you preferred. Musettes, Bel Cantos, and the Orchestra left after fourth hour to rehearse for graduation. We were performing a beautiful arrangement of You Raise Me Up.
So even though school got out at eleven,I was stuck up on campus from 10:15ish until 5:00. It was a long day. I said goodbye and congratulations to a lot of good people.

You know me, I like pictures. So here are a bunch. If you don't go to Madison they probably won't mean much to you, but if you do - Continue at tear ducts own risk!

Closets and Concerts

2010-05-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

The other night I got my exercise ball out from the top of my closet. A couple hours later I went back in my room and found board games strewn across closet floor.
I figured I knocked them down when I got the ball down, but couldn't figure out how in the world I didn't notice.
I was super tired and not in the mood to stack up Jenga right then, so I went to sleep.
The next morning I stacked a few games and put them back up on the shelf.

They fell on my head.
It hurt.

Turns out my shelf was actually broken: bowed, tipped, and falling down.
I had to clean everything out of my closet and most of it went on my bed so I couldn't sleep in it for four days.

I tired to fix my closet; it didn't work.
But then my brother-in-law was a peach and fixed it. It was a happy moment. I got to sleep in my bed again.

The next day was our spring concert. It was our last performance this year except for the graduation one yet to come. For graduation the choirs and orchestra are performing You Raise Me Up. It should be awesome.

Paul Mitchell Fashion Show

2010-04-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

Double Dutch Single

2010-04-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you can all view this routine, it took first in the 18 and over division at regionals.

Busy Busy Busy!

2010-03-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

I have been super busy this month and still have more stuff to come...so I apologize for the lack of detail, but here's a snippet.

Junior Miss was one of the best experiences of my life! I worked with amazing girls and learned a lot. I was one of the interview winners so I got a $400 scholarship. Everyone did an awesome job and I would totally encourage anyone to try it!

I just got back from All-State Choir last night...well early this morning. Musettes and Bel Cantos did a great job on their performances. We got some swimming and shopping in on the side. It was really great. I tried to hang out with some new people and make some new friends, I think I did a pretty good job.
The bus rides always very exciting. Some boys taught me how to make European Standard One in Four chain mail. I'm an expert now, if you need any armor call me :).

Why I take AP history

2010-03-04T21:10:00.001-08:00

District Championship Game!

2010-02-25T22:22:00.000-08:00

This trimester I've planned on going to every basketball game but haven't gone to any because I either had too much homework or didn't feel well. So Tuesday I knew I had to go. Had to had to. After all it was destined to be the last high school basketball game in our building ever. Wow, deep.

Plus my spirit outfits hadn't been worn for awhile.

I had to convince my friend Kaylee not to study for her stats test to come with me. (She did well on it later, so it all worked out.) We showed up in time for the halftime show. The Bobcadudes performed...Madison newest and greatest school club. They are amazing and our whole school loves them. I had been waiting to see them forever. Go Bobcadudes!

The score was comfortably ahead, but Highland started to catch up and eventually got ahead. Some Madison doubters began to worry.

However, in the last 17 seconds of the game Madison pulled it through and tied up the score for overtime. It was crazy. In the words of our star basketball player, "Our gym sounded like the inside of a jet engine." The crowd was crazy. We didn't know how crazy things were going to get! In overtime Madison once again pulled ahead only to have Highland tie up the score in the last 2 seconds. Literally! Oh it was CRAZY. Kaylee and I and pretty much everyone else was simply dying. It was the most intense game I had ever been to. In double overtime we got behind by five. The spirit section was praying.

Were we sunk? Heck no, Madison has faith! With seconds to spare we got ahead by a whoppin' one point. Highland desperately hurled the ball at the basketball in the final seconds, it hit the rim, but didn't go in. The entire gym went insane. We were victorious!

I wish I could really paint the picture of the mood and atmosphere of that game; it was just so incredible.

Madison is Awesome and we're going to state! Hopefully Highland does too, because really, they were also awesome. Maybe not as awesome, but awesome nevertheless. :)

BYU halftime

2010-01-31T20:14:00.000-08:00

On Friday the jumprope team left at 5:00 am for Utah for school shows. After we went to Lisa's house where we ate, chilled, and rocked out on guitar hero.

The car rides are always very interesting...here's Mason. The men's bathroom was out of order.....

Alyssa and I were the best rockers on Guitar Hero, not gonna lie. We played the guitar, we danced, and we sang like none other. Turns out we also have matching toothbrushes! How exciting is that?

Staying at Lisa's was a blast, but on Saturday we packed up and headed down to Provo. We were getting ready to perform at the BYU basketball halftime. It was a pretty big deal because it was the rival game. (Which BYU won: 82-69. In your face Utes! :)

In way of our halftime, we did awesome! It was our best halftime performance in long time. The crowd was really pumped and really awesome. It was super, but we couldn't stay to watch the rest of the game. We drove home and got home at 2:30 am. Needless to say I am exhausted. Maybe I'll call up my buddy of a superintendent and request a school cancellation.you never know, it might work.

Here's just some more pictures I couldn't resist posting. We had some time at the Gateway on Saturday and Caleb, Jessica, and I got sick of shopping....

Christmas Dance Pictures

2010-01-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

Rexburg's Next Top Model

2010-01-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

We were bored and we had a camera. What more can we say?

David Archuleta Concert!

2009-12-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

Whether you are or aren't an avid David Archuleta fan, you would have no choice but to become one after his concert Friday night. It was amazing.
Rexburg doesn't get many visits from pop sensations, especially ones that visit their temple to do baptisms for the dead or sing to people at the nursing home. David Archuleta did both.

While David Archuleta was actually on American Idol, I thought he was completely overrated. I didn't watch the show and I had never seen him or heard him sing, but I was sick of hearing his name from all the giggling girls. However, when forced to be objective I actually listened to his music and had to admit that I liked him too.

When I heard that he was coming to BYU-I, I knew I had to go.

My friend Halie was sweet enough to provide me with a sold out ticket!

At the concert I ran into some jumpropers. They had way better seats than I did.
But I wasn't jealous...not too much anyway.

Benton Paul opened for David and his performance alone could have made a fun night. I had never heard of him before, but fell in love with his music. He was also LDS and super funny. We stood in line for his autograph, but didn't quite get there before David's part started. Oh well. His music was really great, but soon David got on that stage and we remembered who we really came to see :)

The first half of his concert was super fun and full of songs I love and have listened to and have sang along to with the radio. I had never been to a concert that wasn't classical and it was a blast. He ended the pop part of the concert with Prayer of the Children by Kurt Bestor to transition into the next half. After a short break David came back on stage in a suit ready to sing about Christmas. This part was the neatest. He bore his testimony of the nativity and sang the Christmas songs with conviction. There was nothing superficial about the way he sang about the Savior, and it was such a great experience to be part of a pop concert that turned spiritual. I loved it and can't wait until he comes back. ...And he will, he had a great audience :)

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T20:29:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their snowy thanksgiving; my family opted out for a warmer climate. :)

We went to Las Vegas! Here's some highlights.

Inside the Venetian

Hoover Dam

Dad just really couldn't contain the excitement

Dani and me at Cedar Breaks.

Whoever thinks graffiti artists have not potential have never been toVegas. I watched this guy make gorgeous pieces of art - all with spray paint!

He could finished these paintings in a matter of minutes. It was amazing to just sit and watch him.
(You can click on them to make them bigger.)

The patriot piece is the one we watched him create

The topper, the climax, the finale, the best part. We went to see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. It was spectacular! The stage was ornate and beautiful, the acting and singing was superb, the staging was mindboggling and the orchestra was excellent.

Well, that's all for now, hope your holiday was great!

To Callisto and Beyond!

2009-11-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

Our astronomy class was given a project to plan a mission proposal for NASA (aka Mr. Call).

We were given 1.25 billion dollars a year for our budget. We chose to travel to Callisto, Jupiter's second largest moon.
Our mission proposal was accepted! Here's our video. It's full of inside jokes that most people probably won't find very funny because they weren't up at midnight making it, but at least watch the first and skip to the end. We worked on this for hours.

Halloween Dance Pics

2009-11-12T21:57:00.001-08:00

Halloween Dance 2009

80's Camp Pictures

2009-11-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

I guess I am in an picture mood or something. Here are some pictures from jumprope camp way back in August. I didn't get a lot of pictures because my camera broke the first day and you know how it goes, everyone promises to send pictures and they never do.
These are just a few I managed to dig up via mom's facebook.

Homecoming Footage

2009-11-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

I know it was a whole dance ago, but I thought I would get some pictures up. Enjoy

Thoughts on Candy Corn

2009-10-30T19:19:00.001-07:00

~ Results are in! Our poll shows that the 81% of my faithful blog stockers believe the top of the candy corn is the white point.

You're probably wondering what in the world brought on this random and seemingly pointless poll in the first place.
The candy corn subject first sprouted from my tedious second hour . Our class had been subjected to banal and monotonous busy work for an insipid, drawn-out week. Inevitably, exposure to such an inane atmosphere eventually sparked a desperate need for "intellectual" discussion.
We found ourselves grasping for any philosophic topic, and discussed candy corn.

....As I said, we were desperate.

It was the first time I had considered which way a piece of candy corn was suppose to be situated. It seemed natural though, that the point would be at the top. Right? A large base and good foundation that gets smaller as it goes up. Seems sensible.
Through this conversation we decided most people think of that way (and my poll supports this). Some even hypothesized that optimists think the white is at the top while pessimists figure white remains at the bottom.
However, another observer showed the wisdom in the opposite theory. If candy corn pieces are supposedly kernels connected to the cob, wouldn't the orange be facing up and out?

Hmmm, definitely thought provoking. Completely pointless, but thought provoking.

Candy Corn

2009-10-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have a question for you.

Is a Candy Corn right side up with the tip up?

Or with it down?

Some Halloween Fun

2009-10-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Good thing my friends love me!

Heads up - Extreme Show!

2009-10-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm announcing this 20 days early so you have time to plan accordingly and ensure your attendance at You won't want to miss this! Talk to me for tickets - Be There or Be a Rhombus

Swine Flu!

2009-10-01T14:49:00.001-07:00

Homecoming Picture

2009-09-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

And the answer is....

2009-09-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

It was too big to put on my blog, so - just for you!- I put it up on youtube. Enjoy!

Dance!

2009-09-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

I had a very interesting day. I woke up at 4:00 am to squeeze in a couple hours of AP homework. Fun, I know.
Anyway, the beginning of school was extremely monotonous, and I had an upcoming astronomy test that I was so worried for. I was lamenting my bad fortune at getting stuck with a half bottom locker and overall was just being a little grumpy. To top of my amazing mood, girls were getting asked to homecoming left and right. It was like an epidemic or something.

So when fourth hour rolled around, there I was sitting front and center worrying about the test next hour and willing it to never come. While exerting all my mental powers to this cause, I noticed Mr. Hinck jealously guarding a bag of skittles.
He had them cradled protectively under his arm. Did he think the Musettes girls were going to suddenly charge and rip the candy from his hands?
It suddenly occurred to me that someone was probably being asked to the dance. Well, goody two shoes for them! I also didn't understand why Mr. Hinck was handing it me.

The skittles came with a CD. Because of the adamant insistence of the other 56 girls in the class and my own curiosity, we listened to it in class.

P.S. I got 100% on my astronomy test!

First Football Game!

2009-08-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

First game of the season! Go bobcats

Light Quotes of the Day

2009-08-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

All generalizations are false.
-Anonymous

The only thing most people do better than anyone else is read their own handwriting.
-John Adams

The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
-Anonymous

According to the latest official figures, 43% of all statistics are totally worthless.
-Ashleigh Brilliant

Did you know that the word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary?
-Anonymous

Corduroy pillows: They're making headlines!
-Anonymous

I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to stop going to those places.
-Henny Youngman

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
-Anonymous

The cost of feathers is rising, now even down is up.
-Anonymous

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
-Groucho Marx

My two favorites are....(drum roll)

Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
-Anonymous

and

Be nice to people. They outnumber you 6.5 billion to one.
-Anonymous

Junior Year - Beginning in 3, 2, 1...

2009-08-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 26th it all begins: Getting up early everyday, loads of homework, due dates, grumpy teachers, hall traffic (sometimes fatal), and all around stress that accumulates from just sitting in the classroom for 65 minutes, all counterbalanced by the end of social deprivation, school assemblies, choir, and, my favorite, football games!

Normally, (or perhaps abnormally) I relish the beginning of school. I have had my break and I'm ready to get back to school with new binders and fresh notebooks.
The difference between this year and previous years is my "break" wasn't the lazy, fun, and social summer I often anticipate the whole month of May. On the contrary, I've been so ridiculously busy!
First of all was the fun busy - nationals, jumprope camp, and having Suzie visit. Time consuming, but more than worth it. Aside from that I have been babysitting at least twice a week, working at the airport mowing lawns and washing helicopters (you know, normal type chores), reading for AP History, and taking Pre Calculus online.
So the two last days of my summer "vacation" I am cramming in my last 2 chapters of AP and getting ready for a math final! Awesome isn't it?
Aside from that, our school currently doesn't have any lockers besides the ones in the math wing. They ripped them out this summer and haven't put them back yet. Construction probably will be going on at school for the first 3 weeks or so. Also,they put new sod in our football field and did a bad job, so they had to pull it up again. Our first football games won't be at our own field.
Oh wait, there's more! Our attendance policy as changed once more. Instead of being brutally punished after 5 absences and losing credit after ten, we now have 6 absences before we are booted out. Meaning missing school for jumpropes show may just force me to go to school with the flu. Furthermore, our cell phone policy as also been made harsher. I understand that cell phones are detrimental to the learning of the classroom, but accidents happen, people forget to turn them off, they fall out of your pocket, you get caught checking the time in Grover's class because his clock is always off, yada yada.... No matter how innocent, the offender starts out with 3 days of lunch detention. If you have other cell phone infractions, no matter how minor, they lead to $20 fines and even getting kicked out of Madison. I don't use my phone in class, so I have nothing to worry about, but I really am beginning to think the administrators are conspiring with the alternative school! Central High must be desperate for new blood.
Ideal, isn't it?
I guess this is my "venting" for the day. I have to do some to live up to the blog name. Don't worry, this Friday is our first football game, and I'll be in a better mood. :)

Yeah, You're Jealous

2009-08-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

Our jumprope camp theme is Jump Back to the 80's! So here I am, "jumping back".
Being born in '92, I never thought it would be necessary to gain an extensive knowledge of 80's fashion. In fact, I thought it would probably be better for my health if I didn't. I relied on my mom and my sister Karen's knowledge.

This first outfit comes mostly from my young woman's president's basement.
I think the cheetah leggings are a real find and I was able to coordinate my socks with Karen's help.

The outfit is slightly modified to fit in with Neon Day. Wrist and head sweatbands are added to tie it all together.
Besides the leggings purchased at Walmart, bless their heart, this outfit is a hand-me-down from my sister Yvonne! Complete with gold earrings.

Can you guess? D.I. Baby! A while ago I wanted some cheap bikers to wear under my shorts for jumprope practice. I bought some blue $3 leggings and cut them off. I kept the cut off pieces thinking they might be reusable some how. Now I know! Leg warmers!

Funny Quote of the Day

2009-07-28T13:51:00.001-07:00

"Aunt Valerie, it would sure be weird if a boy had a canopy bed." -Julia

Suzie's Mainland Visit

2009-07-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Sneak Peek

2009-07-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

Twilight Trailer Spoof

2009-07-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Make sure you have seen the trailer or real movie. This is classic.

Nationals Here I Come!

2009-06-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Look I'm famous! At least my back is. The news photographer had a picture of me facing the camera and smiling, so of course he didn't use it.
The Post Register will be following our team as we go to nationals, so look for us.
We leave tomorrow morning. Wish us luck and pray for us!

No copy right infringement intended on the picture. ;)

Draco Fully Loaded

2009-06-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

When our friends the Kinghorn's moved to Hawaii, our family bought their car. A white Park Avenue Buick. It was pretty classy compared to our usual clunkers and I christened it Draco. My loyal brother Spencer immediately realized how important this macho name was for our little Buick; it was a name of inspiration and motivation for the newest Hart vehicle. However, good ideas spawn envy and envy contrives contention. There were those in my family **cough cough mom cough** that did not share the vision. These individuals degraded the car and all the potential we wanted it to realize. It was thought by these dissenters that a, dare I say it?, "grandma car" should not bear such a name. Instead the Park Avenue was branded with the name of Myrtle.
But the car stayed strong. Our alleged Myrtle stuck it out. It officially become a part of the family; a ceremonious rear-ending was our initiation ritual. The Buick was there for all those special moments, getting my driver's license, girl's choice dates, door bell ditching, etc.
However, the car could not go on forever with it's Draco/Myrtle abomination constantly hanging over its hood. It did what we all would do. It finally cracked. Draco/Myrtle collapsed into a huge identity crisis.

This crisis consists of some of the following symptoms.

The Trunk. The trunk decided it was done being shut. It had just had enough. So it is now permanently ajar. This use to cause a light bulb to stay on when it felt like it and run the battery dead about every other day or so. The light bulb has been removed, but the car remains firm. The trunk will not shut.
The Gas Cap Door Thingy. To fill up the car with gas, one must simultaneously push the fuel button located by steering wheel and pry open the door with one's fingers. It is not humanly possible to do this task alone. I found out the hard way that one must have a gas buddy when filling up.
Automatic Locks. Most cars have automatic locks nowadays. The car will lock and unlock as you put it in and out of gear. Ok sure, no biggie. WRONG. At approximately 6:15 AM I was picking up my normal carpool kids for jumprope practice. In the ten seconds I took to ring the doorbell the car locked itself while still running. You probably think, 'good one Valerie, you locked yourself out of your car'. No my friends, no. The car locked itself. Usually however, when the car pulls this stunt I am in the vehicle. It likes to do it when I'm driving alone. So there I'll be, stopped at a stop light and I hear Kaching Kaching Kaching. The car will lock and unlock itself three or four times in secession. Besides the fact the for a split second I think some psycho is trying to break into my car and slit my throat, no harm done. However at 6:15 in the morning, I don't find it that humorous. Good one Myrtle.
Well, as soon as we eradicate one dead battery problem the car comes up with a another one. The starter. So evidently, you can take the keys out of the car and unbeknownst to you, it's still running. Awesome, just what I need. Luckily, a lot of times I catch it before the battery dies, thanks to Draco's little hints. So here's the scenario, on a rainy day, my friends and I decided it was time for a Jamba fix. While standing in line for our Caribbean Passions and Peach Pleasures, my friends look behind me uncertainly. My friend Hannah asks hesitantly, "Valerie, did you leave your car running?" Well of course not! I was holding the keys in my hand. I turned around to see they were looking at, and there was my car with the windshield wipers going full blast. Ergh Ergh Ergh. (That's the best spelling I can come with for the sound the wipers make) So I sighed and went out to jiggle the starter into submission.

Draco has taught me many things, most importantly to respect the identity of vehicles before they turn on you. I have also learned he deserves a middle name: Herbie.
Disclaimer: I know I probably left a dozen typos complimented with tense changes and unparallel structure, but it's summer and I don't feel like proofreading so there. This is not a grade.

Happy Birthday Suzie Kaploozie!

2009-06-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to all my June birthday friends!
Dad, Suzie, Hannah, Evan, Paige, Natalie, Erika, and anyone else that I forgot but still love!

One of my very best friends since kindergarten turned 16 yesterday. She lives in Hawaii and I couldn't call her because she is at girls' camp, but I'd like her and all my other friends to know how much I appreciate them.
There are so many people I never thank verbally, but I truly am thankful for all of them.

FRIENDS

FAKE FRIENDS: Never ask for food.

REAL FRIENDS: Are the reason you have no food.

FAKE FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr / Mrs

REAL FRIENDS: Call your parents DAD/MOM

FAKE FRIENDS: Never seen you cry

REAL FRIENDS: Cry with you

FAKE FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back

REAL FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours

FAKE FRIENDS: Know a few things about you

REAL FRIENDS: Could write a book about you with direct quotes from you

FAKE FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that is what the crowd is doing

REAL FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds butt that left you

FAKE FRIENDS: Would knock on your front door

REAL FRIENDS: Walk right in and say 'I'M HOME!'

FAKE FRIENDS: Are for awhile

REAL FRIENDS: Are for life

Ballet

2009-05-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

My brother Spencer has been involved in many things over the years: choir, scouting, fencing, orchestra, debate, scholastic team, and even chess club.

I guess these just weren't enough him. Recently he branched out even more and tried his hand (or foot) at ballet! He was in a dance recital Wednesday night. They performed Cinderella, and in the ballet version four fairies come to visit Cinderella. The Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter fairies all come and give her a gift. Spencer was the Winter fairy's Cavalier.

I think I am safe in saying all of us were pleasantly surprised.
All those of you who didn't get to go to his recital, here's a video. It's small and dark, but it's all I got.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T18:27:00.001-07:00

Lions... and Tigers... And Camille! Oh my!

A little Aunt/Niece Time with the Zebras

Aunt Kaitlyn shares her goat food."Hello Goat" and "Pet this one, pet this one"

A Little Lemur Love

This little lemur was the born the day before Natalie, practically her twin!

A naked Alpaca- How embarrassing!

Graduation 2009

2009-05-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Graduation! A new adventure, a scary prospect, a turning point, an epic journey about to begin, a fork in the road, ...

a lowly sophomore left behind.

Where's Mi-Key?

2009-05-17T16:33:00.001-07:00

I had a pretty bittersweet weekend.
Here it is in a nutshell... a condensed nutshell. A small condensed nutshell.
Friday I went to drama for first hour just like normal. However, instead of going to straight to the dull dungeon some call math class, I went straight home to get ready for jumprope shows.
Our shows were in Pocatello, and afterward the team went to Lava Hot Springs for Mike's going away party. I went down this slide, pretty crazy.
We spent the night at the Macbeth's cabin, complete with s'mores. Most people simmered down around midnight, but some of us were up till 3:30 and were woken up by screaming little girls at 6:30.
Alex took us four wheeling, and I enjoyed the ride and the sublime scenery. We partied hard at the cabin, but eventually had to go home. One by one we dropped to sleep in the car ride; we were plum tuckered out.
The first thing I did when I got home was take a shower. There are few things I love more than a good shower. I planned to come out heavenly clean and fall asleep immediately. Unfortunatley, my plans were distrupted by an assaulting earache that lasted the rest of the day. Bitter.
Today I went to Mike's farewell. He's leaving for Brazil on Tuesday. Two rows of jumpers filled the chapel. We love you Mikey!
Afterwards I went to my darling nieces baby blessing. Natalie was blessed in the gorgeous dress my mother made her. Sweet.

Now that the weekend is waning, all the homework, studying, and practicing I was suppose to do, is looming ahead of me, ready to drown me. Oh summer, save me!

Spring Fling

2009-05-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

We had our Spring Fling dance on the 18th of April, but just barely got our pictures back. So here they are.
(I know they're kinda small, but you can make them bigger by clicking on them)

Some Highlights of Being Extreme

2009-04-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

___________________________ LJ from Colorado

For those of you who didn't know, we had our Extreme Show Idaho Falls Edition this last Saturday.
Here's just a few pictures.

Thank you to anyone that came to the show or donated.

Mike, Me, Janessa, Matt from Colorado, Stephie, LJ, Paige, Alyssa, Jane, Whitney

Going to catch ghoti today?

2009-04-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Our blessed sun has finally graced the upper snake river valley with it's warm presence. Moods have been lifted and morale has been boosted in the schools of Madison County. As the sun's rays penetrate the classroom, students glimpse freedom waving from the end of May. The doors stay open during class, fans hum reassuringly in the background, and the new green leaves gently tease the students through the window. The atmosphere can barely be dented by the tedious work that still drifts inside each class.
However, even in the luminescent weather, a darkness lingers. A murk that creeps and seeps through the computer screens, a standardized gloom forced upon the sophomores. ISATS can dampen spring spirits as fast as anything.
Ok, so the ISATS aren't too bad. It's just somehow, the fact that a monkey could pass them, makes me think they might be a waste of time. There's a plethora of other complaints, but really who wants to hear them? My long winded introduction is really leading up to my ISAT testing experiences of this morning.
So here I was, 8:30 AM, sitting in front of a bland screen, scanning answers, and clicking without much thought. My brain turned on autopilot and all questions barely processed enough for me to click the right answer. The lethargy of my classmates was almost tangible as we impassively endured our testing. Now it must of been the sad stupor my brain was stuck in, but all the sudden I got to one question and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I was startled awake from my daze and was actually interested in the test for at least twenty seconds. So here it is (to the best of my remembrance and paraphrased):
How would you pronounce G - H - O - T -I ?

(Take a few minutes to really ponder this)

Well according to some smart dude it spells Fish. It's very simple see. The GH makes the sound it makes in Laugh, the O makes the sound it makes in Women, and the TI makes the sound it makes in Nation. Fish. Pretty cool, huh?
I actually don't remember what it was actually asking, that wasn't the whole question. Well, at least I remembered part of it! I can't say that about the rest of the test. Which, wow, I passed as Advanced. Just like everyone else. I am now a certifiable primate.

Have a great day and chew on this thought provoking piece of information. Happy Spring!

P.S. If you have any interesting thoughts...comment.

So Precious

2009-04-18T08:27:00.001-07:00

The proud of aunts of Camille and Natalie...plus Spencer
Sisters!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

After a hard week of school (it's hard being a sophomore with senoiritis!), I was happy to have a weekend full of fun.
Friday was night games in the park til midnight and Saturday was movie night at our house. It was so fun. I had completely forgotten about Easter and was excited to sleep in late on Sunday.
I was awakened on Sunday by my gorgeous niece Camille. It took a second for my groggy brain to connect that if Camille was at our house, that probably meant her parents were at the hospital.
That morning Camille, Spencer, and I colored eggs for "Baby Sidder" and waited until we could go see her.
Natalie June is cute, new, and everything a baby should be. I had a lot of fun holding her and a lot of fun playing with Camille. Congratulations Karen and Brad!

Firecrackers

2009-04-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Someone sent this really cool video of a jumprope team. It's long, but worth it. If you're interested in seeing something this cool live, all you have to do is come to our Extreme Show!
IT WILL BE AWESOME

Support Us!

2009-03-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

Full and Better Version of the video here.

EXTREME SHOW!
April 25, 2009 7:00
Sandcreek Middle School
Idaho Falls
Adults $5, Kids $3, Family $20

Profits from this show will send us to Nationals!

Regionals 2009

2009-03-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

I am going to NATIONALS baby!

This Friday I went home right after drama. After some last minute packing my ride came and we headed straight to Rigby. We did a show at a place called Journey's, a center for the handicapped. After the show we jumped with the audience and a blast.
Next stop was KJ's to meet up with the rest of the team and to decorate the windows with car markers. On our drive to Boise there would be no mistake that we were ProForm Airborne and jumprope was our thing. We arrived, ate, relaxed, and then went to bed. We had a big day ahead of us.
Saturday was our regional competition, consisting of the Summerwind Skippers from Boise, The Montana Super Skippers, and Just Jumpin' from Logan.
First were all the speed events. Most of them weren't as good as I was hoping, but in we placed in double dutch speeds, and even got a first place in relay speed.
Next was freestyle events. In a bout of nerves, I forgot half my single, but I think it went ok. But oh yeah, my rope broke too. It seems to be becoming a regional tradition.
My pairs freestyle with Jeff was better than we've ever done, and will be even better at nationals. Both double dutch freestyles could have been a lot better, but again, nationals will be better. I qualified for Nationals in five events, plus I will most likely be put in our team freestyle for Nationals. That's June 25-28th, wish me luck!

Billy from Summerwinds

Megan from Canada

Eric from Just Jumpin

Evan's last regionals before his mission. His single placed first!

This Would Be SO Scary...

2009-03-14T17:59:00.001-07:00

Pay It Forward

2009-03-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

I read some blogs that have up to twelve comments on a single post. I average zero. (Unless Karen comments, because she is pretty good at that. Good job Karen!)
Occasionally I hint that I like comments so I get a few....on one post and never again. I saw this and thought, not only is it a good idea to promote simple kindness, but it is incentive for people to comment. Are you ready for this?
Here we go. The first 3 people to comment on this post will get (sometime this year) a homemade gift. It'll be a complete surprise as to what it is and when it's coming. Sounds good, huh? Wait a minute! This ain't no freebie! Before you comment you have to put a pay it forward on your own blog. When you've done that, come back, comment, and wait for your gift! (If I don't have it, let me know your email when you comment.)

See what something simple can do?

Coming Soon...

2009-03-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun performed by Katherine, Rebekkah, and Valerie. Stay Tuned.

Rachelschallenge.com CHECK IT OUT

2009-02-24T19:14:00.000-08:00

I accept Rachel's Challenge. I challenge you to do the same.
I want everyone to know that I believe in this and I support it. You never know what impact you can have and you never know how long you have to make that impact.

God Bless Trevor Walker of Madison High School.

Valentine's Dance

2009-02-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

It's NOT my fault...it's genetic.

2009-02-18T15:30:00.001-08:00

Some people like dark chocolate and some people do not. According to my biology teacher, there's something in dark chocolate ( "polyphenols" ???) that some people cannot genetically taste. However Dark Chocolate Haters usually are the ones that can genetically taste this chemical and think it's very bitter.
As we are currently studying genetics in biology, we all had the chance to taste three different chemicals. (Don't ask me to repeat the names; it hurt my ears just to hear them.) Only about 50% of the class could taste any of them, and they only tasted one or two of them. I, on the other hand, could taste all three. The non-tasting people didn't miss much. BLECH! It was nasty.
All of you that ever accused me for being a picky eater, I'm actually just a better taster than you. My biology teacher said, and he has his PhD.
So anyway, the point I'm alluding to is that it's just not my fault. It's genetic.

Lonely

2009-02-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Mom, Spencer, and I had the great opportunity to go to Mapleton to visit the Gharts. I also got to go to a stake dance with Katherine and see her cool friends.
Mondays after a fun weekend like that are worse than normal. My teachers were positivity drowning me in homework and wouldn't let up. If things weren't bad enough, the choir decided to go to Washington and leave me. So my friends went to Washington, or stayed in Utah, and left Valerie to wallow by herself. Oh cruel world.

My Crazy Team

2009-02-15T16:06:00.001-08:00

You just gotta love 'em.

BYU Halftime Trip

2009-01-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

Another jumprope trip come and gone. (sigh)

So I recently got back from my first overnight jumprope trip in a very very very long time. We drove to Layton, Utah in a snow storm and performed at elementary schools and put on a workshop. Between the shows and workshops we chilled at a nice family's house. We played ping pong, fuseball, basketball, and the wii. We were well taken care of.
That night we stayed at Gus and Cynthia's. I got to see awesome family plus my friends Kelsey, Deson, and John.

Next day we went to a life science museum and then the mall.

To tell the truth, the halftime went well, but I was very dissapointed in the crowd. They were kinda dead and the student section should have been going crazy! Oh well. It was Mikey's last halftime before his mission and it was great the Evan and Jeremy got to be there.
Later, Jessica and I (sunglass picture) had a lot of fun being overly tired on the long ride home.

The sad tale to these stories, is that they always end with me going back to school. Sprink break, where art thou?

USU

2009-01-30T14:56:00.000-08:00

This update is already a little outdated...but I figured better late than never. So here we go.

USU is my all-time favorite place to do halftimes. I love the crowds! I missed the first day back to school in 2009! Woohoo! Who needs math and biology when they could be taking pictures like crazy with other jumpropers? Anyway, here's how it went: after the impromptu photo shoot we preformed in front of hundreds of people and did great. The End.

Christmas Dance Picture

2009-01-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

Party Hardy

2009-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

This holiday season was full of happy Hart pandemonium. Most of which transpired at my sister's house where we played games (including guitar hero) and ate and ate and ate and ate and ate and ate, played some more, then we pulled out the cookies and other treats and ate and ate some more.
Besides guitar hero we played Ingenious, Blockus, Mariokart, a charming game called Snorta, and finally Nerts.
Now most of the family has gone, the Christmas decorations are going down, and soon I'll be back in school. (sigh)

check it out

2008-12-24T13:48:00.001-08:00

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/sGZIBLV2nx8FSRRp

PLEASE VOTE

2008-12-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I added an age poll recently, but only 8 people voted! Not so cool guys. I'm dissapointed in you. I just want to know how old I seem/act/look. If you didn't know I was 16, how old would you say I was? Be honest.

Before the Dance...

2008-12-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

We made gingerbread houses. Isn't ours awesome?

If you can't tell that's Santa's sleigh.

What is the world coming to?

2008-12-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

I own a cellphone and I feel justified having it. When I drive it's nice to have it in case of car troubles. When I go on jumprope trips, it's very convenient. However, I've never realized how much I depend on it.
Unlike the majority of my classmates, I am no Text-aholic. I can go an hour of class without having to text my friends in another class. Likewise, when I am with my friends I can be happy with them; I don't have to text other friends to be happy. That is why I let Spencer borrow my cellphone with my blessing when he went to Utah. It wasn't twenty minutes before I started seeing the effects of this.
I had a picture on there that I was planning on using that very day. A friend needed it and I was going to send it over bluetooth. I needed to call some jumpropers, but I only had their numbers in my contacts.
The next day I was almost late for school because I use my phone as my primary alarm clock. I had no idea what time it was all day because I'm used to using the clock on my phone. To top it all, I had a date trying to get a hold of me so he could find out where I live. Otherwise, he couldn't pick me up for the Christmas Dance.

Two whole days of not having a phone and I'm falling apart. Pitiful!

This is how I avoid doing homework.

Let it Snow!

2008-12-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

It snowed yesterday! It's looks so pretty! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJp8UvNGxI0

Here's a song to go along with the mood. (I can't figure how to add music or a youtube video yet.)

Christmas Dance!

2008-12-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Season brings with it, snow, lights, good cheer, presents, thoughts of Christ, family gatherings, and for the high schoolers, the Christmas Dance.
This year I was an undercover agent. My mission was to get the girls' locker combinations to hopeful guys trying to ask them to the dance. As I was thinking I was just oh so sneaky, my friends completely fooled me and I was not expecting to be asked myself.
Friday at school I went to meet my friends by their locker when my friend Krista came and dragged me away in the other direction. That should have tipped me off, but she had some alibi that made no sense, so of course I had to believe it.
Hannah came later with a "Christmas gift" for me. It was a little jumprope which was cute and appropriate. However, I was very confused when I opened the card because before reading I saw the signature the read Seth Hansen. My first thought was that Hannah had stolen someone else's gift and given it to me, but I soon learned that it helps to actually read the card.

I would "jump" at the chance for you to go to the dance with me, will you go? (Answer by Saturday)
Your Hopeful Date,
Seth Hansen

Well, Krista, Hannah, and I had fun trying out the jumprope. It's a little short, but that's what makes it fun. I was very proud of Seth for asking me with a jumprope, how could I say no to that?
I wasn't sure which Saturday he meant, so I figured I had better answer him that day. (It was Friday). So, Hannah and I went to my house right after school and started baking brownies. Then we took old jumprope handles and wrote a note that said I couldn't "handle" not going with him. After the brownies were done we cut the brownies into the letters Y, E, S, and made an exclamation point. Each letter went on it's on paper plate. We laid the plates across his porch so that it would be the first thing he would see. We left the note and handles, rang the bell, and then ran for it. It was awesome, and did I mention I got a jumprope?

Baptism!

2008-12-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up before six to travel down to Utah for my nephews' baptisms. Ethan Timothy and Timothy James both made the awesome decision to be baptized today. I love watching my nieces and nephews get baptized and I'm so proud of them for doing so.
After the baptism we went to my sister Lisa's house to eat and socialize. As always I love spending time with my family and wish I could do it more! I didn't get my math or biology done but oh well. Family before academics, right?
So anyway, baptism rocks, as do Ethan and Timothy.

One Dear Ambition

2008-11-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

I sure wish I were a Kung Fu Master!

Thanksgiving Time

2008-11-29T21:35:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was great this year! I am so thankful for my family.
It's a fun holiday where we thankfully get out of school for a couple days, and thankfully get to eat, and thankfully get to see family, and thankfully get to be the Aunt Valerie.
The best part is after Thanksgiving; it's not over. Christmas comes next! Thank Goodness!

Bing Badda Boom

2008-11-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

I would like to say that my driver's license is finally accurate. I am now an even 5'3''! I've been waiting for this moment ever since I got my permit.
I'm very happy because it's very annoying to be 5'2 3/4''. Yay me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REBEKKAH!

2008-11-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Rebekkah! You're getting so old; you let me know how being a teenager suits you.

Christians

2008-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

I got this in an email and thought it was very touching:

What A Long Strange Trip It's Been
Posted by: John Schroeder at 07:09 am, November 6th 2008

Proposition 8 is now a part of the California constitution! That is
probably the best news from an otherwise difficult election for
conservatives and Republicans. In very large part, we Evangelicals
must thank our Mormon cousins for that fact. They, along with our
Catholic brethren, were better organized than us and that provided a
base from which we could ALL work together to get this job done. What
more, as we have chronicled here, Mormons took the brunt of the abuse,
derision, and even threats of physical harm that came with this effort.

And like us, they have given thanks to the Almighty that is ultimately
in control, even if their understanding of that Almighty is a bit
different than ours.

I cannot help but wonder how much more thankful we ALL might be today
if we had been more willing to embrace these religious cousins a few
months ago * but alas, politics is always about governing today and
looking forward to the next election.

Said John Mark Reynolds: In the battle for the family, however,
traditional Christians have no better friends than the Mormon faithful.
It would be wrong if that support were taken for granted. We are
intolerant of the false attacks on Mormon faith and family. We stand
with our Mormon friends in their right to express their views on the
public square. We celebrate the areas, such as family values, where we
agree.

A heart felt thank you may not win points from other friends who demand
one hundred percent agreement from their allies, but it is the decent
and proper thing to do. Thank you to our Mormon friends and allies! Hard
to do better than that. The "Ruth Youth" ministry proclaimed yesterday
"International Mormon Appreciation Day." Very appropriate, yet still
inadequate.

In addition to our thanks, Mormons deserve our protection. They have
been oppressed in ways during the Prop 8 campaign that this nation has
not seen since the 1960's and the civil rights movement. The rhetoric
has been
deplorable, but moreover we have seen instances of vandalism, property
destruction, and some leaders in the fight currently find themselves
with armed protection because of the threats made against them and their
families.

Our nation will not and cannot tolerate this sort of behavior - it is
incumbent on all of us to stand against it, and the best way to do that
is to stand between the Mormons and the forces that would perpetrate
such evil.

Now I am sure the Mormons can, and probably want, to take care of
themselves, but as a Christian, it is my duty to protect the innocent
and free the oppressed. To turn a blind eye in this circumstance is not
only ungracious, it is simply unChristian.

Make all the theological distinctions you want, but in the political
arena we are yoked with the Mormons (he said borrowing some religious
imagery) and is darn well time we started acting like it. Absolutely,
positively thank the Mormons - but don't stop there. Stand up and be
counted against the evil that has been perpetrated towards them in this
campaign.

As Christians we can do no less.*

Aunt Val

2008-11-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

I think it should be announced that an important expansion has been made to my niece Camille's vocabulary. She now says "Val".

Oh la la!

2008-11-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I stayed after to school for awhile to watch play rehearsal. Evan Dunn showed up with one of his clients, Brian. (Evan works at a center for handicapped people.)
We all sat down together to watch everyone run through the first act of Bye Bye Birdie. All the while Brian was quietly coloring.
Before I left Brian shyly passed me a folded note with a heart on it. Inside was a picture of us together with visible hearts. It made my day.

Teaching Jumprope

2008-11-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

Every Monday from 4:00 to 5:00 I have the opportunity to teach a free jumprope clinic to any one in the community. I love it!
It's so fun to teach kids and get them excited about something I love.
I always try to remember all the names and make each individual feel like their doing well and constantly progressing.
One thing I love is when a kid I haven't taught for awhile still remembers me and comes to update me on their improvement. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

Date #3

2008-11-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday the 8th was the Bobcat Boogie. A casual girl's choice dance at our high school. My friends and I decided to skip the dance, but still go on a date that night.
So, Lindsey Holyoak with Collin Judkins, Emily Kempton with Chris David, and myself with Sam Head went to Emily's house for a (lightning lights the sky) dinner to die for... Ba Ba Bum!
How it worked was, Emily's siblings made up a menu for our food, but the names of the items had been changed to our names. Not only that, but if you wanted a plate with your food you had to specifically order it with your food, a long with a utensil.
So for each course you had to try and guess a good combo. My salad course was Collin, Chris, Sam, and Emily's brother Matthew. I got corn and salad in a bowl and with spoon thank goodness. We had three courses in all and I was pretty luckly overall except for dessert....I got pasta but no plate. Emily's brother Alex brought out a lovely dish of pasta and dumped on it on the table with a big grin on his face.
It was a pretty funny dinner, throughout it we tried to figure out who was who. Turns out I was the ice cream! I think it fits nicely.
After dinner we played games and then watched the Scarlet Pimpernel. It's such a good show! I also suggest the book, it's a short easy read with a great story. If you've seen the movie, the book has a big twist. Both versions are awesome.

Blame the Missionaries

2008-11-09T18:50:00.001-08:00

Today I realized that I have not attended my own ward since October 5. I'm not going inactive and I'm not sick. It's those dang missionaries! Just about every week it seems that someone is going into the MTC or someone just got home. Here they are, claiming to be spreading the gospel and yet they're pulling me away from my own ward.

Don't worry Millhollow 3rd! I'll be back next week!

My Problem With Dentists

2008-11-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

Dentists bother me a little bit. It's not only that they talk to you when their hands are half way down your throat, or even that they usually are causing pain. It's not even that they charge an arm and a leg just so you can have that nice smile.
No, the thing that really bothers me about dentists is that fact that they have unrestrained access to your mouth. Your mouth is a very private thing! Would you like if your friends came up to you with a light and asked you to kindly open your mouth? No! Your mouth is something that is never closely inspected; sure people see it, but not like that. You are the only one that can look inside your mouth whenever. Then, the dentist comes into play.
Your dentists are not only looking in your mouth, they're moving their hands around in there. They know more about your mouth than you do. Don't you feel violated? A complete stranger thinking they have total control over your mouth. Wouldn't you feel weird running into them at the grocery store? They know you forget to floss, that you've had four cavities, and that your back molar is crooked.
It's just not natural; that's all I'm saying.

A Whole New World

2008-11-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

I think I enjoy dressing up for Halloween more now then I did when I went trick or treating. I used to be little concerned with my costume and now it's my
favorite part! Last year mom pulled off an awesome fairy costume in a day so I could join my friends Merryweather and Flora has a good fairy. For those of you who don't know, Fauna is the green fairy and the best one!
This year I hung up the wings and put on a princess facade. Spencer and I looked pretty dang good thanks to my mother the seamstress!
School was Dang awesome on Halloween, the halls had blacklighting and black drapes and Thriller was playing between classes. No one was quite themselves; it was a whole new world.
I saw some excellent costumes. I think it's great when people never stop dressing up, so next year I want you all to wear something amazing.

Awesome Jumprope Show

2008-10-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a little-known fact about me: I jumprope and love it.
This last Saturday we had a community show that went very well. We were expecting about 350 people and had over a 1000. So, if front of all these people we had an awesome show and I'm putting up a million pictures when I get copies!

CLICK HERE FOR COOL PICS! http://www.uvsj.com/shared-content/gallery/?galleryid=12&gallery_page=0&album_page=0&albumid=16&mediaid=172

Sadie's Pictures

2008-10-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Sadie Hawkin's dance. It was a blast. Soon the Bobcat Boogie is coming up which is the Idaho equivalent of Sadie's... that means I have to actually ask someone I know. Gasp! I don't think I can do that.

I really like the song Sadie Hawkin's Dance by Relient K.
Here's a link to it on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txy5wV42Hqo&feature=related

My week in Utah

2008-10-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

I just spent an amazing week in Utah. First stop was Lisa and Bob's where Spen and I got to watch their little energizer bunnies while they went to the temple. It was great; Alexander and I bonded and we played lots of "dames". We also learned how to play canasta. Lisa and Bob schooled us, but now Spen and I have the hang of it. Watch out. }:)
After one night at Lisa and Bob's we went to Mapleton to visit Gus and Co. Gus had just come back from London and South Africa bearing gifts. Chocolat!
Every night we had to try out the new African candy and the stash of German chocolate to make sure it was still good. Chocolate might go bad, you know.
Friday night Spencer and I went with Katherine to wow her friends with our radiant aura of coolness. We played games (I won!) and then had to go home to rest up for the next night.
Saturday Kath and I went to the Sadie Hawkins dance. It was SO fun! We had two hours of picture taking...sounds lame, but it was actually really fun! You'll see some pictures when I get them. They'll gorgoeus. :)
Dinner was at the pizza factory and then we played bigger and better. While our group went to the richest houses in town, we ended up with a bag of trash. The two groups ended up with A) a pair of broken skis acompanied by an office chair and a rototiller motor with gas in it! B) a truck. An honest to goodness to running truck. We lost. What a dumb game.
Cynthia was kind enough to host an ice cream break, and after that was a scavenger hunt. Don't you just love it when teenagers need to take pictures of your stuff at midnight? Utahans are sure patient.
Needless to say, Kath and I had a hard time staying awake in church the next day. However we did go to the best-ever fireside. A man named Ron McMillian talked to us. I need to read his book: And Should We Die. He wrote it with his late brother Randy, whose struggle with cancer he shared with us.
Monday morning we left Utah. :( I had to hurry home for the PSAT/NMSQT. woohoo.

If only it had worked. Reb's and mine vision of Katherine running screaming from the room was not quite accurate. It seems my darling niece can spot a snake in the grass....or I guess, a bean. (Sigh)

So anyway, thanks Lisa, Bob, Gus, and Cynthia! It was Fun!

Bless Them Spuds!

2008-10-04T19:10:00.001-07:00

Sigh! The leaves are beginning to yellow and drop from their branches, the days are growing colder and brisk. A stupor comes over the Madison High School as the imprisoned students are stuck in dreary classroom watching the color display the trees can't helping showing off.
With a hangover from homecoming week, school seems particularly bleak. What can save us from the pit of boredom and dullness school?
Is there hope! YES! Those Beautiful, Wonderful, Spectacular, Fantastic, Fabulous, Terrific potatoes. They force the school to relinquish their hold upon innocent teens and give us blissful freedom for a whole two weeks. Bless them, Bless them.

Wuz up?

2008-10-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!
Just a little "what's up" post. So here goes.
It's weird to think I've already been in school for a whole month and then some. I'm currently taking Seminary with Spen, Math, Debate, Health, and Choir.
As to be expected, seminary is great and I love starting my day off right. However, my mood dramatically plummets as I go to... second hour. I've never been good at math and never shall be. I cannot relate all those mathematicians out there. They're great people, but it boggles me how anyone can love a subject so harsh and draining. I dislike math as much as I dislike Dolores Umbridge! (I'm rereading Harry Potter)
Last Friday I took I test that I naively thought I was prepared for. OOPS! A big ol' hunking B. Not even a B+ my friends, a B. As in Bumbler or Birdbrain. Who needs math anyway. I'll marry Bill Gates' son and pay people to do math for me.
Next hour isn't much better. Intro to Debate. I had to argue the advantages of Algal biofuel and was completely unprepared, more so was my partner. Luckily for us, the Negative team kept bashing ethonal which was irrevelent to our case and I smoked 'em in the last speech. I got an A and that's all I wanted.
I actually LOVE my health class. My teacher is a widow Mrs. Hart. She's really young and has been raising a little girl alone for the past three years. Last weekend Mrs. Hart got engaged and we'll soon be the mother of five instead of one. We're buddies, me and Hart. We're both from a family of 13. Weird.
My day ends with Treble (Trouble) Choir. This is the choir for the tonality/pitch/rythmically/musicically/vocally challenged. All in all it's great.
No really, I love it. It only has 18 or so girls in there and there's a lot of laughs.
So that's pretty much my entire school day, other than that I've been jumproping, studying for the PSAT, jumproping, practicing the piano, and jumproping. That's everything you ever wanted to know about me! See Ya!

Purple Phone Phun!

2008-09-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Look what I got!What Can I say? My Parents love me.

Pedis

2008-09-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Now, I want you to look at your knee. Got that? Ok, now slowly travel down your leg with your eyes...that's right, stop at the ankle. You with me? Now very carefully look down at that thing below the ankle. AHHHHHHH! That's right! A foot.
I'm sorry about that. I'm just throwing this out there...why does everyone hate feet? Everyone has them, well most people do. We have heads, hands, and elbows too. These don't give you nightmares? Well, your elbows might give people nightmares...but anyway.
I think that something that takes up 10% (give or take) of your anatomy shouldn't scare you. How do you people do it? Every morning you wake up and there they are...looming at the end of your bed. Unfortunately, you can't leave these monstrosities behind you as you go to the office. They're with you every step! Those gross scary things sticking out of your jeans. As much as you try to cover them with socks and shoes you know, in the back of your mind that they are always there.
Terrifyingly, it is not just yourself that is stuck with these devils of flesh and bones. Everywhere you look people have feet. On the subway, at the bus stop, in Wal-Mart. You can see more of them, hundreds, thousands, of feet walking, standing, or resting.
You pass a shoe store, and to your utter horror, THERE ARE ACTUAL PICTURES OF FEET! What is the world coming to?

All of you with this phobia, I have one thing to say, and that is...get over it. Have a good day.

Junior Olympics!

2008-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

This summer I went to the amazing Junior Olympics! It was fun! Yay!

I got a lot of thirds, a second, a fourth, and two bronze overall.

The Weird Folk

2008-09-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

This infamous duo. There is no lengths they won't go to...unless it's too far. There's nothing they won't do...unless it's too hard. There's no mission they won't accomplish...unless it's impossible. They'll help any friend in need... as long as they get a Jamba out of it.
These angelic young prodigies can be trusted with any task. The unforgettable pair have accomplished a number of daring and dangerous exploits. Such as that one time they did that one thing for that one person...and yeah, it was good. There was another time that they did the same thing but for that other person. That one guy, the one with the eyebrow.
It would be completely understandable for any Tom, Dick, or Harry to want to pay tribute to this delicious combo of flair, elegance, talent, charisma.
They are currently accepting any large amounts of money, cars, cute hats, skittles, or socks. These generous youth are extending this offer indefinitely.

Every Team Has One, Mason Is Ours.

2008-09-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

The ProForm Team: Evan, Mike, Jeff, Janessa, Natalie, Paige, Alyssa, Jane, Hannah, Caleb, and many more. Of all the prestigious jumpers and memorable people on the team, there is one that will never be forgotten. We call him Mason.

We love our Mason. You could miss that tank of energy, endless questions, and uniqueness.

We love him so much, that we made him pretty at Junior Olympics.

All of us gathered in his hotel room about five minutes after he fell asleep. We were staying at the Circus Circus and thought he should have a face to match! We love you Mason!

(Don't look at me! It was Monica's Idea)

Jumprope!

2008-03-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

I become an official member of the ProForm Airborne jumprope team on June 7, 2007. Pretty much, it rocks! I get to perform for schools, half-times, and more!

I've competed in two Regional Competitions and I will be going to Junior Olympics this summer! Wish Me Luck! Check out www.usajrf.org for more jumprope stuff.

The Vivacious Valerie

2008-03-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Valerie Hart! Over five feet of fun and splendor, this young wonder enjoys friends, family, music, jumprope, and eating ice cream.

She is the grand finale of a large family and adds a shine to each of the family members lives. She is the aunt of eighteen nieces and nephews who all love her dearly. Her siblings aspire to be like her someday, and her parents don't know what they did to deserve her.

Valerie's talents include playing the trumpet and extreme humility.