32 Days...Shopping

tonight i went shopping in an effort to find a cover for my swimsuit. why you may ask? so that i can successfully walk around in a bathing suit for most of the days next week and not feel uncomfortable. i'll be in new hampshire next week babysitting for a family there, a different one from the family i was babysitting for last time.
anyways, so seriously, i was lucky finding one for 20 bucks and then i found a cute bathing suit top (tank top that is...no worries) for kind of cheap too.

why is this applicable to my going away in 32 days? because guess where i'll be using this babysitting money... BYU!!

Summer

Pardon me for my lack of bloggings. I simply do it this way so that when i do blog, you can read these essays of posts!

I feel like alot has happened over these past few months, which maybe it has and maybe it hasn't, that's just what it seems like. My summer has consisted of going to Utah for Betsy's wedding, coming back, graduating, starting work, going to youth conference, and then getting everything underway for BYU.

There have also been many exciting things going on this summer. Namely: I finally turned 18, which means I am legally an adult and can now do exciting things like buy cigarettes and get tattoos, and live on the edge. All the things I would never do no matter my age. I can even vote and be on juries. woohoo! But, I can also do other things, to which it will only take me a small while to figure out what those exciting things may be i am sure. For now, I keep myself busy making money. My second very exciting thing about this summer despite the major change that comes to the end of it, is that I got my AP scores back this past week! And thanks to my English and Human Geography test, I have two classes I don't have to worry about next year! I was so excited! I attribute much of my Human Geography grade to the fact that there was a major essay on Mormons. I totally had that one owned.

So these are two of my exciting things happening this summer, but I will be sure to keep you much more up to date in the next month about my whereabouts. I was actually just thinking about doing a daily blog post about what thing I do that day in lieu of my very soon departure, but we'll see.

If you'd like to see all the fun things I deal with on a day to day basis, click here

last day of high school

tomorrow will be my last day of high school. today, we had our yearbook ceremony. i surprised myself, i cried, one of the things i least expected to do. i always thought i was SO excited to get to college as quickly as i could, but now i'm not so sure.
my junior and sophomore years i half-seriously contemplated graduating a year early. but looking back on the past year, i know i chose well. i've learned and grown so much more than i ever would have had i not had these experiences. having the ward split, to having to make new friends in our newish ward, to getting more involved in the school, etc. i've gotten an extra footing on my life and on who i am. i love woburn! i love the people, the culture, the support and love i've felt here! there are so many great things about home that i'm going to miss oh so much when i go out to utah. i've always just been watching older siblings leave for college. now that it's my turn, i'm not really sure how i feel. i guess the change really hasn't sunk in yet, but when it does, it'll be hard.
anywho, tomorrow is prom so i get one last hoorah before it's all done!

for more information

if you haven't found them already, there are several articles written up about the event. it's well documented on boston.com. you should be able to see the link fight when you get to the website. it's been pretty big news. apparently all of the big news stations were there today. how sad is this?!

LP Chapel Burning

I think this picture speaks for itself. I got it off of Rachel Sorensen's facebook. so so sad

Amazing

this is really good. no lies.

Response to Betsy's blog

and katy's comment, to which i HAD to verify! this was one of my favorite books of all time!

for those confused outsiders....

if you've seen any of my siblings' blogs today and been completely confused, let me explain... when i was younger, i had quite the imagination. i mean, a really really active imagination. one of my many imaginative victims was st. patrick's day.

i have no idea how it started (keep in mind though, i was also a very gullible child), but my best friend and i believed that there truly was a real live leprechaun named, of course, Lucky. much to the dismay of her mom (unknown to us at the time) and the glee of my sisters, we would sometimes spend our time together, making "gifts" for our little friend. we'd hide them behind a rock, or place them in a small area, announce to Lucky that the coast was clear, and then walk away. after counting to about 100 "child seconds" (aprox. 30 to the rest of the world) we'd come back to the site where the treat was placed. sometimes, we'd find it replaced by a little note, or even a return gift, or sometimes, it was just the same treat we had left for him. this was a year-round tradition, not particualarly attatched to st. patrick's day, until the holiday came. otherwise, lucky was his own separate part of our imaginations. looking back, i think it was an excuse to find magic in the every day routine of life. and no worries, it worked.

so, on to the big day...ST. PATRICK'S DAY!! My mom was very much at fault for this part of Lucky's existance in my life. on St. Patrick's day, she always did scavenger hunts for us younger siblings around the house. These were supposed to be from Lucky and were just a fun tradtion to have, we all knew that they weren't really from him (at least as far as i can remember, i knew...) but it just added to the magic of the day for me. i remember in elementary school going out for recess on st. patrick's day (and sometimes other days too) and searching for Lucky's footprints in the sand of the playground, or looking for any other remnants of his being there.

the thought that a happy (and very clever) little green leprechaun could actually exist (much like Santa and the Easter Bunny for other kids) made things magical to me. and now, not only does it give me something to smile about, but st. patrick's day is an especially happy day for me, because i get to celebrate memories i have with emily. in almost every childhood memory i have tied to this holiday, emily was right there beside me. she is one of my hereos. st. patrick's day is and always will be for me one of my favorite days becuase i get to remember those happy memories, but more importantly the support that emily has given me for the past fourteen years.

the holiday still gets me all gittery and happy inside, i can't help but still feel the magic of it! this morning, as i was driving to seminary, without even thinking it, i thought i saw a small movement in the dark, and automatically thought: "it must be Lucky!"

so, i hope y'all are wearing your green today!!! Lucky will gettcha if you don't! watch out too, he's quick! and thanks to the fam, for making the memories come even moreso alive! i loved it!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

love,
laree...
and Lucky too

goodies

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me. My choice. For you. (I know...a little scary, but maybe fun, huh?)
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations

1- I make no guarantees that you will like it .
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done by the end of March.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a loaf of homemade bread. It may be a bag, a card, an apron. It may be a book, a scarf, a poem. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did it will then win a Fabulous homemade something made by me! Ready, Set,....GO!!

no pressure. contrary to the rules--- i do accept ideas/suggestions!

provo

okay, okay, who am i kidding?
i'm going to provo next year of course. but for all you byu-i fans out there, be comforted in knowing that it was a tough decision...i just don't like being cold.

V.I.E.- Very Important E-mail

Well, after lots and lots of waiting...my e-mail has finally come!!! this one:

A decision has been reached on your application for BYU. Please go to the BYU Decision Notification page where you can view the decision and related information. Remember, if you have applied to other CES schools you will receive a separate notification when they have made their decision.

drum roll please
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I'm Admitted!!!!


lest you think i've already packed my bags for utah,
i still have some thinking to do...

but i thought you'd like to be updated! YAY!

Six More Weeks 'Til Spring!!!

And for now, you can enjoy this little glimpse into last spring...



this is one makes me laugh every time i look at it!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG'S DAY (+ 1 DAY)!!!!!!!!!

Toilet Paper Dodgeball

Apparently a favorite mutual activity in the Lynnfield Ward. We've only played it once. It's not for the recyclists out there, but it's fun!

No Sugar Diet

So a few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to learn to be a bit more disciplined. So, I planned a little test to "teach" myself to be so. I decided that for one week, I would give up something [not to be confused with Lent], each week increasing the difficulty of the sacrifice and the seriousness of the distraction/problem it was. The first week, would be to not eat any sugar(i was eating ridiculously unhealthy amounts of it), the next week would be music (it's a bad distraction), and the last was to give up the computer. well...the plan went through some adjustment.

not eating sugar has forced me to eat much more fruits and especially vegetables. it's been nice to feel healthy for once! so, instead of just doing this for one week, i've extended it indefinitely. i only eat sugar on the weekends. my first "free" weekend, i ate half a bag of jelly bellys and realized i really don't miss sugar all that much. i felt so sick afterward! as for the no music and no computer, i've also learned that being disciplined in one area of life helps with being disciplined in other areas as well. i definately still get distracted from doing what i should schoolwork wise, but i do feel like i have a better grasp of myself. it's been kind of fun. so in case you were wondering what i am up to, this should help satisfy you at least a little bit. no new news on college yet, you'll have to wait a while on that one. laters! i'm off to bed...seminary is cancelled tomorrow as it was today, school was too! if i'm lucky all that rain in the streets right now will freeze over, but i think i'm pushing my luck this time.
*small sidenote: i watched masterpiece's northanger abbey today and highly recommend it to any jane austen fan. it was so good!

taken right from my application...

School	Term	Application Status
BYU	Fall 2009	Complete - Click here to withdraw application
BYU-Idaho		Admitted - Click here for additional instructions

it's a good one

i definitely don't suggest watching it with the wee ones though. it's a bit more intense than the first one. but SO GOOD!!!

Happy New Year!!

2009 is going to be a good one!

things to look forward to:
1. Graduation
-a jump start to summer vacation
2. Summer
-Plum Island!!
-Warmth
-etc...
3. Betsy's Wedding
4. Turning 18
5. College!
6. Babies....?....
-aka nieces/nephews (fyi)
7. Change
and oh so much more, i'm sure!

things to not look forward to:
1. finishing college apps
2. finding a summer job
3. finding a job while at school
4. change
5. AP exams

College

No, no, I have recieved no acceptance letters yet, but... the application is in!!!!!!!!!!!! I finished it last week (as in all of the supplements are in) and it feels good! I love feeling like I'm done. I've only done my BYU provo and idaho ones though. I can't decide if I want to do more or not. Any opinions? Anyways, just thought I'd let y'all know it's in and that I am very happy about that!

ps-cami, what do you want for figuring out how to change my template? thanks for the help!

Oh the mysteries of keeping a blog!

Yes, I know, 2 blogs right after each other! What am I going to do! In fact, there may just be another one coming your way sometime later this week (note the "may"). I'm a little confused with this whole change the template of your blog thing. Clearly, I have changed my blog template, but I cannot get the previous template off of my blog and it is ANNOYING ME all too much. My new template is from a different website, you can be directed there from the link in the top right corner of my blog. My previous template was just one of the ones provided by blogger in the layout section. So, if you know the answer to my little predicament, being how on earth do I take that old template OFF my blog, I will love you forever. And, prize anyone (because my eternal love isn't enough??)? I'll offer anyone who can fix this problem of mine bragging rights for the rest of their lives!! So, any takers??

And now... a peak into the my next blog....

Two Summers Too Late

Alas, finally, after saying I would for the past year, I'm blogging about my photography class from last summer (2007). It was a really fun experience and probably the only time I felt like I moderately understood the MBTA system, traveling in (and out) with two friends was a lot of fun. Anyways, so on with the photography: my class was color photography, which was a first for me (I took black and white at the high school). This time, we couldn't develop our film ourselves, it had to be sent out and done by other people (the chemicals used for color are different and too dangerous to meddle with, so it wasn't allowed, with black and white I was able to develop the film...it smells nasty in case you were wondering). So rather than explaining the process through words, I figured I would explaing the color photography [printing] process through pictures AND words! And so it begins...

1.

(please forgive the flipped picture... sorry!) once the film is back from being developed, you make a test strip to find the [ideally] perfect exposure for your picture. we do this by placing the negative in the enlarger, setting the lens up, and then putting the photo paper at the bottom of the enlarger. basically, you set the enlarger to expose the paper for certain short time intervals, on this picture, I think I did 2 seconds. You only allow a small strip of the paper to be shown each time you expose. after each interval, you add on another "strip" to be exposed. the side with the darker strips on this picture is the side that the first exposure was made. you do this until you get to the end of the paper.

2. (no picture for this part)
Then, you have to place the paper in a special light proof box and transport it from the dark room where you did all of that to a different dark room that has a big 'ol machine that processes the print (at least that's how they did it at AIB). When you get the print back, you look at the print and decide where the perfect exposure is. On this picture, it was somewhere around the middle (the strip to the right of the strip with the middle handlebar in it, so I think that's 16 seconds, I think...)

3. Then, you do the real picture. On this picture, I set the enlarger to expose for 16 seconds all at once, and then, hopefully it's done. you have to transport it to the big 'ol developing machine again, but that's pretty much it, assuming that it's a perfectly balanced picture...

but when it isn't:
-you can color correct a photo, which is generally necessary. in the enlarger, you can change the colors that expose the photo (please don't ask for an explaination, you wouldn't get a very thorough answer anywho). so you would just do different prints, adjusting the color meter on the elarger until you got a picture you were happy with.
-you can do all kinds of things to the print while you're in the darkroom too, it's lots of fun!

end product [drumroll please....]

here are some other ones too...

these balloons were from a water balloon fight we did. we put them in one of those weeding buckets. so it actually looks really gross and dirty, i'm not sure how i feel about that.



on this picture, I burned the edges. basically, after your picture has been exposed you can put your hand over the lens and control where the light goes. so, I put it on the corners to make them look worn out/burned.

So, tada!! This was my summer of 2007, every Tuesday and Thursday of July! It was an awesome experience, and I had so much fun. I had so so many awesome experiences and was able to meet/befriend people who I would have never met before. I loved it!!