I can't wait til Christmas Break. I don't have any big plans but sometimes that's the best. I like going home and not having any plans just being able to do whatever or just stay at home and read and relax. it's the best feeling to not have any obligations after a very stressful time. I'm hoping I can go to Louisville and spend a lot of time with my family although due to work i doubt I will be able to spend as muc time up there as I would like. But who knows I haven't been working hardly at all because of seasonal help getting more hours.

I love christmas carols but the old Christmas carols like O Come O Come Emmanuel, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark! The Herald Angels sing etc. I love singing them and listening to them but all I ever hear anymore are the more modern ones like Let it snow, Fosty the snowman which are ok songs but they are cheesy and silly. I love traditional christmas lol decorations, songs, etc. I always want to go caroling but it's not exactly safe and no one ever wants to go with me so I never end up going but I think when i grow up and have a family I'm going to make caroling a family tradition and do it every year.

Christmas

I love getting presents for people that is my favorite part about christmas is giving people presents I love shopping for the perfect gift that will fit that person and seeing their face when they open something that they love. Because I got a job i enjoy it even more because it is my own money and i can spend it more on people because before i felt bad for spending other peoples money picking out a present for everyone. So this year I may have gone a little overboard getting my mom a diamond necklace and my little brother an mp3/mp4 player but they will love it. I still haven't decided what to get my older brother for christmas he's so hard to shop for but i think i might get him a gift certificate to a game store because my mom is getting him a ps3 even though gift certificates are very impersonal and I hate giving them because no thought goes into them it will go along with another present I know he is getting.

Last year the Broadway phenomenon "Wicked" came to Louisville, I was so excited and planned on going to see it but I didn't find out about it soon enough and other things so I didn't get to go. As this is a major production and it's a major tour I didn't think it would come back to a city so close for a long time then I found out that it will be back in Louisville in May and I'm going as part of my graduation present. I am so excited I have read over summaries of the plot (because it's always good to have some idea of it before you go) and I've been listening to the fabulous music I can't wait to go see it with my family!

I don't understand how anyone could enjoy being home schooled although it can be better for one's education, high school is not just about the books you read and the papers you write it's also about the experience. I could not imagine going to "school" and not seeing my friends or having an actual teacher teach and the joy of finally being able to go home. Being in a school setting with other classmates and other teachers allow one to learn how important working with other people is even when you don't necessarily agree or get along with the other person and taking leadership and direction from an authoritative figure, even if you don't agree with that person one will always have to take orders from someone else there will always be someone above you that you have to listen to even if you don't like the person you still have to listen to them. Many young adults and students don't understand this they are headstrong and stubborn and can't wait to 'get out of the house and be on their own and not have to listen to their parents' well these teenagers are in for a HUGE wake up call. Not only will they have someone to answer to but they won't have the love, sympathy, and forgiveness of their parents. I think if someone is home schooled they may miss out on these important skills necessary to being independent

Sometimes I hear certain songs that are just so beautiful they make you want to cry even songs without words just classical songs that are so beautifully composed they put tears in your eyes. Such songs are "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber, "October" by Eric Whitacre and "Rhosymedre" by Ralph Vaughn Williams. When someone participates in an orchestra or band there is a particular song that everyone remembers that somewhat summarizes their experience in that particular group. For me this song was "October" it was so beautiful there were 7 part harmonies and it was so intricate and musical. There is a difference between notes and music, the black and white on the page is simply the notes, the music is what the player brings to it, 80 percent of music is not written on the page. Dynamics, phrasing, style all of this is what makes a song. "October" exemplifies all of this and the way the harmonies come together it so beautiful I get goosebumps every time I hear it and I think of those that we have lost here at Apollo I jsut can't help but think of them. Even though it's not necessarily a sad song it's so moving.
The song was originally written as a band arrangement, although I may be somewhat biased as a string player I think this song is so much more beautiful as a string arrangement it's sharper and not as harsh. If you are interested in hearing it here is the best string version I have found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K_Bwl_CaAY&feature=related

Today I found out that you can easily find fraud coupons for everyday items that are incredibly cheap. Although this is wrong the employees should pay more attention to things that they're accepting for coupons. seriously? a 4 pack of Monsters for 36 cents and on the coupon it says expires on November 31. There is no November 31. Kids will always be kids trying to cheat the system so can they really be blamed for just being kids? This can also be applied to other things such as kids wrestling and playing with each other, especially boys. Kids will be kids, boys will be boys, I think sometimes punishments can be too strict on them they're just children.

I've always heard that quote that "a friend will offer you anything to drink or eat a best friend will be the reason you don't have any food left to eat" I never thought I had a friend like this then i restored my relationship with dana.... so as i'm sitting here in her room.... on her computer.... eating her pudding I realized how important it is to have a friend that you feel just as comfortable as you do at your own house. It's a relief to know that when something happens at your house and you just don't want to be there there is an escape where someone is always there to talk it out with you and let you vent or cry or scream whatever.

"Let me tell you how you measure a man
when his world starts to fall see how tall he stands
it matters not how many times you fall down
what matters most is how many times you can rise
mistakes build character
and character can take you places money can't"

I was recently bored so I decided to get on youtube and find songs to listen to that I hadn't heard before. I love listening to music and lyrics so I clicked a video called "Remember Me" by T.I. and Mary J. Blige both artists that I love listening to so I was excited to hear the collaboration. When it started playing I heard T.I. say the above words as it shows him walking into a jail cell dressed in the notorious orange jumpsuit I realized how true these words are. T.I. was known to be the stereotypical rapper that only cares about exploiting women doing drugs etc but once he got charged with gun charges and sentenced to jail he completely changed his tune so to speak. I believe fully that "Mistakes build character" I think we learn more from our mistakes than our successes.

It doesn't seem like we only have a month before we graduate. I know I'm graduating but it still doesn't seem like it, I guess I haven't realized that I won't be coming back here anymore. When i walk down the halls I don't feel like a senior I feel like any other student but I remember when I was a freshman and I kept thinking "oh they're a senior" and I do wonder if when underclassmen that see me or have classes with me think like that too. I really don't feel any different than I did last year or the year before. It's somewhat exciting to be moving on with my life but it is sad because I love Apollo very much, as far as schools are concerned it's been great. Of course there are times where I've dreaded coming and there are teachers I could have survived without having but for the most part everyone here is so nice and helpful and it's not too small or too big, the programs are great, the people are great. So it's going to be sad to leave and of course like everything there will be certain things and people I miss more than others and I know everyone always says they'll come back and visit from time to time and I plan to when I can but I know it's probably unrealistic to say I will because I will be so far away. Although, I will have to come back to get my yearbook and I can't wait to come back and see old teachers etc.

halloween

I had to work this Halloween but it was so much fun we were supposed to dress up so I was a tiger with ears, a bowtie and a tail. Most of them dressed up, Jessica as a watermelon, Jordan and Patricia as a sheriff, Josh as a pirate and Keeley as a ladybug. It was so much fun we had candy for the kids that came in and we could joke around. Afterward we hung out in the parking lot after work and once it got too cold just went to McDonalds and talked. I don't understand why a lot of teenagers think they have to get drunk to have fun, we had more fun just hanging out than at parties. We just joked around and talked about stupid stuff. People don't have to party and get drunk to have fun so why do they do that? do they think it's cool? Yea throwing up everywhere and not remembering anything you did is real cool....

Christmas

yes, it's only november and I'm already getting ready for Christmas, although I have been since school started. It also helps that we always start practicing our Christmas music in chorus and orchestra, and at work we are always getting ready for the day after thanksgiving. Christmas is such a happy time of the year even though it doesn't really change anything or anyone's mood the atmosphere is so happy. and Christmas decorations are so beautiful and winter is so peaceful. Everything about the Christmas season is so comforting and cozy. I love my family so much and I love everytime we get together but for Christmas it always seems more special.

I love it when people say funny stuff. I want to start carrying a quote book around with me because sometimes things are too grea tto forget. Like Dakota Coomes he always says the funniest stuff and I just want to write it all down. and sometimes quotes are the perfect explanations for situations in your life they just describe things so perfectly. I can always find a quote to describe a situation I'm in or how I feel.

I don't know what to title this blog

I find it incredibly disrespectful when people go to a funeral who did not know the person. Because of the tragedy that strikes our class repeatedly this happens a lot. As I was at Melissa's funeral today I noticed people who didn't really know her, to them in her life she was just some girl but to me she was a close friend. I don't know if these people were coming to the funeral to just miss school or to feel special becuase they were there but I found it incredibly disrespectful. I would think because we're in high school these people would get over trying to get out of class but I guess simple courtesy doesn't matter as much as it used to.

Fears

When I was younger I had many fears, come to think of it, I still do. mostly they aren't fears but worries. I am a huge worry wart, I will worry about everything til the day I die. Now my "fears" are more intanglible things such as failure. One of my biggest fears when I was younger is when I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I always felt like something was following me and I always pictures Count Dracula from Seseame Street following me to the bathroom and kidnapping me. I was also afraid of snakes and always thought when I was using the bathroom a snake was going to come up and bite my butt. I was so afraid of snakes that one time when our kindergarten class took a trip to the zoo we were going to see the albino crocodile which was in the reptile exhibit, well, my mother purposely did not tell me we would have to walk through the snake exhibit when I realized what was going on I ran in the opposite direction which was the "enter only" door. Once my mother did find me she had to carry me to the albino crocodile while I hid my face in her shoulder.

Frustrations

Why do people who are capable of so much more not do anything? I recently heard of someone who doesn't do their homework or try on their work so they make bad grades but got a 27 on the ACT. Why do people do this? It makes me soooo mad, I try hard to get my grades and think through everything thoroughly so I get good grades and I studied for the ACT and just made a 24 everything I do is mediocre. I hate it, I know I'm horrible but these people do not deserve to be smart. I mean a 27? really?? thats a great score and the person was like "people think I'm stupid because I get bad grades but I'm really smart I just don't do anything" that made me so mad because being that smart and flunking IS stupid. I hope these people fail, yes that's horrible but that's how mad it makes me, they don't deserve to succeed if they're not going to work when people who do work hard could still fail because they just aren't as naturally intelligent. I know it's a stupid teenage cliche to say "Life's not fair" but it's not and it's so frustrating, I am mediocre in my intelligence, I'm not stupid but I'm not overly smart either. I guess mostly I'm jealous that I'm not that smart, it is my dream to get a 27, I've taken it twice and made a 24 both times. I want to go to medical school and be a doctor, that won't ever happen with a 24.

Squirrels

I found out today that my older brother's car has been commandeered by squrriels... yes squirrels. Something was wrong with hs car so natually he took it to the mechanic and the mechanic told him that wires and hoses had been eaten through by these obnoxious animals and he knew this because there were still 2 of them in the car when the mechanic went ot work on it and they got loose in the shop. In true sister nature I found this incredibly incredibly humorous, really, who's car gets ransacked by squirrels??? Only in the Anderson family would that happen. How do they even get into the car to begin with??? I have a feeling we may have a visit from PETA on our hands very soon since Andrew has decided to shoot them with a BB gun and string them up as an example for all of the other squirrels. I just thought this was so funny I had to share at least it was a humerous reason for his car troubles, I'd much rather have a funny story to tell people then to just say "yea my car broke down" no "my car was attacked by squirrels. hahaha

College

I have been planning on going to University of Louisville for awhile because my mom lives there so I can save money for not having to pay for a dorm plus they offer a good medical program and I want to go to medical school. When I was voting for our invitations etc for graduation (which is really scary) I noticed the University of Louisville had a representative and that she had applications which I had been meaning to get so I asked her for and she polietely handed it to me and said do you know about the thing they're having at the RiverPark Center? I replied telling her that I had heard about it in an email but I forgot so I should take a flyer thinking nothing of it that I would probably lose the flyer and forget about the meeting. She then notified me of how if I take the filled out application, an official transcript from the school and 40 dollars I could be admitted on the spot! That is such a relief because I'm one of those people that likes to know how everything is going to happen I am a huge worry wart so to be admitted on the spot would be so great for my peace of mind because I can move on to worrying about other things and get with an advisor sooner to schedule classes etc. I'm scared to go to college but the fact that I can get admitted so soon makes me so much more relieved and I am actually starting to get excited for college and to start the rest of my life.

Laughter

I laugh at everything it must be in my genes because my whole family does also, we laugh at everything, events, jokes, but mostly each other. Not to be mean but we always laugh at what each other does, says etc. This year my mom and brothers moved to Louisville, because I didn't want to switch schools my senior year I moved in with my grandparents. This has made me much closer to my family because I don't get to see them as often so instead of fighting we laugh and cherish our time together. I love going to visit them because I know it will be full of laughter and memories. I didn't realize how close I was to my family until I moved away from them. That's sad isn't it? How we don't realize what we have until we're taken away from it.

twilight

After seeng the movie I decided to join the rest of the human race and read it which I finished this weekend. It was good but not as compelling as I expected but I did like it a lot. I am very excited to keep reading the rest. My final goal is to have all of them read before "New Moon" comes to theaters in November. That can be expensive though so I'm really hoping people will let me borrow them I've found one copy of "New Moon" to borrow so after I read that I'll work on Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I'm very excited to follow the story, I hope they make Bella a vampire!

Best friends

I think that the Egyptian proverd "Frendship doubles joy and halves grief" is very very true. There have been many painful things that have happened in my and my best friend's life, things that seem like it would be impossible to get over without each other. I'm sure we would have eventually gotten over it but it was so much easier and faster with someone else. She always helps me with advice and it seems most of the time she knows what's best for me better than I do. Not only does my best friend help me through rough times but she makes every day better because we're friends. Sometimes our parents as why we spend so much time together and because we're together even though we're doing whatever we would be doing by ourself is it so much more fun when we do it together. For example, if all we were doing was watching a movie together, we could watch a movie by ourselves at home but together we llaugh so much more and have so much more fun together

Saint/Sinner

Today at school I saw this on the back of someone's t-shirt: "Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future" after I told the guy I liked his shirt I started to think about how true this statement is. Why is it that someone's past determines what they are today, its true that some people really can't "change" well let me rephrase... they can but they refuse the opportunity to do so. But people that truely have changed often still get labeled as "sinners" but in reality, everyone has done something that they aren't proud of, whether they have managed to keep it a secret or not. So why are people whose mistakes become known sometimes become different people? As much as people say "oh I don't think any differently of you because of that" many do. As cheesy as it is to say "don't judge til you've been in their shoes" it's true, we really should think about what we would do in that situation. Especially before we give that person a label or stereotype in our heads of that particular person. Someone's past doesn't decide their present, or their future. Also, just because someone has a past doesn't mean they don't deserve the opporunity to change, it's one thing when the opportunity is given and denied but how fair is it if the opportunity isn't even given in the first place? My brother was an alcoholic and a drug addict, what if no one ever gave him the opportunity to change? What if his family just walked out of his life and ignored him because of his mistakes? He wouldn't be the sober man that is mentoring teenager addicts that he is today. So basically we should all think about how we judge people because of what they have done.

Annalise

sen[10]r

One of the things I love about orchesta is how there are always older students who know more than you and are so nice about helping and just sitting by them when you play improves you're own playing. Now I walk in orchestra and realize I am that person. It's a real eye opener and makes me want to practice more so that I can be better. It's always cheesy to think about how "the seniors are role models everyone looks up to them" I don't always believe that about the rest of the school but with orchestra it definitely is. I hope they are looking up to us anyway because the freshmen really need uhh... I guess you could say "direction", especially with Mrs. Yonts on maternity leave. I'm worried about the Mark Wood concert coming up also, it's about a month away and I don't know if we're gonna have our act together especially since our group is so young with only 3 seniors. We have only had the opportunity to have sectionals once since we started school and every one of the freshmen forgot their instrument.... not a good start. I'm hoping it's just because they're new and trying to get into the groove of things but they're very frustrating. I now know I will never ever be able to be a teacher.

Musically yours,
Annalise<3