A Weekend in the Life of ME

It’s been a super long weekend. We had our FIRST SOCCER GAME yesterday (Friday night)..it went pretty well :) We lost 3-0, but our team is young, and, since it was the first game of the season (and it wasn’t even in our league..it was a homeschool group, so it doesn’t really count for our records) I think we did ok! Of course, as with anything, we walked away from that game with things to work on and learn. But, playing the game is a learning process! So, if we can learn from our mistakes, we will improve!!

Aside from our soccer game, we had school at normal times..which included a government test that I was NOT ready for, a physics test that I WAS ready for, and MACBETH skits in English.

What, you may ask, are MACBETH skits? Well, let me tell you..

Our English teacher, Mr. Madsen, has assigned many different skits through the years. In 10^th grade, we broke up into groups and re-enacted scenes from JULIUS CEASER. Sadly, I don’t remember exactly what we did last year..if I do, I’ll get back to you on that! :)

This year, we have done so many skits, I almost forget some of them..keyword: ALMOST.

It started with EVERYMAN, a piece in our lit book that talks about a guy who wasn’t ready to die, but his time comes. Then, there was DR. FAUSTUS..pretty much the same concept, only this guy trades his life with the devil for more time, but ends up dying anyways. And then, there was MACBETH. For the other two, we pretty much broke up into groups and wrote out our own skits, based on the story. But, for MACBETH, we broke into groups and acted out scenes from the play. It was pretty fun. Two of my friends, Bethany and Debby, and I were the three witches. We did the scene where they’re gathered around the cauldron, making a potion. It was pretty fun, despite the fact that our lines pretty much stunk, and we weren’t really THAT prepared.. we had really great ideas! Like, in the end, when we said “SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES” we were all going to fall backwards onto eachother, but DEBBY decided to be a chicken and didn’t :P

But, she did bring her cat, Edward, who is all black..so he kinda added to the whole “witch” effect. Lol

Anyways, what made today so long? Well, let me tell you! From 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., I was working on my cross-stitch. I’ve been working on it almost a year..since May 2010. Remember the regional competition I talked about in my last blog? Well, I won first in the textile category which was what I entered my cross-stitch in. The amazing thing about that is, I NEVER FINISHED MY CROSS-STITCH 100%. So, obviously, I have to finish it NOW, before state on Friday! And, I still have to get it framed. Sadly, I won’t be getting it professionally framed until after state, when I *HOPEFULLY* go to nationals.

Nope, for state, we’re just gonna get a mat cut for the frame we already have.

But, you’re probably wondering why working on my cross-stitch all day was such a big deal. In fact, you probably think I was just sitting inside on my butt all day, stitching away. Well, you are correct! But, you totally underestimate the type of cross-stitching I was doing!! You see, along with sitting on my butt ALL DAY LONG, I was BENDING OVER my cross-stitch, which causes major back pain. Also, it caused my neck muscles to get tight, and cramped. And, last but not least, MY EYE HAS BEEN TWITCHING ALL DAY, which I am assuming is a side effect from staring at those tiny little wholes on the aida cloth ALL DAY LONG. They also hurt when I move them from side to side. Basically, they just hurt being open. Which, I think I’m gonna fix soon. By going to sleep!

But first, let me just say, there was a major yumminess that made this day semi-bearable. It’s called POMEGRANITE DELIGHT TEA from Twinings. Given to me by Mrs. Karen Blakemore. She is amazing, and I enjoyed every last drop. So, with that shout out to my FAVORITE cup of tea, I think I will say good night.

Sweet Dreams! And, I promise I will post pictures AS SOON as I finish my cross-stitch :D

I Had a Pretty Great Title in Mind, BUT I FORGOT IT!! >:(

These last few weeks have been pretty crazy. Correction; these past few DAYS have been pretty crazy! I'll start from the beginning, so you can understand everything. :)
I go to a Christian school, and we compete in fine arts competitions every year. They start at the in-house level,go through regional and state, and end at nationals! In the state of Virginia, we call it

ODACS:Old Dominion Association of Christian Schools.

Once it reaches the national level, though, we call it AACS Nationals.
Last year, my school took home 1st place in the nation for BAND! It's kind of a big deal to us. :)
I also went to nationals for my art project. I entered the TEXTILE category with a cross-stitch I had worked on, but I didn't place in the national level. It was kind of a let down, but, then again, I was competing against FOURTEEN other people, so it's ok. But, the one thing I took back from that nationals trip was, not only did I want to go this year, but I also wanted to PLACE. I don't really care about FIRST place..just, that I can actually place, period. So, I chose a cross-stitch pattern that was about 3x bigger than last year's, and started working on it May of 2010.

Other than actually competing in ODACS, you also get completely stressed!! In the last three days, I've broken out maybe, THREE TIMES, OR MORE. People, that never happens :(

Boy, let me tell you, I totally underestimated the size of that project!! Not only have I worked an average of more than 600 hours, but I didn't 100% complete it by ODACS REGIONALS. I actually stayed up until 2:30 this morning, trying hard to finish it! Sadly, I didn't. I had about 1/4 of the thread missing..you couldn't really tell, but if you were judging by the pattern, YOU KNEW. It was a major let down to me. Yes, I cried over it. But do you think I gave up? Not a chance. I'm the kind of person that accepts a challenge, and runs with it. Unfortunately, in this case, there wasn't much I could do.
So, I tried my hardest, and finished what I could. Then, I turned it in. In my artist idea statement, I told the judges everything. I told them the hours I had put into it. I told them the changes I would make if I made it to state competition. And, I prayed that they would take all of those things into consideration for how hard I had worked on it.
Trust me guys, I was dead set on being disappointed. I had given myself the pep-talk. I had cried over it. I was ready to be 2nd place.
Well, the time for the awards ceremony came around. It had been a pretty good day. Aside from textiles, I had competed in a small instrumental ensemble with 2 other clarinet players, a home ec. test, and some other band things. Being in LEVEL III, I had to wait two whole levels before they even started in on the awards for my categories. I was a wreck. All I could think about was that it was ok if I lost textiles. I wasn't gonna be angry, or cry. I mean, I didn't totally finish my project! Sure, I put in ALOT of hours! But, if I did lose, I would lose to worthy competition. (the girl I was up against made this dress for a toddler, and it was good!)
The first category to be announced is always Bible..Bible teaching, Bible quizzing, Bible testing. Next is music. This was a semi-stressful time for me. We won in band, large instrumental ensemble, small instrumental ensemble, and placed 3rd in large vocal ensemble. After that, speech. By now I am trying not to think about it. Trying not to cry.. Finally, we get to the art section. Drawings..paintings..photography..textiles.

 *DON'T LISTEN, DON'T LISTEN*

Second place is always called first. "Second place... ...(first name) Lambert."

Wait, WHAT? Did I hear that correctly? That means..

"First place..Nicky Newman."

I DID IT!! I WON!! Sure, it was only the regional level..but, if I won on the regional level, WITHOUT 100% completing everything, imagine what I could do at state, once everything is finished!!
Needless to say, it was a pretty good day/night.! Other than that first place, I received 1st in the home ec. test too. Which is actually hilarious, seeing as this is my third year taking that test, and the passed two years I've gotten 2nd place..always against the same girl! And, this year, I didn't even study! Nope, I was too focused on my corss-stitch! haha I guess that just goes to show what the Lord can do for you!
As celebration, we went to Olive Garden..yummy :)
The only bad thing about winning is: now, I have to finish it! Which means a few more hours with no social life, sitting on my butt in my room, working on my corss-stitch, and FINISHING it for state! I guess it won't be too bad, considering I only have alittle more to do..and I will (hopefully) be well rested to work on it!
Considering the fact that, within the last couple of days, or weeks, I've been staying up until midnight or later working on it, and have gotten barely ANY sleep! Thank goodness those nights are over..or almost over :)

So, being as this is the first night I might actually get a decent amount of sleep, I think I'll go to bed now. Sweet dreams!

Hi, My Name Is Nicky, And I---

I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you guys.

I, Nichole Elizabeth Newman, am addicted to... it's funny, because as I sit here typing this, I am actually about to indulge in a huge cup of:
 caffeine.

And, not just any caffeine..the coffee variety. (Although, sometimes, I turn to Diet Coke)
Yep, it's true. I just can't help myself! When I wake up in the morning, I smell the heavenly smell of fresh coffee brewing in the coffee pot. I NEED to drink at least one hot cup before being FULLY awake!
   This one time, I spent the night at my best friend's house, and, alas, there was no caffeine in the morning. So, as a result of this, I had a terrible headache the whole day. Yeah, not fun.
But, coffee is pretty special to me, as weird as that may sound.. I drink it black. Not because it wakes me up, but because I like the taste of it. Now, don't get me wrong..I like stuff in it too! I am a big Starbucks addict!! I just can't help myself..it's so yummy! :D

So, soccer season started this past Monday. I am pretty excited! Soccer is, in my opinion, the world's greatest sport. Sorry if you don't agree..this is my blog, not yours :P haha anyways. I decided that, just maybe, drinking a ton of caffeine during soccer season isn't the brightest idea. So, I've been limiting myself to one cup each morning. ONE CUP! Boy, let me tell you..IT'S HARD!! Granted, I still let myself drink decaf at night..I just can't help it! I love the stuff!
And, I've been indulging on the weekends. But, so far I've kept my challenge to myself to keep off of the caffeine.
I've also been trying to hydrate, and let me tell you, it's harder than it seems!

So, now that I've let you all in on my little secret (which I guess now is no longer a secret) I guess you can say that life isn't really "My Cup Of Tea"..it's definitely "My Cup Of COFFEE"