Junior Year...a year in review.

Like I said before, what a year it's been. This is a year in review. I will talk about the good. I will talk about the bad. With bullet points. Because that's just how I roll.

First term

•  I always like first term, just cuz I have a lot to do. This year I was privileged to be on the tennis team, and I enjoyed such wholesome activities as going to football games and...homework. I learned that AP classes actually require a lot of hard work, unfortunately I didn't really gain a work ethic until later terms... I was closest to my friends this term, I think. Even though I started the year off with a minor man probs, this term wasn't too rough.

Second term

• This one was pretty rocky. Maj man probs happened here. We lost to Springville, it started getting cold, I was getting sick of all of my classes, idk I was kind of emotional this term. However things looked up when I...broadened my horizons, per say? I started hanging out with better people, let's just say that.

Third term

• This was easily my most favorite term of the year. And honestly, some of my most favorite memories came from all the time I spent hanging out with Kate and Matt, who are definitely two of my best friends. And, aside from internal conflict, this term was pretty carefree and great.

Fourth term

• Wow, what a bitter sweet term. I think this one was easily the most challenging for me. Since it rained like every day, it didn't even feel like summer was coming. It felt like school would go on forever. I did not succeed in...well...anything I tried out for. That was hard too. I went through the worst friend crisis of my entire high school life. And though the wrinkles are still being ironed out, it looks like things are going to get better, especially now that summer is here. A lot of really good things happened this term too though, like Prom and a decreased workload that led to increasingly good grades. Seeing Jimmer Fredette at Provo Beach Resort. Aaand taking 2 AP tests.

Dates

• I went on a few dates this year, and wow. Wow. Some were beyond fantastic. Others were beyond awkward, just ask Christian Paiva. The best ones included Homecoming with Chase Weight, Ice Skating and Prom with Matt, MORP with Christian, and Friday Night Lights with Nate Wall.

Classes

I don't even know what to say here

The Bad:

• Ceramics - Clearly I am not very artistic. Who knew clay could be so difficult?
• Pre-Calculus - Math is dumb. Even though I understood it this year...yikes.
• AP English - This class tested me. The workload took me a while to get used to.
• Physics - I will never understand physics and Mac is the devil.
• Journalism - This class frustrated me a lot. And pushed me to several of my limits.
• Seminary - Sadly enough, second semester was not good at all. I didn't feel like I learned anything. Bro. Roberts is a great guy, but not the best teacher I've ever had :/ I skipped seminary this year more than I've ever done my entire life, and I'm not proud of it...but seminary makeup was pretty fun too :)
• Basketball/Volleyball Co-ed - Um....yeah.

The good:

• AP English - So many fun people in here, VanOrden is an incredible teacher, and I learned a real work ethic in this class.
• Psychology - easily my favorite class of Sem. 1. Everything we learned was so interesting!
• Journalism - It was a privilege to be in this class. I learned a lot about being a better writer, stalking down people for interviews, and it was great for getting caught up on homework. Everyone in the class was super cool, too.
• Seminary - First semester I had my favorite seminary class yet. It honestly felt like we were a family. Highlight: Mike and I doing the Hoedown Throwdown for the talent show.
• AP World - First of all, I love history. Not only was this class interesting, but Baker is amazing in every way.
• Basketball/Volleyball Co-ed - Just...read the blogs.
• TA for Baker - This was so great. It was AP World, so I heard all the lectures twice, so I learned twice as much, which was really great when I was preparing for the AP test. Also everyone in that class was so much fun. When I wasn't grading papers, (which I didn't end up doing very much...:S) I was talking to well...just about everyone in that class. I'm pretty sure it was this class that shaped a lot of the second half of my year. There was never a day I didn't look forward to it.

As you probably noticed, there were a few repeats. That, my friends, is what I like to describe as bittersweet.

People

Disclaimer. If I leave you out, I am immensely sorry. And I still love you to pieces.

This year was shaped by the people in it. Seriously. I really can't think of a better intro than that. Some of the people who played a large part in this year were:

Kate Cutchins: How in the world am I going to keep this short? This year Kate and I both went through a lot of stuff. Good things and bad. We looked out for each other at the beginning of the year while we were having man problems. And we hung out almost every day during third term when we would go to Sonic after school with Matt. The best thing about Kate is that even when I'm not a good friend to her, she is a good friend to me. Like the time that guy cut me off in the parking lot before mutual and she came and sat in my car with me while I cried for 2 hours and spilled everything. (Note, I was not crying about being cut off. The day I become that emotionally unstable, please slap me and/or throw me in a mental hospital.) Or after Prom when everything fell apart, but she still there for me when I knew she was the only person who could possibly understand what I was going through. And she forgave me, which is also more than I ever deserved. This lady deserves a round of applause.

Matt Woodruff: What to say about this kid? I thought he hated me for the first half of the year. And I'll never regret that day that, even though we had never even spoken, he stole my phone, added his number, and the rest is history. Being Bakers TA for 3rd period would not have been the same without Matt. What I loved this year about Matt was he always helped me feel included. He influenced me to get out of my comfort zone and get to know more people. Some of my favorite memories with Matt are all the times we went to Sonic, AP World, the ice skating date, the time we went ice skating with Christian, and then Prom. I wouldn't have bought that dress if I wasn't going with Matt, and everything about it was pretty perfect. When I met Matt back in August, if somebody told me that in 8 months he would be my boyfriend, I probably wouldn't have believed it. But I'm grateful for the adventure we've had. No matter what happens I'll always be especially grateful for the friendship we had.

Christian Paiva: When I asked Christian to Morp I had no idea what would come of it. I'm pretty sad that I didn't really talk to Christian very much before then, but he has been a really good friend to me this year. He is always, always good for a laugh. He's educated me on aliens probably more than anybody else. He's always been there to talk to whenever I can't sleep at 1 in the morning. And he was the one who convinced me to follow my heart. (And I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true.) He is one boy that I'm going to miss this summer.

Rachel Chow: Rachel is amazing, let's just say that. She is always first on the scene whenever I'm emotionally distressed. (Aka, I have recieved more texts from her saying "What the heck is your tweet about?!" than anybody else on this planet.) So I've been able to tell her just about everything. She was a champ for always driving whenever we wanted to go out to lunch, which was great because I hated eating lunch at school. Rachel is always so caring and giving and good to everyone. What I most admired about her this year was how supportive she was of everyone, especially through the student gov. elections. Rachel has been my cruel, uncaring mother since sophomore year. And I don't think I'm in her custody anymore, and I am perfectly okay with that ;)

Yon Soo Park: Only 2 words can describe Yon Soo. Asian. Sensation. Yon Soo is a trooper. She never lets anything get to her. She is such a hard worker and I've always admired her for that. It was Yon Soo who inspired me to wear makeup and then educated me about it. (which I'm very grateful for, thank you thank you.) Sitting by her in AP World was fantastic, and for an Asian she has a stupendous British accent. Also her korean games she taught me were pretty great. The thing I love about Yon Soo is I can always count on her. Even if she doesn't like a decision I make, she won't hold it against me. Yon Soo, expect to be kidnapped this summer.

Chase Weight: What in the world is there to say about this kid?? Chase is easily one of my best friends. I have probably eaten more of his food than my own. I'm pretty sure I have more inside jokes with him than anybody else. I wouldn't have wanted to go to Homecoming with anybody else, too. It was a fantastic first dance date...thing. And Chase never fails to make me laugh. I have broken into Chase's house more times than anybody elses. And he gets me back by whooping my trash in Words with Friends...every single time. Honestly, the list goes on. The best thing about Chase is he doesn't judge me for all of my crazy antics. Even when I lock myself in his pantry and cry and steal his easy mac. Chase, expect to see me at your house a lot this summer, hogging your Netflix.

Whitney Carlson: Remember those days of "getting the gumballs"? Hahaha. Whitney is wonderful. You can always count on her to be involved. She is like my wingman. She has never gotten mad at me for anything (as far I as I know) and I love her sweet, caring personality. I literally have never known her to get mad at anybody. She is an excellent dancer, and she could probably win an all you can eat contest against anybody. Even a football player who is literally 3 times her size. I'm so glad she is working at 7 peaks with me again this year. Whitney, if you find me sleeping on your couch at 3 in the morning, don't question it.

Katelyn Rudy: Katelyn is a SAINT. She is always so sweet to everybody, and her and Josh are pretty much adorable. She gave me many a ride home this year, which was too good of her. And seeing her patience with all of her brother's friends always amazed me. Katelyn is absolutely gorgeous, too. And Physics would have been a very sorrowful class without her in it.

Kat Moulton: Oh Kat. AP World was an adventure. You have a habit of awakening the Harry Potter fanatic within me. Seeing the midnight showing with you was a party. You are possibly the only person I know who can be as crazy about Harry Potter as you are, and not look like a maniac. You are wonderful. Without Kat, I would have found myself very lonely while everyone was on the Acapella/Orchestra tour.

Aubrey Glazier: A-Money Glazed Donut G-Rated What?! is the best. Seriously she is so down to earth, but still crazy and so fun to be around. Her rapping skills are unmatched. Everyone claims she is awkward, so I claim her as my awkward buddy. Aubrey is just fantastic. She never fails to make me laugh, and the fact that we lasted like, less than a day sitting next to each other in math class should tell you something about us. I imagine we will be watching bollywood films together in the near future.

Danielle Root: Oh my husband, what is there to say? All of my friends pretty much know who Dani is, just because I talk about her that much. She has literally been there for me through the thick and thin. Man problems? She is the one to cheer me up. She is always there to give me advice, and if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have any incredibly awkward date stories ;) Her sense of humor is fantastic, and I miss her like a soul. Dani, we need to play. Or at least renew our husband vows.

You guys, that doesn't even cover half of it. I can't possibly write a paragraph about everyone. And I even started to make a list of the rest of the people who made this year what it was. But I can't! There are just too many people and I don't want to leave anybody out. Here's how it goes. If you talked to me at all this year, like smiled at me in the hallway or waved and said hi. If we hung out in any type of setting, if we ate or made food together, if we sat next to each other in a class, if we worked together at 7 Peaks, if you hugged me or hit me or hurt me (that only goes for like, 2.2 people) or even made awkward eye contact with me at any point in time...you made an impact on my year. Words cannot express how much I want to name everyone. Seriously. You all are fantastic. And if you are reading this blog right now, that makes you even more fantastic.

Things I learned

• Oh gosh, I learned a lot. This gon be one big list.
• I think I learned how to be a better writer.
• I learned how to deal with increased stress.
• I learned how important people are.
• I learned that when a guy hugs you behind your backpack instead of around it, it is slightly more fantastic.
• I learned that teachers are human beings.
• I learned that if you aren't involved with anything, life kind of sucks.
• I learned that the best way to get over a man problem is to surround yourself with lots and lots of friends.
• I learned how to be a good sport. And the regret you feel from being a bad sport.
• I learned how great a true victory feels.
• I learned what a true victory is.
• I learned about the D.E.N.N.I.S system (heh).
• I learned that FWB is the absolute worst thing a person could put themself through.
• I learned about school dances.
• I learned that it is perfectly okay to stand up and walk out of class without using the hallpass or telling the teacher.
• I learned that the answer to everything is an icepick lobotomy.
• I learned many things about being an upperclassmen.
• I learned that prom dresses are very expensive.
• I learned how to do seminary makeup.
• I learned how to do...makeup makeup.
• I learned a lot about forgiveness.
• I learned that it is possible to be addicted to facebook.
• I learned that vegetables do not make very good race cars.
• I learned about having a good work ethic.
• I learned that having an ex for a home teacher is really awkward.
• I learned how to play minesweeper. Kind of. I'll have you know that after I wrote this down, I lost 55 games of minesweeper before I won my first one ever.
• I learned about marijuana legalization.
• I learned that a lot of the classic books we are forced to read are really scandalous.
• The list seriously goes on and on and on. One thing I never learned though? The bell schedules.

People, what a year it has been. And now it's summer. Next year I'll be a senior, and I intend on making it my best year ever.

Peace!