7 Days Until Christmas

These are some Christmas pictures. More soon!

The day we put up our tree-- December 13th.

Tree Time. The annual Christmas tree lot my neighbor owns. It's the cutest thing ever, and they have GREAT trees!

Dad, mom, and me with our neighboor Frank.

Tradition of 'greeting' the right Christmas tree

Dad at the lot

Loading the tree

Mom and dad standing in the parking lot. We had a brilliant moon that night.
Decorating the tree!

Cute ornaments we've had for years.

Dad and Jacky. I thought this was a cool picture.

This is my favorite ornament. It's a handmade ballerina ornament made in the Phillipines. My aunt and uncle were missionaries there, and they brought it back for Christmas back in 2002.
Santa and Mrs. Claus. These ones are really old.

Little dog on the train. Reminds me of the toys on Misfit Island.
Skater with one skate

Mr. Christmas ClownMary (I took this with my telephoto. It blurs the background so well!)
My friend Hayden got his braces on the 15th

Bryce too

Monday Surprise

I arrived from KEYS today to find a box sitting by the front door.

I opened it, and it was my new 75-300 mm telephoto zoom lens!

I bid for it on eBay, and have been waiting for it to come in!

I'm very excited that I have it now, and will be taking some awesome pictures

over Christmas!

I received this in an e-mail yesterday

Beware of the dog house.

Choosing gifts again?

Make sure you stay out of the doghouse!

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/VideoPage.aspx

This is a really funny video. It's so true!

Now that Thanksgiving's over, I can't wait for Christmas.
It's another fun holiday I like to obsess over.

My Monday: and updates on life

Well, I just got done reading 213 pages of Oliver Twist this morning before class at 12:30
I can't believe I did it.
Let's see... other things. Oh!
Well, this week for Thanksgiving we are having it at our house.
My aunt, uncle, and cousins are coming, and a few friends.
If they weather stays nice, we'll play badminton, croquet, boccie, and other fun lawn games.
My dad always makes really good food; but the baking is our job.
My friends Dan and Jack, usually come over the night before, and we bake all night.
Last year we had tray after tray of things waiting to go into the oven. I think we ended up going to bed at 1 am!
The year before that, we went to bed at 4 am!
It's always so fun! It's a Thanksgiving tradition!
After that, this week I'll probably do loads of homework, and study for my boring (sorry Caroline) biology test.
And then on Saturday, I'll be joining a majority of my friends from KEYS and go to the Victorian Ball!
Yay! I know Michelle will be psyched to hear this.
So that's my week,
~Eve

Chinese Food in Beijing--(Thanks Kang Kang!)

This is a happy memory I recall from this summer in Beijing.
Kang Kang, our friend took us to a really great dumpling restaraunt!


I had the most amazing food! We got 6 or 7 plates of dumplings and two big bottles of Coke (I had a LOT of Coke in China!) And the grand total was ¥ 105! Which is 15 dollars in our currency! That translates to roughly 3 dollars per person. What a deal! (Well, I'm getting too mathy, but if you want, Michael can divide the conversion rates for you!)

This might be the weirdest face from Dad ever! Mom, "stuffed" from all the food
Plate, after plate
(Kang Kang sure knows how to order food!)
Thanks you guys!

Ok, new post is coming very soon...
I know you all are just dying to read it, and
I won't bore you with the long, boring, and totally predictable
reason why I haven't posted. (AKA school)
So, I'll give you a teaser:

UNOFFICIAL POLL
The post will be about:

1.Politics
2.Photography class
3.School (KEYS)
4.TV show
5.Something random

You choose!
See ya at the comment page!

Upon request...

New post in the works! Yay

Getting to Know You (thanks Michelle!)

Here is the new 2008 edition of getting to know your family and friends.
Here is what you are supposed to do, and try not to be lame and spoil the fun. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Have fun and be truthful.

1. What is your occupation right now? ~~Kid and student
2. What color are your socks right now? ~~I am barefoot
3. What are you listening to right now?~~ Dryer clunking around, an uneven ceiling fan, and my blog playlist.
4. What was the last thing that you ate?~~Not sure...
5. Can you drive a stick shift?~~ No, but it looks cool!
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?~~Dad
7.Do you like the person who sent this to you?~~Hmm... well Michelle gave me this idea. Yes, she's special.
8.How old are you today?~~14 1/2
9.What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?~~Women's tennis (I can't watch the guys...eww!!)
10.What is your favorite drink?~~Iced tea.
11.Have you ever dyed your hair~~Yes. Highlights back in '07
12. Favorite food?~~Chinese food
13.What is the last movie you watched in a theater?~~Theater: Get Smart... and at the drive-in: Wall-E.
14. Favorite day of the year?~~Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, and Easter. (Okay...I don't have one)
15.How do you vent anger?~~I talk about it and shriek to someone. Doesn't matter if they care.
16.What was your favorite toy as a child?~~A doll named Sister. We were inseparable, but at night I would stuff her face-first in a closet. Suddenly at night, she became creepy.
17.What is your favorite season?~~Fall
18.Cherries or Blueberries?~~Cherries
19. Do you want your friends to do this too?~~YESS!!
20.Who is the most likely to comment on this post?~~Mrs. Gregg, Drew, Elly, Michelle, and Caroline
21.Who is least likely to comment?~~James...HA HA....
22.Living arrangements~~Scottsdale AZ, beautiful town-ish setting and lovely neighbors
23.When was the last time you cried?~~Two weeks ago. (Mean study hall lady...)
24.What are you most afraid of?~~ Obama becoming President
25.Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?~~They make spicy hamburgers?
26.Favorite dog breed?~~Lab
27.Favorite day of the week?~~Tuesday. My favorite day, because my favorite TV shows are on!
28.How many states have you lived in?~~ CO, CA, FL, NY, KT, TN, AZ
29.Diamonds or pearls? ~~Diamonds
30.What is your favorite flower?~~Peonies

Crisis Mode

I sat in awe at the television. Various people sat around with me. I was in the lobby at the city rec. center in Scottsdale after my group tennis lesson. On NBC, President Bush addressed America about the crisis that we are facing: our economy is looking grim, and may face a recession.
It was a moment in history; 13 minutes I will never forget.
In that speech, I learned so much about the reason our economy is the way it is.
About those two big companies that have drastically changed our way of life.
America is changing, and John McCain showed how he always puts his 'country first' and has decided to postpone the debate so we can all figure this situation out.
When I first heard about the 700 billion bail out on Monday, I bristled.
Immediately I thought, the government should have no part in this; we have enough on our hands as it is!
But after watching President Bush speak live and hearing his speech, I know we have to act now.
As my grandmother said to me on the phone in a 10:30 PM call to talk about Bush's address to the nation, things done too fast, cause problems.
I know that we don't have a choice and we MUST act now.
This is for the safety of the American people, and the safety of our country and city we live in.
My only question is...will it work?

Special for Drew.
White Audi in Beijing.
I don't know much about cars, but this one was beautiful...!

New fall fashion for KEYS.

Politics--Week of September 15th

You may or may not know this, but I am avidly interested in politics.
I have been ever since I was in kindergarden.
I distinctly remember writing in my journal on the night of November 7th, 2000. I scrawled a picture of Hillary Clinton in a pantsuit making her acceptance speech before a group of people. "Hillary won New York... booooooooooooo!" And the caption trailed off the page.
During The Great Restriction Week of 2008, I was only allowed to watch FOX and C-Span. I would plan my days around the time when I would watch today's updates on the Republican National Convention.
I have to say, Rudi Giuliani's speech was breathtaking.
So the stupid question for today comes from Yahoo Answers.
Question: "Why didn't 39 yr old todd palin enlist to serve in iraq(the cutoff age was 40)when bush invaded iraq in 2003?"
My personal favorite answer:
"The same reason 33 yr old Barrack Hussin Obama didn't enlist after the Clinton invasion and occupation of haiti in 1994,Or why 37 yr old Barrack Hussin Obama didn't enlist after the 1998 invasion of occupation of Kosavo Plus, in 2003, the maximum enlistment age was 35 years old, not 40 yrs old.The maximum enlistment age was raised to 42 years old in 2006.So Todd Palin was to old to enlist."

It's nice to know that there is more than just the media talking about politics. People sharing their opinions...and being put down for them. Ah, a nice breath of fresh air after listening to Obama's speech the other day. *Shudder*



"

KEYS of AZ

The car ride

I'm in a car with a bunch of girls...

Group pictureMe! On my first day of 'school.'

This year is my first year of high

school, I am attending a co-op called Kingdom Education for Young Scholars.

I'm taking some really neat classes.

Biology, algebra, geography, and photography. It's two times a week and we carpool with friends.

(Well, my first day. Officially it started August 25th and I was in Beijing.)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Beijing Trip

We cruised down 5th avenue. The bus lumbered around a corner. I was travelling for the second time with the Chinese National Baseball Team. I glanced around the bus and recognized the players, the coaches, my dad included, and Kang Kang, a journalist from China Central Television. Enthralled in my first visit to New York, I sat; taking it all in. “Beijing is better.” Said a voice behind me. I turned to see Kang Kang grinning back at me. I was utterly confused, “Much cleaner, much safer,” he continued. I detected a slight hopeful tone in his voice, almost melancholy. I casually pushed the comment aside. “No way was he right!”
Flash forward two months later. I sit across from a complete stranger; the only empty seat in the building, eating my McDonald’s chicken nuggets. People swarm in and out of the fast-food restaurant. At that moment, it sunk in. “I am in Beijing.” Beijing was nothing how I imagined, and now I believed Kang Kang. Beijing was the busiest, most-crowded, strangest city I had ever visited. But also the cleanest, safest, and most authentic city I’d ever seen. For the first 12 days of my vacation, I piled in and out of subway cars, watched endless baseball games, and ate the Chinese version of ballpark food. I was truly living the city life. Two days later, I visited Tian’anmen Square, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall. My China trip was really a once in a lifetime event. Beijing during the Olympics was beautiful and welcoming. Out of all the moments I had in Beijing, only one stands out in my mind. Driving on the freeway at 10 o’ clock at night, the last day of the Olympic Games. We saw the glow of the bird’s nest. Inside the great building, the closing ceremonies were in high swing. Red and yellow lights radiated behind the shiny twisted metal. So much had been accomplished the past two weeks. China made its debut and dominated, winning 51 gold medals; The Chinese National Baseball Team made history and beat its rival, Chinese Taipei in a double-overtime thriller. We didn’t get into the medal rounds and only won a single game, but I couldn’t have been more proud. The van pulled ahead and massive dark silhouettes of buildings, shimmered with a million lights. All of Beijing was lit up. In my mind a faint song played and I heard the voice of Louis Armstrong gently singing, “What a Wonderful World.”

A Bittersweet Ending

Today was the last day of our competition.
We lost to Cuba. 17-1.
Officially out, we will not compete in the medal rounds. When the game was over and people exited, all the players clustered in a group and mingled around. We weren't really expecting anything to happen, it just seemed like it came together. Dad had his pitchers stand in a circle as he gave his final speech. They tried not to cry; dad tried not to cry, and the interpreter Coach Yi tried not to cry. From where I was standing, I could make out a few words. Dad gestured and put his hand to his heart; Coach Yi did the same. Some of the men looked to the sky and some put their hands to their eyes. You could feel the emotion escalating; I snapped pictures and choked up. It was at this time where Coach Yi lost it. Tears streamed as he translated the last words of dad's goodbye speech. Dad hugged and shook hands with the players. It was tearful as we wrapped up our last moments with the team. I thought of our journey... the west coast trip and the east coast trip. Memories flooded back and I thought, "I never knew it would come so fast!" In the background to further our grief, was a song with the words 'this is the end' or 'it's over.' My attention was directed back to the field, Liu Kai cried as dad hugged him and wished him the best, Hou Fenglian knelt in the grass by first base line and just sat; looking at the field for the last time, Wang Nan scooped up some dirt from the infield; the press stood at a respectable distance. I was having such a hard time not crying. To see these players, have such an appreciation for their coaches and really understand all that they had done for them. To thank them and give last words. And how these players, played their hearts out. Not competitive or mean; but they did their job. To think that these players, respected the game, and stayed through to the end. And to know that these players made history and did the impossible; I can walk away knowing that this work was not in vain.

After the game

Last team picture

The pitchers

The pitchers with Coach Yi and dad
Dad's goodbye speech