Kissing Summer '08 Good-bye

Well it's official, my last summer as a kid is slowly coming to an end. It's a very sad and very scary thought. I went to my bestie, Kendra's house last night but I'll talk more about that in a minuet. I thought I should do my picture first today. Just to shake things up!! Of course it's a dance one!!! This is of my and Adrianne doing what is called a Double Stag Leap. It took probably 50 takes to get us both up in the air and not looking really odd, but it was worth jumping so many times haha. So anyways back to my trip to Kendra's house.

We had some Chem and History to finish up, but once we were done with that we went for one last swim of the summer. She lives on a Salvation Army Camp in our town because her dad is the camp director. So we have access to the pool there, and it's HUGE!! Ok, so this probably sounds really dumb, and we're such dorks...trust me I know! Well we pretended like we were in the Olympics and competed in the Women's Water Pentathlon. First we did the Synchronized jumping because neither of us can dive haha. There were 3 rounds, a forward pencil, a backwards jump and a running cannon ball. Team USA (that would be us) started out strong but then Japan sneaked out in front with China right on our tails. The next event was the team slide. Good small splashes on the entry and nice straight legs. Australia managed to slide into the lead and Japan still ahead of us leaving us for a third position. Then we were up for our sync. water aerobics routine, but with a few errors we landed in a not so proud 5th. In order to still be in running for a gold we would need to excel in the swim relay. On the first distance we raced a backstroke and then doggy paddled back for the finish. (And yes we can really swim we just thought it would be funnier with a doggy paddle.) I started us off and waited intensely on the side of the pool waiting for my teammate to keep the lead I had snatched. And with a fingernail finish we won by one 100th of a second! That put us up into 2nd place, right behind China heading into the last event, Water catch. We stayed close on their tails first through the first 2 rounds but with a great save, that almost slipped through the fingers we managed to win the gold! Victory for team USA!!!! We stood atop the cement block platform, received our gold medals (our cross necklaces) and our bouquet, the lifesaver floatie. Then we hummed the nation anthem, what joys! Ok so now that I've just told you just how dorky I am I think we'll be finishing up here haha. Much love.

LaLaLa

I thought to add a bit of fun to my blog I would add a playlist. I have six of my favorite songs playing for your enjoyment!
"Your Song" by Kate Walsh
"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis
"Goodnight and Go" by Imogen Heap
"Hometown Glory" by Adele
"Way I am" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Check Yes Juliet" by We the Kings
So Thursday was Thursday Thirteen and now I'm going to begin Friday Fiver! Each Friday the site posts five questions for you to answer, so I thought I'd give it a try!!
Friday Fiver
1. Last party you went to?
Adrianne's going away party last Friday night
2. Do you pee in the shower?
Only if I really really have to and I have shampoo in my hair...but I make sure in washes out and I clean it...shh!!
3. Have you ever fired a gun?
Not once in my whole life!
4. Where do you call home?
There are a few places, my house is the obvious answer, but I also have to stay faithful to one of my favorite movies, Center Stage, and say that the ballet barre is home.
5. What's your favorite board game?
Scategories!!! So fun

Well that was fun! So I think I shall be doing that each Friday, yay! Now time for another dance picture, YES! This one was taken my first year at Dance Xpressions, which was two years ago. Just to let you know it's of the same four girls who are soaked in the picture in my previous post haha! I'll let you have the fun of guessing who is who, but I will tell you that I'm the one in the floral skirt and pink...DER! Anyways, I think the two at the end kind of started to fall off their pointes as the picture was being taken...but oh well it's still a cool and fun pik! Now onto my day so far then. Jaclyn and I washed my car, woo! Now it's all squeaky clean for the school year. Which reminds me, we got my parking tag yesterday. It's a reserved spot on the north side of the campus, and the closest one to my last class, SWEET! So I think I need to watch some Titanic...and soon, it's been almost three weeks since I've watched it. That's like forever when it comes to me and that movie, so I think I know what I'll be doing tonight. : )! That was slightly random haha, but it just sort of popped into my head. I think that'll be it for now, If I think of anything else I can always click edit add to my post. Woo. Peace out, homies!

Thursday Thirteen Olympic Style

Well also like my mother I decided to do the Thursday Thirteen funness (that is now a word, k thanks!). Basically, you pick any topic you wish and create a list of thirteen things that pertain to it. You could do your favorite thirteen movies, or thirteen things about being a sister, just about anything! I thought that it would be a fun way to get the wheels spinning in my head. So here is my list of 13 for Thursday, August 21, 2008!


With the Olympics coming to an end this weekend I chose to do make a list of my favorite parts of the games thus far. I present to you My favorite thirteen moments of watching the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics...In order from least to best!!

13. Finally knowing why they shower after diving, so their muscles don't cramp...except I don't know why they don't do that for swimming, water polo or any of the other events.
12. The guys making such funny faces lifting weights!!
11. Watching the track events in slow motion, "Step Jiggle Jiggle!"
10. All the events in the Water Cube make me want to go swimming in that pool, especially when they show those underwater shots!
9. Usain Bolt waving to the crown halfway through his race and still winning gold and the world record.
8. The new trampoline event, it's actually pretty great!
7. Some intense mind-boggling routines in sync. swimming
6. Dara Torres swimming at the age of 41 and placing Silver, yay for her!
5. Rythmic Gymnastics...as close to dancing as you get in the Olympics!
4. Just the Olympics in general, they're so inspiring and competitive, I love rooting for team USA!
3. Watching them with my sister and doing our own commentary..."Darn you rings!"
2. Nastia Liukin winning gold in all around gymnastics, love her!!!!
1. Michael Phelps wining 8 gold medals, 14 for his career, and watching all his intense races. This guy is just insanely amazing!!! When he won by a fingernail, that was just crazy, plus he's pretty good-looking!!!


This is going to be a short entry for me today because I'm posting in the morning, and well nothing hasn't really happened yet. But I was so eager to do the Thursday Thirteen so I posted early. I will put up another dance pik for you...yay!

Ok, well it's not dance in the sense that we're dancing in the picture but it was taken just after we danced and at our dance studio. And no we aren't dripping with sweat from all our hard work. This summer during one of our breaks the four of us walked over to the nearby Whataburger to have a bite to eat (Well they ate, I dislike Whataburger). On the way it started raining, nothing too hard but enough for it to be FREEZING when we walked into Whataburger. So while we were in their it started to POUR!! It was also really windy which made the rain stronger. So we ran all the way back to the studio and decided...hey why not dance in the rain?? Yeah it was so much fun! Of course once we got dried off just a bit and tried to do our Praise Dance it wasn't so fun when we kept sticking to the floor. Oh well it was worth it! "Life is too short to not dance in the rain." -Larisa. So I really recommend that if it's pouring outside, or even just a bit of a sprinkle make the most of it. Don't sit inside feeling bored, get out there and LIVE!

Senior '09....woo

Like I mentioned below I'm going to be a senior in high school and I'm just so thrilled! Please note the sarcasm. Well ok, maybe I am being just a little whinney about it...when am I not whining? But my schedule is not what I wanted it to be, and I've always had all my classes picked out well in advanced, and now less than a week away my schedule changes. So originally I was signed up for AP Government (first semester), AP Macroeconomics (second semester), AP Psychology, Spanish III, AP Chemistry II, AP English IV, Pre-Calculus, and Community Problem Solving. Well when I went up to the school to get my schedule I realized that I didn't have a 5th period and CmPS wasn't on there. So I took my schedule to the counselors and they said they would take care of everything. Yesterday my mom received an e-mail from my counselor saying that AP Chem and Problem Solving is the same period. I was like what the heck!?!?!?! CmPS was supposed to be 7th period not 4th when Chem was.


I'm sure you probably don't know what Community Problem Solving is, so I'm going to take a bit of a detour to tell you. It's a class of Gifted and Talented students and they select a problem in their Community to solve and they compete at the state and international level. Last year we did project P.A.T.H. (Proving Attainable Transportation towards Healing) where we basically set up a transportation system for the indigent mental health patients of our County. We had to make several presentations to the Commissioner's Court, Constables, City Councils, School Board, and other organizations in our community. We had to create funding plans, purchase a vehicle and receive official approval. In addition to this we also held our school's annual blood drive, worked a booth in our city's Fall Festival, Created a scarecrow for our city's annual competition, hosted several fundraisers, and did some outreach work relating to our project. For the competition part of our class we are required to make a scrapbook documentation of everything we do, a six page paper explaining our project, and an addendum (a combination of the scrapbook and paper). Once at the competition we must create a moving display as well as have an interview and presentation. It was a lot of work but I really enjoyed this class and we all became really good friends.


Well back to this year, my counselor did an guesstimate of my grades between AP Chem and CmPS and as far as GPA goes there isn't a huge difference but as far as colleges are concerned, they are more interested if I took Chem and not Problem Solving. So there went my Problem Solving, but I was still sort of a class. Well there was no way I was going to be taking an off period, a) it doesn't appeal to me, I'd just feel like a slacker b) it would hurt my GPA c) what would be the point, I'd have to pick up my sister from the middle school and by waiting in line I'd just waste my free period. So that was not an option. They had some Agricultural classes (so not for me!), a homemaking class (psh no!), AP Physics (I hated Pre-AP Physics last year), Engineering (way too hard!), and Photojournalism (hey maybe!). So I asked a little about that class and basically you just learn skills that both my parents know, so I could just learn from them and plus it's $50 dollars a semester, no thank you! Well I could always be an office or teacher aid, right? WRONG! Our stupid school decided to get rid of Senior aids this year and they created this new program called Peer Coaching. Let me just tell you that at least 3/4 of the students who signed up to be an aid (probably even more) took it because it was a blow-off class. Now they are all stuck tutoring a special needs kid when more then likely they need tutoring themselves.


And that's what was left for me to take, Peer Coaching. I took PAL last year (Peer Assisting Leadership) and we went to the elementary and middle schools to act as mentors to students there. We'd help with their personal and academic problems. So it's not like I don't have the experience, I just want something different. Plus we have to basically do all the work our kid has to do so that we can help them, like take their notes and stuff. Sorry, but I have my own classes I have to do work for, I can't do someone else's too!


In addition to all my academic classes I will be in National Honor Society and STAND (Students Take Action Not Drugs). As well as four nights of dace classes (Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Modern, Praise Dance, Senior Company, and assisting younger girl). Also, if things work out I will be working weekends at the local Salvation Army camp in the kitchens where my friend, the camp director's daughter works. I know it's going to be a busy load, but hey it is my Senior year why not go for it! Although I do wish I had a Timeturner like Hermione Granger....

So to break up my boring rant I put up a picture that was taken last year in Senior Company. The Junior Company did a jazz dance to knock on wood and the danced in these neon wigs. So some of the Senior members decided to try them on for some fun! I know we're crazy haha. That's me in the pink one of course!! xD

Like Mother Like Daughter

Well my dear mother has been blogging for quite some time now, so I figured oh I guess I should too. She does this thing where she takes a picture of herself every day and then blogs about her day. I'm going to be a Senior in High School so I decided that would be a great idea to remember such an important year in my life. I won't be starting the "official" 365 picture thing, or whatever you want to call it until the first day of school...which is in exactly a week, can't you see the joy? But I'll share with you some of my piks from lasts year's dance!! Oh and along with a fun little survey so I can tell you a bit about me without the hassle of a bunch of pathetically long paragraphs, because sometimes once I get on a role with writing it's kind of hard for me to stop. xD!

Basic Information
Name: Larisa
Birthday: March 29, 1991
Age: 17 (How long have you been 17? Awhile. Sorry inside joke with the sister!!)
Height: 5' 4''ish
Weight: Never ask a girl that...der!
Location: That would be my house!
Heritage: Well my mom was adopted, so I only know my dad's side and he's Polish
Race: Caucasian
Pants size: Um, that's pretty personal if you ask me!
Shoe size: Street shoe- 7 1/2 to 8 Pointe shoe- mmm I've worn a 24 before it really just depends on the shoe
Favorites
Movie: Titanic!!! By far, I watch it just about every week. xD
Song: It changes like all the time but currently it's "Your Song" by Kate Walsh
Artist: Ingrid Michaelson
Music: anything you can dance to!
Friend: My sister, Lauren, Katie, Maggie, Adrianne, Ursula, Kendra love them!
Food: Ice Cream!! Haha well alright serious food, pasta!
Drink: Pink Lemonade and water
Type of Weather: Cold, gray, rainy, snowy
Hobby: Dancing
Number: eh no idea haha
Store: Mm Target, Khols, yeah
Website: Yahoo!
Shoe Brand: Gaynor Minden...I love my Pointe Shoes
Tv Show: So you think you can dance!!!!
Friends
Who's your best friend? See favorite friends above!
Do you have more girl or guy friends? Girl
Are you popular? I think that's a dumb question, I'm popular with my friends and that's all that maters!
Which friend is the oldest? Adrianne...off to college *tear*
Youngest? Jaclyn and Maggie...well Maggie is almost a month older
Prettiest? Well they're all pretty in their own ways
Smartest? Kendra or Katie
Which friends live the closest? Jaclyn, my sissy in my house! haha
Which friends live the farthest? Well out of my besties, it's Adrianne now all the way at UNT but out of friends in general Andrew lives in Oregon.
Do you love your friends? YES
Have You Ever?
Skinny Dipped? um...yes
Hugged a stranger? Nope, stranger danger der!
Kissed a stranger? NEVER
Been called crazy? Just about every day
Took more than 2 showers in one day? No, but I've washed my hair more than twice during recital
Drank too much you threw up? I don't drink
Dated someone over 5 years than you? Never dated
Been called a whore? Excuse me NO!
Considered being a whore? Not once in my whole life
Done over 10 surveys in one day? Der, that's kids stuff haha
Eaten raw meet? SICK! I hate most meet even if it's cooked...
Dated someone online? No that's stupid...and dangerous
Your Bedroom
What color are the walls? Pink, what else?
What kind of floors do you have? White carpet
Does your room have a "theme"? Girly Pinkness!!
Do you have a TV in your room? Nope
Computer? Nope
Is there an adjoining bathroom? No, but it's like 2 steps from my room
How big is your closet, it's a good size for me
Do you spend a lot of time in your room? Yeah depending on my mood
Wow I didn't realize just how long that was...sorry. So let me add my dance pictures and we'll call it a day. Yay!!


This one to your right is of last year's Senior Dance Company. The routine was called, 'Adagio Allegro in Doc Martins.' Basically, we each had our own character and when it was time for the performance, disaster struck! The dance was a recreation of when my dance teacher first created this piece in college. The inspiration was a girl who had forgotten her dance shoes and did everything with an amazing pointe in her combat boots! It was such fun stomping around in our combat boots and then randomly busting out in ballet moves! Haha so from left to right you have the Girl who is always one count off, the Jealous Bully, the Messy Girl, The Daydreamer, The Clumsy One, the Diva, the Moderator, and the Chaty Cathys who talk during the whole dance. That's me on the far right.

Now if you look over to your left you can see one of my ballet numbers (I'm in the very back with my hand covered by the letters). The theme for this past May was movies and this dance was done to the theme of the Mission. I've never seen it before, but the music is really pretty and I have seen the Holiday before and Jack Black's character alludes to the soundtrack, kind of cool! Anyways, this was on Pointe, well except for two girls who aren't on Pointe yet. I got to do a bit of a Pas de Deux which is partnering dancing. That was um...well an interesting experience let's just call it that. Haha, no it was a lot of fun. In addition to these two dances I also did another Pointe to the Forest Gump Theme, a Jazz to the Austin Powers Theme, a Modern to a song called Bells Books and Candles, I can't remember the name of the movie it's from right now, and the opening routine was to Let's Go to the Movies from Annie!