Metal in My Mouth and Frizz in My Hair

     To everyone who has braces: I feel your pain. 
     Braces suck. 
     My appointment to get braces was originally scheduled for the end of this week, but because someone else cancelled their appointment, I got bumped up.
     Last night, I tried to get my hands on all the food I won't be able to eat for the next two years. My mom and I bought a pack of caramels, but sadly, she didn't moniter her intake and I got less than half the pack (sad, right?) 
     This morning, I stayed cuddled in my blankets much longer than necessary, hiding from life's problems. But all good things come to an end, so I mentally prepared myself before going to the Orthodontist. I was the only one there, which was kind of nice. First, they put a metal thing on the roof of my mouth. Then they cleaned and dried my teeth with this very *cough cough* delicious substance. The most relaxing part was when they were actually putting my braces on, mostly because I wasn't gagging (and that's not sarcasm). My Orthodontist is really chill, and they entertained themselves by guessing the artist to the songs that came on the radio. I got light blue bands, and I now look like Darla. 
     Also, my hair decided to embrace its inner lion. 


-Dakota

My Bucket List

     First of all, thank you Little Bits of Lovely for letting me use your idea :)
    
     Here goes: 

1. Get my splits. Seriously, I've been stretching for what seems like so long, and I'm so close!

2. See a Broadway show. Hopefully this will happen soon, because my aunt and I plan to go to New York for my birthday next year.

3. Eat an entire chocolate bunny in one sitting. Did you know that a bottle of Mug root beer has more grams of sugar than a medium chocolate bunny?

4. Go sky diving.

5. And bungee jumping. I feel like bungee jumping might be scarier than sky diving, since you free fall and spring back up into the air repeatedly. 

6. Fly in an airplane. I've been to Disney World and Texas, but both times my family drove. 

7. Grow to be taller than my Grandpa. He's the last person I want to beat in height. Last time we measured, the yard stick on our heads was almost flat. 

Now some things I've already done are:

1. Be in a movie. I was an extra for a movie that was shooting locally :)

2. Learn how to play the DUUUUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUN from the Phantom of the Opera on the piano. 

3. Dance somewhere other than my yearly recital. We were in a showcase and a competition this year.

4. Be in a musical. The first one I did was really fun. My brother played the character that I married, but we got divorced because I was an eccentric environmentalist. The other one was Charlotte's Web.


That's about it. I'm sure the list will increase and decrease as time goes on.


-Dakota

Variety Show

     This past weekend, the homeschool group I am a part of had a variety show. Most of the kids were in the black light puppetry show, which involved a lot of cool props. They did 4 songs (if I remember correctly). My favorite one depicted a wall with the names of sins, and one by one they removed the words and revealed the cross. The meaning was that Jesus died for our sins and washed us clean, making us no longer guilty. 
     A couple of my friends and I weren't in the puppetry show, so we, along with anyone else who wanted to perform, did a variety of entertainment. Some people played instruments and sang, while my friends and I did a skit about homeschooling stereotypes. We tried our best to make it funny. My best friend was the shy homeschooler, my other good friend was the lazy homeschooler, and I was the nerdy homeschooler. We had a lot of fun with it and used some fun props, like a stack of books and unicorn slippers. Overall it was pretty fun, and I'm looking forward to when we start up again next school year. 


-Dakota

Yorkies and Zeal

     Somehow this past week has gotten extremely busy, and it totally slipped my mind to finish this challenge.
     Yorkies and zeal: one thing I have and one I've always wanted. 
     When I was little, getting a puppy was my dream. I've never been very fond of big dogs, but little dogs seemed like perfect companions. At first, I wanted a Shih Tzu. One time when I was around 6, I said to my dad, "Daddy, I want to get a Shih Tzu and name it Shitty!" His response was very calm considering the circumstances, and he simply replied with, "That's probably not a good idea." 
     "Why, Daddy?"
     "Because."
     "But why?"
     "Because."
     And that conversation was over. Anyway, a couple years later I went to a pet shop with my cousin and we got to hold puppies. I immediately fell in love with a tiny Yorkie named "Missy", whose birthday I memorized and wrote on the calendar (November 1...). My dad never liked inside pets, so we never got around to getting a dog. I still want one, but cats are so much easier to take care of. If get a pet now, it will be a cat.
     One of my favorite words and strongest qualities (sometimes too strong) is zeal. Zeal is defined as a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager or determined to do something. Whenever I get into something, I am into that thing and nothing can stop me (except for lack of money). I used to go on "sprees" where I would get out my notebook, go online, and write down the name of EVERY SINGLE TOY I wanted to have (guess how many of those things I actually got to own? Not many). I'd go to American Girl, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, Webkinz, miniature glass figurines, and I even went through a phase where I would look up clothes. Maybe this childhood habit is the reason I love Pinterest so much (me: I now know the secrets to the universe). This zeal has shown today through my lack of focus, which was caused by my extreme shipping (shipshipshipshipship) from finishing an amazing book series (Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn. I'ts wonderful). All day I haven't been able to stop thinking about that book, and I am so eager to earn money and buy the rest of the book series. Being zealous is actually really fun, although it can lead to wasted time, money, and supplies; but being zealous really helps with practicing your self-control :)


-Dakota

X=Mystery

     When you think of x, you usually think of Algebra or a treasure map. In both cases, x is something you don't know, the missing piece of the puzzle, the hidden destination. I guess you could say x is like the future; you don't know what it holds unless you take the correct route to figure it out. In Algebra, you can use a few different methods to deduce and use your mathabilities (I love words that don't exist) to find the right number. On a treasure map, you follow the instructions the map gives you. In life, the only way to find out what is in the future is to live through it (unless you have a gift of prophecy). Even if you have a hunch of some kind, you don't actually know what is going to happen. Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to you in that way, guiding you to make right choices. 

     I honestly have no idea where I was supposed to go with this :) I came up with ideas for each letter a couple weeks ago, and sometimes I forget where to go, so I just go with it and hope it turns out. Apparently, that was not the case this time. I guess it's a mystery ;)

-Dakota

Water

     Water is a wonderful liquid. It's a refreshing drink that hydrates you body and helps you stay healthy. Both the earth and our bodies are made mostly of water. There are some people who don't like water because they think it's bland, and others drink it all the time. Of course, different water has different taste. Personally, I don't like bottled water; I like the filtered water from our fridge. Before we moved, we drank water out of the faucet, but now our water tastes like chlorine. 
     Even if you don't like drinking water, there are other things water is good for. I love swimming at the beach, bobbing up and down, trying not to be overcome by the oncoming waves. Getting saltwater in your eyes isn't very fun, but it's worth it. Swimming in a pool is fun too, especially if there is a deep end where you can't touch. My friends and I always come up with fun games to play while we are swimming. 
     Anyway, my point is, water is awesome and necessary to life. 

Vive

     My brother is a video game geek, so when the HTC Vive went on pre-order, he wanted to be one of the first to own it. An HTC Vive is a virtual reality headset that makes it look as if you are actually in the game. He was so excited when it arrived, and we tested it out that night. And let me tell you: it is so much fun. We played The Lab, Space Pirate Trainer, and Spell Fighter. The Lab has a couple different mini games and random things sitting around that you can mess with. Space Pirate Trainer gives you a pistol-type gun in each hand, and you can pick which setting of bullets you want to use while shooting the space things that are trying to shoot you. Spell Fighter is scary. It's not a horror game, and the graphics aren't gory or anything, but there are HUGE SPIDERS THAT JUMP AT YOU WITH THEIR FANGS AND SPINDLY LEGS AND I FLIPPED OUT. You get to pick your weapon in the beginning (I picked bow and arrow cause I don't have to get anywhere close to the skeletons and zombies that are trying to kill me) and set off down a pathway to who knows where. It's very easy to drop your weapon, so it's good to carry extras with you. Your surroundings look pretty legit. Therefore, we have discovered that I would not, in fact, survive the zombie apocalypse. Even though it freaked me out, it was still very fun. I am planning on freaking myself out even more by playing horror games, which I will soon regret. I jump at even the smallest movement, so I'm hoping I don't poop my pants. 
     "Why would you play it if it freaks you out so much?" You might ask. Because It's still so much fun. Even though I flipped out, it feels so awesome to kill a zombie, or jump off a cliff (aaaahhhhh), or browse at an enchanted shop. It doesn't look exactly like the real world, but it feels real. There are lots of fun things to do on an HTC Vive, so I'm really happy that he got one. 
     (Sorry guys, I had Vanishing Realms instead of Spell Fighter, so I went back through and changed it. He does have Vanishing Realms, I just haven't played it yet)
-Dakota