The Last Week of Christmas Break

My, how time does fly, yet it still seems to go by slowly at the same time. It feels like forever since I've been in school, yet the days have gone by at a relatively fast rate.

The last week of Christmas break was less hectic than Christmas week had been, much to Mom's relief. On Monday, Mandy and I went to an indoor pool with the Abrahams, Presleys, and some of their friends. We had a good time with the kids. It was odd to be swimming in December, but the water was nice and the pool wasn't too crowded. However, there was a window cleaning guy that made me suspicious. He spent an hour and a half cleaning the large windows, but most of the time he just stared at the pool and those who were frolicking in it and then not really cleaning the windows. Very suspicious..... On Tuesday, Mandy went to the zoo with Bethany, the Abrahams, and their friends the Groths. She took several pictures with her new camera, including one of an adorable baby panda that I wish I had as a pet. On Wednesday, I spent part of the day doing my random historical research that turns on the history geek switch. We didn't have anything planned for New Years' Eve, so we hung out at home, ate Steak N' Shake for dinner, and watched a couple of movies. On Thursday, Dad had the day off and we relaxed at home. I did even more research, and I'm currently working on a historical theory though I'm going to need to read more books on the subject, which will require me to use the GGC library (which has only a few books) or to request books from other USG colleges in Georgia. On Friday, Mandy and I went over to the Abrahams' house to babysit Avalyn and Kyle (Keira was with her grandparents) while Bethany and Adrian took pictures for a wedding. Avalyn slept most of the time we were there, and we had to wake her up for dinner. Kyle was awake most of the time (as he refused to take a nap), so Mandy and I watched a movie and kept an eye on the active boy. Dinner was good, as we bought some cheese sticks, potato skins, and popcorn chicken from Kroger as well as some macaroni and cheese. Avalyn herself complimented Mandy on the meal and ate most of it, which is a feat since she seems to eat like a bird sometimes. Avalyn and Kyle both loved Mandy's new toy pig Wilbur (you press his head, and he oinks and his nose glows blue), and Avalyn at one point believed that Wilbur was hers. Sounds like a birthday present idea..... On Saturday, we woke up at a normal time, picked up Bethany, and then drove to Dawsonville to go shopping with our Christmas money (we were planning on going to Commerce but we decided against it). It was a productive and fun day. Mandy and Bethany spent most of the time together, away from the rest of us, and they both bought shirts. Mandy bought fur boots, but they were too big so she had to return them. Dad and Seth both bought two nice pairs of pants from Dickie's, and Seth contemplated buying a new game but decided to wait and read some reviews before buying it. Mom bought two new shirts and some other things, and I bought clothes for working out in, new flats from Clarks, a blue dress, new jeans, and other stuff. We also enjoyed our last fast food meal for a while when we ate Zaxby's for lunch.

Yesterday (Monday) Mom, Mandy, and I started the South Beach diet. Since we're on phase 1, that means we're on the "cleansing and killing your cravings" stage. My meals mainly consisted of vegetables with some meat, though I remained hungry almost all day. I never realized how much sugar and junk food I eat, and it's been quite an eye-opening experience. Still, the food's not been bad. Last night we had delicious chicken, green beans, and squash pasta with tomato sauce. I'd never had squash before, and it actually tasted food with the sauce. Then I had jell-o with whipped cream for dessert and later some raw cauliflower and low-fat ranch dressing for a late-night snack. So far it's not been too bad, although I'll probably have a different opinion by the end of the week, after I go back to college and then see everyone else eating sandwiches and burgers while I'm eating a salad. And Blair better not tempt me with a coke or she shall regret it... hehe.

College for me starts tomorrow (Wednesday), and this may be my last semester at GGC. I've finally got my classes nailed down. I'm taking psychology (with a teacher who is said to be one of the best), physical science 2 and its lab (I still have Dr. La, but I also get a new teacher. I'm looking forward to studying astronomy as well as earth science since I haven't studied either since 8th grade), political science (one of those stupid required classes that you don't really need, especially since I already feel like I took political science when I took English 1), and US History II. After the incident with Rafshoon on the last day of class, I decided not to take her again. However, the teacher I wanted (a Dr. Mason who is said to be very knowledgeable, has a passion for history, and is otherwise great) had all-full classes, so I decided to take World History II instead. Yet, I kept my eye on banner (where students register for their classes) to see if an opening came up, and my patience paid off when I found an opening for Mason's class. I quickly grabbed it before someone else could. I'm looking forward to the class, yet I'm a bit nervous because it's a once-a-week night class and the last time I took one I had to drop out because I was failing badly. Mom, however, pointed out that I'm good with history and will be fine, so I hope she's fight and my fears are ungrounded.

As I mentioned earlier, this may be my last semester at GGC. I've been thinking about becoming a history major, but a few teachers at Christ College said it wouldn't be a good idea for me to get my major at a secular college (and I believe it, especially after having Rafshoon), so I may be transferring. The history classes they're offering sound cool (Renaissance history, church history, stuff like that), so sometime soon I'll get together to meet with the headmaster and decide what classes I'll take. However, because Christ College is not accredited and is not seeking to be, that means the classes will have to be paid for. I wouldn't mind getting a job over the summer to pay for my classes, but I need to learn to drive first (a fear that has me paralyzed and that I need to overcome). So, we'll see how that works out.

Seth and Mandy started up their classes yesterday. Mandy is happy because Mr. Murphy is coming back to be her math teacher and she's failing math under Pastor Chris (she got an F on the final but a C for the class). On the good side, she got a 96 in Latin, which she's very happy about. According to Mom, Geneva's been quiet because of the Junior/Senior trip which three of the students are taking right now. It's the same trip that I want on back in March of 2006 when I went to Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Washington DC, and Gettysburg. Except they're going in January. Hehe.... they'll probably freeze to death up there.