Wow!

Wow! It's been awhile since I checked this blog. We just passed 300 pageviews! Thanks for reading, and please continue to recommend this blog to your friends. Thanks again! :D

The Reality of High School

Today, I got my first taste of what high school is going to be like in the form of walking
around the school after volleyball conditioning. I'm going to be a freshman in the fall, and I've never attended a public school before. Private school, yes, but not public school. Needless to say I'm suffering from severe culture shock. 

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I was honestly expecting something similar to the stuff you see in those Disney Channel movies we used to watch. Clean school, fun dances and pep rallies, popular girls, jocks, outcasts who somehow come out on top in the end [of the movie], etc. And while some of those stereotypes might be true, most are not, and it didn't take me long to discover this.

So let me compile a list of things I discovered today about the reality of high school:

1.  Mean girls? Sure, they're are people who can be rude, but for the most part, high school kids like keep to themselves and their posse and don't really care about what anyone else does. 
2. Movie romances don't exist in high school.Some high schoolers go through a million and one significant others before graduation, and others never land a date their entire time in high school. But those sweet little romances just don't exist. 
3. Going to a low-budget school can seriously suck. I never realized how spoiled we were at my old private school. We got nice uniforms, catered lunches, and none of our programs were ever even considered being cut. But my new school is dirty, drab, and falling apart around us, and pretty much everyone is from a low-income family. Well, at least I'll fit in a little bit more. It should be nice not having to deal with rich kids who think they should get everything handed to them on a silver platter. 


I've decided that I've seen WAAAY too many Disney Channel movies.

Random Things to Do When You're Bored

 If you're anything like me, boredom is a familiar concept, especially during the summer months (A certain song comes to mind-- "There's a hundred-and-four days of summer vacation, and school comes along just to end it, so the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend ittttt....." Oh come on, don't pretend you don't know where that reference is from!) It's a terrible thing that plagues this generation THIS EPIDEMIC MUST BE STOPPED!!! So I've made a list of random things to do when you're bored! Hopefully I'll take my own advice and do some of those. We'll see....

RANDOM THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU'RE BORED:

- Make a fort. Out of anything! Couch cushions, pillows, branches, bricks, books, chairs-with-blanket-over-them, etc. Don't let anyone in.
- Dress up in the dumbest costume you can find and go out in public. See how many awkward stares you get. 
- Take people-watching to the next level. Make up names and personalities for everyone you see. Just try not to cross the line into creepy-stalker-mode.
- Take an old t-shirt or pair of jeans and totally DIY all over them! Buttons, glitter, fabric pens/paint, appliques, random objects you find around the house... the list goes on! 
- Write a play and perform it. The catch? You must play every part. Use accents, props and simple costumes like hats, coats, and other accessories so people can tell which character you're supposed to be. Preform it for the neighborhood children. They'll most definitely get a bigger kick out it than your parents and older brother will. 
- Invent a recipe! No cookbooks allowed! Just try not to burn anything...
- Write the next great American novel (or just read one). 
- Make up a project for yourself, like in school, just without rules and deadlines. Learn everything you can about a subject that interests you, then make a poster or PowerPoint or diorama or speech or... 
- Get out the poster board and markers and make up a board game! Use random objects for pawns and dice for... um, dice (giant fuzzy ones are best)
- Redecorate your room! You can do anything from just rearranging some furniture to painting your walls a crazy color!
- MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT AND HAVE FUN! 

Apology

Okay, so apparently someone got the wrong idea about my post "Graduation," and they twisted it all up and lied to one of my classmates about some things I said. So much for my blog being a place I can write what I'm feeling. As you can see, I deleted part of that post. So I just wanted to say sorry to the classmate I mentioned in that post for putting him in an awkward situation. I'll be more careful about what I write from now on. And to the person who twisted up what I said about him, back off, okay? My blog is a place for my personal, anonymous writings. I never meant to put my classmate in a bad light, and you shouldn't be trying to put me in a bad light either.

Hi guys! Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. Keeping up with two blogs can be exhausting!

Well, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who follows or reads Smile Because It Happened. It's reached 200 pageviews! Again, thanks, and please continue to help me build up with audience for both Smile Because It Happened! And don't forget to check out More Precious Than Rubies! :D

Graduation!

Well, I did it! I graduated from eighth grade! I know what you're thinking. So not a big deal, right? But it is! 

You see, I attended a tiny Christian school (and when I say tiny, I mean I graduated with ten other kids), and the school only goes through eighth grade. And you have no idea how much work it took to graduate from my school. Okay, so maybe it doesn't take a whole lot of work to graduate, but I graduated with A's and B's (and maybe one C in Algebra, but hey, it's Algebra), and let me tell you, THAT took some work!

At graduation, each person in my class had to give a speech. Most of us talked about the memories we made at our school, and some talked about what they loved about everyone in our class. But our student speaker, who just happened to be the most well-liked (I hesitate to use the word popular) girl in our small school and my best friend, definitely had to most impact on me.

She talked about how thankful she was that God chose the eleven of us to grow up together. She shared some memories she had about each person and one word to describe us (I got-- and I quote-- "awesome-- sometimes" *wink*). But the most insightful thing she said was this:
"People walk in and out of our lives. Some stay for a while and then leave, but others leave footprints on our hearts."

That's definitely what my class has been to me. We've loved and laughed and cried and fought and learned and shared. There's no two people who just absolutely hate each other. I definitely have some people that I find hard to get along with, but at the end of the day, I know that they've always got my back and I've got theirs. Sound too good to be true? Let me share a story about this:

There's this guy in my class who just annoyed the heck out of me. He's a total nerd, and goes through these phases where he gets totally obsessed with something and learns everything about it and totally exhausts the subject. This year it was anything to do with audio/visual stuff and his guitar. It was all he could talk about! Now do you see why this annoyed me?

Anyway, we fought a lot. It was usually just stupid little arguments, but a few weeks ago, he said some stuff that really offended me, and I offended him right back. We didn't talk much during the last few weeks of school. 

But then came our end-of-the-year class trip. Three days of bonding. Yippee. We continued to fight for the first day, which resulted in a late-night dodge ball battle to the death. Not fun.

One of the things we did on our trip was spend the day at an amusement park. And if you must know, I'm afraid of heights. Guess who else was. That's right, the guy I couldn't stand. This meant we were automatically paired up and stuck on the ground while the rest of my class rode the biggest, baddest roller coasters in the park over and over and over again. I knew this would present some problems, considering we weren't exactly on speaking terms. So I called a truce. I said we had to make this trip as enjoyable as possible, and fighting all the time wasn't the way to do this. He agreed, and we ended up spending pretty much the whole day together.

And it was awkward, but it was fun! I kept him company while he filmed our friends braving the roller coasters and even convinced him to ride a few with me. The rest of our trip was so much fun, and we ended up spending a lot of it together. My classmates were astonished that we could hang out for more than five minutes without me being on the verge of yanking his head off. 

So I think the biggest lesson I learned during my last year with my class was that fighting isn't worth your time, and it's definitely not pleasing to God. If you can stop arguing for five minutes and just try to get to know the person you can't stand, you might just discover that they're not as annoying as you thought you were and end up with a new friend. 

Leaving my class is very emotional for me. I'm the only one not going to high school with at least one of them next year. I have to brave the big bad world of high school all by myself, without the people I've grown up with and learned to love. But I know I can do it because God is with me and my classmates will always have a place in my heart. My friend summed it up perfectly:

You know it's friendship when you're happy to see them, but you know it's love when you're sad to see them go. 

  

New Blog?

I've had so much fun working on this blog and watching it grow. It's only been about two months, and I'm almost up to 200 views already! So I've been thinking... maybe I should start a new blog? 

Now don't get me wrong, I love Smile Because It Happened. But as you should know, I'm a Christian, and I think God may be calling me to write a blog for teenage Christian girls.

Don't worry, your beloved Smile Because It Happened isn't going anywhere. I'll keep posting fun stuff about my life, but I think I'm ready to use my gift of writing to tackle some tough issues and help bring girls closer to Jesus. 

So what do you think, readers? Would you read this new blog? Remember, I'm not trying to push my beliefs on anyone, I just want to help teen girls grow in their walk with God. Any feedback you have would be awesome. As always, just leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

-Laura

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." -Dr. Seuss

The Seven Chairs: My Photo Prompt English Paper

The Seven Chairs

Who would have thought that seven simple Chairs could hold such magnificent yet terrifying powers?

    One day, back in the 1890s, a well-to-do and skilled silversmith got to urge to create something bigger than simple forks, spoons, and teapots. He wanted to use his talent and wealth to build seven silver Chairs. The man spent days hunched over a sketchbook, drawing plans and dimensions for his creations. Then he began work on the Chairs.

    He purchased silver in massive quantities, much to the dismay of his family and surprise of his neighbors. He refused to divulge any of his plans to anyone. Each day, he would trod down the stairs to his mansion's cellar and heated, cut, hammered, and filed into the wee hours of the night. He did so for three years, until finally, the beautiful Chairs were completed.

    They were magnificent with detail: each Chair was numbered with a graceful, sweeping etch on its back; the seats were carved with different pictures, ranging anywhere from drawings of children playing in flowery meadows to a wizard casting spells over a bubbling cauldron, and the legs of the Chairs were pointed with carefully forged claws. Each Chair was special, and each was different. The man was quite satisfied with his work. But before he got the chance to share his creations with the world, he died, and his dreams for the Chairs' futures died along with him.

    The man's family fled their mansion in sorrow; they could no longer live in a place filled with so many of their memories of him. No one would buy the house for fear of rumors that it was haunted by a crazed silversmith. The mansion soon fell into disrepair, and the Chairs were forgotten and left to collect dust in the cellar.

Then something miraculous happened. The Chairs somehow became enchanted with the power to float! They drifted out of the cellar during the night, one by one, and were scattered across the globe. No one could begin to guess where they had come from or what had possessed them to float. But not only were the Chairs given this great power; they were also given a great curse. Who cursed them, you might ask, but the simple answer is that no one really knows. That, my friend, is open to speculation. Decide for yourself; the truth may be too hard to handle.

    The first of the Chairs found its way onto an ocean liner, the great Titanic, nonetheless! The silver glinted in the morning sun as it was loaded onto the ship and into one of the many sitting rooms the first morning of the Titanic's maiden voyage. The boat soon became flooded with people as the passengers boarded. They dispersed into every corner of the massive ship. The first of the passengers to visit the sitting room was a little British boy named Anthony. He took one look at the many couches and ottomans and armchairs, then scrambled to the sparkling Chair to claim it as his own.

    Anthony traced his fingers along the delicate details and careful carvings. Fittingly enough, the picture engraved on the seat was of a ship cutting through a tempest. Anthony climbed into the Chair, and as soon as he had sat down, it took off and rose up to the ceiling!

Anthony screamed with joy and surprise. A crowd of passengers and crew members began to gather as word spread quickly throughout the ship of the magical floating Chair. People loved it; everyone wanted a turn. Anthony's parents wondered how they would get their little boy down from somewhere so high. Then someone said the word “land,” and the Chair, with Anthony holding on tightly, settled slowly back on the floor, safe and sound.

    The captain was notified of the commotion the Chair was causing, and he ordered that it be glued to the floor. A crew member was sent into the sitting room. The passengers groaned and complained as they reluctantly cleared out, and Anthony stared longingly at the Chair. But the crew member set to work with his pot of paste anyway.

    That night, as Anthony and the other passengers were asleep in their cabins and the Chair was glued safely to the floor of the sitting room, something strange happened. The great ship came to a halting stop, waking everyone. Crew members were alerted and raced around telling people to put on their life jackets and be prepared to abandon ship.

    Many thought it was simply a drill, but the Titanic was really sinking. Her metal sides groaned and began to give way; the ship filled slowly with water. People scrambled around frantically; many were trapped in their cabins and drowned. The upper deck filled with passengers as crew members began to lead them to the few life boats the ship was equipped with. There was nothing stopping the “unsinkable” ocean liner now. The bow of the Titanic leaned further and further up toward the darkened night sky.

    The Titanic took her last breath and slowly but surely disappeared beneath the freezing Atlantic waters. The cool night air was filled with the sounds of horrific screams and beautiful orchestra music as the unlucky passengers, including the band, plunged into the sea with the ship.

The first Chair could have floated up off the ship and saved itself, but alas, it was glued to the sitting room floor. It went down with the Titanic, but curiously, was never discovered among the wreckage years later.

    The second Chair was found by a young nurse in Ohio, who spotted it lying in a heap of junk in an alleyway while on her morning commute to work. When she saw the beautiful chair, engraved with a drawing of children playing tag in a meadow, she immediately thought of Annie, a little girl she cared for in the children's ward who was sick was a horrible case of tuberculosis. The nurse knew that this find was just the thing to cheer up little Annie, so she abandoned her bicycle in the trash heap and carried the Chair to the hospital with her.

    When Annie was presented with the Chair, her eyes lit up and glinted like her silvery gift sitting in the sunlight. She struggled to lift herself out of her bed, and the nurse helped her over to the Chair so she could examine it more closely. It had definitely lifted her spirits.

    Annie absolutely loved the Chair. It didn't take her long to discover its magical powers; each day she would limp over to it and sit down, then float up toward the small window near the ceiling, the only one in her room. She spent hours looking out of it as the weeks went by. She would gaze longingly at the street below, cough, draw pictures of the trees and people, cough, count the Model Ts that passed by, cough... Each day passed slowly like the one before. Annie showed few signs of recovering, but that was fine with her; as long as she had her Chair, she was content.

    But then, one night, she drew her last breath and died peacefully. Her body was taken from her hospital room and was buried, but the Chair. The hospital has long since been abandoned, and the room has become decrepit, but the the second silver Chair still floats by Annie's bed, a lone reminder of the courage and spirit of the sick young girl.

    The third Chair wound up in a traveling magic show, known as The Magnificent Magic of Marvelous Max. It was a great success as a sideshow wonder. It traveled the world and was sat upon by many. Unfortunately, no one knew of the terrible curse it held.

    One night, while docked in Japan, Max decided to try an act he'd never done before in front of an audience: the dreadful sword-swallow. He had practiced for months without any incidents, so naturally, he assumed it was safe. But he was wrong.

Max announced the trick, then picked up his sword, not knowing that it had been laying in a pool of water backstage. He leaned back, and the sword neared his gaping mouth, but he lost his grip. The sword pierced his neck, the audience screamed, and his assistant rushed in to try to save his life. But it was too late. Within minutes, he died a painful death due to blood lose and a collapsed windpipe.

    That was the last time anyone performed at the Japanese theater. They claim it is haunted, not by the ghost of the fated magician, but by a silver Chair which floats eerily above the darkened stage.

    The fourth Chair was not found by anyone. Supposedly, it grew bored and decided to float freely around the world. And it did so, until one day, which it inexplicably lost its power. It plummeted through the sky, past the clouds, until it crashed abruptly on top of a plane. Amelia Earhart and her crew were never heard from again.

    The fifth Chair ended up in Paris, France, at the Louvre art museum. None of the curators knew were it had come from, but they were fascinated by its beauty, craftsmanship, and power. They decided to put it on display and share it with the world.

People came from all over just to get a glimpse of the silver Chair, or perhaps even sneak behind the velvet ropes and ride it up to the pointed glass ceiling. But none could have guessed what its curse would bring upon the museum.

    For years, nothing happened. Tourism slowed, and the Chair was no longer considered the great wonder it once was. Finally, the museum curators made the decision to remove the Chair from its place of honor. Workmen came and loaded it into a crate, then carried it down to the museum basement and set it in a dark corner, with nothing but the a little light streaming in from a small window to find its way through the cracks in the crate and glint off the silver.

    That night, after the Louvre had closed, an employee emerged from the cover of a broom closet. He navigated the galleries, eluding the guards, until he had located the most famous painting housed there: the Mona Lisa. The man snatched it from it's place on the wall and hid it under his overcoat, then slipped out unnoticed.

    The next morning, when it had been discovered the that the painting had been stolen, the entire city of Paris was thrown into chaos! Famous artists, poets, and political protesters were called in for questioning. Fingerprinting of the empty frame was performed by the most skilled detectives. The search for the Mona Lisa went on for two years, until the thief was finally discovered. Fortunately, the painting was safe and was put back on display, but nothing could have prepared the proud Parisians for the rouse that took place the night that the silver Chair was put into storage.

    The sixth chair found it's way to the redwood forests of California. It floated next to the tall trees, untouched for years, until two children happened to come upon it while exploring the woods. Cousins Karen and Mike had wandered away from the campground while their parents were pitching the tents. They were just in search of some fun, but what they found was much more sinister than it appeared to be.

    When they saw the Chair, they just knew it was the adventure they had been looking for. After much experimenting with their words, they finally coaxed it down. Mike climbed up into it's seat, which was decorated with an engraving of a forest filled with lush bushes, flourishing wildflowers, and tall trees. He willed the Chair to take off, and it soared up, high above the trees. Then he ordered it down, where it settled gently on the soft grass. Mike and Karen did this for hours. Up, down, up, down, up, down! It was great fun.

    Soon, the sky grew dark, and Mike and Karen's parents were still off looking for them without much luck. The children decided it would be best to stay put and build a small fire so they could stay warm for the night. Karen gathered sticks and dry grass, and Mike used his Boy Scout knowledge to coax small sparks into fluttering flames. They warmed their hands and curled up near the fire, hoping that their parents would find them by morning.

    But they never did. By the time the sun had risen, the great forest, along with the bodies of the lost children and their searchers, were reduced to nothing but ashes.

    So that's the story of the enchanted floating Chairs.

    I've heard this legend so many times, and each time, I've wondered what could have happened to the seventh of the Chairs. Now I know. I found it floating in the middle of the cellar in my new house.

    According to the legend, each Chair holds a terrifying curse. I suppose it's only a mater of time before the curse of the seventh silver Chair will take effect...

I Love British Music, But Why Don't They Sing With an Accent?

I gotta admit, I definitely have a thing for British bands and singers. Think the Beatles, Coldplay, Keane, Adele, One Direction, etc.-- way better than most American musicians. The British are passionate about music, and not just in it for the money or fame. Their song lyrics are just that-- lyrical, not just stupid words put to music (ex. Set Fire to the Rain vs. Friday or That's What Makes You Beautiful vs. Baby). Overall, I think British music just has much better quality than most American music.
One last thing. I just love the general look most British musicians choose to convey Take a look at these photos. See the difference? Yeah...

Linkin Park  (American)

Keane (British)

Adele (British)

Katy Perry (American)