I didn't have the greatest time. But here is what I did, almost exactly.
7/23/04 12:45: We enter the highway on our way out of Winsted! The news of Lindsey's dad moving to Mississippi and the sound of her voice still weighs heavily on my mind. I hope for the best for her.
1:45: We hit New York! The bad part is the George Washington Bridge is coming up soon. I hate bridges!
2:30: We've been sitting in this traffic jam for like half an hour…I'm going crazy!
5:10: We finally made it on the bridge, and we're now in New Jersey!
5:45: The first pit-stop. Vince Lombardi service station for bathroom and coffee. Dad's tweaking over the lateness factor. I don't blame him, this is ridiculous.
8:07: We've made it to Pennsylvania! We crossed the Delaware River. It took us forever to get through New Jersey.
9:42: We decide to stop at a hotel for the night. We're in this town, Wyomissing, at Econolodge.
7/24/04 8:27: Leaving Econolodge for the campground in Mohnton.
9:00 We made it! We got a tour of the place, and even though its really wet and there's no one here, we've decided to stay for at least the night.
7/25/04 It was a great day at PSHS! There was rain in the morning, but it cleared up. We've met a lot of people. Everyone is so nice down here, and not just in the camp. Everyone in this state is just sickeningly nice! This is a really nice camp. There was a dance, even though no one really danced. Mom won a t-shirt and a tank top. The place has 2 pools, a hot tub, a sauna, and a tanning bed! I haven't used any of them, though.
7/26/04 10:00: We're leaving for Hershey today! First we're going to have breakfast at this place that everyone raves about.
10:50: What a breakfast! We just ate at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. Every dish you could imagine is at this place! I am so stuffed. It was like a 5 star restaurant but for only $7! Now, on to Hershey!
12:15: We traveled through a lot of farmland on our way here, we saw a lot of Amish people and some buggy's. We have finally made it to Hersheypark! I can't wait, this is going to be great!
9:14: After Hershey we had dinner at Fudruckers! We're all still full from breakfast, but that was a great meal! Hershey was great, I went on everything I wanted to except Comet and Storm Runner. The carousel was playing National Emblem, the piece I played in Band Camp. Now, back to Penn Sylvan for the night.
11:30: I just had a major accident! I was in this little bathroom about 15 yards from my tent site, and there were a lot of bugs in there! I was really freaked out, so I ran out of there at full speed. Unfortunately, I couldn't see where I was running, and I crashed in to a picnic table! I think my leg is fractured, and I may have cracked a rib or bruised my stomach internally. I'll go to the doctors when I get home.
7/27/04 3:20: Leaving the campground to go back home! We didn't make it to Lancaster, but I have a feeling we'll be back again.
10:34: It took us 7 hours, but we're home! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed!


I've got to get to the doctor's today, I'm in a lot of pain! I'm just so glad to be home!

Ok, so it's 9:30 and we STILL haven't left yet! IT's ok, because I checked my e-mail and noticed a bit in the ym.com newsletter that interests me! Ym is having a film contest for young film makers, and I really want to enter it. Tanya has a DV cam and I really think we could make it work! I'm going to work out a script this weekend, and hopefully I can get it completed by Sept 10, the turn-in date. I want to make a horror film, and the perfect setting involves that old house near tetroase pond. It's all boarded up and creepy looking. Excellent! Tanya and I were playing around with the idea of using the band to make "Dead Band Marching" but I don't have enough time for that! That's a good idea, though. Well, I must be going. If you have any interest in being in my film, let me know! Right now, I need to finish packing for our trip!

"Damn right, it's fun. There's good company. It's creative. It's adventurous. Combines high adventure and art with intellection. It's more fun than polo. It's like going undefeated in football." [When asked if making movies is fun]

~ Tommy Lee Jones ~

Yesterday was really great. I went down to DMV and took my test, and now I have my permit! I haven't driven yet, but it's ok. As we were coming out of DMV an alarm started to go off. Dad and I looked around and finally realized it was us! We didn't even know the Jeep had an alarm! That was really funny!
Today we are trying to get everything together for the trip. We are leaving very early on Friday morning. This weekend is going to be great. Monday is when we plan on going to Hershey Park, the best part of the trip in my book!
Today I cleaned my room, which took a while, began packing my clothes, talk with Alain on MSN, and had a concert. (ok, so the truth is I'm writing this at 4 in the afternoon, so I haven't actually had the concert, but I'm sure it will be great.)
Alain asked me today how my French was coming. I haven't really worked on it in a long time. Every now and then I will flip on a French movie, or an English movie with French subtitles, and pick up a few words. Sometimes I will go to French websites and read the text and figure out as much as I can, and work on my pronunciation. Lindsey may be going to Germany and France next year, and with any luck I will go with her. I would love to go, see France and Germany, and maybe get in touch with Alain. That would be cool. To be able to stand in Paris talking to someone who I already know who actually lives there, that is a dream I could only imagine! These dreams fill my head, and almost glaze over my brain to the point of not being able to think clearly. I know I am going to Rome next April, but is it too much to think that 2 trips to Europe is impossible? I already know I am going to France some day no matter what, why wait? I don't know. I think I will just have to wait and see what happens. Lindsey isn't even certain she is going yet.

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so."

~ Belva Davis ~

Yesterday was really great. I went down to DMV and took my test, and now I have my permit! I haven't driven yet, but it's ok. As we were coming out of DMV an alarm started to go off. Dad and I looked around and finally realized it was us! We didn't even know the Jeep had an alarm! That was really funny!
Today we are trying to get everything together for the trip. We are leaving very early on Friday morning. This weekend is going to be great. Monday is when we plan on going to Hershey Park, the best part of the trip in my book!
Today I cleaned my room, which took a while, began packing my clothes, talk with Alain on MSN, and had a concert. (ok, so the truth is I'm writing this at 4 in the afternoon, so I haven't actually had the concert, but I'm sure it will be great.)
Alain asked me today how my French was coming. I haven't really worked on it in a long time. Every now and then I will flip on a French movie, or an English movie with French subtitles, and pick up a few words. Sometimes I will go to French websites and read the text and figure out as much as I can, and work on my pronunciation. Lindsey may be going to Germany and France next year, and with any luck I will go with her. I would love to go, see France and Germany, and maybe get in touch with Alain. That would be cool. To be able to stand in Paris talking to someone who I already know who actually lives there, that is a dream I could only imagine! These dreams fill my head, and almost glaze over my brain to the point of not being able to think clearly. I know I am going to Rome next April, but is it too much to think that 2 trips to Europe is impossible? I already know I am going to France some day no matter what, why wait? I don't know. I think I will just have to wait and see what happens. Lindsey isn't even certain she is going yet.

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so."

~ Belva Davis ~

This weekend I helped Shawn and Liz move in to their apartment. I love it! It's not too big, but not cramped at the same time. They have 2 porches and are on the 3rd floor in the West end of Bristol, near Rockwell Park. While they were unpacking and getting everything put in their proper places, I watched the baby. Bethany, I have discovered, is a very smart little girl! Already she is using a sippy cup and can drink out of a regular cup (if somebody else holds it), can talk and identify certain words/symbols (for instance, she pointed to a truck and said "truck."), replies "thank you" when she sneezes and you say "Bless you," and is able to sleep in an open crib, without the front gate. As soon as they get settled they're going to try and potty train her, too. She is so smart, it's amazing. She is the cutest little thing in the world. I am so glad I spent the 3 days with them. That was a great break from all the other crap, and I am so pleased to have them in an apartment of their own, let alone in my favorite town! Things are really starting to look up for them, and I couldn't be happier. Even dad is being civil with them, which is great. I hope things can be back to the way they were before. That would be super.

Ok, so Thomas and I finally went to the movies today. First we went to the Chinese Buffet for lunch, then saw Farhenheit 9/11. I really enjoyed the movie. Thomas was bored out of his mind. He was loud, obnoxious, and downright childish. Even though he paid for everything, I would never want to go out with him, and I REALLY hope he knows that! I mean, yeah, he's a gentleman, and he's nice for the most part, but he's just more like a 12 year old than a 17 year old! So anyways. April dropped him off at home and picked the girls up from camp and we all went back to her place and watched Gothika. That was a great movie! She dropped me back at home in time to go to rehearsal. Big mistake. I wish I had never gone! Anna had a swim meet for Lazers, and I was the only flute! I hated it. Minnerly tried to calm me down, but it was just impossible. I was making all these mistakes and I felt like I was going to throw up, pass out, or cry. I am thoroughly surprised that not one of those things happened. I did get a migraine, but that's typical. I don't know if today could have gotten any worse. The thought that got me through the day was this; I'm going to Hershey in 5 days! We've never really ever taken a vacation, other than LA, which was a complete disaster, and not to mention free. I just can't wait to go, we're going to have a great time, I just know it.

"No vacation goes unpunished." ~ Karl A. Hakkarainen ~

So Thomas and I didn't end up going to the movies today, and I just got off the phone telling him that he can't call everyday. He sounded really let down, but hey, I've got to have my space! I mean, we're not even dating! We end up talking about the stupidist things and he sighs cause he's getting bored....then don't call.
Anyways...on a happier not; Shawn's moving in to his new appartment tomorrow in Bristol! I can't wait, this is going to be great. I'm so glad that he's got an appartment, let alone in my favorite city! I'm going to be over there all the time, I know it.
I just took this quiz online about Johnny Depp, and I just found out what I already know....

You're one of JD's biggest fans. When you talk
about him to your friends they are either sick
of it or already know what you are going to
say. You talk as if you know him personally.
Good job!


How well do you know Johnny Depp? (Pics + Hard)
brought to you by Quizilla

So Thomas has asked me out, and we're going to see Farhenheit 9/11 tomorrow. He's paying, even though I don't want to be more than friends, and he knows it. He keeps asking me why I don't want to be his girlfriend, and I keep telling him that its because he is April's son, and she's more like a mother to me, and I wouldn't want to mess that up. The truth is, 1st off, I'm not really attracted to him, and 2nd, he doesn't even know me! We don't have the same interests, and there's no possible way that he can understand me yet. I am not about to just jump in to a relationship with him while he knows nothing about who I truly am. My teachers know more about me than him. Sure, he calls me every day, but that doesn't mean we talk about who I really am. The truth is we usually start talking about how 'great he is at sports" and, well, thats about it. I guess you could say that he is driving me crazy. But, I know that he really could use a friend, since he doesn't really know anyone anymore. I just don't want to be anything more than that. Now hear's the best part; since he knows that I'm not interested, he wants me to bring Lindsey, too. He's even offered to pay her way as well! I don't know what to do anymore. It seems that the only guys I am able to attract are freaks, losers, druggies, or guys that are way too old for me (but I look anyways), and the ones that I am interested in won't even give me a second glance, or are some of my best friends who don't realize that their hugs are whats really making me cry (no, not Kurt), or of course, gay (or will be after they date me!). Oh well... Love stinks.

"They lived and laughed and loved and left." ~James Joyce

Orrr not. So, it started off as a bad idea to begin with. We were supposed to leave Friday afternoon for Otis, Mass where the Redneck Ranch Big Biker Bash was to be held. When my mother never picked me up from Lindsey's (there's a reason why I haven't written about me going there for a few days...i/m or call me to get the details) I figured we weren't leaving early. In fact, we didn't end up leaving until Saturday afternoon. We didn't exactly miss much, anyways. There were all of, maybe, 40 people there, including the vendors! The band was aweful...they played great tunes, but they massacred them. They played a Jethro Tull song and killed it. I felt like crying. Mom and I spent the night playing rummy and a few games I learned at camp. Haha, at one point in the night, the group of people next to us started singing "My Ding-aling" which is a huge joke from camp...I had to join in, but I was laughing so hard the words wouldn't come out. There was a HA prospect working at the Worcester HA booth who was totally flirting with me, it was really funny. He gave me a sticker..."Bad Cop No Donut"..hehe. I love it. Even though we didn't really do anything, it was still a nice weekend. I enjoy camping, and seeing as how I didn't pay for anything, I was happy!

Yeah, I know, I said it. But seriously, I did just come back from the greatest place in the world, Laurel Music Camp. My first day, we had to audition in the middle of the woods to get your seat. I was sooo scared. I blew the audition like you couldn't imagine. I ended up seated 2nd flute, 3rd chair. Eww. I was so miserable that first day...I was crying, I wanted to go home, and the one person who kept me there was Kurt. He kept telling me 2 things; 1) It will get better, everyone has a bad time their first week and 2) Once you get home you're going to realize how much fun you had. He was right on so many levels. Yeah, Luc and Dan pissed me off from time to time, and I did have moments where I just felt like I didn't fit in at all, but when it was time for the concert, I realized what actually happened. That week was one of the best weeks of my life. Everything was amazing. The staff, the nights (STUNT NIGHT!!!), the chicken dance, and even the yodeling cow became second nature. My flute playing improved dramastically, and I really enjoyed all the playing we did. The feeling of success you get in going from only being able to play certain sections of a piece of music at the beginning of the week to being able to play all of it by Friday is something that no one could ever express in words. I was almost crying at the concert, but there was too much fun to be had for tears! I sincerely can not wait until next year, and to some day be able be part of the staff myself.
If you enjoy singing, playing and instrument, and/or camping, COME TO LAUREL NEXT YEAR!!!!!!! It is an experience NO young musician should miss out on!

"Fellowship Through Music" ~ "Ma"~