May 31

Look who went back in the Hiwassee! This girl! I can do things out of my comfort zone, you know! Something about being around adventurous people makes it okay to go back to the place that basically almost took my life last summer ;) It helped that we did not try to float down the river with just our bodies this time. We kept it simple and skipped stones...until that wasn't enough and then we threw rocks to try to make the biggest splash and soak each other. But hey! That's family.

May 30

Gosh! Summer is great! We can just make hamburgers for lunch and there doesn't even have to be a special occasion to be celebrating. Maybe that's summer, or maybe that's the farm...either way both are great...

May 29

You gotta love the rain that lets Sam off of work to hang out with us. It's just not the fab-five without the fifth member! Welcome back to the fun side Sam! And no, of course he's not driving that VW Bug...that would be crazy... ;) (it was just 20 seconds down the road...nobody saw him...maybe....until I just posted it here...) We're Trews! So it's fine ;)

I love the laughing with the fab-five. I just do. Something interesting always seems to happen when we're together... ;)

May 28

What!?! Emma took her camera with her when she was assisting with farm work!?! No! Not Emma!!

Yes.

I'm sure that's what you're all thinking when you hear that I did semi-assist with farm work today. *gasp* I drove the big truck (ask Bess or anyone else around here and they'll give you a detailed description of the name and purpose of the vehicle but I'll just say "big truck") down the road and then up to this particular barn (area...place...) so that we could feed the cows. It was only slightly stressful and we all only got slightly irritated with each other when we couldn't communicate clearly...but I can now say that I did it. So, there's that...

May 27

Well, I made it! And managed to have an awesome day hanging out with Bess and Jonathan while we had the farm to ourselves for a good portion of the day. It was great. We even somehow managed to work up to courage to call and place an order for lunch and then go and pick it up ourselves (something that for some reason we were having trouble actually doing...). It's so great to be back at Windswept. I seriously love my family!

Jonathan and the squirrel had a stand-off when we got back with lunch...still no dead squirrel... ;)

May 26

What a wonderful day...being stuck on the couch sick...

No, not really the best way to kick off a week at the farm (I didn't even make it to the farm...) but I am very thankful for my wonderful Gram and Grantch who took care of me and babied me all day. It wasn't until I was stuck doing nothing that I realized how long I've been constantly busy and active recently. It turned out to be a good thing that I was able to catch up on rest and appreciate the lazy day because I was apparently worn very thin.

I did however watch way too many episodes of NCIS: LA...

May 25

Two days en route, nineteen hours in the car, and six states later...

We've made it to our favorite place in the world! Who wouldn't love the Tennessee air!?! It's beautiful and fantastic and wonderful and a fabulous place to kick off summer vacation!

May 24

And summer has officially begun! First stop Lexington...there's no sitting around the house doing nothing for the beginning of summer for Bess and me, WHOOHOO! We're going to Tennessee!!!

May 23

Happy first day of SUMMER!!! We were able to get 6 (well 7 as we were leaving) people of the 15 (16 including Mrs Haack) awesome people from our wonderful class. Never before have I been so disappointed that the end of the year arrived so quickly. Gosh I love these people and am so excited to see what's in store for the future!

May 22

While yesterday may have been my LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, a good amount of my (you guessed it) French class came to class just because. (I was exempt from all of my finals which is why I didn't have to go to school today or tomorrow) BUT I couldn't just not go to French...because I'm weird like that. This morning my super awesome friend Erin and I went to Starbucks for breakfast before heading to French. I just love when Starbucks messes up other people's names. Erin's new name is Erica every single time she goes to this Starbucks because there's no turning back now! It was a bittersweet class but I know that it will most definitely NOT be the last time I see all of these people again. GOSH!

May 21

Gosh I love this little girl!

May 20

School is almost OVER!!!

I seriously cannot even begin to believe or accept that this is true. BUT I seriously love the people in my French class...like a lot. We filmed our class dance to this french song today in class and it was so much fun both participating in it in class and putting the footage together after school. My evening consisted of editing videos of my favorite class and writing notes for my fantastic teachers. I don't know what my life would be like without the fantastic people I have had the pleasure of becoming friends with this year! I think I'm in denial that the year is basically over. Today was the last day that the entire French class was all together...and that is just not something I want to think about.

May 19

Stop getting so BIG Little Girl!!!

Love,
Your Emma

May 18

Introducing the stars of my Journalism project, Miss Camille and Emma's iPhone!

I just love getting to play with this little girl and am so so glad that she and her mom and Gram and Grantch are here!! Me and my buddy are most definitely having a blast together! Step aside fellow toddlers in Kentucky...Camille's best friend slot has been taken! *spoiler alert! It's me ;)

GOSH I love this little stinker!

May 17

Lazy Saturday's are the BEST! And they're even better when my favorite little girl is here to enjoy them with me! Camille has most definitely gotten the hang of the movie room in this house. She's got her Bubble Guppies on the big screen, a chair all to herself, and her own personal cup holder for her Puffs! What more could a 15 month old want!?!

May 16

Happy Performance Night to the wonderful and talented girl that I call my sister! And what a fantastic show to kick off performance weekend!

We love Bess!!!!

May 15

AHHH!!!! The end of my Junior year is rapidly approaching whether I want it to or not. I got my yearbook today AND information about SENIOR yearbook pictures that we need to take over the summer! AHHHH!!!!! This doesn't seem real at all. I can't possibly be almost a SENIOR!?! AHHHH!!!!

May 14

This lady right here is super awesome.

I felt so special that she asked me to take her picture for her new fancy blog position that she's going to have! We went down to Brookside and had our own little photoshoot and it was so fantastic! No, it's not weird for a seventeen year old to be the photographer in this situation. I promise you that!

After we got our pictures we did some shopping and got dessert. Total girl stuff and it was great! I truly love spending time with this wonderful extroverted lady! Thanks for being awesome.

May 13

CONGRATULATIONS BIXBY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2014!!!

I am so proud of you ALL for making it this far!!! Know that I will miss every single one of you awesome seniors that I am proud to call my friends next year!!!

Is it weird that I got emotional during the metaphor that compared life to aged cheese? Probably...but hey! I'm friends with the highest ranked Valedictorian! So yeah! I think it's fine...strange, but fine. And the whole French class got a shout out! And the friends that I went with and I all got chills when the processional music started. Ahh!! Erin and I occupied ourselves by searching for our friends and cheering really loudly when all of your names were called. It kept us from getting too emotional and worked up over the fact that you all are graduates. Erin! Our babies are all grown up!!! :(

May 12

This evening was an evening of firsts and lasts.

It was Saige's last band concert EVER and I really really wanted to be there to see her perform and support her at her final show, but ohmygosh I couldn't find anyone to go with me. AND I'm a crazy introvert that can't actually go to places by herself. It's actually a fairly new thing that I've been able to drive myself to some of these French class activities, because I don't like showing up to things alone. But I did it! I was big and went to the concert by myself (this was a first for me). And I am so glad that I went! Both bands were fantastic and I was really glad that I got to see my fantastic friend perform!

This is a terrible cell phone picture that I was able to grab and then realized when I got home, that this was the only picture I had snagged...

May 11

HAPPY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MY MOST FANTASTIC AND WONDERFUL MOM!!! You are such a beautiful and inspiring mom! You have truly helped shape me into the woman that I am becoming and I am incredibly thankful for you. You have always been there for us and you do not receive nearly enough credit for all of the work that you have to put in to be a mom. I love you so so much! Thank you for all that you have done, do, and will do in my life.

Also, today was a SUPER popular day to post pictures of people's moms on Instagram. It was actually pretty hilarious...

May 10

Graduation season is upon us. There's no stopping it now. My seniors are going to graduation SOON!!! This fantastic year is coming to an end! :(

*pull yourself together Emma, it's not the end of the world! gosh!*

Today was a day to celebrate two of my very wonderful friends as they prepare for graduation on Tuesday. Both of these girls have made a huge impact on my life and I don't know where I would be without them and their friendship this year. I am so thankful for you Aubree and Brietta!!! I will most definitely miss you both so incredibly much next year! But lets make the most of these last two weeks of school! This is an exciting time for you both! You're graduating! Whoop whoop!!!

I love you both!!! Happy Graduation!!!

After the family party, the three of us went to Oliveto again (it's been so long since we were there last...the day before yesterday...) and I got smacked in the face not once but twice by flyaway menus outside. Oh Oklahoma! (so we ate inside...)

That was a random tidbit of information you probably didn't need to know...

But I'm feeling really ramble-ly tonight...so...

anyway

you two are fantastic.

that's it.

May 9

I am truly extremely lucky to have such wonderful teachers here at Bixby.

Today was the day. The beginning and the end of my AP test season of my junior year. I had my AP English test first and then went straight into my AP Stat test with no lunch break due to timing issues. It was an interesting event and not something I'd ever like to do again, but I did it, and it's over, and I'm done. I'm DONE! When we came out of the old gym after the AP Stat test, our teacher was waiting for us in the parking lot. It was great to be able to talk to her and let out all of our steam right then and there before we went home. She was great and listened to us and was able to talk with us about how we shouldn't worry about the test anymore. (she also sympathized with us over one of the questions that sent us into a tizzy!)

I was pretty much dead by the time I got home...so I wasn't that creative taking a picture of the day...

But I really really liked the note that my AP Stat teacher gave all of us that were taking the AP test. I thought it was really sweet and thoughtful of her to write us all notes and give them to us before the test. The people in Bixby really are an interesting bunch! (I actually think I've been lucky to have awesome teachers for my entire school career...but I may just be a teachers pet...)

May 8

'Twas the night before my AP tests...

And where did I spend my evening? Not studying, like my studious best friend in Severna Park...

No. I spent the evening with some fantastic people from my French class. ("oh no...not another French class post!") A random "let's get together before school ends outing with the group that has become super great friends over the past couple of months" was a much more enjoyable way to spend the evening.

Who would have thought that a table full of teenagers would have been the loudest table!?! We may have been the loudest group, but we were definitely having the most fun. I laugh a LOT when I'm with these people and I'm so thankful for them every day. I've learned a lot more about some of them than I probably would have ever imagined learning at a dinner where the teacher (who just so happens to be fantastic and awesome and wonderful in every way) was eating with us...or in any situation really. Things that will not be repeated here on the internet...but things that will not easily be forgotten. I really like how comfortable everyone is with each other. I think that's what makes this group so special.

May 7

I am so incredibly proud of my awesome Dad! He gave an interactive presentation not once, but four times today in front of probably the toughest crowd a guest speaker can have, high school students. We are pretty much the same person, my dad and I, so I understand how difficult speaking can be for him. He, however, has had a couple more years of experience than I have...so...yeah...

I thought I knew a lot about the Secret Service, but I seriously learned a lot today during the four times that I heard the presentation. This was also the first time that I had gotten to hear him speak as a part of his job, and I thought he did really well! I received positive feedback and it sparked conversation in almost all of my classes for a couple of days afterwards. My US History teacher has been waiting for this day to come since he first found out about my dad's job on the first day of school, and he seemed to enjoy the day much like someone would enjoy getting to spend the morning with their favorite celebrity or superhero. But I am kind of biased...so...

ANYWAY

I really enjoyed getting to spend the morning and the majority of the school day assisting with the presentation (not just a fun way to get out of class for the day) as the "White House photographer". Someone even thought that I was really a White House photographer...so...that was pretty cool...

May 6

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

After months of waiting to get my form filled out from the counseling office and leaving the TCC registration office empty handed and defeated, I am officially enrolled in a college course!!! Granted it's going to be taught AT Bixby...but it was still a big step forward for me. I had to be "big" and get all this stuff from the high school and physically talk to people about what I needed (something that I have a strange problem with...)

May 5

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I, of course, spent the evening baking French chocolate mousse...because...why not? No, actually tomorrow is international food day at school and so my French class has to bring French food...and I, being the one-trick pony that I am ;), am bringing this mousse again.

Wow. Really. Another post about French class. (I can hear you saying that to yourself as you read this)

So...yeah...don't mind me...I'm just jamming to French pop music while I make chocolate mousse...typical evening ;)

May 4

Last night of Girls Weekend and we actually managed to make a homemade dinner without our awesome chef around!!!

...yes...I've basically taken this same picture before except with a different parent...

go ahead and judge me! I don't care ;)

May 3

It's girls weekend! So what do we do? Why of course we go the The Brook in Brookside for our lunch-dinner at 3:30 in the afternoon! As if we don't spend enough time in Brookside!!! ;) We're just so hipster that we feel the need to spend EXTRA time out there after Bess's rehearsal ;)

Actually, Brookside is a really cool place...

May 2

Happiest of First Fridays to you!

I absolutely love my First Friday Chick-Fil-A dates with my best friend!!!

2 months from TODAY we will be across the ocean, in another country, on another continent, with each other!!!!!!!

OHMYGOSH!!!!!

May 1

It's finished!!! My project that has completely taken up my entire week is officially finished!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed spending my evenings working with this project and had an absolute blast with you ALL filming and getting all of this ready to celebrate such a fantastic year!

To view the entire video...the fruits of my week long labor...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wla6zDlQjjo

We seriously LOVE Mrs Haack so much!!!