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{Welcome to Mine}

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Haven't posted in a while....



Dear Readers,

           I'm very sorry I haven't posted in over a month. That is horrible! But, as most of you that read my blog are NCFCA competitors or NCFCA alumni, you know how busy it is once tournament season starts. And our first (big) tournament is this month, so I've been very busy writing briefs, building up our Affirmative backup, coaching our club, and writing/memorizing/practicing speeches.
            So, first of all, Happy New Year!!! Can you believe it?! 2012! At church, Sunday, (the 1st, of course) one of our Elders opened service. He looked down at another Elder (who is also a retired pastor) sitting on the front row and said: "Well, Bro. ________, can you believe it...?...we've lived to see 2012 roll around! :) I'm glad they have! They add so much to our church!
            I sat, this morning, in our big wingback chair (that because I'm so small feels like it's hugging me) :P in front of a roaring fire, watching it pour snow, (we have 6-8" on the ground) drinking hot chocolate, (out of my new initialized travel mug, my parents gave me for Christmas) and reading. As I sat there I thought about all of the memories of 2011. Memories are one thing that no one can take away from me. I will have those to hold onto, hopefully most, if not all, of my life. They are mine to keep! Now, mind you, they aren't all "good" or "happy" memories, but they are mine. :)
            Before Christmas, I said I was going to dedicate a post to special/favorite/general memories from my 2011. So here they are....not in any particular order....well, they are in a particular order: as I think of them... ;)

1) Meeting my dear and wonderful friend Miss SBJ over at His Dixie Daisy! You have truely been a blessing and light in my life, dear. Thank you for being my twin sister! ;) <3 Here is some complimentary chocolate.     ~Your Fellow 40's fan
2) Getting to go down to my best friend's (Miss EJL over at Thoughts Jots and Tittles) house to work on my Humorous Interpretation. It was a blast! And thank you to Miss AGC, Mr. Ry.Bl., and Mr. Fl.Mi.La. for all of your help! You are all great "interpers," and a ton of fun. :D I learned a lot. ;)
3) Debate Camp at PHC!!! (Patrick Henry College) You were soooooo much fun! :D (I'm a total nerd, I know...) Meeting all of those wonderful homeschool kids, from all over the country, even Hawaii. Learned great life lessons from our fantastic counselors. Had one of Dr. Michael Farris' daughters for a counselor, which was amazing!!! ;) And I got to know my dear friend, Miss JSP, much better :)
4) Getting to know a dear friend of mine, Mr. Jo.A., so good that we can spend an entire chat reliving all of Princess Bride, by quoting the movie back and forth. :P ;) You've been a great friend! I wish you all the best in life! You always keep it fun! ;) And here are some Jelly Beans. :)     ~Your Sister
5) Joining a High School Chorale!
6) Teaching violin to the lovely R. family, as well as being their farm-sitter, and family baby sitter. ;) I miss all of you so much! You are all so sweet and talented! Miss JER, Miss JGR, and "Little E," I miss all of your smiles, since you moved. And I miss you calling me "Miss Cayla". ;) You were all little blessings to my life! <3
7) March 12th. The day of fun! Miss EJL, came up to my house, and we spent the weekend together! That Saturday, we went with the lovely W. family. We went to see the Red Badge of Courage performed on stage. Had a picnic lunch. Went to Starbucks. Then went to Bay's Mountain (the wildlife preserve) and got to see quite a few animals native to the mountains, including a beautiful pack of wolves. We got to witness to a Gnostic. :D Then we went to Taco Bell! And since you had never been there (?) you got a free meal. :) (That man was so funny.) The W. family then dropped us off at the house, and we commenced to staying up talking until around 4 a.m. And taking showers at 2 a.m. :P Getting up, driving down the mountain to your church, and getting to see my first debate coach for the first time, since she graduated, almost a year before! :) It was a great weekend...
8) Spending two nights, and three days with Miss EJL at her house, this time, in July!
9) Spending a ton of time with my other best friend, Miss LJW!!! :D <3
10) Breaking to Regionals at Fredericksburg, VA and getting 2nd speaker....(two places above my coach) ;) :P
11) My lovely debate partner (Miss AGC) and me beating one of the biggest teams, and getting our socks knocked off!!!! ;D
12) Finding the closest thing, last year, you can get to the impossible "flawless case". <3
13) Getting to travel 7 hours back from the Fredericksburg tournament with my mom, Mrs. B, my partner Miss AGC, and my coach Mr. PJB. ;) Y'all are too much fun!
14) Finding a great debate partner, this year: Mr. JCK. :D
15) My sixteenth birthday party!!! It was a ton of fun! All those great kids, and adults, and food, and games! :D
16) Receiving my very own Hope Chest for my 16th birthday!
17) Getting my Learner's Permit!
18) Realizing that I have the best friends, anyone could ever ask for!!! :D <3 I love all of you!

              So, I have written a rather large post, and I hope all of you have enjoyed it!
Oh! Another close friend of mine, Mr. DT, has started a blog. It is a very cool blog! I think you would enjoy it. So, check it out: Sifting Through My Thoughts

              New Year Blessings!

Always in His Arms,
-Cayla