Mountain Climbing

Okay, so we didn't climb any real mountains, more like a big rock, but it's the thought that counts!

JJ and I went hiking this week. Possibly our last hike of the summer which makes me sad. This has been such a great summer. I don't want it to end! The only bad thing was JJ cracked the lens of her glasses, but luckily her dad was able to fix it.

 At the top of the mountains (or Rims as it's called) there used to be a cabin, but it got torn down and all that is left is the stove. It's huge! JJ and I pretended we were in a giants castle. After that we explored a little and I found the creepiest thing! It was a pointed stake with red paint on the pointed end. It looked like blood! Green Girls, you better watch out. I think the vampire hunters are out in about and right now there in Montana.

After exploring we had a snack and took in the view. Yup, our legs are hanging off the edge of the cliff. Okay, not really. There's a ledge below us. JJ's dad would never let us be that dangerous.

I don't start school for a few more weeks, but between now and then it will be crazy getting ready. Is anyone else feeling the end of summer blues?

Adventures!

I must say this has been quite the summer! Yesterday JJ and I went hiking with her dad and Jack. We just went to a local hiking spot. It rained the entire time! It was great! We didn't get any pictures since we didn't really want to stop. But we did find a slightly sheltered spot under some trees to have lunch. PB&J! On the way back to the car it rained harder. We got down in 20 minutes! The ground was muddy and slippery by then and JJ and I had to run most of the way.

Last week during tutoring Aaron and I baked up a storm (and did some math) and this Thursday we are going to make truffles (chocolate, not mushrooms)! I was there for a couple of hours. When Sean (spelled it wrong before, oops) got home he said I could stay for dinner. I called Mother and she said it was okay. We had spaghetti. It was so good! Aaron can make everything taste a thousand times better. I asked him how he learned to cook so well, but he said he wasn't sure. He just can. He still doesn't talk a whole lot, so Sean and I did all the talking at dinner. After eating we took Remy for a walk to my house. Coco was mad when she saw me with another dog, but I gave her a treat and she was all better.

Karate has been nice now that I don't see Alex. Is it weird that I kind of miss the drama? Oh, well, I'm sure once school starts again there will be plenty of new drama. If you get a chance, please check out my friends store blog: The Crazy Doll Ladies Store. They always have a ton of cute things.

Another Hike

On Saturday I went hiking to a mountain lake. Holy cow, was it a hard hike! It was, like, 2 miles of uphill climbing. My legs aren't very cooperative this morning! The lake was more like a pond, but still very pretty. We had lunch here. PB&J!

 On the way back we stopped and played at a creek. The water was cold and so refreshing to drink! It was a beautiful day out. Perfect temperature and a nice breeze.

 There was a little cabin just off the trail. I'm pretty sure it was no bigger than 8 x 10 if even that. I can't imagine living in something that small! Right above me right arm you can see part of the roof. An adult wouldn't even be able to stand up in it! I hope a family didn't have to live in the cabin. I can't imagine it being very tolerable for even one person.

Before we headed home we stopped for ice cream. Best ice cream ever! I had mint chocolate chip. They didn't have any peanut butter & chocolate which is, of course, my favorite. I love getting the chance to see Montana. I swear there isn't an ugly place in this state.

Party Time!

I wish it was my birthday, but it wasn't. Yesterday was Mac's 13th B-Day. Why she gets to turn 13 and I don't, I do not know. But I don't want to be a teenager anyway. And I totally don't want to be in 8th grade.

Our cousin Rebecca was here for a visit. She's the one who likes to have tea parties and where frilly dresses and forces her cousins to also wear frilly dresses. Her hair was insanely perfect (I think Mac posted a picture). Mac's cake was to die for even though it wasn't peanut butter. Is there such thing a peanut butter cake? I bet there is. You know what's really good? Cake balls made of chocolate cake and peanut butter! I ate, like, a dozen last week.

Anywhose. Mac's dad made hamburgers on the grill and we had fresh lemonade to drink. It was so hot out! I was glad the party was mostly inside.

 After all the food stuff, our parents made us pose for pictures. I guess they were smart enough to stuff us with food first so we couldn't run away from the camera. I hate when grown-ups get tricky like that.

I wore my Spike shirt, obviously. Flashpoint has been totally awesome the past few weeks. Spike has been getting a bigger role. He's the best (and cutest) character in the show. The show is set (and filmed, I assume) in Toronto, Canada in case my Canadian friends are interested in knowing :)

Tomorrow is math tutoring! I can't believe how excited I am. I think something is wrong with me. You know what Kit thinks? She thinks I have a crush on Aaron. Okay, Kit, just because you have a crush on, like, every guy doesn't mean that I do. Little sisters can be quite the pain.

Hail Storm

We had a nice little hail storm last night. It was so loud in my bedroom! I swear the roof was going to cave in or something! All the Westies hid under the covers. It was quite hard to sleep. Luckily it only lasted a half hour.

I'm sure you are all wondering how karate went. I talked to Mother about taking lessons somewhere else, but she said there wasn't any other good karate places around. But she thought it would be possible to switch to a different class. JJ's dad took me to class early and we talked to my current karate teacher. He said he was sorry that Alex had been bullying me, but because she was considered special needs he couldn't ban her from the class. I didn't know what to say to that. It's wonderful that Alex can be in a regular class, but what about the needs of the students she tortures? JJ's dad spoke up and said even though we were sensitive to Alex's plight, I was in physical danger each class. I'm signed up for the later class now. JJ's dad will still be able to take me since he doesn't work on Friday.

Now about my math tutor. Is it terrible to say I love my math tutoring? Aaron is very patient and doesn't mind when I make the same mistake five times in a row. He just shows me again and tells me I'm catching on. We work for 45 minutes and then we have a snack. Aaron is like the best baker in the world! He always has some home-made goodie to give me. This week is was lemon squares. I could have eaten a dozen and there wasn't even peanut butter involved! Which is a good thing since his friend Shawn is allergic to peanuts and they can't have PB in the house.

Aaron said I'm welcome to come over anytime. Since he doesn't drive nor have a job he's always around. I think I will take him up on that offer.

One last thing. I think I've mentioned Angelica a few times. She has a blog now, too. The link is under my favorite blogs (she bribed me to add it. Just kidding! Maybe...) called "Angelica's Analysis". I know she'd like to meet my blog-y friends!

Karate and Math

I haven't had much to tell about karate in awhile since I missed a few lessons due to vacation and then Alex was gone on vacation for a few weeks, too. I must say I really liked the classes when she wasn't there. Anyway, we were both there Friday and it was right back to square one. Alex nearly gave me a black eye and I was close to tears by the time class was over. I couldn't even try to talk to her. She was mean to everyone. I wonder how she acts at school? I'm pretty close to quitting karate. I was so bummed out Thursday knowing what the next day would be like. Mother says it's up to me if I want to quit or not. I said I would give it two more weeks.

My first math tutoring session was okay. It was on Thursday and the only thing I wanted to do was watch TV. Aaron, the tutor, didn't seem to care that I didn't want to talk much since he doesn't seem to like to talk much himself. My curiosity did get the better of me about a few things that I did have to ask about. Like who rides the motorcycle? Aaron said that is his best friend Shawn. Shawn owns the house and Aaron mooches off of him (Aaron's words not mine!). Shawn also has a beautiful Irish Setter named Remy. That dog made my day a little bit better. She's very sweet, but Aaron says she is very lazy and has a stubborn streak.

So my tutoring session ended on a fairly positive note and I'm actually looking forward to next Thursday. I just wish Friday didn't come after that.

4th of July Picnic

How was everyone's 4th of July? Mine was a blast! Everyone went over to Jess' house for a party. It was such a beautiful day! Not too hot or windy. For lunch we had hamburgers and French fries; watermelon and apples; and cupcakes for dessert. I'm totally obsessed with cupcakes right now. I want to make some with peanut butter filling.

 Ella, Jess, and their new neighbor Angelica

 After we ate, our parents said we needed to burn off energy so we played soccer.

 But then Rex (Mac's puppy) stole the ball! He was too cute to get mad at, though. We let him play with us then.

 JJ and I decided to climb trees after the soccer game. We couldn't get any higher than that. Well, we probably could have, but our parents said "that's high enough, girls". Grown-ups...

 This is Angelica on the left. She just moved here from NYC and now lives next door to Jess. Her dad worked for Mac's mom in NYC so she and Mac know each other well. Right now Angelica is staying with Mac's family while her family gets the rest of their stuff moved and deals with all the house selling hassles.

Later we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. Sooooooooooo yummy! I could have eaten a whole bag. I wonder who came up with the idea to hold a marshmallow over a fire? It is quite a bizarre idea if you think about it. Of course, who thought it would be a good idea to milk a cow and drink it? Anyways, it was a fun day and I hope we have more picnics in the future!