So much to talk about!

So today is my 14th Birthday!! YAY! I am officially a miamaid whether I like it or not. I am so excited to get to interact with a new group of girls for a while. : ).

Well for my party last weekend I took me and a couple of friends to the Pounte Hilton Resort and it was GORGEOUS! Seriously, there is no other way to put it. It's so big and there is a least 4 mini "hotels" each which have thier own pool and courtyard along with their waterpark called the Falls. I have to say it was the most beautiful thing you can ever see and if you ever get the chace to go, DO IT!

My brother's party was this weekend and he had a swimparty. It was fun because most of his friends are my friends and that's cool :). I think he had a good time and I am glad for that.

Can you believe that I am sick the weekend of my birthday?! I can't either. It kind stinks. Well, it's just a cold but a bad one at that. I actually had to miss my last Sunday as a Beehive which I was really looking forward too because I am going to miss it.

Well I think that is all I have to say for now :). I hope that I kept you reasonably entertained.

My Party at the Pointe Hilton (pictures)

School

Well school has started. I can't say that I enjoy it, some parts I do, but I was kinda getting bored with the sitting around the house all day thing. Here's what I think about my teachers:

Mrs. Sundust: I think she is really nice but she can get off subject. She will start talking about something and 15 minutes later you won't know how she got to that subject.
Ms. Seaman: I think she is really cool. I think she is great at what she does. She is wonderful at anything that is preforming arts.
Mr. Hindman: He is pretty funny but I don't like it when it is all quiet and he just starts yelling. He things that it is funny but I don't. Maybe I am just a stick in the mud.
Mr. Webber: He is really awesome. It is his first year teaching and you would never know. He is laid back and let's us do out own thing but still let's us know what is required.
Mr. Graham: He is awesome. He is so funny and he makes Social Studies really fun. He has to be my favorite teacher this year.
Mrs. Baker: Her class was a little boring last year but I love her teaching style. And she is ALOT better this year. I think she is so nice and lenient and she never really gets mad at all.

So that's what I think of my teachers. All in all I am glad that I got the teachers that I got!

Well...

I cannot believe that school is going to start. Where does the time go?

So this week has been rather long. First of all I have to mention, I GOT MY HAIRCUT! I really like it. I got major layers and bangs, which I love. I think it was time to go back to my old ways and it was more of of a relief than I thought it was going to be.

Well for mutual we had a pool party at my house. I really thought that it was fun. The hotdogs were fantasic which is hard for me to say since I really don't like them at all. I was glad that Mya and Ethan and Tyler came with their parents because they made the party even more fun. It was so funny watching them swim. I also went to 3rd wards mutual which we fixed the hymn books.

I had a really fun time spending the night at Shanci's house! We babysat at Sister Bradshaws and made a cake which Sister Winder helped with when I ruined the frosting. The next day we went shopping and I got some more clothes but with my money. It was a lot of fun hanging out with Shanci. I hope that I can do it again soon!

All About Me!

Ok, it is entirely possible that you read my blog reguarly and know virtually nothing about me. So that is why I am writing my own personal survey about things you might want to know about me. What I am hoping it that you will repost the survey onto your blog and answer the questions yourself!

So here it goes.

Full name: Katherine Grace Russell
Birthday: August 25th
Lifelong goal/dream: To get married in the San Diego Temple and become a journalist.
Hobbies: Scrapbooking, writing, reading, the computer, music
Random fact about me: I can wiggle my eyes
Childhood Memory: My 8th birthday party and my baptism, they were amazing to me.
Favorite book: The Secret Diary of Brett Colten
Favorite Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Something I hope to Accomplish: Make the top 10 students in high school
Pets: One dog, Leo. He is a dachshund
Beliefs: I am mormon or LDS
My Hero: My grandma or my mom, they mean everything to me.

So this was short and easy to fill out. I hope that you will do it too!

This Kid

Ok, so there is this kid that really likes me. I mean really. I don't like him and he eventually forced it out of me to tell him, I really didn't want to but he was like, "We are friends, and friends tell eachother they can trust." So I told him and he went on to make my feel bad by saying that I give the worse rejection.

It doesn't stop there. He went on to talk about my past personal life using the same excuse, "We are friends and friends tell each other," making me feel bad because I had just hurt him so I told him the answers to the questions he wanted to know.

Well I am really good friends with someone that he really doesn't like and I am trying to get him to forgive my friend. So I ask him if he is still mad, and what do you know, more personal questions. Well, this time I refuse to answer and talk about it with my friend and he said it was cool, I didn't have to worry. So I wasn't. Until the next day when he said that I didn't have to worry about him asking abou it anymore, Kennedy told him the answer. Once, later, he told me that he was just messing with me to see if I would tell him, I was MAD! And Kennedy eventually talked to him and he get the idea that I hated him and blah blah blah.

In the midst of all this I told him that I didn't know how the whole friend thing with him was working out with him because he hept using it against me. I said we needed to work that part out. Well I got home and had an email from him saying, "You know how you said we should be friends anymore? I think that is the best idea you have ever had!" Talk about shallow much?

So since many of you are married and have gone through something like this, advice?

Beach!

Wow, that's all I can say. Today my mom and I went to the beach right outside out house, her in her swimsuit and I not because we didn't not expect to swim. Well we did end up swimming, me in my clothes!! I have gone to the beach for about 4 weeks every summer and many more times durning the year and NEVER have I seen such clear seas. There was nothing, and i even saw a HUGE fish. It was so amazing. It was cear and we went out to where we couldn't touch and felt nothing, not even seaweed. It was the most amzing thing I have ever experienced basically!

Emmys

I am pretty sure that the award ceremony that is coming up is the Emmy's. Tell me if I am mistaken. So I am going to write my views on who I think should be nominated for ANY award.

• Alexis Bledel for Girlmore Girls. Why is she alwlyas forgotten? She is soo amazing and so talented.
• Lauren Graham for Gilmore Girls, she is nominated every year and never wins.
• Blake Lively for Gossip Girls. She will win something, no doubt.
• Gregory Smith for Everwood. I know he probably isn't going to be nominated but she totally should!
• Lily Rush from Cold Case. She is a fantasic actor.
• American Ferrera for Ugly Betty. I do not watch this show but is takes some talent being able to make fun of yourself on camera.
• Miley Cyrus for Hannah Montana... I don't know if I really think that she should get an award but I believe she will somewhere.
• Haily Duff for 7th Heaven. I know she won't even be considered and she wasn't a main character until almost the end but she put emotion into her character.
• Will Smith for Fresh Prince... enough said. He is hilarious.
• Jerry Seinfeld, basically my all time favorite show is Seinfeld.
• Steve Carrell for the office, won't everyone agree?
• Amber Tamblyn for Joan of Arcadia, again wil not get nominated but is amazing.
• Someone from Degrassi. I don't think any of them will be considered because that is a show filmed in Canaga but is really popular. The only person that night be considered is the person who played Darcy who is going to star in the upcoming reproduction series of Beverly Hills 90210
• Ryan Secreast... I know I don't think they will consider him for a "TV show" but he should be nominated for best smile. It's GORGEOUS!

I might have to add more later because there are so many. what do you think of my list?

Vacation

Well my vacation has been good so far! William has been tormenting me more and I don't know what to do about it. Everyone says ignore it or walk away, but it's different with William. You can't do that. And he claws... he digs his nails into me and I can barely type because where he scratched me is lying on the computer and it hurts. I don't know how much more I can take. 

Well Sports Camp was another successful year. I still have one more week of it and I am very grateful. It was so much fun because one of the days we went to the Yacht Club and pretended to be rich and stuff, it was so much fun! They also had a slide that went into the water which was so much fun to go down!

We have gone to Seaworld many times and I LOVE it there! We go many times each year. We went to see Elmo is 4D which was suprisingly good, I'm not even lying. If you do I recommend going. Kids will ADORE it. I just love walking around Seaworld and looking at all the different people that are there. It is so fun to see all the people that come from around the world and see them in one common place having fun. 

I have got to say that I LOVE the beach house. It has a spectacular view which I will have to post pictures of. I am in love with the beach and living on it for two weeks is heaven, there is no other word to describe the feeling of peace you have when you are here, which we better have for the price that we are paying! My mom calls it the "Beach Box" which sums it up pretty good. But it was much better than we thought that it was going to be. 

Well, I have also gotten some good reading it. I will have to recommend some books to you. I have read two so far that I can't say in any other way then they have changed my life so much, and for the better. I will have to loan you the one that I own. Well I hope I didn't bore you :). 

We're here!

Well, I am here in California. WE MADE IT! That's all I am going to right for now. Long, long, day. 

And yes, I think that it is appropriate to leave me a comment about what you have been up to and talk to me there. I am going to miss talking to people in Casa Grande and this is the only way I can think do do it, and YES that means you Sister Golding, Tina, Sister Mitchell, Kennedy, Shanci, Sister Manning, Sister Bautista and anyone else! 

4th of July and More!

Well as you all know yesterday was the 4th of July. It was a pretty average day for me including going to the movies. I went to go see the movie Hancock and I loved it!! I thought it was going to be dumb and have no moral other than gore is fantastic but I was wrong. I suggest everyone go see it.

I watched the Fireworks with Kennedy which was uneventful as fireworks normally are in Casa Grande. Now go to California for this holiday and there is something to talk about. Today, the 5th, is Kennedy's Birthday! She got a phone and is super excited. Tonight we are going to go to the mal for her birthday and do a scavenger hunt.

Well today is the day that William is going to come back after being gone for 2 week. I am both glad to see him and sad for what I know is going to come, the fights. I really an going to try to help myself with that but I don't know how much good that is going to do. Well I am glad that he has had a good time at camp. I am sure it was lots of fun!

I will post pictures and text about what went on at Kennedy's Party tomorrow. Until then reply and come back tomorrow!

Whatever I need to talk about is here! : )

This post is labeled "Whatever I need to talk about is here : )" because that is exactly what I am going to do, talk about what I want.

Now our mutual for a ward is moved to Tuesday which is totally inconvient for me. My dad is down there til about 9 or 9:30 on that night so each week I am going to have to wait for him so I can go home. Also it was so easy to go to Kennedy or Katie or Shanci's house and go to mutual with them but now I can't do that. Yesterday we had a marshmellow war. That was so much fun! We got pipelike things and you would but a small marshmellow in it and shoot it. Darrah kept getting me in my face from like 3 feet away and that really hurt!

Today I went to "babysit" my grandpa. Every Wednesday my grandma volenteers at the hospital and I go and watch grandpa. That was uneventful but entertaining since my grandpa says some hilarious things. Then Shanci and I went to see Wall- E which I really enjoyed. I am glad that I got to go with Shanci to that movie. I had a party on Monday night and when my hands aren't so tired I will talk about that.

"Mini Vacation" Ok... driving 6 hours one day and 3 hours the next!!

Ok so this weekend I got the chance to go on a mini vacation. Ok 6 hours of driving one day and 3 the next. We went up to Flagstaff where William had stayed the week to go the Band Camp. We watched his preformance... which included Honor Jazz since he made the top jazz band! Then it was off to Payson to take him to Boys Camp. Since the week he was at band camp was the EXACT week our troop from our ward went he had to go the provisional week which means that troop is for all the boys who couldn't do with thier troop for whatever reason. He had a good hike when we were there! Then we went to the hotel that had lots of suprises along the way. We were all tired by then so we didn't do much. Then today we drove home and here we are!! Lucky us.

Memories

Story Time...
Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2.Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. :) If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

PS- look at the post below to see an update on me. Comment that too!

Update

My life is hectic right now... I know, not too suprising. Well here is an update about what is going on:

• William is going to be gone for 2 weeks! One week has already passed. I know, it's sad. This week he was gone for band camp so tomorrow we are driving up to Flagstaff to see the concert.
• After that straight to Pason to take him to Scout Camp. Then we spend the night in Pason and come home the following day in the morning.
• Yesterday Kennedy and I went swimming. Then she came to my house and she spent the ngiht. This morning we went to babysit.
• I am planning a party for the coming Monday. It's not for any reason other than William is gone and my parents gave me permission. It will be at my grandmas apartment.
• We found the blanket that Kennedy made me!! Brother Adams had it. We had giveen up hope.

So these are the major things that are going on right now. There are lots more but I am not gonig to bore you with them. What do you think?

Longest Post Ever!

Just to warn you this is going to be a long post... :). I hope that you don't mind and read the whole thing and comment.

Ok so today in church I was asked to give a talk about camp. I really enjoyed everyone and I thought that mine was pretty good. It went something like this (I am going to have to remember from memory so bare with me):

Good Afternoon brothers and sisters. My name is Katie Russell. Today I was asked to give a talk about camp. First off I want to talk about the most amazing and fun thing you can do at camp: and that's the hike. (I don't think that people got that that was a joke). I was very proud of myself because this year I did not hurt myself. I was not one of the first to finish but I did it without complaining and suprisingly I enjoyed some of it. The only thing that I don't get is why they always say,"Take a look at nature while you are hiking." I don't know how you are suppose to do that when you are always looking at the ground! Well, I guess I could tell you something about nature and that is what kind of rocks were on the hike.

While I was up at camp I had some issues with my anxiety. I was proud of myself because I worked through it and I am thankful to all the girls for helping me. I guess that Sister Johnson told my mom that she knew the anxiety was coming when I started pacing. I hadn't even realized that I did that. I learned something neww about me at camp.

To be truthful I was not that excited to come to camp this year. It's a hot place and I am not a nature kind of girl. I mean I think that it is pretty but I don't love being outside. We had fun last year but it was not enough to make me want to come again this year. I enjoyed the leaders last year. It was nice this year getting to know new leaders. Last year I knew both the leaders before camp and this year I got to meet new people. I am so glad that Sister Johnson and Sister Mitchell got to come and I am glad that they helped me through camp.

Last year was a fun experience but I always made the assumption that at camp you got this big spiritual filling that I did not get. I mean I felt the spirit but I didn't in the way I thought I would. This year I went to camp not thinking I would get it but hoping that I would and what do you know, I got it. Last year I just thought it was going to be handed to me but this year I looked for it and felt it and let in then rather than just expecting it to be there and not doing anything and then being disappointed when nothing camp of it.

I loved both years of camp. This year was spiritual and last year was fun. I honestly don't know what to expect for next year because both years were so different. I will go there hoping to find fun and the spirit. Sister Mitchell was always saying, "Camp is what you make it." I truely believe that. You do there thinking you are going to have the spirit you will. I know now that if you just expecting it to be there it will not be there. You have to look for it. And I say these things on the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Now I know that it was longer than that but that is basically what I said. I hope that you enjoed that. Moving on to the next thing I want to talk about. Sister Adams talked today in Young Women about trials and oppistionns. She said some things that really opened my eyes. Did you know that when Elder Maxwell had cancer that he said after a while he realized that he had it so that he could teach the poeple of the church better?! I don't know if I could ever admit that to myself. Ever trial that we have it for a reason whether you recognize it or not. I will post more later about this talk tomorrow... I really want to discuss it but my hands are betting tired!

I spent.....

The whole weekend excited for....





Oh ya, and I hung out with Shanci and had an amazing time. We played Wii, went shopping, saw a movie, babysat for the Bradshaws, went to Sonic, make smoothies, watched Camp Rock, listened to music, computer, and took pictures. I had an amazing time! =]

Girls Camp

So.... now that I posted pictures I am going to talk a little about girls camp. I was asked to five a talk about camp this coming Sunday so we are going to have to see how that goes.

First, I have to say that this year I had amazing camp directors. Sister Mitchell and Sister Johnson are amazing. They spent their own money for us. We ended up getting 3 shirts, 2 bags, a thing to cover your eyes, a necklace, a hair pin, candy, sweatband, bandana, and bracelets. I think that was one of the best parts, seeing that our leader's cared enough to do that.

I also really enjoyed testimony rock. I posted many pictures of testimony rock on the post below. It was very spiritual. I think that it is amazing to see exactly where the fire and how "coincidently" it did not get our camp. That has to mean something in terms on the church.

I loved it when we did the scavenger as the ward. I think that was a great way to build frindships in the ward and to work together and show our shine as a "star." I applaude whoever came up with this fantastic idea. I really think that we had a good stake this year.

I would also like to talk about the program what was put on this year. I knew everyone who sang and talked at the program and I felt special. I really like seeing precious sing because I could tell that that was hard for her but she did it anyway because she loved the lord. Jessica was amazing- that is the only was to discribe it. And myriah is so musically talented. She is going to go far in life. It made you feel the spirit.

I would like to point out to Sister Golding that I finished the hike this year... in the FRONT! I was one og the first ones the whole way and it came easily to me. I didn't complain once... I was very proud. That was also a good experience.

So that is a small synopsis of my camp. Hope you read the whole thing.

Camp '08 Pictures

Well....

Yesterday I got my back brace. It hurts and digs into my hips but I guess it is going to be worth it in the long hull. Last time the flight was horrible and things like that but this time it all went smoothly.