changes

"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become." ~Unknown

This is the year of changes for me and my families. My sister is going to High School. I'm going to Middle School. My step-mom, sister, dad, and I are opening a bakery (see http://www.sallyssweetstuff.blogspot.com). I'm going to make new friends. I'm going to have more homework. I'm going to be in track and cross country. There's more, too, I just dont want to go on and on. My life isn't being turned upside down, it's not like I'm moving, or anything. Yes, I'm going to a new school. Yes, I'm only 12 and have a job. Yes, when school starts, my schedule will be HUGE! But, my life isn't being turned upside down, just kinda moving around the board of new stuff. Please comment and tell me what changes you're going through- I'm sure everyone can name at least one :)

<3 Caroline

Cooking Class

Recently I went to a 2 day cooking class at Lake Geneva School of Cooking. My teacher was Chef John Brogan, and he was an excellent chef who taught us great little pieces of info and we cooked wonderful gourmet dishes.

On the first day, we cooked 5 Cheese Macaroni with Smoked Bacon (DA-LISH!), Chicken Teriyaki with Vegetable Fried Rice (WON-der-FULLL), Peanut Butter Truffles (Ick, I don't like peanut butter), and Berry Nachos (Baked tortillas covered in cinnamon and sugar, topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, berries, and shaved white chocolate...AWWWWW-some!). Day two we made Steak and Mushroom Kabobs with Grilled Pineapple (REEEALLY good), Potato Crusted Sea Scallops (Ick, I don't like seafood), and Grilled Pound Cake with Balsamic Berries and Vanilla Ice Cream (To DIE for!!!!). We made all of the dishes and then sat down at a nice table and enjoyed them.

It was really fun, and it helped me too. I love to cook, so this was AWWWWSOMEEEEEEE! Blog ya soon! BYE!

Crivitz, WI

On Friday, June 11, My cousins (Carolyn 13, Grant 15, Isaac 8), Isaac's friend (Nathan 8), Grant's fiend (Sam 15), My Grandparents (Papa Hohe, Gramma Sara), My Aunt and Uncle (Auntie Tam, Uncle Al), My Mom and Dad (Ma, Buddy), and I (Caroline) left for Crivitz, WI, which is about 3 hours "Up North" from where we all live. Crivitz is another one of my favorite places...we have campfires, go boating, play volleyball, stay up late, ride our paddle boat to the sand bar, have water balloon fights, go whitewater rafting, play outside night games (like Capture the Flag, Headless Horseman, and Ghosts in the Graveyard), swim in the lake, play on the raft, and go cliff-jumping!
Yes, you read me correctly, we go cliff jumping. First we drive about 15 minutes to the Peshtigo River and walk to the beach. Then we hike uphill to the cliffs. We count to three and...JUMP! We splash into the cold yet refreshing water and swim over to a rock where we dry off, climb back up the hill, and do it all again! Here's a video of me jumping in...

Also, I mentioned campfires. Now, these aren't your everyday, eating s'mores, family bonding campfires. These are your "Let's see what we can blow up in the fire!" campfires. Grant and Sam were the "blower-uppers" and usually are. (DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME, KIDS!) What they did was fill a glass bottle with bug spray, hair spray, bug fogger, sun screen, and pretty much anything else they could find that was flammable and came in a sprayable can. Then, they lit a sparkler and dropped it in the bottle which started a flame. They would let the bottle get really hot, then they picked up the bottle with a marshmallow fork and ran it to the lake and drop it in. The bottle would first explode with steam, then crack and shatter. The video below displays the two boys spraying the fire with OFF! and creating a huge flame. (Again...Don't try this at home :)

Skittles

Hey! What's that? It's a 2 inch long crested gecko named Skittles! My new friend! :o)

At my cousin, Carolyn's school auction, they had a bunch of stuff. As my step-mom and I were browsing, I saw a tank with a spray bottle, fake leaves, a fake log, and a little gecko in a container. I wrote my name down and bid $30, and guarded "my" gecko throughout the bidding time. After a couple of hours, the announcer said that the bidding time was over and to gather in the dining room for dinner. I squealed with excitement because I had just won a gecko for 30 bucks! Yay!

Skittles is a very energetic little guy, he always hops when I hold him. He's really cute and small, but he's not gonna be small for long. When I went to the reptile shop to buy supplies, there was an almost full-grown one. He was about as long as my hand (wrist to fingertip) and was fatter too. So Skittles is going to more than double in size in the next couple of months. I've had him for about three months.

I'll keep you posted on new pics I get of him 'cause he is going to get colorful along with his growth. Yay, Skittles!

The BOOK Project

As you may have read in one of my prior blogs (and if not, please scroll down to the post titled "my girl scout project"), I am doing my Junior GS Bronze Award community project. My service project is called The BOOK Project - Books Offer Opportunities to Kids!

If you would like to donate your previously enjoyed CHILDREN's books (or money for us to buy more books) you can comment on this post with your contact info.

The BOOK drive will continue through June 1st(ish) when I/we will give all of the donated BOOKs to a low-income school(s) in the Waukesha and/or Racine area. One of the schools we will be helping is Whittier Elementary School, in Waukesha, and is the school my Grandma Sara taught at for many, many years. This is not the only school we will donate to, but will be the first to receive your donations.

one of my favorite places

Colorado. Last summer, I went there with my family for vacation. It was absolutely spectacular. As I was looking back at pictures from our trip to put in this post, I realized how much fun it was. How amazing it was. The following pictures capture my vacation in a nutshell. I hope you enjoy them.


We went to an outdoor "concert" in Estes Park (the town we were staying in) and afterwards got ice cream.


This is my new friend, the moose. He's awesome.


We went off-road horseback riding up a small mountain. Woo hoo! Livin' on the edge!

Again at that "concert." Don't I look awesome with a cowboy hat?!


We went to a park to have lunch and, well, climb a mountain. There we are at the top.



There's the view you've been waiting for. Colorado's beauty.


While walking through the streets of Estes Park, we had a delicious pizza. Tony's statue inspired us to look like him.

While driving to a park, we spotted two elk in the meadow. Meet our friends, Bo and Shelly.
My cousin, Ryan, and I take in the view one afternoon.

After a long hike up a mountain, I relaxed and enjoyed the view.

This stream was our relief after that hike, everyone cooled off and got soaked.

Yeah, Colorado was awesome. It was breath-taking. Life-changing. Beautiful. Absolutely amazing. The worst part about it was having to get on a plane and leave.

my thoughts

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. -Buddha

I have been thinking lately. I have been trying to discover myself in the midst of people that surround me. I'm sure a lot of people have wondered about themselves before, wondered who they are. It helps to do something you love to do every day. For me, that's baking, playing with my friends, running around outside playing kickball, and being the crazy, lovable me.

I have also been thinking about other people. Everyone hides from something, and I can tell. I have been trying to uncover people, take them out of their shell. I have a lot of family and friends, so this is a big task.

I have thought about friendship and loyalty. One of my friend's friends was not loyal and hurt her feelings. I try to be the happy red balloon that keeps her smiling.

Almost every day I run to my friend's house that lives down the road and we play and talk for hours. It's great to know that there is someone that I can share my thoughts with.

It's hard, sometimes, to understand somebody's thoughts. Many times I can't understand my own. I wish, though, that I could go into somebody's head and know and understand what they are thinking. Each thought is not just a string of words, but a hope, a dream, a feeling, and with that we can change the world.