Friday, August 31, 2012

Have you ever desired to live in your refrigerator?  Since my parents decided to save some money by turning off the air conditioning, I would kill for a night in the refrigerator. I feel as though I could take a shower hourly and still not become cooled off and unsweaty.

Today I didn’t do any school work, but instead went grocery shopping with my mom and then took my brother and sister to the Family Christian Bookstore. On Wednesday I took my siblings to Dairy Queen. It was the first time I drove the car without an adult. We obviously made it there and back safely. It was a new door of freedom. At first I claimed that I would never leave the house without an adult, but that didn’t last more than a couple of hours. It is wonderful to have the freedom to drive places and because my dad is not home I have been claiming his car as my own.

Normally we don’t do anything over Labor Day weekend to celebrate, but this year we were invited over for dinner and a birthday celebration on Sunday and either lunch or dinner on Monday. Daddy will also be home hopefully sometime before I go to bed tonight. Right now he is stuck in Labor Day traffic. Ugh!

I just got the Jamie Grace “One Song at a Time” CD and the Britt Nicole “Gold” CD. I have been waiting for them to go on sale. I absolutely LOVE Britt Nicole for both her words and music. I like Jamie Grace’s lyrics, but she is still too new for me to know whether I “LOVE” her or not. I have been listening to them constantly since I brought them home from the store, but I put them on my I-pod then I dropped my I-pod in the water while doing dishes. I think my I-pod is now officially done for. It is flickering on and off and won’t respond to my touch. I guess I did really want an I-phone although I haven’t saved up enough for one right now. I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Tonight we went to the pool for probably the last time in summer 2012. L Summer is officially ending and it is quite sad since summer is my absolute favorite season. I am looking forward to the scents of fall, fall traditions, and my 17^th birthday. It is hard to believe I am going to be 17 this October. Just one year away from being considered an adult! Yikes!! I’m trying not to wish this time away, but it is going quicker than I ever imagined.

 My 1st drive...alone!!!

Well time for a Friday night movie with popcorn!!! J

TAYLOR R. GOOD

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

I GOT MY LISCENSE TODAY!!! I went in and took the driving test and passed! I have officially completed one of my goals! Also I am almost positive that I will complete at least most of the other goals I listed in my August 11^th post before 1 year goes by.

On Monday my art class partner wasn’t able to show up and I was supposed to draw her so we improvised and I drew my brother instead. I don’t blame her for not showing up to be drawn by me. I have no drawing ability whatsoever. I think I might begin to like English class more now that I have gotten to know the teacher a little better. She is also my drama teacher and I love her spunky teaching style. Next week I will begin Latin sadly, but on the bright side my Monday and Tuesday classes will be on Labor Day break.

So for an update…

On Sunday I went home with some friends of mine and we spent the afternoon swimming. I forgot to take picture at the pool. Oh well. That night I played Ultimate Frisbee or at least attempted to.

On Monday I had art which I mentioned above and made a quick video, but it won’t be posted for a while.

On Tuesday I had classes and gave an introduction speech in speech class. If you would have heard me say it, you would have thought the fast forward button was stuck. I spoke quicker than I ever have spoken before. One person filled out their listener response sheet and the only thing they wrote was VERY HYPER! I guess nervousness brings out my speedy side.

Today I took the driving test, got my license, and did homework. Also if you are going to take the driving test remember to practice parallel parking. I parked almost correctly, but not enough to really count as parallel parking. My instructor let me get by with it because it was fairly close to what I was supposed to do and I had proved to her that my other parking abilities were good. Remember it is better to wait and take your time than to become so nervous that you try to rush through it. Also if you are taking the written portion of the test study the signs and you will get a large majority of the answers correct. It is good to know the driver’s manual forwards and backwards, but I noticed that the signs seemed to be the most important to them. Lastly if you look out into the world and see how many people have their driver’s license, you will realize that there are more people with their license, at least in the United States, then there are without. That should be of some consolation to you knowing that getting your license is some work and a lot of practice, but anyone can do it and many people do accomplish it. Also God already knows what will happen when you sit down to take that test. If it is his will for you to pass, then you will. Otherwise just keep on working at it.

Your friend and driving counselorJ,

Taylor

 

 My friend's pretty pink pointe shoes

 This was Sunday night with my youth Pastor and his wife (very funny)

Chandler, my brother, is a part of the puppet team. He is in the back row holding up the grandpa with gray hair or if you look just to the right of the cross in the background.

As a reminder my mom also has a blog. Here is the link:
http://6goods.blogspot.com/

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Yesterday I completed all my homework for my Tuesday classes except I am stuck on trying to write a 1-3 minute speech about myself. There is too much I have to say in so little time.

Today I filmed two more videos that I hope to post soon. One of them is how I create an everyday neutral eye look and the other is a tutorial on how to clean make-up brushes. Also I hope to start another blog devoted to Beauty. I will be able to put my YouTube videos up on that blog and talk about Beauty products and things of that same nature. If and when I do, I will post a link on this blog so you can find it more easily.

I know August has not come to a close yet my September schedule is already quite filled up. This September my mom and I are going to a girls conference called “True Woman.” I have never been and am sooo excited to go. Hopefully this time will not only deepen my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ, but also be great mother daughter bonding time. The conference will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center from September 20-22. Their web address is:

http://www.truewoman.com/?id=1740

I will absolutely blog after the trip and tell of all the great memories we created. I also hope, if I remember my camera, to vlog the trip. If you don’t know what vlogging is, it is essentially blogging with a video camera. If you haven’t signed up yet I would highly recommend it.

Here are some cranberry orange muffins that I made recently. They taste heavenly and if you haven’t tried the “Tastefully Simple Orange Cranberry Muffin mix” I would highly recommend trying them. They are so simple to make, look beautiful, and taste delightful.

 

 

Your friend,

Taylor

Here are three videos that I made a few days ago. Remember to like them and comment on them! Thanks!!!:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDQwXnU2WLM&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LBPzauIXKQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSqdS_cXrbs&feature=plcp

As a disclaimer everything that I write on my blog is not sponsored in any way unless specifically mentioned.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

School has officially started and all I can say is AAAHHHHH! My wise mother took my I-pod and camera away for this first week of school so as to not have any distractions. Just in the first few days I’ve realized I have zero abilities in drawing, know very little about U.S. history, stumble on my words when speaking in front of people, and confirmed I do not like learning English. On the other hand I am a few weeks ahead in Bible class, absolutely LOVE marine biology, am enjoying an easy beginning in pre-calculus, and cannot wait for the drama cast list to be sent out. Latin and drama classes won’t start up until September making life a little sweeter, but only a little.J

Yesterday I took the written portion of the driving test and after about 20 minutes, I passed! Yea!!! Next Wednesday I will hopefully be taking the driving portion of the test and pass. If I do pass I will be able to finally get my license. After waiting over a year to complete the driver’s education course, get a permit, drive 40 hours during the day and 10 at night, have 6 instructed drives, memorize the drivers manual, take a written test, and take the driving test then and only then can I go and get my license. What a long and drawn out process this has been. At least it is almost over.

Grayson celebrated his 10^th birthday. He wanted an I-pod touch, but there was a misunderstanding and he got a Nano instead. We will probably return it as soon as possible so he can get his I-pod touch. He also wanted a certain kind of Nerf gun and scooter both of which he got. He had a Lego themed birthday with all of his church friends. If you look in the pictures you’ll notice that he is sharing his birthday party with his friend who also has an August birthday. The moms decided sharing the party would be easier than to have two separate parties two weeks in a row.

 Lego rice krispies                              Birthday cake                  

 Obstacle race with hard boiled egg on a spoon (left: team1 Grayson's team; right: team2 Trey's team)

Afterwards we hung out with Grandpa and Grandma

 

Your friend,

Taylor Good

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Well recently I have been finalizing my school schedule. This year I will be attending a school that requires school uniforms. I will also be aiding in an elementary Latin and piano class along with a middle school financial class. My schedule is filling up sooo quickly. Hopefully I will get a few more jobs though.  On Monday’s I will be aiding from 10:00- 12:00, then from 12:00-12:30 is lunch, from 12:30- 1:30 I have study hall, from 1:30- 2:30 I have fine arts, then from 2:30- 3:30 I have another study hall, then from 3:30- 5:30 I have drama. Then on Tuesday’s I have English from 10:00- 12:00, then from 12:00- 12:30 is lunch, from 12:30- 1:30 is study hall, from 1:30- 2:30 is speech, 2:30- 3:30 is U.S. History, 3:30- 4:30 I am aiding. On Wednesday’s and Friday’s from 8:00- 9:15 I have Latin II. I will be taking my pre-calculus, marine biology, and bible class at home. If you didn’t already know I do customized schooling, which means I go to different private and public groups for my schooling along with some classes at home. Customized schooling is a kind of homeschooling. I personally really like it. I don’t know what my evening schedule looks like yet.

This Saturday is my youngest brother’s tenth birthday. He will be having a Lego themed birthday party combined with his friend Trey, who also has an August birthday. He is extremely excited and is hoping to get an i-pod touch as his number 1 gift this year.

Today I made baked oatmeal. If you have not ever made it I would highly recommend making it. I just got the recipe off the computer, but I have a really good recipe from my best friend. It is wonderful as an after dinner dessert or sweet treat in the middle of the day. Since oats are the number 1 ingredient, this is a very filing dessert or snack. My friend has this as her birthday breakfast treat and I look forward to it about as much as she does. J It is fairly simple to make, but it does take about an hour or so in the oven.

Sorry I don't have any new pictures yet. :/

Random fact...
Since we just had the Olympics. Did you know that only 1.34% of the gold medal is actual gold.

Did you know that there are only two countries in the world that do not sell Coca-cola- North Korea and Cuba

Well that's all for now. Your friend,
Taylor

Monday, August 13, 2012

Yesterday I went out for lunch with two friends of mine. It was a tradition that when we were younger “Auntie Jen” would take us to a restaurant and teach us to try new foods and learn new cultures. On Sunday we had a reunion. We went to a restaurant called Sonata where they only serve “tapas” which are a traditional food from Spain that mean “little rug.” No we did not eat little rugs, but rather enjoyed smaller portioned dishes. Between the three of us, we split 5 tapas.  There was the Empanada that had a flaky biscuit outside and a chimichurri sauce, the Risotto which had rice, vegetables, and was my personal favorite, the Giotto that looked too beautiful to eat, the Dedo de Pollo that had a most unique flavor with its bacon wrapped chicken placed on a dish with spicy apricots and apples, and the Pescado Mediterraneo which was tilapia with sautéed vegetables. We dined al fresco (outdoors), since it was a lovely day. For dessert we had Panna Cota. I’m not quite sure how to describe it other than it was smooth and sort-of custard like. Although I am not a big fan of custard, I did like this. After many hours of talking, our reunion had to come to a close. When I arrived home I decided to bake some banana bread. There is a really easy recipe at SimplyRecipe.com. Later that night the rest of my family came home. Today we worked on school, went grocery shopping, and I started preparing my notebooks for classes that start next week. Oh it seems to be coming up so quickly. Here are a few pictures...

 Empanadas

 Risotto

 Giotto

 Me (Taylor), Lindsay, Auntie Jen 

 Panna Cota

 Banana bread!!! Yum!!!

This is a friend of mine who has just left for college. Her name is Molly and I am ever so sad to see her go. She has always been someone who was there for me through it all. As it is hard to see her go, I know she is just begining a new part of life that will bring along new friends and memories. If you would pray for her, Abby, Nathan, and Luke that would be much appreciated. These are just a few of the people who will be starting off on thier own this year leaving thier parents and exploring the college life.
Your friend and sister in christ,
Taylor

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Today I had my last day of SAT preparation class!!!! Yea! Essentially it was SAT boot camp. It has given me the confidence to take the SAT and know that if I follow a few rules I can be a SAT machine.  At lunch I had a good discussion on the importance of college. Talking about different things, such as college, helps me develop what I want to do with my life. I have always wanted to leave high school, get married, and have kids. Today I realized that my idea of a “perfect life” is probably not going to happen and has made me think more about actually going to college.  I know how hard it is for even college educated men and women to get jobs, little lone being un-college educated. If you have input on what to do after high school I would love to hear whether by e-mail or in the comment box below. The conversation became a little tense and if you are reading this and were a part of the conversation and felt hurt by the conversation I would like to personally ask for forgiveness because during the conversation everyone was convinced that they knew what was best, but the best is different for everyone. Afterwards I stayed and helped clean up since the director was my ride home. Now I am at home doing laundry.

New vocabulary words – quintessential… perfect example; pulchritudinous… beautiful

VERY FUNNY ...........

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=should%20math%20be%20taught%20in%20school%20miss%20usa&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CEEQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9QBv2CFTSWU&ei=5PAmUNvRD6yayQGc_IHgBA&usg=AFQjCNGvARFiSZdBG0W-alHoqPXUYjy3ug&sig2=U1hIvZ-5i_AYOjwk0JMtdg

I also was told by a friend of mine to look up and listen to a few songs from a group called “Smashing Pumpkins.” Their songs are unique. Honestly I am at a loss for words to describe their group. I think I like the lyrics of their songs better than the music, but I need to listen to the songs a few more times before I can give an overall report on their music. Recently I have been listening to a song by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen called “Good Time” and a few songs by Cher Loyd, specifically “Love me for me” because of the guitar and some of the words.

Also a follow up on the lip balms I bought earlier this week. There was no notable difference when I used the night balm, but I diligently put on lip balm so a Night Balm is not necessary for me. My lips are usually plenty hydrated and soft. The Mentha Supreme is wonderful because it not only moisturizes, but also gives off a breath freshening aroma. I will probably be purchasing it again. The My Favorite lip balm has been one of my personal favorites for its moisturizing abilities, scent, and the way it looks after applied.

Last night I went to my friends sweet sixteen party. We talked and played Ultimate Frisbee and talked and ate and talked and opened presents and talked and had fun out under the stars and talked and played another game and did I mention we talked. J Yes when you get girls together there must be talking. I had a lot of fun and realized I can sort of catch and throw a frisbee. With a little more practice I might actually stand a chance playing with the youth group. I got home close to midnight and by the time I finished getting ready for bed and doing the SAT class homework it was close to 1:30 when I could finally close my dreary eyes and go to sleep for a few hours before waking up and preparing for another day of intense SAT training.

School is coming right around the corner and I figured that I should have some sort of goals. This is not anywhere near an exhaustive list, but here are just a couple of the things I plan on achieving or I just think might be fun…

       I.            Get A’s as my overall grades in each class

   II.            Become good friends with 10 new people

III.            Say a prayer of everything I am thankful for each day

 IV.            Keep up with my journaling

    V.            Get my driver’s license before Christmas

 VI.            Eat a new type of food

VII.            Do something that scares me

VIII.            Take the SAT

 IX.            Figure out what my major is going to be in college

     X.            Do my devotions diligently each night

 XI.            Smile frequently

XII.            Go to the movie theatre in the early hours of the morning

XIII.            Throw yogurt at a squirrel (Thank you Anna!)

XIV.            Get all dressed up- the dress, the shoes, the hair, the works!

XV.            Learn how to do something new

Okay I am going to stop there for now before I make too many commitments.

Your friend, sister, daughter, niece, granddaughter, acquaintance,

Taylor

Friday, August 10, 2012

On Wednesday my family had planned on going to the state fair, but that didn’t seem to work out. Instead I spent the day with some of my friends at the fair. I’m not a big country music fan, but my friends are, so we went and saw Easton Corbin. He was performing on the free stage at the fair. At the end of the concert my friend got her picture with him. We rode rides until it started pouring down rain. We were stuck in a torrential downpour. When we finally made it to the van, I could ring out my clothes because they were so completely soaked. I don’t have a curfew yet although I know another phone call to my worried parents wouldn’t have hurt. Thankfully I made it home around mid-night. The next morning our cleaning ladies came in while I was warming up my voice for my drama auditions. Oh well. J Auditions seemed to go okay. I am not a confident singer, but I can act. I won’t know if I made it until a few weeks go by. Hopefully I can find out sooner. The musical will be “Anne of Green Gables.” After auditions our family went to the state fair. My little brother received a blue ribbon for his entomology project. Yea! I ate sooo much food at the fair. After walking around looking at animals, eating food, and watching lumber jacks, me and two of my siblings went to Great Times. My brother and sister went go karting while I sat and talked. Today was my first day of SAT prep. Class. What fun… not! This class seems to be extremely helpful, but I won’t really know until I take the SAT. Thankfully I only have one more day of it and then I will be done! Tonight I am going to my friends sweet sixteen party. I can’t wait! Until then…

Taylor

Monday, August 6, 2012
Last night I spent catching up with a friend of mine. It is hard to believe that it had been over two years since we had last hung out. The whole night was spent talking and laughing about life. This morning we made our own breakfast complete with eggs, sausage, muffins, V-8 smoothies, and coffee, of course with creamer. We set the table and made everything look perfect. Then we went to the mall and came back with only a couple dollars. :) I really like shopping, espeacially when it comes to beauty products. I have shelves full of make-up and girly things that I have tried out. I always love being able to share with other girls different beauty secrets and products that work the best for me. Right now I'm trying out a lip balm from Bath and Body Works. It is called My Favorite Night Balm. You are supposed to put it on before you go to sleep and leave it there for eight hours. Then in the morning I hope to have highly moisturized lips. I'll tell you how well it works later. Today I went in many store and used a lot of restraint to on come home with a few items instead of something from every store. Right now I really like the stores H&M and Forever 21.Here are some pictures...

Our hardy breakfast

1)  "Paris Nights" body lotion(BW)          2)Wall flower and "Sensual Amber" fragrance(BW)

3) floral flip-flops(Aero)         4) 3 of my new favorite lip balms and a holder(BW) 

BW= Bath and Body Works
Aero= Aeropostale

I can't wait to try everything out! I wore the shoes around the house and they are surprizingly comfortable. I don't normally buy things from Aeropostale but me and my friend decided to buy a matching pair of shoes. I really like the floral design on them. Also "Paris Nights" is a newer fragrance that i have come to love. It has a heavenly sweet aroma. The lip balms are either in the process of being tested or are already my absolute favorites. I neede a wall flower since I can't burn candles in my room. This just so happened to be a good time to buy one so I did. I haven't used it yet so I can't give my opinion on it. Today has been fun yet tiresome. Tomorrow my dad will be back in town so I must go to sleep now and get some rest.

Your Friend,
Taylor

Saturday, August 4, 2012
Well recently life has been an uphill battle, full of a little bit of everything. Yesterday was hopefully the lowest point and the rest is all up hill, although uphill is always the hardest to achieve. Thankfully through it all I was still able to be with my friends and find joy. Late last night I and my friends did a video scavenger hunt. If you didn't know, a video scavenger hunt is where you have a crazy list of things to do and you video tape yourselves doing them. For example we filled up a random strangers car with $0.50 of gas, asked a McDonald's employee to sign a coffee cup and pose with it for a picture, and we wanted to throw yogurt at a squirrel, but couldn't find one. We also went to a carnival and some of us rode the very fast ferris wheel while others rode a ride that tilted sideways and spun in circles both forwards and backwards. Of course we spent most of the night talking and making crazy memories. I love my girlfriends!
Today we cleaned the windows and their screens. Then we quickly cleaned out the van before the rain started coming. They were predicting deadly lightening and damaging hail. Either they mispredicted the weather or we just so happened to be exempt from the danger. Libby needed a walk, but it was raining so we attempted to put her on the treadmill. The first time was a failure, but after a little coaxing she reluctently walked on the treadmill. I have a video of her down below. She is adorable and a very good pet.

 (Chandler was at Ethan's)

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Yesterday I got my hair colored a beautiful dark auburn color. I absolutely love it!

This year I will be taking Fine Arts, Drama, Grammar and Composition, Speech, U.S. History, Latin 2, Pre-Calculus, and Marine Biology. I also will be aiding in some younger kids classes. I can't wait for school to start up again! I am organizing all of my school supplies and working out my school schedule. Recently I have been occupying my time by listening to music and making videos of myself doing different things. As soon as I figure out how to edit them a little I will post some of them up for veiwing.

Also on Monday my brother, his friend, my mom, and myself all went out for dinner and then watched Ice Age- the continental drift.

 Waiting for our dinner at Johnny Rockets, an old fashioned 50's diner. They sang and danced for us.

The movie was good, but not one of my favorites. Although I'm not the biggest fan of watching movies so you might want to ask one of my sibblings. I am now going to work on memorizing my speech for my drama audition. Please pray for me on August 9th! I will be auditioning for our school play.

Here is the follow-up post!

I cannot express how thankful I am to have been apart of this joyous occasion. Everyone was happy and the hour long wait was well worth it. Thank you Chick-fil-a!!!!!



Coming soon... My new hair color!!!

Wednesdasy, August 1, 2012
Okay, from now on my posts will be more of everyday life here in the States or if I take a trip somewhere else. Today we went and supported Chick-fil-a in thier belief against gay marriage. I am a Christian and I believe with all my heart that marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman. In Genesis 2:24 it says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Obviously there is one male and one female.

There were sooo many people that we waited in line for almost an hour! The line of cars extended way out onto State Road 37!

Okay so I have tried to post another video on here, but my computer is not letting me so i will create a second follow-up post.