Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The snow lasted just long enough for us to enjoy a White, uh. . . Christmas Eve. It rained last night, so now we have a white/green Christmas. Anyway, the snow was very fun for the few days that it was on the ground. It was perfect packing snow, allowing us to make awesome snowballs and snowmen.

For some reason, we open presents, go to church, and have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, but we open stockings on Christmas Day. I just finished looking through my stocking, but the boys have been done for hours and have already managed to absolutely destroy the family room with a mixture of Christmas Eve and Christmas presents. We got many satisfying presents in our stockings, such as: Pez candies, cheap recorders, candy canes, Slinkies, and cans of "Silly String", which spray out long strands of annoying, sticky string with merciless rapid-fire. Ben has succeeded in covering my room, his room, and the family room with Silly String, which also smells really bad. Also, I cannot forget to mention the foot-long Slim Jims that Ben and I each got!

As if these presents weren't enough, we opened our big Christmas presents last night. We were very happy to have Beth and her son A.J. with us for the second year in a row. We also invited our friend Dean over to enjoy some fellowship and present-opening. After a delicious Christmas dinner and church, we all gathered around the Christmas tree for the main event. The event that the kid-world revolves around. Present opening!

We're not that vain and self-centered, so we gave my mom an unexpected present for her to open first. It was a. . . drum roll. . . new video camera! It wasn't just any video camera, though. It was a tiny, blue video camera with a touchscreen that can also take pictures! As can be expected, my mom didn't have a clue how to work it, but somehow I figured it out in about 7.43 seconds. She taped us opening our presents, including a whole lot of army guys, swords, and Legos. However, I got a few Calvin and Hobbes, a Donald Driver jersey, an unbelievably warm sweater, a Packers calender, Packers cups, some detective/mystery novels, a new hockey stick, and a Wii game called, "Hidden Mysteries, Titanic". It has multiple endings and I'm already anxious to play it by looking at the cover!

I hope you had a great Christmas and rejoiced in the birth of our Savior! Merry Christmas!

Birthday!

Usually, one invites friends to come and sleep over at their house on their birthday, but I spent the night at a friend's house last night for my 12th birthday. It wasn't exactly what you would call a real birthday party, it was just a party that happened to be on the night before my birthday with a lot of friends. I think there were 8 girls there, plus my friend Ashley's younger brother and two of his friends.

We played Apples to Apples and a game called, "How Well Do You Know Me?" I wrote down the answers to questions about my favorite food, color, etc. and everyone had to guess what my answer was. The results were rather embarrassing to my friends, because nobody got more than 8 right, and there were 16 questions!

For dinner tonight we had delicious Cuban sandwiches, Lay's chips, and cream soda (out of all the meals I've ever had, that's what I wanted for my birthday dinner!).

After dinner I opened up my presents. I got a pair of warm, fluffy crocs and an Agatha Christie book called, (get ready for a creepy title) And Then There Were None. Normally I'm not one for murder and violence, but when it comes to Agatha Christie, I could spend all day reading her exciting, suspenseful mysteries full of unexpected twists and surprises! Sounds like I'm advertising, doesn't it?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading And Then There Were None, wearing my new crocs, and enjoying the thirteenth year of my life!

Holy Cross Christmas Concert

On Sunday, Holy Cross had it's annual Christmas Concert to celebrate the birth of our Lord. Both Ben and I were in it, he in the Chapel Choir and I in the Junior Choir. In all, there were 25 instrumentalists and three choirs: the Senior, Junior, and Chapel Choirs.

The Junior Choir sang Psallite (a song in Latin and German written by Michael Praetorius in the 16th century), Born 'Neath a Star, The Holly Carol, and a jazzy version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (in case you're wondering what I meant by "jazzy", the song included snapping and singing the syllable, "doom" - in this case referring to a bass guitar).

The orchestra played a few songs, as well as the Bell Choir (yes, the played Carol of the Bells). The Senior Choir and Chapel Choir performed their pieces, and then at the end of the concert, everyone sang as one massed choir. We sang O Holy Night, Away in a Manger, and last but definitely not least, the never-gets-old, Christmas tradition, Silent Night.

The concert was a complete success, and if you don't believe me, you can ask my friend Sydney (her blog is familypizzazz.blogspot.com), because she was there along with her great-grandmother and her father.

NFL Week 15

Once again I had to miss most of NFL Week 15 because of a Christmas concert! Ironic, that. Anyway, the Packers put up a valiant fight against the Pittsburgh Steelers - even taking the lead with one minute to go in the fourth quarter - but Pittsburgh ended up winning on the last play of the game.

It would've been more heart-wrenching if we saw it on TV, so it's probably good that we didn't watch it.

I don't know what happened to our pass defense and Mason Crosby, but they just didn't seem to function properly yesterday. For instance, Mason Crosby missed a 20 YARD FIELD GOAL! 20 YARDS! AND HE MISSED! Just think, if he would've made that field goal, we would've won the game. But Mason Crosby isn't the only factor to our loss. The pass defense just couldn't stop Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers.




Oh well, we're 9-5, and if we beat Seattle next week then I'm pretty sure we'll have a playoff spot. And that's nothing to sneeze at (got that one from my dad).

Moving on, the Saints are no longer undefeated, losing to Dallas last Sunday. I have no idea why people are making such a big deal about this, seeing how they're still 13-1. Now that's nothing to sneeze at. Also, the Carolina Panthers beat Benedict Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. Whoopee! And the last big news is that Oakland pulled off another win against Denver. (Oakland is so bad, but they seem to beat such good teams: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Denver).

Busy Week

For the Holy Cross Junior Choir, this past week has been chaotic and hectic, but all fun and games at the same time.

On Monday we went Christmas caroling at the Lutheran Home and The Town House. On Tuesday we had our only day off, and on Wednesday we went to a downtown Wells Fargo to sing at their Christmas party. On Thursday we went downtown again, but this time we sang at many different places, including the courthouse, Coney Island (where we got a free lunch), the firehouse, the Catholic cathedral, St. Paul School, the office of the architect that designed the music branch at Holy Cross, and the MAYOR'S OFFICE! Yes, we got to sing for the mayor, and afterward we got a picture with him and a handshake.

And now for the grand finale. You will be shocked and amazed. On Friday we got up at 4:00 a.m. You are probably thinking to yourself, "Why would any sane person wake up at 4 in the morning?" To sing on the morning news with Ryan Elijah and Mary Collins, of course! We sang Christmas carols before and after every commercial break on the morning news. Seeing how they produce the news and being on TV really compensated for getting up before the sun! In fact, when we left the studio it was still dark out! After all the excitement we went to a nearby IHOP to enjoy a second breakfast. (By the way, you can see my choir perform Born 'Neath a Star at: http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/79604122.html. We don't sound our best because, um. . . it was 5 in the morning.)

We all got to school at around 9:00, and at 11:30 my class headed to the McMillen Ice Arena to go skating! It was a lot of fun, especially because the ice was really good, and I rarely get to skate on ice that isn't extremely bumpy and full of cracks.

After we went back to school my stomach started hurting (probably because of the huge breakfast) and the side affects of my lack of sleep started kicking in. All the choir members were half-asleep, and after a bite of pizza (I ate literally one bite), my friend's mom kindly offered to take me home. Unfortunately, I missed playing board games with my class, but I don't think I would've lasted much longer without a bed and a pillow.

So, all of this winds down to one thing. . . CHRISTMAS BREAK!

Christmas at the Embassy

My choir had the great opportunity to sing in Concordia High School's Christmas at the Embassy, a concert including an orchestra and about four choirs. We sang Glory to God in the Highest, Night of Silence, and Good Christian Men Rejoice with the Concordia High School choir and choirs from various schools.

The concert was very long, and we had to be there at 4:00 while it actually started at 6:00! Obviously, our heads started nodding when we weren't on stage. And the beautiful Christmas music didn't help, either.

The concert took a lot of effort, time, and energy, but in the end it definitely paid off. I am extremely glad that I got to be a part of it.

Basketball

Basketball season is going really well for the Crusaders. My junior varsity team is currently 4-0. Yesterday we beat Concordia (a very good team) 24-11. If we keep this up, we might be looking to repeat as Concordia Invitational champions and bring home another trophy.

The varsity team isn't doing as well. I've played in two games for them, winning one and losing one. The team that we lost to was EXTREMELY good, though. Hopefully I can help the varsity team win a few more games.

NFL Week 14

NFL Week 14 didn't have many unexpected surprises or underdog victories, like last week (Oakland beat Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh!). The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts are still undefeated, New England beat Carolina despite Randy Moss' halfhearted attempt, the Chargers beat New York, the Vikings beat Cincinnati (phooey), and the Packers beat Chicago at Soldier Field. Sadly, I had to miss most of the game because of a Christmas concert I sang in.

When I left, we were ahead by a lot, but my dad reports that in the second half the Bears took the lead, but in the end, our outstanding defense and new-and-improved offensive line were able to come back and take home a win.

So far things are looking very bright for Green Bay. We're 9-4, which basically means we only have to win one more game to secure a playoff spot. Our schedule is looking tough - we play Pittsburgh and Arizona - but we will also play Seattle, who isn't very good. It's safe to say that we can beat Seattle if not Pittsburgh and Arizona. I'd say that despite early season downfalls, this season has been very satisfactory for the Mighty Pack.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

First of all, I would like to apologize for not blogging in so long. I can't say that there has been a lot going on, I just haven't gotten around to blogging.

So, as you know, a few uh. . . months ago was Thanksgiving. Like we always do, my family went to Crown Point to enjoy a great Thanksgiving dinner and spend some time with our family. While we were there, not only did we play Star Wars Battlefront 2 for approximately 3 hours straight, but the Packers beat the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving football action. Both Donald Driver and Charles Woodson had superb games, but in the end Donald Driver got the little turkey trophy that they give to the MVP of each Thanksgiving Day game.



After Thanksgiving we went to Valparaiso to visit family on my dad's side. With my cousins Sarah and Aaron, I succeeded in making possibly the biggest block tower ever created by mankind. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it was immense.

After visiting our Valpo relatives, we returned to Crown Point to see the new movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the book by Roald Dahl. It was a very original, unique movie that was funny at times.

After all our Thanksgiving excitement we headed home. So far a lot has happened, including:
1. My basketball team is currently undefeated! Our toughest game thus far has been Suburban Bethlehem, but we still beat them 26-9. Unfortunately, I sprained my finger during the game and I have a nasty bruise on my knee and head. As you can probably tell, Suburban Bethlehem is a very aggressive team.
2. The Mighty Pack (Green Bay has now officially regained the title "Mighty") beat the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football! Unfortunately I didn't get to watch it because we don't have cable and the game was on ESPN, but my dad went and saw it at a bar. So far we are 8-4. Slowly but surely, we're getting better.
3. We got our midterm report cards back. For the third time in my life I got straight A's! That puts me in the high honor roll, which I was in last quarter. I'm so excited!
4. I got invited to join the varsity basketball team for 5 games this season! I already played in one game, in which we suffered a crushing loss, 36-6.
5. Christmas season officially began (at least in my mind; Lowe's starts putting out Christmas decorations in late August)! Our Christmas decorations went up, and so did our Christmas tree. It's once again the most wonderful time of the year!
6. It has snowed 4 times but hasn't stuck yet. We're supposed to get 3 inches tonight, so hopefully we'll get at least a 2 hour delay!