Trina the Crazy Big Sis

Hello, My Name is _____

2012-02-10T16:42:00.000-06:00

There's been a lot of discussion around here about baby names. Mom is due in June and we don't know the gender of the baby and haven't decided on a name, so there has been a lot of debate about it all.
Mom wants Joseph for a boy.
Weazy INSISTS on Charlotte for a girl.
Me and Bocker want Henry or George for a boy.
Dad wants Ole for a boy so we can have an Ole and a Lina (ba-dum-ching).
Matty likes Andrew and Stephen for boys names.

So you can see there will still be a lot more discussion about this before the poor little thing is born and officially named.

It got me thinking about what I would name my children if/when I have any. I remembered this post, and took the list and made a few modifications to it. (red=modifications, purple=new additions)

Girl:

~~Adelle~~ Can't use that now because of the singer. I like the name, but I would hate to be constantly associated with something other than my sparkling personality (think: Hurricane Katrina... :P)
~~Louisa~~
~~Jane~~
Cornelia Still love this one. I like the old-fashioned, slightly nerdy-sounding names. :)
~~Josephina~~ The little girls constant chatter about the American Girl named Josephina kind of ruined it for me. I don't want to name my daughter after a doll.
~~Violet~~ Violet Beauregarde. :P
~~Georgia~~
Emmilina I'd probably spell it Emmalina, but I still like the name.
Winifred. Again with the slightly nerdy, but I think it's cute!
Edith. It started with Despicable Me (I love all their names... so cute), but Downton Abbey sealed the deal with this one. She's an awful character, but I like how it sounds in those English accents.
Margo. While we're on the subject of Despicable Me...

Boy:

George Still like George.
Thomas Of course I still like Thomas... :)
~~Harrison~~ I thought I'd be able to disassociate the name from Harrison Ford, but I can't. Also, if the nickname was Harry, I can't even imagine all the Harry Potter jokes my family would make at his expense.
Charles I'm not really big on Charles, but I just really like Charlie, so I'll keep this one.
~~Daniel~~ Daniel is a good name, but I don't like Dan or Danny.
~~William~~ Reading this, Weazy just made the comment "Free Willy!", so there goes that name...
Henry.

What names would/have you name(d) your kids?

Photographic evidence of my hair fail

2012-02-03T14:52:00.001-06:00

Told you it was bad.

The Color Catastrophe

2012-02-02T21:51:00.001-06:00

This sort of started as a Facebook status, but it turned into a blog post, so here I am again!
Wow, two posts in one day, how lucky are you? ;)

So anyway, I decided I'm going to go do a "girl's day" tomorrow--with whoever is willing--as an excuse to go get my hair fixed since this color catastrophe is driving me crazy. :P I also need to get my bangs cut so they can hide the zits on my forehead and the fact that I suck at plucking my eyebrows. Maybe I didn't need to add that last part, but I had to get it out in the open.

And I'm sure inquiring minds are DYING to hear about my so-called "color catastrophe".
Well here goes, in painful, drawn-out detail, because that's how I roll (I inherited my story-telling abilities from my Dad, who doesn't understand the meaning of "summing it up"...)

A few weeks ago, Weazy and I went out to "the Walmarts" to buy some random essentials, but also the non-essential hair dye. Weazy wanted to be more ginger than she already is, so she picked out the bright-reddest shade, ah-la-Amy Adams, that she could find. And then I decided I wanted to color my hair, too. I wanted it to be noticeable, but not obnoxious, so I was looking at the more reddish colors. In true Trina fashion, I sat and pondered, weighed my options, listed pros and cons of each different color, and considered the outcome of every decision I could have possibly made. Meanwhile, my polar-opposite sister moaned and groaned in agony urging me to "JUST PICK ONE ALREADY". Finally I figured, "what the heck" and pulled a box off the shelf featuring a model with bright red hair... the exact shade Weazy chose. "Cool, we'll match!". I almost reconsidered, but our hair colors are different shades, so the color would turn out differently on each of us.
So, that night we ended up dying each other's hair since mom was too tired to do it for us like she usually does. It was a night of mass-hysteria and I'm surprised we made it out alive and didn't die of laughter and/or horror at just how pink the hair dye looked in our hair.
Anyway, it turns out I was right about it looking different for each of us. Weazy looked like a cute little Scottish girl, and I looked... the same. In the light you could see a slight red tint, but otherwise I was incredibly disappointed and feeling a little defeated.

So, a few days later, I picked up a box of color that claimed to be made specifically for dark hair and it looked pretty promising. It was a little more RED than I wanted, but I didn't think it would make that much difference. I ended up coloring my own hair with that one, since Weazy was feeling a little under-the-weather that day, and Mom was tired again, so I was on my own. Boy, was that a mistake. I missed full chunks of hair, hardly touched the bottom at ALL and it stayed on the top of my head for too long, so I came out of the shower with BRIGHT RED hair on top and the rest of my hair looking patchy and ridiculous and still brown.

Then, about a week ago, I bought a nice, normal auburn to even it all out and cornered my mother in the kitchen so she could fix it for me. But of course, just like the first color, it hardly made a dent. So my hair continues to be a patchy, half-red, sad mess (not to mention I'm also in desperate need of a trim).
Thankfully, it's really only SUPER-noticeable to me, but when I point it out to my family members they laugh at me. I laugh with them, of course, because it is really all nonsense, but I would like to get it fixed up and at least normal-looking eventually.

And thus ends the epic story of Why I Should Just Leave My Hair Alone.
Thank you for your time.

Groundhog Day

2012-02-02T20:59:00.001-06:00

I think a lot of people hate poor little Punxsutawney Phil right now. I briefly saw a clip on the news and people were booing when they heard that the little dude predicted 6 more weeks of winter.
I mean, it's not the groundhog's fault we're going to get more winter instead of an early spring! It's not the groundhog's fault it just so happened to be sunny enough for him to see his shadow and scream in terror.
Did he scream in terror? He's supposed to be afraid of his shadow, right? How to groundhogs respond to fear...?
Anyway.
I actually don't mind it this winter because this has been the mildest MN winter I can remember. We've had record high temps and hardly ANY snow (yeah, we even had a "brown Christmas"... THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.), so six more weeks of this "winter" is no skin off my back!

Now, be nice to Phil, and go watch Groundhog Day in celebration of his holiday. (Or just because it's a good movie.)

Over and out!

Cupcaaaaaaaaaaakes.

2012-01-31T22:09:00.001-06:00

Hi. It's me again. It seems like I only ever blog late at night when my brain is at it's weirdest. And that's probably because it's true. Guess what I got in the mail today? A package that I ordered. Guess what was in it??CUPCAKES. Yeah, I bought a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake (ya know, that show DC Cupcakes on TLC?). And guess what else? They are delicious.And also, I'm really proud of myself for not eating all of them at once. I feel like I have so much self-control. I only ate three!! I deserve some sort of trophy. Seriously.So yeah. Cupcakes... I don't have anything else to talk about.Goodnight!Love,The Most Interesting Girl in the WORLD.

Wanna hear about my issues?? Read on...

2012-01-28T23:32:00.001-06:00

I have a problem with feeling stifled. I (contrary to popular belief) have a lot of creative energy pent up inside me, BUT I have a very difficult time letting it out. And I realize that it is 100% MY FAULT. MY issues. MY problems.
I have time management problems. I have a lack of organizational skills. A bit of a "scatterbrain". A fear of embarrassing myself in front of anyone. And most of all, I have a tendency to be extremely lazy.
I constantly have things I want to do and things I want to say, but one or more of the previously mentioned failings almost always gets in the way.
Another thing is insecurity. I act like (and try to make myself believe that) I am for the most part well-rounded, intelligent, confident, and self-assured, and in some ways, I am. But if I didn't constantly tell myself those things, I can guarantee I'd become a sad little blob of insecurities and a mess of second-guessing and regrets. Basically, I'd be having a little pity party for myself every day of my life. And I think I used to do that a lot. But I realized eventually that I have zero tolerance for people like that, so I should simply stop being that way myself.
Of course, it's not quite as simple as that, but for the most part that's how it works. If you don't want to be that way, DON'T. And I absolutely believe that. We have the power to change ourselves, to be exactly who we want to be. The problem is, is that it is very hard to change an aspect of yourself completely. It takes a lot of time, as they say "Old habits die hard". But I firmly believe that if you are absolutely dedicated to fixing whatever it is you feel is "wrong" with you, you can certainly do it.
And so, while I still have fears and insecurities, I do my best every day to defeat them. It's not putting on a mask or covering up my true nature. It's an inner battle that the people around me see both sides of. A battle that I hope will one day end and the Better Me will emerge victor.
In the meantime, I will continue to work on it and try my very hardest to achieve what I know I will be able to if and when I set my mind on it.

And don't worry, I'll still be my sarcastic, smart-a, thinks-she's-really-funny self, because that part of me I don't see any reason to change. ;)

Hi.

2012-01-26T21:50:00.001-06:00

So you'd think my long absence from blogging must mean I'm REALLY super busy with really important stuff that I don't have time to blog about because I'm really super busy and my important stuff is importanter than blogging.
Nope.
I babysit a lot, but in my free time I don't do much.
Remember, I bought myself an iPod touch a little while ago, and I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas... so I've been keeping busy in non-important, completely unproductive ways.
Besides iPod and Kindle, I do fill my time with other various meaningless distractions. Like this.

Yes, I even labeled them for you.

(by the way, don't ever make dress-up dolls on Dolldivine.com... if you have an easily entertained, 5-year-old-attention-span brain like mine, it's really addicting.)

Alrighty, now that I got that out of my system, I'm going to go play Angry Birds for about 2.5 hours until I get to that level I'll never, ever beat and then I'm going to fall asleep in my jeans because I'm too lazy to change into pajamas.

'Bye!

My siblings think I'm a nutjob. And I let them think so.

2011-12-29T20:14:00.001-06:00

An exchange between Mari, Bocker, and I in the car on the way home from Nina's house tonight.

*Scotty McCreery song plays on the radio*
Me: "Ooh, it's Scotty!!"
Mari: "Oh nooooo, turn it OFF!"
Me: "Mari, you'd better be nice to Scotty, cuz I'm gonna marry him someday! He'll be your brother-in-law!"
Mari: "No, I'm gonna be mean to him."
Bocker: "His songs are on the radio...I bet he's rich."
Me: "Yep, so I should marry him, right?"
Bocker: "You shouldn't marry people for their money."
Me: "Why?"
Bocker: "Because then you'll just take all their money and leave them and they'll be alone and poor."
Mari: "Yeah, but Trina would NEVER leave Scotty. She loves him more than ANYTHING. ...Well, 'cept Jesus and Mary and God."

According to Mari, at least I have my priorities in order...well, mostly.

2011-12-19T23:28:00.001-06:00

I was going to write a blog post about lice, Christmas, and other such things, but then I realized I'm way too tired to do that, so here is a picture of my room illustrating how messy it is. The end. Also a picture of my cousin's enormous mouth (ignore the chewed up food...or don't, whichever you prefer) because I just remembered I have that picture and it brings me joy and fulfillment. The end...end.

Posting from my iPod!

2011-12-15T13:18:00.001-06:00

Alrighty, let's see how this works out...
Hello, my name is Trina and I bought myself an iPod touch a couple days ago. Why? Because it's pretty much the most entertaining thing I've ever seen and I've wanted one for years. So I decided "who needs money anyway??" and bought one (used, from a pawn shop, don't worry).
I'm having a blast with it and I'm pretty sure that even without all the super fun and time-consuming apps, it's worth it just to be able to use Instagram. Seriously the coolest photography app ever. I think I've attached some of my Instagram pics to this post so hopefully that worked... Clearly, I'm still trying to get the hang of this thing. :P

Why I love my life

2011-11-25T21:10:00.001-06:00

It's the little moments.

Like deciding to go Black Friday shopping with my brother and my best friend. Highlights: People-watching, buttcrack guy, jumping up and down like a maniac, "FOR NARNIA!", and "Battle Royale".

Like listening to my 9 year old cousin talk non-stop on the car ride to my house and ask me straightforward questions that only a kid would ask. "What's your favorite color?" "What was your favorite toy you ever got from Santa?" "How many kids do you want when you grow up?" "What's your favorite number?" "What color looks best on you?"

Like driving the long way through neighborhoods with two of my cousins and one of my sisters in the car to look at the Christmas lights and soaking up their "ooh"s and "aah"s and excited exclamations and "Look at THAT one!"s.

Like watching the first season of Spongebob with my best friend and laughing at every line that we remember from when we were little and singing along to the ripped pants song.

This is my life. And I love it.

Well, look at that!

2011-11-23T15:59:00.001-06:00

Looks like I've been awarded the "Stylish blogger award" blog award. I didn't know people still did these. I must be more unpopular than I thought... ;)
My dear friend, "Lily" at Belle Fleur Photography has graciously gifted me this little square that tells me I've won the "Stylish blogger award". I'm not clear on whether that means I'm a stylish person who blogs, OR, I have a stylish blog... either way, I think I'm supposed to post seven random facts about myself (at least, that's what Lily did, so I'm just going to follow suit. I've always been a "follower" type person.).
Anyway, here goes:

My name is Katrina. Trina is my nickname.
I am a human.
I am a female human.
I'm wearing a green sweatshirt at this exact moment.
I was watching A Knight's Tale until I got distracted by Facebook, which led me to Blogger, which led me to this so here I am. Hi.
I like eggnog.
I have a nose.

I'm sure it's protocol to "tag" people for this award, but like I previously mentioned, I'm not very popular in the blog world. And I don't like to pick favorites anyway. ;)

Happy Wednesday, everyone, and I hope you all stuff yourselves with delicious food tomorrow (which is Thanksgiving in case any of you forgot... you're welcome.).

'Tis the season.

2011-11-22T22:27:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is in two days. And then we can officially start the Christmas Season. It's cliche, but there is something magical about this time of year.
In honor of thanksgiving, I'd like to share with you this poem I wrote all by myself without any help from anyone. It doesn't rhyme because it's more artsy that way. And I can't come up with good rhymes to save my life, but that's beside the point.

Ode to Thanksgiving Eats.
I love eggnog.
I love turkey.
I love peppermint candies.
I love hot chocolate.
I love pumpkin pie/bread/muffins/cheesecake.
I love apple cider.
I love mashed potatoes.
I love this time of year.
Amen.

Bucket List

2011-11-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

I've always wanted to make myself a bucket list. Sure, it's kinda silly, but I like making lists and a bucket list is like the ultimate list, so I had to do it eventually. I think it's on my bucket list to write a bucket list.
So hey, I've already got one done!

~~Write a bucket list~~
Ride a rollercoaster. Yes, it's true, I've never ridden a proper rollercoaster.
Go to a concert. No, never done that either...
Climb a tree. What, we don't have trees in our yard! Well, we have the "overgrown twigs", but they don't count.
Go to a high school football game.
Road trip!
Read War and Peace. C'mon, it would be so cool to be able to say that I read that whole huge thing!
Learn how to sew/sew myself an article of clothing.
Learn German. Or at least start to learn it. It's my heritage!
Learn more ASL (American Sign Language). I pretty much only know the alphabet and what I learned from Signing Time. :P
Go to a dance. I'm going to try to convince Matty (or one of his friends) to take me as his "date" to a high school dance so I can "have the experience" because according to my public-schooled friends, I'm seriously missing out on things like that as a homeschooler. ;)
Go cow-tipping
Ride a train
Visit Oregon
Visit/tour an Amish community
Go hunting
Ride a snowmobile. I'm Minnesotan and never ridden a snowmobile. It's shameful.

Oh, and if you noticed, I'm trying to keep my bucket list full of realistic things that I might actually be able to accomplish in my lifetime. Otherwise "visit Ireland" would probably be at the top of the list.

I'll probably update this periodically as I think of more things I've always wanted to do.

And I think my new year's resolution for 2012 will be to check as many things off my bucket list as I can.

And maybe I'll document my escapades here, if you're lucky. ;)

Coca-Cola

2011-11-20T20:03:00.001-06:00

I saw some vintage-looking bottles of Coca-Cola at Walmart last night. So I bought one. Just to take pictures of it. Here are the pictures.

The end.

Snow day

2011-11-19T12:49:00.001-06:00

Today was turning out to be one of "those days". Not "AAAH, I'M GOING TO TEAR MY HAIR OUT AND WEEP PROFUSELY AT THE INJUSTICE OF MY LIFE" but more like "Bleeeh, I don't feel like living today, please let me crawl into my bed and hide under the covers for the rest of my life."
I didn't wake up until 10:20am, and I woke up with a sneeze attack and a gummy throat and feeling generally ishy. Then I realized I didn't have any clean jeans to wear, so I'm wearing one of my long skirts until a pair of my jeans comes out of the wash. And mom is going to go out shopping with the other girls, and I'm not going to go because I'm not wearing pants and I don't have tights and it's snowing outside.
Oh yeah, and it's snowing outside.

I guess I'm just going to have to try to be content with an inside "lazy" day today. It is, after all, a perfect excuse to get some pictures edited and possibly some reading done since I haven't had time to pick up a book in weeks.
Yeah, today will be a good day. I might even make myself some eggnog tea to celebrate the first snowfall of the season. :)

Photoshop Queen (but not really)

2011-11-12T23:28:00.001-06:00

I've had Photoshop for a couple weeks now, and while it's still the most confusing thing I've ever tried to understand (besides everything Math-related), I'm almost starting to get the hang of it.

So a couple days ago, the moon looked super wicked-cool and I went out in the cold to go take pictures of it with my zoom lens (which isn't very good, mind you). I wanted a picture that captured the details of the moon, AND the funky clouds that surrounded it, but all I got was either this:

Or this:

And that was just not acceptable.
So I looked up about a dozen youtube how-tos, and eventually managed to create this using those two photos:

You can probably tell I made it black and white, because color just looked weird and funky in a bad way. I think it looks a little cheesy, but that's probably because I'm my harshest critic, or whatever. I'd love to hear what you think, though. Unless it's "Oh my stars, that is the worst Photoshop attempt I've ever seen, and you should just give up on life in general because you suck." Because, while possibly true, that's just mean.

So there's your moon-themed post.
Well, close enough.
Goodnight.

I know how to spell miscellaneous without using spell check

2011-11-11T23:28:00.001-06:00

My computer broke the other day. Then my neighbor fixed it for me because he's awesome (he's also the mayor... life in a small town... :) ). I helped. It was a little difficult to watch my laptop get dissected, though. But I pulled through. And yay, I have a working computer again!

My cousin and my aunt erased all my cell phone's data yesterday (by "accident"... it's a conspiracy!!!). So I have to put in all my contacts again.

I bought myself a new pair of shoes the other day. This is what they look like.

I added a lame effect because it was a crappy picture. Please pretend it's because I'm artsy. Thank you for your cooperation.

Tommy likes eggs. We get them from the chickens at my auntie Nina's house. The chickens scare me.

Even when everything is dead, I adore the scenery at Nina's house.

Tommy smashed his face on a coffee table the other day. Mom almost passed out. But we taped him up real good and now he's gonna have a sweet scar to impress the chicks with (when he gets older, of course).

I cleaned my bathroom. Finally. It's beautiful.

I just watched "Scream" with Jordan (my bff, if you didn't know). I was too scared to go through her garage to get home. I had to go through the front door with the lights on. And I booked it home and made it back in .3 seconds because I was convinced I was being followed by a serial killer with a Scream mask and a huge knife. I made it home safely, in case you were concerned. But the doors are all locked and I'm not going to look out my windows tonight.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE scary movies. I should just make a practice of watching them in the daylight, and NOT loaded with caffeine at 9pm. Although, it is funner that way.
And if you dare tell me "funner" isn't a word, I'm going to smack you. Thank you.

I need to tell the world about "Small Potatoes". Have you seen it? It comes on on Nick Jr every now and then, and I watch it with Polly. It's the freakin cutest thing ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-n2-4UuknI I have the little theme song in my head. I love the way they harmonize :)

It's 11/11/2011. I made a wish at 11:11. Fun!

I can't wait for Christmas. Even if it means snow and cold and evil things like that. I bought some peppermint kisses and they reminded me so much of Christmas that I almost cried.

Yeah, I have icky, short, boy fingernails. Pretend you never saw them.

And I'd like to say my next post won't be as all-over-the-place as this one, but that would probably be lying and I believe in honesty.
I think I'll make a post about the moon next time.
Yeah, that's what I'll do.
You'll like it, I promise.

Nerd glasses

2011-11-04T23:50:00.003-05:00

Using blogger's "stats" thing, I've realized that when I actually update my blog, I get more readers than when I don't. Interesting...

I've also realized that I really like these costume nerd glasses and wearing them at night has become a regular thing. I might actually start to pretend that they are real and I actually need glasses. With my bangs, they make me feel like Zooey Deschanel in "New Girl".

'Course, I'm not nearly as adorable, but a girl can dream.

Now I'd better get to bed because I get to get up at 8am tomorrow to spend the day hauling wood and helping clean up the yard at my grandparents' house, yay!

my thought process at 11pm

2011-11-03T23:14:00.000-05:00

It's 11pm.
I'm wearing costume "nerd" glasses that my friend left here from halloween and I'm pretending to be super hipster.
It's dark.
Mari decided to have a sleepover with us tonight, so I can hear two of my sisters snoring/grinding teeth/making random noises like "grrrrblrrrglllblaaahhh".
I should be catching up on editing my pictures, but I'm out of creative-ness right now.
I'm tired.
I think too much, and one of these days it's going to get me into trouble.
I took Mari to Target today, and on the way home, I looked back and saw her leaning against the window and I started tearing up. I don't know why.
Mortality has been on my mind constantly lately.
We all die, and that's not something I like to think of, but it hasn't left the back of my mind in weeks and weeks.
It does inspire/motivate me to be the best person I can be while I'm still here on this Earth. I'm still working on it...
I love my life. My family makes me laugh. And sometimes I feel so much love for them I feel like my heart is going to explode.
I'm still wearing my hipster glasses.
Now I'm going to go to sleep.
Good night.

I almost got killed today...

2011-10-23T19:39:00.000-05:00

...Because I wore these colors.

At least Marek, my Wisconsinite cousin, was on my side!

And you can hate all you want, but the better team won, didn't they?? XD

What's New?

2011-10-16T22:01:00.001-05:00

Well, a lot's new, that's what.

I'm nannying for my aunt, Nina.
My mom is pregnant... again. :)
I got bangs.
Our 5th annual Oktoberfest was the best ever this year. It was on the 1st of this month, and I still haven't had time to post any pictures from the party.
I'm going to be the photographer at my neighbors' wedding after doing their engagement pictures that they were really happy with. :)
I got a Twitter account.

Okay, so not THAT much, but enough to make it so I hardly have time to breathe, much less update my blogs or even edit the few pictures I've had the time to take in the past couple of weeks. So, sorry about that. But I'm going to be focusing on managing my time better this week, so hopefully I'll get some photography related things done (mainly editing) in the next few days.

aaaaand... that's all, folks.

Polyvore

2011-09-25T22:40:00.002-05:00

I recently discovered this fun website, Polyvore. I've heard of it before, but never thought I'd be able to get into that sort of thing.
I was wrong.
It's totally addicting, and more fun than you'd think.

Here are some outfits I've put together... aren't they fab?

(Weazy actually did this one... it's totally her style!) :

If you're into fashion and such things, (or if you're just plain bored like I was,) give it a try! It's fuuuuuuuun....!

For my birthday

2011-09-20T10:46:00.000-05:00

I recieved so many wonderful gifts this year for my birthday...

One of many birthday hugs from Tommy

It's a pillow... it's a pet...

And especially appreciated were all the lovely birthday wishes I recieved.

So...

THANK YOU :)

My Birthday

2011-09-18T02:01:00.002-05:00

This shall be updated as my birthday goes on so I can remember as much about this, my 17th birthday, as I can.

Watching Princess Bride with Kathryn and Joe
Going birthday shopping with Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen
Ditched by everyone except Dad for an hour or two
Hanging with Courtney, Kathryn, Matty, Weazy and Joe.
MONSTERS
Vinny saying "Don't leave" and being ridiculously cute
Veronika barfing on me, but being really, really, cute
Jamming to stupid teenager music on the way to pick up Matty from Uncle Pete and Auntie Nellie's house
Uncle Pete entertaining us, a little bit tipsy, "Qweird" "If I had my way, everyone would think Hail Marys are cool" "Spinal Meningitis" and Auntie Nellie writing Matty a check for "Thirthy" dollars.
Jamming to stupid teenager music on the way back home
Letting Matty and Kathryn use my laptop to wish me Happy Birthday on facebook
Watching Lord of the Rings at 2am
Walmart
Pillow Pet, Monster, Diet Dr Pepper, chocolate and Oreos
Tommy saying "Happy Birthday" 30 times
Brendan K. bringing me a Mountain Dew for my birthday present
Birthday shopping with Nina
6pm Mass in my new outfit!
Watching Lord of the Rings (the second one) with Matty, Kathryn, Joe, Weazy and Brendan T. (one of the best movie-watching experiences of my life... probably because I was over-caffeinated, but oh well :) )

Yay, fun things!

2011-09-17T20:35:00.002-05:00

Yay for fun things!

1. PHOTO CONTEST! I'm hosting my very first photo contest on my photography blog, Spiritus Capere! Here's the link: http://spirituscapere.blogspot.com/2011/09/contest.html if you have a photo to enter, PLEASE DO, and share the contest with your friends! It ends on Monday, so hurry!

2. My close friend, Lily, is having a GIVEAWAY over on her blog, Belle Fleur Photography! Here's link to the giveaway: http://bellefluerphotography.blogspot.com/2011/09/givaway.html AND you can "like" her blog's Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Belle-Fleur-Photography/115544281884361

Thanks!

Fall

2011-09-14T09:35:00.001-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore fall? Everything about it makes me happy. The weather, mostly. Just chilly enough for a cozy sweatshirt and jeans, my favorite things to wear. The apple orchards open up, and I love apple orchards. I can't think of a better way to spend a day than eating caramel apples on the hay ride at the apple orchard.
I drool over the smell of apple crisp in the oven... the sweet brown sugar and cinnamon topping and the slightly crisp apples on the bottom...
And going for long walks in the woods, crunching on the dead leaves that have fallen down from the beautiful orange and red trees above.
And then there are the events that only happen when autumn comes around. My birthday, which is on Sunday. The Oktoberfest, by far my favorite event of the year! And then Halloween and the fun that goes with it, and Thanksgiving, and getting together with family and feasting on delicious fall food (but of course by then, in MN, it's practically winter...)

Personally, I think it's the best time of the year, and I wish it would last longer than 2.5 months out of the year.

Rambling just a bit...

2011-09-09T15:23:00.002-05:00

We didn't finish fashion week.
That's because I wore a sweatshirt on Sunday (because we had already gone to Mass the night before) and that's not very fashionable. Plus, I was running out of new outfits to show off.

Anyway, it's hot out today. I'm babysitting Marek, and I'm gonna take him for a walk when he wakes up from his nap this afternoon. There are a lot of really cute places to shop in Menomonie. I'm hoping to get some birthday presents for a couple of special ladies whose birthdays were last month. ;)

MY birthday is soon. Nine days, to be precise. Yeah, the countdown started yesterday. At least I'm not like Weazy who starts counting down two months before her actual birthday. ;)
I'm going to be 17. I'm kind of excited for that. Mostly just to be able to say "I'm seventeen". Sounds better than "sixteen", wouldn't you say?

And I get to go to a Twins game for my birthday! My Dad got tickets from his work and since the game is on my actual birthday, he generously gave them to me! Unfortunately, there are only 4 tickets... so I don't know who is all going to come, and probably won't until the day before. But it's more fun that way. ;)

Fashion Week, day 6

2011-09-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

Today's outfits are a pretty good contrast to yesterday's. We were much more glam today, as we went to Mass this evening and are going out to a movie tonight (finally going to see Harry Potter 7 part 2!!).
I was worried that we were dressed for weather chillier than it was going to be, but it turned out to be a nice, cool, fall day, so our outfits were perfect!

My Outfit

Top: Maurice's

Shrug: Lane Bryant

Jeans: Maurice's

Shoes: Payless

Necklace: Maurice's

Why I like this outfit: It's comfy and reminds me of fall, and I just adore these jeans (yet another re-wear from earlier in the week).

Analise's Outfit

Top: Calvin Klein

Jeans: Target

Belt: ??? (re-worn from the other day)

Shoes: Goodwill

Scarf: Walmart (I think!)

Why I like this outfit: It's stylish, sophisticated, and cute!

Fashion Week, day 5

2011-09-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

Today was kind of a "bleh" day, so we kept it simple with our outfits. We also were kind of sick of "dressing up", so we just wore what was cute, but comfortable. Oh, and we also skipped the shoes part of the outfits because it was beautiful outside. And also because it was a "bleh" day. ;)

My Outfit

Top: Old Navy

Tank: Walmart

Jeans: Old Navy (another re-wear)

Headband: Claire's

Analise's Outfit

Dress: ??? (I actually bought this dress a few years ago for myself. I think I wore it once. Now it fits Weazy, so I gave it to her. Yay for hand-me-downs!

Oh, and no "why I like this outfit"s today, either. It's Weazy's least favorite part, and I'm too lazy and stuffed with lasagna to think of a fitting answer for that. Good night.

Fashion Week, day 4

2011-09-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

Today's post is kinda late. Sorry. I had more important things to do, like run through the neighbor's sprinkler, eat chocolate mousse, and watch a movie.
Yeah, I'm a pretty busy girl. Lots of important stuff to do.

Anyways, today (er, tonight...) I'm gonna mix things up and post Weazy's outfit first (this decision has nothing to do with the fact that my poses today were even worse than the other three days and my face looks weird in these pictures. No, really.)
But Weazy's not here (sleep over with cousins) so no details on her outfit.

Analise's Outfit

My Outfit

Dress: Walmart (keepin' it classy)

Shrug: Maurice's (recognize it?)

Shoes: Target (also re-worn, cuz I'm cool like that)

Headband: Claire's

Why I like this outfit: It was ridiculously hot outside today, so I figured a sundress was appropriate. I decided to go "country girl" with this outfit (I do love the country girl look) so I paired it with an adorable headband and my awesome boots. (And yes I'm aware that wasn't so much "why I like this outfit" as it was "why I wore this outfit" but I really don't care.)

Tomorrow is Friday, everyone! This has no relevance to this post whatsoever, but I thought I'd remind you all because this is a very significant... thing. I've had caffeine today, please don't judge me. Unless you want to. I'm going to bed now.

Fashion Week, day 3

2011-08-31T11:27:00.000-05:00

My Outfit

Top: Walmart

Shrug: Maurice's

Cami: Maurice's

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: Goodwill

What I like about this outfit: I just love how trendy this outfit is, and the flare jeans are probably my new favorite pair of jeans :)

Analise's Outfit

Top: Rue 21

Shrug: Target

Skirt: ???

Shoes: Goodwill

Necklace: Maurice's (the same one Trina wore yesterday!)

What I like about this outfit: I love the skirt because it flares out like a princess dress! And its also not SUPER fancy!

Fashion Week, Day 2

2011-08-30T22:26:00.001-05:00

Sorry this is so late, it took me forever to get the motivation to take a shower and get dressed today because the water heater is broken and I had to take a freezing cold shower. But I did eventually (I think it was around 6:30pm), and we finally got out and took pictures shortly after, but then we went out for a quick Walmart run (which consisted of me and Weazy walking aimlessly through Walmart speaking alternately in English and Valley Girl accents and buying cookie dough and a Michael Buble CD and annoying everyone around us...) so I'm only now posting. Understandable, right?

Right.

So without further ado, here is Day 2 of Fashion Week!

My Outfit

Top: Maurice's
Jeans: Maurice's
Necklace: Maurice's
Shoes: Target

What I like about this outfit: It's so "country girl" and cute... the jeans fit me really well and I just love my "cowgirl" boots!

Analise's Outfit

Top: Target
Belt: Target
Jeans: Target
Shoes: Charlotte Russe

What I like about this outfit: It's really cute and casual and I just adore the belt! (And what's better than slippers with this outfit!)

Fashion Week, Day 1

2011-08-29T17:23:00.002-05:00

My Outfit

Top: Old Navy

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: Target

Necklace: Claire's

I like this outfit because I've never owned a pair of skinny jeans before and I'm really excited that I have a pair that fits me well. I also love the "pop of color" from the shoes and accesories.

Analise's Outfit

Top: Rue 21

Skirt: Walmart

Shoes: Payless

"I like this outfit because it's awesome. I bought the spiderman shirt because the new spiderman movie is coming out next year and I am so excited! Trina gave me the skirt and it's awesome. I also love the shoes because they're stylin' and I can wear them any day or to church!"

Fashion Week

2011-08-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

I used to be extremely self-conscious about my body. So much so that I would hide it all behind baggy t-shirts and basketball shorts in the summer and loose jeans and giant sweatshirts in the fall and winter. But in recent years I've realized that not only does that style make me look sloppy and unkempt, it also didn't do justice to the body that God gave me.
I'm a firm believer that everyone is beautiful in their own way, because we've all been created in God's image, so how could we possibly be ugly? God gave me this body, and all I can do is do my best to keep it healthy, and dress in a way that glorifies God.

In the past few months, my sister, Analise, who is 11 years old and gradually starting to enter into womanhood, has started to show some signs of being the same way I was when I was her age. Complaining about a lumpy belly or "thunder thighs", and what I've found myself telling her is just to "own it". This is who you are, just own it, work it, be proud! And she has, and the sense of style she's developed is totally awesome, in my opinion.

But of course, I'm not saying you should go out and eat all sorts of junk food and not exercise just because you'll still be beautiful if you don't. It's incredibly important to stay healthy. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, so really, it's not ours at all. We need to take care of our bodies while we're still in custody of them! Of course, I have kind of a hard time with this, but I am trying, and in the meantime, here's what I do look the best I can.
1. Step away from the chocolate. ;)
2. Shop, shop, shop!
It's really hard for me to find clothing that looks nice, is modest, and fits well. So I've had to do a lot of shopping around over the years. But I have found a couple stores that carry modern styles in sizes that fit me, and fit me well.
(Maurice's, Fashion Bug, and Old Navy are the stores I frequent most nowadays for my clothing needs.)

I recently bought a few cute, new outfits for fall, and so Analise and I have decided to have a "Fashion Week" here on my blog. We'll get all dressed up in our favorite outfits, and post pictures here along with where we bought the pieces of the outfit and maybe a little bit about why we like it. We'll be doing one outfit each for seven days, starting today! Hopefully we can give other people a little inspiration and encouragement, and if you'd like to join us, just go ahead and do the same thing we're doing, but on your own blog (if you do, make sure to let me know so I can check out your fab styles, too!)!
I'll be posting Day One later today.
Back in a bit!
xoxo

The epic story of my wisdom teeth extraction

2011-08-26T13:09:00.000-05:00

You know that feeling when you're in between sleeping and consciousness? Probably what feeling high is like? If you've had laughing gas at the dentist before, that's what I'm talking about.
I spent about 45 minutes in that state today getting my wisdom teeth pulled.
They put that ugly grey thing over my nose, shot me with tons of novocaine, and yanked 'em right out. Wiggle, wiggle, pop "First one's out!"
Already? Really?
"Yep, the top ones can go really quickly!"
Wiggle, wiggle, pop "All done with the top!"
The bottom left one was coming in crooked, so the dentist had to cut off a piece of it with his evil little saw. I didn't care though, I was loopy with the laughing gas. That one took a little longer than the first two, but eventually, pop, that one was out, too.
"We're gonna put a quick little stitch in there, but don't worry, blah, blah, blah..."
I don't care, I'm in my happy place and I think I might take a nap...
"Last one!" Wiggle, wiggle, pop.
All done! The dental assistant asks me if I want to keep the teeth? HECK YEAH. The tooth fairy's been ignoring me for years, four giant wisdom teeth are the perfect excuse for her to come back for a little visit ;)
Plus, it's a cool souvenier.

Catching Up Posts part 2.

2011-08-24T10:03:00.000-05:00

Matty's Birthday

My baby brother turned 14 last Monday. I'm not even going to try to fathom how this could have possibly happened, and while I post these pictures, I'm going to be going back to my happy place where he's still a little, chubby baby, and I'm still a cute, innocent 3 year old who doesn't have to pay $3.50 per gallon of gas for her car.

Matty's friend, Brendan made him a cake all by himself! (actually, his grandma made it... I thought it was too good to have been made by a 13 year old boy! But Brendan DID decorate it... )

The "party" guests... Brendan, Matty, Me, Mary, Kathryn and Wade.

You can tell they're best friends here, can't you? ;)

After gobbling way too much pizza and cake, we went over to Brendan's house and had a nice little bonfire (you can check out the pictures I took of it HERE.)
I'm gonna pass on all that mushy "I'm so proud of the young man you're growing up to be..." junk, and just say Happy Birthday, Matty. I kind of like you and it's pretty cool that God decided to make you MY brother.
Love you a lot (even though you still don't give me hugs),
Your crazy big sis.

Catching Up Posts part 1.

2011-08-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

There is way too much that has happened that I want to post about since the last time I posted. So I'm going to have to do a quick series of posts, otherwise it would be one big, giant monstrous post of doom.

Camp Lebanon

For the past six (?) years our parish has rented out a camp for the families of the parish to take over during a weekend in the summer. We went for the first time last year and had such a blast, that we went again this year! And we took our lovely friend Kathryn with, which made it that much more delightful!

This will forever be my favorite picture of Matty.

Bubby caught the first fish!

We pretty much spent most of our time playing carpet ball. We had to practice for when we were up against the little kids... those squirts are competitive!

The kids liked playing Foosball... I tried it once and... well, I'm not very good at it... ;)

All harnessed up to go on the zip line! I was way too chicken, but I pretended I just wanted to stay behind so I could take pictures...

We went out and "shot some hoops", a.k.a., "Guys, throw the basketball so I can get some cool action shots!"

Kathryn caught this with a twig with some line tied to it. She's got skillz.

Weazy caught this one using sausage as bait... who knew?

I'll end this post with a cute chubby baby picture, because those are pretty much the best kind of pictures.

Finally getting to meet Emma!

2011-08-07T08:26:00.001-05:00

It just occurred to me that I never did blog about meeting a fellow blogger, and that's just not acceptable. ;)
Earlier this week, my friend Emma from The Emmanation and her family were in Minnesota for a couple days, so we of course had to meet up! They came over to our house, and we just hung out all day, and it was really nice!
And her mom has a southern accent, which I thought was really cool, and I think they were amused by our Minnesotan "accents"... ;)

I had a great time hanging out with Emma (who is taller than me! O.o) and all in all it was a really good day! I'm so glad we got to meet "y'all", and hope we get to meet up again sometime!

How I get my 3 year old brother to admit how awesome I am.

2011-07-29T09:04:00.000-05:00

Me: Don't be dumb.
Tommy: You're dumb!
Me: Waaaaaah, Tommy called me dumb! *fake crying*
Tommy: No, you're not dumb! You're awesome!
Me: *continues crying*
Tommy: You're pretty!
Me: Waaaah, but I'm still dumb! *whispers* Tommy, you have to say I'm smart.
Tommy: You're smart!
Me: Yay! I'm smart, pretty, and awesome!
Tommy: I'm awesome too!

Yes you are, Tommy. :)

Direction

2011-07-13T12:38:00.001-05:00

I'm gonna die.
And no, I'm not being melodramatic.
We all die eventually, right?
But I feel like Beth March from Little Women. She didn't know what she was going to do with her life, unlike the rest of her sisters, and she ended up dying at the age of 19 or so.
I have no plans for my life. What if I'm the Beth March of my family? What if I only have a few years before I croak?
Of course, Beth was always weak and frail, and I don't think I ever fit those descriptions. But any number of things could happen to me! What if I get into a fatal car accident? What if I trip on the sidewalk and crack my head open? And all because I have no direction in life.
I think about this a lot, and as much as I'd be okay with dying because it at least gets me closer to Heaven, even if I have to make a pit-stop in Purgatory first, I don't think I'm ready to just yet. I need to work on my soul a little bit more, because as it is, it's not anywhere close to fit for Heaven, and I don't want to spend too much time in Purgatory if I can help it.
But then again, the longer it takes to ready my soul on Earth, the more I need to start worrying about Earthly things, such as a job, a life, education, etc. Wouldn't that take away from the time I need to spend on cleaning up my soul?
Maybe I should join a convent.
And that's always been a possibility for me. But I'd feel bad joining a convent just for the sake of my own soul. That seems selfish.
And I've always been told I'd make a good mother. I feel like that's what I want in life (if I don't die at the age of 19). I want a family. But I don't feel like that could/would ever happen. And I haven't prayed enough about it to know which direction God wants me to go in.
Of course, I am only 16. But only 16 means 17 in two months, and 17 means a year away from 18, and 18 is LEGAL ADULTHOOD.
I'm not ready for any of this.
All I see in my immediate future is prayer, prayer, prayer... then maybe God will clear things up for me.

A side-note

2011-07-12T17:32:00.001-05:00

That lovely story was Weazy's birthday present (and punishment for begging me to update my blog).
Since I forgot to wish her a happy birthday on here, this is my making up for it.
Hope you liked it, Weaz, and happy birthday again. :)

The anti-climactic ending

2011-07-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

When they arrived at the tower, the ogre locked Analise up, and for years she sat in the tower, slowly going crazier and crazier until she became an absolute nutcase for lack of entertainment. She was on the verge of death by insanity, when one day, a handsome prince came to save her. He slayed the ogre in a triumphant act of bravery, and made his way to the top of the tower to find the beautiful young girl. "I am here, young girl, to save you!" he jubilantly exclaimed, "Come with me!" he offered her his hand, but in her mental instability, she mistook him for a fat pig, and wild with hunger, attacked him screaming, "BACON!" at the top of her lungs. Wondering why this crazy girl thought his name was Bacon, the handsome prince tried to keep her from biting him saying, "My name is isn't Bacon, it's Jerald! Now, come with me and be free!" but it was all in vain, for he could not convince her that he was not a salty breakfast item. So, at a loss, he decided she was too insane for the rest of the world, tied her up, and left the tower to look for another, less insane, damsel in distress.
Meanwhile, Katrina, Analise's older sister who was responsible for her sister's imprisonment, had won the village lottery and was living in luxury for the rest of her peaceful, annoying-little-sister-free days.

THE END.

The Tale of the Annoying Little Sister, etc., etc., PART TWO!

2011-07-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

After hours of fruitless screaming and fighting from her, the ogre dropped Analise on the ground. He had brought her to the middle of the enchanted forest, but this was just a place to take a break on the way to their destination: the Tower of Endless Nothingness, where she was to spend the rest of her days in boredom without so much as a single novel to read or piece of paper to doodle on.
Standing up and brushing herself off, Analise was about to run away from the ogre, when he reached out and grabbed her by her red, curly hair to stop her. "Not so fast, little girl," he growled, "I've gotta bring you to the Tower of Endless Nothingness, and this ain't it. If I don't do my job, I don't get paid, and I've got a wife and kids to support. You wouldn't want my kids to go hungry, would you?"
Being a good, kind girl, with a soft spot for ogre babies, Analise replied, "No, I suppose not."
"Well then, stay put."
She nodded, and the ogre released his grip on her hair. She found a large boulder to sit on and rest, as being kidnapped was much more tiring than she would have thought. After a good hour of resting and munching on the Wheat Thins and cheese that the ogre had with him (ogres are very healthy eaters), the ogre picked Analise back up, and they continued their journey to the Tower of Endless Nothingness.

To be continued...

The tale of the annoying little sister who didn't appreciate her older sister's boring blog posts and/or lack thereof.

2011-07-11T13:53:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Analise. Analise had the very bad habit of constantly annoying her siblings, particularly her eldest sister, Katrina. One day, Katrina had had enough of her irritating younger sister, so she called upon an evil ogre to take Analise away. The very next day (ogres are very punctual creatures), the sisters heard a loud knock at the door.
"I wonder who that could be?" Katrina asked innocently. She opened the door, and there stood the giant, hideous beast, there to take Analise away. He stormed in and picked up the little girl in his huge fist, and without a word, walked out the door, Analise screaming all the while, "Trina! Help! Oh, Hideous Ogre, where are you taking me? Help!" But Katrina just watched, laughing cruelly as she imagined her annoying younger sister trapped in a tower all alone, guarded by the ugly ogre.

To be continued...

Being Busy (this is new for me :P)

2011-06-30T08:06:00.001-05:00

I've been letting my blog wither again.
It makes me sad, but there's not much I can do about it. I've been so busy lately, being in WI babysitting all week last week, this week, and for the next couple of weeks, I've been using my weekends for chilling out with my family at home instead of being on the computer 12 hours of the day like I used to.
Last weekend, two of my baby cousins got baptized (Maebelina and Veronika), and we had the whole family over for a little party afterwards. This weekend, we have a big 4th of July party at our house, and Weaz's birthday is on the 6th (Wednesday, I believe), so I promised her I'd take her and Mari out for a "special day" this weekend. On top of that, I have a ton of other things to do at home, such as: return library books, clean my car, work on job applications, figure this PSEO thing at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and take Tommy to the jungle (what he calls a walk in the woods :) ).
And, of course, my laptop screen broke again (it was not my fault this time!), so I haven't updated my photography blog in a couple of weeks.

If there's one thing I've learned in the past few months, it's that growing up and responsibilities kind of take your life away from you. It's taken my old life away from me, anyhow. But that's not always a bad thing, as it has made me a lot less selfish, and kept me busy and less lazy. And honestly, I still have it pretty good, I get to play with the Buddy all week, party with my family and friends on the weekend, and life is good. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T12:20:00.001-05:00

To all the amazing father-figures out there, be they dads, grandpas, godfathers, priests, even uncles and big brothers... thank you for being the awesomest men around!
Especially my Grandpas, my Godfather, Uncle Nick, and of course, my dad.

While I may not always like you, I promise I'll always love you ;)

And I'm so happy that you're my Daddy.
I love you :)

2011-06-15T09:44:00.000-05:00

I'm still alive!
But my blog seems to have died, unfortunately.
I've just been so busy and haven't had access to my laptop since the power cord was BRUTALLY MURDERED by WEAZY (it's a long story).

But I know you've all missed me, so here I am, updating for ya.

Not much else to say, but I am going to try to buy a new cord for my laptop, and then hopefully get some new pictures posted here and on the photography blog!

Have a good Wednesday, all!

Help me...

2011-05-27T23:02:00.000-05:00

I've fallen in love with Scotty McCreery's voice.
It makes me feel pathetic.
I mean, come on, he's the winner of that show nobody watches anymore.
But holy crap, have you heard him sing??
I sound like a ridiculous fangurl, but I could listen to that voice all day long...
*sigh*

Busy week

2011-05-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

Today, Sara and I drove out to Forest Lake to meet up with our friend, Kathryn. We hung out at a park, went shopping at a thrift store, and went out for lunch (we had pizza at Sara's ~~demand~~ request ;) ). Kathryn is probably the sweetest person I've ever met. She's "tiny and adorable" ;)

Me, Sara, and Kathryn

After we said goodbye to Kathryn (though I wish we could have stayed longer!) we headed to Wisconsin to my Aunt and Uncle's house because I'm babysitting my little buddy, Marek! I missed him so much, and he's getting so big, and HOLY COW he has gotten chubby. He's napping right now, but I'll have to take some pictures of him when he wakes up. Marek is so adorable and I love him soooo much! :)
We're staying the night here, and going home probably tomorrow evening. Then on Thursday, I have two different babysitting jobs lined up!
I think I might just spend Friday sleeping because I'm going to be exhausted after this week! But it's all good. I'm really hoping the weather is nice this weekend, because Jordan (my "bffl" :P) is going to be in town, and a bonfire with friends would be the perfect way to finish off the week!

Update

2011-05-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

Lots of stuff has been going on since I last blogged here...
We welcomed two new people into our family this week!

Sara, my friend from CT came and moved in with us on Wednesday. We've been having a blast, and she fits in pretty well around here :)

Yesterday, my aunt gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby girl! She's so precious, and has a full head of gorgeous brown hair (a rarity in our family... almost all the other kids were bald until they were two!)! Nina's been deciding on whether to spell her name "Maybellina" or "Maebelina" or "Mabellina"... it's a tough decision. Me and Weazy voted on Maebelina, and for her to have "Mae" as a nickname. :)

Must finish up this post now, we're watching Pirates of the Caribbean (which Sara has never seen before O.o)!

Until next time!
Trina, your favorite crazy big sis <3

More about my Confirmation

2011-05-13T23:40:00.000-05:00

So, because Blogger was having issues, I lost that last post for a little while, and now that it's back, all the comments from before it disappeared are gone. :(

Anyway, I just wanted to add a couple things about my Confirmation.

For those who were wondering, I don't normally wear a veil to Mass. I got one a couple years ago when a church nearby had a Traditional Latin Mass every month. At our church in our town, we don't have the TLM, and almost nobody wears veils to Mass. My Confirmation was in the old rite, so I thought it would be appropriate to wear my old veil.
However, wearing my veil again made me want to wear it to Mass every Sunday, so I might start doing that(if Weazy and Mom do it with me!).

I chose St. Catherine Laboure as my patron saint. (they wrote St. Catherine of Siena on the little card we got, but my Confirmation name is still Catherine, so it didn't really matter). It was cool, because they translated it to Latin for the Confirmation, so it was Catherina which was pronounced like Katarina which is so similar to my actual name, Katrina! I just thought that was kinda cool :)

So, remember how I said that I didn't feel an overwhelming "Holy Spirit" feeling when I received my Confirmation? Well, after I put my computer away for the night, and settled down with my copy of YOUCAT (that my mom got for my Confirmation gift!), I felt a feeling of completeness, warmth, comfort... like everything was right and I just felt happy and good. I could still smell the holy chrism from the Confirmation, and that just added to the wonderful feeling. (I really can't describe it, but I'm trying!). It was like (as cheesy as it sounds) being hugged by God. You can imagine that that would be a pretty awesome feeling. :)

Confirmation

2011-05-13T23:37:00.000-05:00

I received my Confirmation tonight at the gorgeous church of St. Agnes in St. Paul.

Me and my sponsor, Jodi

Since it was so late at night on a weekday, not many people were able to come, but I had a wonderful group of awesome people that really made my night complete. Thanks so much to everyone who was able to come! I love you guys!

A few good friends, Me, Weazy, Mom and Sr. Bonnie

My dad is working out of town this week, but I got a picture of me and my mom!

It was such a wonderful, beautiful experience! I'm so so so excited to be a Soldier for the Faith!

Like I told everyone afterward, I didn't feel an overwhelming feeling of the Holy Spirit at the moment of my Confirmation, but I can feel it now! I think it's kind of seeping through my soul and getting more and more powerful by the minute :) (I didn't intend for that sentence to sound as creepy as it did... but you get the idea.)

At the moment of my Confirmation, I think I was maybe a little too focused on not doing anything wrong, and getting a little too giddy that the priest was indeed going to "lightly slap" my cheek! I wasn't sure if that was going to happen, and (call me crazy) I was really looking forward to it, so I was so glad that he did! :)

It was a wonderful night, and I just feel really happy. :)

God bless!

The first storm of the year.

2011-05-10T21:02:00.001-05:00

We love storms around here. And we get them a lot in the summer.
We got our first big one tonight (just about an hour ago).

It was steaming hot all day long (in the EIGHTIES!), but otherwise fine. Later in the evening, the clouds started forming over our heads and we knew we were in for a storm. But Bocker had a baseball game, so leaving all the rest of us kids, mom took him to the field for his game (Dad is working out of town this week). About 45 minutes after they left, we started getting rain and a little bit of hail. Then a LOT of hail. It was pouring down, and that's when I called mom. On the other side of town, they were just starting to get hit with the hail, and were on their way home. We sat watching the hail from the windows, and it slowly started to die down.
Then Bocker burst through the door saying "TORNADO! EVERYONE GO TO THE BASEMENT!" and mom followed, screaming the same message. Everyone ran frantically to the shelter of the basement and mom explained that on the way home, she saw a tornado forming in the sky right above St. Michael (the town next to us). We turned on the news and indeed, funnel clouds were spotted in St. Michael. Me and Matty ran upstairs (rather foolishly, I suppose) to collect the giant, golf ball-size hail that was now raining down again. Mom wasn't too happy about that.
After a little while, the storm subsided, and Mom decided it was safe enough for us to go upstairs. Then outside. The hail and rain stopped, and while there was still a looming, dark cloud above our heads, we ran about the yard, collecting hail and observing the clouds. More and more of our neighbors trickled out of their homes to inspect damage and the kids followed to collect hail until practically the whole neighborhood was congregating outside.
I don't think anybody got too much damage, and everyone was safe, so all in all, it was actually a rather fun, exciting experience.

I love a good storm.

Help me.

2011-05-10T01:05:00.000-05:00

I've spent probably the past hour or so looking back at my old blog posts.
They were annoying, weird, and random, but I did get better as time went on.
I relived some old times, remembered some old memories, and even got teary-eyed at some of the old pictures of my siblings when they were younger (like Tommy as a baby... aww!)
Then I got to the part when I started dieting for the first time.
*shudder*
I got so much support from friends and family, and then I just fell back into old habits.
And then I tried again.
And the same thing happened.
THIS HAPPENED ABOUT A ZILLION TIMES BECAUSE I AM A HORRIBLE DIETER.
I don't care that much anymore. I actually feel okay about myself, and while I'm not in shape at all, I have SO much more confidence now than I did back then. I like myself, I'm not perfect, but that's OKAY.
But then again...
Fitting into those old jeans that have been sitting up in my closet for a year waiting for me to lose those extra few pounds... that would be pretty cool.
Then I remind myself that I will most likely fail if I try again.
But then again, I'll never know if I don't try.
And I bet I have way more will-power now than I did when I was 14...
But then again, I'm still incredibly lazy.
And I like food.
But I like looking good in jeans, too...

I'm so conflicted.

What's on my mind at this very second.

2011-05-09T19:25:00.000-05:00

I NEED this lens
The punishment of stating 3 nice things about the sibling that you've hurt only makes said sibling feel worse when you can't even think of ONE nice thing about them...
Black licorice smells really bad.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's day to all the beautiful moms in my life. You are so amazing, and so loved!

Especially to all my aunts, my grandmas, my Godmother, Nina, and my own wonderful mother, Laura. You ladies do so much for your children, and I only hope that someday I can be half as awesome as you are! I love you!!

Pathetic

2011-05-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

I feel pathetic.
Not in a depressed, "my life isn't worth living anymore" kind of way, but just a "wow, I'm pathetic" kind of way. :P
I have nothing to do this weekend. I'm sure I'll find something to do tomorrow, but tonight I'm just watching TV by myself (even Matty is over at a friend's house tonight).
TV shows and movies make me cry now. They never used to. The only movies that made me cry were The Passion of the Christ, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Castaway (when Tom Hanks' character loses his bff, Wilson... yeah, it makes me cry every time.).
Now, an episode of THE OFFICE made me tear up (of course, it WAS the last episode with Steve Carell, so it was meant to make people tear up. But still.)
I was singing songs from Tangled all day. In an operatic voice. It was really dramatic.
"AND AT LAST I SEE THE LIGHT, AND IT'S LIKE THE FOG HAS LIFTED.... AND AT LAST I SEE THE LIGHT, AND IT'S LIKE THE SKY IS NEWWWWW!"
You get the idea.
Also, I talk to myself. When I'm alone, I have conversations with myself. Seriously. I like to pretend that I'm actually talking to my Guardian Angel or something, but I'm pretty sure that's just what my brain came up with to make me feel better about myself and the fact that I have conversations with air.

So there you have it.
I'm so awesome, aren't I?

Star Wars

2011-05-04T13:59:00.001-05:00

May the Fourth be with you!
Fellow nerds know that today is Star Wars day!
So, in honor of Star Wars day, I'm going to share a little story with you.

This is one we like to re-tell whenever we get together at our neighborhood bonfires... But, really, it's not so much a story as it is a memory.
Back when we were little, when Matty was probably around 7 and I was about 10, Matty used to play "Star Wars" with our neighbor, Jacob. Jacob is actually a year older than me, which makes this even funnier. They would take our plastic yellow baseball bats, and attack each other as though they were lightsabers. They had these long, drawn out battles in the backyard, and me and my friend, Jordan, would spy on them and giggle about how immature they were. I remember hearing "I cut off your arm!" and "No, you just touched my sleeve!" and seeing them hopping around on one foot or putting an arm behind their backs because they would "chop" each other's limbs off.
I'm sure a LOT of kids played games similar to this when they were younger, but these guys would really get into it. They had battles all planned out and would give each other instructions on what would happen next "Okay, now you run over there, and then I'll come out from over here..." and watching them die dramatic deaths with the plastic bats shoved under their arms was pretty much priceless.

Did any of you play "Star Wars" games when you were younger?

Update...

2011-05-03T19:29:00.001-05:00

**I decided my blog design was too dark, and since I'm totally in the Springtime mood, I lightened it up a ton, and made a brand new header!
What do you think?**

We went out today and took some pictures outside with my sister and our neighbor, and we had a blast! I've been feeling a lot better, and my sore throat is almost all healed up. My tongue still hurts a lot, but hopefully it'll heal up quick. The "Magic Mouthwash" stuff I got from the doctor works pretty well, but it tastes disgusting :P

Tonight Deadliest Catch is on, and I'm not even going into that or this post will end up being ridiculously long. ;)

Tomorrow I have a rehearsal for my Confirmation (which will be next week). I'm SO excited! I can't wait to be a Soldier for the Faith! :D

Hope you all have a good day!

Now on Facebook!

2011-05-02T21:45:00.002-05:00

I decided to make a Facebook page for my photography blog, Spiritus Capere!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Spiritus-Capere-Photography/183604965023629
Please visit the link above and "like" my page!
Thanks a bunch!
:)

Complaints

2011-05-02T13:37:00.000-05:00

I still have a sore throat. It feels like I swallowed glass.
I also have huge, painful canker sores on my tongue and lower lip.
It even hurts to drink water.

I went to the doctor today, and the only thing they said was "it's a virus, and the only thing that can heal it is time." I did get a prescription for some pain-relieving mouthwash, which is good.
Ibuprofen still helps relieve a little pain, which is also good.

Not being able to eat is so not fun.
I've lost 5 pounds in the past few days because of this.
Which isn't totally a downside, but still.

Reading, watching movies, and listening to music is a good distraction, though, and I have plenty of those things to keep me occupied for a while. I just hope it doesn't last that long...
I want to eat food again!

Breaking News! O.o

2011-05-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

Osama Bin Laden has been confirmed dead.
Whaa?
This is crazy!
So crazy I had to wake up Matty to tell him and instead of getting mad at me for waking him up, he just said "Really?!?"

I remember back when we first heard about Bin Laden in 2001 when I was 7 and Matty was 4 and all we knew about Bin Laden was that he was a really really bad guy. Knowing this, we came up with the nickname "Osama Bin Poopyhead" and we thought we were hilarious.
True story.

Anyway, all I can say is, I'm interested in watching this develop, and I normally hate the news... it's all really interesting and kind of scary...

Happier is better

2011-04-28T20:27:00.000-05:00

I've had a way better day today!
Raspberry tea, Jane Austen, strawberries, and prepping for Confirmation are some wonderful things that made me happy today.
I also took a nice, hot shower which made me feel loads better.
And I'm wearing my Doctor Who t-shirt, which just automatically makes me happy. ^_^

My throat is still killing me, but I'm trying not to let it bother me as much as yesterday. Ibuprofen helps a LOT, which I am very thankful for.

Oh, I just remembered that I never did post pictures from Easter!
Here are a few:

My Easter outfit! (look inspired by the Secret Sisters)

Weazy's Easter outfit!

Cousins!

Vinny... I'm pretty sure this is the ONLY picture I have of him looking at me AND smiling!

Weazy...

Pretty little girls in their fancy Easter dresses, running off to catch the football that the uncles were tossing around in the backyard :P

Bleh

2011-04-27T18:15:00.000-05:00

I'm having a bad day. It's one of those days where everything just seems "bleh" and I feel bleh, and stressed and tired and...bleh.
It doesn't really help, either, when almost every post on facebook today has people expressing the same feeling about today. I don't know what it is, but it just seems like everyone has a bad taste in their mouth, so to speak, about today. I can't wait until it's over.
I've had a wretchedly sore throat since yesterday, hardly got any sleep last night, went to the doctor today and they think it might be bronchitis (at least, that's what I got out of it), and I'm on antibiotics now.
Mom took Mari and Weazy to dance class at 2:30 and won't be back for another 20-30 minutes (it's a little after 6pm now). Matty is no help WHATSOEVER, which leaves me in charge of four kids under the age of four because we're babysitting the neighbors today. I have a feeling they are having a bad day, too, as they are not being good listeners. As it turns out, yelling at a naughty 3 year old multiple times in 3 hours is NOT good for an already painfully sore throat. :P
I have a really short temper when I'm tired and sick, and I've already snapped today more times than I'd like to admit. Not to mention, it's cold and rainy and dreary and miserable outside.
I'm trying desperately to look on the good side, and not let all this get me down, but as of right now I'd give anything just to be able to take a nap.

I hate depressing posts like this, but everybody has bad days, right?
Tomorrow WILL be better.
I hope. :P

Tshirts

2011-04-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

We went to the mall wearing these tshirts today. I felt really cool.
By cool, I mean nerdy, of course.
But nerdy is way funner than cool.
:D

today's thoughts

2011-04-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

I had a fantastic Easter yesterday.
But I ate too much.
Too much unhealthy (albeit, delicious) food, too much candy, TOO MUCH.
I threw up at 2am this morning.
I woke up at noon today with a terrible sore throat.
And then I remembered I promised I'd take Matty to Game Stop which wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have to fill up my car with gas.
Gas is expensive.
All this, but I still feel like I'm having a good day.
I got my Doctor Who t-shirt I ordered in the mail (pictures to come, of course ;))
I have chocolate.
People have been SO wonderfully encouraging about my photography lately. It makes me so happy to hear that other people think my photography is good. Thank you so much to everyone who compliments my photos, it means so much to me. :)
And I just love life.

But I still have to fill up my car with gas.
Anyone wanna lend me an extra $20? ;)

Too...much...candy...

2011-04-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

I had such a wonderful Easter. I always talk about how I love it when my family gets together, but it's just so fun. I stuffed myself with some really yummy food (and candy, of course), and now I just wanna take a nap. But I took tons of pictures, which I'll post soon!

In the meantime, check out this article my mom wrote about the Living Stations at our church for our local "Patch" site... I took the pictures for it! http://stmichael.patch.com/articles/jesus-passion-and-death-comes-to-life-at-the-historic-church-of-stmichael#photo-5770449

Hope you all had a blessed and joyful Easter!

Easter

2011-04-24T00:23:00.001-05:00

There is just something exceptionally beautiful about an Easter Vigil Mass. The sparkling lights from the candles, the burning smell of incense, the singing voices of the choir and the congregation... not to mention the amazing roar of everyone letting out the "Alleluias" they've been holding in since Ash Wednesday. I just love it. :)

Wishing everyone a very blessed and happy Easter!
God Bless!

He is Risen!
+

Good Friday

2011-04-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

Jesus loves us so much, he died for us.
I don't really think anyone can truly comprehend what that means. I can't even begin wrap my brain around that. It's just so Incredible, so Wonderful....
I know Jesus always loves me. No matter what I do. But that doesn't mean I can get away with doing sinful things because Jesus loves me anyway, it means I should be a better person to honor Jesus and show Him that I love Him, too.

O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love for us hast willed to be crucified and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us here gathered together in remembrance of Thy most sorrowful Passion and Death, fully trusting in Thy mercy; cleanse us from sin by Thy grace, sanctify our toil, give unto us and unto all those who are dear to us our daily bread, sweeten our sufferings, bless our families, and to the nations so sorely afflicted, grant Thy peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Thy commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven. Amen.

April Showers?

2011-04-21T00:36:00.000-05:00

There was snow outside this morning.
Lots of snow.

Okay, not LOTS, but at least 3 inches. I immediately became depressed, posted about it on Facebook, started dramatically wailing and pulling out my hair in despair, and weeping hopelessly on the couch.
Well, sort of.
Okay, I didn't do any of those things. Except post about it on Facebook. Because publicly announcing every little detail of my life is what FB is for, right? I digress.

Anyway, fortunately for me and my sanity, it all melted rather quickly. And the temperatures tomorrow are supposed to be in the 50s (yes, that is perfectly normal for Minnesota).

If the snow would have stayed for longer than a few hours, I might have drowned myself in the newly-thawed pond in our backyard to put myself out of my misery. But this was all the snow that was left after a while:

Bocker's failed attempt at a snowman

And that makes me very happy.

Of course, I would be even happier if all of it had melted... or never showed up in the first place. Just sayin.

Holy Week

2011-04-19T23:10:00.000-05:00

Who can believe it's already Holy Week?? I certainly can't. Until a couple days ago, I thought this Lent was taking for.ev.er. Then suddenly, BAM, it's Holy Week, and Easter is already on Sunday. It usually happens that way, though, doesn't it?
Easter is probably my favorite holiday, because it's just so indescribably wonderful, I am rendered speechless. Well, not entirely speechless, but you know what I mean. The Easter Triduum is one of my favorite things ever. I love going to the Living Stations at the Historic Church on Friday, and the BEAUTIFUL Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night. I can hardly describe how genuinely happy I feel when we finally sing the "Alleluias" at Mass. And how wonderfully full my heart feels at our family Easter celebration on Easter Sunday. Everything about it is just so perfect.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to Easter :) Not to mention, a few days after Easter my friend Sara will arrive in Minnesota!! Now I'm kind of bummed out that it's only Tuesday... ;)

Princesses

2011-04-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

We had a big, serious discussion today. About princesses.

We were trying to figure out which princesses us girls most resembled in personality and/or looks, or as Mari said "Which princess are you?"

After much deliberation (this is a very important thing that must be thought out very thoroughly), here are our results, and how we came to those results:

Me: Jasmine. Reason: We both wear pants as opposed to dresses, tigers are our favorite animals, and Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie.

Weazy: Belle. Reason: They both love reading books.

Mari: Charlotte or Lottie (from The Princess and the Frog). There was a lot of debate about this one, because I thought Mari should be Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), but Mari opposed that for some reason. But I had forgotten about Lottie, who is pretty much a perfect match for Mari: Pink, fluffy, goofy, and very feminine.

Mya (our neighbor): Pocahontas. Reason: They both love the outdoors.

Leah (Mya's little sister): Cinderella. Reason: They both have blond hair. (there really weren't any other princesses I could think of for Leah, as she is only 2 and hasn't really developed a distinctive personality yet)

Lina: Rapunzel. Reason: They both have long, flowing, shiny hair! Sort of...

Hehehehe...

Happy birthday Evangeline!

2011-04-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

My baby sister is 1 year old today!
Happy birthday to the precious little chubby smiley bundle of cuteness (who also just learned how to walk!)!

I love you, Lina-poo!

Random observation:

2011-04-16T00:56:00.000-05:00

I'm a horrible person to watch movies with.
I LOVE movies, and I love watching movies with other people, but I just don't think other people enjoy it as much as I do.
Either I'm really into the movie and tell everyone to shut up if they so much as cough because I don't want to miss any of it, or I find it ridiculous, I'm making really lame sarcastic jokes about the characters, their lines, etc., and annoying everyone around me in the process.
Unless, that is, they are doing the same thing.
For instance, Avatar. I watched it with Mom, Matty, and Wade. It was one of the most hilarious experiences of my life. I kinda wish we had videotaped ourselves watching it, because it would have been like an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Avatar: Awful movie. Never again. The end.

But really, unless the people I'm watching the movie with have the same opinions about it, I'm sure they pretty much want to kill me by the end of the movie because I'm so annoying.

So, are you a good movie-watcher?

The wonderful things I love about being "the driver"

2011-04-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

I love having my license. Driving is fun (not in a "yay, I get to drive like a maniac and speed and swerve and other irresponsible things like that!" but in a "yes, I'm FREE!" kind of way). And there are certain perks to being the driver. You get to control what music is listened to in the car. I can listen to MY cds, and there's nothing anyone can say about it. Matty can whine and complain all he wants, but when I wanna listen to Regina Spektor, I get to listen to Regina Spektor because I'M THE DRIVER!
I also get to yell at my siblings to SHUT UP and they have to listen because I'M THE DRIVER!

Yes, I like to be in control sometimes. It's an Oldest Child thing, isn't it? That's what I'm blaming it on, anyway.

Really, though, it's so wonderful to have the freedom to just GO and not have to ask for a ride. Of course, most of my driving around by myself is because of "Trina, can you go to the store to pick up some milk?", "Trina, can you go pick up your brother from school?" or going to babysit. But hey, at least I don't have to ask for a ride!

We have the most interesting conversations...

2011-04-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

*talking about world record for longest kiss, brought up after Mari said kisses were gross*

Me: If you were trying to break the World Record for longest kiss, which lasts like, 5 days, how would you eat??

Matty: You wouldn't.

Me: But you can't go five days without eating!!

Matty: Well... you could share, then.

What a nice mental image.

Polly the junior photographer!

2011-04-13T17:33:00.000-05:00

This is my cousin, Polly.

Polly loves cameras (just like me!). Whenever she sees my camera she asks "Can I take a picture?" and how can I say no to the cute, bouncy, little fluffball of curly blonde hair and adorableness?

And Polly with my big giant camera is pretty much the cutest thing ever.

(taken with my cell phone camera)

But I've come to realize that "Can I take a picture?" implies a lot more than just "Can I take a picture?". It actually means "Can I take a eighty-five pictures of the same exact thing because it's fun??"
But I don't mind at all, because it's cute.

She told me, "I'm gonna take a picture of your ponytail!"
She took 9 pictures of my ponytail.

I didn't know the back of my head was so interesting to her...

There were also at least 5 pictures each of this scene:

And this one:

Polly LOVES taking pictures.

But she actually surprised me with this one:

Awesome action shot!

Looks like we might have another photographer in the family ;)

Extreme Makeover: Trina's bedroom edition.

2011-04-11T20:29:00.000-05:00

I recently made over my bedroom to make space for a new bed for my friend, Sara, who is moving in with us at the end of the month.
My whole bedroom got changed up and I like it a lot more now. So, without further ado, PICTURES!

BEFORE:

(this is before)

AFTER:

(this is after)

Now, let me give you a little tour!
This is my bed, and my lovely Assistant, Lina.

Hey, Lina!

This is my window, which is directly above my bookshelf.

Egress windows SUCK.

This is Sara's bed!
(Sara, I'm going to apologize in advance for all the times you're going to hit your head on the ceiling. Sorry.)

Sorry it's not made and pretty-looking, I need to wash the blanket (in other words, yes, I was too lazy to make the bed)

This is the dresser thingy that's underneath the bed along with the ugly black chair that used to be green until my siblings destroyed it and we had to cut the green fabric off.

Hello, Lovely Assistant!

This is my writing/art table. I just put up that collage of my photos on the wall, and I like it.

Note my bead drawers with the string of cool lights sitting on top, my movies, random folder-holder thingy, American Girl doll (yes, I just got that last year, don't judge me), and my LAPTOP! Also, my lens cap and cell phone. And it was totally necessary for me to give you inventory of all the things sitting on my desk. Okay, moving on...

This is mah closet.

I know, so exciting, right??

And there you have it!
*bow*
Please, hold your applause.

(PS, I don't know why the pictures look so low quality. They looked good on my computer... maybe it's just the post editor... and yes, I realize nobody cares, thankyouverymuch.)

Have I ever told you how much I love Deadliest Catch?

2011-04-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

Oh, yeah, I have...
Hehe...
The newest season starts next Tuesday, and I'm practically dying in anticipation. Especially when I see awesome promo videos like this:

AAAAAAAAH!
I love this show.
And every single guy on it.
(well, maybe not EVERY one... but most of them ;) )
There's no other tv show like this. It's real, gritty, scary at times, and just amazing.
This will be the first season without Capt. Phil, though, which is so sad. He'll always be my favorite (the Cornelia Marie was and is my favorite boat).

I wonder if any of you people reading this actually watch Deadliest Catch, or if you're all just reading this thinking "What in the world is she talking about? What a freak.". If that's the case, GO WATCH THE SHOW. It's awesome.

Peace out.

APRIL FOOLS!

2011-04-02T00:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, I was just kidding. Sorry to traumatize you all, but it IS April Fool's day. I'm sure you didn't realize that, and thought I was being serious about being a penguin, so I'm just clearing things up for ya. Isn't that considerate of me? A penguin wouldn't have done that. Penguins are secretly vicious.
But that's another topic for another time.

In other news, what do you think of my new blog design? I did it myself ^_^ .

A confession

2011-04-01T11:40:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make.
I'm actually a penguin.
It's true.
That's how I survive in this cold Minnesota climate.
Those pictures I posted of myself and my family are all fake.
Because we're really penguins.
I'm so sorry to have betrayed you all.
I understand if you never want to speak to me again.
But you will, because everyone wants a penguin as a friend, right?
Especially one who can communicate so well.
And, seriously, I have amazing skills with a keyboard considering I have to use my tiny little penguin flippers to type.
So this news should make you happy.
Because penguins are way cooler than Trinas.

Peace out, Penguin Peeps.

A sneak peek at my Easter outfit/style

2011-03-29T18:36:00.000-05:00

Look inspired by The Secret Sisters

Full outfit pictures to be posted after Easter!

Ramblings from the Whiner

2011-03-23T13:05:00.000-05:00

Guess what just happened, er, is STILL happening? A blizzard. Remember that picture I just posted of all the grass in our backyard? Yeah, it doesn't look like that anymore. I'm not even going to post a picture of it because it's too depressing. It's so bad that even the schools are closed. They NEVER close the schools because of SNOW! Dad is still working, though, which is kind of weird because he had to stay home yesterday because of rain.
Minnesota weather is messed up.

Totally unrelated, but I hurt my back last night. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it hurt really freaking bad. My family was wonderful, though. As soon as they knew I was hurt, they sprang into action. Dad offered me advice since he's had back problems before, Weazy made my bed ready for me so I would be comfortable, Mari drew me a picture, Tommy (who somehow got it into his head that I had lost my back) was running around the house saying, "Gotta find Trina's back!", Mom stayed up and watched tv with me (since I couldn't get to sleep) until she passed out on the couch. Even Matty said, "feel better soon" before he went to bed. My family is awesome.

Okay, that's all for now. Hopefully next time I blog, my laptop will have been fixed and I can put some more pictures up!

My life in pictures

2011-03-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

I gave up waiting for my new laptop screen and just uploaded my pictures from my camera onto Dad's netbook so I could post them.

My room's a mess... again.

Even though I "graduated", I still have a bunch of homework to do.

And this is why I can't update my photography blog. I like to keep all my photography and edits on my laptop, so I have to wait until I get a new screen.

OHMYGOODNESS, YES, that is GRASS! The snow is melting and we can see GRASS! :D

Pass! Hehe, I just love this!

I have a towel on my head. And I need to pluck my eyebrows. :P

The end!

Update on my ridiculously crazy life

2011-03-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy week. I went to my aunt, Anna's, last Sunday and was there until Thursday with Weazy. My Dad was having, erm, issues with work (can't divulge any details right now), my car "broke", the screen on my laptop cracked (!), and other various issues have kept me from updating this little blog of mine.
Right now, I'll tell the epic tale of how my car "broke", because I'm sure you're all curious!
It's not really that epic, me and Weazy were on our way home from Anna's house driving my "new car" (Anna's old one), and on the freeway, the gauges and lights on the dash started spazzing and so I pulled over and long story short, we stayed in Wisconsin for an extra night. My car is here now (it had to get towed, poor thing), and will hopefully be fixed within the next week or so. As for now, I'll just have to be content driving the big grey van.

As for my laptop, it was in the suitcase me and Weaz used for our trip to Wisconsin, and I think someone might have sat on it... either way, I probably should have been more careful. But it looks like I can get the screen replaced fairly cheaply, thank goodness. I'm just using the home computer and my Dad's netbook until I get my laptop fixed.
(By the way, netbooks are the most adorable little computers ever ^_^)

In other news, we did our standardized testing the other day, and my scores were so good, Mom is going to graduate me this year :) I'm going to do post-secondary next year, so Mom said "why not?"! I get to have a graduation party this summer, and everything! Being homeschooled, it really isn't that big of a deal, but it's kinda fun :).

Today, we're having Aunt Nellie and Uncle Pete and the kidlets over for turkey dinner, and I have to go steal a piece of apple pie, so until next week, I bid thee adieu!

Yay!!

2011-03-09T21:59:00.000-06:00

Just popping in here quickly to say I PASSED!
Yes, I passed and I'm now a licensed driver in the state of Minnesota :)
I'm just really happy that I don't have to take the test again.
I drove Matty and Weazy to Mass tonight. We rocked out to Katy Perry on the way home because we're so gangsta in the big grey van. ;)
It's nice to have a driver's license.
I'm a happy girl right now.
:)

The big day

2011-03-08T22:04:00.000-06:00

Yes, Ash Wednesday is tomorrow. I've decided to limit my Internet time to an hour a day (not giving it up completely, because I still need to keep in touch with my friends and family!) and I'm going to be giving up sweets (how cliche) and reading at least one bible verse a day. Also, I'm going to try to pray as often as possible and say special prayers for each of my friends and family members.
Have a blessed Lent :)
(also, say a prayer for me tomorrow... I'm taking my driver's test for the third time!)

Need motivation

2011-03-07T09:41:00.001-06:00

This is what I want to do today:

Clean my room
Clean my bathroom
Get my homework done
Make cookies
Finish reading my library book
Watch Doctor Who with Weazy
Get pictures edited and posted
Take a nap

Wish me luck. Where's my coffee?

Home again, home again...

2011-03-04T16:20:00.000-06:00

I'm back home today after being at my Aunt's house for a week and a half. I didn't realize until I got home again how much I missed my family. After mom picked me up (with all the kids in tow except Matty, who was at school), we went grocery shopping at Coborns, and I held Lina the whole time and couldn't keep myself from smiling all the while. We went to go pick Matty up from school, and as soon as he was out the doors, I ran from the van and chased him down to give him a hug. He saw me coming and quickly ran around me and jumped into the front seat, stealing shotgun from me. The brat.
Mari keeps hugging me and drawing pictures for me, Tommy threw up and I had to clean it because mom and Weazy went shopping (I chose to stay home to spend time with everyone else) Lina is sitting on my lap chewing on my Carmex and bumping the keyboard. I really miss my little buddy, Marek, but, as Mari said when we walked in the front door, it's good to be home.

47 random things you didn't need to know about me.

2011-03-03T12:20:00.001-06:00

I was tagged in this meme thingy on Facebook, and because I'm oh so original (not), I thought I'd post it here. I just liked the randomness of the questions.
So, if you want to know a bunch of useless facts about me, here you go!

1. What time did you get up this morning?
8:30am

2. How do you like your steak?
Medium-well

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Um... Oh, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

4. What is your favorite T.V show?
The Office, I guess. Or Doctor Who, but I watch that on Netflix, so in my world it doesn't count as a TV show. :P

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Ireland!

6. What did you have for breakfast?
Coffee and a granola bar

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Chinese!

8. What foods do you dislike?
Lima beans, mushrooms....

9. Favorite Place to Eat?
Uh, the dining room?

10. Favorite salad dressing?
Ranch, but it's gotta be Hidden Valley.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
Hopefully a black Grand Am... ;)

12. What are your favorite clothes?
Jeans and sweatshirts

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
IRELAND!

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full
1/2 full... unless it's full of poison. O.o

15. Where would you want to retire?
I dunno... down south somewhere.

16. Favorite time of day?
Afternoon.

17. Where were you born?
Um... somewhere in Minnesota. Can't remember the town. :P

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
BASEBALL.

19. Bird watcher?
Nah.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Well, I'm definitely not a morning person.

21. Pets?
Never. Too much work. And animals smell bad.

22. What's the best thing that happened to you in the past year?
I got a baby sister, a baby cousin, and a shiny new camera ;)

23. What did you want to be when you were little?
A teacher.

24.What is your best childhood memory?
Every bonfire we've had with the neighbors :) Good times...

25. Are you a cat or dog person?
Dog person. Even though they stink. ;)

26. Are you married?
Hopefully someday...

27. Always wear your seat belt?
Absolutely.

27. Been in a car accident?
No.

28. Any pet peeves?
Commercials. Hate em hate em hate em. Except the funny ones. :P

29. Favorite pizza topping?
Pepperoni and banana peppers!

30. Favorite Flower?
Lillies.

31. Favorite ice cream?
Strawberry.

32. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Arby's

33. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Twice :( so far... :P

34. From whom did you get your last email
Uh... Amazon? :P

35. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
I don't think maxing our your credit card is a good idea. But if I had to pick, I guess I'd choose Target.

36. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Um... not really. :P

37. Like your job?
If you count babysitting as my job, then yes!

38. Broccoli? Cauliflower?
Broccoli.

39. What was your favorite vacation?
Washington DC!

40. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Who goes out to dinner? :P

41. What are you listening to right now?
The static from the baby monitor ;)

42. What is your favorite color?
Purple!

43. How many tattoos do you have?
None. Tattoos are icky.

44. Coffee or tea?
Either, as long as there's lots of cream and sugar.

45. How many children do you have?
None...
46. If you could meet anyone, alive or not, who would it be?
Sara, the Velhos... or Elvis. ;)
47. Invisibility or flying?
Invisibility.

Rest in Peace

2011-03-02T10:45:00.002-06:00

My uncle's mom, Barb, passed away this morning. Please keep their family in your prayers. Thank you.

Reminder

2011-03-01T19:23:00.000-06:00

http://spirituscapere.blogspot.com/2011/03/project-marek.html
Please check out my Photography blog's latest post (^link above^) because it will change your life.

Also, please comment on this post if you haven't already. Just three more comments and I will reveal my answer! Not that any of you really care, but whatever. ;P

Have nice day.

-Your friendly neighborhood Trina.

Lent

2011-02-28T19:54:00.001-06:00

Lent always seems to sneak up on me. I'll be going about my business in my normal routine, and suddenly BAM! Lent goes "Hey, I start tomorrow, hope you've thought about what you're giving up!" and I'm all "Shoot, I forgot... uhh..." and then I go brain dead and give up something lame, like sweets.
Not that Lent is all about who can give up the most awesome thing, or whoever suffers the most gets the most Easter candy!!
No.
I don't have to explain it to you guys, though, that would probably be a little "preachin' to the choir" and nothing is more annoying, in my opinion.
SO.
I'm not letting Lent sneak up on me again! I'm going to think long and hard about what I can give up that will help my soul and get me closer to God and Heaven. Also, I'll try to think up something nice I can DO that I don't normally do, because Mom always says it's better to do something good than to not do something bad (or something along those lines...).

So what are you giving up for Lent?

Happy birthday, Dad

2011-02-28T17:58:00.000-06:00

Practicing for the Daddy-Daughter dance

Christmas '10

He's 40 today! Happy birthday, Daddy, you're officially old. ;)

Happy birthday to two little squirts

2011-02-26T09:31:00.000-06:00

My Maripoodle turned 5 today. She's my goddaughter and such a little princess, and she's growing up way too fast.

Tommyboy turned 3 on Thursday. He's such a weirdo. But he's my little buddy and I just wanna give him a big hug.

Oh, hey, Lina. ;)

I miss you guys, hope you had a happy birthday! I'll be home soon!

A Question

2011-02-25T11:29:00.000-06:00

My incredibly adorable cousin is napping, and Jakey has better things to do today than put up with me, so I'm going to do a different sort of post today.
I have a question for you.
Yes, you.
No, not you.
Well, you too.

My mom asked this question on her Facebook and I did the same and I personally think the answers that people choose are really interesting!
So, here it is.

If you could live in any state in the US, which would you pick?

There was a reason my mom asked this question, but I won't get into that now. I just wanna know which state YOU would pick (and why, if you want to humor me).

And to add to this, if I get ten different people to answer my question, I'll tell you MY answer!

Jake

2011-02-24T15:32:00.000-06:00

My uncle has a dog. His name is Jake.

The little kids (my siblings and cousins) call him "Big Jakey"

When I took these pictures, I had just let him in from outside, where I forced him to stay while the baby napped and I took a shower. I had also just yelled at him for slobbering me.

Jake smells like bad doggy-breath. He's really slobbery. Kind of nuts. And very dejected.

"Don'tcha feel sorry for me?"

"I'm so hurt by your actions, you meanie..."

Here, he's giving me the cold shoulder.

Sorry, Jakey.

ANOTHER one??

2011-02-24T13:53:00.001-06:00

Yes, I do have an unhealthy obsession with taking pictures of babies, why do you ask?

(I know I only posted two pictures of *Marek* but it seems like I'm posting picture of various babies all the time :P)

Contemplative

2011-02-23T13:57:00.000-06:00

He's thinking about something... something very important... or he might be pooping. Can't really tell.