Actions Speak LOUDER THAN WORDS

Hello, hello! How's everybody doing tonight? So, yesterday, I drove with my cousins to the BC Wild Life Park in Kamloops. Grandma and Grandpa treated all of us to a day there for their 64th wedding anniversary. It was really fun! There was this cool bird show and they set one of the falcons on Preston's head and then on Bri's head. The only problem was that it was REALLY, REALLY hot. We were sweating to death after five minutes in the park! But they had some cool animals and a COOL water park thing. It's meant for kids, but they only get like, thirty-five people a day, so we went right in and got all cooled off. We also rode this little train around the park, so that was cool. I got a stuffed chipmonk and a cool sticker at the gift shop. So yeah...
Anyways...back to the point of this post: when we were on the road yesterday, we were listening to Relient K. they have this song called Hello McFly and it's really good. So anyways, when we got out of the car, Auntie Sue was like, "Uncle Des came up with a pretty cool band name: Louder Than Words," because there's a line in the song that's like "ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!" How is it that of all the names that we've come up with, that Uncle Des comes up with one and it's the one? So yeah...we've finally decided. We are Louder Than Words. It's got a cool little ring to it. Whoo hoo!
So...uh...oh! Last night I slept over at Darby's. Travis made me bring all my sound equipment: you know, mike, stand, guitar, amp, mixer...the whole mess of it. Then, we jammed and practiced for about an hour and that's all we used it for. Ugh...moving things. Anyways, I didn't get much sleep because we went to bed at 10:30 and I kept waking up and then at 3:30, I woke up with this really bad stomach ache. So i got up and hung out with Grandma for about half an hour until I felt a bit better. Then I finally fell asleep at 4:45...and woke up fine. So that was odd. We spent the whole morning playing with the excessive amount of Lego that my cousins have. That was actually really fun. :)
So, today, when Auntie Sue and Darby, dropped me off at home, we installed two of the homeschool programs that i'll be useing: Grade 10 language and science. I was kind of excited about that, so I tried it out. I ended up doing four days worth of language work. It's pretty cool. You read the lesson and then you answer questions on it. You get as many chances as you want with the work until you get to the quizzes, which are just like a normal quiz. (I haven't gotten there yet though). Honestly, I can get a whole unit of language done in a few days. So that's pretty darn cool!
So, at church on the weekends, I usually help out with either Sunday School or the little Nursury thing. I like the Nursury better. But anyways, I didn't end up going this weekend...I don't really know why though. So I was sitting up at the front with Travis and Preston and other family members when Alexa, this girl that's a year younger than me, sneeks to the front and asked to to go up to the nursury. So i went and it turns out that this little girl, Sarah, who's only like, eighteen months old, had been whining because she wanted me...so that was cool. Apparently, I was wanted up there. So I guess I'll help out with that weekly now......
Well...that's all I've got to say today...but yeah...Hope everyone had a good summer! I guess school starts in a week. Good luck with that, my fellow grade niners and other such school-ers! All for now!
-Kristen

Al's done, and the return of Billy Miner

OK... so band names:
Sonnovabuns
Purty
Shame on Fred
Lights Out
Trampoline Scene
Spores Galore
Fodder
Hiccup
Chocolate Monkeys
Spasm
Infomercial
As Seen on TV

Some good some bad... At least I am trying. Anyone else?

Got an interview on Tuesday! I will tell more to you through email, K, but it is perfect (photographer and graphics guy). So that was nice.

We went to the Zoo TWICE this weekend. Arden is in love with the baby orangatuan, Budi. She calls me big Budi and picks grubs out of my beard and pretend-eats them. Oi.

I made a big ice cream cake based on the Keg's Billy Miner pie. Those who know me, know I LOVE ice cream... and this is a suprememely tasty ice cream cake. Wish I could share a piece with you Bub..

This weekend we go to Sudbury for a grand celebration for Al... he has graduated at of near the top o' his class with a 4.0 GPA. Not too freakin' bad. Gram is already up there with the girls, hangin' out with Daniel and Rebecca. So I will take lots of pics and post some here.

I know as school comes around and poeple return to their computers the blog will flow more... please feel free to post here, folks.


All for now...

Shopping, Parades and Yeilding to Bubble-Frogs

Yeah...so, today was pretty busy. First, we went shopping with my grandma and Auntie Sue. It was fun. We got groceries and I got a Chicken Soup book and some much needed sticky tak. Then we went to a cool little cafe called the Java Cabana. They have AMAZING Italian Sodas there! Then we went home and hung out for a while and watched The Princess Bride and stuff and I practiced guitar. Then, Auntie Sue and Travis and Darby came to pick me up for Build-A-Band. It went REALLY well tonight. We played each song at least three times and Hold My Hand and Happily Troubling are PERFECT now. The Relient K song still needs a bit of work and we have to get used to playing with the keyboard again when Preston comes back. What else? Uh...yeah...so we're going to be playing in a parade!!!! WHOO HOO!!! Ryan told us today. He said that Blue Water Music got a float in the Fall Fair Parade (or whatever it's called) and that the two groups that are doing build a band can play on it! We'll also be playing at the fall fair (and I might enter some watercolour paintings in the fair as well). One problem...we still don't have a band name. Tonight, we were coming up with a bunch: That Was Random, Yield to the Bubble-Frogs (DON"T ASK), Eleven, Not Really, Brain Crieg............ And many more! It's weird going without Preston though because he comes up with lots of good ones....and says them in odd ways (especially Mold Spors and Spleen).
Well...I think that's about all I've got to say today. I'll write some more soon. Tell me about you folks too! I want to hear from you!
All for now!
-Kristen

outdoor sleeping

Okay, so here's what's been going on lately..............

WE GOT A NEW COMPUTER!!! It's really cool. It's got a flat-screen-ish monitor and this nice, new keyboard and our webcam and mic are hooked up on it. It's really nice.

Last weekend, we went to this awesome place! It's in this provincial park. You take all these pathways over bridges and stuff through this canyon-thing and it's so cool! You have to walk under a bunch of fallen trees and there's all these awesome plants that are super healthy from the little stream that runs through the middle. Then, when you get to the end of the path, there's this really big waterfall! It's so cool! It's called Margaret Falls. And there's this hole in the rock behind the waterfall when you can climb up and go in and sit behind the waterfall. We didn't get to go this time but it's only about half an hour away so I think we're going to go again soon.

Last night, I stayed over at Darby's house again. It was so cool! It was kind of cold that night but it wasn't too bad so we slept on their trampoline! We bundled up and got sleeping bags and blankets and stuff and went outside and slept there and just watched the sky. There was a meteor shower so that was awesome! And the moon was INCREDIBLE. We literally watched it rise. It was pretty fast and it was so bright! I woke up at one point in the night and the clouds were all skidded across the sky and then the moon was glowing yellow and it was lighting up the whole sky. It was so cool! Oh! And there were these coyotes! They were calling to each other across the road and stuff and it was really wierd because at one point...they were like, yelling at each other and it sounded like they were laughing like hyenas. Then, one howled really loud and that was all we heard from them all night. At four thirty in the morning though. it started to get brighter and then the STUPID ROOSTER from next door crowed REALLY loud and Darby and I yelled SHUT UP at the same time. It was actually pretty funny. We all want to make that rooster into stew.

What else? Uh... Oh! Build-A-Band went pretty well this week. We didn't have Preston but we did okay without him. We got to practice all three songs and I think we've got them all pretty much down. We still need a bit of work but we're doing better. And there's still no band name.

So...I think that's all I've got to say today. I'll keep you posted and you keep me posted!

Rock on!

-Kristen

Greetings

Sooo...um...I slept over at my cousins' house the other day and that was fun. My aunt and uncle were off on a little getaway for their twentieth anniversary so Darby and I slept upstairs in their room which was cool. What else...um...we went to Salmon Arm yesterday and we stopped in at Blue Water Music and I got a little pick holder thing for my guitar. Kyle got some drumsticks (yay another drummer ;) ) . We also got some much needed groceries.

I used some more of that temporary hair dye stuff that I have used before. It's the same red...actually...it's the rest of the red that I used at the talent show. But we didn't have very much so right now, my hair is red on the top and then it fades into blond.

Ryan got my guitar fixed...for about seventy bucks. He ended up not being able to do it so he got one of the guys that works at Blue Water to fix it...He did it for fifty bucks and put a brand new pack of acoustic strings on it since I only had electric. But anyways...it works like new.

Build-A-Band was great this week...We changed one of our songs. It went from Poppa's song to "Happily Troubling" (the song Jenna and I did at the talent show). It was kind of a group decision. Travis and I were recording it in their basement, just for fun and somehow...we ended up changing our song. Probably because it's something different and new. We've all heard "So What's It Gonna Be" quite a bit...Plus, I know I can play this song really well live. We actually got Travis doing some back up vocals and it sounds AWESOME! (Until he does this weird falsetto thing when I go into that little guitar interlude thing).

So yeah...I've been doing pretty well lately. I haven't been able to go swimming for about a week becasue it's been getting quite cool outside. Today, the water was REALLY REALLY choppy...full-out white caps and everything.

JENNA! You looked good in those pictures at grad!

So...How is everyone doing this summer?

I must be off now!

-Kristen