Surveying My Inner Child

Hello, you delightful little kiddos, you! Let's see, what have I been up to? I didn't do much on Halloween because, of course, I didn't go to Larry's party party. I'll bet they really missed me at that party, too. They'll probably come into theatre practice tomorrow saying, "Oh Holly, the party really sucked since you weren't there!" and I'll be like, "What was that? I can't hear you. Maybe it's because I can only hear non-alcoholics." *Nods* Yup... that's what'll happen. Anyway, I didn't dress up for Halloween because I didn't go anywhere, and no one came over. We had about 8 trick-or-treaters, and only one of them had a costume. And 3 of them were 17.

Well, I no longer think very highly of Miss Avril Lavigne. My mom bought me an Entertainment Weekly that's all about Avril, and that sk8er girl is not nearly as cool as I thought she was. As it turns out, she's a hunter... and she's actually proud of it! And what's up with her breaking that guitar over that car in the "Sk8er Boi" video? If she didn't want the car and the guitar, I would have taken them! She didn't need to break 'em. The whipper-snapper...

The time has come to break out the Christmas CDs! Thanksgiving is coming, and so is my play and so... is... CHRISTMAS! Ooooh, excitement time for Holly! Yup. Well, guess what? I've got this awesome little book called My School Days. It's a keepsake and memories album, and it has a survey for every year of school (pre-k through 12th grade). Here's a picture of me as a pre-schooler. Don't ask me why I had those dorky bangs. But I like the dress, it's neat. I want a plaid dress...



Here's how I filled out a survey when I was in 1st grade (I was 6).
When I come home from school, I like to: Drink milk, eat popscicles and play with Jake's grandchildren. (Note from 18-year-old Holly: This must be why I'm allergic to milk now.)
At school, my favorite thing to do is...Hear stories, go outside and go to art class.
Once, at share time, I: Said that Daddy told me I could maybe have a baby kitten!
On Halloween, I dressed up as:Ariel, The Little Mermaid.
My best friend this year is: Shannon
But I also like: Ashley.
The tooth fairy came: 5 times
And I got: Toys and lots of money.
For my birthday: I had a Little Mermaid party & an Ursula pinata. I had a kids' party & a family party! Wow!
My best present all year was: Go-go Walking Pup.
My most fun trip was: To Myrtle Beach, S.C. We played in the ocean, collected shells, swam in the pool and shopped.
These are a few of my favorite things
School lunch: Chips, bologna and cheese. (Note from 18-year-old Holly: EWWW! I didn't go vegetarian until the next year!)
Sport: Dancing, biking.



TV show: Full House, Muppet Babies and Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Movie: The Little Mermaid, Annie and Heidi.
School clothes Little Mermaid shirt.
Holiday Christmas.
Doll (truck): The Little Mermaid.
Restaurant: Chuck E. Cheese.
Game Super Mario Bros. III

Well, it was fun to have a chat with my inner child. Now, I must go, as it's time to vote. Ah yes, and I'm working on un-Halloweening my diary, so don't think I slept through Halloween and don't know it's over or anything. *Shifts eyes nervously* Ta!

Holly :-D

You Impotent Little Know-It-All!

Heh. My character in The Elvis Monolouges is cool. She's like, "No, it wasn't a command performance! My little brother introduced his act, you impotent little know-it-all!" T'will be fun to play her, for she is a jerk. Most of this week's theater practice was spent listening to Morgan's and Kyle's dirty jokes, watching Jason and Kyle act out their monolouges and editing the swearin' out of my script. Laurie informed me that I shall be acting out my monolouge first next Wednesday, so I haven't been doing much for the last two days besides working on memorizing my script.

I'm rather proud of myself. The other day, my dad started yelling at me about how irresponsible I am, which is a common occurance around this house, which almost always results in me crying hysterically in my room. However, this day was different. I don't know if it was the Lifehouse playing in the background, or the chamomile tea I'd just enjoyed, but I kept very mellow throughout the entire lecture.

When Dad stopped yelling to take a breath, I calmy reminded him that I could be a whole lot more irresponsible than I am. For instance, my step brother has been arrested twice for doing drugs, and being a drunk minor. I also pointed out that I don't compromise my morals for anything/anyone, I always stand up for who and what I believe in and that I think I'm a pretty good kid. In the end, he had to agree. *Beams proudly*

Oh yeah! Guess what?! I was watching the telly last night, and the news chick said "It looks like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is going to outsell the Sorcerer's Stone, as Showcase movie theaters are now selling advance tickets for the sequel!" *Does the Super-Mega-Happy Dance* The only problem is, I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY! And after I do work around the house and get my weekly allowance, I'll only have enough mula to buy my Halloween costume! Here's a list of all the things I desperately need before I go insane:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets tickets
Hogwarts school uniform for my Halloween party
New Lifehouse CD
New Jennifer Love Hewitt CD
Michelle Branch CD
Hoobastank CD
The New Guy on DVD
Beauty and the Beast special edition DVD

What to do? Hmm... maybe I should get a job. ...Nah. I think I'll just sell some plasma.

--Holly Rachael :-D

My Beautimous Pink Shoes and the Jungleriffic Mix

My dad is a gnarley guy. The other day, he decided that he wanted to buy me a butt-load of new clothes. We went to the mall, and there, in Marshall Fields, I found... *Echo effect* .:::THE WORLD'S PERFECT SHOES:::. *End echo effect*

Hmm. They seem much prettier in real life, for some reason. I guess my shoes aren't very photogenic, but they are very lovely, nonetheless, and for this I am proud of them. After purchasing *echo effect* THE WORLD's PERFECT SHOES *end echo effect*, we went into the mall, and entered a marvelous store where I found two pairs of purt-ay jeans and one pair of... .:::THE WORLD'S COOLEST TRAIN ENGINEER PANTES:::. As Father and I piled back into the car and popped in my "Country Goodness" mix CD, I realized I would have been in a very content mood... if it weren't for that TORNADO WATCH! *Terrified look* And there you have it: I am officially a wuss. *Goes to hide in the basement*

Well, the very next day, the sibling decided that it was time for us to get a new computer DJ program-- one that wouldn't freeze up like our elderly burned copy of e-Jay. And so, Zach-the-Mac and I took a road trip to all the fine software-carrying stores: *In neon lights* Babbages, Office Max, Office Depot and the best of the bunch, Best Buy. It was there, at Best Buy, that we found .:::THE WORLD'S MOST ROCKIN' COMPUTER DJ PROGRAM:::. Zach the Lego Maniac and I are now the proud owners of Acid Music 3.0. *Beams* We immediately rushed home to start making new Holly Technos and Zach Hip-Hop Jams.

However, when we got home, Grandma and Grandpa Z. were here. And so, we sat down and talked with them. Grandma Z.'s insulting comment of the day was--"Holl, you must've gotten new clothes! You usually dress like you want everyone to think you're cool!" Hmph.

Eventually, Zach and I did get to make some new songs with Acid Music 3.0. The first song we made is called "Holly's Jungleriffic Song" and you shall all hear it when I can persuade Zach to upload it to my diary. Well, I suppose I should get to fanfiction.net before it spontaneously decides to stop working again. *Hugs and handshakes*

--Holly Rachael :-D

We're Not Lost, We Just Don't Know Where We Ar

Wednesday was a very fun-filled day, since I went to my wondermously insane class, theater practice! Laurie, the professor, had us all talk about what we'd been up to since the previous Wednesday. Since you FODers don't have a clue what's been going on with me for a while either, I'll fill ya in...

My dad and I studied for the math portion of my G.E.D. test that I was going to take on Friday morning-- all... week... long. Needless to say, it was a very monotonous few days. Occasionally, I would begin to understand some of the math problems Dad was trying to teach me. However, when I didn't understand a problem, he would freak out and start yelling at me about how easy this stuff was. I should be in the Guiness Book of World Records under "Most Emotional Person of All Time" because every time my dad yells at me, I cry. And that's quite often.

The only time I got to do something that wasn't math was when my dad was sleeping. Whoa, I was so stressed out after all that math, I was so glad to find the super-mega-awesome Harry/Hermione fan fic, The Tango is for Two by Vanilla PuF. Good stuff there, Sadora, good stuff!

Anyhoo, I finally made it to theater class where I learned that, in the past week, Don managed to lock himself outside of his girlfriend's apartment in his underwear. *Points at Don* Ha-ha! Then Laurie had us do some more pant-a-mime stuff. We were told to pretend that we were in a store, using the bathroom, when we find that we're stuck in the bathroom stall; the lock's broken. Suddenly, we hear someone announce that the store will be closing in five minutes. I... er, "pretended" to take my pants off and climb out of the stall with them while Morgan pretended to flush herself down the toilet to get out, and Leah used an imaginary hair pin to pick the lock on her stall. It was jolly good fun. *Nods*

Then it was time for improv, which is much better than pant-a-miming, because there's talking involved and... well, it's rather hard to act without talking. Two people would sit in the middle of the stage and act like they were at a bus stop. The objective of the activity was to get the other person out of the "bench" while waiting for the bus, but we couldn't actually say, "Get off the frickin' bench!" Laurie pretended to have lice and scared Kyle out of the seat, I decided to be an obese chick who showered Laurie in crumbs from my "donuts", and then Regina took on the role of a hooker who scared me away.

Some of the better performances were put on by Kyle who acted like he had narcolepsy, and fell asleep on Don's lap, Jason, who pretended to be a flaming homosexual, Chris, who appeared to be some sort of psycho that wanted to lick up Jason's sweat, and Leah, who took on her friend's funny and crazy Jewish aunt's personality. Thoroughly hilarous stuff there. Fun was had by all. Oh yes, and Laurie informed us that we will either be putting on a play called The Laramy Project, or one called The Elvis Monologues. I hope we don't do The Laramy Project because I saw that on Hate Crimes on MTV and... well, it gave me nightmares for months, let's just say that.

Yesterday, Mom, Mike and I headed out to the Amy Grant concert in Plymoth, but first Mike decided to drive us way out of our way so he could take pictures of the baseball field at Central Michigan University, for some reason. Well, then this hot dude gave us bogus directions, and we got really lost. After like, four freaking hours, we finally made it to the big church where Amy was performing. She was awesome, as usual, and her adorable, tiny toddler, Korina came out on stage to dance around in these cute little fairy wings. Aww... It was bloody brilliant!

Finally, this morning, I took the math portion of my G.E.D. test. I think I did okay, and I really hope I passed. And I prayed for you, MariAnn! I know you took your test yesterday; let me know how ya did! Okay, my work is done here! *Salutes*

--Holly Rachael :-D

Mr. Deeds, Fireworks and Theresa

Time: 1:54 A.M.
I'm Wearing: Blue "United We Stand" shirt, patriotic shorts, and patriotic sandals
My Hair Is: In French braids with ribbons
I Last Ate: A veggie dog w/ mustard and chips
Holly's Song Pick of the Day: "I Wanna Be With You"--Mandy Moore
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Today was Carrie's birthday, yet we had the cake and ice cream celebrating Carrie's birthday yesterday. It was pretty cool. My mom has this Barbie-shaped cake pan, and she made the cake up to look like Carrie in her Grand Blanc cheerleader uniform. It was packed as heck in my mom's house, though, so halfway through the party, Zach and I left to pick up Bobby.

After stalling for time with Bobby at Office Depot, he, Zach and I returned to Mom's house with the movie we rented, Shallow Hal. I've gotta say, that movie was hilarious and touching at the same time. Awwww.

Today I went to see Mr. Deeds with Dad and Zach. That movie was also hilarious and touching all at once. Again, awwwwwww. Then we went to pick up my dad's chick, Theresa, whom Zach and I had never met before.

Theresa was pretty cool, but she laughed waaaay too much, which was probably due to her nervousness about hanging out with us. And she wore waaaaaay too much perfume, which kind of made it hard to breathe in the car until Dad opened the sunroof. She was really nice, though, and I knew she would be, because she's a social worker. That woman puts up with a lot of crap, so perhaps she can even put up with my dad. Heheh... We all went to fireworks in Clio together. They were pretty dern good fireworks, but I've seen better. *Thought bubble as Holly remembers Disney World*. Ahhh... Epcot fireworks...

*Snaps out of it* Man, I gotta tell ya, my indoor cat, Daria, ran out of the house yesterday, and that was not a fun ordeal. The last time she got out and I chased her, I broke my left ankle in 2 places and sprained the other, so this time, I didn't want to go running after her in the dark. After like, half an hour of playing hide and seek with the cat, Mom caught her and brought her in. My other cat, Amy, had such a superior look on her face, it made everyone giggle. Yes, I said "giggle".

Duuuuuuude, the Avril Lavigne CD is the best CD since Lifehouse--No Name Face. *Contented sigh*. Ohhh, Lifehouse... So anyway, I was sort of bothered by the fact that Theresa shares my dad's love of *shudders* oldies. This was the first 4th of July in 3 years that I haven't gotten to listen to Mandy Moore in the car on the way back from fireworks. *Sob*. Ah well. Next year! Happy 4th, and God bless the U.S.A.! *Salutes*

--Holly Rachael :-D

Inspiration Hits... *Ow*!

*Rubs head* That lousy inspiration hit me right over the head! Did you see that? Good Lord...

Anyway, I was watching The Newsies extras on my DVD, and they have this thing on there about the history involved in the movie, and how they thought up the songs and the storyline. It's really fascinating, and it makes me want write.

I really like learning about where things come from, and I love music and stories, so why not combine all three? I'm going to surf the web to see if I can find an old, true story that sparks my interest. Then I want to write a musical about it.

I know musicals aren't very popular these days (with the exception of the awesome Moulin Rouge), but I love them. Even though my singing voice is far from Mariah Carey's, I also want to try out for some musicals in my town. I really want to join the Flint Community Players, and I think I will. Even if you don't get a part in the Community Players, they can put you to work making scenery and stuff. So... yeah.

For now, though, I'm headed over to google.com to check out some cool historic tales. Later!

--Holly Rachael :-D

Holly Rants

What in blue blazes is a fresh-pickled toad?

"Deeply" is a brilliantly sad, underappreciated movie starring Kirsten Dunst.

My dog sleeps with a pink mouse. In the daytime, she attempts to kill it.

Cledus T. Judd's cell-mate thinks he's sexy. I beg to differ.

Ken West is an old man who goes to my church. One day, when church was just ending, Ken stood up from his pew, and took maybe 3 steps before his pants fell down to his ankles.

Why do people live in Bay City, Michigan? Don't they know they can move?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of the many things that are wrong with me. Thanks to OCD, I feel the need to do everything from right to left, pity inanimate objects, and make sure I do everything (walk, talk, chew, breathe) an even amount of times. I also have a constant prayer running through my mind, exhale when I think about something gross, and inhale when I think about something pleasant. Fun, huh?

Prom dresses are preeeeeetty.

I need money. Lots of it. But I don't want to get a job. What to do...?

Harry Potter should not crush upon Cho Chang. He should set his sights, instead, on his gal pal, Hermione Granger.

And they say that a hero can save us. I think I'll just stand here and wait.

--Holly Rachael :-D

An Outing With Carrie's Baby

Time: 6:36 P.M.
I'm Wearing: A white Myrtle Beach T-shirt and jeans.
I Last Ate: Pizza special w/o cheese @ Ruggero's.
Holly's Song Pick of the Day: "Imaigne/Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus" by Amy Grant.
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I spent the night at my mom's last night. Mom's new Amy Grant hymns CD came, along with the bonus DVD, showing how they made the CD. We *love* it, it's awesome stuff. Hymns are so much fun, and Amy rocks!

Today I went to the doctor 'cause my ears were hurting, and it turns out that I have a sinus infection. Grrugh. Then Mom and I went to Circuit City and Meijers. I must say, it's jolly good fun to go grocery shopping with my mom. She lets ya get *anything* you want! She's such a sweetheart.

We got back home from Meijers, and my grandparents and Carrie were over. The moment I walked in the door, I saw this baby carriage on the floor... with a baby in it! I was like, "Aw, a *baby*! Is Carrie babysitting or something?" It was a child development class baby! I thought it was real! I felt stupid. But then we all went out to eat at Ruggero's, and I didn't feel so stupid anymore... All these old people were glaring at Carrie like, "She's swinging that baby around! Child abuse!" Heheheh. This little girl came up and was like, "Can I touch your baby?" Heheheh. Oh, man...

Alrighty, well, I'm gonna try and find a survey now. Goo-bye!

--Holly Rachael :-D

Poor Zachary

Time: 4:52 P.M.
I'm wearing: My blue Madeira Beach, FL sweater, jeans, and the walking cast.
I last ate: A PBJ sandwich for breakfast.
Holly's Song Pick of the Day: "I'm Gonna Love You" by Jennifer Love Hewitt.
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I got up today after I watched Port Charles in bed. Zach told me he was going to pick up Samantha from Skills Center, so I figured I'd better clean the house up a bit so we didn't look like total slobs.

When they got here, Zach was freaking out because he couldn't find his CDs. He has (or had) this 500 CD carrier, and he's always kept it in his car, which is always locked... except when it's in the garage. And we always shut the garage. But last night, when we got back from Funcoland, Zach didn't shut the garage. The passenger door was ajar on his car, and his CDs were gone.

They were the only things missing, but that's pretty bad. I mean, Zach had at least $3,000 worth of CDs in there. He called the police, but they don't answer their phone (how convienient). So Zach, Samantha and I went to Best Buy, Target, and Harmony House so he could buy some of his favorite CDs that had been stolen.

Thankfully, Zach's friends, Tim, Andy and Dave have a lot of the same CDs as Zach, so he can just borrow their CDs and burn them. I'd be really mad if that happened to me, though. Poor guy...

Okily dokily, see ya!

--Holly Rachael :-D

Mom's B-Day, G&G's Anniversary & Zach & Samantha

Time: 10:07 P.M.
I'm wearing: My glittery pink-striped shirt with dress pants and the freaking cast.
I last ate: Cake at Grandma and Grandpa's.
Song that's in my head: "I'm Gonna Love You" by Jennifer Love Hewitt.
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Welp, today was Mommy's 47th birthday, Grandma and Grandpa Shoup's 50th anniversary and Zach and Samantha's first date. Well, actually, I don't know if you can count it as a date, because they weren't by themselves, they were with us at Grandma's.

I got Mom Amy Grant's new CD and new sunglasses (since I borrowed hers and managed to lose them). I felt like I hadn't gotten her enough, so I burned her a mix CD of her favorite songs, and drew a picture of her for the cover of the CD. Zach got her a new PETA membership, since her subscription ran out like, months ago.

After Mom opened the rest of her presents, and we'd all eaten dinner (subs for everyone but me and Mom... we had veggie burgers from Burger King), we ate the awesome cake my Grandma made, with soy ice cream. Well, everyone except Samantha... that girl would not eat! Then we played Big Boggle, despite the fact that I HATE THAT GAME! I always LOSE, no matter WHAT! *Huffs angrily*.

I really hope it works out with Samantha and Zach, because I think she might be able to straighten him out! Hopefully, after a few dates with her, he won't hate Sarah anymore, and then I won't have to walk on eggshells around him. She's really sweet, and he needs a girl like that in his life. So, good luck to Zach and Samantha!

Anyway, tomorrow, Mom, Zach and I are going out with Grandma and Grandpa for their anniversary. We're going to this incredibly expensive Italian place in Grand Blanc... AND GRANDMA AND GRANDPA ARE PAYING FOR DINNER! I mean, dude, it's their 50th anniversary. We should be buying *them* dinner. But we're all broke, and they insist on paying for everyone, anyway. My grandparents are like, the best people in the world. Alrighty, later!

--Holly Rachael :-D

What's Wrong With Britney?

People keep telling me they can't believe that I listen to Britney Spears. My cousins think everything she does is sinful, my step-dad says she shouldn't be showing her belly button, and my best friend hates her because, apparently, "she's such a slut!"

Okay... Britney may sin, but geez, don't we all? I mean, nobody's perfect. Yes, she does show her belly button. And the point is...? What? The girl is in excellent shape. She does two hundred sit-ups a day, along with constant areobics. If I were in that kind of shape, I'd want to flaunt it, too. As for her being a slut, who really knows? All I know is that she has a boyfriend that she's obviously very much in love with. I really doubt that she's sleeping around on Justin Timberlake. I mean, come *on*... he's JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.

I was reading my Seventeen magazine the other day, and someone wrote in saying, "Britney is talentless." She *is*? Could've fooled me. I *love* her singing voice, and that girl can *dance* like nobody's business. So I don't see where they're getting this "talentless" crap from.

I wish people would just give Britney a break, or at least quit telling me how dumb I am for liking her.

--Holly

A Walk to Remember

Time: 10:02 P.M.
I'm wearing: My glittery pink turtleneck sweater and my new jeans.
I last ate: Pizza that I found in the 'fridge.
Song that's in my head: "Cry" by Mandy Moore.
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Mom, Mike and I went to see A Walk to Remember today. It was dang good, and it made me cry twice. Mandy sang a couple of times in it, and the songs she did absolutely rocked. And wow, Shane West's character was so sweet... well, for most of the movie, anyway.

Rachael Lampa's on the soundtrack! She performed at the Amy Grant Christmas concert this past year. That girl is so awesome. I think Rachael is really cool because, not only is she an awesome singer, but she also has an awesome idol. In every interview I've read with her, she says she really looked up to Amy Grant while she was growing up. Rock on! 'Course, Jessica Simpson idolized Amy Grant as well. She rocks too!

Anyway, getting back to A Walk to Remember, I loved Mandy Moore's character. When a girl told her (sarcastically) that she liked her sweater, Mandy simply said "Thank you," and kept walking, even when the girl and her friends started laughing at Mandy. She said she didn't care what people thought about her, but she always made an effort to talk to them, kind of inviting them to hang out with her, as long as they were nice. I loved that about her.

Alrighty, see ya!

--Holly Rachael :-D

Hey, look, snow! Oh, wait... it's gone

Time: 1:19 P.M.
Song in my head: "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty.
I last ate: Reeses Peanut Butter Cereal for breakfast.
I'm wearing: My long-sleeved two-tone purple shirt and jeans.
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Friday was a very mixed up day. The only thought that got me out of bed was, "The Amy Grant concert is tonight." But I was late for school. Then this girl, Amber, that I always talk to in my second hour, said that her step-dad had tried to kill himself the previous night, and she was on the verge of tears all hour, and unable to do her work. I felt terrible for her, but I didn't know what to say. Luckily, a funny guy named Chris always sits with us, too, and joked with her a bit, and I think that cheered her up a little.

The rest of the school day was pretty uneventful until 7th hour when somebody shouted, "Look! It's snowing out!" And it was! Huge snowflakes were coming down, and sticking to the ground! I was so thrilled, thinking we might actually have snow for Christmas. But the snow was that freezing, rainy kind, so it made for awful driving conditions. And of course, we had to drive all the way back to Flint to get my money and binoculars from my dad, then all the way to Auburn Hills. There were so many accidents everywhere, it was unbelievable. We were going like, 45 on the express way.

My mom and I had a lot of trouble finding The Palace of Auburn Hills, as we usually do. Finally I spotted it (yes, me! I never notice *anything*), and we went in to the concert. It was a great Christmas concert this year; Amy gave an awesome speech. She said, "I was talking to a friend of mine who's an artist. I asked her what her favorite color was, and she said, 'Amy, out of all the colors, I'd have to say black is my favorite.' I personally didn't think black really even classified as a color, but she had a very cool reason for black being her favorite color. She said, 'Life is full of bright colors, and they're what get you through. But without black, the colors are just... there. Black provides the depth of a picture, makes it beautiful. And life needs depth. Otherwise, it'd just be a bunch of random colors thrown together." I thought that was *really* cool. The only thing the concert lacked was Michael W. Smith, who's always been there before.

When we hit the road to head back to Flint, we hit quite a snag... I-75, our way home, had been *closed*! I guess they had a really bad weather-related accident. Mom and I got totally lost, and ended up in Port Huron, which is really far away from here. We stopped at numerous 7-11s, but the cashiers either gave us bad directions, or didn't have a *clue* how to get to Flint. The cell phone was convienently dead, but we finally found a pay phone, and called my grandma and grandpa. Oh man, it was like, 2:30 A.M. before we finally got home, and the concert ended at 11:00! We didn't get to bed until 4:30, and we were exhausted.

So, what a weird day Friday was.

--Holly Rachael :-D

Annual Amy Grant Christmas concert tomorrow!

Time: 10:32 P.M.
Song in my head: "Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away" by Amy Grant.
I last ate: Soy Delicious vanilla ice cream.
I'm wearing: Mis-matched floral P.J.s and fluffy blue slippers.
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Woo HOO! Tomorrow night is the Amy Grant Christmas concert! I go every single year with my mommy, and sometimes, other people. But this year it's just Mom and I, which is great with me. I hardly ever get to hang out with just Mom anymore! She's pretty mad at Mike because he won't go, since Billy's playing hockey that night, and he wants to see that instead. The Christmas concert is going to be *SO MUCH FUN*, though! It always is! She's bringing her hubby, Vince Gill with her, and I hope she brings her newest baby, Korena. What a little cutie! Amy always dresses in these really cool ball gowns, and she usually has her best friend, Michael W. Smith with her (what a hottie!). I don't think Michael's coming this year, but I'm still REALLY looking forward to the concert!

Mom cut and colored my hair earlier while we were watching news coverage on that stupid-head, Bin Ladden. What a moron, he was all laughing about all the horrible stuff he did... butt-hole! Anyway, though, about my hair, Mom must have cut off like, 4 or 5 inches of hair! Boy, is Sarah going to be mad... she gets quite angry when I cut my hair without telling her. Ah well. And my hair's back to brown, too! No more highlights, 'cause they were uneven and freaking-looking.

Okay, see ya.

--Holly Rachael :-D

Jason Wade is Adorable

I love Lifehouse. More specifically, I love Lifehouse's lead singer, Jason Wade. What... a *hottie*. All of the lyrics on the CD were written by him, and those lyrics are enough to make you fall head over heels in love with whoever wrote them. I mean, "And how can I stand here with you... and not be moved by you? Could you tell me, how could it be any better than this?" That's good stuff.

It's not just the lyrics, though. Listen to Jason's voice. It's like... the best voice since Trent Lane on Daria. When my head hurts, I listen to Lifehouse because Jason's voice works better on my headaches than Tylenol.

But it's not just the lyrics, either. Take a *gander* at Jason. He just *looks* as sweet as a pound of Reeses. The man is absolutely incredible...

Even though all these characteristics make Jason Wade like, the most desirable guy I've ever heard of, what really gets me is what a sweetheart he is. He's such a good guy!

Jason's parents are both ministers, and when he was just a pre-teen, his family moved from California to Japan. There, he was a total outcast because he was on of the only two white kids in his community.

Despite the pitiful alienation he suffered from as a kid, and the traumatizing divorce Jason's parents ultimitely went through, he turned out to be about the best guy I've ever seen. He's a good, strong Christian, and he didn't give up his virginity until marriage, because he believed in not having sex until you find the one you know you're going to love for the rest of your life. He is the man for that, and it's really cool to me, because that's what I believe in, and I'm sticking to it no matter what!

Jason Wade is such the man. Don't'cha just *love* him?! Okay, well, see ya later!

--Holly Rachael :-D

No more hockey team?!

Today was a pretty good day. I went to school and watched Romeo and Juliet and heard students in the other room watching Shrek (lucky jerks), and I ate my white chocolate chunk cookies... but then Mike picked me up from school half an hour late, and I waited in the cold with this girl named Lisa with really good hair. Anyway, Mike said he sold the hockey team to some guy named Joe today!

Apparently, this millionaire guy named Barry was being a dork, and said Mike had to give up the Hurricanes because Mike didn't do all these really stupid things. He said, to own a hockey team, Mike had to "have a cell phone other than his wife's." They can't *make* him have a cell phone! That idiot.

So, no more hockey players for me. I'm so upset about it! I still can't believe the team is *gone*! Just like that. *Sigh*.

But at least this happened: This new student came to my school today (a really hot one, I might add). We'd been watching Romeo and Juliet for the last couple of days, and today, we watched the end. I guess the new guy must have never seen the movie, because when Romeo and Juliet died, he started crying! He seemed really embarrassed about it, especially since the other guys were calling him gay and stuff, but I was like, "Don't worry about it, I cried the first ten times I saw it, too." He talked to me for the rest of the hour, and his favorite bands are Lifehouse and Nickelback! Well, dude, mine too! Rockin'! This guy kicks butt.

Woo hoo! Imood.com added a whole bunch of new faces! Later!

--Holly Rachael :-D

For hating sports, I sure go to a lot of games...

Dude, I had to go to Carman-Ainsworth's homecoming game tonight because I promised Sarah I would. But it was really cold and rainy. I had layers upon layers of sweaters and coats on, and I *still* got cold! I had to leave at half-time, then we went back and got Sarah, her sister and... some other girl that I don't know. They're nuts for *wanting* to stay in the cold for that long!

Whoa... I just downloaded the new Backstreet Boys song, and dang. It's sooooooo good. I can't seem to get enough of it. I keep playing it over and over again. That's so sweet-- "Every time I breathe, I take you in and my heart beats again." Oh, *man*. Whew! That's some good stuff right there. And Brian's little solo... things... are... soooo... gooood... ooooh...

Okay, okay, I'll be alright. I gotta go before I get carried away talking about the video for Lance and Joey's new movie, On the Line. Wow! Rockin'. See ya!

--Holly Bear :-D

The Musical Fruit

Well, I decided to steal a *music* survey this time. Woo hoo!

~MUSICAL SURVEY~

1. WHAT WAS THE FIRST RECORD YOU OWNED (BOUGHT FOR YOU?
Probably Wilson Phillips.
2. WHAT WAS THE FIRST RECORD YOU EVER BOUGHT? I honestly have no idea whatsoever.
3. IF YOU HAD SOMEONe OF THE OPPOSITE SEX COMING OVER AND YOU WANTED TO IMPRESS THEM, WHICH CD'S WOULD YOU HIDE
Probably Debbie Gibson and Goofy Greats.
4. IS THERE A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU MOST OF YOUR CHILDHOOD? "Hats" by Amy Grant. In second grade when all the other kids were singing crap like "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," I sat by myself, singing "Hats."
5. IF YOU COULD SPEND A NIGHT WITH FIVE MUSICAL ARTISTS~~~THREE FOR THEIR MINDS AND TWO FOR THEIR BODIES~~~WHO WOULD THEY BE? Bodies: Nick Lachey and Ricky Martin. Minds: Amy Grant, Faith Hill, and Michael W. Smith.
6. IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT SONG WOULD PLAY OVER THE FOLLOWING:
~~~~OPENING CREDITS
"Split Personality" by Pink
~~~~LOVE SCENE
Woo! Yeah! Holly's favorite part of a movie! Oh, right, getting around to answering, "Our Love" by Amy Grant. Aw...
~~~~DRIVING SCENE THAT CONSISTS MAINLY OF FLASHBACKS AND LOVE LOST: "Stronger" by Britney Spears. Huuuray!
~~~~CLOSING CREDITS
"Can't Take That Away From Me" by Mariah Carey.
~~~~ANY OTHER SCENES
Psha! Hello?! There would be like 5 million scenes where I sit there and watch Daria and eat PBJ.

7. IF APPLICABLE NAME A SONG OR CONCERT THAT BROUGHT YOU TO TEARS. I cry when I listen to "Sweet Jesus" by Gary Chapman, "Can't Take That Away From Me" by Mariah Carey, "Hello, Goodbye" by Michael W. Smith, "This Was Her Time" by Michael W. Smith, "I Believe in Love" by Jennifer Love Hewitt, and "Two Beds and a Coffee Machine" by Savage Garden.
8. WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU ARE HAPPY? SAD? ANGRY?
Happy: 'N Sync, Mandy Moore, "Weird Al" Yankovic...
Sad: Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Savage Garden...
Angry: Garbage, Pink, Bif Naked...
9. NAME ONE MUSICAL ARTIST YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE BANISHED! Eminem! Oh, *PLEASE* let him be banished! And I'm going to add Kid Rock, just for good measure.
10. NAME ONE MUSICAL GENRE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE BANISHED. Rap or country. Pick a least favorite.
11. NAME ONE SONG YOU WOULD RATHER NEVER HEAR AGAIN. Any song by Eminem.
12. WHAT NOW DEFUNCT BAND WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE REUNITE (LIVING OR DEAD)? Wilson Phillips, the band I loved when I was a little girl, and still love today. The Bangles were cool, too. ();-)
13. NAME AN ALBUM THAT IS PERFECT ALL THE WAY THROUGH~~NO FILLER, NO BAD STUFF. "Millennium" by the Backstreet Boys and "Heart in Motion" by Amy Grant.
14. MUSIC THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED A GUILTY PLEASURE. Perhaps that "It Wasn't Me" song by Shaggy, or that "Faded" song by Soul Decision.
15. IF YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION WAS ABOUT TO GO UP IN FLAMES, WHICH FIVE CD'S WOULD YOU SAVE? Heart in Motion: Amy Grant, Lead Me On: Amy Grant, House of Love: Amy Grant, one of the Christmas Amys, and Plus One.
16. IS THERE A SONG THAT DESCRIBES YOU OR A SITUATION YOU'VE BEEN IN SO WELL THAT YOU COULD HAVE WRITTEN IT? Actually, I always compare songs to Daria fan fiction, which is something that probably no one else in the entire world does. Just to say so, I think "To the Moon and Back" by Savage Garden is exactly Daria, all the way.
17. WHICH UNDERATED ARTIST DESERVES MORE ATTENTION? Amy Grant.
18. HAS A SONG OR ARTIST CHANGED YOUR LIFE IN ANYWAY? Amy Grant.
19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK?
Simply Irresistable and The Grinch.
20. BEST MUSIC RELATED MOVIE.
Empire Records.
21. WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM BAND BE?
vocals: Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.
backup vocals~~~~ 98 Degrees and Mandy Moore.
Rhythym guitar~~~Uh...
Lead Guitar~~~Um...
Bass~~~Hmm... Wow, I feel stupid.
Drums~~~How 'bout that hottie from Eve 6.
22. DO YOU MISS THE DAYS WHEN MTV PLAYED VIDEOS AND STUFF? No! More Daria, I tell you, MOOOOOOOOOOORE DAAAAAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIA!!!!!!!!!
23. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ALL TIME VIDEO? "Freakin' Friends" by Mystik Spiral. I also like "Californication" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and "Smells Like Nirvana" by "Weird Al" Yankovic.
24. CURRENT FAVORITE RADIO HIT. "Where Are You, Christmas?" by Faith Hill.
25. DO YOU SING OR PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT? Steel drums. I was forced to. But they're pretty cool. I just suck at them is all.

I'm at school! Gaaah!

Whew! I finally got to a computer! My focus group decided
to go to the computer lab, which rules because I'm grounded
from the computer.

Anyway, I went to Nashville and chilled with Amy Grant! It
was *so* much fun! There were about 100 fans in this
restaurant where Amy Grant and Vince Gill were, and we all
yelled out songs we wanted them to play. In between songs,
people would get up on stage with Amy and Vince, and sing a
song, or say a poem. Some of those fans were really
creepy... they would just burst into tears as soon as they
got on stage. Amy was so adorable because she was five
months pregnant. During the autograph signing at the end,
Amy said, "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm getting sort of
nauseated due to my pregnancy." Everyone went, "Awwww...
so, anyway, SIGN MY AUTOGRAPH, SIGN THIS, SIGN THAT!" They
really didn't feel that bad for my girl, Amy, the jerks.
After we had breakfast with Amy and Vince, we went to an
Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Vince Gill concert. Every
time I go to an Amy concert, I have more and more respect
for her. 80% of the money we pay goes to a children's
hospital. Amy said, "I'm sure every parent knows, whether
a child is eight years old, or eighteen years old, they are
just as precious, and need just as much love." My mom
bought me this adorable little stuffed lamb, and that money
went straight to the children's hospital as well, so we
felt really good about going to the concert.

Changing the subject, on Friday, when I got to school, I
was in *such* an awesome mood. I kept hugging everyone,
and by the time lunch time rolled around, I felt really
brave. My friend, Heather and I walked into the art room,
and I just walked straight up to my crush, Sean, and said,
"Hi. I just wanted to tell you that I think you're really,
really hot. A girl could have fantasies about you. Okay,
thanks for your time." I have no idea why I did that.
Heather thinks I'll never, ever have a chance with him now
because of what my first words to him were. See, I really
like him because he's a vegan, and he's all into animal
rights and everything. I've never met a guy that had the
same beliefs as me, and he does! I really want that guy, I
tell you! *Sigh*. Well, I think I've really gotta go
because he's in the hall, and he's about to come in here, I
think. Smooch!

--Holly the "Holy" Zintel ():-)

Tee hee! I'm headed for Nashville!

That's right! My mom's boyfriend's not going, so I'm goin'
in his place! We're trying to get me in to the party, and
we're pretty sure I'll be able to do it because Kim Keys,
Amy Grant's manager chick, is so nice. A PARTY WITH AMY
GRANT, MICHAEL W. SMITH & VINCE GILL! WOOOOOOOO
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Soooooooo thrilled, I tell you,
thrilllleeeeeeeeeeed! HURRAY! I'm going to take millions
and millions of pictures! And then I'm going to scan them
and put them on my web site so that everyone can be
jealous! YAY, YAY! And at the concert, we get floor
seats! When we're at the Amy party, she's going to play
her guitar, just for this group of people! I'm soooooooooo
thrilled!

The only problem is, I've missed about 20 days of school
already, and I'll miss 3 more if I go to this. My dad is
*very* touchy about me missing school. Every time I don't
go, I think his head is going to blow up. And if I'm not
sick, he'll be even madder. Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap,
crap, crap.

And YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY!

--Holly the "Holy" Zintel ():-)