Calista's Diary Entry - Snow Day

Dear Diary,

There was a bad winter storm here, so school was closed today.  Yay!  I spent time hanging out with friends from school.

Kana and Briana Joy tried to make a snowman, but the snow wouldn't pack very well.  Their snowman looked pretty sad.

Dominique threw ill-formed snowballs at people.  Skipper was not amused.  Eventually, we all ganged up on her and threw snowballs that mostly fell apart before they hit her.

There was a layer of ice under the snow, so we had to be very careful when walking around.  Kiara nearly slipped and fell.  That would've been embarrassing for her (but funny for us).

The best part was that I got to spend time with Bob.  We spent some time just walking and looking around.  Everything was really beautiful with the layer of snow.

We made snow angels.  :) 

Today was a really great day.  Don't get me wrong, I like school, but I have to say that getting an unexpected day off was great.

Calista's Diary Entry - We've Got Spirit

Dear Diary,

I remember when I first made the Junior Spirit Squad, I was so excited.  Back then, I really worked hard to be the best that I could be on the squad, because I almost didn't make it.  I felt like I had something to prove.  I have gotten so much better and I am so proud of myself.  But as time has gone on, I have started to have mixed feelings.

My body is changing so fast, and I really have started to feel self-conscious wearing my uniform in front of everyone.  We have to wear our uniforms to school on game day, and we sometimes perform at pep assemblies in front of the whole school, as well as at the games.  My uniform seems to have gotten tighter and shorter

When I'm performing, it's like I can feel the boys staring at me.  I don't feel comfortable with that at all.  I heard one of the boys say that I have "more bounce to the ounce."

Plus, I am so much taller now.  I don't look like I belong on the Junior squad.  I feel like I look much older than the other girls now.

A while back, I told my mother that I wanted to quit the squad.  She asked me why, and I told her that I just do.  I did not feel comfortable with telling her all of my reasons.  She told me that I can't quit.  She told me that I had agreed to something, and that I needed to stand by that agreement.  She told me that she and my dad had made an investment in me with this activity by purchasing everything that I need, and that I have an obligation to them to see this through.  She told me that I also have an obligation to the other girls.  She asked me what they would do if I suddenly quit the squad.  I shrugged my shoulders.

She told me that the others are depending on me.  She told me that I am part of a team, and that sometimes I may have to do things that I don't want to do for the sake of the team, in order to make us stronger.  She told me that I also have an obligation to myself.  She said that I have put in a lot of hours and a lot of hard work, and that I owe it to myself most of all to see this through.  She told me that if I choose not to try out for next season, then that's my choice.  But she said that I definitely need to finish this season.

At first I was upset with my mom for not letting me quit, but then I really thought about what she said.  My mom is right.  I gave my word, and the other girls do depend on me.  And I depend on them.  I remembered how excited I was when I found out that I had made the team, and I tried to feel that way again.  The other girls have helped me so much, and we have all worked so hard.  I won't let them down.

So what if I'm showing more skin than I used to.  So what if there's more jiggle when I wiggle.  I'm going to do these moves and do them well!

And I have to remember all of the ways that being on the squad has been beneficial to me.  I've learned to dance and move in ways that I never knew before.  I have become physically stronger and more fit.

I have become more flexible.  I have become more confident and less shy.

 But the best part is that I have had the opportunity to be involved in an activity with my best friends.  We have spent so much time together, and we have had so much fun doing this.

For a while I thought that I would just do this until the end of the season, and then I would not try out again.  I've really thought long and hard about this.  Tryouts are coming up, so I needed to make a final decision.  I've decided to try out again.  Really, tryouts are just a formality.  The Varsity squad had their tryouts recently and all of the same girls are on the squad, except for the ones who are graduating.  I expect that me, Briana Joy, and Kana will all be on the Junior Spirit Squad again, and I'm looking forward to it.

Calista's Diary Entry - Kiss and Tell

Dear Diary,

Big Janet and Dylan are clearly a couple now.  Me and Kana and Briana Joy had been trying to ask her about what happened at the Halloween Carnival, but whenever we saw her at school she would say "Not here!  Not now!".  It seems like she's been too busy to hang out with us after school.  It seems like any time we see her outside of school now, she's hugging or holding hands with Dylan.  We were finally able to catch up with her today, though, and we hung out at my house.  Needless to say, we had a lot of questions!

Kana:  Ok, you'd better spill it.
Big Janet:  What?
Kana:  Let's start with what the heck happened at the Halloween Carnival, inside the haunted house, to be specific.
Briana Joy:  And don't hold anything back, either.  We want the details.
Big Janet:  Ok, the ride started and we went through a big set of double doors.  It was pitch black inside.  Then all of a sudden this bright spotlight came on and we saw a coffin, which opened and...
Me:  Did he kiss you?
Big Janet (blushing):  Yes.
Me, Kana, and Briana Joy:  Ooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Big Janet (giggling):  I don't know why you're surprised!  We've kind of been flirting with each other for a while.  Remember the Valentine's Day party?  I almost kissed him back then!

Briana Joy:  But he's older!
Big Janet:  He's not that much older than me.
Kana:  Ok, finish telling the story!  I still want the details.

Big Janet told us that after her first big fright inside the Haunted House, she had screamed, and Dylan put his arm her and she moved over closer to him.  At one point, she closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder, not wanting to see what was coming next.  She could tell that he was moving his head closer to hers, and when she raised her head, he kissed her right on the lips.  Well, he missed at first, but then he kissed her and she kissed him back and they kept kissing for the rest of the ride.  After the carnival, Dylan had sent her a text message that said "So you're my girl, right?" and Big Janet texted him back saying "Yes."

Big Janet is the first one out of the four of us who has ever kissed a boy, so she had to deal with a lot of questions from us.  "Was it wet?"  "Was it gross?"  "How did it feel?" etc.  She answered all of our questions and gave us as many details as we wanted.

After the girls left, I stayed in my room for a while just thinking about things.  I can't believe that Big Janet is the first one out of our group of friends to have a boyfriend.  I'm not saying that in a mean way.  It's just that I always kind of thought that it would be me. 

Calista's Diary Entry - Growth Spurt

Dear Diary,

My clothes are tight, my shoes are too small, and people always comment about how much I've grown.  They say that I've hit a growth spurt.  I look different on the outside, but I feel the same on the inside.

I'm about the same height as Skipper now. She hasn't changed much.

Some of Skipper's friends have changed a lot though.  The twins Hadley and Isla, and her friend Taylor have all gotten so tall!

Kana and Briana Joy haven't changed much.  Kana's hair isn't purple anymore - that's the biggest change with her.

I'm a little bit taller than Bob now.  I wonder if he's noticed?  I wonder if it matters to him?  It doesn't really matter to me.  Maybe he'll hit a growth spurt of his own pretty soon.

Maybe I'm just imagining things, but I could've sworn that Kiara used to be taller.  Maybe she just seems short to me now because I'm taller?  I don't know.  She's been hanging out with the new girl Jenna a lot.  I don't know Jenna well, but she seems okay.  I heard someone say that she is cute until she opens her mouth.  I don't know what they mean by that.

Mikey has not changed a bit.  He is just as obnoxious as ever!  His nickname for me now is Medusa.  I guess he's trying to be funny about the twists that I wear in my hair.  Layla has always worn twists, so why doesn't he call her Medusa?  He was calling me Bigfoot Knight for a while.  I don't know which name I hate worse.  I keep ignoring him and hoping that he'll eventually just leave me alone.

I guess that a lot of things are changing, but a lot of things have remained the same.  I'm just glad to have my family and my friends.  I feel that with their support, I can face any changes that come my way.

Pretty Girls All In a Bow

Here are some of my young ladies showing off their free bows from Build A Bear Workshop.