The Picture of Dorian Gray

Scott gave this to me for my birthday in November. I finally got around to reading it and I absolutely loved it. It's a gothic horror story that is very intriguing. This man, Dorian Gray, is very innocent…. until he learns what it means to sin.

You should read it.

These are my thoughts.

School is a big headache. It always is. Isn't it?
Waking up at 5:00 on B-Days, 6:00 on A-Days-- always a downer.
Eating a bowl of cereal with Dad at 5:00. Priceless.
Drivers ED? Who came up with the class?
I sit next to a Senior. He doesn't have a learners permit yet.
Seminary teachers need something more in their lives.
Is eating Captain Crunch part of the Word of Wisdom Brother Evans?
History: I can't pay attention. My teachers eyebrows are too large for concentration.
Whoever said that learning a foreign language was a good idea?
Tengo un gato en mis pantelones.
What the....?!
6:00am Orchestra? Can anyone play Dvorak at that time?
Learning how to use a graphing calculator-- Easy.
Remembering my times tables-- Hard. (I know.)
Peer Tutoring..... Golden.
Yeah. That's right. We made yarn bracelets for Fun Friday. (Golden)
Riding on the bus home and wondering WHY IN THE WORLD DO I KNOW ALL OF THESE OLD SONGS?! (Steve is our bus driver. He threatened our bus to calm down or he would put on Bob Dylan. Didn't know I knew Bob Dylan until he turned it on....really loud.)
Getting home to Mom asking how my day was.... priceless.

"Plain Life: As Seen By Caroline Raines"

Now, how many weeks has it been since I made a blog post? I'm not exactly sure actually. Perhaps three.....maybe four. I haven't taken the time to see when I last blogged. Maybe some of you have given up on my blog, forgetting that it even exists. Maybe not....You may have to rediscover it as I did. You know, the word "blogging" is such an old mom word.... meant for all of those scrapbookers who write about their daily life and everyone seems to see it as amazing. Is that really all that blogging is? Someones daily life, pumped up and put into a story that seems amazing? I suppose so. Then why, may I ask, do I find myself with a whole lot of life, that doesn't seem amazing enough to put into words, here on my blog?

How about we find a new word for "blogging." Could we call it, storytelling? Maybe even "plain life as seen by Caroline Raines."

If plain simple life can be viewed from billions of different view points, why don't we find everyones view point amazing? Yeah, I agree, those scrapbook blogs need a little jazzing up or something, but it's their perspective isn't it? This blog is my perspective, isn't it? Can't it be just as amazing as all of those scrapbooking moms? :)


I guess I'm talking to myself, but, I did blog this :)

Summer

I WILL SURVIVE! Photo shoot:

Girls Camp 2010

This year, we had girls camp early. We had stake girls camp so we had over 500 girls going. This was going to be the last stake girls camp with our whole stake since the split. I can't imagine what it would have been like if we would have had everyone really camping, and I'm glad that we were able to stay in our little cabins. Usually for girls camp we go in July or late June. I believe that one year we even went in early August before school started, but this year, school ended and we held it the week after. Therefore, being in Utah, where the weather is unpredictable and being in the mountains meant COLD weather and not the usual hot weather. It was quite a difference.

We were in Heber Valley, Utah. It is amazingly beautiful there. The Church owns quite a bit of land up there and we were lucky enough to spend time there. It is mostly just forests of Quaking Aspen trees, and mountains. Pine trees and Fir trees are there also along with many other types of trees. The picture below is a picture of a HUGE Aspen tree that had fallen and actually was blocking the path on our hike. Fortuanately we were able to just walk around it, but it was a sight to behold.

I love girls camp. I look forward to it every year. Hopefully you enjoyed my pictures. :)

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Happy Birthday Mom! You are the best mom ever!

Just For Mom...:)

Here is your typical Treble and Base Clef. "Oh you play the violin, the piano? ......just like everyone else in the world? Thats cool!" Let me introduce you to something better than the norm:

The Viola

Now, if you are wondering what a Viola is, just look at the picture above. You know, it sure looks like a Violin, but of course ITS NOT. It is only better. Not only is it beautiful, but it is unique.

Above, is the Alto Clef. This is the clef that we violists use every day. What is the treble clef? I'll never know. This is where my heart lies....right here. With this Alto Clef sign. No treble for me.

There are actually several differences between the violin and the viola. Not only is the viola just plain better, but it also, like I said, has a unique clef and has different strings than the violin. The violin has an E, A, D and G string. The viola has a A, D, G and C string, making its sound deeper and-in my opinion-more lovely. The viola is also slightly larger than the regular violin.

What would music be without the viola? I answer this question every time I step into my Orchestra classroom.....Music would be nothing. At least orchestral music. I am the only violist in my whole orchestra. Alone, but important. The viola provides the harmony and the accompaniment. Think about it this way....

Say you are sitting in your home, either listening to your iPod, or listening to the radio, perhaps even watching weird commercials on the television. How would all of that music sound if it was just the voice, or just the main tune, no background to enhance the melody. Pretty boring I would say. It's like playing just the right hand to a hymn or a familiar song, its nice, but everyone would agree that it sounds better with all of the parts. (The Viola)

The viola-sadly-gets overlooked, and gets runover by the popular violin. The Alto Clef gets smeared by the fancy ways of the treble clef....oh if only everyone understood.

The whole point of this definately wasn't trying to persuade ANYONE that the alto clef is better than the treble clef....Mom :)