"And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer."

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger, they were... And, sometimes, you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?
But, in the end, it's only a passing thing. The shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. Those are the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going... because they were holding onto something."
But, the question is, what are we holding on to?
Maybe it's that there's some good in this world, and that it's worth fighting for. because the end may not look like it will be happy, but how are we to know? We learn that these things are only passing things, and the sun will mark a new beginning. And when the time comes for the chance to come back, the only ones that will be remembered are the ones that didn't.

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have."

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate life has provided us. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.
We don't need everything in the world to be happy. Sometimes, all we need is love and friendship. If someone were to ask me how I have become the person I am today-- I wouldn't say that it was because of my education, the amount of money I have, or my popularity status. In fact, I'm not the brightest. The money I have buys me only what I need. I'm not accepted by everyone. But, these things don't bring me down, because I think of all the people in my life and all the potential I have, and it's as if I'm on top of the world. The only reasons that I am happy, are because I live simply. I love generously. I care deeply. I speak kindly. And, I enjoy my hot chocolate, as well as all the other gifts life has to offer me.

I may not have the best of everything, but I'm happy because I make the best of everything I have.

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

If we could get the hang of it entirely, it would take too long; All we know is the splash of words in passing and falling twigs of song. And when we try to eavesdrop on the great presences, it is rarely that, by a stroke of luck, we can appropriate even a phrase entirely. If we could find our happiness entirely in somebody else's arms, we should not fear the spears of the spring nor the city's yammering fire alarms. But, as it is, the spears each year go through our flesh and almost hourly. Bell or siren banishes the blue Eyes of Love entirely. And if the world were black or white entirely, and all the charts were plain, instead of a mad weir of tigerish waters-- a prism of delight and pain. We might be surer where we wished to go, or again we might be merely bored, but in brute reality there is no road that is right entirely.
We have all learned that there most definitely is a right and wrong- but what about the line between the two? How do you distinguish between whether something really is completely right, or really is completely wrong? Well, I believe that a lot of things in life aren't either black or white, but a shade of gray. Maybe a dark gray: leaning more towards wrong, but with slight good intentions, or maybe a light gray: Only good means at heart, with a not so good way of going about it. Sometimes, things are different than we are taught. Sometimes there are exceptions. Every so often, there are times when we must
blur the lines.

"Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, it is the only time we have."

Time seems to pass so quickly nowadays. Or, maybe, it passes too slowly. I'm not quite sure. Who knows, it might just be a little bit of both. Some moments pass you by so fast that you're left standing with no clue what to make of them. Some stay within your grasp only for a little while, leaving you wishing for them to have stayed longer. Yet, there are some that linger, in your reach, waiting for you to seize the opportunity to take them.
A clock doesn't just have to be counting down time-- the time we have left to make something of ourselves. For all we know, it could be counting up time-- the time we have changed this earth and the lives of others. Make each second count, that's a good piece of advice to live by. If we were to "seize the day," so to speak, and make our moments last, well then,

time wouldn't matter anymore.

"We do not simply live our lives for ourselves, but for those who came before and will come after us."

All I really feel the need to do is to make others happy, regardless of whether or not I am happy, myself. It may not be thought of as the wisest of decisions, but I put everyone I know in front of myself-- to me, these people come first. It's scary that the decisions I make in my life are ones that can affect the lives of others. One little mistake can ruin everything. For example-- maybe a very unimaginative example, but a fitting one- if a friend were to tell me a secret that could never be heard by the ears of another, and I told everyone I knew, I would probably lose that friend. Then, we would grow up and go our separate ways. We would get married and have children, or maybe live alone in a one room apartment. We would live a happy life, or rather, a "happy" life, and we would never see each other again. It's funny, isn't? How one domino can knock over twenty? How one person can start a war? How one doubt can rid of all hopes? It's funny, isn't it?
How one little thing... changes everything.

"I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly."

"You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep. 'Cause they'd fill the open air and leave teardrops everywhere. You'd think me rude, but I would just stand and stare. I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep 'cause everything is never as it seems."

It is true, isn't? Life doesn't last long-- the world seems to turn too fast for any of us to catch up with it. We'd like to make ourselves believe that it doesn't-- but that doesn't stop it. Wishing and believing and dreaming doesn't stop anything. Sometimes, I wish I could take everything important in my life and save them all up in a little jar like fireflies so that they could never get away from me. But I guess that life doesn't ever give you a little jar to save up dreams and wishes like fireflies, because they were meant to fly away, free, into the night. Maybe, if you look close enough at the stars, you'll see one with little wings, and it'll flit away as you make a wish, to someone else's window, someone else's sky, and they'll make a wish too, and maybe one day, all the wishes on fireflies in a jar will come true.

"When I fall asleep...........

...........my dreams are bursting at the seams."

"Demons will charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time..."

Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around.
Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir, not while I'm around. Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays. I'll send 'em howling, I don't care, I got ways. No one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna dare. Others can desert you, not to worry, whistle, I'll be there. Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time... Nothing can harm you, not while I'm around... Not to worry, not to worry. I may not be smart but I ain't dumb. I can do it, put me to it. Show me something I can overcome. Not to worry. Being close and being clever ain't like being true. I don't need to, I would never hide a thing from you, like some... Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around. Nothing's gonna harm you, darling, not while I'm around. Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time...
This year, I'm auditioning for GSA, the Governor's School for the Arts, in the area of Musical Theater. I'm pretty nervous about it, but I'm just going to try my best and see what happens from there. I already have two songs selected, which are "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" from The Sound of Music and "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeney Todd. "Not While I'm around" is probably my favorite song from any musical. It just has so much emotion, and I hope to portray it whenever I try out for GSA in March. The lyrics are just all so true, and not hard for me to relate to. I've learned how it feels to want to protect others from hurt and deception, and to prove that my promises are more than just words. Maybe one day it'll show, and maybe one day, you'll see.

"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."

When the darkness envelops the earth and it seems that we are truly lost in our troubles, it appears as if there is no bright side. Most people wonder why it is that there is such a thing as darkness, and why there can not always be light. The truth behind that is this: none of us can truly appreciate the light if there weren't any darkness to separate us from it.
We may not like to admit it, but we learn from all of the bad things in life. The lessons that we learn from our previous mistakes are the ones that keep us from making the same mistakes again. If we never did anything wrong, then we would never do anything right. It's a shame that we aren't all lucky enough to have a chance-- I would know. I've seen to many bad things happen to good people; but never could I bring myself understand why it is that these bad things happen. Nothing seemed to answer any of my questions. So, I asked a friend of mine. I told him of everyone and everything that could never come back and all of these things that just aren't fair.
He told me that things happen and there isn't really much we can do. Sometimes, we can't stop things, and we can't change things, no matter how hard we try. Sometimes, it's too hard to understand, and we just try to shut it out. But that's not the answer, Stephanie. Then he said this:

"It may not make sense to you now, and it may not make sense to you tomorrow. But, I'm sure of it, deep down, that in the end, it will make sense. Everything will. Maybe that's because you can only see the stars at night. It may not make sense when the sun is shining, but when it gets dark, and you see those stars shining, it all seems to make sense then."

"There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all."

Things aren't always that easy-- nope, not at all. But, they could be a little less hard.
No matter what has made you sad, no matter what has angered you, no matter how many lemons life throws at you, a smile will get you through it. That smile doesn't even have to be yours. Sometimes, the things that keep you going aren't from yourself, but from others. The smile of a friend, or even a stranger, is sometimes all that's needed to brighten another's day.
I've come to the realization that life is short, and is never quite what you want it to be. Sometimes, it's hard to just deal. I found that the best way to feel better is to make others feel better. I guess it's just a personal goal, but I've promised myself that no matter how horrible a day I've had, no matter how bad I may feel, no matter how many clouds are over my head, I'd help as many people as I possibly could. Sure, I may be one person-- a very small, insignificant person, in fact-- but it isn't true that there's nothing I can do to help the world. In my mind, happiness is the one thing that everyone seeks for in life. If we all had that, things wouldn't be so bad. Maybe, just maybe, through all the small acts of kindness, kind eyes, kind words, and kind smiles, I might just be able to help the world...

one person at a time.

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."

One thing about this world that is troublesome, and sometimes goes unnoticed, is that everything and everyone you know is or will be, someday, lost to change. Things happen and people change before your eyes, and most of the time others seem to overlook it until something different stands before them. Some believe that change is for the better. Some believe that change is for the worst. I'm not quite sure where my stance is on the matter, but sometimes, you'd rather have everything stay the same, at least for a little bit longer. It's hard to grow up and leave behind all the things you've ever known. It's hard when a loved one passes and every aspect of life is different. It's hard when friends leave and when you never get to say goodbye. Change is never easy to deal with. Change is always hard. I've known a lot of people that have been trapped inside the grasp of change's hands, and have never escaped. It's very strange to see someone you once knew so well walk by you as if they've never known you at all. But, the thing is, change happens. Sometimes there is nothing you can do but to somehow find a way past it. Sometimes you'd rather just go back to the world you'd once known where everything was how it used to be, and nothing ever changed; No one ever changed. Sometimes you wish change wouldn't take away the ones that you love.
But sometimes, all you can do is watch the leaves turn color, as the people you once knew turn color, too.

"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think."

Even the most outgoing need their alone time, right? Life can give anyone a hard time, and sometimes some room for thought can make all the difference. Sometimes, I'd like nothing more than to drop everything I'm doing and just think. I'd think about pretty much anything I could think about. Sometimes, it's hard not to get lost in thought. That's usually how I fall asleep at night-- I spend hours thinking until there isn't anything left to come up with, and eventually close my eyes and drift off to sleep. Usually, we'd rather be out and about without any worries than sitting at home trying to get rid of those worries once and for all. The best you can do to solve something is to just think for a while. Why are things the way they are? Why did this happen? What am I supposed to do? Will things always be like this? Maybe.
Just think about it.

"The aim should not be victory, but progress."

So, as you all may have heard from my previous blog, our band's first competition was on Saturday. First, we went to OCHS to compete, and then came home to AHS to host our annual marching classic. I was very nervous for my first competition as a part of the colorguard-- but, surprisingly, things went better than I thought they would. Both the band and the colorguard(above) ranked first in our class (AAAAA), and 2nd overall. We took home the Reserved Grand Champion trophy! It was almost surreal to have done so well at our first competition. Usually we place near the lower end of the rankings. Needless to say, we didn't this time. I have a feeling that this is going to be a good year for our marching band. Never before have we had so much motivation to work as hard as we are working now, and never before has that hard work actually paid off. Things are finally looking up.
Maybe now, we'll make a name for ourselves.

"Is it easier to fight with dignity than to surrender in shame?"

We all come to a situation in life where we have to fight for something, whether it be a stuffed animal, the correct answer to a math problem, or a beloved friend. Sometimes, we are so determined that we can never accept the fact that we may be wrong, and that sometimes, giving up is all you can do. Everyone has always told us to stand up for what we believe in, but on the other hand, we're told that fighting is "bad." Nonetheless, the world continues to quarrel with words, guns, and fists. Many people probably find it hard to gather the courage to fight for themselves. Those are the kind of people who find it easy to drop to their knees and beg for mercy. But, honestly, in my opinion, I think that if you absolutely must defend what is right, and you must fight for it, then it is better to fight with dignity than to surrender in shame.

It just might not be as easy.

"Be who you are. Your simple presence can make others happy."

If you asked me one day what I'd like to be, if I could be anything rather than me, I would think for a while of something to say and if I could think of nothing, I might just walk away. But, honestly, I'd more likely just shrug and smile because I could think of nothing after a while. But if you asked me later, let's say, tomorrow, I'd feel a little bit wiser, with some word's that I've borrowed. If I could be something else, I'd be all I could be. I'd be happy, and wonderful, and filled up with glee. And maybe the next day, after thinking some more, I'd say I'd like to be somewhere else in the world. I'd be free and gone, and enjoy the fresh air, because it's really quite nice to feel the wind in your hair. Or maybe after that, I'd have thought something new. And say I'd rather be pretty, and good looking, too, because everything's easy when you are not you. But the next time I'd come back, with some new words to say, because after thinking a while, I thought of something that day. It's hard to be anything that you know isn't you, because deep in your heart you won't feel so true. Sometimes you just learn that your faults aren't so bad, and that your crooked smile is kinda charming, and you'd rather have what you had. So, I'd tell you, I know what I'd like to be. When it comes down to it,
I'd rather just be me.

"My winning is getting to perform. That's my victory."

So, I've been in marching band all throughout highschool (at least, as far as I've gotten in it) and have experienced all of the things that go along with it. I know of the teasing and ridicule from other students. I know the feeling of coming in last place. I definitely know the feeling of messing something up or doing something stupid. Since middle school, I've played the flute, and have tried my hand at the piccolo. After about 5 years, I can say that I'm not too shabby. Just this year, though, I joined the band's colorguard. All I can say is; it's different. I've learned a lot of ballet techniques, and maneuvers with a flag that I never thought possible. In the beginning, I'd drop my flag about 34903120 times (Yup, I just typed a random number, but you get the point) before I could nail a toss, and I was clumsy with my hands and not so graceful with my feet. I can say that I've learned a lot already, though. I can do all of the work I've learned for the show pretty well, or at least decent enough. Anyways, our first competition is Saturday, September 17. I'm pretty nervous. You may not be able to tell, though-- but behind all of the pretty makeup and braided, carefully done hair, flowing skirt, and colored flags, I'm sure I'll be fearing for my life. It's scary to think of all the people in the crowd, watching you do your thing. It wasn't so scary when I was disguised behind a thick blue uniform and hat that shadowed my face, but now that everyone can recognize me, it's hard to hide from my mistakes. Still, although I am nervous, I'm pretty excited. To me, winning doesn't mean everything, as long as we try our best. I love to perform more than anything, and that, in itself, is enough of a win for me. I hope everyone else feels the same and tries their hardest, because when it's all broken down,

it's an individual thing.

"No matter how hard you hug your money, it never hugs back."

In this materialistic world, it seems that money is everything. Sure, you can buy some nifty stuff with it, and it is important, but sometimes it seems to just corrupt our way of thinking. How much is enough? I honestly don't see how anyone can find it fair for a single person to have millions, even billions of dollars under their name, and still want more, when there are others without food or shelter. The only way that I'd find money to be a fair thing is if every single person had the same amount- but then, what's the point of it? I often think of what the world would be like without money. In a way it would be better, as everyone would start off equally and greed wouldn't be found in every corner of the earth. But, who knows what chaos would consume us all. I'd like to think that money doesn't make the world go round, for it is not nearly important as the people and values we sell out for it, but I guess there are some things you just have to admit. But, no matter what money can buy, it will always remain true that money can't buy happiness, love, or friendship, and it certainly can't hug you back.

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were."

But without it, we go nowhere.
Even if I am at the age where I should "know better," I still believe in imagination. I may not be a child anymore, but there will always be that small, naive person inside of me that proves otherwise. Without imagination, everyone and everything would be so bland and boring. There'd be no vivid colors and strange shapes and things that make you wonder, only the reality of everyday life crashing down on you. With the weight of the world on your shoulders, it's hard to live in a fairytale world. But, afterall, that's all we yearn for after a while- to laugh, and play, and be nothing more than a child. Sometimes, all of the troubles in the world are gone, and the most important thing is to be how we used to-- with scraped knees and eyes full of curiousity. Be a kid. Use your imagination. Look at the world with wonder. Stay forever a child at heart.
Stay forever young.

"A family that laughs together stays together"

I've heard it said that laughter can cure anything. Well, I believe that it's true, if only for a moment. Smiles, happiness, and laughter are the things that bring us all together. Without it, where would the fun in life be? When one laughs, it's as if they don't have a care in the world. It may be for only a few seconds, but what a glorious few seconds they are! Laughter truly is timeless, for you just wish the joy could last forever. I'm a person who believes that the whole world should be laughing with you, rather than at you. If we could all laugh together, well then, maybe we could all stay together.

"Do what you love, love what you do, leave the world a better place, and don't pick your nose."

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to do what you love. I mean, what's the point of doing anything else? Well-- the point is that, if you do HAPPEN getting stuck doing something else, it's important to love doing that, as well. Although it may not have been your first choice, if you can't help it, you might as well love it. Now, it may seem like little things don't change anything, but if everyone were to try to leave the world a better place, it WILL be a better place. I'm sure of it. And picking your nose? I'm not sure what Jeff Mallett means by that, but don't do it. Just don't.

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

If I were to be a flower, I think that I'd be destined to be a sunflower. It's so delightful and cheery, and as you smile at it's beautiful petals, it's almost as if you can see it smiling right back. I want to be like that. Roses may be pretty, but they always have thorns. You may wish on a dandelion, but others consider it no more than a weed- but sunflowers, they are beautiful. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a real sunflower with my own eyes. If I could just see one, I'd know that it would be a good day.

But if I could be a sunflower, I'd sit in the field amongst the others and smile at passerbys all day long. I'd smile at you for a while, then smile at myself, and then I'd turn to the sun and smile at it. In the words of Hellen Keller: "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do."

It'd be nice not to see any shadow.

The introduction.

So, I figured that it's about time for me to introduce myself.
It may sound simple, but, after all, I AM simple.

I'm Stephanie.

I'm just Stephanie.

I can't say I'm anyone else. But, I can say I'm different from anyone and everyone you know. So, for the basics, I'm sixteen years old, and in the 11th grade. Despite that, I'm pretty short; like 4'10", but it's all good. I've always been that way, and have gotten used to it. I take part in the marching band's colorguard, concert band, the drama club, and I am also a Blue House Player. As you may see, I have a passion for performing, and I plan to make something of myself one day. All I'd like to do is put a smile on someone's face. Honestly, I try to be a good person. When you see me, I'll probably be laughing or smiling. I would say that I'm easy to get along with. I love making new friends.
And every day, every single day, I'm always happy.
That's all I want to be remembered as.




Simple as that.

"Friendship doubles joy and halves grief"

With all the material things and treasures in the world today, it's easy to take the people around you for granted. Nevertheless, with all of the items people misunderstand to bring happiness, I need none of them, because there is nothing I cherish more than my friends. They are the people who bring me the most happiness in my life, and it may sound a bit cliche, but I don't know what I would do without them. Everytime I see someone that I love, my heart grins to match the widening smile on my face. To be honest, the times that I am most joyful is anytime when I am with a friend or two. To put it simply, that's what I consider to be the best of times.

Even in the worst of times, sadness never can completely control me, for I know that I will always have my close friends to get me through. No matter how bad the day is, my friends never fail to brighten it.

I know that I'll love them forever.

"Similar sire, similar scion."

I would say that I can be compared to a few of my relatives. The one family member that I obtained most of my looks from would probably be my father. I have green eyes and brown hair, and face shaped like his. My other physical traits I would believe have been passed down to me from my Granny. Everyone has always wondered why I'm the only one in my household that has naturally curly hair, and they're now convinced that I got it from my Granny.

Underneath all of that, though, I would say that I am most like my sisters: Sarah, Stacie, and Christy. I have Christy's friendliness and compassion, Stacie's sense of humor, and the same interests and views as Sarah. I would say that I am closer to them than I am with my own parents. They've always been there for me and I love them with all of my heart.

Another person I am most like is my uncle Billy. I remember spending a lot of time with him over the summers when I was younger, and they were some of the most pleasant memories I have. I'm pretty sure that he initiated my interest and love for drawing. Every year at Christmas, he would always give us a bundle of hand-drawn masterpieces, and I probably enjoyed his presents the most.

I'm sure that I am a bit like each and every one of my family members, whether I know it or not. All of us are, really.

"If I could have one food for the rest of my life? That's easy. Pez. Cherry flavored Pez, no question about it."

So, Stacie and I have just finished watching a movie called Stand By Me. It came out in 1968. I usually don't like the older flicks, but this one was pretty great. Basically, it's about a group of boys that have a plan to find a missing body and become famous. Along the way, they realize things not only about themselves, but about each other, and finally reach a destination that isn't at all how they imagined. Now, I'm not going into anymore detail, as that would spoil the story that you need to see for yourself! But, do you know what this movie makes me think about? It makes me think about the old days when nothing really mattered, and friends were always by your side. As said in the closing line, "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve;" Many words spoken in this movie are true, and I hold them close to heart. There's not many films out there anymore that are quite like this one.

I laughed. I cried. I loved it. It's one of those thins you could watch a million times and never be tired of. I guess, for me, it's just an instant classic; not to mention all of the epic quotes I now can't shake out of my mind ("...Seven cents, Vern?"), but I guess they're all just inside jokes now!

I've also discovered that this movie is based off a book! It's called The Body by Stephen King. Now, I may not be all that into books, but you know what? I think I feel like reading now!