8:00:
8:12:
9:08:
10:02:
10:55:
11:50:
12:33:
1:26:
2:20:
3:15:
6:30:
7:00:
11:30:
Well, I hope you enjoyed following me around for the day, and look for another Day In The Life next month! To see more pictures of my first day at high school please look below!
7:45 a.m.:
"Wake up, Beck! You're gonna be late if you don't!" My dad yells from down the hall. His lumbering tread shakes the floor in the hall. Sometimes we tease him and call him 'lead foot.' He never has any trouble waking me up in the mornings for school due to that heavy step. Our house is old, (Mom and Dad built it in 1976 right after they got married) so, the floor creaks also. Between it, and my mom bustling to get herself ready for work, and Dad cleaning up...the noise level forces me out of the cool covers of my princess style, canopy bed with the blue lace curtains. I smooth back the handmade quilt that Grandma Great made for me as a baby, and drop the heart shaped throw pillows back in place. It isn't exactly the neatest bed in the universe, but... what can I say, well, besides the fact that I had to be at school in about twenty minutes, I'm not much for cleaning things up. You'll soon find my life is an organized mess, which just happens to work well for me. I practically never lose things and I have my own style.
We're out of the house and on the road. Thanks to my actress training I can get completely ready, dress, hair, makeup, and a few extras in about ten minutes. I can change just my clothes in thirty seconds, and yes... I have been timed. I have had to use this skill several times when I've been in plays and had fast changes. It comes very handy in life, allowing me to sleep in until the very last minute. I am excited about my first day in high school, August 22. Mom is the head guidance counselor at our school. Before that she taught biology in lots of different schools. I don't remember that very little because she went back and got more training to be a guidance counselor when I was very young. Having mom at my school was going to be cool! There is an alley separating the three buildings of our school: The Ag building, the gym, and the main building. A gate closes it off during the school day to protect the kids, and keep them out of trouble. That gate had been closed, so when Dad pulled up to let me out by the alley we quickly realize that was out of the question. He has to drive around front and let me out in the middle of main street.
I take my sketches for the Tiger Tales Newspaper (PHS' newspaper, which I happen to be the only freshman member of, and I'm very proud of that accomplishment.) To Mom's office, and drop off my lunch for her to keep cold in her little fridge. There are definite advantages to having a mom at your school! I race to my locker, which has a combination lock for the first time since sixth grade. In Junior High I had a laser lock. I don't exactly have the easiest time with combos, but at high school that's not an option. You have to use the standard issue combo lock which they give you. I ran into Mrs. Wilson's Biology class. Everyone is already there, and I about have a heart attack thinking I'm late. No, I'm not late. Everyone's early. I rushed and panicked for nothing! Mrs. Wilson is a little younger than my mother, relatively pretty, smart and very nice. She has a reputation for being hard, but as long as you study and do your homework it's pretty easy to get a good grade in her class. Today is rather boring, though, because we only get the guidelines, rules, and syllabus.
The bell rings and I make a mad dash for Health class which is across the hall with Mrs. McFatridge. It's only a semester class, but it's getting me out of P.E.! I get into my locker on the way, but have to battle my combination lock with my left hand because my right is filled with books. I have decorated my locker with beautiful tiger print fabric, but I'm hard pressed to keep it up despite the double sided tape. I battle with the edges which are falling down, and get complimented by a nameless senior on my Tiger Pride. Health time. In health we learn more rules and talk nutrition. BORING! Health is fascinating, but we studied nutrion for two years at Crestwood. It needs some spicing up... pun intended!
The Bell rings and I make a mad dash for my locker again. I put up my health book and grab my Algebra book. Even though Alg. isn't my next class I won't have time to come back to the basement for my book during next passing period. It's time for Child Development. My mom also handles all the scheduling, grade cards, and internal files of every student at PHS so she knows quite a bit. She says I could practically sub for Child Dev. since I've been studying it all my life, but it's fascinating even if I already know what we're learning. The miracle of a child growing up is something that can never truly grow boring, well... at least I don't think that it could. I have to go up two flights of stairs, to the main floor. I pass the guidance office where Mom and Mark (the guidance counselors) and Brenda Reed, Mom's secretary.. work. They all have their own offices, though. Mom's standing in the hall to make sure the kids don't kill themselves during passing period. I go down a few steps, and around the catwalk in the libraray, which high school students call "The Secret Passage." I go across the connecting bridge which connects the three buildings. I stop to look out the window and down onto the alley below me, and finish crossing over. I have to go up another set of stairs, but finally, and breathlessly, I arrive at room 43 Child Dev. We have a young sub who's known my family for many years, since she was a child even. Our real teacher, Mrs Propst, had serious surgery not long ago, and wasn't due to be back for a couple of weeks. Erin Hutchison is trying to become a Christian singer, and doing very well. Her first album "Out of the Box" was just released. She subs in her spare time. We get our first easy assignment of four questions. She runs over the rules briefly saying that Mrs. Propst will explain them again when she returns. Oh Joy! Sorry about the sarcasm. I really am thrilled about my classes and teachers... it's just if I heard the words "let's read over the rule sheet" just one more time.. I think I'm gonna go nutso.
I run to Algebra with Mr. Fischer. I have had some interesting run ins with math. I'm a straight A student except I really have to work to make A's in math. I have struggled all my life with it. In 7th grade I had normal math. Then I skipped Algebra half and went straight into Algebra during 8th grade. I was so lost, and the teacher taught way over my level. I was lucky to make a B in that class all year. I decided to retake algebra. Since I had skipped a year I would just be going from advanced classes into high.. which wouldn't put me behind at all. Mr. Fischer is big on writing for extra credit since our standardized tests, The Prairie State Acheivement Test (PSAT) were low in the writing area.. so he promises extra credit for those who write page essay every week. This week's topic is a math autobiography. I think this class will be easy! He also promises to raise our letter grade by half if we take notes, but I'm the only one who does..
The bell rings again and I race to the lunchroom. Mom meets me there. We'll have lunch together every day. High school became closed campus for lower classmen this year. That stinks. I'm not even allowed to leave the lunchroom to go to my mom's office. Talk about a prison! Luckily Mom will come to eat with me every single day. Dad has fixed me a bologna and cheese sandwhich on white bread with extra mayonnaise (yummy!), a dill pickle, a small baggy of pringles, and some little chocolate chip cookies as well as a diet pepsi. Nancy (our housekeeper who's like my second mom) got me addicted to drinking those when I was about three. I managed to grab a drink of her can. I've loved them ever since. Mom has kept my lunch in her little fridge all morning so it's nice and cold. We eat, and talk about our mornings, then I go over to the gym and watch the boys play basketball and wait anxiously for the bell to ring and signal us back to class. While waiting I read another chapter of The Secret Garden Which I have read a million times and still love.
Thank the Lord! Lunch is over. I run up the gym stairs, across the connector between the buildings, around the library catwalk, and up the main stairs, down the upstairs hall and into Mademoiselle Earlywine's French class out of breath. Miss E. is the best! She grew up in Mexico and went to college in France. She's very smart and she's a huge fan of both Celine Dion and DQMW just like me! We hit it off straight away. I can already tell she'll be onre of my favorite teachers! "Comment allez-vous?" (How are you?) she asks. I don't know the reply for 'out of breath' so I just say, "Tres bien." (Very good). I go to look for my seat. The problem is, Miss E. has to share her classroom. In the morning for one period another teacher uses it. She teaches math and moves the desks around in different fashions like... every other day. Finally, Miss E. just labeled the backs of the chairs with numbers and we sit in our number. I'm five. A rush of thrill runs through me. Celine Dion's lucky number is five!! She found a Japanese coin that had a five on it at a contest once, then she was number five to perform and won the contest. Miss E. says when you learn a language you start at the beginning which is what we're going to do. Starting out with names. She gives us a list of French names to look over. We have to pick one for ourselves. Though there are many many interesting names on the list. (Including Sylvie!) I put it aside and immediately decide upon "Celine." Miss E. definitely approves! I promise to bring in some of my French Celine Dion CD's to listen to in class! WHOO HOO! Celine in school! What could be better?! Well, maybe DQMW... but.. I don't see that happening anytime soon - although Michaela DOES speak French in Revolutions! Way too soon the bell is rining and I have to go to English.
I have some premonitions as I head to Mrs. Elliott's room. I have heard from the other kids she's very strict. Luckily, that's not true and we get along right away. Her room is like a palace. She has couches and chairs and less desks. She changes the seating chart almost every day. We go over rules and get the guidlines for our first assignment. We're going to interview someone in our class and present our interviews as speeches about that person. There's an odd number so I end up partnering up with Mrs. Elliott. I soon discover she also loves Gone With The Wind, just like I do, but she has never heard of DQMW or Celine. AAA!! I have to teach her! I'll make it my mission to get her addicted before the end of the year.
Last class of the day! It's one I'm very excited about. Tiger Tales The school newspaper has accepted me onto the staff! There's seven of us, and Mrs. Elliott is our sponser. Dad (who you all know is a promotional sales man) comes to talk to us about getting our shirts for this year ordered. He thinks he can design us some nifty shirts at a good price. I will have to try to design something. Since I love to draw and have been taking art classes for a long time this is no biggy. We plan out what articles we're doing for this paper. We decide a good release date is September 23. I have assigned to Kids In The Hall, where you go around and survery kids over a question you ask them. I also do a little advice column called Tiger Smart Advice with The Tigress. I do an interview with my algebra teacher Mr. Fischer who's new this year, as well as a word search of Volleyball words and players at PHS, since it's volleyball season. Wow, I'll be busy this month getting all of that ready!
The bell rings and the hot high school empties out so fast it's practically deserted in two or three minutes. Nancy's waiting for me in Hardees parking lot across Main Street. I'd go home with Mom, but she isn't allowed to leave until 3:30 and I don't wanna wait around for fifteen minutes. I want air-conditioning, something cold, and a DQMW episode! I sit down with Travelling All-Stars and relax.
Dad gets off the couch and fixes some spaghetti for supper. Yummy!
After helping do dishes I get online and talk to my "big sister" Sese, and my best friends Steph and Bel. The four of us have a blast talking about my first day of high school. Sometimes it's interesting to be the youngest in the group!
I go take a shower and get ready for bed. Good Night everyone! Bonnuit! 
9:00: The phone starts ringing off the hook. You see, my Dad sells promotional stuff for a big company and works a lot out of the house, so all his business calls come here. He's not here and has gone to deliver some envelopes to a little down about 45 minutes from us Newman, Illinois. He's left me a breakfast sandwhich from Subway on the nightstand and a glass of milk. The sandwhich is on a deli style round with two pieces of chees, ham, egg, and mayonaise, just exactly how I like it! Nancy, our housekeeper, comes in to wish me Happy Birthday and take my nightgown to wash.
9:30: I get dressed, eat my sandwhich, and Nancy and I play a game of SORRY! This game works a little like Parcheesi. You have four men of your color and you have to get them around the board by moving spaces based on number cards and into your "home space." The problem with these cards are that some of them have little uh...tricks. Like, with a four, you must move backward. With a seven you can split the move between two men. With an eleven you can switch two mens places on the board, and with a SORRY! you take your man out of start and place it in place of someone else's men and send their piece back to start. This game can change in moment. You think you've got it made.. you're two spaces from winning and WHAMMO! SORRY! and you're back at start with the other person three or four turns from winning. Nancy and I love this game and Uno as well. We try to play a round every day. This day I win three in a row. Hey that's fitting! It's my birthday!
10:15: I go wash and comb out my waist length, dark hair. This takes an eon in itself and I only do it quickly today because I just did it three days before. (It tangles VERY easily.) I'm envious of how Michaela manages to keep her hair so smooth, shiny, and tangle free!
8:30: I wake up for the first time. It's my birthday today! I'm turning 15 today! Yippee! I also realize I'm skipping school today and I don't even have to get up! I turn over sleepily and drift back to dreamland.
11:00: I get online to find birthday greetings from Sese, Steph, Sylvie, Bel, Dwayne, Rachel, and many more others... I talk to Sese for a bit and browse the forum and some other websites I enjoy.
11:30: Nancy and I go watch Young and The Restless. She and my Dad have been hooked on it since before I was born and I started watching it probably before I was even three years old. We have a light lunch while we watch the soap.
12:00: I work on the novels I write for Grandma every year for her Christmas gift. After I lost my Paw Paw I got very close to my maternal Grandma. I wrote her poems and short stories. She encouraged me to keep at it. When I was about 7 I had a set of stories I wrote about my family and if I had had a little sister, whom I named Dawn. She loved those. I moved to telling stories about my little cousin Jenny. Finally I branched off into my own and wrote my first story about meeting Celine Dion, who asked me to be one if her backup singers. I also got to meet Jane. As the stories took off I took over as Colleen on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (and the series never ended) I lived with Jane and James and the kids while filming and went home during the summer. I soon developed my own little fantasy life as a pre-med student/actress living in California. Now I write a set of stories complete with pictures and in a binder with page protectors every year to carry on the tradition.
1:00: I watch "Thanksgiving" from the 3rd season of DQMW. I love this episode because of all the action, the sweet romance, seeing the kids try to do something nice, and having June and Johnny Cash makes it all the better!
2:00: I work on the Thanksgiving puppet skit for church. I made a set of puppet shows for our one of a kind, self designed, VBS (Vacation Bible School) The theme was AWESOME GOD AND THE POWER OF PRAYER! I was in charge of the lesson. I made it a series about twin girls, Janie and Katie, who had the power to time travel. They went back in time to talk to biblical characters and learn their stories, taking the kids along with them. I have brought them back again for a Thanksgiving show.
2:30: I get a happy birthday call from "Big Sis" Sese.
2:55: Mom calls from PHS to wish me a happy birthday and ask what time we're leaving to go out to eat.
3:00: I begin to get ready to go out to eat. I used a pacific breeze bath bomb and got all nice and squeaky cleaned. I get dressed and do my makeup too.
5:00: We leave Paris for Terre Haute in Mom's car because Dad's is in the shop. We stop to pick up Grandma Dickey. Because of the icky weather Grandma Janice doesn't want to get out, but Mom promises we'll stop to visit her on the way home. It takes us 45 minutes to drive to Terre Haute. We talk a little and I read more out of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I just recently got addicted to those books when I was staying home from school sick a few weeks ago.
6:00: We arrive in Terre Haute and head for Red Lobster, my absolute favorite restaurant ever. Grandma Dickey and I always split the Admirals Feast and have Caesar salads and rolls. Yummy! Here are some pictures of the Red Lobster we go to.
6:30: The delicious food comes, and Dad comes back with the cake which he had made at Kroger's Grocery Store (a local chain store)
7:00: Finally it's time for cake! Dad bought candles so we light them, and sing Happy Birthday! I get out all the candles in one blow, which I haven't done for ages! I guess my wishes come true! *winks*
7:30: Present time! Yippee!! I get a bunch of really nice stuff!! Dad buys me some flash drives for my laptop as well as a video with Celine Dion's greatest hits performed in music video or live in concert. WOW! Mom gives me money to buy Front Page software for my website, WHOO HOO! I get American Girl mysteries from Grandma Janice (but don't get to open them till I go to her house).Grandma Dickey gives me money as do Nancy and Ronnie. I get tons of cards. My friends also send me cards and gifts. I get a pre-order slip for Celine's new book Celine Dion: For Keeeps . (which I now have) I get some a horseshoe necklace for goodluck, and from Big Sis, Sese, I get a necklace with a real four leaf clover in it! I get a Celine book mark and a Celine key chain and Celine charms for my Italian Charm Bracelet. I also get a special pair of gold earrings from Disney Land made in 1960. Now I have to get my ears pierced!!! Finally I finish unwrapping all of my presents and thanking everyone, and we leave to go home.
8:30: We arrive at Grandma Janice's where I unwrap my American Girl mysteries and we talk for awhile. She admires my gifts.
8:40: We get home. I slip into my jammies and hurry into talk to Steph, Bel, Sese and everyone else online. Dad rewinds the soap opera tape so we can watch our favorite soap, "The Young and the Restless".
9:35: I officially turn 15!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!
11:30: I yawn and turn out the lights and head for bed. It has been a wonderful day! I'm 15 now!!!
7:20: Dad takes me to school and assures he'll be in Robinson in time for the tournament. It'll last all day. In a typical match three teams are involved, a host and two guest schools. They all play each other. That results in two matches for each school. This takes a couple hours. During a tournament there's 8 teams and they play a round robin with pools and you only play the teams in your pool. Nevertheless, it takes all day.
7:30: I grab my stuff and head to the bus with the rest of my scholy bowl team. Mr. Happ and Mr. Aydt take attendance. Hmm... Seth doesn't show. As most of you will remember he and I are the toss up leaders for the team and compete cut-throat for those... Niicee! Now I can get lots of toss ups without competition! Mr. Happ decides not to wait any longer for them and we pull out. I get out my CD player and pop in Celine's album of lullabyes, Miracle. That was soothing because it was so early. By the time we were in marshall (fifteen minutes away from Paris and the exit to the interstate), I was fast asleep again.
8:30: We arrive in Robinson and get shown around their multimillion dollar school. That's the worst part. PHS is old and it's not nearly as fancy as these new schools. Makes you wish you had one! We go into the cafeteria and buy doughnuts and orange juice. ICK! THey were bad but I needed something to get awake with. I sat down to work on my French. We wouldn't behave and Miss E. Finally fed up, gave us double homework. Thirty sentences to translate, a picture to draw and label with fifty French items, and a 75 word composition on our chosen profession. You think that's not alot of words...well, you try writing a composition in a foreign language and not knowing the correct words (esp. verbs) to make it sound like a decent adult. We also don't know how to do past or future tense yet. GRRR... I can't wait 'till French three!!!
8:45: I learn our match is due to start half an hour before schedule. I call Dad where he's having breakfast with the other elders and deacons of our church. He's not going to make the first match.
9:00: We go upstairs on the elevator to the second floor and our first match. We're playing Salem, oohhh great. This team just creamed us two weeks ago. The apprehension rises. Mr. Happ puts in Rachel, Me, Eryn, Tyler, and Me in as the starting five. Our worries were for nothing. Salem didn't have their best two players and this time we creamed THEM by 250 points!
10:00: We walk down the hall to play Robinson and get a taste of our own medicine. Dad shows up mid-match. They cream us by over 200. Wellll if we were ever too proud of ourselves... it's gone now!
11:00: We sit out a round.
12:00: We have leave to have a 45 minute lunch break. Dad and I don't trust the cafteria food after my report on the breakfast. We didn't have time for a sit down meal so we just grabbed a meal at McDonalds.
12:45: We arrive back at Robinson High. We've done well enough to compete in the finals for 1,2,3 or 4th place out of the 8 schools that were there in the morning.
1:00: Charleston hasn't returned from lunch and there's a rumor of them being disqualified.
1:10: Charleston shows up, better late than never. We lose yet again. I think our magic of the morning wore off.
2:00: We play Salem again for 3rd/4th place titles. We play a close match with them. It comes down to five points. The toss up is, "Where did Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater hide his wife." We said a pumpkin seed and the other team said a pumpkin. The correct answer was a pumpkin shell. The moderator happened to be from the Salem area. You can guess who's answer he took. They won the game and the third place title thanks to that. None of us was too happy.
3:00: We start home and I go with Dad instead of on the bus.
4:00: We get home. I'm getting nervous. Winter Carnival dance is tonight and I'm going with my first ever date, Aaron Lankster. He and I are on newspaper together. Of course Dad made a big deal of that all week! He's a sophomore and very nice. So you can guess how that got around the school. You all know I'm not popular and everyone was saying I'm not nearly "good enough" for him.
4:30: Mom comes home from Grandma's. We've had a disaster going on in the family this weekend with my Uncle. As it is late I'm not going to write about what's happening. Instead, I will link to the forum where I posted the happenings. Please read the first post, and continue with this story from there. "What Happened In My Family" She says they've taken my Uncle off all life support but he's currently holding his own. I told her she could do my hair and makeup for tonight.
5:00: Mom curls my hair, does my makeup, waxes my eyebrows, and helps me into my fancy outfit.
6:30: Aaron shows up, but I need a petticoat as well as a necklace and shows, needless to say, I'm not ready. Dad gives Aaron the third degree in the front room while I get finished.
6:40: I am ready and Dad and Mom have to take lots and lots of pictures.
7:00: Thank God, we get out of there. Aaron has gotten a wrist corsage for me. I got him a bootineer. The really funny part was, we both ordered white roses and silver baby's breath. How scary is that?! My outfit is a loong white skirt and a filmy blue shirt with a white camisole that fits underneath and shows in a little triangle that dips down at the neck. I wear snowflake earrings. My hair is half up with curls abound and clipped in a diamond barrett. I wear the diamond necklace my PawPaw got for me my 6th birthday. I wore the same blue sandles I wore to my graduation. I also did a theme of pink makeup with lots of sparkles. My fingernail polish was sparkly blue to match the shirt. Aaron was about falling over in shock. Normally I'm very casual about clothes and stuff! Aaron has the most amazing car, a silver grand am I think, but it was dark so I couldn't tell for sure.
7:10: We arrive at Tuscany's, the most fancy restaurant in town. It serves Italian and American food. We had made reservations and got right in despite the tremendous crowd waiting in line for a table. The waitress knew both of us. We each ordered a salad and split a plate of three cheese lasanga.
8:00: We're ready to leave Tuscany's and I suggest going to meet his parents, after all, he did put up with mine. He agreed. They lived about ten minutes out of town in a subdivision close to west lake, we live on east lake. (of the twin lakes) His little sisters Brenna and Bailey who're 6 and 4, have a blast at their big brother's expense. He's never brought a date home before and they don't waste any time in divulging this and several other secrets! I'm sure Aaron was plotting up ways of punishment for when he got home!
8:15: We get back to town. He parks at the YMCA and we walk two blocks over to PHS. We go in and see the HUGE line for pictures, which're being taken by family friend Vernon Chambers. We immediatley decide to wait and get ours later! We go in. I have never seen the gym more beautiful. The floor is surrounded by a floaty white sheet that makes an almost tent. White Christmas lights are strung all over and blue balloons and silver confetti are there. The theme is ice and diamonds and you can really tell. A real DJ was hired with real music.
9:00: We drift around meeting people. Half of Aaron's friends don't know me. Finally we sit down at a table with some punch alongisde Aaron's best friend (whom I also know quite well) A.J. and his fiance. A.J.'s a great guy, he's determined to succeed despite the fact he's been blind since birth. He's very nice to everyone. He's also a senior and like a bro to Aaron. His fiance and I hit it off pretty quick too. We sat talking and waiting for a slow song. We ended up having five or six songs that we danced to and the rest of the time we visited. We also get pictures taken.
10:30: We're in the middle of a dance. The dance floor is crowded with almost all of the 600 kids at PHS, when all of a sudden, there is absolute silence and blackness. Followed quickly on its heels are screaming and panic. They blew a fuse. They can't keep this party going on in these conditions, so the chaperones send us home thirty minutes early.
10:45: Aaron walks me to the door of my house and we say goodbye. I come in and watch the soap from Friday with Dad and stay up for a little bit writing and talking.
12:30: Time for bed! It has been a long, but fairly good day! I will post pictures as soon as I have them!!
7:00: "Hey Rebekah, get up!" Noo wayy! It's too early! My brain does not want to function at 7 am on a Saturday morning! That's even earlier than I get up when I'm going to school. Those days I get up at 7:40 am. I have to be at school by 8:10 and I always make it. I haven't been tardy even once this year. I guess it comes from all those fast backstage changes. Obviously, I didn't want to get up. I had too, though. I had a scholastic bowl tournament in Robinson Ill, about 45 minutes drive from Paris. As most everyone knows, scholastic bowl is an academic sport. It is played a bit like Jeopardy. The moderator reads a question and anyone who knows tries to buzz in for the right to answer. The team that gets the toss up has the privilege of conferring and answering first on the four part bonus question. The other team gets the rebound. This is very popular here in Illinois. Last year in 8th grade our team went and took second place in state out of 300 some schools. This year our team is ok, but I can say we won't be beating that record!