1st Month of School: Horseweed, Heartache, and Hope

As of this week, I have been in school for one month. One month? I know, right? I know how fast this first month went, which worries me to think about how fast the next eight will go. It has been a whirlwind month. Many things have happened, both good and bad, and I feel that I shall chronicle them, for posterity’s sake. An update for each of my classes is as follows:



1) American National Government (Concurrent)
This class is going well, as expected. There have been some issues with the ITV that streams the class to Enid High, which caused for some frustration and lost class time, but now that is running smoothly. Tomorrow will be my first test in that class. Hopefully, I will rock the test! (Which reminds me that I need to brush up on my Amendments)

2) American History to 1865 (Concurrent)
I have done more work for this class than I have for almost any other history class thus far. (Really that fact is stating the obvious considering that I have had nothing but coaches for history teachers for the past five years.) I feel like I am getting the true college experience with this class. My teacher could best be described as eccentric. Her lectures are hard to follow, as she seasons them with many random comments, which, in no way, pertain to what we are discussing. When she does go over things that are important, she flies through them, making it nearly impossible to take accurate notes. I am highly considering investing in a tape recorder. I had my first test last Friday. It took me almost all of the class period to finish it. (Mostly because I had long essay answers…is that surprising at all?) By Monday I will know the results of my test, so here’s hoping!


3) Band
Band is going well for me. We are nearly done with our field show (Hooray!!) I have memorized virtually all of the music, which is an accomplishment in itself considering the music. Last Saturday we marched in the Perry Parade. After toughing it out waiting for an hour and a half in 94-degree heat with humidity, and also band uniforms, we (literally) marched our way to victory! We won $850 total, which is a fairly sizeable prize. We will also be marching in the Alva parade this Saturday. I have made progress on my All-State etudes, which, by the way, I will audition for that in about a month. Hopefully in the next month or so I will have an update on that. (Also, hopefully it will be a positive update!)


4) Botany
Botany has shaped up to be pretty interesting. We have collected 34 plants thus far. I have a plethora of information regarding the scientific names of random roadside plants. (Red Root Pigweed is Amaranthus retroflexus, Giant Ragweed is Ambrosia trifida, and my personal favorite, Horseweed is Conyza canadensis) I am enjoying this class, as expected.


5) English IV
Nothing too eventful has happened in English, which isn’t a bad thing. Currently we are discussing subject-verb agreement. Hopefully, I am correctly applying my knowledge. I finally decided on a book; I chose “The Great Divorce” by C.S. Lewis, which is about the existence of Heaven and Hell. It is interesting, although a bit hard to follow because it is written in the context of British English, not American English. It is fairly short, but requires a great deal of contemplation and thought to properly absorb it.


6) Library Aide
There isn’t much of an update about this hour, but it is going well!


7) Work Permit
(See above)


Personal Life:
This month has been a mixed bag of emotions. Many things have happened, all of which affected me in one way or another. Who would have ever thought that our dear Mr. Blakley would have unexpectedly passed away? Who would have thought that my boyfriend and I would have broken up the exact same day Mr. Blakley died? Both things hit me hard. I have discussed my sentiments about Mr. Blakley in a previous post, but most people really didn’t know about Adam and I. (For the record, I’m not the kind of person to go on and on about these things, but I feel I must get it off of my chest, so bear with me for a moment.)

Adam was my first boyfriend. We met in the oddest way at an honor band in January. We began talking, and before we knew it, we realized we had the craziest, most random, uncommon things in common. He was from Thomas…yes, Thomas, OK, down by Weatherford. It could’ve been considered as long-distance, although actually, considering the story of my friend Audra and her boyfriend-now-husband of four years, Zach, who is from Missouri, Thomas is really just a short jaunt from Douglas, America. Regardless, I didn’t get to see him as often as I would have liked to see him. He was also a Senior at the time, which means that he is now in college. He finally decided to go to NWOSU in Alva on a band scholarship. He was (and still is) very unaware of what he wants to do with his life. I don’t blame the guy, because most people change their minds about this matter multiple times after college. I have a few theories on his indecisiveness, but I shall spare you. Anyway, by this point, time and distance (although it really shouldn’t have) had taken its toll on our bond. He felt that he shouldn’t be in a relationship with anyone at this point, and thought that I didn’t deserve to be strung along with someone who didn’t know what he wanted and whose heart wasn’t completely in it. (I didn’t think I deserved that either.) It was a mutual agreement that we should end it at that point, and try to remain friends. All things considered, it ended as well as it could have. Neither of us hung up on each other, and there was no derogatory name-calling, so as I said, it could have been worse. It wasn’t necessarily my first experience of heartbreak, and it probably won’t be my last. I am almost over it, and I think it is because of the distance. He wasn’t an integral part of my life, and I know that it was for the best. I truly believe that when the time is right, God will bring me a man with whom I shall spend the rest of my days. I believe that my time with Adam was good, but since that didn’t work out, that only means that there is someone much, much better out there for me. That’s the only mindset that gets me through any challenge. Although I know that this isn’t that big of a deal, and in time it won’t be, right now, it’s on my mind.


On a completely different note, I am a member of an organization within the Archdiocese of OKC, better known as YAB (Youth Advisory Board). It is comprised of various Catholic youth from all areas of the Archdiocese that meet on a quarterly basis to discuss various topics concerning Catholic youth. I became a member halfway through last year, and I do enjoy it. The first meeting was a little bit nerve racking because I knew almost no one, but I learned that when one is surrounded by new people, the best thing to do is to be friendly and outgoing, and most importantly, not to isolate yourself. The second meeting was much better. ANYWAY, the big deal about YAB is the fact that I have single-handedly arranged for the group to come for our first meeting to my parish in Bison, America!! I am very excited about this, and with any luck, they will also be able to attend the Marian celebration that the parish has planned for the same weekend. It is my hope that the meeting is a success!