Thank You to My Sister

"In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips." As everyone who takes the time to read this blog knows, I have an older sister named Kenna. She's 20 years old(almost 21-so fancy) and is easily one of my best friends. She recently studied abroad in Florence, Italy and then preceded to travel Europe; you can read all about her adventures at her blog: Yours, Kenna.
The funny story behind our friendship was that, well, it wasn't always a friendship... actually it was more of a I-wish-my-little-sister-would-leave-me-alone-ship paired with a Why-doesn't-my-older-sister-like-me-ship. After a solid 11 years(give or take) of endless fighting my madre put her foot down. Thus commenced the paid-to-hang-out hanging out of Kenna and Jewel. Every other week for about a year-year and half my sister and I were given money by my mother to hang out and therefore to learn to like each other. Somehow, someway, my sister and I became friends. I personally like to think it really broke the ice when I had spilled the beans that I had a crush and she offered me sisterly advice but the tuning point between acquaintances and best friends is unclear.
Sisters are basically live in friends, counselors, and fashion designers and I'm lucky enough most of my sisters extensive closet fits me. Through thick and thin, Kenna has been there for me. Even, when she was around the world in Italia, she listened to my worries and my doubts and every random story I had to tell. So I suppose this blog is just to say thank you. We had a great summer together, finishing the last season of Doctor Who, going to Oregon, learning to wake-board when we had no idea how, dealing with family problems. and drinking extensive amounts of coffee.
Kenna left for college last Wednesday, saying good-bye before I went to school is always a hassle since it's no fun riding the bus with tears still glistening in your eyes. Kenna then traveled to visit two of our Grandma's and our other sister, Ashley. In the final stretch of her journey back to San Diego she hit a large bump on the 405(a freeway) and her low-profile Volkswagen Bug lost control and spun across three lanes of  Friday traffic, miraculously not hitting anyone and instead only wrecking the tires, rims, and axles of her car. Thankfully, she was perfectly fine,okay she was in hysterics, but physically fine.
Getting in the car Friday after school and hearing my mom say, "Kenna got in an accident on the 405," was really scary for me. I instantly thought, "What would I do without my sister and best friend?" After being consoled that she was alright, I was flooded with relief and realization of how important my sister is too me. So:
Dear Kenna,
               Thank you for being an awesome sister and for putting up with my weirdness all the time. Thanks for stepping up and being awesome and responsible this summer although I know it was hard. Thank you for showing me the wonders of Doctor Who and Sherlock and persevering through an innumerable amount of scratches and bites from my demon cat, Allons-y. Thanks for supporting me and reminding me not to give up on my crazy dreams. Thank you for being a great big sister. And because I don't know if I say it enough, I love you and I'm so happy you're alright.
                                Love,
                                       Jewel
I hope everyone out there realizes how important their siblings and just family in general is to them. The world is ever-changing and although it may seem it's only changing around our personal little bubbles, any moment those bubbles could be popped and your whole life could change. "Sisters are different flowers from the same garden"-Anonymous. Jewel

My 12th 'First' Day of School

A nervous excitement buzzes in the air and the sweet smell of textbooks and white board marker wafts over you from a (very) early morning breeze...it must be the first day of the school! A new schedule, new teachers, and new friends await in the halls alongside creaky old lockers filled with long forgotten papers, pictures, and magnets.

Personally, as a Junior in high school, I kind of thought I must be over the whole "OHMYGOD It's the first day of school...this is CRAZY!" thing, however, my sister and I soon realized that I wasn't over it at all when low and behold at 8 o'clock last night I was in a mean frenzy to paint nails, and pick out dresses, and write everything and anything possibly important in my brand new powder blue planner.

Isn't it kind of silly that everyone gets a little nervous and giddy for the first day back when realistically you've grown up with all these people and none of them really care whether you look different then you did two months before...or at any other point in your life for that matter? The answer in my opinion, is yes. Maybe the reason people like to dress up for that first day back is not for everybody else, or for their crush, or their friends...maybe it's for themselves. 

How many people looked at you in the same way you felt about yourself in the outfit you picked out? How many people thought, "Wow, that girl(boy) must be going places if their wearing that outfit on the first day of school?" Chances are it wasn't a lot, but it made you feel good. It made you feel new, and good, and capable of doing the impossible. Ok, you caught me, this is how I felt. But hopefully someone reading this blog feels the same way about the first day of school and I am not alone in the thought that looking good on the first day is to remind yourself,not others, that you can catch anything that year throws your way.

I'm also one of those obnoxious people that don't want to take high school as a joke, but instead want to love every second of it and try to put out of`mind that I'm not going to talk with anymore then 10(at the most) of these people after graduating. Today, my sister and I took a path down reminiscing road and pulled out old yearbooks. My sister, an alumni of my very own Bear River, looked inside and named the 10 people she still talked too, that she still laughed with, and made memories with and it got me thinking, that maybe that's what the social aspect of high school is about. Not who's on top and who's on the bottom or who's the class clown and who's the nerd, maybe it's about finding those 10 people(numbers may vary) and finding a few people to reminisce on the 'good old days' with. So you won't be alone in the future and more importantly you won't be alone in the past. 

Meanwhile, on a less deeper thought, I had a pretty wonderful 'first' day(even if it was my 12th one) and even got all the classes I wanted; right alongside my pal Megan;due to the fact we have matching schedules(class for class)! I hope everyone has a wonderful 'first' day back or at least has a nice time reminiscing on previous 'first' day backs. Jewel.

Bright Lights, Small Town

Once a year, Butler Amusements rolls into my town for the Nevada County Fair. Maybe it's the bright lights, the laughter, the spinning rides, or the end-of-Grease feel that makes me love the fair so much or maybe because it's also the time when my eldest sister, Ashley, visits from SoCal. Either way it's a week filled with fun right before school starts the next week.

After Ashley,my niece Emma, and Ashley's sister Sierra arrived on Tuesday; I ditched them Wednesday for a solid 13 hour day at the fair. Joined by my friends: Maddie, Isabella, Sam, Megan, Anya , Kaely, and Chris we enjoyed amazing food and plenty of stomach-flipping rides.

Matching shoes because we're cooler than all ya'll

The 'Footloose'...almost as amazing as the movie(the original one obviously)

Chris excited about the ferris wheel, then again who isn't?

The Zipper...my personal favorite

Refueling with cotton candy at about 10:30...

Although the fair was chock-full of fun, I had to say ta-ta to my friends until school to spend the rest of the week with my family. Although a majority of the week was spent undocumented (bad Jewel), we had tons of fun going to the river, the lake, Lake Tahoe, downtown Grass Valley and Nevada City, and the fair(one last time).
While we were on the lake my sisters and I took a shot at wake-boarding, which is actually a lot harder then it looks. Although Kenna was by far the winner going a good 1/4 a mile down the lake, Ashley and I gave it a good shot.

Sunning my toesies

Emma modeling the windswept hair 

Mi familia bella

Rafting is fun at any age...from 5 to 29

Kenna and I went on a slightly wilder ride, gliding over the water at terrifyingly fun speeds

A few days later at the fair...again looking fabulous!

What's cuter then a Sierra and an Emma carrot?

 Overall, it was a great week with family and friends and I cant' wait until next year when the bright lights of the fair and the bright light that is my sister rolls back into town. Jewel.