Summer - 2001
A lot happened during the summer of 2001...
...I got my first boyfriend, John Lucas. There's really nothing to tell here. I thought it was going to be something special, but unfortunately it was everything but. I don't think he even really liked me. He never wanted to hold my hand. He never wanted to put his arm around me. I mean, we went out for 3 months, and I got one hug. Please tell me there's something wrong with that picture. I also heard that the only reason he asked me out was because he was trying to make my friend, Kristen, jealous. I really didn't want to believe it at the time, but I think it's true. I mean, he was practically in love with her, and when she turned him down, all of a sudden 2 days later he claims he really likes me. Riiiiight...
...I was introduced to Dream Street. Frankie Galasso, Jesse McCartney, Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger, and Chris Trousdale came into my life. I first saw a promotion to meet Dream Street at teen.com. I of course fell in love with the 5 hotties, and entered the contest everyday for a month. To my disappointment, I didn't win. After this, I started seeing their commercial on TV. After hearing the commercial and buying their CD, I was a dedicated fan. I listened to their CD everyday, successfully memorizing the lyrics in under a week. I went online and learned all about them, picking my favorite and taking all the little quizes online (which I still take to see if I've changed...).
...I became better friends with Jesse. Jessica Rose Schubert, one of my best friends. She used to go to school with me in 1st grade, but we never really talked. She moved the summer before 2nd grade, and I never saw her again. When I moved the summer before 6th grade, I moved out to the same township she did. We went to different elementary schools, but when we went to Junior High we met up again. We talked, but we never really bonded until that summer. We were going through almost the same thing when it came to our parents, so we found relief in one another. We spend almost every weekend together, talking and laughing about our childhoods.
...I became familiar with FanFiction.net. I was browsing on Bored.com, and I came across a link that said "Fan Fiction...short stories written by people like you!" I've always been into writing, so I was intrigued. I clicked the link, and just browsed the sight, taking it all in. I started reading the stories under the *Nsync section, and then I browsed a little bit in the Backstreet Boysand 98 Degrees sections. After reading those stories, it dawned on me to check to see if there was a Dream Street section. There was, but there was only, I think 11. I clicked, and liked what I saw. After that, I knew I was hooked.
Fall - 2001
During the fall of 2001, I started writing my own fan fictions. They weren't very good, and I didn't even think about posting them on the site, but it gave me something to look forward to. If I practiced and got better, maybe someday I would post my work. I wrote my first story, My Heart Belongs To You, and of course it was a Dream Street story. I started it at the end of October, and finished it around January. After reading over it millions of times and perfecting it, I finally decided it was time to post it.
September 11, 2001 - World Trade Centers collapse. I remember I was walking to American Cultures, and all I heard was the teachers talking about how a plane hit the World Trade Center. I walked down the hall to my American Cultures class, and I remember my teacher turning on the news, and we spent most of the class period watching the news. We were all watching silently, and then discussed what we thought during the commercial breaks. We were watching the building burn, when all of a sudden we saw a second plane crash into the other Trade Center building. We all just starred at the screen, too shocked to say anything. We had just witnessed something that none of us would ever forget. Soon after that, the principle came over the PA System and told the teachers to turn off their TV's and continue their day normally.
I walked into my next class, Science, and found Mr. McDougall secretly watching the news. The class was soon full as all the student's piled in, smiling at the fact that we could watch the news. We all didn't think it was fair that we couldn't see what was going on. We had a right to know.
9:50 a.m., September 11, 2001 - The first tower collapsed. The whole nation watched in silence as one of the major landmarks of the country fell right before our eyes. Many cried, many hid, hoping that this was all a nightmare, but it was just beginning.
10:30 a.m., September 11. 2001 - The second tower crumbled. Again, the whole nation watched in silence, not thinking this day could get any worse.
Color Guard - 2001
My first season of Color Guard. I was official part of the Harbor Creek Marching Huskies. Our show was called Music For A Darkened Field and included the songs Batman, The Simpsons Theme Song, Tess's Theme, March of the Dead, and Batman Reprise. It was an awesome show, and it was definately fun to perform. We had a new band instructor that year, Mr. Waha, so the whole marching band kind of renewed itself.
Mrs. Nick, the color guard instructor, explained that it was a rebuilding year for the guard, and not to be disappointed if we didn't get first place for guard. She told us that the guard had lost 7 seniors at the end of the previous season, and they guard had gained 15 new girls this season. When the whole guard only consisted of 28 girls, we all knew we had a lot of work ahead of us.
LMBA (Lakeshore Marching Band Association) Championships came around on October 27. Harbor Creek Marching Huskies placed 2nd out of 4 bands. We were all proud, considering how much we had to teach to so many people.
I'll never forget that season. That year we were all like sisters: we worked as one. We formed friendships that will last forever, and shared physical and emotional pain that only the other girls know the feeling of. We were a team...and I have a feeling the guard will never be like that again...
Disney World - 2001
My family and I went to Disney World during the fall of 2001. We actually left the night after LMBA Championships, so I was exhausted when we got there. We stayed for 6 days, 5 nights, at the Disney Institute. It was nice while we were down there, because nobody was really there. I guess everybody stayed home because of the September 11 attacks. But not my family! We boarded our plane and got down there safe and sound, and I think we all had the time of our lives.
The first day we went to the Animal Kingdom. It was about 50 degrees out, but me and my sister, CJ, didn't care. We were in Florida, and we were going to wear shorts. So there we were, in shorts and then heavy jackets, walking into Animal Kingdom. We walked in, and immediately people started offering to take our picture in front of the big tree. We of course accepted and got a nice picture to take home to show everybody. Animal Kingdom was more of a learning experience, which not many rides. The few rides that were there were fun, but taught us stuff at the same time. I got my face painted, which cost me $12. It was of a butterfly that took up my whole face, and was orange, pink, yellow, and a touch of lime green. We went on the water ride, and we all got soaked due to our refusal to buy ponchos. We spent the rest of the day cold and wet. But overall, it was worth it.
The second day we went to MGM Studios. That place was pretty awesome. The first thing you saw when you walked in was a big blue hat that really was a store. So we went in there and played around with some of the stuff. Then we walked through the park and rode the Tower of Terror, twice. That was really funny. My dad, Lucas, and I all rode, and then we talked my mom into it. She hated us for the rest of the day, haha. After that, we rode the AeroSmith ride. That ride was cool, 'cause it was all indoors. And it went from 0 to (Im guessing) about 70 mph in seconds. It was awesome. After that we went on a tour of some of the houses that were used for shows like "Golden Girls" and "Home Improvement." That was awesome. That place was cool, it was just a time where we could learn about how movies and stuff were made, which I found cool.
The third day we went to Magic Kingdom. That was pretty cool. We got into the park and again the people that work there immediately started offering to take our picture in front of Cinderella's Castle. We did, and again we got a nice picture. It turned out kinda crappy though, because we were squinting from the sun. But that's ok, I got some good pictures with my own camera. The first thing we went on was the Dumbo ride. After that we hit almost all the rides including the Tea Cups, It's A Small World, some car one. And OH! The Toy Story ride. That ride, was byfar, the best. It was like we were in a video game, and we all had little lazers to shoot at stuff. We went on rides the whole day, then went back to our hotel to get some rest.
The fourth day we went to Epcot. I really didn't like that place. There's really not that much to say. There weren't hardly any rides there. It was more of a place where you just walk around and learn about different countries. They did have the "Test Track" though. That was awesome! You get in this car, and it takes you over speed bumps, and into a really hot room, and then into a really cold room. Oh it was awesome. But other than that, the place was pretty dull, haha.
The fifth day we went to Blizzard Beach. Oh my God, I could have lived there! Seriously, there was SO much to do. And it wasn't like it is back here in Erie. You didn't have to carry your inner tube to the top of the slide...it was carried by a conveir belt. And all the rides were 4x bigger. Seriously, the only thing I can use to describe Blizzard Beach is "wow."
The sixth day we went out to Planet Hollywood for lunch, and then we went had to leave for the airport. Planet Hollywood is awesome. The music is cool, and they have the words on the screen so you can sing along. The food was awesome! But the coolest part was, yes you can laugh, the bathroom. Seriously, the girls' bathroom was SO cool! I'm not sure about the boys' bathroom, but I don't really care, haha. After Planet Hollywood we loaded up the rental car and went to the airport. It was a sad ride home. None of us wanted to leave.
Summer - 2002
Nothing really happened during the summer of 2002. I did the usual - go to Friday night parties, go to the beach, have bon fires, go swimming at people's houses, pull a whole slew of all-nighters. Yanno, what every 15 year old does during their summer vacation. I hate to admit it, but this was the summer that me and 2 of my best friends, Tara and Jericho, really started drifting apart. We were always best friends, but when I moved and didn't live right around the block anymore, things got hard. The first few months we got together every weekend, but as we got older, we had more things to do. All of a sudden, that 15 minute drive between our houses seemed a lot. We still get together once every couple of months, but it's just not the same.
This summer was my first time going to the locas amusement park with the Erie Gymnastics Center. We had a ball. People would think that trying to get kicked out of an amusement park is boring, but in reality it's the most fun I've ever had. Sitting upside down on the old wooden rollercoaster....Standing up on the log ride....Walking next to the cart in the Wacky Shack instead of sitting in it....Spitting on the sky ride...Yelling at ride operators...It's all very amusing.
The one exciting thing that did happen was that I got a boyfriend...finally! I have to admit, I've had it pretty rough as a kid. My dad has been puttin gme down since I was about 10, and I just needed someone to love me. Sure, I had my family, but it wasn't the same. I wanted a guy to love me; not me because he felt he had to, but because he wanted to. When Brandon came along, that happened. He asked me out August 26, the night before school started. I really wish I would have saved our IM conversation. How could I not have?
August 7, 2002 - Dream Street is dead. Not technically. I mean, technically, the 5 guys of Dream Street are all still living, but the group is no more. They had been going through some stuff which I don't feel like discussing, and I guess they just couldn't handle it all. 3 of them would go on to be solo artists, while the other 2 either turned to acting, tried to finish their senior year in high school like everybody else, or even try to do both. I still think about them occasionally, and I still have all my posters on my wall. I just wish I could really know what happened.
National Gymnastics Championships - 2002
This was definately one of those experiences a person never forgets. I've always been into gymnastics, but never had enough money and endurance to take it. My friend, Brittney, who is a gymnast, got tickets to the National Gymnastics Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. I, of course, was extremely jealous. The Championships lasted 4 days, Wednesday through Saturday, and consisted of olympians, former olympians, future olympians, and everything in between. Brittney called me up on Friday and told me that she had an extra ticket for the Saturday show, and that I could go with her and her family free of charge. I jumped at it, and Saturday morning they picked me up and we were off to Cleveland. We got to the Gund Arena, and we sat down, eager for it to start. I was in awe the whole time. I've always looked at gymnast magazines and watched gymnastics on tv, and here I was watching it live. It was the same people I've googled over for the past 10 years, right in front of me signing my pad of paper. That night I got to meet Sean Townsend, only the hottest gymnast to grace God's green earth. It was amazing. I have his autograph hanging in my locker, haha.
Six Flags Cleveland - 2002
Have you ever seen something and just become totally speachless? Well that's what happened when the Schieds and myself pulled up to the Six Flags in Cleveland. I've never been to a big amusement park like that except Disney World, so I was definately in awe. We go there, put on our suntan lotion, and me and Brittney headed off. The first thing we rode was the X-Flight. That is, by far, the coolest ride I've ever ridden. I felt like I was flying. The whole day went by so quickly, I wish I could relive it. Me and Brittney spent the whole time riding rides, sining instead of screaming. People seem to give you funny looks when you're going down a 200 foot drop singing "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. We didn't care though. We had fun and that's all that mattered. We rode all the rides, not tiring one bit. I hope we can go back next summer, too...
Color Guard - 2002
Guard season number 2 for me. Our show this year was called Courage and Honor. The show was exciting, but yet it wasn't. The guard, as a whole, was pretty good. We only had 5 new girls that year, so everybody pretty much knew what they were doing. The show was hard...national level. Definately not something a High School Marching Band should be performing. Of course, because the music was harder, so was the guard work. That really got to us, because a lot of the time we couldn't keep up with the music.
The guard really wasn't as great as it was the year before. The guard, has a whole, didn't click. There were cliques, and people hated other people. It's like we let our differences get in the way of our performance, and that definately hurt a lot of people's feelings, including mine. It hurt my feelings even more so it made the guard look bad.
October 26, 2002, LMBA Championships. We were going on last, which according to Mrs. Nick is the best spot to be in. So we were all pumped up, and it felt like it was going to be a good night. During warm ups everybody was catching everything, there was no wind, it wasn't cold; things were perfect. So we stepped out onto the field, excited about the night. I'm not sure what happened...but when the music started the whole band fell apart. The lines were straight, but the music sucked. The guard work was off. People were dropping equipment left and right. We just all fell apart.
We ended up coming in 4th out of 5 bands, which upset us all. The rest of the night was spent in tears, and then changed to making fun of ourselves. All in all, I think this band season really changed me. It made me a lot stronger, and also made me realize that I'm not the band time. I can't handle the pressure of always having to be at practice and having to give up my weekends for competitions and football games. I'm glad I did it though...it was a good experience.