A Graduation Gift...

 I graduated from highschool in May, 13 years of homeschool. I don't know how my mom did it, but she did and I'm really thankful for all the time and effort she put into me, and thankful for my dad because he helped LOTS too!

I got a pretty awesome gift for graduation, from some of my favorite people in the whole world. 

I was hoping it was one thing....but I thought it might be too big of a wish....

"hmm....it's the perfect size"

"...no way....! it can't be! they just put something else in this box...yeah, that's what they did"

 Then someone said, "no it's really a laptop"

*squeals* "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!?!?!"

It was really a laptop ;)

Thank you, Mom and Dad, and Grammy April and Grandpa Paul, and Phil and Jenn!

Mom and Dad: During school, I remember all those times when we stayed up late while I cried over Algebra, but I figured it out! FINALLY! thanks Dad :) And Mom, that time when I was learning how to diagram sentences and every. single. day. was absolute torture and major melt downs for both of us till it finally clicked and now I diagram sentences for fun :P Thanks :) When you guys did everything possible to find and let me horseback lessons, those were some of the best years of my life. I learned so much; how to work with people and animals and discipline myself and then how to trust the Lord when he took that opportunity away. All the life skills and lessons you've taught me, and the love you've shown me, raising me in a Christian home and taking me to church every Sunday...morning and night and every Wednesday. Teaching me to love the Lord, that's the best gift you guys gave me. I love you so much.

Grammy April and Grandpa Paul: I'm pretty sure you guys spoil me worse than anyone :D but hey, what are grandparents for? :D I'm so glad you guys live next door. I can just run over and visit whenever I want (even if I don't do it a lot, at least I know the option is there ;) ) Grammy, thank for all the sewing and cooking lessons you gave me, even though I don't CHOOSE to sew and cook on my own (normally) at least I know I have the ability to do those things when and if I need or want to. Those times I got to spend with you were very special to me. Grandpa, thanks for just being there. You are one of my heroes. Thanks for teaching me how to use your riding lawn mower ;) it sure beats the the other option! The times when you take me to town, and we don't say one word the whole time except "hi" and "thanks for the ride" "you're welcome"? I love it, they're some of my favorite times. I'm really glad we all go to the same church now! :D I love you both!

Phil and Jenn: For as long as I can remember you guys have been around (and no, I'm not saying you're old...although Phil is getting there) I love looking at pictures of when I was a baby and seeing Phil on camping trips with us, and spending time with my family. I remember when you both got married and thinking how young Jenn was because she was only 7 years older than me! (it was actually 10 years...I stunk at math back then too) Phil, thanks for putting up with me as a Sunday school student when I was in.....like, every single grade with you as the teacher. Thanks for teaching me how to follow a music director, and never failing to tease me about every little thing. Jenn, thank you for being there whenever I need to talk and for every single opportunity that you took to just let me spend time with you and be your "little sister". I miss you guys so incredibly much and love you lots!

There are so many other people who have influenced my life in great ways, my other grandparents, my siblings, my church family....I don't have time or room to write about all of them. I wasn't even planning on writing all this when I started this post, but it kinda happened :D The laptop was a pretty cool graduation gift, but everything I've learned over my 18 years of life from my family and friends, I think that's an AWESOME gift :)

~Kluane

Cookie Baking

 Baking cookies with friends = lots of laughter, fun and messes! My family and another family got together and made a lot of cookies the other day. We made 4 different kinds, but with six kids and two adults it went really fast.

 

 

 The younger kids got bored after about 3 batches and decided to go play in the snow....with a goat, to pull their sled! They said he didn't like it, and the kids ended up pulling each other.

Lots of cookies!

Merry Christmas!!

~Kluane

Lake Fun

In June we had my graduation party at the lake. It was so much fun, and thanks to everyone who came!! I'm way behind on posting, school and life keeps me busy :D But here are a few pictures.

Teague, me and Cadence

Araena

 

Dad brought the grill out there, and we had hotdogs and hamburgers! 

 Mr. Allen likes to make faces when I try to take pictures of him, so this was the best I could get, haha.

Lani

 We rented a big flat bottom boat, and two kayaks and a canoe, and some friends brought another canoe and a big rubber boat. So we played in the water a LOT.

 We spent probably 3 hours trying to sink this big rubber boat. We filled it with water and rocked it around, we finally succeeded in tipping it over, and then we played on top of it for a long time.

Mr. Jason and Lance.

 They took great joy in throwing people out of the boat, and then making it extremely difficult for us to climb back in....

Wes, Tristan and Foster

Mr. Jason, me and Jo

Tristan and Foster

We were out there for about 10 hours and the weather was gorgeous the whole day. We played in the water for hours and ate lots of food and had tons of fun!
~Kluane

Teague

My littlest (or maybe I should say "youngest" he's not very little anymore!) brother Teague, is the cutest 10 year old, soon to be 11, in the WORLD. Shh....don't tell him I said that. He'll look at me, roll his eyes, get the cutest little smile (and he has a dimple!) and say "Kluaaaaneeee!" He loves to help (most of the time) and even though he's slow, he does a very good job at anything he does.

Teague ice fishing, March 09

He's my fellow piano player in the house :D If I'm not on the piano, he is. . . .he's getting really good too. He'll catch up to me if I don't keep practicing!

Teague loves his chickens and he's very knowledgeable in anything and everything that has to do with poultry. If I have questions, he's the first place I go to for answers =o)

He will bake and cook as often and as much as we will let him and have time to help him.

. . . .and he loves to help with campfires! (a little bit of a pyromaniac. . . .hehe)

Teague, I'm so glad you're my brother!

Little Brothers

author unknown

I was given a brother 

To teach me about life

He loves and aggravates me

And gives me strength and strife

Thank goodness for little brothers

They are special as can be

Don't mess with my little brother

Or you'll have to deal with me

200 plus....

...pies. Yes, 200+ pies. In November the 4-H Teen Club Chord and I are members of, sold and baked pies for a fundraiser.

You can see the boxes stacked up against the wall behind Chord, there were LOTS of them!

 Chord was the only boy with 10 other girls =o) so he kinda kept to himself and folded all the boxes... 

...while I made pies =o) We had 4 different kinds; chocolate, lemon (this one was the yummiest), pecan and sweet potato (yuck) :D I made pecan pies with two other girls. I had the pecan pie recipe memorized after about 15 pies, haha. It was fun, but it took us about 10 hours total, and by the end of the day we were all sick of seeing pies!

Jehovah, Hallelujah

I had a Christmas recital for my piano students, but...since I only have 4 students I decided to recruit some other people. So my brothers played their violins and I asked my parents and the Chace's to sing a song.

Jehovah, Hallelujah

Traditional Spiritual

Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide
Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide
The foxes have a hole, the birdies have a nest
The Son of God, He don't know where to lay His sweet head.

Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide
Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide

There was room at the inn
For the merchants that day,
But Joseph and Mary had no place to stay.

Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide
Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide

Then a star in the heavens,
The message did bring!
The tiny Babe in swaddling clothes, was Jesus the King

Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide
Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide

Sorry, it cuts off the last word of the song...the memory card was full on our camera.

~Kluane

New Friends

  This past year I've made some new friends. The college program that I'm doing (CollegePlus! which I still need to do a post on) has a forum that you can get on for study tips, but also to get to know some of the other students. I have made sooo many incredible friends. Each one of them has been a blessing in one way or another, and some of them have become like sisters and brothers to me. 

  This spring I got to meet two of the students that are from Alaska, Esther and her older brother, (and her parents and adorable younger siblings =o)) Then we got to visit again this fall, it was so fun!

Me and Esther

So, even though I'm not going to a community college...it's not like I'm completely shut out from people =o) and I think I like this better, because I don't have to be around them all the time :D

~Kluane

Cadence

 I have this little sister: she's cute, and funny and always makes me laugh even when I don't want to :P

 She does the silliest things and will often make me burst out laughing when I'm right in the middle of something very important and serious.

She has the most "interesting" sense of style of anyone I've ever met. She doesn't care if her shirt is orange and her pants are purple and her socks are blue.....

 Sometimes she can have quite the attitude.

 But she's always willing to help (at least mostly)...

...and she will always try something hard.

I love you Cadence, you're the best little sister ever =o)

"There is no better friend than a sister.  And there is no better sister than you."  ~Author Unknown

TVSF 2010, pt.2

Alrighty, here are the rest of the pictures :D

Rabbit Showmanship

TVSF 2010, pt.1

Ok, so there are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to many pictures that I took at the fair this year...this is not even half of them :P :D

We, haha, had an extra kid with us this year =o)

Cadence, Teague and new friend Brody

Weigh in day for my turkey! He weighed 36 lbs!

hehe this is what I did in all my free time (which I didn't have much of)

Barn duty...

Walking my turkey

Late night dinner :D

Poultry Showmanship:

Cadence is second from the right

Teague is second from the right

Teague and new friend Kyle with their bantam chickens

Me and Cleisthenes (don't ya just love that name, HAHA)

Me, far right

I placed first in this class, I was soooooo excited because this is my first year doing poultry showmanship and everyone else in my class had been doing it for a while.

Almost every night all the 4-Hers got together and played a game of soccer on the big field beside the barns.

I got to help bottle feed a baby goat every morning!

More Poultry Showmanship:

Brody

Teague was the "Ribbon Boy" :D

Cadence, third from the left

Kyle and Cadence

So, this ends the first half of the fair :D More pictures to follow!

~Kluane