tennis REGION tournament

1. it seriously can't be October already. October is my favorite month, but really. this year's gone by wayyyyy too fast.
2. it is getting colder and I think we skipped this nice fall weather we are supposed to have because it's been raining and snowing ever since October came around. except today I did play some tennis with my mom and it was actually not cold.
3. I got my braces off. I don't really have any "before" pictures with my braces. mostly because they were bad. and most of the friends I have now, I met either in 8th grade or my freshman year, so they wouldn't even know what I looked like before the braces came. but after our relationship of 2 1/2 years, we finally broke up and they're gone.

4. Not too long after the braces came off, Wesley turned 13. What the heck. We have 2 teenagers in the house now. Wes is enjoying junior high. he isn't going to Centennial like I did or like Justin will in 2 years. Instead, he is doing a gifted and talented program at Provo High School with other gifted kiddos and they take advanced classes that aren't even available at Centennial. Personally, I would die, being at Provo High School (Timpview's biggest rival) with high schoolers and a bad football team and no friends and only gifted kids and high school homework and riding the bus everyday. but Wes is having a great time, because all his friends go there that he knew at CAS, the gifted and talented elementary school he attended. He likes his classes and is the only 7th grader in the high school play! they are doing Seussical, which is what I did at Centennial! he is a jungle animal and he is having lots of fun with it. he is also learning French Horn with the band and it sounds like a dying elephant.

picture from the summer. I still had my braces on. obviously. this kiddo keeps getting taller.

5. tennis season ended. I have a lot more time for homework and things. but am I happy that it's done? I don't think I am. (told you this post would lead up to tennis.)

I had a bit of a rough start to the season. I started out tryouts well, but it got more difficult along the way. the first 2 matches I played were doubles matches, and I was able to win one of them. that gave me some confidence for the rest of the season. I was doing really well at practice, but then I pulled a muscle in my right wrist, and I had to take some time off practice so it wouldn't get worse. then, I came back and I started to improve. I was actually doing really well. but I wasn't exactly winning my matches. in fact, I hadn't won any of my singles matches, even though I played really well. What usually happened was that my opponent and I would both kind of take turns winning and losing, but at the end, they were the harder fighter. it didn't bother me too much at first, because I knew I was doing everything right. all my serves were going in, I hit hard, I had topspin, my backhand soon became better than my forehand. but there was just one thing that I couldn't do right: winning. none of my losses were really bad. most of the time, I lost by 6-8 which is the closest you can get without having to go into a tiebreaker. but even though I knew that I was doing really well, I wanted to win. I was sick of losing all the time. 

at one of my home matches, I was having a horrible day. I had just lost to Springville the day before (again, it was 6-8, and one of the best matches I ever played), my classes were getting harder, both girl and boy drama was going on, and my very best friend and I weren't speaking with each other. some of my really good friends had tried to cheer me up, and I was happy for the time being, but that didn't last long. I didn't come with the mindset to play tennis, and there was a lot going on earlier that day and some of my teammates asked me what was wrong, and me being a total girl, just lost it, fell apart, and started crying in front of most of the team. the girls were all being really nice to me and encouraged me, telling me that I would do great in my match. I tried to think positive. I started off the match really well, but in the end, I was demolished. by a freshman. I don't even want to say the score. but I got really frustrated and nearly broke my racket. after that bad match, I knew I needed to get my act together and shape it up for regionals. 

but guess what. a lot more girls wanted to play singles, so all the JV singles players did challenge matches. I didn't win enough of them to get me a spot in singles. which means the one word I hate: doubles. I would finish out the tennis season that I had worked really hard at, playing doubles. not singles. and was I happy about this? you figure that out for yourself. my doubles partner and I had warmed up together, and played against each other, and I won every time. but we had never really had the chance to work together as a team. and I wanted to practice doing that with her, but our schedules just didn't work out that way. so was I terrified for regionals? OF COURSE I WAS. I, previously 3rd JV Singles who was much better than my record showed, a very inexperienced doubles player, would be playing doubles for the most important tournament of the season. what some people don't understand is that singles is very different than doubles. depending on the player, it can be harder or easier. for me, I like having the whole court to myself and not having to depend on someone else to hit shots on the other side of the court. there's a lot more shots you can take, and it's easier to score a point because you only have 1 opponent. dubs players disagree and say it's harder to cover the entire court yourself, and it's nicer to have a partner that can get to the shots that you can't. but for me, I can't just a passing cross-court shot and win the point, because there would be another player at that spot. I can't put it away at the net either, because there's a net player. and it's a lot more devastating to lose, because part of it isn't even your fault. you have a partner. That is a big change to adjust to, and I just didn't have enough time. but my partner, Megan, has been playing doubles for most of the season, and it suits her better than singles. so she was much more experienced at doubles than I was, and more comfortable. so that made me feel a little bit better. and her personality is just a lot more easygoing and relaxed, so when she loses, it's no big deal for her. she just accepts it, and life goes on. for me, I can only accept defeat if I feel like I played my best. if I didn't play my best, it's harder to accept. 

On Thursday, it was raining. and Megan and I played our first doubles match together as a team. it was clear that our opponents had experience as a partnership. Megan and I did not. Both of us weren't going for shots because we thought the other person would. it wasn't because we were bad players; it was because we just hadn't worked together before. but I was really frustrated, and as the game went on, I lost my form and hit it out, and I double faulted my serve (which rarely happens). finally, we had lost, 3-8. so I try to hide the fact that I could smash 10 rackets, shake my opponents hands, and tell them how well they did. Then, I just walk off, and try not to cry in front of my partner. as soon as I find my mom, I just start crying. not because I was mad at my partner. but because I was mad at myself. Like I said, losing doubles is a lot more devastating than losing singles. I had about an hour between my next match, so that gave me time to calm down. I talked with my mom and my other teammates, and I felt better. soon enough, Megan and I walked back on the tennis courts, this time with a lot more confidence.

I had played both the girls on the opposing team in singles matches with the city league over the summer, and had beaten one of them. with the experience of playing them before, I knew what their strengths and weaknesses were. and both Megan and I were doing 100 times better than we did in the first match. like Meg said, we just hadn't had the experience together, and it would be better the second time. both of us were going for more shots, and we kept our form and hit less into the net. the other girls would get frustrated, and hit the ball into the net. as a singles player, I didn't have to go into the net very often. but in this match, I was constantly at the net, smashing the ball at their feet. (so was Meg when it was her turn up at the net.) my backhand slices were coming back. I never double faulted. we still lost, but were we upset at all? NO. both of us had played our very best, and we made our comebacks. I had never been so proud of myself or my partner this entire season. that was the best we had ever played. so what if we lost? to me, as I said earlier, it matters more if I play well, than the final score. 

that was our last match of the Timpview Girls JV Tennis Season. Varsity won their region tournament, and will be playing in state this week. part of me wishes that I was there too, but who cares. the last match was amazing. I have become a much better player than I was at the beginning of the summer. I am not even the same person. even though I'm not exactly proud of my individual record, I know that I played my best, and I played really well. I have made soooooo many friends with all the girls on the team, and I am so glad to have such a good relationship with them. they are all very nice, and I would always look forward to practices and matches and working with them. I am so sad the season is over! I don't know what I will do for the rest of the year! Nothing to look forward to after school! But I will continue practicing every day with my mom or find some friends that will play with me. I already can't wait for next season. I want it to be as good, if not better, as this season!

 in between matches at Springville. Gabby (top right hand corner) looks like an alien. and the way I am looking at Emmaline just isn't okay.

 None of us look good here. BACK ROW: Vanessa, Libby, Annie, and Gabby. FRONT ROW: Lauren, Emmaline, and me.

 Emmaline wanted to send a group snapchat to everyone. (probably becasue she's the only one who looks good in it.) 2 seconds later, Annie's granola bar fell out of her mouth and into my hair. very nice of her. and the Mmeerrmiiee came from Merm, which came from my Jackson who is my favorite person, and until tennis, he was the only one who called me that. but I guess the nickname spread to the whole tennis team, and everyone calls me that. and I love it.

 Megan and me after our second match at regionals! believe it  or not, she's the freshman and I'm the sophomore. we did really well!

 and what is a tennis match without awkward racket poses?

Nothing can explain my love for tennis. even though "love" means "zero" in tennis. I just love tennis, ok? It is a major part of my life that I don't know what I would do without. 

Castles are royalty.

last friday was the most amazing day of my life. I, Miriam Elaina Castle, was Sophomore Homecoming Princess at Timpview High School. coincidence?

I hadn't ever really thought about the possibility of this happening, until....it happened. one of my really good friends, Jackson, had been sophomore royalty the previous year. I had only heard about it, because I was still in Japan at that time. I didn't know how it worked, how you got chosen, if you needed any qualifications, if you needed to go on a date with the person you were royalty with. and most of all, I didn't think it would be me. but a week before homecoming, one of my friends tweeted "Miriam Castle for Homecoming Royalty 2013." so then I kinda got really excited and wondered if enough people would see it and vote for me. after a while, the tweet had been retweeted several times, and some other people were tweeting similar things, just a different boy every time. that day, a lot of people said, "hey I voted you for Sophomore Homecoming Royalty, I hope you win!" I was really happy, but I was still confused of how it worked. finally, someone explained that you get a piece of paper in English class, and you would write 4 names: a boy and a girl for your grade, and a senior boy and girl for Homecoming King and Queen. if enough people all agreed to put my name in, I had a chance of winning. but I tried to prepare myself for not winning, because there's at least 300 different sophomore girls at Timpview, and only 1 could win.

on the Tuesday of that week, I had to get checked out of seminary to go get my braces tightened, and on my way out, my friend Gabby, a senior on the tennis team who's also on Student Government, told me that I won Sophomore Homecoming Royalty! I hate to admit it. I wasn't surprised at all. but what did surprise me was that I won by a lot, and that no one else really had a chance! I was so grateful to my friends for getting the word out fast, to vote for me! she explained that I would appear in the homecoming assembly on the day of the game, and I would ride out on a moped with my prince at halftime at the game that evening. I couldn't believe that it would actually happen to me. I wasn't surprised that I won, I was just surprised that so many people thought of me. I'm 5'0'', and while short girls are cute, tall girls are beautiful. I would expect someone taller to win. but I was so excited, and while I was instructed to keep it a secret, I told my mom, who told my grandma, and no one on my mom's side of the family can keep a secret! and I told Jackson because he was the same thing last year, and he was probably more excited for me than I was. that really helped, knowing that he was happy too! I wasn't as nervous as I would've been if I hadn't told anyone! but the problem was, after I told Jackson, I thought, "well, I want Brooke to know, too! and Madi! and Raquel! and Haley!" so then all my girlfriends knew by the next day. but did I care? NOPE! as exciting as being surprised may sound, I'd rather have people support me and share the excitement!

Friday was the Big Day. I had to wake up at 5:30 to get my hair done, because of dumb drivers ed at 6:30. my poor mother had a migraine and didn't want to wake up. but she was so nice and did my hair and took me to school and told me that she would sleep until I needed her to come bring me my dress for the assembly. she really wanted to see me, even with a bad headache. I guess it's kinda a big deal, if your daughter is Sophomore Homecoming Princess!

the assembly was one of the best parts of my big day. not everyone would come to the football game (which is pretty pathetic because who doesn't love football?), but everyone would be at the assembly. Josh Lillywhite, my prince, sat next to me while we watched dancing football players and the Drill Team and Dance Company and Cheerleaders and all that stuff. we were both excited to walk on, I think. I don't know. he seemed pretty excited! before we went on, he would practice escorting me and giving me my flower, and how we would look. when it was time, the freshmen walked on first. that was amazing. the freshman prince was Kollin Galland, who is one of my really good friends. 2 weeks before, he was doing a double backflip on a trampoline, landed on his head, and broke his neck. He is still in the ICU at Primary Childrens, and it has been hard on everyone. the day I found out, I couldn't stop crying, and to make me feel better, I took Wes to the temple with me to do baptisms for the dead and we both prayed for Kollin. I felt so peaceful and I had a feeling that he would be okay, even if it would be a long recovery. our whole family fasted for him, and every night, Justin reminds us to pray for him. that makes me so happy. but Kollin was chosen as prince, and his brother Ethan, who is in my grade, walked on for him. this is what I love about going to Timpview. When people are going through hard times, the whole school gets involved and every student is very supportive. we all come together to do whatever we can to support anyone who is affected. after Kollin's accident, we all wore blue and signs were hung all around the school, reminding us to pray for him. I am so proud to be a Timpview Thunderbird! I love how everyone wanted to support Kollin and honor him! his mom has a blog for him, prayforkollin.blogspot.com and I tear up everytime I read it. Ethan escorted the lovely Nicole Curtis, one of my favorite freshmen girls! we played tennis together once, and she is one of the nicest girls I know.

After Kollin was honored, it was time. Josh and I linked arms, and walked across the gym for the whole school to see. as soon as we emerged from the "secret lair", everyone cheered. and I was just overwhelmed with happiness. Josh handed me his flower, and the audience went nuts. people were cheering our names, and that just made me even happier. junior and senior royalty walked on, and after that, the assembly ended. Everyone walked up to us and congratulated us and told us how good we looked and how well we did.

by the time the assembly ended, my curls had straightened out. problems of having really thick hair. I didn't really care, I would just redo it before the game. throughout that day, I got so many compliments: my dress, my hair, my prince, everything. but the ones that really made my day were "You just looked like the happiest girl alive!" and "not only did you look gorgeous, you were smiling, and that just made you look even more beautiful!" if this was only the assembly, I couldn't wait for what the game would bring.

I went home and took a nice long nap before I had to get ready again. My whole family except Wes, who decided that his scout campout was more important than supporting his sister, went to the game. the plan was to watch the beginning with my friends, find Student Government during second quarter, and make the entrance during half time. the lowerclassmen would all enter on mopeds, and the seniors would drive cars. Josh was pretty excited about driving a scooter, and he took it on at least 5 different test drives before he took one with me. I was a bit nervous about falling off, but he didn't go too fast or intentionally try to throw me off, so it all went very smoothly. everyone congratulated us, including people I have never met in my life! it was amazing.

 the prince and the princess. 

after half time, I got a million more congratulations, found my friends, and watched the rest of the game. Timpview won, 40-7! that just added to the greatness of the night!

so as you can tell, I loved every minute of it. and I'm so glad I got it my sophomore year, the year that I wasn't quite old enough to date, but I could still participate in the whole thing without going to the dance. It was honestly the best day ever.

i guess i'm a sophomore. yeeeh.

well, I made it. I'm a sophomore. it's pretty crazy isn't it. I remember, my first day of school as a freshman. Everyone else had already been in school for 6 weeks. but because I was on top of Mt. Fuji the day that school started, I had to start 6 weeks later than everyone else. I was a bit confused at first, but soon I got into the swing of things. but I was kind of scared of the older kids. some of the sophomores I already knew from when I was in Junior High. I had a lot of classes with older kids, so I did make friends quickly. one of my best friends that year was a sophomore (and we still are best friends). but he just seemed so much.... older to me. much like the rest of them. they were all 16, most of which could drive, many which even had their own cars, and there was the whole dating thing. I tried to remind myself that most of these kids are just a year older than me. but it hit me. I was in high school. that would be me in a year. I'd still be a lower classman. but as a young freshman, I still couldn't believe it. and there were juniors too. and seniors. I would talk to a few juniors and even a few seniors. but they just......well....... were a lot older than me, it seemed. I was one of the shortest ones. I thought I had it hard. which, I did. a lot of my classes were hard. and older kids would tell me, "it only gets worse every year." thanks for making me excited about high school, people. but I had a pretty good year. much better than all of junior high combined.

Malia, Lynley, Madi, Abby, me, Gillian, Brooke, and Callie

yes. these are all my adorable sophomore friends. we are all the same age. even me. and yes, I really am that short. this isn't photoshopped. people were asking me if I was a freshman. but I love this picture. Abby is one of my really good friends from Orem, and she surprised us all by enrolling in Timpview this year! when I saw her in the halls, I thought of that line from Mean Girls: "She doesn't even go here!" but I was so happy that she decided to go here! and Lynley moved to Oregon over the summer, and she came back to visit all of us! It was so great to see her again.

I was excited for all the new freshmen. some older kids think freshmen are really annoying, but I love them. I am friends with a lot of them, actually! I know lots of them from tennis, and some from junior high as well. but I have missed them a lot. and I just love all of them to bits. and they are all much taller than me, so I could blend in with them and people would think that I'm one of them! but it feels good not to be the youngest anymore. 

on my second day of school last year, I went to a football game. I had no friends, but I found a senior named Ava from my seminary class, and we hung out for most of the game. we talked a lot and she was super nice to me and introduced me to all her friends. this year, I went to a football game on my second day of school again. and I was supposed to meet up with friends, but they didn't show up until later. so I just found Lauren, one of my best friends on the tennis team, who is a senior. this sounds pretty familiar. another really nice senior, introduces me to all her friends, and it was super nice! at around half time, my friends finally showed up. I went off with them for a bit, and at that point, pretty much everyone showed up. i was saying hi to everyone, and I kinda lost track of my friends. then I found my friends Lindsee and Jackson (who are both juniors) and sat with them for the rest of the game. and like last year, Timpview won again. 

Jackson and me at the game. oh and Lindsee didn't quite make the picture.

so it's been an interesting week and 2 days in school. I already have so much homework. all my classes are really hard, except for ceramics, digital photo, and seminary, which I hate to say will probably become my naptime. I have drivers ed every morning at 6:30, and tennis every afternoon. and then I have to practice piano and do homework. so I guess I will kiss my social life goodbye. 

some other interesting things have happened. on Monday, Jackson was driving me home and we had just pulled out of the parking lot, when some girls just hit his car, pulled in front of us, and drove off like nothing happened. thank goodness his sister Kate's friend was able to send her a picture of the license plate, because none of us were quick enough to get a picture! and everyone was ok, including the car. but it was very inconvenient for us, and bad drivers just really piss me off. maybe I shouldn't say that, because I'm not very good myself. but I haven't hit anyone yet, so that's good. but after having this experience, just don't be a bad driver. don't hit other peoples cars. and if you do, please be a really nice person, pull over, and help us and be nice to us. which reminds me. I turn 16 in 146 days. I have 26 days left of drivers ed to complete. I have had my permit since march. it's scary to think I'll be driving. but my parents of course won't let me get a car unless I pay for it myself. so occasionally I can steal my dad's, but I won't be driving myself to school. I guess that's a good thing, because whoever designed the parking lot at timpview is a big idiot. I seriously hate that parking lot. and there's a lot of scary drivers. I can't even pull into my own driveway without hitting the curb. and i'm terrified of hitting anything: children, dogs, other cars, everything. but I gotta learn somehow. even though waking up every morning at 5:45 is very inconvenient. 

after school, my life is pretty much just tennis, tennis, tennis. recently, I pulled a muscle in my right wrist from using it so much, and it has been affecting my ability to play. I did really well in a match last week, even though I lost. yesterday I got killed. I don't even want to say the score. but it was pretty bad. but so far, i've been having a lot of fun this season! even though practices seem to last forever, and it's always super hot, and my wrist is really hurting half of the time. but for the most part, I love it! I love all the girls on the team.

me and Gracie L, my favorite freshman in the world. you've already seen this. get over it.

me and Jen. we didn't even plan, we just wore matching tank tops. I played with her on city league all summer, and we had a great time doing that! I love her guts.

and we can't forget Lauren, my favorite senior. and Grace S. photobombing us in the background!

sorry. more random pictures. on Wednesday, I went on a little hike up in Squaw Peak. the view is beautiful. it was really nice to enjoy the end of summer and the beautiful weather. I am excited for fall, because it's my absolute favorite season. but I don't want the nice summer weather to leave us! I am enjoying seeing all my friends again at school, and some of my classes are really fun, but I already miss summer a lot. I have had a super fun summer. some of the highlights were:

• going to Moab
• going to Youth Conference in Manti
• tennis with mom
• city league tennis
• eating snowcones 
• In-N-Out after pretty much every tennis match
• warm weather
• bear lake with my cousins
• being able to sleep in
• timpview tennis practices
• tennis with Jackson and getting killed everytime. 
• my friend Kalela visiting from Illinois and us hanging out everyday she was here

but then again, I'm kinda excited to be a sophomore this year. I can't wait until I turn 16 and I can start driving. oh, and dating. that's gonna be fun too. and people still ask me everyday if I'm a new freshman. I find it rather amusing. but anyways, let's make it another great year at timpview!

tournaments, tryouts, & boys who beat me left handed

judging just from the title, can you guess what this post is about?

{if you said tennis, gold star for you!}

except for Sundays, and a few days we were on vacation, there hasn't been a day this entire summer where I have not played tennis. to start off my days, I would play for about an hour every morning with my mom. We would just do drills and hit together. this really helped me get ready for real practices with real people. (not that my mom isn't a real person.) it was also a really good time for us to talk to each other. this was one of my favorite parts of the day.

sometime in July, I had my last tournament with my city league. we did it at Mountain View High School in Orem, which is right by this fake stonehenge place. and of course my mom wanted to take my picture there. anyways, I played 5 different girls, all from Spanish Fork, and all close to my age. we just did a best of 3 games. first girl destroyed me, 3-0. second girl is one I have played before, and we were both doing really well. she won 1, I won 1, and the last game we were in deuce for a really long time. but I double faulted on match point. and I hardly ever double fault. Only when 1. it's windy, 2. I'm playing Jackson and he's teasing me, or 3. on the most important point of the game. so that was really frustrating. 3rd girl I beat 2-1, 4th I lost 1-2, and 5th I won 2-1. one of my strengths is because I'm short, people tend to underestimate me and think that I won't be able to get to their shots. but this is not true. I end up getting to the shots, returning them, and hitting them in the court. which can frustrate the other player. anyways, I think I did really well, even in the ones that I lost.

city league ended after that tournament, and I had a break for a while. so I just played with my mom. but at the beginning of August, Timpview tryouts began. everyone who tries out for girls makes it, but the tryouts help the coach know our strengths and what we are as players, and what spot to put us on the team. every morning, we had to be there at 7 to do 3 hours of conditioning: running, stretches, suicides, more killer stretches, some drills, more running, and trying not to die. the first day was really rough, but each day, it got easier. I was able to get 18 perfect serves in a row, which is my new record. every evening at 6, we would come back to Timpview and do 2 hours of matchplay. the first week, we did a round robin and I did really well. I won 7 games, and I only lost 4. I guess I kinda got a bit cocky and started thinking that I would get a really good spot on the team, and that I would win every game.

this did not go the way I expected. the next week, we started playing actual singles matches. the scores of these matches would be used to determine our placement on the team. so, because I was cocky and thought that I was going to win every game, I didn't really think too much about the way I was playing. this really came back to hurt me. the first match I had to play was someone who is a grade ahead of me, and I had beaten her once before and she had beaten me once, but I thought "well I beat her once, so I can do it again." I knew she was pretty good, but I still thought, for some reason, that I would be able to win. that's when karma comes in. as soon as I picked up my racket, I started freaking out in my head, and I had lost the first game of the match. I kept reminding myself that I could not lose. but as the match went on, I did worse and worse each game, hitting easy shots into the net, and just losing everything: my form, my serve, my topspin. It was like I had never played tennis in my life. I had forgotten everything. I kept trying to tell myself that I could win this point. I can take this shot. I know how to do this. I know this game. and then it hit me: I had just lost the match. 6-1. so of course I was a good sport and shook her hand and told her good game, told her how well she did because she was the one who actually played really well, while I played the worse I'd ever played. she talked to the coach while I got a drink. and when another player asked how it went, without warning, I just started to cry. I had felt so horrible about the way I had just played. when everyone was being nice and said things like, "oh, she's really good so don't worry" or "you did your best", that didn't help. I did not do my best. I did my worst. the whole time I was playing, I knew I could do better. I knew that I was messing up. I knew I was losing my form. and I tried, but I still missed shots. all because I got the whole picture in my head that I would win. that hit me hard. I have lost matches before, and from them I have learned what I can do better, and as a result, I usually do better in the next one. I know my strengths, and use them to my advantage. but if I get too ahead of myself, the result is devastating. and it was only my first game.

In my other games, I tried to improve and not have any more games like that. Some were really close and I did really well in, but I still ended up losing. after 3 days, I had only won 1 match. I guess, after that first match, I was too afraid to lose, and I would mess up. so my coach talked to me and gave me a break from playing all these singles matches, told me to focus on 1 point at a time and not the whole game, and not to think about things I've done in the past. but she said that if I continued not to do well, I would have to play JV Doubles instead of JV Singles. after hearing that, I tried my best in every drill, to show how bad I wanted to play singles.

to take my mind off of this hard week, I went up to my friend Jackson's and played a few games at his court. of course, being a 16 year old varsity boys player against a 15 year old JV girls player, he beat me 6-0. then he challenged to play me only using his left hand, while I could use my right hand. he still beat me, 6-0. but I actually scored some points. and we went into deuce a few times, which he of course won, even with just his left hand. finally, he challenged to play a 7 point game with his racket out in front of his chest the whole time. he could not swing, just block shots. and I could do what I wanted. that time, I beat him 7-1. this game is on the list of my proudest accomplishments. I beat Jackson in just 1 game. this is actually a pretty big deal. of course, he wanted to rematch and play 2 more games like that. and I did lose those, which is actually really pathetic. but both of us just really like winning, I guess. and he's the kind of person who would keep playing until he could beat me. even if it was something like a game where you couldn't even swing your racket. but this really helped take my mind off of things, and we both had lots of fun and I was able to calm down, and we were able to just talk about tennis and he gave me some advice on how to be a better player. since then, I have been getting back into the swing of things and made my comeback.

yesterday, I had my first match of the season! and I am on JV SINGLES! (I repeat, I am not on doubles.) except Wasatch High did not have any JV singles players at all, so all of us Timpview girls had to play doubles. Playing doubles is not one of my strengths. I have a really good serve that makes it in 90% of the time. I am not the best net player. and it's hard to communicate with a partner. me and my friend Raya partnered up and played 2 doubles matches. we lost the first, but it was my first time playing a real doubles match so I just considered that my "warm-up." we won the second one, which was the last match of the day, tying Timpview and Wasatch's JV teams, 5-5! our varsity team won, 4-1. it was a very good day for all of us, even the girls who lost.

 me and Gracie, one of my favorite freshmen in the world. and yes she's taller than me.

 and of course an awkward racket shot.

yes, I am on the timpview team. and our uniforms haven't come yet, and I was not on the team last year. so of course, I was the only one wearing purple and I stood out. but who cares.

anyways, now that I am on JV singles and had some experience playing doubles, I feel more confident in myself. I learned a really hard lesson last week, and now I know not to focus on beating your opponent in future matches, and just to focus on 1 point at a time. our coach says that we could go to state this year, and I believe it. GOOOOOO TIMPVIEW TENNIS! 

the lake of bears.

last week, we did our annual bear lake trip. it seems like we haven't gone in forever, since we missed last year. this year, there were more kids than ever. if Chris and Rochelle's family had been there, it would've been absolutely packed! but we know that they are probably having an amazing time living in England for the next 2 years! anyways, it was crazy. since our last trip to bear lake, the Mullenaux family has gained 1 little boy, and the Knights have gained a little girl. the last time (2 years ago), Uncle Ron broke his ankle and wasn't able to make it, so he, Aunt Sarah, 4 year old Andrew (then 2) and baby London stayed in Florida while Caleb and Ainsley (now 11 and 7) came up. so this was our first time ever meeting London, and boy is she darling. we didn't take a lot of pictures on our camera while we were there, and no one is sending me pictures, so these are mostly all from my iPhone. we wish we could've gotten more!

not only did the kids multiply, but the basement was recently finished with 3 new bedrooms and a bathroom. this is really nice because 3 bedrooms upstairs and a living room just can't hold 22 people (16 minus Chris and Rochelle's family, who are in England). and now that my brothers are older and "more mature", we don't have to do the "1 family to a bedroom" thing anymore. my brothers and Caleb got a bedroom to themselves, and for the first 2 nights, my mom and I shared a king-sized bed in our own bedroom. Dad had some work to finish up, so he had to come 2 days late and leave 1 day early. while he was there, I just slept upstairs. but the new basement was really nice and it was cooler at night and one of the highlights of the trip was napping on the king-sized bed!

on Thursday night, Grandma and Grandpa and the Mullenauxs came to our house, and left the next morning. during this short time, 3 year old Jackson grew pretty fond of me because I have an iPhone and he can play Whale Trail. we left one day later, and arrived at the lakehouse on Saturday. Jackson was happy to greet me.

on sunday, I was entertaining Jackson during sacrament meeting, and the power went out. church ended early, and the power was out in the whole area until like 4. during that time, I took a nap, drove around the neighborhood on the dirt roads, and went down to the beach to take pictures. the Knights arrived shortly after that.

monday was the first day on the lake. I got up on the wakeboard for the 2nd time in like 2 years. This year it was a lot easier and I really enjoyed doing it. Caleb, Wesley, and Justin all took it to another level and did competitions to see who did the best tricks. Jackson and Ainsley and Andrew enjoyed cheering for me. afterwards, we went to the beach.

i posted this picture of Ainsley and me on Instagram, and she kept on checking to see how many likes, or "hits" as she calls it, we had. we ended up getting like 128, and she was so excited. "we're gonna be famous!" 

the next day, my dad came up and the water was choppier. I was not able to get up on the wakeboard as easily as before. Wesley tried the slalom ski. but then we all rented a giant water trampoline for 2 hours. there was a thing where you could launch people; one person (preferably a kid) would jump on the target, and another person (preferably a big person like Uncle Ron) would jump on the other target and launch the kid into the air. Ainsley, Caleb, and Justin all went pretty high and did some crazy flips. I, being uncoordinated, missed the target. and the adults just all fell off. but it was really fun. that evening, we all went to LaBeau's for the famous Raspberry Shakes. I have never ordered a raspberry one in my life, and I feel like I should. but I got butterfinger instead, and it was probably as good, or even better than raspberry is.

 yes, I am related to this kid. he just always thinks it's winter and dresses like it. 

 and neither of us look good. it's ok.

Wednesday was pioneer day, and we rented a stand-up paddleboard. it was really fun, and it was the perfect weather. 

 Justin and Caleb, the inseparables.

 Wesley being Wesley

thursday, it was a very cloudy day. the water was very choppy and I was able to wakeboard, but it wasn't very pleasant and I got my arm caught in the rope of the boat, cutting off all circulation. as soon as I get out of the water and back in the boat, it's completely purple. I decided I was done with boating, went back to the beach, took pictures, and Uncle Ron rented a jetski. I love riding the jetski, and I love getting water sprayed in my face. I'm not kidding. but it took like an hour to start the thing, and the waves were rough. so we went back to the beach again, and took Jackson and some other kiddos to the pool.

while we were at the pool, Jackson was in line for the slide and met another little boy named Jackson. at first, he was upset and told me, "I don't like him. he cut in front of me in line and his name isn't Jackson. he's a stupid poopoo." then, I guess he got excited and said, "there's a little boy named Jackson! there's another Jackson! yay we can be friends and go down the slide and go off the diving board!" he is so cute. but it was confusing, when I was calling his name, at least 3 other little boys came running to me. I guess Jackson is a popular name. I know at least 10. One of my best friends is named Jackson, the one who beats me at tennis but is probably my favorite person, all the same. I have a friend who's a girl named Jackson. and I have my cousin, who says that I am his favorite cousin. every morning, he'd run up to me and hug me and give me kisses. then, he'd ask to play on my phone. he was really good and didn't break it. he and I would snuggle together and play together and he would always want me to do whatever he was doing. he is the cutest thing, and he has the most adorable laugh!

 

Andrew Knight also really liked me. the first thing he said to me was, "are you 5 feet? you're really short. guess what? I'm a growing boy. I'm already 11 feet! and I'm going to grow taller! and Caleb's 35 feet, and my mom's 108 feet, and my dad's 183 feet! isn't that crazy? my sisters are short. like you. but someday, I'm gonna be 100 feet!" one of my favorite things was that I would always find him singing "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. and we all know I love One Direction. so we would sing together. his sister Ainsley is convinced that she is going to marry Harry Styles. one day, I wore my One Direction shirt, and Andrew runs up and yells "IT'S HARRY!" and kisses Harry's picture. oh how I love those kids.

on Friday, we got out of cleaning duty because Wes had a scout campout and we needed to get him home. thank goodness. we had been home for like 5 hours before anyone got to our house! Caleb, Grandma and Grandpa, and the Mullenauxs stayed with us while the rest of the Knights stayed at their other grandparents. the next morning, all the grown ups went to the temple and I was in charge of attending to Jackson and his 1 year old brother, Tyson. it's hard, to watch both of them! tyson gets into everything, and Jackson is just crazy. but they're adorable. after lunch, we all went to the new Provo Rec Center to go swimming. Andrew and I went on each slide at least 10 times. he was having the time of his life! I nearly dropped him once and felt super bad, but he didn't care! just as I thought I was done, Ainsley wanted me to go with her, so of course, why not? we all had a great time, and even though it can be rough when the closest person your age is your own brother who's 3 years younger (actually, Alyssa Castle is 2 years younger, but again, she was in England), it's fun being with all the little kiddos. I can't wait until next year!