Time Flies . . .

Why does summer always seem so short? Is it because we look forward to it the whole year and it doesn't even compare in length to how long school is? Or maybe it's because time flies when you're having fun. I have definitely had a summer to remember. It all started on June 4th when my Mom, Stockton, Harlee, and I left for Park City and spent a week laying by the pool, shopping, eating at kneaders, doing yoga in the mornings, and taking long drives through the beautiful mountains. On June 12th, my parents, Shae, and myself got on an airplane and flew 13 hours to the Heathrow Airport in London, England. We spent 5 days in London touring on the Big Red Buses, shopping at Harrods and Regent Street, visiting Buckingham and Kensington Palace, riding bicycles through Green Park, seeing two Broadway shows, eating marvelous food, and visiting all of the major historical sites such as Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Kings Cross Station (shout out to Harry Potter), Oxford, Stratford upon Avon (another shout out to Shakespeare), Windsor Castle, and so much more. That Saturday, we hopped on the Eurostar and took a train ride to Paris. We spent a little less than a day trying to accomplish as much as we could. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Ponce de Leon, the outside of the Louvre, and were occasionally bothered by teenage gypsies trying to pickpocket us. I tried to run into my dear friend Emily Brown, but failed. Paris is Paris. I loved it. On Sunday, my dad flew home to boring old Utah while the three of us took a train ride and a ferry to Ireland. We spent 5 days relaxing at the Ritz Carlton on the Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry. We rode bikes through the gardens, walked along the sea front, ate dinner at Johnny Fox's pub, and became friends with the nicest and most hospitable people. Ireland is truly beautiful in every way. After our amazing trip to Europe, we came home to Utah. I spent a week being home, the, headed off to Girls Camp at good old Mia Shalome. I had a way more enjoyable time than I thought I would. The day after I got home, my whole family (Dad, Mom, Riley, Shae, Addie, Harlee, Stockton) went to Nauvoo and Chicago, Illinois. We went through the whole church history experience in Nauvoo, and then went on to Chicago where we rode bicycles through the city, spent a day at Six Flags, ate at Ed Debevic's, shopped on Michigan Avenue, and saw Harry Potter!! This was definitely a trip to remember. After this vacation, we had our annual Green family reunion in Fairview. Next week will be our annual Hunsaker family reunion in Park City. ......... and then school starts. Overall I would say that this summer has been very educational, relaxing, and entertaining for me. I feel like I've done everything from staying in the Ritz Carlton in Ireland to staying in a trailer in Fairview. I'd say I've had a pretty well rounded summer. When I think back to these past couple months, its not the places that made the memories, its the people. When I think of my trip to Europe, I don't think of the time I first walked into Harrods, or ate my first real scone, or watched the Queen of England drive away from her Castle, but I think of the time my mom, Shae, and myself danced like fools in a random Ferris Wheel overlooking Windsor Castle, and when Shae and I rolled down the hills at Powerscourt Gardens. Had I spent this whole summer with people I didn't know, or even by myself, it wouldn't have been have as rewarding as it was to spend the whole summer with the people that I love the most. My summer turned out to be simply perfect.

Happy Birthday Gates!

Sometimes bad things happen to good people, but why does such a bad thing have to happen to such a good person? Less than twenty-four hours before my cousin Gates was to be sent on an LDS mission, he broke his neck in a snowboarding accident. He is now paralyzed from the chest down. Gates has been in the hospital for over three months, and he has already made great progress. He can use his left hand to a great extent, and is starting to be able to use his right hand as well. His neck brace has been removed and he can stand his head up without any support. We are all hoping that Gates can progress each and every day, and he has not let us down yet. He has his hard times, but Gates is the most determined kid I know. This past Saturday, my family and I went up to Bountiful to help run a booth for Gates in a fourth of July carnival. We had great success and Gates even got to come down from the hospital to make an appearance. Gates is probably the most well-liked kid I have ever met. After the carnival, we continued on to Gates's home and had a barbecue to celebrate the fourth of July, and most importantly, Gates's birthday. Gates will be turning twenty years old! Happy Birthday Gates! After the barbecue, we all sat out on the porch to watch the fireworks from the carnival. Gates got to lay down on the grass that night. People who are apart of horrible accidents can all relate to one another. Some of the outcomes are a little more extreme, but they all suck nonetheless. My Aunt, Gates's mom, said the other day, "Lots of people break their necks, why does this have to be so bad?" Heavenly Father gives us certain challenges in life to test our faith and to see how we progress from then on, and sometimes he gives us these obstacles to make a difference in the lives of others. Everything happens for a reason. Keeping Heavenly Father close to us is the only way we can maintain a positive outlook to the bad things that happen to us. This earthly body is only temporary, and "temporary" may be a very long time for some people. For Gates. All we can do is pray and continue to love and support those in need. Gates has already made a difference in the lives of hundreds and I know that he will continue doing that for a very long time. Gates is still the most hilarious, positive, and amazing person I know. And nothing can change that. I love you Gates.

Romeo and Juliet . . .

Why does the most romantic story in history have to be the saddest as well? When ever I watch or read Romeo and Juliet, afterward, all I can say is, "This sucks!". It's just completely unfair. I honestly want to kill the delivery boy that couldn't get the dang letter to Romeo in time. He ruined everything. And don't even get me started on the stupidity of the two star-crossed lovers. I understand the phrase "I can't live without you" though I do find it rather dramatic, but these two took it to another level. Shakespeare is an evil genius when it comes to this story. Not only was Shakespeare the greatest poet/writer in history, but I'm pretty sure he was a psychic on the side. Teenagers these days have been getting more dramatic, more stupid, and more pregnant, (although the "pregnant" part doesn't have to do with much, I just thought I'd throw it in for good measure), he must have known that people in our time would need this example of undying stupidity. Some people describe their lives as the story of Romeo and Juliet in the sense that two people love each other and their parents won't let them be together. I thought that my life was like this for a short period, but then I realized how dramatic and stupid I was being, and then after going through things, I realized that I didn't want my life to be like theirs. Sure it sounds so romantic, but they kill themselves at the end. Now how romantic does that sound? I changed my perspective altogether. If you lose a loved one, mourn for a while, anyone deserves that, but don't take it to extremes. Life moves on, and you are going to see them again someday. Romeo and Juliet were so in love, so naive, and so catholic that they didn't understand the full effect their decision was going to have. Now this is a serious case of "act before you think". Lets all learn from this beautifully heart wrenching story and give Shakespeare a hand for writing a play so insightful and foretelling, because without Shakespeare, we all might be dead.

Hermione Granger . . . .

Do you ever have that feeling that people are watching you? Not in the sense that dead people follow you around and watch you at night, but like your whole life is being projected onto a huge screen and millions of people are watching it all play out? It would be like the Truman Show, but instead, called the Addie Show! I wonder if anyone would think my life was as interesting as I do? .....Probably not. It's a natural thing for a persons life to revolve around them. Sure we all worry about others and we say that our lives don't revolve around us, but that's not true. How I see it is that I am the main character in a novel someone has written, or the leading actress in a movie. That doesn't mean that I'm the center of the world, just of my life. Maybe I'm crazy, or maybe I just have this strange desire to be in a movie. At least once in their life, every girl has wished that they could be the girl in the movie who always ends up with the hot, dreamy boy with the nice abs. Be it Bella Swan, or that lucky girl in Thor. But in my case, it's Hermione Granger. Not because she gets the hot boy, but because..... well, who wouldn't want to be in Harry Potter? She's a wizard who's best friends with The Chosen One, she gets to go on all the adventures with Harry and Ron, and she's.......a wizard for crying out loud! She's kind of a big deal if you didn't know. But enough on that tangent, sometimes life isn't entirely fair. We can't always be Emma Watson and be as fortunate as she is, but last time I checked, I'm doing just fine being Addison Hunsaker. And who knows, maybe one day I'll be a big deal to a young girl like myself. Let's pray that that day comes soon!